The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-06-09 00:00:00

(Just published.)
Naw Discovestss R./WARDING SHASsPicaRE.—The
council of the Shakspeare Society have just had put into
their bands some new and important documents relating to
our great dramatist and family. They commence in the mid-
dle of the 16th century, and costae down to the death of the
poet, and they show most decisively that John Shakspeare, the
father, could not write his name. Tbis point, some of our
readers may he aware, has been disputed of late years, but
the fact is now decisively established by several original war-
rants for the caption of debtors• granted by John Slaakspeare
as "justice of the peace and bailiff of Stratford-upon-Ann,"
subscribed with a cross, and witnessed to be " the mark ' of
John Shakspeare. At a subsequent period, when he fell into
difficulties, a similar warrant sees granted by the then bailiff
against John Shakspeare himself ; this last document bears
date in 1577, Malone conjectured that the branch of the
family of Shakspeare, which settled at Stratford came from
Snitterrield, and this point is now, we underetand, fully con-
firmed, Shakepeare's mother also possessed some prhperty
in Snitterfield, which she and her husband sold in
el 1079 to
Robert Webbe. 'With regard to the papers whic ate to
their son, among others there is one dated in 1597 hr , which
consists of an account taken of the quantity of malt in the
different wards of Stratford, which shows that " William
Shakspeare of Chapel-atreet ward," had ten quarters in his
possession, probably raised on his own land and malted on
his own premises. Then, of a later date, there are several
documents which refer to the purchase withhe tithes of Strat-
ford by Shakspeare, and his petition ( others) to Lord
Ellesmere on the ssibject. The quantity of land Shakspeare
held in the fields of Old Stratford and Weicombe is precisely
ascertained, and the mistakes hitherto been teedcomm on
the subject are corrected. A foe of the papers are ofa ete
posterior to the death of the p, and refer to members ol
his family ; all have been sent up to London very recent y
from Warwickshire, for the use of the Sltakspesre Society,
and they have been placed in the hands of Sir F. -Madden and
Mr. Brae" who have undertaken to superintend the accurate
printing of them, and of all other documents connected with
the life of Shakspeare.
1111.1LACH GRouNDS.—Bleaching, almost within the mem-
ory of man, could be effected only during the summer months,
end required several weeks for its completion. It was com-
mon in the last century to send cottons and linens in the
spring to be bleached on the level plains of Holland, and to
receive them back late in the autumn. When cloth was
bleached at home, the quantity of ground it occupied for such
a length of time was very considerable ; its exposed state
attracted the cupidity of theives, and the means taken for its
protection multiplied capital punishments, led to a dangerous
extension of men-traps and spring-guns, and placed deadly
weapons in the hands ,of unskilful and imprudent persona.
The horror excited by the execution of a lad for robbing a
bleach-ground, on what is said to have been rather insufficient
evidence, is not yet forgotton. Sir William Meredith, in his
speech against the frequency of capital punishment, gave a
powerful description, which will not easily be forgotten, of
the general sympathy excited by his condemnation,
of thed
efforts made to procure a pardon, of its refusal on the groun
that the robbery of bleach-grounds had become a very com-
mon ,of the d's agonizing protestations of innocence
on thecrime scaffold, andla of the multitudinous groan of the spec-
tators when the law fulfilled its vengeance on
th its
ancient
victimt
Another, and if possible a darker story, is told of
system. The son of en extensive bleacher weet to sea at an
early age; he voyaged into distant lands, and for many
weary years bad not set his foot on British ground. His
at length arrived in Liverpool ;he took his place on the shim
oi
which then quitted Liverpool in the morning, and reached
Manchester in the evening, His father 'a place was a sea t
miles from the latter town, but he was too impatient to wait,
for the coming of another morning ; he set out oil foot, and,
when he came near home, took a short cut to his patebrnal
house through the bleach-field. There bad been $ robbery
in the neighbourhood before; the lad's father was hiinse f
on the watch : he saw the supposed robber going directly to
the cloth, levelled his rifle, fired, and his own son fell
dyinmor-
tally wounded. The shot collected a crowd ;
the
youth was recognised by his family ;—the veil must cover the
rest of the picture. We give this story ea vies heard it, from
the mouth of an old man, who said that he remembered the
circumstance. It certainly is a possible occurrence ; for our
own memory supplies us with a parallel catastrophe in another_
Part of the empire.—Dr. IV. C. 7'aylor's Hand ant
e
Aromfacturee.
_,•'Tisit DeATH or Loan Fienusta.-1-le set out from the
Tower at nine amidst crowds,—thouaauds. First went a
string of constables ; then one of the sheriffs,
and six, the horses dressed with ribbons,
nextne lord
in chariot
ram in his own landau and six, his coachma all he
may ; guards on each side: the other sheriff's carriage sole
empty,
with a mourning coach-and-six, a hearse, and
the Horse Guards. Observe, that the empty chariot was
that of the other sheriff, who in the-coach with the pri-
amer, and who was Vai
Strand. ** * Ilant, was
tlte French bookseller in the
Lord Ferrers first talked on indifferent
slitters, and observing theprodigious confluence of peoPla
(the blind was drawn up his aide), he saitl,—'• But they
never saw a lord hanged, and perhaps will never see another."
One of the dragoons was thrown by his horse's leg tangling
in the bind wheel : Lord Ferrers expressed much conceerti,
and said,—" I hope there will be en death to-day but min
and was ple4sed when Vaillant made excuses to him on his
office. "On the contrary," said the earl, " I am much
obliged to you. I feared the disagreeableness of the duty
might make you depute your under sheriff. As you are so
good as to execute it yourself, I am persuaded the dreadful
apparatus will be conducted with more expedition." The
it
chaplain of the Tower, who sat backwards, then thought
his turn to speak, and began to talk on religion ; but Lord
Ferrer* received it impatiently. However the chaplain a lainper-
severed, and said he wished to bring his lordship to some
eonfeesion or acknowledgement of contrition for a clines so
repugnant to the laws of God and man, and wished him to
endeavour to do whatever could be done in so short a time.
The earl replied,—He had done every thing he proposed to
do with regard to God and man ; a
te thend as to
cle disco
rgyman , " urses
shall
011 re-
ligion, " you and I, sir," said be
probably not agree on that subject. The passage is very
short; you will not have time to convince tne, nor Ito refute
you; it cannot be ended before we arrive„" The clergyman
still insisted, and urged that at least the world would expect
some satisfaction. Lord Ferrers replied with some imps-
tience—" Sir, what have Ito do with the orld ? I
ampsito
to pay a forfeit life, which my country has w
thought ro
take from me. What do I care now what the world thinks
of me ? But, sir, since you do desire borne confession,
I wi
confess one thing to you ; Ido believe there is a God. As to t
modes of worship, we had better not talk on them. I
noti alw
ons
ays
thought Lord Bolinbroke in the wrong to publish his
on religion. I will not fall into the same error." The chap-
liin, seeing it was in vain to make any more attempts,
preached before
Sunday after
i Easter,
con-
tented himself with representing to him that it would be
and the University of Oxford on the filth
expected from one of his culling, and that even decency re. THE Ray. DR. Prsly.—The sermon
li
ii
di
well obree quired, that some prayer should be used on the scaffold,
asked his leave at least to repeat the Lord's Prayer there. and for which he has been suspended froernpprersesa,cai
Lord Ferrer'*
.replied—o
elliGH.—The number of
I always thought it a good prayer; that learned body for two years, is in th
you may use .
it if you please." * * When they came to pu b lis he d byrtisiecei,nsdsioofwthleNwEeenkis.
the establishment 0f Tyburn,
i his coach was detained some minutes by the conflux Tax NEw S
ministers within the bounds of the presbytery Edinburgh
e ; but, as soon as the door was opened, he stepped
out readily, who have at present seceded from
and mounted the scaffold : it was hung with
still remaining. Of the 29
black by the undertaker, and at the expense of his litatill'•
and the other 16 are ministers are
of quoad Under the gallows was a newly-invented stage, to be ',truck to r. leaving 21 '
parishes. To those who are in the slightest degree
from under him He showed no kind of fear or drsco.ea Parish ministers, 2 e seceders 13
sure, only just looking. at the gallows with a slight in.ottonPnioni
acquainted with Edinburgh, it is unnecessary versed ;sari
dissatisfaction. He said little, k -
Praia!' said ..
, Lord have m neeled for a moment the disruption has hardly I' to
state
thmy errors," and immediately mercy upon me, and forgive me
~ our city chur • soft a popular in' • . ' a
t
bad come • • ely mounted theupper etage. tie dies. If we except 1.1
. r, Be •
mister in any of
pinioned with a black • . Mr. Glower, and Dr. Muir, who is aI • ante, and
have his hands • sash, and was unwilling Cotperhaps
ash
tied or his f , a popular preacher, tt " fashionable rather
to both. When the rope ace covered, but was persuaded audience,
pale, but recovered en ordinary • • ' mber
hiswas nut round his neck he turned whereas Oceasions, exceeds awhose
countenance instantly,and bat Persons ; the majority of couple ofhundred
seven miuutes.M.o laine
strikiu ,the coach to the signal- given for had loge (•or
~ igregetiuns, and these, it ' have seceded
his t's rideable extent ss 'ed d wicktheir ; I said, have to '
t Routalices of Beal LVs. 1 . e ministers a Lon.
' •N's (1\ i ,—._: • --,S'eutsinazi,

The next is Dr. Fall/tel. who. as Margaret protestor of
divinity, is by statute a member of the board. Dr. Fausset
is a representation of the old high Church school, and would
have inclined to sympathise with Tractarian views, had they
been held quietly, and not taken an aggressive and revolu-
tionary character. His first sermon against the doctrines
and designs of the party was evert more severe upon the low
Church party, than upon the Tractarians : then the Tracta-
rians say, Dr. Fausset ought not to be a judge in the case
because he must possess superhuman virtue nut to resent the
brutal attacks to which he has been subject from Tractarians ;
" a periodical passion for blood" having been imputed to him
by their ruffianly reviewer.

The next member of the board is Dr. Hawkins, of Oriel
College, a moderate high churchman, whose work on Apos-
tolical Tradition has been highly praised by Dr. Pusey and
Mr. Newman.

Dr. Symons, of Wadham College, may be termed a mode-
rate low churchman, or rather be is one who would attach
more importance to the Articles, as embodying the doctrines
of the Church, than most of his co ntemporaries ; but there
in no low Church party here ; opinions such as those held by
Dr. Symons, maintained with earnestness and Charity, would
most effectually counteract Tractarianism ; but this is the
want of Oxford.

Jell, instead of being, as asserted, an " unfriendly
neutral," is the author of a via media, which many think a
via extreme, is the personal and intimate friend of Dr. Pu-
ley, and, if fame speaks true, has interposed his influence
in behalf of Dr. Pusey.
Dr. Ogilvie is a late chaplain of the Archbishop of Can-
terbury : remembering the decided preferences which the
archbishop has shown, and that too in some recent appoint-
ments, it may be fairly inferred that Dr. Ogilvie would be
no harsh judge.
Dr. Jenkyns, of Bulliol College, is the last member of the
board : it is his misfortune to have tome fierce Tractarians
in his collage, who have endeavoured to usurp all power in
the house, but while opposing this, no one has charged Dr.
Jenkyns with any strong opinions against the party ; nor has
he repelled their doctrines.

. _
Such is the board, which the Tractarians have, we must
say, with characteristic duplicity, set upon as indecently and
unfairly constituted. We have felt bound to give this brief
sketch of the members of the board, that a decidedly, if not
designedly, false representatio❑ may not mislead the public
mind.

(Front a correspondent of the Standard.)
OXFORD, MONDAY, JUNE s.—The Tractariau party were
actively engaged during the whole of yesterday in a scheme
for counteracting the effect of the solemn condemnation
passed on Dr. Pusey's doctrines; but it is surmised that
those tutors who favour Tractarian views are reluctant to
adopt the proposed course of addressing a letter of condo-
lence to Dr. Pusey, as it would of course compel the heads
of colleges to a revocation of their appointments.
Dr. Pusey's protest, it is now stated, is preliminary to the
publication of the obnoxious sermon, which would then re-
quire the immediate interference of the bishops and the go-
vernment. The protest is here freely commented on, as in-
volving false assumptions and being otherwise untenable.
It is hoped that the sound portion of the clergy will give
their strenaous support to the important act of the vice-
chancellor and the six judges.

Da. Pt/11;11Y AND TPIX RRYOI/IdATION.—A paragraph has
gone the round of the papers purporting to be an eitract
from a sermon recently delivered by the Rev. Dr. Posey, in
which he spoke of the reformation as " that deplorable
schism." The Rev. Edward Churton wrote to the doctor
011 the subject, and received the following reply, which was
sent to a Yorkshire paper, in the neighbourhood of Mr.
Churton 's residence :

My dear Churton,—l never used any language designa-
ting the English reformation as ' that deplorable schism.'
But a person might speak with truth of a deplorable schism
having taken place at that time—a schism which has weak-
ened the Church miserably ever since. The formal act of
schism was not ours ; we did not renounce their column-
nion, but they ours. One may be grateful to God for having
brought our Church through the reformation, and for all the
blessings which He has bestowed upon her out of it (as our
Liturgy and the use of the cup in the Holy Communion),
and yet have a sorrowful feeling that much about the refor-
mation was not as it should be, and that we are suffering for
this still. This is old George Herbert's feeling. In a word,
we way be very dutiful, thankful churchmen now, and yet
confess our own sins and those of our forefathers.
" I am your affectionate friend,
" E. B. PUSICY.
" To the Rev. Edward Churton."

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