The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-30 00:00:00

The average stock of bullion held by the Bank of Eng-
land during the last four weeks ending the 6th of January
is stated to be £14,688,000, showing an increase of
£1,692,000, as comnared with the preceding month, and
an increase of £3,634,000, as compared with the corres-
ponding period last year.
SACRED MUSIC COMPOSED BY PRINCE ALBERT.—
Prince Albert has lately come before the public as a com-
poser of sacred music. and his productions have been
very much admired. On Friday week, a private rehear-
sal of sacred music, the composition of the prince consort,
took place in the Queen's private chapel, before her majesty
and his royal highness Prince Albert, under the superin-
tendence of Dr. Elvy, private organist to the Queen. The
prince consort having given his permission to Dr. Elvy to
introduce his compositions in the service at the chapel of
St. George ; they formed a portion of the musical service
at the chapel, on Sunday morning, the Te Donn, and the
Sanctus, and Responses, being his royal highness's pro-
ductions.

CABINET DINNERS.—The Earl of Aberdeen received
the Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, Sir James Gra-
ham, Lord Stanley, the Right Hon. Sir H. Hardinge,
Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Sir Edward Knatchbull,
the Earl of Haddington, and the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer at dinner, on Tuesday evening, at Argyll-house.
Lord Stanley had a Cabinet dinner last evening at his
residence in St. James's-square, when, among the guests
of his lordship were—Sir R. Pee!, the Duke of Welling-
ton. the Duke of Buccleuch, the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Sir J. Graham,
the Earl of Aberdeen, Sir E. Knatchbull, the Earl of
Haddington, and Sir H. Hardinge. The Lord Chancellor
and the Earl of Ripon were prevented by indisposition
from dining with his lordship.
IRISH SOAP.—The Lords of the Treasury having had
before them a letter addressed to Sir Robert Peel by the
Irish Soap Company at Cork, representing that by the
Excise regulation soap-makers in Ireland are prohibited
from exporting soap to England in packages containing
less tban 301 b. weight, and requesting that the permission
now restricted to packages of that size and upwards may
be extended to packages of and above 101 b. weight; and
their Lordships having also had before them a memoran-
dum prepared by the chairman of the Board of Excise,
from which it appears that no risk would attach to the
revenue by compliance with the application, they have
authorized the Commissioners of Customs to permit the
exportation of soap from Ireland to England in packages
of 10Ib. weight and upwards, and a copy of the order has
been forwarded to the collectors and controllers of the
several ports of the United Kingdom for their information
and government.
EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE OF PARRICIDE. —On
Thursday week the body of a man, named William Sea-
ley, who died, at Taunton, in April last, was exhumed, in
consequence of a suspicion that he had been poisoned by
his two daughters. The appearances in the stomach and
bowels were such as to lead to a conclusion that he had
died from the effects of arsenic; and, on an examination
of the contents by Mr. Herapath, of Bristol, a consider-
able quantity of that mineral was found. The suspicion
that the old man was poisoned was first aroused in con-

sequence of one of his daughters, Mary Sealey, having
been committed to take her trial for the murder of her
aunt. A variety of circumstances having tended to con-
firm the belief, Faith Sealey, the other daughter, was
taken into custody, and, on Friday last, the two were
brought before the magistrates, where evidence was given
that left but little doubt that these wicked young women
had caused the death of their father in order to be re-
leased from his control. The court adjourned till Satur-
day.
THE LUNGS NO TEST OF A CHILD BEING BORN ALIVE.
—Recently, Mr. Higgs held an inquest at the Unicorn,
Henrietta-street, on the body of an infant found in a re-
tired recess of Covent-garden. From the 'evidence it
appeared that the child was still-born, and a verdict to
that effect was returned. In reply to a question, Dr.
Brooks, the medical witness, stated that the lungs were a
fallacious test as to a child being born alive or not. There
were many instances of the lungs of still-born children
floating in the water ; and although much had been writ-
ten upon the subject, medical jurisprudence had left it in
doubt. Some years ago a woman, named Wilson, was
hanged in Scotland for infanticide, the surgeon having
sworn that the lungs of the infant floated, in water. The
body of the woman, after the usual time, was cut down
and handed to her friends for burial ; but they perceiving
symptoms of suspended animation, applied the usual
remedies, and she was restored to life and survived. She
afterwards, and when she could apprehend no d anger, de-
clared that she had not murdered her infant, but that it
was still-born.

CAUTION.—STOVES Is BED ROOMS.--We mention
the following circumstance, Wale!' occurred about two
weeks ago, in the hope that it may act as a warning to
others. Two servant women, in the family of a respecta-
ble gentleman in the neighbourhood of Glasgow, went to
bed in the laundry, having previously put a fire on the
stove, and shut the door, which they fastened inside.
The apartment was rendered so close, that the vapour
generated in the stove, found no adequate egress, and the
consequence was, that the women were, before morning,
completely insensible. At their usual time of rising they
did not appear according to custom, and, on listening at
the door of the laundry, the members of the family heard
sounds inside, which indicated the ordinary symptoms of
suffocation. The door was broken open, and as already
stated, the two females were found in a state of insensi-
bility. Medical aid was procured with all possible des-
patch, and after the proper remedies were applied, both of
them recovered ; but about a week elapsed before one of
the two was restored to her wonted health. Had a short
period longer occurred, before relief was given, in all pro-
bability both would have fallen victims to their folly.
Ignorant persons should be carefully warned against shut-
ting themselves up in bed-rooms where fires have been
lighted without great attention being paid to ventilation.
—Scottish Guardian.

EXTRAORDINARY RESULT OF MEDICAL SKILL.—On
Wednesday morning, Mary Cribb, aged 40, servant to
Mr. Stone, in St. James's church-yard, was discoverd by
tier fellow servants suspended over the staircase by a rope.
Her master having been immediately called, lost no time
in rescuing her from her awful situation, when she was
found to be in a state of insensibility. Mr. Prowse was
sent for, and bled her, after which she was taken to the
infirmary, where the following means were resorted to for
restoring animation : bleeding from the jugular and bra-
chial veins, salts of ammonia applied to the nose, effusion
with cold water to the head and chest, and a long-con-
tinued and powerful stream of electro-magetism. These
means were applied from a quarter before nine till one
o'clock, without intermission, at which latter hour she
evinced some symptons of recovery, but it was not till a'
quarter to six o'clock that consciousness was sufficiently
restored to enable her to recognise her sister. From that
hour to the present time she has been gradually getting
better, and strong hopes are entertained of her ultimate
recovery, alt hough as yet she has no recollection of any
circumstance subsequent to the preparing of the dinner
on the forenoon of the previous day. She appears to
think that her illness was occasioned by her having fallen
down the stairs. Mr. Stone had heard a noise similar to
that made by the woman, when rescued, for 10 or 15 min-
utes previously, from which it would appear that she had
been suspended during that time. A pecuniary loss is
supposed to have led her to commit the rash act.—Bris-
lot Mirror.

EXCISE DUTY.—By-a Parliamentary document of last
session a return was made of the quantities of, and of the
amount of duty received on, the several articles liable to
Excise duty in the United Kingdom during the years end-
ing January, 1841, 1842, and 1843, distinguishing En-
gland, Scotland, and Ireland; also a return of the con-
sumption of imported commodities, and of the receipt of
Custom duties thereon, within the United Kingdom in the
three years ended January, 1841, 1842, and 1843.. It ap-
pears that the duty on sales by auctions in the United
Kingdom in the year ending the 6th of January, 1841,
was, £320,062. 122. 6d., of which £286,624. lls. sd. was
for duty in England, £20,060. 16s. 7d., in Scotland, and
£13,377. ss. Bd. in Ireland. In 1842 the duty in the
United Kingdom was £314,073. 12s. Id., and in 1843,
£297,146. 4s. 9d. on auction sales. On bricks the duty
in the last year was £400,086. 3s. 5d., and on glass,
£766,540. 14s. 3d. in the United Kingdom, of which
£703,194. 6s. 2d. was paid in England on the last men-
tioned article. The duty on hops in England in the year
ending January, 1843, was £310,025. Bs. 10d. On licen-
ses in the United Kingdom last year, £1,014,941. ls., the
number being 592,342. The duty on malt in the last year
in England was £4,176,742. 19s. 10d. ; on paper in En-
gland, £495,955, 17s. 6d. ; on post-horses in England,
£156,397. Is. 2d. ; on post-horse licenses, £3,840. ; on
soap in England last year, £32.528. ls. 4d. ; on spirits in
England in one year, £316,121 35.; on sugar, £4,382 17s. ;
on vinegar in England, £27,106. Ps. 10s. in one year, and
£10.832. 17s. on game certificates in Ireland. From the
second return it appears that the total amount of Cus-
toms duties on imported articles in the year ending Janu-
ary last was £22,596,263. 3s. 2d.

FRIGHTFUL TRAGEDY.--On Friday a dreadful and
desperate murder was committed in Burnt Island, which
caused deep and general excitement and regret amongst
the inhabitants. A man named Sliman, a shoemaker,
we believe, who had been frequently under restraint while
living previously in Berwick, had been heard to threaten
to kill several respectable individuals in the town and
neighbourhood, under a mental delusion that they were
possessed of and withheld some money or property be-
longing to him. However, no belief seems to have been,
entertained that he would put any such threat into execu-
tion, and he was allowed to go at large. But on Friday,
or the exening before,. he had been seen sharpening two
large pointed knives, and the Provost being made aware
of this circumstance, we have been told by Sliman's fa.
ther, he granted warrants to the town officer, named
Corstorphine, to apprehend him. The letter sent to
Kinghorn for Simpson, the town-officer there, to assist
him, and in the course of Friday forenoon, they came up
to Sliman in the Links, when Corstorphine, taking him
by the arm, told him he would consider himself a pri-
soner. The maniac asked on what warrant; but before
it could be produced, struck a knife into the officer's
hand, nearly cutting it in two, and in another instant ran
the knife into his heart. Costorphine held the warrant of
apprehension under his vest, and it was pierced throuh
with the knife, in its passage to his body. He fell down
instantly, and died in two or three minutes. The maniac
fled to his own house, where he barricaded himself in a
garrett ; and as it was dangerous to come near him, ano-
ther. officer was sent for to Kirkaldy, and the posse coma-
talus raised, armed with such lethal instruments as they
could lay hold of. Finding they could not easily break
into his barricade, orders were then given, and slaters
procured, to unroof the house. The proceeding had com-
menced, when Sliman, imagining the egress would now
be free, undid the door and bolted down stairs, but was
fortunately secured by the officers before doing further
injury to any one. Sliman has a wife and several children
in Burnt Island. The officer, Corstornhine, was unmar-
ried, but much respected in his office, and his untimely
and tragical death is much lamented by the whole com-
munity.—Caledonian Mercury.