The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-01-22 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

STEAM BOAT ODDITIES.—In the American steam-boats it is
the custom of the servants to collect and clean all the boots of
the passengers. These are claimed by their respective owners
at the general boot-room; but, as may be supposed, when the
vessel is crowded, it-becomes no easy matter for an individual
immediately to recognise his own among so many pairs; and
mistakes, and, in some instances, exchanges too, no doubt,
occur. The consequence was, some beaux, who commenced
their travels with the latest and most fashionable cut, were seen
marching about with the brogues of a back-woodsmen; young
gen+.;2men, and those who had "their toes uuplagued with
corns," perhaps figured in the easy shoes of an invalid; while
such unfortunate disciples of Morpheus who had snored an
hour too long had to make the best of boots which had long
since seen their best days, and to repiir which would have been
as useless as the blunderbuss which stood in need of a new
stock, lock, and barrel.—America, and the Americans.

A New Missme.—One of our men received a shot in
the mouth, which struck out several of his teeth. One of these
was propelled with such force by the blow that it flew at least
twenty yards, and, entering the arm of one of the Portuguese
on the road, inflicted a deep and severe wound. When the sur-
geon of the 43rd, who was the nearest to this man at the time,
came to dress the wounded Portuguese, he, instead of a ball as
every one expected, extracted a tooth, at which, no doubt, both
'he and all about him were quite astonished; and a report was
immediately set afloat that the enemy were firing bones instead
of balls. This most extraordinary circumstance, was not
cleared up till they were informed of our man having had his
teeth knocked out, when, after comparing the relative situations
of the two men, it became quite evident how this, most uncom
mon wound had been inflicted."—Surtees' Twenty-five Years in
tke Rifle Brigade.
INDIAN EMIGRATION.—The Cincinnati Republican of No-
vember 21 gives the following account of the emigration of the
Ohio Indians beyond the Mississppi :—The emigration of the
Ohio Indians will, in all probability, have been completed by
the 25th or 30th of the present month. The emigrants are
about eight hundred in number, consisting of distinct bands
of the Seneca, Shawnee, and Ottowa tribes, with a few Mun-
sees and Delawares. The. Indians left their rendezvous ip
Shelby county, 27th of September; and notwithstanding fifteen
days of unavoidable delay, on the march, in consequence' of
inclement weather, bad roads, some sickness, and a few deaths,
they crossed the Mississippi on the Ist inst in good health
and fine spirits. The distance travelled was upwards of 400
miles. Neatly two thirds of the emigrants were women and
children—many of the former were old and decrepit, Ten
public and twelve Indian Waggons, 75 public and about 500
Indian horses, were employed in the emigration. The march
was without parallel in point of rapidity. The Indians were
supplied with au abundance of the best provisions and all ne-
cessary comforts. Except among the lazy and dissipated, there
is no murmuring nor discontent It is believed that uo emi-
gration of Indians froth any part of the United States was ever
conducted with so little expense, so few accidents, and so much
general satisfaction. The distance to be travelled beyond the
Mississippi was about 300 miles. The weather since the cross;
ing has been favourable, and the roads are in fine order.

A FRENCH DENTIST.—" His equipage was not an uncommon
one in France for this class of artists. He drove into the
middle of the press in a handsome open carriage, with a servant
in livery behind, alternately blowing a trumpet, beating a drum,
and exclaiming, Room for the celebrated doctor !' The horse
was then dismissed, the carriage converted at once into a stage
and a shop, and the great man commenced his harangue. He
expatiated on the grandeur and importance of the art of tooth-
drawing--on his own unrivalled skill, renowned, throughout all
Euro_pe—on the infatuation of those unhappy beings who de-
layed even for a single instant to take advantage of an
opportunity thus offered to them by Providence. He flourished
his iron instrument in the air, comparing it to the rod of Aaron:
he likened the listeners themselves to a crowd of infidels of old,
gathering about an apostle, and struggling sinfully, not only
against his word, but in spite of their own teeth. Alas! my
friends,' said he, when I shall have turned my back, you will
repent in dust and ashes; but repentance will then be too late.
You fancy you have not the toothach! Poor creatures! my
bosom bleeds for you ! In your culpable ignorance you believe
that no one is unwell who is not in an agony of pain. You
imagine that pain is the disease, whereas it is only one of the
symptoms; and yet I see by the faces of many of you—l may
say of most of you—that you have not only the toothach, but
the symptomatic twinge. This is the case with you, and you,
and you, and more than you. Tell me, am I not correct? Only
think of your gums ! Do you not feel a sensation of tickling,
as it were, at. the root of your teeth, or of coldness at the top,.
as if the air was already penetrating through the breaches of
time or disease ? This is the toothach. This sensation will
increase, till it ends in torture and despair. Then you will in-
quire for the doctor, but the doctor will not hear : then pit
will intrust the operation to some miserable quack, Who will
break your jaws in pieces; or, if you endure in silence, the
pain will produce fever—fever will bring on madness—and
madness terminate in death !' His eloquence was irresistible :
in ten minutes every soul of us had the toothach. Several
sufferers rushed forward at the same instant to crave relief.
One of them, a fine-looking young fellow, gained the race; but
not till he had broken from the arms of a peasant girl, who,
having either less faith or more philosophy, implored him to
consider, in the first place, whether he had really the toothach.
Grimly smiled the doctor when the head of the patient was
fairly between his knees • and ruefully did the latter gaze up
from the helpless position into his executioner's face. WTe all
looked with open mouths and in dead silence upon the scene,
all, except the young girl, who, with averted head, awaited,
pale, trembling, and iu tears, the event. The doctor examined
the unfortunate mouth, and adjusted his instrument to the
tooth which it was his pleasure to extract. The crowd set their
teeth, grinned horribly, and awaited the wrench; but the
operator, withdrawing his hand, recommenced the lecture with
greater unction than ever. A second time was this unmerciful
reprieve granted, and then a third time, and the condemned
groaned aloud. We could stand no more : we were already in
a paroxysm of the toothach ; and feeling a strange fascination
creeping over us as we looked upon the glittering steel, we
fairly took to our heels, and fled from the spot."—liiichie's
Wanderings on the Loire.
TRAVELS IN CHILL—M. Gay, of Draguignan, has just made
a very interesting excursion into the Cordilleras of Chili—a
country hitherto but little known to Europeans, and yet highly
worthy of the attention of travellers and naturalists. M. 'Gay
embarked towards the end of 1828, and commenced his re-
searches on the coasts of Brazil; he then visited the Argentine
province, whence he proceeded to Chili. His first excursions
in the environs of Valparaiso procured himu. vast number of ar-
ticles wholly unknown, or extremely rare. St. Jago, the capi-
tal of the republic, where he resided for a year, enriched his
collection iu an extraordinary manner. In the course of this
time he made 2,000 drawings of plants, insects, reptiles, and es-
pecially of fishes—a class which the late M. Cuvier had particu-
larly recommended to his attention. He also dissected a num-
ber of insects, mullusca, &c. ; lastly, he took a plan of the city,
analysed some mineral waters, and obtained much statistical
information. After completing his labours at St. Jago, M.
Gay made further excursions into other parts of the republic;
he was particularly desirous of visiting the Upper Cordilleras
but this enterprise was: attended with peculiar difficulties, and
required great expenses. Happily, the Chaim' government as-
sisted him, and took an active part in his labours and re-
searches; this protection enabled him to make important dis-
coveries. Provided with instruments which the government
had confided to him, he quitted the province of St. Jago for
that of Colchagna. San Fernando, the capital of that province,
became, as it were, his head-quarters, whence lie visited several
'remarkable places ; and among others Taguatagua, a large and
magnificent lake, possessing the singularity of floating islands,
which are carried to the north or the south, according to the
wind. M. Gay carefully examined the environs of the lake: he
visited the ruins of several monuments of the ancient Pro-
maneaes ; he saw Copecken Tilcoco, and studied the manners
of the Indians of that country; and then returned to San Fer-
nando, to arrange his notes and collections. Assisted by some
persons, and with several guides, he penetrated into the vast
labyrinth of the elevated region of tire Cordilleras. On the
way he visited the mineral waters of Cauquenes, so justly cele-
brated in Chili and even in Buenos Ayres and Peru; he then
followed the river of Cachapnal to its source, in order to lay
down a detailed chart of its course and its tributary streams.
After a fatiguing excursion of a fortnight, he returned to his
head-quarters ; and the result having Proved extremely satis-
factory, a second expedition to another part of the range was
projected. To protect the party from a band of robbers which
infested the country, au escort of twenty-five men was given to
M. Gay. In this manner he penetrated a second time into the
Cordilleras, and ascended the river Jinquiririca, the astonish-
ing rapidity of whose current made it impossible to cross it till
he was near the source. At the end of twelve days, our travel-
ler, with his little caravan, reached a volcano, which was the
object of his journey, and in the environs of which he remained
several weeks. It was very interesting to see all the persons
who accompanied him labouring for the advantage of natural
hist. •Ited the the - ‘th

Knowledge is not a couch wherenpon to rest a searching and
restless spirit; nor a terrace for a wandering and variable mind
to walk up and down in; nor a tower of state for a proud mind
to raise itself upon; nor a commanding fort for strife and con-
tention; nor yet a shop for profit and sale; but a rich store-
house for the glory of the Creator, and the relief of man's estate.
—Bacon.

A CHINESE PutsoN.--Prisoners, who have money to spend,
can be accommodated with private apartments, cards, servants,
and every luxury. The prisoner? chains and fetters are re-
moved from their bodies, and suspended against the wall of the
apartment, till the hour arrives when the higher authorities go
the rounds: after that ceremony is over, they are again hung
up, where they hurt no one. But ase who have no money to
bribe the keepers are in a woful condition. Not only are they
deprived of every alleviation of their sufferings, but actual in-
fliction of punishment is added, to extort money, to buy "burnt
offerings to the
.god of the jail," (as the phrase goes.) For this
purpose, the prisoners are frequently tied up, and flogged; at
night, they are fettered down to a board, neck, wrists, and
uncles, amid filth of the most. disgusting nature, Whilst the rats
arc permitted tognaw their limbs. This place of torment is
proverbially called in ordinary speech, Te-yuk, a term equiva-
lent to the worst sense, of the word hell.—Canton Register.

AMERICAN MEALS.—Tho despatch at meals, particularly
among the mercantile classes, is almost incredible to those who
have not witnessed it,—five to ten minutes sufficing for break-
fast, not much more than twice that time for dinner, and tea,
or supper, as it is styled, is taken with equal, nay, sometimes
with greater, oelerity. This last is not the simple bread and
butter or toast meal of England, but is accompanied by dried
beef, sliced, cheese, radishes if in season, fruits, sweetmeats,
cakes, and other items, more or less agreeable. Each person
leaves the table as soon as the business of eating is finished,
without regard to his neighbour's proceedings. Englishmen
are always the last, do what they will; for however little I ate I
always found myself quite unable to keep pace at meals with
the Americans. As may be supposed, with all this haste, there
is little room for conversation or social chat, nevertheless the
courtesies of society are not neglected; and I may observe,
that we found the waiters performed their duties with all the
expertness of the best of that useful class in England, without
the slightest stimulant in the shape of douceur or reward from
the guests.—America and the Americans.
AMERICAN BOARDING-HOUSES.—The pensions, or boarding-
houses, are very agreeable places of residence, although private
parlours, at present rare and expensive luxuries in America,
would add much to their comfort. All the various inmates
meet at table as at the English watering places ; and a well.
furnished drawing-room, with its French time-piece, candelabra,
and vases, is open to all during the day, as well as for the re-
unions in the evening, where music and dancing for the youn,
and conversation for those who have passed the heyday of life,
contribute to the enjoyment of these mixed but polite and
agreeable circles. To the credit of the proprietors of the most
respectable boarding-houses, gambling is not permitted in any
form. The expense of living in the best hotels and boarding
establishments is from a guinea and a half to two guineas per week,
exclusive of wines and private fires. The boarding-houses of
those numerous classes, the smaller shopkeepers and merchants'
clerks, are in general miserably furnished, and the provisions
and cookery too often in strick keeping with the poverty of
those concerns. It is by no means uncommon to see four or
even five or six beds in the same room, and these are of the
meanest description, without furniture even in the depth of
winter; a chest of drawers is, indeed, a rara avis, each boarder
making a general depository of his trunk or portmanteau as
poor Jack does of his chest in the forecastle of a ship.-4sste-
rica,_ and the Americans.
DISCOVERY OF IMPORTANT MINES IN CHILL—The Araucano,
an official journal, contains, in the number of the 9th of June,
1832, the following document :—" The Intendancy of Coquimbo-
Serena, 7th of June, 1832, to the minister of the interior :—A
wonderful discovery of silver ore has been made in the moun-
tain chain of Topiapo, called Chanarcilla and Mole. It is af-
firmed that the veins are immense. Since the 22d of May, six-
teen, more or less rich, have been discovered; and travellers
who have been upon the spot make the number even fifty. The
ore is of the purest quality, and experienced miners entertain
not the smallest doubt of the richness of this discovery." The
same paper contains the following article, dated Coquimbo,
June, I£x;2:—" We have before us several letters from the most
respectable persons of the'province, who unanimously confirm
the wonderful discovery which we have mentioned in a preced-
ing number. The mine lies to the south of Topiapo ' • it ex-
tends about fifteen leagues in length, and ten in breadth; it
touches the following places :—Chanarcilla, llitacus Pan de
Azerear, Pagonales, and Mole. Chance led to the discovery
by a woodcutter, who communicated his good fortune to one
Godoi and Don Miguel Gallo; they resolved to keep the secret
to themselves; but certain signs and traces, which they could
not conceal, soon made the matter public. Four days after this,
sixteen veins were already discovered—on the eighth day there
were forty; and when the post left, fifty—not to mention the
number of smaller veins, of which no notice was taken for the
moment. A mass of ore, which was purchased by an. Englis-
h for two hundred piastres, proved to be worth a thousand.
Besides the prodigious quantity of the ore, it is extremely rich
in quality; the intendant has sent to the minister of the interior
specimens from three different veins, the analysis of which
proves what is here stated ; and, as if it were not enough to
give that district a name by a single event of this kind, a dis-
covery has been made of rich gold mines in the adjacent canton.
of Jaucos,—that hitherto uninhabited and desert mountain re-
gion is at this moment animated by the presence of above 3000
people." There is no doubt that these important discoveries
will have a great influence on the future political and commer-
cial situation of the country. In one respect they have already
been injurious—for the copper-mines are abandoned by the
workmen.—Literary Gazette.

THE BOOK TnADE.—In the strictures of Professor Babbage
on the bookselling trade, his reasoning is based on a fallacy
from-first to last. He makes a statement of the prime cost of
his owl' work, and then shows that some 33 per cent. of the re-
tail price goes m.tq the pocket of the publisher. This assumes
that the business otpublishing costs nothing—that no labour is
expended upon it—that the moment the book is ready, the pub-
lic will pour in and take it from the. publisher's counter for
ready money. That is not so. A portion of the per centage is
divided amongst the trade who help to retail the book. In the
case of the professor's work, which became deservedly popular,
a rapid sale was procured; but is this the case with all books ?
It is an unfair statement. The question really is, what is the
average profit which the publisher realizes upon the whole of
tne books which he publishes within the vear, some of which
"make a hit," and many of which are a dead loss. If we look
around amongst the booksellers, we shall pronounce that their
success is not greater, that they do not make larger or more
rapid fortunes, than other tradesmen, as compared with the
capital and the talent they employ. If one man amongst them
prove more successful than his brethren, it will be found either
that he has more skill in puffing, or more interest with the pro-
fessional puffers, or more judgment in selecting the works he
publishes. Some houses make it a rule to publish everything
which offers, trusting to their puff power alone; and doing by
this means a large amount of business for a given number of
years, secure a sufficient profit before they arc found out by the
public. But the cause of this is not-the established 33 per cent.
upon each book : the publishers never realise anything ap-
proaching to it. The cause is that they rival the blacking men
in puffing. Generally speaking, the booksellers are far from an
intelligent class of men. They cannot judge of the value of a
work, either in intrinsic merit, or in probabie popularity. They
suffer an author to write himself into notice, mostly at his own
risk; and when he has succeeded, they will publish anything
he may offer, even without examination. But Professor Bab-
bage is utterly wrong in setting forth the prime cost as the
whole expenditnre of capital on a book. The labour and ex-
pense of publishing and retailing is frequently greater than that
of the wrought material; and, without this labour and expense,
the work in many cases would not circulate at all. As well
might the cheapness of the Birmingham and Sheffield toys be
cited as a proof of the large profits of the perambulating Jews
who sell them. They probably realise 200 per cent. on the sale,
but how much do they sell ? The fact is, they are just paid
about the rate of their personal maintenance for their labour in
the process of distribution. Their return is small, and if they
did not get the large profit they would cease to be distributors,
from the impossibility of their living upon the amount of their
earnings. If Professor Babbage would wish to diminish all pro-
fits in trade to the exact per centage which he thinks it fitting
capital should produce, what would become of the hordes of
green-grocers, chandlers, shopkeepers, and others, who pro-
bably realise cent. per cent., and who could not live unless they
did so? Before he legislates on the per ceutage, he must in-
crease the quantity of business for each person, unless upon
second thoughts he should think it wiser to leave the matter to
the guidance of those interested in it. The fact is, that book-
sellers must get a large profit on the books which do sell, in
order to compensate the loss on those which do not sell. And
if the authors wish to remedy the evil, they must resolve
amongst themselves to write no bad books, or no unpopular
books, and deal with no bookseller who publishes any such