The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-07-04 00:00:00

Nothing can show more clearly the extraordinary specu-
lative and flattering nature of mining, property than the
changes which have taken place in the value of the Real
del Monte shares, to possess which, some years since, was
con?idered fortunate at £1,300 per £4OO share, and which
are this day quoted at fifteen shillings !--Minngi Jour.
Six INCENDIARY FIRES.—On Friday, Saturday, and
Sunday se'nnight, there were no fewer than six incendiary
fires in Hertfordshire. One of them was at Harlow, on a
farm in the occupation of Mr. Wm. Barnard, belonging to
the late Marquis of Bute. The value of the stock de-
stroyed is estimated at £3OO, and of the buildings £l7OO.
Both are insured.—ln another case, that.of Mr. Squires,
of Waterford-mill, the loss of the tenant is calculated at
£2OO. A man is in custody on su.picion.
IMPROVEMENT OF BILLINGSGATE MARKET.—The cor-
poration of London are about to remodel this market, and
erect a structure, the architectural proportions of which
shall harmonize with the new Coal Exchange now erecting
opposite Billingsgate. The chain of houses known as
Darkhouse-lane are to be removed.. The old dock, from
the fish now being chiefly brought to market by railway,
is to be filled up, and a commodious market-place formed
on the entire site, being an area of about 15,000 square
feet. _ _ _

A verdict of wilful murder has been returned against a
man living in Sandgate, Newcastle-on-Tyne, for the
murder of his infant illegitimate child. The wretch went
to the residence of its mother, took the child from the
cradle and dashed it on the floor; he then took it by the
legs and swung it about and then dashed it again to the
ground, exclaiming, "There, it it wilt not need much
after that." It only lived a few minutes.

SUICIDE OF A CLERGYMAN.—An Inquest was held,
few days since, on view of the body of the Rev. H. Brad-
ridge, aged 62, for some years minister of the Parish
Church at Slapton, Devon. Deceased had been out of his
mind during the last five years, and had been constantly
watched over by a keeper. Unfortunately. on Friday
week, he found an opportunity of getting out at a private
door. Search "as made for him, but without avail, till the
next day, when he was discovered drowned in a quarry pit
containing six feet of water. lie had a rope round his
neck, with a stone attached to the end of it.
SHOCKING PROFANENESS.-011 Friday an inquest was
held at Hampstead-road, London, on the body of Mr. E.
A. Ashford, aged twenty-five, a medical student of Uni-
versity College, who destroyed himself by taking prussic
acid. The deceased left behind him the following letter
to his mother :—" Dear Mamma,—Tell the twelve idiotic
clieesemongers, grocers, &c., who will form the British
jury, that the proper verdict to return is. that E. A. A.
died because he could not live. By G—d, that's the
truth. God bless you, my dear mother and sister.—E.
A. Verdict, " Temporary insanity."
THE SEVEREST REPRIMAND.—Ott Friday week, Mr.
Davis, one of the clerks of her Majesty's ship Prince Re-
gent, 92 guns, was called upon the quarter-deck, and com-
pelled to read aloud, so that the whole of the officers and
crew (about 900 in all) could hear distinctly, a series of
letters, in which• he had slandered the captain, officers,
and the ship in very unmeasured terms ; these letters
were addressed to a friend on shore, but who liaving quar-
relled with the officer, sent the letters of the latter to
Captain Martin, who reprimanded the author in the above
manner. _ . .

SUNDAY CRICKETING.—The minister of Horton, Oxon,
and Studley, Bucks, has signified his intention of provid-
ing hats, balls, wickets,
vickets &e., for the young men to play at
cricket after service on Sundays, and also on other days.
The scenes of " pitch and trustle," and other gambling
tricks on Sundays, have been very annoying to many in
the parish and to strangers ; and it is in a great measure
with the view of preventing them that the rev. gentleman
has determined on introducing the healthful recreative
game of cricket amongst those who have hitherto spent
their time in a much worse way.— Hereford Journal.—
[This is only substituting one sin for another. On our
contemporary's own showing. it is worse than "doing
evil that good may come]
CATTLE FROM PORTUGAL.—TWO large and powerful
steamers are now plying between Oporto and Southamp-
ton, for the purpose of importing Portuguese oxen. The
average cost in Portugal is about £8 per head, and they
fetch here about £2O per head, some of the 'finest £25.
At-first they were sold in the Lyndon market, but a
good market has now been found at Southampton and
Portsmouth y in fact, the butchers of those towns have
agreed with the shippers to purchase all that are brought
over. The beasts are in excellent condition. A short
time since Spanish cattle from Vigo and Corunna were
imported, but they required fattening after they were
landed, and the speculation faihyd. It appears that the
cattle now brought over are reared by the Portuguese
peasantry. They are brought to the coast to be shipped
in pairs, generally by poor peasant women, and it is amu-
sing to see the beasts kissed by their drivers, and wi4hed
a pleasant voyage to England- Each vessel brings over
about 150 at a time. The deck is literally covered with
them, and the sailors run along on their backs to manage
the vessel.' •

INTREPID CONDUCT OF A YOUNG LADY.—On Satur-
day, two young ladies were walking along the beach at
the back of the Isle of Wight, near Black Gang Chine.
It was blowing hard at the time, and the sea running very
high, when a violent squall gave such a sudden impetus
to the rising tide that t hey were overtaken by the waves,
which, in their reflux, dragged in the younger female, and
in a minute she was floating in deep water, at least twenty.
yard from dry land. The first impulse of her friend to
rush in to her rescue was checked by her self-possession,
which told her t!.at to obey that impulse was certain death
to both ; she, therefore, with heroic calmness awaited the
returning wave. Twice she saw the bo!y sink beneath
the surface.. As it rose the second time she watched it
bokue on the crest of a tremendous sea towards the shore.
Seizing the second of time that intervenes bet Ween the
bUrsting of the surge and its fearful recoil, she advanced
upto her waist-in the water, clutched hold of her exhausted
and nearly insensible friend, and dragged her up the hutch.
There was really so little time :to snare, that both were
again submerged. Another desperate effort placed her
out of the immediate reach of the waves; but she had,
clinging to the bunches of grass and rushes, to climb with
her burden up a steep bank of slippery green sand, the
appearance of which almost belies the possibility of such
an ascent, before they were in safety.
THRASHING BY MACHINERY.—Last week we were on
the farm of John Butter, Thorngumhold, and wit-
nessed, with several others in the neighbourhood, the
operations of a portable steam thrashing machine; all the
machinery was of the simplest kind, and, indeed, we
could not see from whence, the first grand moving power
proceeded, until a little door at the end of the engine was
opened and disclosed to us the cylinder and working parts
of the steam-engine; by being enclosed thus it was pre-
served from the chaff; dust, and weather, which would be
injurious to its durability ; a gut ta percha strap (from the
fiy-wheel, which was attached to the crank shalt), con-
veyed the motion to a detached part, where the corn is
thrashed, this was fixed between two stacks of wheat, and
thrashed them in seven hours, in a most perfect manner,
without injury to the corn, and bringing the straw through
this severe ordeal as straight and as unbroken as if it had
not been through the process. We understand the cause
of the latter improvement was in consequence of the ma-
chine being so contrived that the sheaves were put in the
broad instead of the end way. From 25 to 30 hands were
very busily employed in attending to its operations. Mr.
Butter had no hesitation in saying that he could thrash
off 'their long strewed wheat easily ten quarters per hour;
indeed, so far as the machinery was concerned, the ques-
tion appeared to be, what can the men give the machiize
•to do not what can the machine do, because that scarcely
appeared to have a limit. The consumption of coal for the
seven hours was not five hundred weight, or not more
than three shillings in value, and the control of, the ma-
chinery so simple that any man on the farm might manage
it.—Hull Packet.

DREADFUL STORM.—Allendale, Northumberland, has
been visited by a dreadful storm. At Bridge-end •Mill,
which is situated at the confluence of the river Allen and
Wooley Burn, the farm-yard was soon filled with water,
and the pigs were floating about, and were with difficulty
rescued by the neighbouring inhabitants. The dwelling-
house was filled with water, to a considerable height, and
soon rendered tenantless. Another rivulet which flows
into the Allen, at Allendale Town, came down in such
fury as to choke up the bridge over which the turnpike
road crosses, sweeping away a considerable portion of tha,
arch and embankment along with it. The candle house at
Allendale Town was filled with water within a few inches
of the top, and the chandler, in attempting to save the life
of his dog, narrowly-escaped through a window with his'
own. At a house near the village of Catton the water ac-
cumulated to so great a depth behind the house, that it
burst open the back door and rushed out at the front,
carrying a portion of the furniture along with it down the
road towards the tillage. At Mount Pleasant, a thunder-
bolt struck the chiniury top. brought down o part of the '
pelting, and made a small hole through the lintel of the
chimney-piece, which is an immense block of freestone.—
The water entered the horizontal flues at Langley Smelt
Mill, and swept away lead fume of considerable value. At
Slublick the lightning set a thatched cottage on fire, and
burnt it down. The cottage was not inhabited. Two
cows were killed, one at Old Town, and the other at
Newfold House. Some persons were stunned and slightly
injured; but, fortunately, no lives were lost. The grass
and turnip fields have sustained more or less injury, accor-
ding to situation, and in some fields the soil has been com-
pletely swept away.
DR. WISEMAN AND HIS -CHAPEL.—From the Ere
Nouvelle (Paris paper) of the 20th instant, we translate
the following fragment of a letter which had been addressed
by " Mgr. Wiseman" to all the Bishops of Germany,
Belgium, and France, inviting them to assist at the open-
ing of the Popish Chapel in St. George's-fields on Tues-
day next. Dr. Wiseman's object is to edify us, poor
ignorant Protestants, with a " demonstration"—a not
unusual thing in these exciting times. If any part of this
demonstration take place in the public streets, we trust
that' he attention of the police will be directed, thereto.
Here is the portion of the letter" alluded. to :—" The 4th
of duly is the day fixed for the. solemn opening of the
-large church of St. George in . this. city, . and I ardently
desire, not only that the ceremonies should be performed
with all suitable pomp, but also that our holy religion
should derive from thence a new Splencloutand a powerful
impulse. Nothing can make us more surely attain this
double object than the presence .of foreign . pontiffs. The
presence of a great number of bishops will add much to
the splendour of the solemnity ; it will prove, moreover,
to Anglicans and other Protestants, that it is we, and not
they, who are recognised abroad as the true Catholic
Church of this country, and will give to all a visible proof
of the unity of the faith and of worship which binds tope-
the pastors of the universal Church. I need not add what
consolation the presence of Your Greatness' (Votre
Grandeur) would afford to. the Catholics themselves: I
come then, in all cordiality and effusion (sic), to invite
Your Greatness to do us the honour of assisting at this
festival—the greatest, probably, and the most splendid
that England may have seen since the period of the Refor-
illation.' Dr. Wiseman depends, then, upon a theatrical
display to convince Protestants that the Romish Church
is the true Catholic Church of this country.—Church and
State Gazelle.