The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-08-06 00:00:00

At the Devizes quarter sessions, held last week, in a
case of potato stealing, the jury fuund that the prisoners
were both guilty, but recommended them to mercy—on
account of the evidence not being sufficiently strong !
The court sentenced them to three months' imprisonment.
This is nearly as bad as the verdict of a jury in another
case, in which the finding was " not guilty," with the ac-
companiment, "but we advise the prisoner not to do it
again."

A WOMAN KILLED BY HER HUSBAND.—On Sunday
week a man named Farrall, living in Sacville-street, Man-
chester, returned home about two o'clock in the after-
noon, when his wife scolded him for not coming sooner to
dinner. Mary words ensued between them, and in the
quarrel he struck her some blows on the face and fore-
head with his fists, inflicting injuries which caused her
death on Thursday morning. A verdict of manslaughter
was returned against him at the inquest,
Goon FORTUNE.—A poor fisherman, residing at Sid-
mouth, having fallen in arrears with his landlord, hired a
boat for the purpose of conveying his few household
effects to Portland. The wind blowing from the north-
west he put out to sea, and was hailed by a homeward-
bound East Indiaman. There were on the vessel twenty-
five passengers, and they offered him three pounds a head
to take them ashore. The offer was thankfully accepted,
and the duty duly performed. The boatman then returned
to his late desolate habitation, relanded his furniture, and
immediately afterwards waited upon his landlord and dis-
charged his debt.
A RAT KILLED BY A HEN.—A curious circumstance
occurred at Stramongate, near the river, during the week,
which shows the courage evinced by a hen, in defence of
her young brood. A nest of ducklings, nine in number,
under the charge of a hen, whilst basking in the sun,
were pounced upon by a large rat, and at the moment
when he was within reach of his prey, Dame Partlet
bristled up her feathers, and with spur and beak flew at
the marauder, and quickly put him to flight. Following
up the success of victory, in the first instance, the hen
intercepted her enemy retreating to his hole, which she
would not allow him to come near, beating him off on
every approach towards it, till in the end, Mr. Rat was
fairly laid upon his back, and the hen completed her work
by killing him on the spot.—Kendal Mercury.
APPREHENSION OF A GANG OF BURGLARS.—For
some time past the town and neighbourhood of Ashton-
under-Lyne have been infested with a gang of midnight
ruffians, who have plundered several farm-houses and
villagers cottages in the vicinity of Glossop, Mottram,
and Hyde, and up to the present time have escaped the
vigilance of the police. They have at length, however,
been captured by Mr. Newton, deputy-constable, and
they turn out to be a family of the name of Swan resid-
ing in Stalybridge, who up to this period had never been
suspected. They consist of the mother, two sisters, and
four sons ; likewise Robert Hartley, husband of one of
the daughters. They were all brought before the magis-
trates on Saturday, and identified as parties engaged in
several burglaries within the last few months.
NEW BRITISH IRON COMPANY.--This company held
a meeting on Wednesday, at which a report from the pro-
visional committee was presented, giving a satisfactory
statement of the progress of the works under recent ma-
nagement. Every endeavour has been made to put the
concern in a profitable train, means having been taken to
get rid of the property which did not seem likely to pro-
mise a return, and the money laid out in improving that
which would. During the last half-year the manufacture
of pig iron at Ruabon, was 5135 tons ; in Staffordshire,
8329 tons; and at Aberyschan, 2865 tons ; making a total
of 16,229 tons ; which was an average of 628 tons per week.
About 800 tons per week was now the average of manu-
facture ; before long it was expected it would reach 1000
tons per week.

THE Joux O'GAUNT.—This vessel, destroyed by Cap-
tain Warner, off the coast at Brighton, was washed
ashore the other night, in the presence of several hundred
spectators. She was observed to float about three o'clock
in the afternoon, and as soon as all her ballast was washed
out of her, she separated into several pieces, and frag-
ments of the wreck drifted down channel past the chain-
pier. The wreck was complete, and must have convinced
the most sceptical, had they seen the shattered vessel
scattered about in all directions on the ocean, of the ex-
traordinary power of Captain Warner's invention. Even
Sinbad's ship, of which we read that every staple and nail
was drawn by the magnetic power of the rock could not
have fallen to pieces more easily than the John o'Gaunt
under the operation of Captain Warner's explosive
power.
GOOSEBERRY SHow.—On Saturday week was held, at
Ashton-in-Mackerfield, the fourth annual exhibition, or
gooseberry show, open to all England. There was a good
attendance of growers of that useful fruit from Haydock,
Eccleston, Huyton, and Lowton. The sweepstakes and
first steward's prize was won by Mr. John Naylor's red
berry, Wonderful, weight 24 dwts. 16 grains. The second
steward's prize was won by Mr. John Arnold's yellow
berry, Pilot, weight 20 dwts. 3 grains. The third steward's
prize was won by Mr. Wm. Gore's green berry, Overall,
weight 18 dwts. 22 grains. And the fourth steward's
prize was won by Mr. John Baker's Adelaide, weight 16
dwts. 22 grains. There was one berry that unfortunately
burst in the judge's hands, belonging to Mr. John Naylor,
of Haydock, weighing 27 dwts., being the largest berry
ever offered for exhibition at this meeting.
MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.—The marriage of Lady
Elizabeth Georgiana Leveson Gower, eldest daughter of
his Grace the Duke of Sutherland, with George John
Marquis of Lorn, only son of the Duke of Argyll, w a
celebrated at Trentham on Wednesday, in presence of a
select circle of the distinguished friends of both noble
families. His Grace the Venerable Archbishop of York
'officiated. The Duke of Sutherland walked first, leading
the bride, who looked remarkably well, and was succeeded
by the Marquis of Lorn, and the Duchess of Sutherland.
Then came the bridesmaids, two and two. The bride was
attired in a dress and tunic of magnificent Guipere lace,
over white satin, festooned with boquets of roses, myrtles,
and orange blossoms. Her ladyship's head-dress con-
sisted of a wreath of white roses, and a veil of the richest
description of Guipere lace completed the costume, which
was extremely chaste and beautiful. Her ladyship car-
ried a bouquet of orange flowers in her left hand.
A CAPITAL HIT.—An extravaganza, called " Aladdin,
or the Wonderful Lamp—in a new Light," has been pro-
duced in London lately, in which, it is said, the most tell-
ing hit is an allusion to that on which the public mind is
at the present moment so sensitive the Post-office
espionage. When the princess is in the custody of the
magician, after he possesses himself of the lamp, she
threatens to communicate her situation to Aladdin, and
says :
Princess—l'll write a private letter in my need—
Magician—You'll find that difficult just now indeed.
This was received with repeated plaudits, mingled with
hisses for Sir James Graham.
Princess—l'll write in black and white—
Magician—ln black and white—instead
Your letter in the post will sure be red (read).
(renewed applause.)
Besides I have a warrant to delay 'em—
Princess—That would be black indeed—
Magician—Not black, but gray—hem (Graham).
(Renewed and prolonged applause.)

WESLEYAN CONFERENCE.—This body commenced its
hundred and first annual sitting on Wednesday at Bir-
mingham, when the Rev. Jabez Bunting, D.D., was
elected president by a very large majority. For Dr.
Bunting the votes recorded were, 194 ; for the Rev. Jacob
Stanley, 55 ; for the Revs. W. Atherton, R. Waddy, and
W. Vevers, 2 each; and for the Revs. J. Beecham, J.
Cusworth, R. Wood, and R. Alder, 1 each. The Rev.
R. Newton, D.D., was called to the secretaryship by 197
votes. The vacancies in the legal conference, or the hun-
dred as they are designated, which have occurred during
the past year, were filled up by the names of the Revs. T.
Harris, John Rigg, and H. Cheverton. From the finan-
cial statement of the Education Committee, it appeared
that, including a grant from the Centenary Fund, about
£12,000 had been already contributed or promised. There
had been 110 candidates for training, as masters or mis-
tresses. 42 of whom had been accepted, and sent to the
Glasgow Normal Seminary. Since August last about 13
had finished their preparatory course, and had been sent
out to different places. There bad been an increase during
the year of 143 Sunday schools, and 15,627 scholars. Of
week-day and infant schools there were 183 for boys., 109
for girls, and 40 for infants, containing 13.138 boys, 8,776
girls, and 3,349 infants—making a total of 25,463, and an
increase of 4,659 children. In the Missionary Committee
the Rev. Dr. Bunting then took a general review of the
receipts and expenditure, showing that the former, for the
current year, could not be estimated at a higher sum than
£98,000, while the latter would reach 110,000, involving
a probable deficiency of £12,000, and he called upon the
meeting to determine whether there must be a sweeping
reduction in the missions or a permanent increase of in-
come. A long discussion ensued, in which Mr. Burton,
of Leeds, having playfully expressed an opinion that the
Wesleyan body would come nearer to £llO,OOO in contri-
butions than the committee would keep to that sum in
expenditure, the idea was taken up, and a resolution was
passed unanimously pledging the connection to raise that
lamount within the year.
DEFACING PARISH REGISTERS.—At the Worcester-
shire assizes, last week, before Chief Justice Tindal, a
respectable man, named John Bowen, about 50 years of
age, was tried and convicted on a charge of having in
July, 1843, at the parish of Pirton, feloniously destroyed,
defaced, and injured a register book of births, burials,
and marriages of the parish of Croome d' Abitot, Wor-
cestershire. It appeared that the prisoner entered into
some arrangement with Mr. John Wood, of Brierley Hill,
Staffordshire, by which he was to receive a large sum of
money if he succeeded in an action of ejectment which
Mr. Wood had brought to recover possession of the real
estates of the late James Wood, Esq., the banker of
Gloucester. In order to effect that, it became necessary
to prove that Mary Wood, who died in 1763, the sister of
Thomas Wood, of Brierley Hill, the grandfather of the
claimant, had married a person named Watson. On
searching the records of the Consistory Court of Wor-
cester, there appeared among the transcripts of the regis-
ters of marriages in the parish of Croome Abitot, under
date, Oct. 4, 1741, an entry of the marriage of Ralph
Watson, of Woodstock, Oxfordshire, with Mary Wood;
but upon examining the original register kept at Pirton,
no such entry was found. There was, however, an entry
of a marriage on the 4th of October, 1741, between John
Rawlins and Isabel Thomasson, which was the only mar-
riage registered in that year; and on the prisoner's third
visit to search the registers, whilst the minister had
turned his back upon him to reach another book from the
chest, he heard a sound like the tearing of paper, and, on
looking round, he discovered that the prisoner had so
torn off a portion of the leaf on which the marriage of
Rawlins and Thomasson was entered as to leave only the
date " 1741, Oct. 4." The prisoner declared that it was
the result of accident ; and that was the main fact tothe
jury, who found it against the prisoner, conceivingi
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