The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-01-04 00:00:00

ettitrai Altatllanp.

THE TYNE.—The river is crammed with shipping ;
" the oldest inhabitant" new saw so many.

Patrick Reid, the Mirfield murderer, will suffer the ex-
treme penalty of the !aw on Saturday, at York.
On Sunday a beggar died from starvation on the Leeds
and Tadcaster road.
RETURN OF ESPARTERO TO SPAIN.—The Duke de la
Victoria, with his family, left London on Thursday, on
his return to Spain.
A prize of one hundred guineas hasbeen offered for the
best essay " On the use of Alcoholic Liquors in Health
and Disease."

According to the latest returns of the average price of
wheat, it appears that on Dec. 24, wheat was eleven shil-
lings and eight pence a quarter lower than at the corre-
sponding period last year.
The Emperor of Russia has presented through Baron
Brunow, the Russian Ambassador, a very superb diamond
ring to Mr. Nasmyth, of Patricroft, the inventor of the
steam hammer and pile-driving machine.
A PITHY RErLY.—Lord John Russell's reply to the
Dean of Hereford's letter is as follows :—" Sir, I have had
the honor to receive your letter of the 22nd inst., in which
you intimate to me your intention of violating the law."
It is calculated that nearly three tons weight of Leices-
tershire pork pies are made weekly in Melton Mowbray,
and forwarded to London, Liverpool, Manchester, Shef-
field, and other large towns.
The Art Union Journal states that legal proceedings
have been instituted to arrest the progress of art-lotte-
ries; writs having been issued for penalties in the form of
actions for debt and costs.
An Edinburgh paper states that a woman lately stole a
can of milk, and pawned it for threepence, telling the
pawnbroker that as she wanted threepence, she would
leave the milk in plo I:re until the cream rose upon it.

Such was the effet t produced by Christmas puddings on
the price of suet, in London, that it was sold last week at
rntes varying from ls. to is 3d. per pound, while it can
now be purchased at 7d. per pound.
A CONTRAST.—The imports of this country in 1803
were in amount, calculated at the official rates of valua-
tion, £26,622,696, and the exports £28,541,405. In
1845 the imports were £85,281,958, and the exports
£150,877,902.
THE MIRFIELD MURDER.—A reprieve has been sent
for Michael M`Cabe, who was convicted with Patrick
Reid, at the late assizes held at York, of the murder of
Caroline Ellis, at Mirfield. The law is left to take its
course on the convict Reid._

Lord George Bentinck has declined to become a vice-
president of an association for altering the right of repre-
sentation, as he considers " the Reform Bill to have been
a measure calculated to fulfil all the rational wants of the
country for at least half a century from its enactment."
A WHOLESALE BIGAMIST.—It is stated, as a fact, that
an excavator, either at present or recently, working in
the neighbourhood of Sheffield, has thirteen wives living
in various parts of the country ! None of them look
after him, probably because he is not worth following.
The tradesmen of London complain strongly and very
generally that persons who are in no way affected by the
present monetary crisis, most inconsiderately withhold
the payment of their accounts, to the injury and ruin of
many persons.
The two children of a man named Blake, residing in
Golden-lane, London, have been strangled by a woman
with whom their father cohabited. The murder was com-
mitted deliberately, in revenge for Blake having abused
her anti ce.l...l,;..l.......aatiLetrowaaaaa.
At the anniversary dinner of the Master Ironfounders'
Association, in Glasgow, on Wednesday last, Mr. J. B.
Neilson stated that since the introduction of his hot-blast
process, the quantity of iron yearly made in Scotland had
increased from 48,000 tons, which it was in 1828, to nearly
500,000 tons.
A LUCKY DISCOVERY.—Among the collection of paint-
ings, the property of Mr. John Wilson, of Stratford,
Essex, he has discovered " A Sleeping Venus," executed
by the celebrated Titian. The fortunate owner has sold
it within the last two or three days for five hundred
guineas.
Cuntous ERRATUM.—A vendor of quack medicines,
who makes a fortune by spending a fortune in advertising,
was surprised to find at the top of his advertisement the
words " The greatest curse of any medicine in the world."
The compositor had only set up curse instcad of " cures,"
but it made all the difference.
THE SWEETS OF OFFICE.—The chairman of a railway
board of directors received, during the past week, by way
of presents, among other items, 140 turkeys, 50 geese,
and 56 hares. We understand most of the parcels were
re-directed, and sent among his friends, and, strange to
say, in nine instances out of ten the presents were unin-
tentionally returned.—Essex Standard.
A few days since, while a sawyer at Carmarthen was
sawing an elm tree, he discovered in its centre a bird's
nest, containing the remains of a bird and three eggs, the
shells of which were rather bruised, but otherwise per-
fectly sound. The nest must have remained there for
some years, as but scanty remains of the feathers and
bones of the bird were found.
Loss OF LIFE IN THE NORTH.—The John o' Groat
Journal contains a melancholy catalogue of the loss of
life on the northern coasts during the last month, the
total number being 36 ; namely, in the county of Caith-
ness, 14 ; in Orkney, 14 ; and in Zetland, 8. Of these,
28 were drowned in consequence of the wreck of the
boats in which they were either hands or passengers.
THIRTY-FIVE SHEEP DESTROYED.—The Rev. A.
Packe (brother of Mr. C. W. Packe, M.P.), of Walton-
on-the-Wolds, Leicestershire, has just had a serious loss
by the destruction of thirty-five sheep. On Wednesday
a shepherd went into the meadow, where 40 sheep had been
left the previous evening, when he found eight of the
flock drowned in a brook, and twenty-seven so severely
worried as to render it necessary to kill them on the spot.
It is conjectured that while the sad havoc was being
made amongst the sheep the eight ran precipitately into
the water and thus lost their lives,

The Queen Dowager is not forgetful of home duties
though so far away. On Christmas-dav, nearly a thou-
sand families at Hampton were regaled with beef and
bread by her Majesty's munificence. The royal bounty,
in this and various articles of warm winter clothing, was
dfstr:buted by the vicar of the parish.
Mr. Elihu Burritt delivered a lecture in the Town-hall,
Newport, Monmouthgrire, On Wednesflay last, upon the
philosophy of labour ! It was stated that this was the
last lecture of the sort he would deliver in England. We
should have thought, indeed, that there is too much plain
matter of fact about work to render it susceptible of phi-
losophical disquisition.
ELECTIONS FOR MARRIAGE PORTIONS.-011 Monday,
three young women, educated in the schools founded by
Mr. Rainey, the celebrated brewer, in St. George's-in-
the-East,'London, were elected to the marriage portions
of £lOO each for good and virtuous conduct since leaving
the establishment. These marriage portions are annu-
ally given by order of the benevolent founder of these
schools. .

SEASONABLE BENEVOLENCE.-011 Christmas eve, the
Duke of Marlborough distributed among the poor of the
parishes surrounding his princely domain, Elenheim Pa-
lace, his annual gift of venison; 125 prime fat does were
killed and given away among about 600 families, who
each received, on an average, from ten to twelve pounds
of prime meat.
A CONFUSION OF HATS AND PRONOUNS.--A corres-
pondent of the Suffolk Chronicle says that on the break-
ing-up of a tithe-least at Haleswortli, there was a confu-
sion of hats. Next day the following note was received :
—" Mr. T's compliments to Mr. W., and I have got a
hat which is not his—if he he have got a hat which is not
your's, no doubt they are the expected ones."
On Monday, whilst a letter carrier in London was de-
livering letters, at half-past eight in the evening, he was
attacked, whilst in Bridge-street, Blackfriars, (one of the
most public struts) by three women, who threw a sack
over over him and robbed him of 21s. in silver and es-
The money was the harvest of the man's Christ-
mas boxes.

Mary Anne Hunt, who was sentenced to death fur the I
murder of a woman named Stowell, and who was declared
by a jury of matrons not to be enceinte, was on Tuesday
morning delivered of a fine male seven months' child.
The mother and infant are both doing well. It will be
recollected that her sentence was some time since com-
muted to transportation for life.
LORD WILLIAM PAGET OUTLAWED.---Tile list of per-
sons lately outlawed contains the name of Lord William
Paget, a captain in the royal navy, for whose apprehension
on a charge of oktaining money under false pretences' a
reward is offered. A letter from the admiralty has been
addressed to Lord William, requiring a satisfactory ex-
planation of the charges preferred, otherwise his name
will not be suffei ed to remain on the navy list.
The lord mayor of London has published several letters,
showing that some of the parties who are offering to sup.
ply The Times, Herald, Scc., at low prices, are swindlers.
They receive the money, supply one or two of the papers
ordered, and never supply another. It also appears that
fellows in London are raising money by pretending that
they are going to bring out a periodical, which periodical
is never destined to see an existence.
WHOLESALE DESERTION OF WIVES AND FAMILIES.
—On Friday the parochial authorities of Saint Luke's,
Chelsea, and Saint Leonard's, Shoreditch, issued de-
scriptions and rewards for the apprehension of 54 men,
charged with deserting their wives and families, leaving
no fewer than 217 individuals a burthen to those parishes.
The men are described as good mechanics, and able to
sro.Y. 26e. + 30.1.. par. suaal:_._ • -
WILL OF MRS. SAREL.-The Crown will receive be-
tween £70,000 and £BO,OOO from the estate of this widow
lady, Mrs. Louisa Sarel, late of Grove House, Enfield
Highway, Middlesex, and of Henger House, in Cornwall,
who died on the 7th September last, having made her
will in the month of June preceding, but without dis-
posing of her personal estate, and there being no rela-
tives to claim the same.
The Flax-growing Society of Scotland has now been
formed in Aberdeen. The prospects of the society may be
estimated from the consideration that, of the 17,000 tons
of flax annually imported into the country, 4,500 tons are
landed at Aberdeen, the value being £lBO,OOO. The
freightage of flax along the east coast of Scotland amounts
to £120,000, which would give the home-grown an advan-
tare to £2 an ac:e.
SINGULAR DEATH OF HUSBAND AND WIFE IN ONE
DAY.—On the 13th instant, at Rudston Walk, near
Newbald, Mr. Daniel Foster, farmer, aged 77, and Fran-
ces, his wife, aged 70, both expired within a very short
time of each other. The latter died about eight o'clock
in the morning, and her husband, on sending for the un-
dertaker, observed, " You may as well take measure for
me at the same time." He died about one o'clock in the
afternoon. _

An unprecedented surgical operation was successfully
performed in London on Monday, by Mr. Wakley, jun.
on a man who had inhaled .chloroform. The operation
consisted in dissecting out the two chief bones of the leg
which formed the inner and outer ankles. The bones
were dissected out in less than six minutes, and the re-
maining portion of the foot having. been adjusted in its
new position by a bandage, the patient declared that he
had not felt the slightest pain.
Ws"! CRIME.—A barrister on the Northern Circuit
says, in a letter to the Times, that it has been proved
from facts furnished by. the Governor of York Castle, that
about 25 per cent. of all the crime committed in York-
shire, and tried at the last winter assizes, was committed
by Irishmen. About 66 per cent. of the crimes of vio-
lence in Yorkshire tried at the York last assizes were
committed by Irishmen. Of these crimes of violence
eight resulted in death—in murder or manslaughter ; and
of these eight crimes, six were committed by Irishmen ;
or 75 per cent. of the murders and manslaughters in
Yorkshire tried last assizes were committed by Irishmen.
He adds, that he has been informed by barristers attend-
ing at the late Liverpool assizes, that the proportion of
Irish crime in Lancashiiii is much greater, nearly one-
half of the whole offences being conamitted.by Irishmen.