The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-25 00:00:00

UTE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY, JANUAR

THE BRAZIL MAILS.-Mr. Warburton, in answer to a
letter complaining of the detention of the Brazil mails in
the metropolis, has received a letter from the Postmaster-
General, stating that the mails cannot be accelerated till
March ; that at present they are, with difficulty, des-
patched from Euston-square by the 9 15 a.m. train, and
that it is quite impossible for them to be forwarded by
the 6 a.m. train.

KIRKDALE SEssxoNs.—On Wednesday last, at the
court-house, Kirkdale, Richard Pilkington, Esq., of
Windle-hall, St. Helen's, took the oaths, and qualified as
a magistrate ; and on the same day, and at the same
place, William Pilkington, Esq., of Eccleston-hall, St.
Helens, and on Thursday, at the same place, William
Rigby, Esq., of Liverpool, took the oaths and qualified as
deputy-lieutenants of this county.

RAMSEY HARBOUR.—Some improvements are likely to
be made in this harbour shortly, which will make it more
commodious than at present, and render it a port which
weather beaten vessels may enter with safety, and he pro-
tected from the storm, in lien of anchoring in the bay. A
petition from this town to the commissioners of harbours,
praying them to grant an adequate sum for the extension
and improvement of the harbour, was presented on Tues-
day last. The petition was received favourably, and a
grant of £6OO given, all the funds the commissioners have
at their disposal at present.—Manx Sun.

REFUSAL TO PROCEED TO SEA.--At the Liverpool
police-court, on Tuesday, the captain of the ship Albion,
lying in the river, preferred a charge against Frank Wil-
liams, James Lettine, John Harrington, John Johnstone,
Jonathan Seed, George Baker, Henry Kline, and John
Seantan, seamen, for having, in violation of their agree-
ment, refused to proceed in the said vessel to New
Orleans—from thence (if required) to any port in the
United States, British North America, or whatever freight
might offer, or for a term not to exceed twelve months.
They were each sentenced to thirty days' imprisonment.
EXEMPTION FROM JURIES.—An application was made
at the Kirkdale Sessions, on Tuesday, on behalf of Thomas
Ridley, Esq., J.P. for the island of Newfoundland, and
holding her Majesty's commission as a member of the
executive council of that island, to exempt him from
serving upon juries at the sessions, on account of the
offices held by him. It was stated that, although a magis-
trate was exempt from serving upon a jury at the sessions
for the county of which he was a magistrate, (on the prin-
ciple that he was a judge at such court,) there was no such
exemption in regard to sessions for other counties, or in
regard to the assizes.

THE SPRING CIRCUITS.—On Wednesday the Judges
assembled in the Exchequer Chamber for the purpose of
selecting their respective Circuits for the ensuing Spring
Assizes. The following is the result of the selection :
Northern.—Mr. Justice Cresswell and Mr. Baron Martin.
Norfolk.—Lord Campbell and the Lord Chief Baron.

Midland.—Lord Chief Justice Jervis and Mr. Baron Parke.
Home.—Mr. Baron Alderson and Mr. Justice Coleridge.
Western.—Mr. Justice Erie and Mr. Justice Crompton.
Oxford.—Mr. Justice Williams and Mr. Justice Talfourd,
North Wales.—Mr. Justice Maule.
South Wales.—Mr. Justice Wightman.

Mr. Baron Platt will remain in town.

NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY.—It is asserted that this
company will not pay more than five per cent., and to do
that they will have to dip into the balance brought from
last account. The earnings arc £16,000 less, and there
are the quarter-shares to come in for full dividend instead
of fcur per cent., making an extra claim on the revenue.
It is likewise rumoured that the working expenses will be
found unexpectedly heavy. Against this is to be set the
reduction of interest on the new and the renewed deben-
tures, estimated at above £20,000, with considerable
differences in their favour, on the numerous lines to
which they have subscribed. Other computations assert
that the dividend will not be less than 5 per cent., while
one gentleman says £'60,000 balance for next account, and
Mr. Yeats says above £BB,OOO.

THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY. The second
ballot amongst the uncompleted shareholders for right of
choice of allotments on the society's estates, took place on
Saturday week. The Rev. Dr. Worthington, Messrs. Mait-
land, Cribb, Knox, Holmes, Pownall, and Viscount
Ranelagh, members of the Executive Committee, were
present. Dr. Worthington presided, and in opening the
proceedings congratulated the shareholders present on the
prosperous condition of the society, He had great plea-
sure in stating that they had already become possessed of
several most eligible estates : two at Pntney, in East Sur-
rey, one at Ealing, in Middlesex, and a fourth at Houns-
low, in the same county ; and the Executive Committee
are now in treaty for various other estates in different
localities. 'The ballot having been proceeded with, fifty
rights of 'choice were drawn by shareholders in the coun-
ties of Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, Bucks, Norfolk, Suffolk,
Derby, 'Somerset, and Dorset.

CTVIC ENTERTAINMENTS.--The mayor has introduced
a new custom at his dinner parties, which is found to be
very convenient. The large dishes are no longer placed
on the table, but are all carved at the sideboards. This
spares a number of gentlemen the trouble of carvine,
which, in many instances, was no sinecure. A carte du
(kdor is now placed at the right hand of every guest, who
can order what he selects without inconvenience. His
worship has also dispensed with the attendance of all the
private servants who accompanied their masters; and the
dinners are now exclusively -served by the domestics of
the Town-hall, and those who are expressly engaged for
the occasion. Much of the irregularity which previously
'existed will consequently be avoided ; and we think it may
'beuseful to make the cicumstance generallyknown, that the
-private servants of the mayor's guests will not in future
be admitted to the dining-room. Mr. Lynn, of theWater-
'leo, supplies all the dinners at the Town-hall,during the
present mayoralty.—Albion.

LIVERPOOL SHIPPING.—Some idea of the,commercial
importance of Liverpool, as a port for foreign-goingyessels,
may be formed from the following statistics::—During
eight days no less than 223 vessels left here on foreign
voyages. The total tonnage in the eight days amounted
to 95,992, of which the United States trade has taken 92
vessels, of 64,466 aggregate tonnage. The cotton trade
alone has employed 33 vessels, of 26,801 total tons, that
number having sailed for New Orleans. For South
America there have been'27 vessels ; total tonnage, 7,658.
To the Mediterranean 33 vessels ; tonnage,'6:222. To the
East Indies 12 vessels,-5,946 tonnage. -West Indies 17
vessels, 3,699 tons. To Australia 3 vessels, 1,071 tons ;
and California 1 vessel of 790 tons. To Europe generally
16 vessels, 2,287 tons; Africa 5 vessels, 2,388 tons ;
Azores 7 vessels, 1,172 tons ; British America, 1 vessel, of
250 tons ; and nine vessels of which we have not the par-
ticulars. This return is exclusive of the coasting and Irish
trade, which will amount to between 3,000 end 4,000 tons
additional.

A DANGEROUS LODGER.—On Tuesday last, at the Li-
verpool Police-office, a Sicilian sailor, named Angelo
Cook, was brought up on a charge of threatening to shoot
William Benussi, pawnbroker and lodging house keeper.
The prisoner lodged with the prosecutor, at his house
in Drury-lane. On Monday afternoon, he informed the
prosecutor that he had shipped in an American vessel,
presented a shinning note, and requested an order fora
pair of boots. Knowing that the ship was not to sail
until Saturday, Mr. Benussi refused to give the order,
whereupon the prisoner became violent, which led to his
ejection from the house. On the same afternoon, he
called and inquired for the prosecutor. Being informed
that he was not in, the prisoner then produced two loaded
pistols,' with which he said he intended to shoot Mr. Be-
nussi, and if they missed fire he would finish him with a
large knife which he pulled out of his pocket. The pro-
secutor procured the assistance of detectives Sullivan and
Carlisle, who apprehended the prisoner in Whitechapel.
`He was ordered to find bail, himself in £3O. and two sure-
ties in £l5 each, or a month's imprisonment in default.

A FAMILY or BOA CoNs.rmcrons.—On Sunday week
there arrived in this port, in the ship Arrow, 'Captain
Wyatt, from Para, a huge serpent of the boa genus. The
reptile is 18 feet in length, and was caught by some of the
natives on the banks of the " mighty Amazon." Before
it came into the possession of Captain Wyatt, it had satis-
fied its appetite by swallowing a full-grown goat. On the
day the vessel left Para. the captain and crew were sur-
prised-to find that the serpent had given birth to 3G young
ones. The "snakelets" were about two feet each in
length, and in six weeks they have only grown about an
inch in .length. In about six days after the birth, the
mamma devoured 29 pigeons, being the first food she had
tasted from the time she had feasted on the goat—a
period of about three months. Captain Wyatt has dis-
posed of the boa constrictor and its progeny to Mr.
Edmonds, the proprietor of one of the travelling menage-
ries of his father-in-law, the late Mr. Wombwell, which
is at present being exhibited in Manchester. The mother
and three of the young ones has been conveyed to that
town, but 33 of the snakelets have yet to be delivered,
dead or alive, to the purchaser. They are at present, in
seaman's phrase, adrift in the ship's hold.
A RICE MILL DESTROYED BY FIRE.—On Wednesday
last a conflagration took place at the rice-mill and starch
manufactory of Messrs. Irving, Son, and.sones, Black-
stock-street, Vauxhall-road. The works.consisted of a
large building of four stories, containing a great quantity
of produce and machinery. The fire broke out in the
upper part of that portion of the premises used as a rice-
mill, and was discovered shortly after four o'clock in the
afternoon. Information was immediately sent to the
central fire-police station, and Mr. Hewitt, with a number
of the fire brigade, proceeded to the burning building
with all despatch. The West of England engine was also
in attendance. When the engines arrived the fire had
made such progress as to render the destruction of the
rice-mill inevitable. Through the exertions of the fire
brigade, however, the starch manufactory, offices, and
several surrounding cottages were preserved. The con-
flagration was chiefly remarkable for its fierceness, a cir-
cumstance in part owing to the extreme dryness of the
materials exposed to the, action of the flames. It was
about seven o'clock before the fire was effectually sub-
dued. The damage done amounts to from £4,000 to
£5,000. It is covered by insurance in the Norwich Union
Fire office. Much of the stock in the rice-mill was saved.
The fire is supposed to have originated from the friction
of machinery.

SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AND DUMB.—The annual
meeting of the supporters of this institution was held on
Thursday, at the school, Oxford-street East. The Rev.
Rector Camphell, the president, in the chair. The children
under instruction in the school were in the room during
the Proceedings, and their healthful and cheerful appear-
honorer
"me was ft subject of gratification. There are at present
between 40 and 50 pupils.—Mr. Edward Banner, the
Y secretary, read the annual report. This stated
that there had been an increase of income derived from
legacies. More than three-fourths of the children now
under More
belong to Liverpool itself; and never,
at any former time, did the institution more fully answer
the thief object of its benevolent founders. Contributions
to the clothing fund had been received from Richard
Rathbone, Esq., of Woodcote, Aigburth, and from other
donors connected with the institution ; and the committee
had also to express their thanks to Miss H. M. Rathbone,
Mr. Hugh Shimmin, and the directors of the American
Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, Hartford, Connecticut,
for valuable acquisitions to the school library.—The cash
account was read by Mr. Arthur Thompson, the treasurer ;
after which, the Rev. William Brewster moved that the
report and statement of accounts be adopted.—The reso-
lution was seconded by Mr. Richard Rathbone, and car-
ried unanimously.—Mr. Harmood Banner moved a vote
of thanks to the president, officers, and committee, for
their services during the past year •, and the meeting broke
up with lie usual compliment to the chairman.

INIPOILTA'NT TO OIL MERCHANTS.—In the Court of
Exchequer on Wednesday, the case of Rosseter v. Cahl-
mann was beard on a demurrer to a rejoinder, which
raised the question whether a contract for sundry gallons
of palm oil, " old measure," to be delivered on the coast
of Africa and paid for in Liverpool, was an illegal contract
within the sth and 6th William IV., c. 63, s. 21, because
it was not made in the "imperial measure" established
by that statute. Mr. M. Smith, for the plaintiff, con-
tended that the statute in question could not apply to any
contract except such as was made within the United
Kingdom. Mr. Field, being called on to support his
plea, submitted that the contract, though made with
reference to foreign goods, was one to be performed in
England, and, therefore, fell within the 21st section of
the statute. The court, however, hen that the statute
could only apply to contracts wholly arising within the
United Kingdom, and could not be extended to foreign
transactions such as that on which the plaintiff sued.
There must, therefore, be judgment for the plaintiff.
Judgment accordingly.

LICENSES FOR STEAM-TUGS.---OR Thursday, John
Nicholson, William Henry Ogden, and William Currie,
the owners of the steam-tug Queen, appeared before the
magistrates, charged with sailing that vessel with passen-
gers without a certificate.—Mr. Tindal, who appeared for
the Board of Trade, said the information was filed on the
12th section of the Steam Navigation Act. According to
the 3rd section of the act, owners of steam-vessels are
bound, twice in every year, to have their vessels surveyed
by a shipwrights surveyor appointed by the government,
who shall testify as to the soundness of the hull, and by a
shipwright's engineer, who shall testify as to the state of
the engines. After this, the Board of Trade grants the
certificates. In the case in question, no application had
been made for such certificate.—Elisha Wilcockson,
Custom-house officer, deposed that on the 3rd instant he
saw 36 passengers on board the Queen, then lying at the
Prince's-pier. The steamer was conveying passengers to
the emigrant ship Forest Monarch, which was lying in the
river.—Mr. Owen, for the defence, contended that the
Queen was not employed on any voyage or excursion ; she
was merely the means of transit to the ship.—The magis-
trates decided that the law affected the case in question,
and ordered the defendants to pay a mitigated penalty of
40s. and costs.—John Newton, the captain of the Queen,
was fined 10a. and costs for the same offence.

DOCK COMMITTEE,—At the weekly meeting, on Thurs-
day, the Secretary submitted a letter from Messrs. George
Baker and Son, in reply to a letter written to them,
enclosing the resolution of the dock committee, and
requesting to know the amount of expense they had
incurred in tendering for the contracts for the dock works.
They refuse to state what expenses they had incurred,
complain of the injurious comparisons which had been
drawn in discussions about their tender, and request that
the case may be referred to three eminent engineers.
After a lengthy debate, it was agreed to send a reply to
Messrs. Baker, to the effect, that the committee could not
proceed further in the matter.—The Solicitor submitted
his annual report in reference to bills preparing for the
ensuing session of parliament ; he expressed his satisfac-
tion that it was the first time during many years in which
the dock trustees were not the object of parliamentary
attack.—The Chairman intimated that the contracts for
printing and stationery, now in the hands of Mr. M'Cor-
quodale and Mr. Harris, expired in March next, and it
was agreed that the necessary advertisements should be
issue,l for tenders.—Mr. Bigham brought forward the
motion of which he had given notice, that in future the
reporters be requested not to withdraw until the chairman
left the chair ; but, after a lengthy discussion, the motion
was lost, the majority considering that the presence of re-
porters would be injudicious, and might lead to difficulties.
HEALTH COMMITTEE.—At the meeting of the com-
mittee on Thursday, Mr. Alderman Langsdale presided.
From a financial statement read by the clerk, it appeared
that in 1852 the rates collected amounted to £4 ss. 7d.
per cent. increase upon those of the preceding year, or a
total of £3,s4o.—The medical officer reported that though
inflammatory affections of the lungs have become more
prevalent, there had been a decrease last week in the
general mortality of the borough, the deaths being 200
against 214 in the week previous, and an average of 258
in the corresponding week of five preceding years. The
deaths in the parish were 140, and in the extra parochial
wards, 60. Of the total deaths 96 were from diseases of
the lungs, including consumption, a larger proportion
than in any week of the previous three years. Consump-
tion caused 40 deaths, which exceeded the number in any
week of the preceding twenty months. There was a
decrease of six in the mortality from aymotic diseases, the
deaths last week being 38, including 9 from hooping
cough, 7 from typhus, 6 from scarlatina, 6 from diarrhoea.
2 from small pox (1 not vaccinated), 1 from measles, and 1
from erysipelas. One death from rheumatism.—The
chairman read a letter from Mr. John Rose, relative to
his proposition for deodorising the town manure, and
afterwards disposing of it in the most advantageous man-
ner. The letter, which included some financial state-
ments, for the purpose of showing that by the proposed
plan the committee would save £1,538 per annum, or
£23,000 during the fifteen years, was referred to the engi-
neer.—Mr. Bigham said, at the last meeting remarks were
made as to his interest in a machine for sawing, purchased
by the engineer; all he could say was, that it was pur-
chased from a gentleman, a friend of his, and he bad no
beneficial interest in it whatever. A letter from Mr.
Taylor, of Pumpfields, was read, complaining that he had
rented works for the manufacture of rosin oil for some
time, and before any works were within the distance
required by the act of parliament, namely 75 feet. Since
then, a neighbour, Mr. Lutwyche, had come within the
prescribed limits., and an information had been laid against
him (Mr. Taylor). Mr. Taylor was requested to bring
his complaint before the finance committee.—Mr. Bigham
was about to call attention to the crossing of the streets
at the north docks by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Rail-
way Company, when the chairman intimated that the
matter had been referred to the engineers of the two
bodies.

ST. CLEMENT'S MISSIONARY MEETING.—A very in-
teresting missionary meeting was held in St. Clement's
Boys' School-room, Windsor, on Monday evening, the
17th instant, in furtherance of the object of the above
society,—the Rev. F. Parry in the chair. After the pro-
ceedings had been opened with prayer, the rev. chairman,
in an eloquent speech of considerable length, dwelt upon
the Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews,
of which he is the zealous secretary ; in the course of
which he defined its real province and aim—corrected
many prevalent mistakes made by many with regard to
the objects of the society, and urged its claims upon the
sympathy and support of the meeting.—The Rev J.
S. Burdon, who has been recently ordained, and is
about to proceed as a missionary to Shanghai, China,
next addressed the meeting, and ably advocated the
cause of missions to the Heathen. Among the topics
dwelt upon, was the success of one missionary and the
want of success of another, though equally zealous, which
he argued was, under God, mainly to be attributed to the
settled conviction, followed up by untiring devotedness,
of the former, in carrying out the conviction—that the
education of the rising generation was the opening of a
wide and effectual door for the'Gospel," by which the
whole fabric of Heathenism will be shaken to its base,
and the comparative neglect of this duty by the latter.
He glanced at the interesting mission field of China, in
which, in the providence of God, he will be soon called to
labour—noticed their genius and literary acquirements as
a people, and sketched the advantage the missionary •ne-
cessarily enjoyed in labouring there, over those whose lot
it is to labour among half civilized and barbarous races
of our fellow-creatures. But by far-the most interesting
feature in the evening's proceedings was the pleasing duty
which the congregation had to discharge. As a feeble
expression of good will, and to record their high sense
of the value of the faithful services of Mr. Roberts, their
late Scripture reader, they deputed the Rev. Chairman
to present him with a large handsomely bound copy of
Baxter's comprehensive Polyglot Bible, with notes, &e. 4
and a purse containing ten guineas. The Bible bore the
inscription :—" Robert Roberts. Presented to him with
sincere and cordial wishes for his peace in time, and bliss
in eternity, by his friends in the district of St. Clement's,
Windsor, Liverpool, as a token of their appreciation of his
faithful labours as a Scripture Readerof thatdistrict foreight
years:: ' Be thou faithful unto death, I and will give thee a
crown of life.'—Rev. 2, v.lO. They part with him with
regret. In this:world partings arefrequent and unavoidable ;
but there is another world, where adieus and partings are
unknown.' The Rev. Chairman, in a feeling and affec-
tionate address, bore testimony to his zeal and devoted-
ness, and implored the Divine blessing to follow him in
the new sphere in which he has been called to labour.
As soon as Mr. Roberts had sufficiently recovered from
the emotion which the unexpected presentation had occa-
sioned, he briefly, but in an appropriate manner, returned
sincere thanks; whereupon the proceedings terminated
with singing and prayer.

THE BURNING OF THE ST. GEORGE.—The .steamer
Sir Edward Banks, arrived at Havre, has brought some
additional particulars of the loss of the St. George. G.
Grant Cousins, one of the crew, states that the vessel
would he about 40 deg. 12 min. lat, and 23 deg. 30 min.
long., or about 1,200 miles south and westward of Cape
Clear, when smoke was first discovered coming from
the hold. During the whole period, indeed, it seems that
no fire was observed at all, the vessel being enshrouded in
thick and stifling smoke. Cousins states that when the
Orlando came in sight, the first two boats that left the
ship contained Captain Bairnson and all the crew, with
the exception of five bands. Cousins also described the
successive trips of the life-boat on the first day of the
disaster. He says—That the people had, so violent was
the hurricane, and so terrific the rolling of the St, George,
to watch the boat's rising on the top of a wave in order to
jump :in. Two lost their lives in the attempt. He left
the vessel in the fifth trip, and no one was left on board
then that could manage the vessel. Two other trips were
made after this, the last about nine o'clock. The Orlando
had two brats, but it was not safe to launch them. She
remained by all night, about ten miles distant. No com-
munication was made during the night with the St.
George, and the storm raged more furiously. At day-
break the following morning, (Christmas-day,) Captain
Bairnson came forward, and asked who would volunteer
to go off to the St. George to save the lives of the pas-
sengers. I was one of the party. Off we went, and, in
the course of an hour and a half, succeeded in coming
alongside. Still there were no means of assisting the pas-
sengers, and the only chance for them to reach her was to
jump. We remained a long while alongside, imploring
others to follow the example of those who had already
jumped, but fear and terror seemed to have seized them.
Several missed the boat, and were lost. No one was
saved who fell overboard. The poor creatures who were
left consisted entirely of women and children—the number
they could not tell ; but, on calling over the names of
those on board, for Captain Bairnson had saved the ship's
papers and log-book, some fifty were ascertained to be
missing. They never afterwards saw anything of the St.
George, or heard what fate she and her passengers met
with it. The next morning Captain Bairnson, who was
in a dreadful state of mind, called the men together, and
asked whether any of them would volunteer to risk
another attempt with him to rescue theunhappy creatures,
adding that it was a horrible thing to abandon the wreck
a
f r
vi
while so many poor things were on it. None would
volunteer to go, every one, as also those belonging to the
otfheNo emigrantstingham Nottingham,
faypwhtlloia fieil head paid for a
years of age,
Bairnson St. George,and
his officers and men. He says—" Had they remained to
direct the terrified passengers in making their escape, the
Orlando, being convinced an attempt would prove fatal.—
joahmne wSotrakr, kn
one
itt e ro,f
complains
einins
bhietrt,ery o
takinglf -
withthe conducthi m
o hisf
whole of them might have been saved.

ST. HELENS SAVINGS' BANK.—A meeting of the de-
positors was held at the Fleece Inn, St. Helens, on Mon-
day, Mr. Edward Morgan in the chair. The report of
the committee appointed the preceding year by the depo-
sitors was read. The trustees furnished them with a full
statement and abstract of the accounts, whereby it ap-
peared that the net amount realised from the estate of the
two Jobnsons was £555 ; that mortgages on the shares in
the colliery, amounting to £2,366, had been paid, and
that the expenses of the prosecution, beyond the amount
allowed by the county, had been very great. Conceiving
that the depositors have a strong claim on Government
for at least the amount of those expenses, the committee
prepared a memorial to the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
whichWm.Brown, Esq., M.P., has undertaken to present.
MURDEROUS THREATS.—On Tuesday, Angelo Cook, a
Sicilian, was charged at the Police-office with threatening
to shoot Mr. Benussi, who is a pawnbroker in Paradise-
street, and keeps a public-house in Drury-lane. Robert
M'Cartney, assistant, stated that at half-past three, and
again at half-past five o'clock, on Monday afternoon,
Cook called at Mr. Benussi's house, Drury-lane. At the
former hour he wished them all " good bye," but when
he came the second time, he inquired for his master, who
was absent. Prisoner then pulled oat two pistols and
said, that " if they would not do, this knife shall."
M'Cartney, who saw a large knife in his breast, sent word
to Mr. Benussi, who, accompanied by Sullivan and Car-
lisle, police-officers, arrested the prisoner, on whose person
were found the pistols loaded, as also a dagger-knife.
The prisoner was ordered to find bail—himself in £3O and
two sureties in £l5 each.

CRIME IN LANCASHIRE.—At the Epiphany Sessions,
held at Kirkdale, on Tuesday, Capt. Woodford, the chief
constable, read a return of the state of crime, &c., in the
county. During the quarter, from the Ist of October to
the 31st of December, 1852, there had been a total of
2,174 prisoners apprehended, 422 charged with offences
against the person, including 245 common assaults, and
55 assaults upon police constables. There were eight bur-
glary cases, and 544 charged with larceny and other
offences against property. Of the other offences, 42 pri-
soners had been charged with wilful damage ; bastardy,
159; deserting females, 26; drunkenness, 401; and va-
grancy, 292. Of the total number of 2,174 prisoneri, 271
were sent for trial, 1,230 summarily convicted, 129 bailed,
and 544 discharged. 1,970 persons had been summoned
by the police in the same period, 149 of these being
charged with breaches of the beer act, 98 breaches of the
licensed victuallers' act, 168 with breaches of the peace,
and 701 with drunkenness. Of the total, 1,070 were
summarily convicted, 1,747 dismissed, 180 did not appear,
and the number of warrants granted was 39. Of other
summonses, issued on the complaints of parish authorities,
common informers, &c., there was a total of 2,382. Of
these, two were sent for trial ; 1,376 summarily convicted,
667 cases were settled out of court, one left to arbitration,
300 persons were dismissed, 36 did not appear, and 25
warrants were issued.

RAILWAY ACCIDENTS AT CIIORLEY.-011 Tuesday,
two collisions occurred at the Chorley station, on the Bol-
ton and Preston line of the Lancashire and Yorkshire
Railway, but neither was attended with loss of life. The
first, which took place in the morning, appears to have
been caused by the neglect of persons in charge of the
station, in not turning on a signal. Through this over-
sight, a coal-train came up behind, and ran into a goods-
train which was standing in the station, on the down-line
from Manchester, and the force was such as to make con-
siderable havoc with both trains. The second accident
occurred in the evening. About three-quarters of a mile
short of Chorley the express-train which left Preston for
Manchester at 5 o'clock, consisting of five first and second
class carriages, overtook and ran into a train of 19 wag-
gons filled with cattle, which was going in the same direc-
tion, and ascending one of the steepest gradients on the
line. The cattle train had been much impeded by the
slippery state of the rails, and the express came upon it in
a very sharp curve of the line, where the driver could not
see any great distance in advance. However, he succeeded
in arresting the train so as to prevent the collision being a
severe one. Three of the cattle-trucks were smashed, and
six sheep were killed, but in the express train the passen-
gers were some of them scarcely conscious of the shock.
None of the carriages of the express-train were thrown off
the line, nor were they in any way injured. The directors
have made a strict investigation into the circumstances.

A FRAUDULENT INSOLVENT. —ln the Insolvent
Debtors' Court, London, William Pomfret, who had kept
the Railway Hotel at Blackburn, was brought up last
week, before Mr. Commissioner Law. The insolvent in
his schedule stated that in March last he had property
at the Railway Hotel to the value of at least £3OO, which
had been seized at the suit of Mr. Bell, an attorney at
Blackburn. Towards the end of 1851, finding himself in
difficulties, he mentioned his circumstances to one Charn-
ley, a sheriff's officer, who advised him to go to Mr. Bell,
which he did, and, after explaining his position, he, at the
request of Mr. Bell, wrote his name several times in a
book, which that person produced, with different pens
and different inks. He also, by Bell's desire, gave a pro-
missory note for £l9l 16s. 10d., payable on demand.
Insolvent then came up to London, and Mr. Bell sued
and obtained judgment upon the promissory note, under
which he levied an execution upon all the property at the
Railway Hotel, and Charnley, as the sheriff's officer, got
into possession. The property was sold, and realised be-
tween £2OO and £3OO, of which no part had reached the
creditors or the insolvent, who left the town with £65 in
cash, and had remained in London till the period of his
arrest.—Messrs. Bell and Charnley stated, by affidavit,
that the circumstances deposed to were utterly false and
untrue, except the institution of legal proceedings against
the insolvent upon a promissory note given to secure
£l9O, money advanced to insolvent by Mr. Bell.—Mr.
Commissioner Law said the insolvent, by his own account,
had employed Mr. Bell, an attorney, and Charnley, a
sheriff's officer at Blackburn, to help him to cheat his
creditors. The other two persons. Bell and Charnley,
had had the indiscretion to make affidavits, which he con-
sidered as confirmatory of the insolvent's statement. He
(the Commissioner) believed all that part of the insolvent's
story, and he looked upon the whole as a conspiracy be-
tween these three parties to cheat the insolvent's creditors.
The insolvent, however, had been the primary cause of all
the creditors being defrauded, and on that account he
would not be discharged till the lapse of 14 months from
the date of the vesting order.

LivertrooL Awe UNION.—The drawing for the-prizes
took place on Tuesday.; Samuel Holme, Esq., mayor,
presided ; and, in the course of a preliminary
speech, intimated that 378 persons had subscribed, mak-
ing the sum of £396 185..; and by which they were enabled
to offer 25 prizes, varying in amount from 450 down to
£5. While on former occasions the chances, he be-
lieved, of obtaining a prize were about 1 in 45, those chances
were now reduced, or rather, he should say, advanced to 1
in T 5 of the subscribers. He could not avoid congratulating
the people of Liverpool, and particularly the artists, on
the greater encouragement which had been given of late
years to modern art and to modern artists. Mr. F. Ro-
berts, the secretary, read the report, in which, while the
committee regretted the smallness of the sum lubscribed,
as compared with Glasgow, Edinburgh, and other towns,
they still expressed a hope in the future. The total
amount of subscriptions was £396 18s. ; and after paying
all expenses, a balance of £355 had been left to buy pic-
tures—one of £5O, one of £3O, one of £25, three of £20,4
of £l5, eleven of £lO, and four of £5. At the conclusion
of the drawing, the Mayor read the names of the fortunate
subscribers. The first in the list was " the first drawn
blank." and was, according to the conditions, entitled to
a £5 prize. The following is the list :—Mr. John Roberts,
12, Huskisson-street, £5 ; Mr. Richard Grindley, 58,
Bedford-street, £5O ; Mr. R. H. Frank, Aigburth, £2O ;
Mr. Robert Greenham, Mersey-chambers, Old Church-
yard, £lO ; Mr. J. W. Macrae, Liverpool, £2O ; Mr. J.
H. Swale, at Messrs. Leyland and Bullen's, King-street,
£20.; Mr. George Brown, Birchfield, Edge-lane, £l5 ;
Mr. Thomas Mather, Holywell, £lO ; Mrs. H. Lorimer,
Woolton-road, Wavertree, £10; Mr. Samuel Blain,
Brunswick-street, £5 ; Mr. W. Graham, Monk-street,
Birkenhead, £5 ; Mr. John Naylor, banker, £10.; Mr.
Robert Case, Holly-road, Fairfield, £l5 ; Mr. Thomas
Branch, 'Hanover-street, £lO ; Mr. F. Braun, Falkner-
square, £10; The Earl of Sefton, £3O; Mrs. Macintyre,
25, Slater-street, £10; Mr. J. J. Hadwen, 10, Erskine-
street, £25 ; Mrs. William Kay Coubrough, 8, Cumber-
land-terrace, .Upper Parliament-street, £10; Mr. James
Pelham, Marsden-street, £10; Mr. J. Joynson, Exchange-
buildings, £lO ; Mr. George Schultz, Grove-park, Lodge-
lane, £5 ; Miss Agnes Atkinson, Seaforth, £l5 ; Mr.
Latham, Garston-hall, £l5 ; Mr. F. Tamplin, Colonial-
buildings, £lO,

MILNER'S'FIRE-PROOF SAFES.—At the Bankruptcy
Court, on Tuesday, Mr. Commissioner Perry gave judg-
ment in the case of.ffohn German Harrison, which we re-
ported fully last week. His Honour said that the charge
against the bankrupt was either gross fraud committed
against Mr. Milner, or gross recklesness, according as the
bankrupt is to be considered as acting for the Messrs.
Tann in the capacity of agent, whose safety boxes he sold
in Liverpool, or on his,own account. His Honour, after
recapitulating the facts sf the case, and the piracy com-
mitted by the bankrupts,on Mr. Milner's patent by which
the latter had been compelled to bring two actions at law,
said—Now it appears to me, that no sufficient justification
has been shown for the bankrupt's exposing himself to
the litigation which has occe.rred, and to the expenses ne-
cessarily consequent upon it. He failed to take the ordi-
nary precaution of obtaining a guarantee which would na-
turally have suggested itself to the mind of one strongly
impressed, as his was •years ago, with the belief that the
Messrs. Tann were using Milners' principle of non-con-
ductors, and which Mr. Samuel's application for indent-
teity, made according to the bankrupt's own representa-
tien to Messrs. Tann, ought to have made him the more
ready to exercise in his own case. The costs incurred and
payable to his opponent have amounted to £1,300, in ad-
dition to a large sum for which the bankrupt is liable to
Messrs. Norton. The preference also shown by the deed
of October, 1851, for securing the previous debt of the fa-
ther and uncle of the bankrupt, executed in order to de-
feat the judgment obtained by Mr. Milner in the first ac-
tion, is another feature in this case. It is urged by Mr.
Bardswell, first, that the proceedings in aetion have been
instituted by Mr. Milner for the purpose of oppressing
Mr. Harrison, his late servant, and he asks why the pro-
ceeding was not instituted against the Messrs. Tann. The
answer to this has, I think, been satisfactorily given by
the pamphlet issued by the bankrupt, in which he has de-
scribed himself as sole proprietor, and also as proprietor
of Tann'a patent for the manufacturing districts. The
next argument in support of the bankrupt is founded upon
the fact of professional advice having been taken respect-
ing the defence of the action, but what that advice was,
does not clearly appear, and it may be added, that such an
argument is entitled to little weight in the present case,
in which the bankrupt was probably more competent,
from long experience in the service of Mr. Milner, to de-
cide for himself than any professional adviser could be,
upon the question of infringement, or no infringement, of
Mr. Milner's patent rights. With regard to the assign-
ment in October, 1851, it is said, and very properly, that
it is justifiable to assign property to protect it for the ge-
neral body of creditors ; but that is not the present case,
the assignment having been made to benefit two creditors,
relations of the bankrupt, at the expense of his other cre-
ditors, and which two creditors have only been prevented
by the order of this court from reaping the full benefit of
the assignment. Upon a review of the whole case,
,I
thought that the certificate should be suspended for Sur
months from the date of the last examination, and that,
as the accounts of the bankrupt are stated by the official
assignee to have been properly kept, the certificate should
be of the second class. The Commissioner consented to
grunt protection to the bankrupt.

25, 1853.

GENERAL NEWS.

TALAVERA WHEAT has succeeded admirably in the
north of Scotland.
THE PLAINS OF LINCOLNSHIRE are again under water,
and it is feared that the damage will be extensive.
CHARLES TROTTER, ESQ., mayor of Stockton, was en-
tertained by his townsmen to a public dinner on the 13th
instant.

l‘flt. T. HARPER, the best trumpet-player in the
country for a period of forty years, died suddenly in
London last week.

THE VIEW from the upper gallery of the Crystal
Palace at Sydenham is one of the most beautiful and ex-
tensive in England.
THE INAUGURAL MEETING of the Ph•tographic Soci-
ety was held on Thursday last, in London. Sir Charles
Eastlake was appointed President.
THE WELL at the People's Palace at Norwood, has
already been sunk 340 feet, a depth found to be sufficient
for an ample supply of water.

HYDROPHOBIA.—Mr. Sinclair, farmer, Macduff, Perth.
shire, has lost a great number of sheep in consequence of
a rabid dog attacking one of the flock.

" DIGGINGS" IN SCOTLAND.—The Dumbarton Herald
announces that a mine of nickel silver is at present being
wrought on the Duke of Argyle's estate near Inverary.

A BOILER EXPLOSION took place at the Ebley clothing
mill, Gloucestershire, on Thursday morning, which
killed one person, injured several others, and nearly de-
molished the building.
TEN HOURS' BILL.—A meeting has been held at Chorl-
ton-upon-Medlock, to adopt measures for the restriction
of the motive power. " Stop the engine," is the universal
cry of the operatives in that district.
THE FALL OF THE ROTHERHAM MECHANICS' HALL,
by which a labourer was killed, has been decided to have
taken place, partly from neglect of the architect, and
partly from the unprcecedented wet season.
JOSEPH HAYES, Sheffield, has been sentenced to six
months' imprisonment, for enlisting into the Royal Ma-
rines, denying and concealing the fact that he had volun-
teered into the Third West York Militia.
THE BARONESS VON BECK'S COMPANION.—In the
case of Constant Derra de Meroda (secretary to the late
Baroness Von Beck) v. Dawson, Tindal, Peyton and Ry-
land, a rule nisi for a new trial has been granted.
DISCOVERY or GUANO.—The governor of the Falk-
land Islands has just sent home despatches announcing
that guano has been discovered in large quantities in those
islands. The guano is not of equal value to Peruvian.
NOBLE CONDUCT.—The daughter of the late Mr. H.
Hall, of Bridge Bottleworks, Sunderland, has recently
waited upon her father's creditors and paid them 20s. in
the pound, 25 years having elapsed since the bankruptcy.
THE Doncaster Chronicle states that, a few days ago,
the presiding elder of the Latter-day Saints' Church, in
Crowle, mysteriously disappeared from the village, leaving
behind him a disconsolate wife and a host of unpaid bills !

A GANG OF HIGHWAY ROBBERS have been conducting
their illegal operations for some time past in the neigh-
bourhood of Penrith, Cumberland. One of the gang
generally goes in the dress of a female, on their nightly
exploits.
THE Perth Courier states that all the emigrants to
Australia from that neighbourhood are doing well at the
" diggings," and further, that they have not forgotten in
their prosperity their friends at home. One sailor lad
has saved upwards of £5OO.

A NOBLE DEED.—EarI Manvers has just made a return
to his tenants at Fledborough, Notts, who have all suf-
fered severely from the late flood, of the whole of the half
wear' rent which was paid by them at his late audit in
December.

A WORTHY DAUGHTER.—The daughter of the late Mr.
H. Hall, of Bridge Bottle Works, Sunderland, has re-
cently waited upon her father's creditors, and paid them
20s. in the pound, twenty-five years having elapsed since
the bankruptcy.

HENRY HALL, of Brighton, has been apprehended on
a charge of committing two daring burglaries at South-
ampton, on Sunday night. The burglar admitted in prison
that a cap and shoes left behind in one of the houses
robbed belonged to him.
GEORGE PETERS, the son of a labouring man, residing
in the Cliffe, on the Sussex Downs, lost his life on Tues-
day week, from exposure during the whole of a tempes-
tuous night to the weather. He had lost his way on the
road to Lewes, and been unable to proceed.
THE Scotsman states that Thomas Lees, a cattle dro-
ver belonging to Edinburgh, was run over by a locomotive
at the Haymarket station of the Edinburgh and Glasgow
Railway. Both legs were cut off close to his body, and
it was not expected that he could live over the night.

THE CLERK TO THE NOTTINGHAM MAGISTRATES,
in a letter to the Times, denies that a fracas took place
between the military and the inhabitants, or that there is
the least ill-feeling prevalent between them. The alarm-
ing paragraph in the morning papers were the fabrications
of some local penny-a-liner.

THE NOTORIOUS IMPOSTOR, Thomas Bradley, alias
the Rev. J. Bloomfield. and Mary Bradley, his wife, were
brought up at the Lambeth Police-office, on Friday, on a
charge of obtaining a quantity of choice plants, under false
pretences, from Messrs. Lane and Son, the florists. The
prisoners were remanded.
ST. KATHARINE DOCKS.—The dividend declared at
the half-yearly meeting of this Company, on Wednesday,
was at the rate of 4 per cent per annum, and the report
and accounts were unanimously adopted. The chairman
(Mr. Alderman Thompson) explained that the progress of
business was satisfactory.

THE CHARTIST LAUREATE.—On Wednesday, at the
Thames Police-court, James Duncan, the father of Dun-
can the Chartist poet, who made himself so conspicuous
in the Trafalgar-square " revolution," was ordered to
pay 4s. 6d. a week towards the support of the laureate,
who is in a lunatic asylum.

THE SEXTON of Lambert parish, according to the Edin-
burgh Scotsman, was busily engaged one day last week
digging a grave, when the earth gave way, and he was
precipitated into the excavation and securely wedged there.
The neighbours exerted themselves for two hours before
he was rescued. Fortunately, he was "more frightened
than hurt."

POISONING IN EDINBURGH.—The Evening Courant
states that a woman has been apprehended on a charge of
poisoning her pßramour, Peter Kerr, a shoemaker, be-
tween fifty and sixty years of age, by whom she had several
children. Arsenic had been found upon the stomach of
the deceased. The woman, it appears, had been heard to
threaten his life.

SEVERAL PASSENGERS were injured by an accident
which occurred on Monday on the Hamilton branch of
the Caledonian railway. In consequence of a slip caused
by the late heavy rains, the trains had to run on the
same line in both directions. A collision was the conse-
quence ; hut, beyond a few bruises to most of the pas-
sengers, little harm was done.

HENRY MEREWEATHER, Esq., said to be a son of the
late Dean of Hereford, has been committed for trial, at
Aberystwith, on a charge of cutting' and wounding E. R.
Williams, son of R. Williams, M.D. The offence was
committed in the lobby of the ball-room at Aberystwith,
and arose out of an intended duel in which both gentle-
men were to have been the seconds.

THE BUILDING OF IRON SHIPS has become quite a
staple trade on the Tyne. On Tuesday. the Swarthmore,
of 1,100 tons, built for a Liverpool firm, was launched
from the building yard of Messrs. Coutts and Parkinson.
Her owners, who are members of the Society of Friends,
instead of a carouse, gave £5O towards a school for the
education of the workmen's children.
AMUSING INSTRUCTION.—A magic lantern, represent-
ing the principal stations of the Church Missionary So-
ciety, has been designed and brought into use for the
purpose of interesting and instructing the juvenile friends
of that institution. " Dissolving Views" have also been
prepared for the use of juvenile associations of the London
Society for promoting Christianity amongst the Jews.
THE CRIMINAL BARBOUR.—This murderer, who lately
suffered the last penalty of the law at York, in the " con-
fession" which obtained for him a temporary respite, im-
plicated a person named M'Cormack in the horrible crime
of which it is now known that he, Barbour, alone was
guilty. It is remarkable, as showing the cool villainy of
the miserable culprit, that he, in his letters to a Mrs.
Pigott, written in York jail, requests that his " best re-
spects" be given to his " friend, Mr. M'Cormack."

ALICE KENYON, aged 44 years, the wife of Edward
Kenyon, a dresser, died a miserable death on Saturday
evening last, at the Guide-bridge station of the Man-
chester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway. Being in-
toxicated, she fell back between two carriages of a train,
while it was in motion, and, despite the efforts of the by-
standers, she was run over. She only survived for about
fifteen minutes. The husband of the deceased, who was
with her at the time, was likewise drunk. Surely the
railway officials were neglecting one of the company's
best byelaws in permitting intoxicated persons to travel
on the line.

THE GREAT CORN SWINDLER.-At the Mansion-hous e
on Tuesday, two further cases were proved against Mr.
Robert Ferdinand Pries, the discovery of whose extensive
forgeries in the corn market caused last week the stoppage
of the House of Messrs. Coltman and Stohltenfoht. On
their behalf Mr. Freshfield produced forged documents
purporting to represent 28,000 quarters of wheat, and
upon which £51,000 had been obtained by the prisoner.
Mr. Ignace Sholoff, a foreign banl er, produced forged
bills of lading upon which he had advanced £9,000. The
prisoner was then remanded for a week for the production
of other cases.

COUNTY VOTES.—It should be kept in mind that the
last day on which a qualification for a county vote can
this year be legally obtained is the 31st instant (January) ;
and that the title-deeds should be completed on or before
that day, to enable the party to have his name duly regis-
tered in August next. Persons intending to procure quali-
fications for county votes had better consult their solici-
tors at once, and have the legal transfers perfected with-
out delay. The Conservative party have always been
negligent of this duty, which they owe to themselves ande
their country ; not so the Whigs and Radicals,
or we
should should not have the legitimate voters of countietsoe over-run
clique
by Anti-corn-law League faggot votes, nor the
the wife of a resect-
Liade, on_ Tuesday, at
usurpingAberdeen,h Russell,erule of t
hl‘ li
so
greatl esw o rth.
kingdom. Keogh.
Hull, en
EXTRAORDINARY ATTEMPT AT MURDER:= A most
diabolical attemptatmtitesr.
Dwuaffis
IT
Cottingham, near Hull.
carriage were
Tuesday,
train for Beverley, taking
and left that town by the last.
able innkeeper at Beverley,
with the exception of a man,
yc,ahrialdagvel.siteitdnuds
her seat in a second-class
several other persons, who, however, all got out when the
d Cottingham,
Mrs. T 1
who was thus left alone with Duffil. No sooner was
train reache
in motion again than this fellow setthe
unfortunate train
robbed her, upon
unfortunate woman,
carriage. She is fearfully cut and bruised about the head ;
and no hopes whatever are entertained of her recovery.
It is known that Mrs. Duffil had a considerable sum of
money upon her when she left Hull, but none whatever
was found upon her person when
she
was picked up. As
the train was slackening speed on arrival at Beverley, a
man was seen to jump out of the carriage in which the
crime was committed,
and
run away. In the darkness of
the night he escaped,

SINKING A SHIP.—At the Thames Police-office, last
week, Captain Ridley Wilson, aged 35, was charged with
with sinking the schooner Essex Lass, of Colchester, at
sea, on or about Christmas, 1850. The last prosecution
of any importance in the port of London relating to the
sinking of a ship took place forty years ago, when Capt.
Codlin was hanged at Execution Dock, for casting away
the ship of which he had the command, by boring holes
in the cabin with an augur. The captain in this case is
alleged to have sunk his ship in a similar manner. The
only witness examined was William Cadmore, a seaman,
who said he saw the captain bore three holes underneath
his bed cabin, in the ehip's side, in the cabin, and below
the water-line. The water ran in through the holes, be-
tween the skirt and lining of the vessel, into the hold ;
and some hours afterwards they took to the boats, and the
vessel went down. Upon this evidence the case was re.
mended.

SALARIES OF. POOR LAW OFFICERS.—A Parliamen-
tary paper has just been printed respecting the Tewkes-
bury Union. The guardians carried resolutions to reduce
the salaries of the several officers, on account of the
" cheapness of provisions." The officers appealed to the
Poor Law Board, and the reasons were required from the
guardians that induced them to pass the resolutions.
They urged that the value of agricultural produce had
been diminished at least 30 per cent., that the rates had
decreased, and that food was cheap. The Poor Law
Board replied, that they had " never recognized the prin-
ciple that the price of the articles and of the produce re-
ferred to are to be the criterion by which the amount of
salaries ought to be estimated and regulated, or that such
salaries should be liable to vary as the price of food fluc-
tuates." The Poor Law Board thought that no sufficient
reason had been assigned for the reduction, declaring
that the fixed salaries of the medical officers remunerated
them only for their ordinary duties, and the board did
not see that sufficient grounds had been adduced for di-
minishing the salaries of either of the officers referred to
in the resolutions of the guardians.

MEETING INTERRUPTED BY A STRONG-MINDED
FEMALE.—On Tuesday evening Mr. John Kingsley de-
livered a lecture at the Educational Institution, Alders-
gate-street, London. At the close of his speech a wo-
man rose in the body of the hall, and demanded to be
beard. The chairman and his supporters on the platform
were petrified, and had not the courage to decide whether
the lady-aspirant should be heard. A vote was taken and
the numbers on either side appeared equal. The chair-
man ruled that the decision was against the lady. The
lady protested that it was in her favour, and strong in this
conviction, she expressed herself determined to be heard.
Mr. J. Cowell Williams, the secretary to the society,
jumped off the platform, and assisted by one or two other
anti-state churchmen, attempted to eject her vi et armis,
from the room ; but she successfully resisted their attacks,
and notwithstanding the difficulties of her situation, went
on with her speech. At length a policeman was intro-
duced, and with the despatch usually practised by gentle-
men of his calling, thrust the ambitious lady from the
room, amidst loud exclamations from her that the con-
duct of the meeting in allowing such violence was wicked,
impious, and blasphemous.

C RUE LTY TO A CHILD.—An inquest was held a few days
since at Milverton, Somerset, which disclosed great bar-
barity on the part of a young woman, named Elizabeth
Baker, towards a child two years and a-half old. The
deceased, Albert Marks, had been intrusted by the mother
(who is in service at Pitminster) to a Mrs. Scott, who was
paid is. 3d. per week for her charge. Elizabeth Baker
was the daughter of this person, and used to beat the
child cruelly with a stick, and on one occasion, when the
poor little fellow had made himself dirty and wet, she
took off his socks and shoes, and put one of his feet close
to the bars of the grate, keeping it there for some
minutes, in spite of his cries. On a post mortem examin-
ation the body presented a very emaciated appearance,
and there were several contusions upon the head and in
different parts of the body, evidently produced by blows.
There was a large contusion between the ribs and hip on
the left side, about three inches in circumference, burns
on the sole and the great toe of the left foot, and on the
centre of the upper margin of the frontal bone was an old
wound which had suppurated, about the size of a walnut.
internally. The jury returned a verdict of "Manslaughter"
against Elizabeth Baker. This was the third child said
to have been placed under her care, and all three had
died. The coroner directed inquiry to be made as to the
causes of the deaths of the other two.

NATIONAL WORK FOR FELONS.—A correspondent of
the Builder proposes that the new structure for the Na-
tional Gallery shall be absolutely and entirely of eranite ;
that the Millbank Penitentiary shall be removed alto-
gether from London, and that the felons should be em-
ployed in working granite on any convenient spot where
it abounds. The site of the Penitentiary would fetch a
very large sum, which would go far to effect the removal
of an accumulated felonry from amidst a dense population,
where they cannot be adequately employed, to a compara-
tive wilderness, where they can. Hewing granite cannot
be done by machinery, and is hard work for man. It
consumes both time and labour, both of which we have to
spare, festering in our criminal prisons. Transportation,
as a punishment, is becoming impossible, and ceases to
terrify. The work to be done is extra to all legitimate
employment, and would give increased occupation to the
skilled artisan to finish the blocks, and to the builder and
labourer in the enlarged breadth and elevation of the
structure. If it be objected that the expense of forming
a new and gigantic felon-working establishment in a
granite district will be out of all proportion to the results
in obtaining material for a National Gallery, however ex-
tensive, it may be replied, first, that such an institution
must be speedily founded, apart from any other consider-
ation than providing the felon continuous labour ; and,
secondly. that with all our great national establishments
granite, of all things, will be in unceasing demand.
THE RAILWAY KING.—The case of the York and
North Midland Railway Company v. Mr. George Hudson,
the late chairman of the company, to obtain the restitution
or the value of a large number of shares in the East and
West Riding and the Hull and Selby branches, amounting
to upwards of £12,000, which, it was alleged, had been
taken, appropriated, and disposed of by him, without the
authority of the company, and in direct violation of its
acts and regulations, was commenced on Tuesday last,
before the Master of the Rolls. The Solicitor-General
appeared for the company, and stated that the present bill
was in the nature of a bill by cestui que trusts against a
trustee for appropriating to his own use the trust-funds;
and that the allegations in the bill, and the evidence to be
produced before the court, were of a very serious nature
as regarded the character of Mr. Hudson. From these
allegations and such evidence it was argued that Mr.
Hudson, as chairman of the company, has taken advantage
of his position to benefit himself at the expense of the
company ; that as such chairman, possessing the seal of
the company, and having a casting vote and other powers,.
he had from time to time altered the accounts so as to
make the dividends of the company considerably larger
than they really were ; that be had procured his own
brother-in-law and his own solicitor to be appointed
auditors of the company, and by collusion with them had
been able to deceive the shareholders ; and that he
managed to make all things pleasant to his brother direc-
tors by going shares with them in the booty he from time
to time secured. Sir Fitzroy Kelly appeared for Mr.
Hudson ; and, in answer to such charges, stated that the
present proceedings by the company against Mr. Hudson
were contrary to all law, inconsistent with equity, and in
direct violation of good faith. The argument was resumed
on the following day, and the Master of the Rolls said he
would give his judgment in a day or two.

NEW AMERICAN RIFLE.—An improvement on Colt's
revolver has just been introduced into this country, and
last week was tested at Woolwich. It exhibitors claim for
it two important qualities; first, a simple, safe, and ex-
peditious mode of loading at the breech i • and, secondly,
the cleansing of the barrel secured at each discharge. The
loading at the breech is effected in a very ingenious
manner, and differs essentially from all other contrivances
adopted for the same purpose. A lever, working in the
line of the stock, and forming, when down, the guard to
the trigger, moves forwards or backward a slide with a
strong iron plate, in front of which, when back, the
cartridge is dropped through a slit in the side of the lock.
The iron plate becomes, when pushed into its place, the
bottom of the breech, the chamber of which thus becomes
occupied by the cartridge. In the centre of this plate a
small bole is drilled, communicating with the nipple, and
the fire of an exploded cap passing down to that
hole immediately finds its way through a perforation
in the wad at the end of the cartridge, and ignites
the powder within. The perforation in the cartridge
wad corresponds exactly with that in the iron plate,
and the wad itself, which is of sole leather with the
pasteboard case of the cartridge attached to it, remains
behind in the breech when the discharge takes place, while
tho conical ball, entering the grooved part of the barrel
and taking the required spiral motion, travels upon its way.
When the gun is again loaded the wad left behind at the
previous discharge precedes the ball in its flight, cleansing
out the passage. Thus the rifle never fouls • never, there-
fore, requires washing ; and, by the plan of loading at the
breech, not only is the use of the ramrod dispensed with,
but shots can be fired with a steady aim at the rate of
from eight to eight and a-half, or even nine per minute.
Even on a first trial at Woolwich, in hands totally un-
accustomed to the use of the weapon, 100 shots were fired
in 15 minutes, or at the rate of nearly seven rounds per
minute.

gradually on
APPALLING SUICIDE OF DR. RICE, HEAD MASTER
OF CHRIST'S HOSPITAL.—On Thursday, an inquest was
held on the body of the Rev. Edward Rice, D.D., Head
Master of Christ's Hospital.—Susan Bancroft said she
bweafso rien
on to the bed.
ninethe service
o'clock o f
onDr.
Thursday Rice, and
morningtbat about
far quarters.
Rice
andf oun found
his Dr.
f a
et Rice
at hangingsome
dbi
8);
ahni
cs
e neckfro
ma t
btt
uihi eta fgloireoatasonhfdot.wh
showed
dAbiernda ,o.
Rice immediately cut the handkerchief by which lie was
when he was
sAusspuerngdeeodn, awnadsthe
sign of life. Sheafterwards
had for some time noticed that he was
very low. spirited,Thos Stone, spoken t°*-311%attended'
asthey
lowered
h scarcely
resident-surgeon to Christ's
Hospital, said he the doctor last February twelve
months, when he was attacked with a very severe fever,
and again for a nervous fever in May or June last, since'
which time he had appeared a completely altered man.
He was exceedingly desponding and melancholy, and
weak in body, which
sent time. So strongly were they convinced that he was
suffering from derangement of mind that they required
him to resign his head-mastership:of Christ's Hospital,
which he did on Friday last. Of late he was particularly
desponding, and the most trifling matters he magnified
into the greatest importance. So firmly was he (witness)
of opinion that he was quite mad, that in consequence of
this he felt it to be his duty to inform Mrs. Rice of it,
and to request her to remove all things out of his way,
and that he should not be allowed to shave himself. On
Thursday morning, when she arose, she left Dr. Rice
asleep in bed ; but in a quarter of an hour she returned
to the room, when he still appeared to be asleep, and
some time after that she sent Miss Rice up stairs to see if
he was awake, but listening at the door and not hearing
him stirring, she went down stairs again, and the family
went to prayers. As soon as these were ended, Mrs.
Rice again went up stairs, and found him in the situation
the last witness bad described. He was insensible and
pulseless, and quite black in the face. Witness performed
operations for the purpose of restoring respiration, but
without effect. The jury returned a verdict, That Dr.
Rice committed suicide whilst in a state of derangement."
It is a singular fact that Mrs. Rice lost her first husband
five weeks after marriage by suicide at the house of her
rather, who was so affected that he died a week afterward;;

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