The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-05-02 00:00:00

Dtstrat Artus,

THE ADLINGTON MURDER.—Walmsley is to be trans-
ported for life. There seems now no doubt that he and
Bates were the men who attacked and robbed the Rev.
Mr. Germon and his daughter near Manchester. _ _

On Monday, Mr. Edmund Peel Thompson, one of the
partners of the eminent firm of Thompson Brothers and
Son, calico-printers, of 1, Mosley-street, Manchester,
committed suicide by cutting his throat with a razor, at
his residence Legh-lodge, Ardwick.
A LARGE EGG.—Mr. Law, solicitor, of Stockport,
has an egg, laid the other day by a black Spanish hen,
which measures 71 inches in circumference round its
length, and 6 inches round its widest part, and weighed
3 ounces. The hen is about two years old, and never
hatched an egg.
NEWTON ..ACES.—These races will come off on the 31st
of May and two following days. The stewards are the
Earl of Chesterfield, Lord Stanley, W. J. Standish, Esq.,
and Thomas Legh, Esq. The race for the Borough Cup
is fixed for Thursday, the Ist of June, and the entry for
the plates closes on the Monday previous to the races.
THE FIRST ARF IVAL AT PRESTON OF COTTON DIRECT
FROM AMERICA.—The barque Isabella, of this port, with
a cargo of cotton and corn, direct from New Orleans,
(now in Lytham dock,) is expected to arrive at the Victoria
Quay on Wednesday next. She will be the largest vessel
that has ever brought a cargo up to Preston. She is 375
tons register, new measurement, and is the property of
Messrs. W. Humber and Sons, of this town.—Preston
Chronicle.

A DANGEROUS SEIZURE.—In the County Court at
Mold, last week, two innkeepers of Holywell obtained
judgment, for 30s. each, from Mr. George Wombwell, pro-
prietor of a travelling menagerie, for breach of contract.
The defendant sent to engage stabling and provender for
his horses, underan idea ofgoing to Holywell for alew days,
but he afterwards altered his route, and went to Mold in-
stead. 11'h. Wombwell told the plaintiffs that, if they
sued out executions, the officers might take a lion or a '
tiger, if they could.
SUDDEN DEATHS IN A FAMILY.—Miss Ann Riding,
of the Dove Cote farm, in Claughton near this town,
died last week. This female was first attacked with ill-
ness on Friday se'nnight, and died on the following day.
About twelve months ago a sister left the house in ap-
parent good health, to go and milk the cows, and whilst
so engaged, died. A short time previously to the latter
occurrence, a brother was snatched out of time into eter-
nity in a somewhat like sudden manner; and at an earlier
period, the father of the three died at a time when such
an event was quite unexpected.—Preston Pilot.
CHURCH REFORM IN MANCHESTER.—Monday last
being the day for the appointment of the new church-
wardens, a sharp contest was expected to take place be.
tween the Cathedral clergy and the Church Reform
Association. This was happily avoided by the friendly
intervention of the corporate authorities. Mr. Brooks,
one of the retiring wardens, stated to the meeting that the
retiring churchwardens had made an arrangement by
which the stipend of the present dean and canons of
Manchester would be limited to their present amount,
£6,000 per annum, and all monies hereafter accruing
above that amount, appropriated for increasing the salaries
of the poorer district clergy of the parish. The dean and
chapter would in future be bound to constant residence in
the parish, and to visit the sick.
EMPLOYMENT IN MANCHESTER.—It appears from the
usual tables of the state of the working classes at Man-
chester, that during the last week, two of the cotton mills
have gone from full to short time. Of the hands employed
in the cotton mills, 672 previously working full time, are
now working short time • and 582, working full time, are
out of employment. Of the total works included in the
table, eight previously working full time, have gone on
short tjme ; and three more have stopped aitogether. Of
the total number of hands included in the table, 2,288
have gone from full to short time ; and 792, previously
working full time, are now out of employment. The re-
turn, therefore, is of a most unfavourable character. Of
the total number of hands included in this table, 24,756
are working full time, 10,630 short time, and 9,303 are
wholly out of employment.
" LORD MAYOR, OF TAnLwrosr."—Monday last being
the day fixed for electing the Mayor of Tarleton for the
ensuing year, and the annual fair being held on the same
day, the quiet village of Tarleton showed unusual bustle.
At two o'clock, the mayor, Mr. Charles Utley, of this
town, and the corporation. went in procession from Mr.
Howard's, the Ram's Head Inn, through the village,
halting on their return at the Cock and Bottle. On their
arrival back several new members of the corporation were
elected, after which they sat down to a sumptuous dinner,
got up in the best style by Mrs. Howard. Mr. Charles
Utley, the mayor presided; Mr. 11. Armstrong was the
vice-president. About thirty-three sat down. After the
usual routine of toasts, Mr. G. Dandy, of Tarleton, pro-
posed Mr. 11. Armstrong as mayor for the ensuing year ;
Mr. George Parker proposed Mr. Halfey, jun., of South-
port; and Mr. W. Wilkins proposed Mr. •Harpey, of Li-
verpool. After the voting, which was open, the town-
clerk, Mr. T. Ambler, of Preston, announced the votes
as follows : Mr. H. Armstrong, 12 ; Mr. Halfey, jun., 11 ;
Mr. llarpey, 10. Mr. Armstrong was, thereupon, duly
elected, and immediately took the chair.
MANSLAUGHTER AT PRESTON.—Great excitement was
last week caused in Preston, by the death of James Duck-
worth, who was well known in Lancashire and other
counties- as a hor3e dealer and livery stable keeper. He
had been leading a rough and irregular life for-the last
20 years. An inquest was held on Thursday last, in
Preston, before Mr. Palmer. It appeared that deceased
and two men, Catterall and Townley, were on Tuesday
last drinking at a spirit vault belonging to the Golden
Cross. A dispute arose between Townley and deco sed,
about money, when deceased challenged Townley to fight,
and they went out for that purpose. Catterall came up
and said lie would fight deceased. He at last consented,
when Catterall flew at him, seized him by the thigh and
dashed him furiously against a butcher's shambles and a
wall. Deceased said that was not fair fighting, and when
lie got up he said "Oh ! lam killed." Deceased's side
had struck a projecting stone in the wall. He was car-
ried to the Golden Lion where lie soon afterwards died.
Four ribs were broken internally, two of which had
' lacerated the liver. Illood had run into the abdomen,
causing death. Verdict—" Manslaughter" against Cat-
terall,. who was sent tj Lancaster for trial at the assizes.

THE MAY MEETINGS AND THE OBSERVANCE

OF TILE SABBATH.

These meetings are approaching, and great preparations
are being made. They will exercise a mighty influence.
Three or four leading ideas or 'opics will pervade the whole
of them. The more prominent will be France, its revo-
lution ; the European continent, its sudden convulsion;
Switzerland, its persecuting edicts against the evangelical
religion ; Ireland, its difficulties to statesmen ; and ever
and anon, in grateful relief to the dark picture, England
will appear, and its peace amidst the storm, its constitu-
tional loyalty, and religious privileges will call forth hearty
and unanimous homage to the distinguishing grace of
our God. 'I he downfall of Popery will be:predicated with
joy, but the practical despotism and spiritual darkness of
the watchwords, " Liberty, Equality," &c., must be noted
with sorrow. Some of our own statesmen have in Paris
held soirees from Sabbath eve until the first day of the
week. Railway operations have also made wholesale de-
secration of the Sabbath. Chartist and Socialist meet-
ings have also been held on that day ; and if speakers be
faithful, they must proclaim a worse evil than these—the
criminal supineness upon this point of many ministers of
the Gospel, whose anxiety to repudiate law is helping the
godless infidel in his crusade against the Gospel.
In December last, a gentleman deeply interested in the
progress of religion and morality announced three prizes
of £25, £l5, and £lO, for the best essays, in rotation,
on " The temporal advantages of the Sabbath to the
Labouring Classes, and the consequent importance of
preserving its rest from all encroachments of unnecessary
labour"—" the competitors to be working men,'"—". the
essays to be short," and to have each two mottoes, and
to hear also the name of the author.
The competitors were very numerous. and it is stated
that from the essays sent in much valuable material may
be collected, bearing upon other subjects than those espe-
cially contemplated by the proposer of the prizes, and
which, if arranged, would possess a truly national inte-
rest. In less than three months, though the season was
winter, and many of the competitors did not hear of it
over one month, and were engaged in manual labour from
early in the morning until late at night, upwards of 950
essays were received.

The editor of the Universe who takes the subject up
with Christian ardour says he has examined many of the
Essays, and that "it is not ton much to affirm that this
collection assumes the character of a national treasure,
indicating the true source of Britain's gre'tness and sta-
bility—the religion and morality of the industrial masses
of her mighty empire ; and the necessity of preserving the
Sabbath, if we would preserve our distinguished but un-
deserved place among the nations."
Ihe essayists " clearly point out the best way of pro-
moting their interests and securing their gratitude, viz.,
by maintaining their cause—and especially their SAI3..
BATH-RlGHT—against the rapidly-aggressive inroads of a
bard, temporary policy ; basing and defending this in-
alienable right, not upon the dry and crafty policy of a
mere human system, whose parts are ever at the fingers'
ends of its routine advocate, but upon the broad, gener-
ous, and self-denying axioms of the Word of God—only
' the ends,' or parts, of whose ways are discerned by us,
because the scope and extent of his policy is infinite and
eternal."

The writer adds of these essays that " the brilliancy.
the force, the argumentative power, the logical acuteness
—the pathos and the simplicity scattered over those which
we perused, was very striking; but the unanimity of sen-
timent on many leading points still more remarkable."
Some months must, of course, elapse before the adjudica-
tors can announce their decision, and in the mean time
arrangements have been made to retain all the essays.
The Universe proposes —lst, petitions to the three
estates of the realm, based on the voluntary principle,
and accompanied by selections from the essays—to be
called ' Sabbath Reports : being the Evidence of the
Industrial Classes in defence of their inalienable right to
the benefits of the Sabbath ;" —2ndly, the issuing of
tracts selected from the essays ;—and, 31.01 y, the binding
of the entire M.SS., and presenting them to the British
Museum, as a monument to the moral and intellectual
character of our industrial population.