The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-03-12 00:00:00

SELECTIONS.

THICKNESS OF THE CRUST OF THE EARTH.
(From the London Polytechnic Magazine.)

The first investigation of importance that presents itself
is the thickness of the crust on which we dwell. We have
seen by the theory that this ought to be continually in-
creasing, though with increasing slowness, and that there
was a time when it was so thin as to be almost in a state of
fusion. We have stated that the increase of temperature
observed is about one degree Fahr. for every fifteen yards
of descent. In all probability, however, the increase will
yet be found to be in geometrical progression, as investiga-
tion is extended ; in which case the present crust will he
found to be much thinner than we have calculated it to
be ; and should this be found to be correct, the igneous
theory will become a subject of more importance, in a geo-
logical point of view, than we are at present disposed to
consider it. Taking then as correct the present observed
rate of increase, the temperature would be as follows :
Water will boil at the depth of 2430 yards.
Lead melts at the depth of 8400 yards.
There is red heat at the depth of seven miles.
Gold melts at 21 miles.
Cast iron at 74 miles.

Soft iron at 97 miles.
And at the depth of 100 miles there is a temperature equal
to the greatest artificial heat yet observed ; a temperature
capable of fusing platina, porcelain, and indeed every re-
fractory substance we are acquainted with. These tem-
peratures are calculated from GuytonMorveau's corrected
scale of Wedgewood's pyrometer, and if we adopt them,
we find that the earth is fluid at the depth of iOO miles
from the surface, and that even in its present state very
little more than the soil on which we tread is fit for the ha-
bitation of organized beings.
As the cooling of the crust is a progressive action, there
must have been a time when the crust was very much
thinner than it is at present, and during those early pe-
riods changes in its condition from contraction must have
been frequent, because every new layer, as it'cooled be-
neath, would contract and compress the fluid part below,
and in the effort would be rent in many places. It appears
as if several of these rents were still in existence. There
seems to be a great one passing from the West Indies
down the coast of South America, and across the Pacific.
It has a long line of volcanoes marking its course, and
those districts seated over it are the very abode of earth-
quake violence. Not many years ago a great shock
passed over that region, and a mountain in the island of
lava sunk in the fiery abyss with all its inhabitants, and
left a burning lake to occupy its place.

FREE TRADE IN GRAIN.—Let Polish and Russian
grain be admitted without a protecting duty into the
British harbours, as Lybian and Egyptian were into those
of Italy, and we shall soon see the race of cultivators
disappear from the fields of England as they did from
those of old Rome, and the words of Tacitus will, by a
mere change of proper names, become a picture of our
condition ; three hundred thousand acres will soon be re-
duced to a state of nature in Kent and Norfolk, as they
were in the Campania Felix. The free traders allege that
the decay of agriculture in the central provinces of the
Roman empire, to which, by the concurring testimony of
all historians, the ruin of the dominion of the Caesars was
chiefly owing, is to be ascribed, not to the free importation
of grain from Egypt, Podolia, and Lybia, but to the
tyranny of the emperors, the gratuitous distribution of
grain to the Roman populace, and the dreadful evils of
domestic slavery. A very slight consideration, however,
must be sufficient to show that these causes, how power-
ful soever in producing general evils over the empire,
could not have been instrumental in occasioning those
peculiar and separate causes of depression, which so early
began to check, and at length totally destroyed, the agri-
culture of its central provinces.—Blackwood's Magazine
THE RUSSIAN CLERGY.—The clergy I have already
mentioned as possessed of even not the slightest shadow
of influence or power in the empire ; the consequence is,
that although among the higher ranks there are found some
of its members remarkable for learning, piety, and eccle-
siastical attainments, of the first order ; the lower classes
in ignorance, vulgarity, I may almost say, degradation,
are perfectly without parallel in any religion throughout
the world, not even excepting Greece, the natives of which
country themselves admit the minor orders of the country
there to be the most abandoned miscreants in the world.
Of course, in a country where the military profession is
the one alone looked up to or esteemed, the highest grades
of the civil service (with the exception of the diplornatique)
even being disregarded and despised, it is reasonable to
expect the members of the church would not meet with
the consequence is, that even the
t villages are scarcely, in point of
superior to the serfs and peasants,
intellect,pmausctoh r
scoonof sritdheeedrual
ctaiarotgni
eon
s;
with whom alone they associate ; the rich feudal proprie-
tor. even a petty merchant in flourishing circumstances;
they receive is so small, and so inadequate to their
m
deeming his society as unworthy of notice. Indeed, the
saolasit•
yordinar) wants, that their situation may be said to
be far less enviable than the better class of slaves. Their
moral character also, is said to be debased in the highest
degree ; and in the various prisons it is by no means un-
common to see some five or six reverend culprits immured
at the same period. The most prudent, as well as the best
conducted, generally add to their income as well as their
respectability, by engaging a small farm from the Seigneur
of the property on which their duties lie.—United Service
Magazine.

March 12, 1844.

SECOND EDrITION.

Standard-office, Three o'clock•

LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET.—Tnis DAC"

The demand for Cotton to-day is again very moderate,
and the sales do not exceed 2,000 bales, at
prices, with a quiet and tame feeling. Holders do n° '
however, press their stocks on the market. yesterday:

LIVERPOOL CORN EXCHANGE, Tuts DAY•

(From Messrs. R. Makin Sr Sons' Circular.)
The arrivals into this place since the sth instant coal
a good supply of Oatmeal and Flour from Ireland,
very little Grain of any kind thence: from the Englis
b
coast, however, the receipts of Wheat, Barley, Malt' liceli
g
Flour, are to a moderately fair extent, with some Par
of Oats from Scotland ; the imports of Foreign Pr°daw-
comprising 440 qrs. of Oats and 500 qrs. of Beans onll,
Our market this morning was tolerably well attendeaf
but without any apparent cause, an almost total wan
spirit on the part of buyers was so decidedly manifest
every branch of the trade, that, even upon the most It.
mited scale, the sale of any article was nearly imPractithcs;
ble ; and we have to note a decline, more or less, from—
general currency of this day se'nnight. • gat
All descriptions of Wheat were offered with little
at an abatement of 2d. per 70Ib. ; and Flour at a redoce;
tion of Is. per sack. Barley was also nominally depress
in value ; and Malt, Beans, and Pease, scarcely maifl.
tained late prices.
Of Oats, the few trifling sales made to-day, were on
::
rather lower terms; and Oatmeal, in the absence of
wand for investment, and nearly so for consumption, '
fully 6d. per load cheaper than on this day week.
With the exception of 700 to 800 qrs. of EgYPt`s-
Beans sold at 18s. per quarter, no transactions in boodl2r
afloat, have been reported today.
Throughout the last month and up to the present aste;
thetah wlal
ov
whichi:wnh having occurred
suspendaf t hoe ema rl
ti t
realities
thissve evegetation
mildnessef
ft
rdaweti
notutrneei district tt;
tsfohuf frtecohct
sehevvt
se,
ss
Wheat
countrysoeannasot:wnwp il
datwuhn
rit
anihasndfig, displaynaea
thereforenu u arj e00:,
had on some lands become too forward at that early
period, has received a check, favourable, in all proW
bility, to its future advancement.

ARRIVALS OF CORN,
From the sth to 11th March, 1814, inclusive

From the sth to the 11th March, 1814, inclusive.
........,
IRE.. COAST.
CANADA FO- 01.,44'
LAND. I WISE. I REIGN.
....—..._..—. ...-......_.
Wheat .. ... Ors. 408 4339 4747
Barley Qrs. I 2086 I 20..96
Malt
Oats Qrs. 929 2537 440 390 v
Rye Qrs.
Beans Qrs. 312 500 8/.1,
Pease Qrs. 317 31,
Shelled BarleyQrs.
Indian Corn. Qrs.
Rapeseed Qrs.
Oatmeal .. Loads 110338 35g 1069,7
Flour. ....Sacks; 4465 1322 578 s
Ditto Brls.l , ~......"
Into Runcorn, Ireland and Coastwise, Wheat, gm;
Malt, —qrs. • Oats, qrs. ; Beans, qrs. ; Oatmeal,

Into Runcorn. Ireland and Coastwise,
Malt, qrs. ; Oats, qrs. ; Beans, qrs
loads; Flour, 124 sacks.

EXPORTS.—Foreign. Malt, qrs. ; Oats, 291 qrs. ; pejj
Igo qrs.; Indian Corn, 0 qrs.; Oatmeal, 2 loads ;
brls.--Iteland Wheat, 69s qrs. ; Beans, 20 qrs ; Ind
Corn, 100 qrs. ; Oatmeal, loads; Flour, sacks, br'l
Coastwise. Wheat, 121 qrs. ; Barley, 30 qrs. ; Malt, 300 (I.'"
Oats, qrs. ; Beans, !0 qrs. ; Pease, 78 qrs. ; Indian Core
qrs. ; Flour, 126 sacks 46 brls.

Average prices of Grain, for the week ending March 2, 1941:
Wheat 565. 2d. I Barley 335. gd. I Oats 2 ,s. Od. I Rye 355•,,
Beans.. 30s. sd. I Pease.. 31s. Od.
Aggregate average of the six weeks.
.4 2 5d
Wheat 53s 83 Barley 33s 5d I Oats 19s 4d. Rye 3,-
Beans.. 30a. ld. i Pease.. 30s. 11d.
Duty on Foreign Grain, &c. this week.
6d
WheatlBs Od I Barley 5s od I Oats .. . 7s Od Rye..
I
Beans 10a 6d I Pease .. lOs 6d Ind. Corn Os ad Flour 10
Ditto from British Colonies out of Europe. 0d
Wheat.. Is. Od. I Barley.. Os. 6d. I Oats .. 2s. od. I Rye.. "yid
Beans 2s. 6d I Pease 2s. 6d. I Ind. Corn Os. 03. I Flour.. '
Liverpool Averages, week ending March 5, 1844.
Wheat, 1286 qrs., price 545. 4d. Oats, 178 qrs., price 185.5 d.

ACCIDENT AT LLANGOLLEN.—A dreadful BCCldeot
happened at the coal works of Mr. Comer Robern
Arefair, on Wednesday se'nnight, by the bursting °1.,6
steam boiler. Two boys were scalded to death, an. rd u 076
man was buried in the ruins. It was some time and
the body could be extricated from the rubbish. He ons
left a widow and a young family. From 15 to 20 Pers..,6o
have been burnt—some seriously. The explosion
.`,Jj
heard at Llangollen, a distance of four miles, and %Toe
loud as the blasting of a rock would be in the irainje",,art
neighbourhood. Bricks, pieces of timber, iron, anucre of
of the roofing, flew in all directions, for the distun„,...--
half a mile at least, to the terror of the inhabits'''.
Chester Chronicle.
THE DOCTRINES OF THE Vass -r......are5.", 9.1 .4
system as the free traders advocate, if practicnute, e.
be to the last degree inexpedient. What would be its t r
suit? Why, that one country would become wholly, 0
in great part, agricultural, and the other wholly, or .10
great part, manufacturing. Is this a result desirable. 2
1%.
either? Admitting that a city or small state, which
no territory which can furnish any considerable proportki
1;
of the subsistance which it requires, like Holland, may
well to attend exclusively to manufactures and commencer
or a country which, by the rigour of nature, or the.
moteness of its situation, cannot attain to commercial
„,u,
manufacturing greatness, would do well to attend e:;
elusively to the cultivation or productions of the 0111.'0,
the question which here occurs—ls such a system adv,ihe
able or expedient for a nation which has received from "ifi
so uGI dr
Woulde haveatßEnglandr:
bounty of nature the means of rising to greatness in b9",t
trad—suecrhs
agriculture. watuaei
hn ,a Rs
vsusasteesrimai
sacrifice
bcoeerni Prussia?etsfi t agriculture
either
?T bv:trool I
irecti,
manufactures, and Russia sacrifice its manufactures to
England be happier or richer, more stable or more m°'
if the already colossal amount of its manufactures 85e',
trebled ; or Russia, if its rising iron and woollen fatu.;‘,
'0
were destroyed, and its industry confined exclusively t 0
the slow return of agricultural labour? Is it desirably
that the zone of tall chimneys, sickly faces, brick hong!,
and crowded jails, which at present span across t"
whole of Engiand and part of Scotland, should ~„
doubled and trebled in breadth ; and the fertile fields
Kent, NorfAk, and East Lothian, be reduced to vast 10;
enclosed pastures, such as overspread Italy in the latl,
stages of the Roman empire ? Or is it desirable to R111;6
and Prussia that they should be for ever chained to
labour of boors, serfs, and shepherds, and all the vivq;
ing and unimportant effects of commercial wealth d
denied to their own exertions ? Nature has designed,
experience recommends, a very different system. History
tells us in all parts of the world, that it is in the
mixture of commerce and agriculture that the best seeii
city is to be found for social happiness and advancemleli
and the most effectual antidote provided to the evils tr,
which either, when existing alone, is so prone. i", 6,
M'Culloch has told us, that the commerce and manurog
tures of Great Britain have now risen to such a prodig°6
height, that any further extension of them is undesirab,
i;:,
and that no real patriot would have desired them to it'
come so extensive as they already are. Is it desirab'e
in such a state of matters, to go on increasing the sa°o
splendid but perilous system, and to do so at the exPet
of the great pillar of national wealth, security and int'
pendence—the land of the state ?—Blackwood's Mar.'
zine.

EXILE TO SIBERIA.—By ukase of the Empress Eltfsd
beth, the punishment of death is nominally abolished
throughout the empire, except in cases of treasons s
murder. I have said nominally, as, though the axe ti%
the cord may no longer exercise their functions except
these two cases, it is by no means uncommon for con 1;
nals to expire both under the knout, and, as I have Pre-
viously shown, in the military punishment of running h 6
gauntlet ; the general award, therefore, both for p01it.1913
offences and those of a general nature, consists in WTI el
went to Siberia—a sentence, the proportionate severitlos
which depends upon the nature of the crime of whll for
prisoner stands convicted. As regards those eniveed a
the former, their destiny can by no means be fe`
,010
hard one, compared with the fate inflicted for 5'
in the ef othervert
severity,
tvheerinrms
situation
no en rs Val:1:8110/
after a
short .
period
ameliorated, and they become colonists more than captive ;
transgressions
and how far civilization has by these means found its Wil;
into these dreary wastes may be gathered from the circal.
stance of Tobolsk, the capital, being possessed of its ..open-
salons. hotels, and all the accompaniments of a greatel
•
The chief hardship of the sentence consists in the jo"re:
when all, without reference to rank or station, or the ti.r,
ture or magnitude of their offence, are chained togetbt`be
and compelled to march on foot; while, to complet,eun,
picture of this arrangement, (so singularly severe as ere
just,) though, at the same time, exhibiting it as theCO
adoption of convenience, it is by no means uncoolin?„0,
witness long files of recruits under similar precautwoo,
marching to join their regiments. The fate of those ced),
victed of murder (whose punishment has been comTet..ce,
arson, burglary, or robbery accompanied with viole
is, perhaps, the most wretched the human imaginatton:p
conceive, and while expressive of the wisdom and B°.arei
policy of the Imperial Government regarding the wee' ore
renders the sentence to the convict a hundred times 1.004
terrible and efficient than if the capital punishment le 0
had been inflicted, since he must turn to death a1e45,0C
his best, indeed, only relief, to the life of misery, wit cri,
intermission, he endures. From the moment of the..0ig
mina's reaching their destination, the light of heal,'
for ever excluded from their view, and it is expresler
timated to them that all further intercout se between
_OO.O
kind and themselves is cut off for ever; their very n'tbey
even are no longer heard, and by given numbers are toil,
summoned by their keepers and jailors to their dallYf the
alternately amid the fetid and unwholesome vapours toolti
mine, and the pestilential heats of the laboratotY• LOO
a similar doom be awarded in England, capital punish
in all cases might then, indeed, with safety be abolish`
United Service Magazine.