The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-02-17 00:00:00

nate husband in the act of cutting his own throat, and be-
fore she could interpose he had fallen down a corpse.
On looking farther, she discovered her eldest son dead
in the beJ, but could not perceive any trace of her infant
child, who was, however, shortly afterwards discovered
to have been drowned in the rain butt. There is no doubt
whatever but that the unfortunate father proceeded to the
garden instantly on leaving his bed-room, and h-iving
drowned the child, then ascended to the children's room,
where he afterwards perpetrated the other murder, com-
mitting suicide the moment an alarm was raised. .

As no vital organ has bf en severed,hopcs are entertained
that the younger boy's life will be saved. There seems to
In little doubt that, owing to their privations, temporary
insanity was the immediate cause of this shocking, affair, as
his pecuniary embarrassments had for some weeks past
induced great depression of spirits.

DREADFUL ASSASSINATION. - Yesterday morning,
soon after six o'clock, a man named James Bostock, who
is a working brass z!ri,l gua-metal foun.ler, in a narrow
paved court leadin4 from Drury-lane, London, was as-
sassinated by a young man named Wix, his apprentice.
Wix had obtained payment of a small bill due to his mas-
ter, and stated on his return home that he bad lost Ils.
of the money, and begged his master to deduct it from
him at 2s. 6d. per week. This Bustock refused to do, and
deducted the whole snm from his wages on Saturday
night last. This circumstance created a rancorous.feel-
ing against his master in the mind of Wirt, and in revenge
he shot his master with a pistol yesterday morning.
The bullet entered the unfortunate deceased's ear, and he
expired yesterday afternoon about four o'clock. The
possession of a pistol, with powder and bullets, by Wix is
proved in a clear manner. Wix has been appreh ended,
but maintains a sullen silence. He was to be brougbt be-
fore the magistrate this (Tuesday) morning.

=B=;==l=Xo

THE GRETNA-GREEN PARSON AND THE
ACTOR.

A very curious circumstance occurred on Christmas-day
at this celebrated Temple of Hymen. The western mail
having preceded a gentleman's carriage which was chang-
ing horses at Hamilton's, the Bush Inn, Carlisle, some
wag journeying by it, on arriving at Gretna Green (the
next stage), informed the landlord, the celebrated parson
(in confidence), that a distinguished foreigner was follow-
ing close behind them, eloping with an English lady of great
wealth, and that his services would be in requisition. in
a moment all was bustle, the note of preparation sounded,
and everything was arranged to give the supposed fugi-
tives a suitable reception. The room so recently the
scene of the nuptials of Captain Ibbetson and the Lady
Adela Villiers, was scarcely in readiness when a carriage
and four was seen wending its way up the avenue (the
house being some distance off the road), the horses gal-
loping fast and furious, as is the post-boys' wont at the
close of a stage; the steps were let down in an instant,
when forth stepped a personage wearing " The shadowed
livery of the burnished sun." This dignified, dusky per-
sonage was immediately ushered into the celebrated ap-
artment, followed closely by the landlord (we beg his
Pardon), the parson Linton himself. The lady not alight-
ing was attributed to bashfulness at the peculiarity of her
supposed position. The following dialogue ensued :
Parson Lintin (bowing): " You are welcome, sir, you are
welcome to Scotland ; had I kenn'd ye were intending to
honour my house wi' a visit but ten minutes afore, all
would hat been in readiness for ye; that chid Hamilton
(dal take him) must hae been daft not to hae sent an
express, as he always does on s'c like occasions, and not
trusted to a chance traveller; but as it is. we maun mak
all possible haste. Saundie, von lazy loon, what gars ye
glowrin' at the gentleman, ye ill mannered tyke; rin, sir,
rin, and fetch the register ; stop, sir, stop, here are the
keys. I beg, your pardon, sir, hut—
Dark Stranger : " Oh, no apology, sir ; I thank you for
your attention, hut I am not so pressed for time that a
slight delay of this nature will occasion me much incon-
venience ; but as soon as you cm make your arrangements
and send us for ward, I will thank you."
Parson Linton : " Oh certainly, sir, certainly : oh, here
is the rige-ter, sir, here it is. I have got the sienatures
of some of the first of the land, and hope to have many
more in spite of that meddling, ill-faur'd chiel, Lord
B-ougham ; ye ken, sir, I mak nae doubt that he endea-
voured (dell mend him) last year to interfere with my
established rights; yes. sir, rights that have been mine
and my forb ars free • inc immemotial. Here, sir, is
the signature of my Lord Westmoreland and Miss Child;
I ken him weel, sir, though I was but a wee laddie at the
time; they came cal'oping up just in the gloaming ; and
here is Captain lbhetson and the Lady Adela, a brave
lassie, and there is a firm hand she wrote at such a critical
period ; and, singular enough, the last line but two—
there is just room left for your name and that of the bonny
leddy."

Dark Stranger: " Is it customary, then, for your visi.
tors to sign their names in this, your register?"
" Linton ' " Oh ye 4, sir ; all the paticians, sir, the pa.
trici+ns. We hwe another for the plebeians, ha, ha, ha!
rh, I see all is in readiness, and if you please we will go
forward with the ceremony."

Dlrk Sttanger " Oh, with the greatest pleasure.
Oblige me with pen and ink."
Parson Linton : " But the leddy, sir, the leddy."
Dark Stranger: " Oh, never mind ; she is rather fa-
tigued from travelling, and is not disposed to alight; I
will sign her name, which will be the same thing, I sup-

pose."
Parson Linton : " Naething of the kind, sir ; naething
of the kind ; it wad ne stand in law ; the ceremony must
be first performed, and then ye're responsible; the cere-
mony first, sir, the ceremony."
Dark Stanvr : " The ceremony—what ceremony ?"
Parson Linton : " The matrimonial tie ' • the ordained
ordinance ve ken, sir; first call the bonny leddy wife, and
then—"

Dark StrangPr: " Call her wife! why she is my wife;
what else could you have me call her ? You cannot sup-
pose, from our very different camplexious, that we stand
in relation of brother and sister."

Parson Linton: " Your w ite ! it's na possible; did you
nit come post here to be married ?"
Dark Ftranger: "To be married !-1 came for post
horses; besides, I have been in the enjoyment of that
connubial state that religion enjoins for some years, and
I hope you have too much respect for your sacred calling
to wish me to commit the unchristian crime of bigamy.'
Parson Linton: "The Lord forbid, sir; the Lord for-
bid."

We may explain that the above dark-coloured stranger
turned out to be Mr. Aldridge, the celebrated African
tragedian ; a gentleman said to he possessed of the very
highest histrionic and literary attainments, and who is at
present fulfilling a round of engagements in the principal
theatres in Sedtland.—Hereford Journal.

BENEFICIAL SANITARY RESULTS or
GOOD PAVING.
(From the Liverpool Health of Towns' Advocate.)
We need not say that a considerable amount of disease
must arise from bad paving ; but we confess to have
been hardly prepared for the disclosures made in the fol-
lowing experimental evidence. The facts are melancholy,
because, if col,firtned by other examples, they will shew
what an awful extent of suffering has been inflicted on the
poor by our neglect of so simple an improvement. But at
the same time they afford most gratifying evidence of our

power to alleviate the s ni'ary condition of the town. The
data have been supplied by Mr. Carr, of the South Dis-
pensary, from his register, and chew only the cases of dis-
ease visited at their own homes. Six of the worst courts,
in one of the worst.parts of Liverpool, were so notoriously
unhealthy, that the medical attendant was hardly ever out
of them ; and when any epidemics visited the town, these
courts exhibited their results in perfection. Their sur-
face was in a most disgraceful state, being always covered
to some detth with putrid mud, so that the inhabitants
were compelled to place large stones at intervals, to ena-
ble them to reach their houses by stepping from one to
another. In the course of last summer the-e courts were
flagged, and the effect on their sanitary condition soon
became apparent. To exhibit this, we have chosen five
months, from August to December, inclu,ive, of 1844,
before paving, and the same five months of 1845, the pav-
ing having been completed in the interim. We have se-
lected these period:, because the general sanitary condi-
tion of the town was nearly the same in both :

TABU; EXHIBITING THE SANITARY EFFECTS OF FLAGGING

No. of Houses

Number of Cases of Sickness
in Five Months.
Before Paving. After Paving.