The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-09-01 00:00:00

FASHIONS FOR SEPTEMBER

(From the "London and Paris Ladies' Magazine of Fashion.")

The materials kr the present season are taffetas _Glace
suit, and pekin. Plaids in every variety. Bateoes taf-
feta* de A checked foulard, bffetas Chine in narrow
stripes or satin waves ; pros de Naples of mauve shot
with violet or dark-green shot with a lighter shade. Very
dark plain bares are worn by young ladies, and instead
of flounces very d,ep tucks edged with fringe, and pill-
rine very deep behind and on the shoulders, crossing is
front in the ceinture, and trimmed with folds edged with
fringe. Morning dresses of lilac, green, or sky-blue, are
made with flounces, headed by velvet of the same c lour.
Robes of brockies silk in wide stripes are with flounces
en &ale, the skirt closing in front so as to leave a space
of three fingers between the stripes, on which is pile'
en
gimp trimming; the sleeves arc long and tight, also
biais.

Many dresses of-pink, lilac, and even white are trimmed
with flounces of black lace ; this toilette is completed by
a large black lace shawl.

Bonnets of crape lisse have been much in favour, of

moderate size, rather close at the sides, and mite id at
the top ; short at the ears, and with very full bavolet,
and made not to require tying, the brides being of very
wide crape or tulle, hanging as a veil. Crape and tulle
bonnets of pink and white are ornamented by marron
and dark-green velvet, forming a striking contrast in
material and colour. Morning capotes of poulle de snit
are trimmed with ribbon, without rdeufls, but have a
very deep lace forming voilelle round the edge. Straw
bonnets for morning wear are trimmed with velvet, to
which may be added a few sprigs of mignonette, ivy.
acorns, or chesnut flower. Copoles of pale green crape
are ornamented with marabruts of the same colour.

The tulle Payan is much used for dresses, its extreme
lightness giving so much effect to the double skirt ; it is
made in all colours, and in black is particularly suited
for mourning. This tulle is also much approved for
cannezous, with narrow ribbon of pink, blue, or lilac,
introduced to show its transparency. Many little fancy
articles are worn of filets de soie ; handkerchiefs in pink,
blue, or cerise, some shaded, others striped, are used for
the throat or head ; little scarfs of the same description
are also fashionable.

POLICE

ESPIONAGE

(From the Times.)

The Central Criminal Court was occupied on Monday
with the trial of a person charged with setting fire to his
house with intent to defraud the Sun Fire Insurance Corn.
pany. It proved, on inquiry, that the matter hail beea
entirely got up by the police, and that the Insurance-
Office alleged to have been the obj, ct of a contemplated
fraud had distinctly declined to prosecute. On attempting
to trace the prosecution to its source it was found to have
originated with tie police; the evidence tendered in sup-
port of the accusation was chiefly that of the police ; and
the depositions were handed to counsel by the officer of
'r I the court without even the in.- ''on of - -itor

. a sotto. .;r.
This zeal for bringing an offender to justice may be dic-
tated by the :nest disinterested motives ; but we confess
that it would have worn a better aspect if the uffice for
whose protection so much exertion was made had at least
shown some sympathy in the proceedings. It ally ground
of reasonable suspicion could have been shown, it is not
likely that any insurance company would allow its inter-
ests to be neglected, or permit its battles to be fought by
the police at the Old Bailey. If we admit the ze4l evinced
ottero n this occasion,
ant (f
) disc,
musteetionmanifested at
the
i n Fame b
r tiinme g
condemn
the
accusation that does not seem to have had even the slight-
est fouAation. The charge.of incendiarism was unsup-
ported by a single spark of evidence; for the principal
witness, who made an examination immediately atter the
fire, declared that "he saw nothing at alsuspicious"
wilful and malicious setting fire appear% to have beep
a sort of hallucination in the minds of the police, who may
possibly have_ been labouring under a temporary light-

headedness. If they were not acting under some strong
delus'on, it beedmes a much mote serious question, what
could have induced them to get up a charge which the re-
sult has shown there was literally nothing to justify
hen we find the police exceeding its legitimate tiuty so
far as to prosecute offenders instead of being sat i,fied to
place them in the hands of justice, we naturally irouire

whether this trouble is takeit pu.ely for the. public good,
or front hose motives of interest ? Assuming the firmer
to be the case, we should be dirposed to discourage the
practice, as one liable to abuse, of
picion, and capable of being pery

It would be possible,• •it
become general, that the members of the police might-, in
their anatety to enhance the value of their services, " get
up" prosecutions on slight grounds, entailing great and
needless exper.se, as well as subjecting innocent people
very often to ut,ju.t imputations, pecuniary 10-s, and other
unmerited hardships. It has been said that the promo-
tion of a police-officer depends in some degree on the
number of convictions he has obtained, and if this is
really the case, a police prosecution may be regarded with
very grave suspicion. Society could not be sate unc-r the
dangerous practice of offering a premium to the police for
carrying criminal charges to a successful issue. The faci-

lities which they have for combination—the opportunities
that are in their power for organising a system of mutual
support in the fabrications upon which they might agree
—the ease with which they could obtain a knowledge of

.o raise a superst,ticture of

l capable of being converted

into the most dangerous instruments of unjust accusation.
We will not impute to the police the baseness or resorting

to any of tee means in their power for getting up malici-
ous charges, but if anything would expose them to the
suspicion of acting so vile a part, it would be the know-
ledge that a certain number of convictions is required of
them as a qualification for promotion. If such a Jule is
acted upon by the commissioners, it should be abandoned
without delay, for its existence has a tendency to corrupt
the police, offer a temptation to the worst characr- -to

become members of the force, and to undermine the se-
curity of the whole communtty. The resolution in ques-
tion is, indeed, perfectly adapted to revive in, perhaps, a
mitigated form the old and odious system of blood.monef.
There are miscreants enough to make a business of getting
up false charges without offering promotion in the police
as an inducement to any villain who would like to enter
upon the horrible trade under the wing of authority.