The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-04-02 00:00:00

SLAVE TRADE.—The brig Idris, just arrived from Liverpool,
fell in with his Majesty's brig Victor, off Tobago. The Victor
had captured, two days before, a Spanish vessel, bound for
Cuba from the coast of Africa, with 526 'slaves on board, and
had received information of two other ships which were to fol-
low in the same trade. It appears that the vessels employed in
this abominable traffic have lately steered their course so far
to the northward as Tobago, thence to the Spanish Main, along
the coast of which they run (in order to avoid the British
cruisers,) and watch a favourable opportunity to stretch across
for Cuba. We have good reasons for believing that the trade is
now carried on to A greater extent than ever.—Trinidad Gazette.
MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE.—A most distressing instance of
the melancholy consequences of intoxication took place at
Rushulme, near this town, on Sunday last, by which the life of
an honest industrious man, named James Fletcher, has been
placed in jeopardy, and a most respectable surgeon has nar-
rowly escaped being brought before a jury of his countrymen,
on the serious charge of having deprived a fellow-creature of his
existence. The facts of the case, as they were detailed to the
magistrates on Monday last, are as follow :—About nine o'clock
on Sunday evening, Mr. John Gamon, a surgeon, residing in
Jackson's-lane, Hulme, called at the Horse and Jockey public-
house in Rushulme, in a state of intoxication, and requested
the landlord to send for a coach to convey him home. A so-
ciable, kept by some person in the village, was accordingly sent
for, but the messenger returned to say that it was engaged.
Meanwhile Mr. Gamon had exhibited such evident symptoms
of incapacity to take care of himself, that the landlord thought
it most advisable to send to the house of a relation of Mr. Ga-
mon's, at a short distance from the Horse and Jockey, to inti-
mate the condition that he was in. During the absence of this
messenger, Mr. Gamon walked into the tap-room, where seve-
ral persons were sitting, and exhibited to the company a hand-
ful of sovereigns, saying that he had plenty of money about him,
but it should not cost him more than a shilling or sixpence to
go home. Some of the company offered to go home with him
to protect him, but he refused their offer, and, pulling a pistol
from his pocket, said that that would protect him. He was then
asked whether the pistol was loaded, to which he replied that it
was, both with ball and slugs, and he could hit', a mark yet,
drunk as he was. After making this foolish boast, he pointed
the pistol towards the fire-place, and almost instantly it went
off, the ball striking James Fletcher, who sat by the fire dozing,
in the back, just below the right shoulder. The wounded man
immediately sprang from his seat, and fell on the floor, and he
was shortly afterwards conveyed to his own house, and surgical
assistance procured for him. Mr. Gamon appeared to be per-
fectly unconscious of the melancholy catastrophe, and when
asked whether he knew that he had shot a man, he simply eja-
culated, " Have I? I did not mean to hit him," or words to
that effect. Constables were then sent for to take Mr. Gamon
into custody, but before this could be effected a most desperate
struggle took place, and such was the violence be exhibited,
that they were obliged to secure his legs, and carry him to the',
hackney-coach in which he was conveyed to the New Bailey.
When brought before the magistrates on Monday, Mr. Gamon
appeared to be fully sinsiffle of the dangerous situation in which
he stood, but declared that he had no recollection of what had
occurred on the previous night. Mr. 011ier, the surgeon who
had attended the wounded man, stated that he had probed the
wound, but had not been able to extract the ball, and he could
not say that Fletcher was out of danger. The friends of Mr.
Gamon who were in attendance applied to have him liberated
on bail, but, after the evidence of the surgeon, the magistrates
did not feel justified in granting the application, and he was re-
manded. On Thursday he was again brought up, when Mr.
Oilier stated that he considered Fletcher to'be out of danger;
Mr. Gamon was consequently liberated on entering into his
own recognizance in twenty pounds, and two sureties in ten
pounds each, to answer any charge of assault that may be pre-
ferred against him. The wounded man is a blacksmith, and
has a large family; and it is not a little singular that three of
his brothers have been accidentally killed,—one by the firing of
a small cannon on the sth of November last, another in a fight
at Heaton Norris, and the third while riding a race at Cross-
street, near Stretford.—Manchester Courier.

PUBLIC MEETING AT BAKEWELL.

A public meeting was held at Bakewell, on Monday, the 18th
instant, for the purpose of petitioning Parliament to devise
some means by which the working population of Great Britain
may be provided with more uniform employment, and with more
money for their work, when the following petition was agreed
to :
" To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled.
" We,‘the undersigned inhabitants of Bakewell and its neigh-
bourhood, hail with gladness the introduction into your honour-
able house of many members practically acquainted with the
distressed condition of the working population of these reahns,
and the kindly feeling expressed in behalf of the suffering ped-
ple has excited our grateful regard: impressed with like sym-
pathy, and animated by a spirit of loyalty and love to our King
and country, we humbly beseech you diligently to search out
the cause of that distress, with a view to its speedy and perma-
nent removal. And whereas we are informed that the rich ca-
pitalists of the metropolis complain of much inconvenience from
money being too abundant in relation to good bills of exchange
and similar securities bearing interest; whilst the working peo-
ple before alluded to are experiencing extreme distress from its
being too scarce in relation to their labour ; we therefore be-
seech your honourable house to investigate the state of the cur-
rency, and to devise some means whereby the circulating me-
dium of the nation may be rendered more active, so as to re-
lieve both the rich and the poor from their respective embarrass-
ments, and thus promote the general welfare of the whole poli-
tical body.
" But if, unhappily, your honourable house cannot in its wis-
dom devise means by which our working. people may enjoy an
adequate share of the fruits of their own industry, we hope that
your honourable house will at least be pleased to repeal all
those taxes which press more particularly upon the working
and middle classes of socisty, and especially the taxes on malt,
hogs, and soap.