The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-01-07 00:00:00

YESTERDAY.

COMMITMENTS.
No fewer than three individuals were yesterday committed
for trial at the prrseut sessions, for felony. Amongst them
was a young man, named Edward Byrne, a clerk with Mr.
Muspratt, manufacturing chemist, on a charge of taking a
quantity of copper money, belonging to his master, and ap-
propriating it to his own use. Another case was a theftfrom
the shop of Mr. Daniels, clothier, bottom of Dale-street;
and the third a case of robbery, by a girl (Mary Brian), in
the house of Mr. Dobson, Great George-street. As all these
cases will be tried this week at the sessions, we deem it un-
necessary to give the heads of the evidence.

DEATH BY BURNING.—On Saturday night a little boy,
named Riding, four years of age, residing with his parents in
Nash-grove, was seriously burnt by his clothes catching
fire. Mr. Black, surgeon, Scotland-road, was called in, but
the poor child lingered until five o'clock on Sunday morning,
when he died.

METEORIC PRENOMENON.-At one minute to six yester-
day (Thursday) morning, while engaged in looking for the
comet, I was startled by the sudden appearance of a very
bright meteor. It shot rapidly from the zenith, near Arctu-
rus, in a slanting direction towards the west, at an angle of
about 18 to 20 degrees, passing about 2-1 to 3 degrees west of
Spica Virginis, where it burst, illuminating the whole sky,
and disappearing behind a bank of cumuli, at an elevation of
about 30 degrees, leaving behind it a.stream of light, which
continued for a moment or two after its immersion. It ex-
ceeded Venus, both in size and splendour, during its descent,
and changed into a fine red at its dispersion. I tried to hit
upon 'its track with the glass, but was unfortunately not quick
enough. The day previous had been most unusually close,
and towards evening a small rain set in from the south
and appeared to blow
upper current had veered to S.S.Vv'.,
pretty strong, though the under was at times quite a dead
calm, occasionally increasing to a good strong breeze. At
the time of its appearance the stars were beautifully conspi-
spicuous, and Venus shone with more than her usual splen-
dour, casting a very perceptible shadow, and the light clouds
which occasionally obscured her were brightly illuminated
by her rays. With the exception of a few patches here and
there, obscured by passing cumuli, wafted briskly with the
westerly wind, and a bank of cumuli and starli, extending
from E.S.E. to W.S.W., at an elevation of 20 to 30 degrees,
the sky was unusually clear.—Correspondent of Mercury.
Tux do not recollect any.
Tux NEW Yonx PACKETS.
period, since the Canadian rebellion gave a prominent
interest to American news, anxiety in which greater an • t has be
• manifested for the arrival of the New York packets than
during the week which has just passed. Day followed day,
and, though the winds were frequently favourable, neither
the Cambridge, nor the Independence,i. nor the Liverpool
Irm
made their appearance. , noon, and nht, the only
interrogatory was, " Has tl.(ile Liverpool arrived?" the call-
ing vessels not being supposed, by general consent, to have
any chance against the steamer'; or, if any one had a chance,
it was in favour of the Cambridge alone, owing to her having
had ten or twelve days start of the Liverpool. The answer,
uniformly, was
" No;" followed by an inquiry from the
interrogator, "What has become of her ?" The purveyors
of news for the London journals were, of course, on the
qui vise, both by day and by night. The Message of Presi-
dent Van Buren to Congress would, it was supposed, be
brought by the Independence, and certainly by the Liverpool:
benee, there was, in the political importance of the docu-
ment, a more than ordinary stimulus to vigilance and activity
on the part of the news-agents. Still, though these gentle-
men paced the pierheads during many a weary hour, " in
thunder, lightning, and in rain, no Independence, no Liver-
pool hove in sight to glad their eyes and rejoice their hearts.
The express messengers were ready, but there was no Mes-
ege to carry.—/libioa•