The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-10-03 00:00:00

The "Tithes" of Friday, expresses its " belief," which
is little short of certainty in so high an authority, that on
the recommendation of the recently constituted Board of
Health, an Order in Council' may be shortly expected;
enabling that Board to issue regulations for the enforce-
ment of the provisionsof the•act 11th and 12th Victoria;
chap. 123, secs. 9'and 10, for- the prevention of epidemic
diseases.
ILLNESS OF THE RArLWAT KING.—Mr. Hudson who
arrived ai VThitehaven Castle from Carlisle, a few days
ago, in rather delicate health; is now very ill ; though
report says, somewhat better. 11 is said that his majesty
has had a•severe attack of bile, het that having sent for
his own surgeon from Newcastle, who' well understands
the nature of his complaint, whatever it is, hopes are en-
tertained of.his speedy recovery.
A Taszicit or FIFTEEN YEdiaS.—One of the most re-
markable evidences of human suffering and credibility
exists in nrrington, Devonshire. A young woman, named
Ann Coiner, daughter of Yames Comer, mason, has. re-
mained in a decided state of unconsciousness for the past
fifteen years. It is thought by many that she is in a
" trance._" ' Her mother assured the writer that for eleven
years she had not partaken. of the least particle of food.
She is certainly in bed, has a placid smile, and though
possessing vitality. has no consciousness of the approach
of any party, neither cam she distinguish any object. She
has beers visited by some of the most eminent in the medi-
cal profession ; and others, since her case has been made-
known, have called to witness what might be justly termed-
this_phenomenon in nature.—Swansea Herald.

MURDEU,AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.—On the morning
of Sunday last, Mr. James Bateman, farmer and miner, of
Winster,,got up early, for the purpose of going milking.
taking with him his eldest boy, a lad of about 12 years of
age, andieaving his wife, Lydia Bateman, in bed with. the
youngest child, about two years of age, three other child-
ren being, also left in bed in the house. Shortly after Mr.
Bateman left the bedroom, his wife destroyed the life of
the youngest child by cutting its throat with a razor,.and
afterwards attempted the life of another child, wllich,
however, escaped with two or three wounds about the
breast. The woman next attempted to destroy herself, by
cutting a severe gash in her own throat, but not sufficient
to produce immediate death. She has been committed
for trial.

FOOR.LAW RELIEF.—On Saturday, two provisions in
an act of Parliament, passed on the 4th ult., came into
operation respecting relief to paupers, throwing the ex-
pense on the common fund of unions, and not on- parishes.
By the first section of the 11th and 12th Victoria, chsp.
110, it is provided that after the 30th of September, to the
30th.of September, 1849, the cost of the relief babe given
to any poor person chargeable to any union, beiiig a des-
titute wayfarer, or wanderer, or foundling, as well as the
cost of the burial of the body of any such poor person
within such union, shall be chargeable to the common
fund of such union. In virtue of the third section of the
same statute, paupers rendered irremovable are made
chargeable from the 30th of September to the 30th of Sep-
tember,_lB49, to the common fund of unions.
THE GUARANTEE SOCIETY.—We understand that one of
the largest railway companies have determined that all
their officers shall provide security for their--fidelity, in or-
Au- to prevent the risk of loss ; and that the directors
have determined on accepting the policies of the Guaran-
tee Society in all cases in preference to private securities.
As the society offers the security of a large paid-up capi-
tal, and the undoubted responsibility of its proprietors,
the directors consider that its policies are preferable to
the bonds of private parties. The resolution of the com-
pany to require security from all its officers is a new fea-
ture in railway management; but the facilities offered by
the guarantee society for assuring the fidelity of all per-
sons of good character for a trifling premium, removes the
difficulty which would otherwise present itself.—Atlas,
September 23.
MARY OF GUELDRES.—The skeleton which was found
a few days ago under the site of the Old Trinity College
Church, and which was by some supposed to be that of
Mary of Gueldres, has been examined by Professor Good-
sir and another professional gentleman. It now appears
that the remains are those of a young female, who must
have been of a weak intellect, or at all events the possessor
of a mind far inferior to that of the royal foundress. From
these and other circumstances, it is conjectured, with a
degree of probability, that the skeleton is that of the
daughter of Queen Mary; but the identity has not been,
and perhaps never can be satisfactorily ascertained. All
who take an interest in the matter incline to the belief that
the body which was found some months since, and which
was afterwards re-interred in the royal vault at Holyrood,
was the real Mary of Gueldres, and there speculation rests
at present.-7 Edinburgh paper.
YIELD OF THE WHEAT.—There seems to be a general
opinion that the wheat of this year will not yield well, and
if we speak of the acreable yield, no doubt that opinion is
correct; but on land in fair condition, we believe that the
yield in proportion to the straw will not be much amiss.
On the badly-farmed lands the ear is small, and there of
course the produce will be deficient. On this point the
" Review" of the Mark-lane Express says—" The crops
having, in the early districts, to some extent been put to
the test of thrashing, an opinion may be formed as to the
yield. The accounts which have hitherto reached us on
this point are certainly very far from encouraging, and
there can no longer be a doubt that the produce of grain,
taking one kind with the other, is decidedly below the
quantity grown in moderately good average seasons."
The Norwich Mercury says :—" Before reaping com-
menced the crop was generally spoken of as approaching
to but below an average, and it does not appear that either
in cutting or carting, and, it may now be added, thrash-
ing, has increased the previous estimate. But one con-
clusion only can therefore be arrived at, that the crop in
this district is below an average. To what extent it
would hardly be safe yet to venture an opinion, but our
idea coincides with our hope, that the deficiency will not
be very extensive." We learn, however, that the quality
of this year's wheat, where dry, is super for making flour
to that of last year.
At the exhibition of the Darlington Horticultural So-
ciety, on Thursday, Lord Hardinge made a speech, in
which he passed an eulogium on " the native army of In.
dia, led and conducted by British officers—men not ex-
ceeded by any in the world. Of this they had recently
had an instance which must be known to every one in
that room—that of Lieutenant Edwardes, on account of
his services in the Punjaub. It was a subject of satisfac-
tion to him that he had appointed that officer to the situ-
ation which he now so ably filled. It was impossible to
speak too highly of his services; and he was confident
that if that young hero had the opportunity he would
make great additions to his fame. The maintenance of
peace was not only necessary on the score of Christianity,
but also on the score of economy. They were all skilful
and enterprising, whether as merchants or traders. but he
would venture to say that there was not one of them, how-
ever glad they were to acknowledge the services of the
military, but would wish for peace, though at the same
time they could not but recognise the necessity of keep-
ing up such an army and navy as would enable them to
place enemies at defiance. Beyond that he would not
wish to raise an arm. He wished peace to be established
on a firm and most honourable basis ; and whilst the
maintenance of our forces caused a pressure on our finan-
ces, still he hoped, though they might exercise the se-
verest economy, they would keep up the navy and army
on such a basis as would not endanger the security of the
nation."
A FINISHED CHARACTER.—At the Middlesex sessions,
on Wednesday, a notorious character, named James Fra-
ser, who, although but twenty years of age, has for years,
as will be seen by the subjoined history dills career, been
long a frequent inmate of our prisons, was convicted of
picking the pocket of Mrs. Ann Lewis of a small sum of
money. After his conviction, an officer of the West-
minster House of Correction gave the following history of
the prisoner :—" On the 30th September, 1846, he was
committed for six weeks under the name of Thomas
Hartley. On the 18th July, 1847, he was convicted at
the Middlesex sessions for felony, and sentenced to six
months' imprisonment in the Westminster House of Cor-
rection. In this instance he appears as one John Wells.
Shortly after his release, he was summarily convicted of
an assault, and imprisoned for six weeks. On the 18th of
April, in the present year, he was tried and convicted
under the name of John Collins, and sentenced to two
months' imprisonment for another felony. This term of
confinement expired on the 18th of June, and three days
afterwards, the 22d of that month, he was again convicted
and sentenced at these sessions for felony, in the name of
James Fraser. He has also been several times previously
sent to the House of Correction, Coldbath-fields, for vari-
ous terms of imprisonment."—For his present offence the
Judge sentenced him to ten years' transportation.
THE NEW TOWN-BALL AT DONCASTER.—INSCRIP-
TION EXTRAORDINARY.—The new Town-hall at Don-
caster is now nearly completed, and has called forth some
pungent remarks from editors and others of the town, in ,
consequence of the vanity of the present mayor, who has
some how or other contrived to procure his own name to
be inscribed in characters ten inches long, and spread
over the ample frieze of a Corinthian facade, as follows :
" FREDERICK FISHER, ESQ., MAYOR, A.D. 1848."

This occupies so prominent a position on the building—
disfiguring the frieze—that it has become the subject of
derision amongst the literati and men of taste in the
town. It appears that the authorities of Doncaster, or
part of them, are vastly desirous of present and posthu-
mous fame, the inscriptions being set up •at their own
expense on public places. One of the market thorough-
fares bears the startling announcement in large letters,—
" This street widened Miles Morley Mayor." A little
attention to typography, and accuracy of punctuation
would be desirable ; but these great men have a contempt
of the trammels of grammatical economy.
FATAL AFFRAY.—It iS our painful duty to record
most distressing case of manslaughter, that was perpe-
trated on Thursday last, on the farm of Viscount Dillon,
at Ditchley. Three lads, of the several names of Hannis,
Simmonds, and Harris, have been accustomed to work
together on the farm alluded to, and were that day em-
ployed with others at the bean cart, with which ended the
labours of the harvest ; and the shout of "Harvest home"
resounded through the woods, which was shortly followed
by an affray that proved fatal to one, and nearly so to a
second. From what we can learn, the parties engaged in
the fray were somewhat under the influence of beer, and
the feelings of animosity which had existed in the breast
of the former for some time previous, were on this occa-
sion aroused to an undue excitement. From the evidence
taken, it appeared that Simmonds was the first to com-
mence the hostilities, which to him proved fatal. The
affray took place in a building where a sheep was being
dressed at the time, and it was nearly dark, so that Sim-
monds was dead before the other parties standing by were
aware that he was at all hurt, or knew that the other had
made use of any weapon ; he, Hannis, striking at Sim-
monds when down, caused Harris to go to his assistance,
when he received two blows from Hannis, each causing a
wound on the head : afterwards a knife was found on
Hannis stained with blood. An inquest was held on the
body of Simmonds, and a verdict 'f "manslaughter" was
returned against Hannis, who was removed to Oxford
prison to await his trial at the ensuing assizes. The boy
Harris is considered nearly out of danger, though still in
a very precarious state.r-Oxford Herald.