The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-10-28 00:00:00

THE GREAT EXHIBITION.—Tbe sums voted on Thurs-
day by the Royal Commission to the officers and others
connected with the executive staff remain, with one ex-
ception, a secret. The exception to which publicity has
been extended is, that Mr. (now Sir Joseph) Paxton, for
his brilliant design, brought forward at a moment of ex-
treme need and almost of despair, is to receive from the
Royal Commission the sum of £5,000.
SUICIDE OF ONE OF MESSRS. CLOWES'S COMPOSITORS.
—On Tuesday an inquest was held in Lambeth on the
body of Frederick Franklin, a compositor at Messrs.
Clowes's establishment, who on Saturday committed
suicide by hanging himself with a rope from the rails of
the staircase outside his bedroom. He was cut down
alive and lingered for four hours in great pain, when he
expired. It appeared that he had mixed himself up with
parties taking a prominent part in politics, and indulged
rather freely in drink.—Verdict, " Insanity."
NOVEL CASE.—Mr. Bigg, a Bristol tradesman, recently
appeared at the county court in that city, the bailiffs hav-
ing levied an execution on his goods for costs in an action
of which he positively knew nothing. The seizure was
effected under an order from the Swansea court, and it ap-
peared that some person, of whom Mr. Bigg had no
knowledge, had brought an action in that gentleman's
name, when a verdict was given for the defendant, who
levied on Mr. Bigg's goods for his costs. He knew
nothing whatever of the suit; the defendant to the action
in the Swansea court had never owed him sixpence.
SINGULAR EXPERIMENT.—We had brought to our
office yesterday, by Mr. W. Parnell, gardener to C. Stans-
field, Esq., Springfield House, a number of small but well-
formed potatoes, which he has grown, by way of experi-
ment, upon a bare cellar-flag without earth, manure, or
any covering. He laid about eight seed potatoes on the
flag, concealing them from the light, and the fibres of the
roots spread over the flags, attempting to penetrate down
the crevices, which, however, were limed. There was a
creeping stem of a blueish colour spread on the flag like a
cobweb, but no leaves were put out. Yet, from this sin-
gular vegetation was produced about 2lbs. of potatoes, being
in the proportion of about 24 potatoes to each seed potato.
—Halifax Guardian.
SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH.—Considerable interest hav-
ing been excited on the subject of this experiment, we
have much satisfaction in stating that all difficulties of an
official nature having been obviated, there is every reason
to believe that the communication between the two coun-
tries will very shortly be in operation. Some gentlemen
present at the Bureau des Telegraphes in Paris on Thurs-
day morning (October 23), in company with M. Foy, the
director-in-chief, and other gentlemen connected with the
undertaking in question, requested that a message might
be sent to the South Foreland Lighthouse, near Dover,
to inquire if Mr. C— was still waiting there ; and the
answer,—" that Mr. C— was on his way to London"—
reached them in less than one minute and a half after the
message had been despatched from Paris.
REVOLTING CASE OF CHILD MURDER.—NOTTING-
HAM, THURSDAY.—Considerable sensation has been
created in this town by the discovery of the murder of a
child, whose parents are at present unknown, attended by
circumstances of a peculiarly shocking character. The
particulars of the case are as follow :—A gentleman con-
nected with ore of the pl asure boats on the river Trent
was out on an excursion on Tuesday last. and on nearing
the Trent Bridge, about a mile and a half from Notting-
ham, he perceived the body of a child lying on the
abutment of the bridge. After giving information to the
authorities, it was found that the brains of the poor
creature had been dashed out against the abutment or
pier, and that its right arm and leg were tied together by
a strong cord, to which was attached a piece of coal. From
what has since transpired, there appears to be no doubt
that the child was thrown over the bridge alive, and that,
coming in contact with the pier (a depth of 50 feet) it was
mutilated as above detailed.
MR. HUME IN EDINBURGH.—Mr. Hume has been
addressing the reformers of Edinburgh, but with little
new to say fur himself. His opposition to the income tax
was for the sake of getting a revision of taxation, and he
appeared to think that if professions were taxed at one-
half of the charge on realised property, say at the rates
of 3 and 6 per cent., that would be fairer than the present
system. Hedenied that, because he was a radical reformer,
he wished to pull down the institutions of the country.
All he wanted was fair representation of the people in the
House of Commons, which they had not got, so that they
might have power over the public purse, " with, of conrse,
such checks as were necessary in the hands of the peers
and the crows." He would lower the franchise so as to
include all assessed to the poor rate at £4 or £5 per
annum ; or to all assessed to the municipal rate ; or to
household suffrage; he did not care which ; but this must
be followed, Mr. Hume did not say accompanied, by the

ballot, shortening the duration of Parliament, a sweeping
away of some of the rotten boroughs, and something like
electoral districts. It is very evident Mr. Hume is pre-
pared to take and be content with, for the present, what-
ever Lord John Russell's new reform bill may give him.

REMARKABLE CHARGE OF OBTAINING MONEY BY
FRAUD.—A gentleman, named Lindsay, who has for
some time resided at Windsor-terrace, in Taunton, was
committed for trial by the magistrates, on Saturday last,
on the charge of obtaining £5O by false pretences from a
lady named Williams, who also lives at Windsor-terrace.
It appeared that the money was obtained by using a series
of threats against the lady referred to, to the effect that
an information should be laid against her for using a crest
without paying the duty for an armorial bearing. Mrs.
Williams having subsequently communicated the affair to
some of her friends, they persuaded her that there were
no grounds for such a complaint, and advised her to have
the case investigated before the magistrates, which she
accordingly did. The accused had for some time been on
terms of close intimacy with the daughter of Mrs. Wil-
hams, at which the latter was much annoyed, he being a
married man, sixty years of age, and the young lady
scarcely twenty. The accused was brought up at the
Sessions Court, on Wednesday, when it was announced
that some arrangement had been come to between the
complainant and the accused, and the counsel for the
former stated they would be satisfied with the prisoner's
pleading guilty, and by his entering into his own recog-
nisances, to come up for judgment when called on. The
prisoner accordingly pleaded guilty, when the chairman,
after consulting his brother magistrates, announced that
the court would not countenance the arrangement pro-
posed, and left it to the prisoner to retract his plea of
guilty, which he did, and was sent back to prison to await
his trial. Major Lindsay was placed at the bar to answer
the above charge. He was found guilty, and sentenced
to be imprisoned with hard labour for nine months. _

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT LEITH.—MELANCHOLY Loss
OF LIFE.—On Wednesday night one of the most disastrous
conflagrations occurred with which Leith has for a long
time been visited. The scene of the disaster is an extensive
range of buildings near to the south side of the docks,
forming the corner composed by the junction of Coburg
and Dock-street. Four or five stories in height, and
comparatively of but recent erection, they were occupied
by the families of a large number of respectable trades-
men and workpeople ; while the ground-floor was devoted
to shops, of which the two principal were the spirit cellar
of Mr. Drysdale, and the premises of Messrs. Pole and
Paterson, provision merchants. The flames were first
discovered about seven o'clock in the evening, when they
were seen issuing with considerable violence from a small
apartment in the second floor from the top, occupied by
a woman who resided alone. They soon assumed a most
formidable appearance, and on the arrival of the engines
the firemen concentrated their efforts on that portion of
the premises where they had originated, and soon suc-
ceeded in staying their further progress. No sooner how.
ever, was this effected than they burst forth with redoubled
energy in the roof ; while still smouldering lower down,
they there re-appeared with almost equal violence. The
flames increased in intensity, but by the exertions of the
firemen they were confined to the higher portions of the
building, and ultimately, by about eleven o'clock, they
were so far subdued that all further apprehensions were
allayed. In the midst of the operations a cry was raised
that a -man was missing who had been busy in the
earlier part of the night in removing his furniture, and as
soon as it could be accomplished an entrance was effected,
and a search made, when the unfortunate man was dis-
covered in a bed-closet, with life entirely extinct.
MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF A LADY OF IMMENSE FOR-
TUNE.—An investigation, which did not terminate until
nearly one o'clock on Saturday morning, was opened on
Friday, afternoon, before Mr. Wakley, the coroner, and
a jury of householders of Marylebone, at the Buffalo's
Head Tavern, New-road, London, as to the circumstances
connected with the death of Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Kelly,
aged seventy, an independent lady of fortune, residing at
9, Nottingham-terrace, Regent's-park. The proceedings,
from the rumours afloat on the subject, had excited great
interest, it being alleged that the deceased had died in a
very mysterious and suspicious manner, leaving property
to the value of X 30,000, which was claimed by Captain
Frederick Corner (late of the Indian army), as the alleged
son of the deceased lady, who had never been married,

and who bad a will in his pocket, stated to have been
made by the deceased. leaving the whole of the deceased
lady's property to him. The registrar had refused to re.

gister the death, and hence the inquest. Margaret Liddell,
a servant, stated that she found deceased in her bed in a
state of insensibility, in which condition she lay for seve-
ral hours, and then died. Captain Corner. deceased's

son, was aware of her condition, but no medical man was
sent for. The coroner, after hearing this evidence, con-
sulted with the jury, and resolved to adjourn the inquiry
till nine o'clock the same evening, for a post mortem exa-
mination of the body. On the re-assembling of the jury,
Captain William Corner was examined. He said ho was
the son of the deceased, who was seventy years of age.
She had been sickly many times, but always had an abhor-
rence of doctors, and would never have medical advice
until about four months since, when a friend of his pre-
scribed some pills for her. The name of his friend was
Dr. Frith, of Newcross, Deptford. He prescribed some
pills for her, but she only took two or three, and positively
refused to take any more. He repeatedly advised the
deceased to have advice, and so did the servant. but with-
out effect. The deceased had made a will five years since,
in which she had left all her property, which was very
considerable, to him. He had that will in his pos3essi"
now, and had it ever since it was made, five years ago.
On the coroner asking the captain why, when he found
his parent so near death, he had not sent fora medical
man ? he replied, as a dutiful son, he did not feel justified
in going beyond the wish of a parent, and therefore he
sent for tone. Mr. Gilham, head surgeon of Marylebone
Infirmary, deposed that he had made a post mortem exa-
mination. He found the brain, lungs, intestines, and liver
all perfectly healthy. The stomach appeared nearly empty,
and he could not detect any evidence of poison. The
heart was rather tatty, but the ventricles were all healthy.
There was no disease of any organ, nor anything to indi-
cate what had been the dause of death. It was impossible
to say what was the actual cause of death. The jury re-
turned the following verdict :—" That the deceased had
died from some mortal cause unknown to the jury, and
not discovered on making a post mortem examination."'