The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-10-14 00:00:00

SHOOTING A POLICE-OFFICER IN ONE OF
THE BRIDEWELL STATIONS.

On Sunday morning, about one o'clock, three gentle-
men, Mr. Emanuel BromLow, a medical man, Mr. Thos.
Benbow, (not at present in business), and Thos. Francis
Russell, solicitor, were given in charge of the police, for
having broken open an inner bed-room door of a house in
Hill street, Copperas-hill. It appeared that the whole
three were at the time'excited by drink. The occupant
of the house rose from his bed and followed them, without
his coat, until he gave them in charge, and they were
conveyed to Hotham-street Bridewell. One of the pri-
soners, Russell, after being taken to the station, took up
a pistol which had been found on the person of Mr. Ben-
bow, and cocked it, when the moment afterwards it went
off, and, being loaded with ball, shot police-officer Watts,
(No. 418), wounding him so seriously in the face and head,
that he was conveyed, in a precarious state, to the Infir-
mary. _

The three prisoners were yesterday brought up at the
Polic e-court. The less serious charge was taken as af-
fecting Mr. Bramilow,and Mr. Benbow alone, (.vho had
be en admitted to bail.) At the close of this first exami-
nation, which merely went to show that the whole three
were implicated in breaking in the door, Mr. Russell,
who was in custody, was placed at the bar, anti the evi-
dence, was minutely gone into. It appeared that on-the
prisoners being booked, Brornilow and Benbow were suc-
cessively searched when on the latter was found a pair of
small pocket pistols,which he immediately said were loaded
with ball, cautioningthose present with regard to them. The
prisoners were ranged in front of a high desk, upon which
the bridewell-keeper placed the pistols. The prisoner
Russell, who was at the time leaning on his right elbow
on the desk, was seen to take up one of them and placing
it between his two hands, cocked it. At this moment
officer Watts, it was stated, approached him as if to push
it from him, when it instantly went off, and the ball en-
tered at his nose, and severely wounded him. He bled
profusely, and was taken to the Infirmary. None of the
witnesses (who were calmly cross-questioned by the pri-
toner,) could swear that aim was taken at Watts, and
Watts was not the man who took him into custody. Seve-
ral of the witnesses admitted that the prisoner was not
violent before the transaction, and one of them, that he
afterwards said, " Thank God it is no worse."
The prisoner. in his cross-examination, endeavoured
to shew that the act was altogether accidental, and there
appeared considerable reason to suppose so.
Mr. M`Cheane, house surgeon at the Infirmary, spoke
to the nature of the wound, which had been probed for
the ball, but was not found, and his life was still in
danger. The patient's being examined would not, he
thought, be prejudicial to his case.
Mr. Benbow was then heard as a witness. He merely
stated that he kept the pistols at home, or in his pocket,
as he lived in a dangerous district in Kirkdale, and that
he had never told the prisoner that he had them, or that
they were loaded. In cross-examination by the prisoner,
he said prisoner bad immediately said, " What a terrible
accident !" and had expressed similar feeling repeatedly
during the night of their incarceration.
The prisoner was remanded, and the two defendants
had their bail renewed till this day.
On making enquiry, at the infirmary, last night, we were
politely informed by Mr. M'Cheane, the house surgeon,
that the wounded police-officer, Watts, was going on
favourably, and that good hopes are entertained of his
recovery, although he is not yet considered out of danger,
the ball (which has penetrated up the nose about two
inches) having not yet been extracted.

Hungerford Suspension Bridge was sold on Friday for
£226,000, thus yielding £62 10s. for each share of 1:25.

POTATO TRADE.—Several cargoes of potatoes have al-
ready been shipped for Holland and London. The pro-
duce, we understand, averaged from 59 to 70 bolls per
acre ; in some instances it reached 80 bolls. The crops
already raised, however are among the best in this quarter.
Farmers are still standing out for high prices, and among
others we hear that £3O per acre was refused for two
fields of 70 acres in the Stormont. Prices per boll, for
shipping, at the steelyards here yesterday were from 10s.
to 11s.—Perthshire Courier.

SINGULAR PHENOMENON.-A gentleman, residing at
Bootle, observed, a few evenings ago, when walking in his
garden, a remarkably luminous appearance on the gravel
walks, wherever he placed his foot. The light was evi-
dently of a phosphoric character, and similar in intensity
to that emitted by the glow-worm. On gathering up a
portion of the gravel, the hands and fingers became
covered with the phosphoric rays ; and some of the gravel
being placed on paper, and carried into the house, re-
tained the same appearance for a considerable length of
time. The sube•tance of which the walks are formed is a
French burrstone.

A PRECIOUS VOLUME.—During a sale of the books of
the late Dean of Lincoln, one of the books was thought
very ponderouQ, and, on examination, it was discovered
that in the bookbinder's fly-leaf," at the beginning, se-
veral coins were sewed. It was speedily ascertained that
a manuscript letter was fastened to the leaf, and that seven
guineas and two half-guineas, of the reign of Charles 11.,
were strongly sewed within it, like so many buttons. The
coins were bright and fresh ; and, though many of the
books in the library were sadly damaged by damp and
neglect, this volume and its contents had escaped injury
from the lapse of 160 years. The letter had no signature,
but from its style seemed to be the writing of a lather to
his son at one of the universities. The lot was withdrawn.
FURTHER RUMOURED CONCESSIONS TO POPERY.—
A London journal, which is in the confidence of the
Romish party, tells us that it is reported in Dublin that
the quit-rents and fines of the Crown estates in Ireland
are to be assigned to the Romish priests, to form a fund
for the building and reparation of their chapels. This is
computed at another £30,000 a year, and it will be as po-
sitive a national endowment to that amount, as if were
voted as an annual charge upon the Consolidated Fund.
Must we not ask, what the Protestants of Great Britain
and Ireland are doing in this state of things? Do they
mean quietly to submit to have million after million
taken out of their pockets, (for each £30,000 per annum
is just the interest of a million of Consols,) for the en-
couragement and establishment of what they know to be
the chief device of Satan for the ruin of men s souls.

PRICE OF IRON.—One of the largest meetings of the
iron trade ever remembered took place in the Town-hall,
Birrningbarn, on Thursday. It was at first generally con-
sidered that the existing prices would be maintained, but
it was soon ascertained that two of the largest firms in
Staffordshire had decided on qn advance of £1 per ton ;
and it was generally adopted. Iron is now, therefore,
quoted at—har, £lO ; pig, £5 10s. to £6 ; hoops, £ll ;
and sheet, £l2 per ton. The greatest interest appeared
to be excited, and all parties seemed well pleased at the
cheering prosper is of the trade for some years to come.
It was generally understood that many large orders had
been received for railway iron, not only for home con-
sumption, but for foreign demands ; and the exportation
for the current year is expected to exceed by far anything
hitherto known ; in addition to which orders for rails,
there is at present a greater demand for iron for machi-
nery, ship-building, and general purposes, than has taken
place for many years. The small holders have all parted
with their stocks ; and, under these combined circum-
stances, the rise was inevitable. Notwithstanding it was
hinted that stocks generally were geiting low, we have no
doubt, but the strenuous exertions which are making in
all quarters to meet the expected continued demand, no
inconvenience will be felt, or delays occur, in the general
current supply.—Mining Journal.

INTERCOURSE WITH ROME.—Ia the late charge of the
Bishop of 'Gibraltar that prelate remarks on the impossi-
bility of maintaining an intercourse of even friendly civil-
ity with Rome, and the opinion has lately received a re-
markable illustration in the most Popish city of Europe—
Munich. The King of Prussia, it appears, attended, by
express invitation, at the baptism of the infant son of the
Prince Royal. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the
Popish Bishop officiating desired the chief persons pre.
sent to place their hands on the head of the young and
newly-created soldier of Christ. This ceremony is in ac-
cordance with custom, and the King of Prussia, standing
by as a guest, hastened to place his band on the infant's
head, and to invoke a blessing upon the scion of the house
of Bavaria. With whatever approbation or equanimity
this simple and gracious act may have been contemplated
by the royal and noble assembly present, it was too much
for the proud and self-righteous prelate : his " Catholic"
bile choked his sense of common civility, and, eagerly
stepping forward, he pushed aside the hand that was out-
stretched only to ask a Wessing from heaven. The in-
sult from the bishop appears to have been contemplated
by the attendant witnesses with the same coolness as that
with which they viewed the kindly-meant proceeding of
the Protestant king. No one rebuked him, even by a
look; and the monarch, finding himself alone, turned on
his heel, left the palace, and shortly after quitted the
city.—Church and Slate Gazette.

THE IRON TRADE.—Messrs. Short and Mahony, in
their usual circular, give us this week a return of all the ,
exports of British iron from the United Kingdom since
1835--in that year the quantity of bar-iron exported was
94,381 tons, and pig 33,073 tons; while, in 1844. the
quantity of bar-iron was 230,935 tons, and pig 99.960
tons, or very nearly triple the amount in ten years. The
total quantity of iron exported, consisting of bars, bolts
and rods, pigs, casts wire, anchors, &c., I.lOO[A, nails,
sundries, unwrought steel, hardware, and cutlery, was,
in 1835, 218,608 tons; in 1813, 460,181 tons; and in
1844, 472,023 tons. During the intermediate years a
steady increase is exhibited, and it is evident that the
highest prices occur in those years which witness the
greatest demand. Though it is evident that in 1841 the
demand caused the rise, still it may not follow that, with
the expected increasing demand, prices will get unrea-
sonably high ; there is, however, every prospect that,
from the enormous amount of railway surface to be laid
in every state of Europe, in the United Kingdom, Ame-
rica, West and East Indies, and from other sources, such
as shipbuilding, machinery, &c., iron will keep at a highly
compensating figure for several years to come. In addi-
tion to our usual outlets for the consumption of British
iron, France and Belgium, although iron-producing coun-
tries to a large extent, have not the means to supply any-
thing like the demand that is daily arising for railway
iron. A large portion of this must be supplied by our
iron-manufacturers, and there cannot be a doubt but that
the total exports of the present year will very far exceed
half a million of tons; and this, in addition to the very
greatly extended orders in this country, will keep up the
price. Most of the houses are full of orders. Scotch
pigs have steadily advanced to 955. and 100 s. ; in fact, we
have heard of one Scotch house which made a sale of
2500 tons of pig-iron on Thursday last, at 955. net cash ;
Welsh bars to £9, and railway iron £ll to £l2 per ton.
To meet the growing demand, and which will, perhaps,
curb an unhealthy rise, we are glad to see that not only in
England are new furnaces being blown in, but some new
brands will probably soon be in the market from Scotland.
At Kinneil four new furnaces are erected, and will be
blown in early in November. Eglintoun and Lugar are
also progressing ; and, by the spring of 1846, several in
Fifeshire will be in active opt ration.