The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-07-23 00:00:00

AMELIORATION OF AFRICA.

Amongst the numerous vessels loading at this port for
all parts of the globe, there is one lying in the Trafalgar
Dock, just on the eve of departure upon a most interest-
ing mission. She is a small steam vessel, named the
Ethiope, destined for Western Africa, to attempt the for-
mation of commercial intercourse with the interior of
that benighted continent by the annual ascent of the
Niger and other principal rivers, and through these means
to prepare the way for the introduction, of civilization.
The proposal has recently been laid before the public, in
a pamphlet, by Robt. Jamieson, Esq., of this town, who
it will be recollected, pointed out with but too much of
prophetic accuracy, the errors which led to the deplorable
results of the late Government expedition—and who has
undertaken to test the probability of establishing such an
intercourse, by a three year's prosecution of the enter-
prise, upon the faith of a guarantee fund being subscribed
to cover that excess of outlay over returns which may be
expected at the commencement of intercourse with a
people who have not yet felt the stimulus of commercial
demand—and who cannot, therefore, be expected to pos-
sess in the first instance, any considerable quantity of
surplus productions. Mr. Jamieson bases the enterprise
however, on the principle, that if a regular demand be
kept up, the natives will be stimulated by it to habits of
industry, and will thus have every succeeding year a
greater amount of produce to excl•ange for European
merchandise—until the intercourse becomes extensive,
maturely beneficial, and lasting. It is intended that art
account of ricers ascended, of towns visited, and of trade
transacted. shall be printed and circulated annually among
the subscribers.

Subscriptions to the Guarantee Fund have been com-
menced in London—and wet eg to direct the attention of
our townsmen to an enterprise of so much interest, and
to invite for it the co-operation of all who desire for
/Utica the amelioration that would flow from an increased
intercourse with the civilized world.

It will be observed that copies of Mr. Jamieson's
Pamphlet may be obtained from that gentleman on ap-
plication.
From an advertizement in another column it will be
seen that a meeting is about to be held for the promotion
of the views of Mr. Jamieson, which we trust will be at-
tended by all parties interested, commercially, or from
philanthropic motives, in the welfare of Africa. It is a
noble and spirited effort which that gentleman is making,
to introduce to European intercourse, and future civhz-
ation, an entire people, hitherto supposed to be at once
inaccessible and intractable, and we know of no man more
likely, by his energy and past experience, to ensure the
success of such an effort. He ought not, however, to
have thrown upon him the entire cost of an undertaking
so arduous. ; and we trust that the merchants of Liverpool
will not hang back from the duty of supporting him.

COURT OF CHANCERY-SATuRDAy.

PICKFORD V. THE GRAND JUNCTION RAILWAY COMPANY.

When this appeal cause was called on, his lordship ex-
pressed a hope that it would not occupy so much time as
it had taken in the court below, where he understood that
the hearing of one side had occupied six days. They
were now at a late period of the sittings, and they had
just finished an argument on a lunatic petition, which
lasted several days.
Mr. Stuart believed that much time had been consumed
below in reading a mass of correspondence with which it
was not now intended to trouble the court.

Mr. Bethell took an objection to the hearing of the ap-
peal in its present form. There was a bill and supple.
mental bill, and the other side proposed to mix up new
matter arising out of the supplemental bill with the dis-
cussion on the original bill.
The Lord Chancellor thought that if these things related
to one and the same matter of contest, there did not ap-
pear to be much objection to the use of them, but his
lordship again intimated a hope that no unnecessary to-
pics would be introduced.
After counsel for the appellant had been heard, his
lordship said he would hear the company's counsel on
Monday (yesterday).

OBTAINING MONEY UNDER FALSE PRETENCES.—
On Saturday, a young man, a kind of shipping agent,
was brought before Mr. Rushton, on a carge of
having obtained divers small sums of money under
false pretences. Mr. Commissioner Dowling said that
the prisoner had got money from thirty or forty la-
bourers, upon pretences that he could ship them on board
certain vessels in the docks for the island of Ichaboe,
where they would be employed in digging guano and
putting it on board, and that after paying him ls. (or
more in some cases) the parties found that they could find
no such vessels—some of them not being known, and
others having lett the port. Several of the sufferers by
his conduct were examined; but (from the cunning
manner in which the prisonel had acted towards
them,) the evidence was not technically sufficient, and
Mr. Rushton advised the parties to apply to the Court of
Requests for a restitution of their money. The prisoner
said he was ready to repay them. Mr. Rushton said if
he did not the men must apply to the commissioner. The
prisoner was then discharged, and was followed out of
court by a large number of the poor fellows who
brought the charges.
TESTIMONIAL TO A CLERGYMAN.—We understand
that a number of the ladies of the Rodney-street congre-
gation have recently presented their e,teemed pastor, the
Rev. John Tod Brown, with a superb inkstand, in token
of the respect they entertain for his private character,
and with the view, especially, of denoting their grateful
appreciation of his zealous ministerial labours. Such
presentations must uniformly he regarded as creditable
alike to the donors and the recipient ; and when it is con-
sidered that, notwithstanding the shortness of the period
which has elapsed since the reverend gentleman has been
located in his present charge, this is not the first expres-
sion of good-will with which he has been greeted by an
admiring congregation, we feel gratified in stripping the
remark of its general character, end bringing it to bear
with the force of special application as respects the grati-
fying occurrence to which it has ben our privilege to call
attention. We take the liberty of offering our own con-
gratulations to the reverend gentleman upon his having so
speedily and successfully secured to himself the affections
of his people ; and we conclude by expressing our best
wishes for, and confident anticipations of, irosperity to
the church over the spiritual interests of whose members
he presides, notwithstanding the agitation in which it has
been recently involved, and the rancour with which its
best friends and truest interests have been temporarily
assailed.

MELANCHOLY AND FATAL ACCIDENT TO HENRY
LYLE, ESQ.—OR Wednesday last this amiable young
gentleman attended a large dinner party, given by the
Rev. Knox Homan, at Downhill. Atter dinner, he pro-
ceeded, accompanied by young Mr. Orr, of Millburn,
round the rocks. On passing the " Teather-stake rock"
his foot slipped, and he was precipitated, from one pro-
jection to another, into the sea beneath. On being taken
out of the water, he was removed to the hotel on the
strand, and medical aid was immediately sent for, but life
was extinct. There was a lane fracture of the skull on
the back part of the head, which occasioned death; his
left hand was dreadfully nnutil.ited, and the wrist shattered ;
and both bones of his left leg broken. The deceased was
the third living son of Hugh Lyle, Esq., J. P.' Knockin.
tern, and was se7enteen years of age. tie had but lately
come home on a visit from Woolwich, where he had been
studying for a cadetcy in the Artillery. Our readers, and
the congregation of Christ Church in particular, will
sympathise with the family of the young man, whose
melancholy death is recorded in the above paragraph,
when we mention him as the youngest brother of the
lady of the Rev. Fielding Ould, of this town, who, with
her family, is at present spending a few weeks with her
friends in Ireland.

" SHAVING THE LADIES."—On Thursday last, a case
was brought before the magistrate at Worship-street
police-office, in the course of which some evidence
transpired, descriptive of the practices of a certain class
of shopkeepers, which we feel bound to offer for the in-
formation and warning of those of our fair readers who
are fond of " cheap shops" and " bargains." It appears
that there is a custom universal amongst linen drapers in
the metropolis, though we know not it the practice is re-
sorted to elsewhere, of allowing to their shopmen a cer-
tain per cenia3e, or premium upon all goods sold by them
at the full price; which premiums are paid upon presen-
tation of a note signed by the seller and a witness. In
the case in question, a young man was brought up charged
with having obtained from his employer more than he
was entitled to, by having forged or falsified such notes;
and, in the course of the examination, the solicitor for
the prisoner inquired of the witness for the prosecuting
shopkeeper whether there was not a practice amongst per-
sons in his business, called " shaving the ladies." The
witness with evident annoyance and great reluctance ad-
mitted that there was ; and, on being called upcn to ex-
plain, did so by saying that " when a lady canoe into a
shop to purchase an article, such as a scarf or a shawl, it
was the shopman's practice to use all his arts of persua-
sion upon the lady to induce her to give a higher price
than the article was marked : if he succeeded, he was en-
titled to a fourth of whatever he could obtain above the
value of the article; if he did not ha got nothing. Thus
if a scarf had on it the private shopmark of 305., and he
could talk the lady into giving 345. for it, he was entitled
to Is. for himself, and was considered to have 'shaved
the lady' "—or, as plain people would say, swindled the
lady. Perhaps this may explain to some of our fair readers
the cause of that intrusive and often annoying pertinacity,
with which they are urged in some of our shops to pur-
athaed
chase articles, "decidedly cheap," " great sacrifices,
rc
slightest
t bargains,"
ideaa r g a ionfs ,
b"u
ywi
nhgi c. h notWthaeyneheaddsaa
such a practice, as is here brought to light,oins
the part
moral in its tendencies, and dishonest, both
masters, and not be
lowed fair remuneration by their
a ay by extortion
driven thus to eke out their insufficient p
and fraud upon the unwary.
ICE.—The lake from whence this
eighteen. inches to two
import
clear as glass. Each
is taken is situated iu
novel article of
of
wemßoNlonyitemrs atnAdxtßheirservants. Shopm.en sh.ould be al-
lzes_av:y..outibrosalyt_
mwase learn, upwards of 2001 b
of Boston, in the state of Massa
een miles from the city .
of
occupies a space upwards of 400 acres,
chussets, and
overflowing with the purest spring water. The ice gene-
rallygf
irhso,
one of the most picturesque parts of America, about eight-
een
ht
weig • To innkeepers, as well as private families, it
must be of great utility, and its superiority over that
feet,
andruans
usually necessarily gathered from filthy ponds in the vici-
nity of large towns, must at once be apparent, not only on
account of its purity but of its cheapness. The refrigera-
seimt:epaaoritntheidtch,kinwseislblsowodefyi
tor, (of which a model is exhibited at the office of the
block,
agent, Mr. Dean,) is a beautiful and compact box, or safe,
answering the double purpose of an ice house and a meat
safe, and will no doubt be generally adopted by the prin-
cipal hotels. The ice, of which a great quantity has been
imported, is now being stowed in the extensive cellars be-
neath Baltic Buildings, Redcross. street, (under the super-
intendence of an American gentleman,) where it is calcu-
lated it would keep six or seven years. A block of:it may
be seen at our office this day.