The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-09-09 00:00:00

A FAIR DECEIVER."—A young lady of Market Rasen,
Lincolnshire, whose moral conduct is unfortunately super-
seded by her attractions, lately so far fascinated a sober,
aged son of St. Crispin, as to induce him to give her 10s.,
for the alleged purpose of putting up the marriage banns
between him and herself, at a certain place within twenty
miles of that town, and from another—for itappears she had
plurality of lovers—a sovereign for the same laudable pur-
pose. The connubial candidates, however, becoming impa-
tient at the continued absence of the charmer, at t he ex pira-
ation of what appeared to them an age of expectation, insti-
tuted certain inquiries as to the cause of the delay on her
part, when the disconcerted inamoratos discovered, to their
cost, that the faithless syren had fled, in the company of a
more successful "third," and gone, none but herself and
companion apparently knew whither, leaving our luckless
heroes with the consoling conviction of having materially
contributed to the liquidation of their travelling expenses.
A GIGANTIC UNDERTAKING.—Mr. S. B. Rogers, of
Nant-y-Glo, solicits patronage for carrying out certain
plans for the erection of a magnificent granite bridge,
above 2 miles long, across the river Severn, at Black
Rock or New Passage, to connect. Monmouthshire and
South Wales with Bristol and the west of England, by a
double line of rails and a common carriage road; such
bridge to he 140 feet wide, with bazaars, shops, &c , and
a covered colonnade occupying 50 feet along the entire of
its centre; and with arches of 324 feet span, rising 120
feet above the highest spring-tides, so as to allow ships of
the largest size passing at all times; the piers and abut-
ments (i he upper parts of which to be habitable) to have
a casting of cast-iron up to high-water mark, by which
means all serious damage to the masonwork would for
ever be prevented. Mr. Rogers observes :—" This grand
structure would be a durable monument of human skill
and labour, unequalled for utility and magnificence
throughout the world. The shops, bazaars, and colonnade
(with open and well-fenc d promenades on their roofs at
an elevation of 200 feet above low-water mark), may be
constructed principally of glass and ornamental metals,
after the manner of the Crystal Palace, so as to afford
conveniences for the display and sale of artistical, manu-
facturing, and natural results of all kinds, thereby con-
stituting a sort of permanent Great Exhibition of the
products of all nations, and for monuments and curiosities
of every description ; and the bridge itself—like the Glass
Palace—would he the greatest monument and curiosity of
the whole !"—Hereford Journal.
AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS.—FASHIONABLE INTELLI-
GENCE.—Mr. Cobden is anxious that we should copy the
Americans in our newspapers, and naturalise the spirit of
transatlantic journalism among English writers. This
would effect a remarkable change, there is no denying.
As a specimen we subjoin a report from a fashionable
watering-place, framed after American ideas of propriety
and taste. Just now the Americans, like mirselves, are
betaking themselves from town and city to mountain
springs or seaside sands, and the reporters of the daily
jonrnals follow in their train to these popular retreats.
What would our "Mammas" say to such a sketch from
Cowes or Brighton as that transcribed from the Newport
News into the New York Herald for Europe

" Since my last, there have been a large number of arrivals at
this house, and among them many beautiful and accomplished
ladies. There are several here whom I have noticed for a week
or two, but I have not yet ascertained their names. t ethers I
know by sight, but, not having had the pleasure of an intro-
duction, I am unable at present to speak of them from my own
knowledge. Among the more recent arrivals I notice Miss
Bunnavant, of Richmond. Virginia. She is a tall, stately
young lady, has a beautiful figure, and a face which denotes
intelligence, and marked independence of character. I think
her very beautiful, particularly so from the fact that she has an
extraordinary face, such as you rarely meet with in a crowd.
She has many admirers, and is one of the popular belles. Miss
Virginia Hiss is a lively, pleasant young lady, and very inte-
resting. Miss Jennie Cohen, of Baltimore, is very pretty.
Miss Julia Winnans and Miss Brinks, of Baltimore, dress very
neatly and in fine taste, and are very agreeable young ladies.
Miss Ludlow, of Cincinnati, is a pleasing young lady. Miss
Holbrook, of Boston, is very pretty and interesting. Miss
Coleman. of Louisville, is a beautifully formed lady, and is
quite a favourite; she has a sweet face, and very fascinating
manners. Miss Gross, of Louisville, has a fine figure, very
erect, with a beautiful face, and very pleasing manners. She
is one of the most agreeable and popular ladies at the house.
Miss Rhoades, of Albany, is very handsome, dresses very mo-
destly, and is a genera: favourite; she is gifted with fine musical
talents. Miss Watson, of Nashville, is very beautiful, and will
soon be generally considered a decided belle. Miss Anna
Chickering, of Boston, a daughter of the celebrated manufac-
turer of pianofortes, who is immensely wealthy, has a splendid
figure, and is endowed with great musical talents, and will
create no little sensation. She dances finely, but I have not
seen her on the floor, as yet. since her arrival. Miss Fasset, of
Philadelphia, is a millionaire, and dances a great deal ; she is
an agreeable young lady. Miss Doane, of St. Louis, is one of
those sweet creatures in whose heart no guile ever entered,
and where happiness and innocence reign in undisturbed union.
Intelligent, natural, and good, a high-minded and sensible man
cannot but regard her as a young lady of rare worth and unu-
sual excellencies."

We make no apology for giving to these agreeable details
a wider circulation than it was perhaps expected they
would receive; nor shall we attempt to apportion the
degrees of merit between those who demand such intelli-
gence and those who supply it; but it must be plain, we
think, that before Mr. Cobden's idea can be realised a
good deal has to be done, and equally evident, we should
imagine, that the wisdom of the attempt would be very
questionable indeed.—Times.
EXTRAORDINARY IMPOSTURE.—The following case
may serve as a warning to those who, charitably-inclined,
lend too ready an ear to foreign impostors, a race just now
very abundant in England. About three weeks ago, a
lady, upwards of fifty years of age, who represented her-
self as an Hungarian lady—the Baroness Von Beck—
arrived in Birmingham. She was accompanied by her
secretary, a young man of the name of Constant Darra,
who is described as a person of remarkably pleasing and
prepossessing appearance. According to her own account
she had been highly placed at Court during the last reign.
When the political troubles broke out her husband had
sided with the popular party, and after having borne high
rank in the Hungarian arms, had finally been killed at
the barricades in Vienna. She added that during the
period of the insurrection she had been the intimate friend
of Kossuth. In consequence of the success of the Impe-
rial party she was compelled to fly from the Austrian
dominions, and had landed upon the British shore under
no more favourable conditions of fortune than usually fall
to the lot of political exiles. In order to maintain herself
she had written and published a work professing to be the
history of her adventures, and was, at the time of her
arrival in Birmingham, engaged upon another, which was
to be called The Story of my Life. As soon as this
woman and her young companion arrived in that town
their piteous tale at once gained them admission into
many respectable houses, where they were kindly and
hospitably entertained. Birmingham, it appears, swarms
with Hungarian sympathisers. Among them was a Mr.
G. Dawson, who not only himself subscribed his 24
guineas to the future publication of the Baroness Von
Beck, but procured the subscriptions of many of his
friends. At first she stayed at the Clarendon Hotel, but
about a fortnight ago, as she appeared to be seriously
indisposed, she was invited by Mr. Tyndale, a solicitor of
Edgbaston, to take up her abode in his family.
Here she used to speak constantly of her great
intimacy with Kossuth, and to weep with affected emo-
tion whenever his name was mentioned. So mat-
ters went on until Friday last, when Mr. Tyndale
was surprised by the information that the woman
he was harbouring under his roof was an impostor of the
worst class. A Hungarian gentleman, who had acted as
Chief Minister of Police, &c., for the United Kingdom of
Hungary and Transylvania during the insurrection, was
introduced into Mr. Tyndale's garden, and identified the
" Baroness" through the window. She was known to him
as an Austrian woman of the lowest origin. She had been
a police spy of the Hungarians—that is, deputy sp-,
Another woman performed the chief functions, and Raci-
dula, for such is the real name of the Baroness Von Beck,
was merely employed to do the dirtiest work of all. Her
book was a tissue of falsehoods. With Kossuth she never
had any intimacy of any kind. As soon as these facts
were known, Racidula and her secretary were handed over
to the custody of Mr. Stephens, the chief superintendent
of the Birmingham police. On the morning of Saturday
they were conveyed to the chief office for examination.
The end of the story is a tragical one. Just as the pro-
ceedings were about to commence, Racidula, who had
complained of indisposition during the night, gave a slight
shudder and expired in the antiroom of the court. Thus,
as against herself, all proceedings were closed. It need
scarcely be said that the first impression of the bystanders
was that Racidula had died by her own hand. Poison
was the ready and natural expectation of such a death at
such a moment. The proceedings at the inquest show
that the death was from natural causes. But the strangest
part of the story remains behind. If we admit Constant
Darra's explanation of his own position, it would seem
that he himself knew as little as Mr. Tyndale of Raci-
dula's real character. His acquaintance with her had been
but a short one, but during that time he saw no reason
for disbelieving that the woman was what she assumed to
be. As far as regards the credibility of the secretary, we
have the evidence of the Hungarian Police Minister to
shew that Constant Darra comes of a family as respecta-
ble and well-placed as any in Hungary. So the matter
stands for the present. Independently of the intrinsic
interest which attaches to the facts of the case, it is one
of those which should read a salutary lesson to the more
vain and credulous of oar fellow-countrymen. Irrepara-
ble mischief may have been caused in families before the
pseudo-marquises, counts, and barons are stripped of
their borrowed plumes, and reduced to their pro-
per proportions as hair-dressers, couriers, or police
spies. Luckily, in the present instance the unfortunate
woman effected, or in fact attempted, but little harm. The
dupes, however, may not always escape with such compa-
rative impunity.

A MARKKD MAN.—The Bristol police have got hold
of a thief who had on his left arm a representation of a
man and woman, arm in arm, a bird, with (underneath it)
a hare and dog in ch,se, and also, near the wrist, a star.
On the right arm, near the front of tho shoulder, a man
hanging from a gallows, beneath that a sailor dancing,
and below that again a representation of the crucifixion,
surrounded by a semi-circle with stars, and in the centre
glory and I.H.S. On one side of the cross is a repre-
sentation of the sun, and on the other a half moon and
flag, under it is a heart, two daggers crossed, and there
are also a star, another heart and a fish in a circle near
the elbow.

A SUGGESTION FOR BLOOMERS.—One of the journals
in the far north suggests, as a means of settling the
Bloomer agitation, that a compromise be entered into b,!-
tween the advocates of each extreme in dress. The writer
is of opinion that all these parties would be satisfied by a
return to the length of petticoat worn bj our mothers,
which ended midway between the knee and ankle, being
quite long enough to permit any article of dress generally
presumed to belong to the male sex to be worn without
exposure to public gaze, in the next place short enough to
obviate all the inconveniences alleged by the Bloomer
party ; and, lastly, if the prim and precise ladies consider
it proper to show so much of their shoulders, surely they
cannot find much fault with the exposure of a few inches
of their ankles.

THE PENINSULAR MAILS.—SOUTHAMPTON, SATUR-
DAY MORNING :—The Peninsular and Oriental Steam
Navigation Company's ship Euxine. Captain R. W. Evans,
has arrived hoe, with dates from Constantinople, Augtist
20th ; Smyrna, 22d ; Malta, 26th ; and Gibraltar, 31st.
She brings fifteen passengers, and a large and valuable
cargo of Levant produce, including figs, raisins, opium,
scampony, silk, wool, &c. The screw-steamer Genova,
six days from Liverpool, touched at Gibraltar on the 28th
ult.. on her way to Leghorn. The screw-steamer Rattler
sailed from Gibralter for Liverpool on the 28th ult. At
Gibraltar, exchange on London at ninety days was quoted
51 to 51k. Spanish pillared dollars, 1I per cent. pre-
mium.—The Times.

FEARFUL COLLIERY ACCIDENT AND GREAT Loss OF
LIFE.—ABERDARE, THURSDAY.—WC deeply regret to
announce that Aberdare adds another to the fearful list of
colliery accidents, of late so numerous in our mineral dis-
tricts, and by which valuable lives have been lost to a
melancholy extent. A cloud of gloom hangs over our
neighbourhood ; for we have had the misfortune of a most
lamentable occurrence, involving the violent deaths of
from twelve to sixteen colliers, who, in an instant of time,
and without, perhaps, having the opportunity of invoking
the mercy of God, were sent to their account. The nature
of the calamity is briefly told :—a number of men were in
the act of descending the Werva coal-pit, when, melan-
choly to relate, the chain from which the stage depended
snapped asunder, precipitating the ill-fated colliers, it is
said, 160 feet.—Monmouthshire Merlin.

MELANCHCLY INSTANCE OF THE UNCERTAINTY OF
LIFE.— A striking instance of the uncertainty of life lately
occurred at Pitkeathly. Mr. Eadie, farmer at Elliothead,
had gone in the evening to attend a weekly prayer meet-
ing which is held at Pitkeathley. Mr. Eadie was to offi-
ciate upon the occasion, and while he was giving out a
psalm, Dr. Chalmers, who was along with him, observed
his head falling upon the book. The doctor went up to
him and raised his head, but life was extinct, and death
must have been instantaneous. Mr. Eadie had just par;ed
with his wife, who hart arrived from the sea bathing, be-
fore going to the meeting. Mr. Eadie was an elder of the
Free Church at the bridge of Earn, and much respected
in all tl..e relations of life. He was an early friend and
correspondent of the late Rev. Dr. Chalmers, and is
particularly mentioned in the first volume of his life by
Dr. Hanna.

SUDDEN DEATlL—Another instance of the awful
uncertainty of life has occurred this week in our town,
the deceased being a gentleman of considerable landed
property, named Alison, residing at 12, Promenade.
Mr. Alison, who is a magistrate for Lancaster, and has
been a resident here for some time, was subject, to epilep-
tic fits, from which he suffered very severely. On Sunday
last, he was visited professionally by Dr. Arnott. whit
considered him better than he had been for some weeks
past, and it was remarked by the domestics that their
master appeared much more cheerful. He retired to his
bedroom at an early limit.; but, on Monday morning, not
coming down to take his usual walk before breakfast, a
servant went into the room to call him, and found he was
dead, the body being quite cold. The immediate cause of
death was disease of the heart.—Cheltenham Paper.
SARAH BARBER.—A. resident in Nottingham, on hear-
ing of the respite of Sarah Barber, went home in an ex-
tremely perturbed state of mind, and announced to his
rib that the woman was not going to be hanged, and at
which his wife expressed her gratification. " What :"
exclaimed her lord and master, sharply, " you don't mean
to say that you're glad ? Why if she is not hanged, there
is no safety for any married man. I'm astonished that
you can make such an assertion." Then commenced a
war of words between them, she insisting that it was im-
proper to hang a woman, and he that no husband was
safe if Sarah Barber was not hanged. " Why, you don't
mean to say that you're in danger of me poisoning you ?"
exclaimed the wife. " Yes I do," was the sharp rejoinder.
" Well, then, I'll not live with a man who is afraid that
everything he eats and drinks will poison him." lie
expressed his willingness to part, and they did so, he
taking one child and she the rest ; and now, as each Sab-
bath-day arrives, they enter their place of worship at dif-
ferent doors, and take no more notice of each other than
if they were strangers.

ELOPEMENT FROM EASTWOOD.—Since the trial of
Sarah Barber, scarcely a week has passed in which some
dreadful or remarkable occurrence has not taken place in
connection with her own or her murdered husband's fa-
mily. First we heard of the attempted murder of his bro-
ther near Chesterfield, on the day the criminal was to have
been executed ; then that a relation of hers had committed
a most desperate and determined suicide; and on Monday
night, Mrs. Wild, Sarah Barber's sister, and who it will
be remembered lived in a house adjoining hers, eloped
with a spruce knight of the thimble who had recently been
working in the village. She took her children with her,
besides £l5O in money, which she had received for the
sale of some property that was lately brought under the
auctioneer's hammer. Her lord and master had left home
to go to work on Monday evening, and on his return on
Tuesday morning his wife had decamped. There was,
however, one circumstance which doubtless tended to re-
lieve his mind of a portion of his distress—upon the table
he found a sovereign enclosed in a letter from his rib,
couched in affectionate terms, informing him that she had
gone to Australia. Whether he intends pursuit we know
not, but we hear that he is about to sell his furniture, pre-
paratory to bidding adieu to Langley Mill.—Notts Guar.
TRAFFIC RETURNS.—The traffic returns for the last
week, ending the 31st ultimo, on the undermentioned
English lines of railway are as follows :

1851. 1850.
London and North Western £62,739 .. £51,212
Midland
Lancashire and Yorkshire 18,617 .. 16,077
London and South Western.
London and Brighton 14,480 .. 13,352
Great Western
.. 16,935
South Eastern . .
York and North Midland .. ... •• • 9,971 .. 9,947
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln-
shire
Bristol and Exeter
York, Newcastle, and Berwick 17,096
Shrewsbury and Chester
Shrewsbury and Birmingham 673 ,
Eastern Counties and Norfolk
Great Northern . 13,348 5,863
Chester and Holyhead
North Staffordshire
Leeds Northern 1,234 .. 1,402
South Wales
South Devon
•
Blackwell ..
The total receipts on the above lines being X 268,793
against £224,246 in the corresponding week of last year ;
the increase is shown to be £46,078. The number of
miles open was, in 1851, 4,192, and in 1850, 3,9711 ;
showing an increase of 2201 miles. The average return
per mile per week was, in 1851, £64 2s. 5d., and in 1850,
£56 9s. 5d., being £7 13s. Od. per mile per week in favour
of the present year. The London and North-Western,
Great Western, London and South-Western, Brighton
and Great Northern again show a large increase. The
chairman of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company drew
attention to the improvement in the traffic on that line
for the past week. The South Eastern arta shows the
foreign traffic very favourable, and indeed the returns
altogether are highly satisfactory.

6,249
4,911
14,501
1,665

13,186