The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-01-15 00:00:00

previous occasion,

FlRE.—About 11 on Monday night a fire was discovered
to have taken place in the extensive steam and wind corn

mills of Messrs. Lunt and Simpson

The premises run

from Bevington-busb, bounded by Ennerdale-street to

Limekiln-laiie

The fire originated in the screen room,

but as the mill had been stopped from Saturday for the

purpose of cleaning the boilers, no cause has been ascer-

tained to which its commencement can be attributed

Mr. Maxwell and a large body of the fire police were
promptly on the spat, but water was not obtained
until a considerable time had elapsed. From the
first there was but litile hope of saving either the

steam or the wind-mill, and consequently all energies
were devoted to some detached store-rooms, and a line
of cottage property in Ennerdale-street, which were ulti-
mately saved. The whole of the side wall of one of the

cottages was carried in by the falling of a shoot from the
burning mill. The amount of loss on the stock it is
thought will be barely covered by the insurances which
are effected to the amount of £3,000 in the Yorkshire

Office, and £l,OOO in the Norwich'Union. The premises
are the property of Mr: Whalley, and are, it is under-

stood, insured also, and with the Norwich' Union Com-

pang.
THE WEATHER.—Since our last we have experienced a
continued and severe, but seasonable visitation of the
rigours of winter. Frost set in after the fall of snow on
Saturday week, and has continued with more or less inten-

sit.y ever since, about two inches of snow still remaining
,n the ground in the neighbourhood, and no inconsider-
able quantity still adhering to most of the house tops.

During the last few days ice has been observed even in the
lowest, densest, generally the " warmest" parts of the

town—Whitechapel and its adjuncts. &c.—an occurrence
unknown except during a very low state of temperature.
On Tuesday the thermometer stood, in the day, at 30
degrees, or 2 degrees below the freezing point. On Wed-
nesday, at noon, an inclination to thaw manifested itself,
the glass rising to 35 degrees. but .he frost soon resumed
its sway. On Saturday, about noon, the sky became so
murky that gas was in general requisition in shops and
counting-houses for two or three hours. A slight spitting
of snow continued during the whole day, and thickened a
little towards midnight. Sunday was a fine clear day,
with, however, a cutting briskish wind from the E.S.E.,
varying occasionally to the E. and E.N.E. The frost on
this day was keener than it had been before, especially in
situations exposed to the breeze. Skaters and sliders have
had ample and safe opportunity to pursue their pastime,
at Sefton meadows, Prince's-park, Birkenhead-park,
Wallasey Pool, &c. The roads have been slippy, but
nearly all the horses being " sharpened," and the pedes-
trians put upon their guard, no serious accidents have
occurred, so far as we have heard. Yesterday was cold
arid gloomy, with a cloudy sky, wind about E. by S. ;
glass in the forenoon at 33 degrees, indicating a slight
relaxation of the frost.
INTERESTING ANNIVERSARY.—The Infant Teachers'
Class, under the superintendence of Mr. William Clark,
and the countenance of the Liverpool Church of. England
Society, held its anniversary at the South School, Corn-
wallis-street, on Friday evening. The company, princi-
pally consisting of the teachers from different parts of
Lancashire and other places, numbered about three hun-
dred persons. who sat down to an excellent tea provided
shortly after six o'clock. The room had been beautifully
decorated with banners, and festooned by the teachers. A
platform bad been raised for the chairman and principal
guests, and altogether the proceedings were of a very im-
posing and interesting description. The Rev. H. H.
Higgins, of St. John's, presided, and there were present
the Rev. Dr. M`Neile, Rev. Messrs. Govett, Minton, Toul-
min, Ryan, Brown, and Simm ; John Holmes, Eq., the
mayor; Alderman Cooper, and Councillors Wagstaff,
Rirnmer. and Woodruff.—Dr. M'Neile having to leave
for Ireland, requested permission to address the meeting
be fore tea, and spoke in the most eulogistic terms of Mr.
Clark and his labours, The rev. doctor pointed out the
advantages of early education, which was promoted by
Mr. Clark's efforts, and adverted, in his usual style, to
mental culture generally.—The proceedings after tea were
opened by the chairman with a few fitting remarks.—Mr.

William Clark then rose, and was received with most
enthusiastic applause. He stated that during the year
twenty-one teachers had been appointed from the class to
situations in various parts of the country ; ten teachers
bad attended the class for improvement; and the total
number of teachers sent out saice the commencement of
the society, eleven years ago, was 202; the number of
children taught by them, as far as can be ascertained,
being 11.824. The teachers who had attended his class
were principally located in Lancashire; but several of
them have gone to Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and
others to Ireland and Wales, and one to Australia. He
read letters which bore testimony to the efficiency of his
pupils ; and whilst pointing out the importance of teachers'
training schools, demonstrated the success with which
his own labours in Liverpool had been crowned.—The
Mayor briefly addressed the meeting, and having to leave
early, handed in a contribution towards the funds of the

clas's, which was most gratefully received.—The meeting
was afterwards addressed by Messrs. Minton, Tomlin,
Simm, and Brown.—Between the speeches, anthems were
sung by the teachers in training, accompanied on the
piano-forte, by Mr. Tomkinson, their music master. A
duet, played by the Misses Wilkinson and Ainscow,
should not he omitted from our brief notice, as it was
most creditably performed.
DARING BURGLARY NEAR MORETON.—On Tuesday
night, the house of Mr. Hale, miller, Saughall Massie, near
Moreton, in Cheshire, was forcibly broken into by four
villains, under very alarming circumstances. The particu-
lars of the outrage are these :—About half-past eight
o'clock in the evening, a knock was beard at the front of
the house, which the servant-man at once proceeded to
answer. On opening the door, three men, dressed as
" navvies" and disguised with black masks, rushed in,
and the tallest immediately seized Mr. Hale, who was
sitting quietly at the fire, whilst another laid hold of the
servant-man, whom they commenced beating in a shame-
ful manner. Mr. Hale contended most heroically with
his assailant for a considerable time, but being overcome
from sheer exhaustion, after receiving no less than eight
serious contusions on the head, he was at last compelled
to yield. The servant-man also defended himself with
considerable energy, but not being a match for his adver-
sary he was also obliged to submit. Besides having his
right arm disabled at the outset of the conflict, he also re-
ceived several severe gashes on the head. Whilst this
scene was going on, the third man forced Mrs. Hale and
her two daughters up stairs—the other two children being
in bed—and ransacked the drawers and boxes in the dif-
ferent rooms; but all the property they found, which they
thought worth carrying away, was two sovereigns, some
small change, and two guns. There was a fourth man,
who during all this time remained outside the house, keep-
ing watch against surprise. On making their retreat, the
robbers threatened to shoot the first person who should
pass the door before morning, and at the same time one
of them presented a pistol to Mr. Hale, which he dis-
charged in that gentleman's face, but it does not appear
to have been loaded with anything but powder. The rob-
bers, of course, secured their escape, as the inmate did
not dare to venture out till about five or six o'clock on
Wednesday morning, when the milk carts passed, as
usual, on their way to town. It appears that the pistol
fired at Mr. Hale was a large cavalry pistol; the ramrod
was subsequently found in the house, having doubtless
dropped out of its socket at the time of the discharge.
There is one circumstance in connection with this gross
outrage not altogether undeserving of notice, as it shews
an instance of great presence of mind in a young woman
in a time of extremity. The eldest daughter of Mr. Hale
had bean to town on the evening in question for the pur.
pose, we understand, of receiving some money, and, at the
time the burglars entered the house, was engaged in blow-
ing the fire, upon which she at once disposed of the money
unseen through the aperture in the under part of the bel-
lows, and quietly laid the bellows aside, being thus, with-
out doubt the means of diminishing the extent of the
spoil.