The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-09-19 00:00:00

A SUCCESSION OF ACCIDENTS.—About a fortnight ago
a man named Nathan Parr, about 57 years of age, living
in Rice-street, Toxteth-park, came home and complained
of having hurt his left thumb. It was cut above the joint ;
and he stated that it had become jammed between two
casks. Upon getting better of that accident, and going
again to his work, be returned home a second time, and
complained of having been bitten by a horse in the arm.
He stated that whilst backing the horse up an entry, the
animal snapped at him and bit him between the wrist and
the elbow. The pain resulting from this accident ex-
tended from the arm into the body ; but when he began to
recover from the effects, and was going to his work, he fell
suddenly upon the footpath outside his own door, and he
then received a severe cut on the outside of his head. He
probably might have recovered from this latter accident,
had not lock-jaw, resulting from the injury to the thumb,
set in, and that speedily finished his earthly career.
FATAL ACCIDENT. —On Monday Robert Johnson
Sharpe, a well-known cattle-dealer of this town, was com-
ing from Ormskirk fair, in a shandry, and whilst passing
Aintree race-course, he drove against a barrow that was
lying on the right side of the road, by which means he up-
set the shandry, and was himself thrown out. He received
a cut over the left eye. Shortly after, John Spencer, ano-
ther cattle-dealer, living in Vine-street, who was also re-
turning from the fair, drove up in his gig, and he kindly
allowed Sharpe to sit alongside him in the vehicle. As
they were proceeding past Skirving's nursery, they ob-
served a cart, drawn by one horse, coming towards them.
Sharpe immediately said to Spencer, " Let us take the
wheel off him," meaning the wheel of the cart. Spencer
refused; but before he could be prevented, Sharpe
seized hold of the reins, drove the gig against the cart, and
Sharpe was thrown out. He fell upon his head, and upon
being lifted up was found to be insensible. He was very
much in liquor, and soon died.
EXECUTION AT KIRKDALE.—WiIIiam Adams, who was
convicted at the late assizes of having shot his wife, Diana
Adams. at Manchester, was executed at noon on Saturday,
at the northwest corner of Kirkdale gaol. The convict
until within a few days of his death appears to have had
strong hopes of mercy being extended to him. The Rev.
Mr. Appleton, chaplain of the gaol, had been assiduous in
his attention to the culprit, but two days before his death
he expressed a wish that a Roman Catholic priest should
visit him, which was granted. We may state that his
mother was of that persuasion. The culprit slept soundly
the night before his execution, end was not awake when
the chapel bell rang at half-past five on Saturday morning.
After breakfast his demeanour at chapel was calm, and at
twenty minutes before twelve he left the chapel accompa-
nied by the under-sheriff and two priests, and was taken
to the press-room to be pinioned, and shortly after was
taken to the scaffold. He had on the velveteen shooting-
jacket which he wore when the murder was committed.
He seemed firm and collected, and did not utter a word.
He was soon launched into eternity, but struggled more
than usual. After hanging an hour the body was cut
down and interred the same afternoon within the precincts
of the gaol.
LORD NEWBOROUGH'S NEW STEAM-YACHT VESTA.—
This yacht has lately been completed, and having been
tried, Lord Newborough and a party of friends have set
sail from Carnarvon, where his lordship resides, on a
shooting excursion to Harroway. This beautiful yacht
being the first of a class which we foresee will become
very general, deserves particular notice. She was built
by Messrs. Tod and McGregor, of Glasgow, from the de-
signs of Mr. Grantham, of Liverpool, who also designed
the Sarah Sands and severalotherauxiliary screw-steamers.
She is 240 tons 0.m., 105 feet at the loadline, 21 feet beam,
12 feet 6 inches deep, and draws about 9 feet. She is
nearly flush, having only a raised forecastle, is schooner-
rigged, and has ports for eight guns. Her engines are
only 50-horse power, and consist of two oscillating cylin-
ders coupled direct to the screw, after Mr. Grantham's
patent ; the screw is 9 feet diameter, and on Woodcroft's
principle ; it makes about 50 revolutions when steaming
head to wind, and 60 with the sails set. The machinery
is very low in the vessel, and very compact ; the bunkers
will hold about 15 days' coals. Her mainmast is 54 feet
from the deck; foremast extreme length 63 feet; main
boom 56 feet; from the trials she has had she would evi-
dently have borne much longer spars, if intended only for
sailing. Her accommodations are very ample, but at the
same time every thing is in simple good taste. She has a
spacious saloon abaft the engine compartment; three
state-rooms, ladies' cabin, steward's pantry, baths, and
every convenience ; forward also there are additional state-
rooms and rooms for servants. Her speed exceeds what
was anticipated by about one mile an hour, with 100 tons
dead weight in coals and ballast. She steamed from Glas-
gow to Greenock during the night, and against a flood-
tide, in 2h. 35m., a distance of about 21 statute miles.
Her sailing qualities are not yet well ascertained, but she
promises to be very fast.—Nautical Standard.
THE LICENSING SESSIONS.—On Tuesday, the ad-
journed session was held. The following magistrates ap•
peared on the bench :—John Holmes, Esq., Thos. Bolton,
Esq., Eyre Evans, Esq., Hugh Hornby, Esq., and John
H. Turner, Esq. Mr. Vybergh read the following as the
list of parsons to whom new licenses had been granted :
John Millward, Atholl-street : Christopher Walls, Bos-
tock-street ; James Lobley, Brunswick-road ; George
Innis, Carter-street; Peter Regan, Castle-street, Nether-
field-road North; John Thompson, Church-street, Ever-
ton ; Thomas Smith, Claremont-grove, Kirkdale ; Robt.
Jones, Dawber-street ; John Bullocb, Denbigh-street ;
Jane Whitley, Duke-street ; Ann Gregory, Ellenborough-
street ; Mary Ann Parr, Great George-street ; James
Hartley, Great Howard-street; William Day, Great Ox-
ford-street North ; Edward Bunbury, Heath-street, Tox-
teth-park ; Edward Pierce Houghton, South John-street ;
Joseph Railton, Kensington ; Joseph Quinn, Lime-street;
Mary Ann Hughes, Mill-street; Hugh Hughes, Mul-
berry Thomas 1V tenotas, iseis6n-street ,
Thompson, Prince Edwin-street ; William Lawton,
Queen-square; Thomas Lepp, Queen Anne-street;
Blundell, Rose-place; John M'Cready, Seel-street;
Robert Rimmer, Severs-street ; Elizabeth Jane Campbell,
Sherwood-street; Thomas Prescott, Soho-street; Francis
Edward Morrish, Tithebarn-street ; Charles Musker,
Townshead-street ; John Cullen, Union-street; Robert
Rogers, Upper Parliament. street; and John Matthews
Vulcan-street.—Mr. Holmes announced that the magis-
trates had determined to withdraw the licenses in all cases
where the parties had been twice fined, and that, in fu-
ture, in all such cases, the licenses would be withdrawn.
He then announced that the licenses of the following per-
sons would not be renewed on this occasion :—J. Walker
Jones, Cheapside ; S. Allwood, Gilbert-street ; Ellen
Singleton, Naylor-street; John Grant, Richmond-row
John Burgess, Shaws-brow ' • Thomas Ellison, Skelhorne-
street. The license of Thomas Davies, of Adlington-
street, who had been twice fined, was continued.—A li-
cense about to be granted to William Lupton was with-
held on the ground that the application had not been
made in conformity with the act of parliament, the notice
not having been signed by the applicant. Licenses about
to be granted to Thomas Morgan and Richard Gerard
were also withheld, the notices not setting forth the occu-
pations of the applicants.

ROBERT HOUDIN' S MAGICAL PERFORMANCES.

This most talented wizard's performances have con-
tinued to draw good houses during the week, notwith-
standing the attractions provided at the Royal and the
Amphitheatre; and hundreds have returned from them
in a state of no little bewilderment,—" How is it done ?"
" Did you see the trick ?" and other similar queries
being upon every lip. Certainly some of his clever illu-
sions are of a character to create in the mind a suspicion
that the black art is still practised amongst men. One or
two of these we shall attempt a familiar description of ;
and we select first that entitled " Robert Hondin's
Portfolio." In this illusion the magician first prepares
two wooden tressles, which he places so as to hold his
portfolio, a large one of the ordinary kind. There is no
drapery of any kind to prevent the audience observing
every motion of the exhibitor ; and their astonishment
may be imagined when he opens the previously closed
and flat portfolio, and takes out of it first a lady's silk
bonnet as uncrumpled as if fresh from the hands of the
milliner ; next two or three lithographic prints, and next
a more than ordipary sized square bird cage, containing
three or four living canaries. The most scrutinizing of
the audience could not form the slightest guess as to the
mode in which this extraordinary illusion was managed,
for there was no appearance of the possibility of any
complicity between the magician and an assistant, and it
was perfectly obvious that a cage of birds and a silk bon-
net could not have been stowed away between the leaves
of a closely shut book. But the wonder of the audience
was not fated to stay here, for the miraculous portfolio
next gave forth a basket, filled with bouquets, genuine
flowers, for which, as they were thrown by M. Houdin
amongst boxes, pit, and gallery, hundreds of eager hands
—r,-1 .........kmerriment created.
Another trick consisted in the magician placing his son,
Emile Houdin, upon a table at the side of the stage, but
away from contact with any mode of escape from the
observation of the audience. He then places over him a
large sheet iron chimney pot, and' retiring a few steps
fires a pistol at the object, and the pot topples over on to
the stage ; but Emile Houdin has vanished, and presents
himself to the wondering audience in one of the sides of
the upper boxes. It is incomprehensible how this is ma-
naged so instantaneously, or, indeed, at all.
The remainder of the performances are similarly clever ;
as our readers will acknowledge after paying the wizard
a visit.
We observe that a day performance will be given this
day, in addition to the usual night performances.