The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-07-15 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY, JULY 15, 1851.

GENERAL NEWS OF THE WEEK.

AN INTERESTING BlRD.—There is at present in the
possession of a constable of police in Kilkenny a canary, 11
months old, which exhibits a high degree of intelligence,
affection, and docility. It knows. its owner from any of
the other men, but it is familiar with any of the police
when in t heir uniforni. However, upon a civilian entering
the room, it will fly to the owner for protection and nestle
in his breast; when he leaves the door of the cage open
and calls the bird by its name of " Peter," it will come
over and kiss him, and when it sees him it cries to be let
out. At the approach of dinner and breakfast time it
knows very well that it is to be fed, and sings to be noticed.
The bird has had provided for it a little looking-glass,
and when desired it will go and the reflection of its
image in the glass, taking it for another canary. The
owner had but little trouble in training this bird, and ac-
complished it all by kindness.

SAILORS IN 1851.—As an instance of the improved
tastes and habits of the young sailor of the present day,
we may mention, about 30 boys of Her Majesty's ship
Excellent, at Portsmouth, on receiving their wages. ob-
tained leave of absence to visit London for the purpose of
seeing the Exhibition and other sights. They arrived at
the Sailors' Home, Well-street, on Tuesday
_morning, and

returned to Portsmouth on Saturday. In this short period
they managed to devote two days to the Crystal Palace,
and also found time to visit Westminster Abbey, St.
Paul's Cathedral, the British Museum, Greenwich. Hospi-
tal, the Polytechnic, the Tunnel, Wyld's Globe, the
Tower, and, through the kindness of the Duke of
Northumberland, they were also admitted over North-
umberland-house. In their perambulations they were
accompanied by the schoolmaster. Their conduct was
most admirable, and they appeared delighted with the in-
teresting objects for the first time brought to their notice.
SEIZURE OF COLLEGE PLATE FOR POOR-RATES.—The
parish officers of St. Aldate's, Oxford, in pursuance of
a distress warrant granted by one of the city magistrates,
made a seizure on Friday of two silver teapots, the pro-
perty of the Master and Fellows of Pembroke College,
who had refused to contribute the sum of £ll charged
upon the college towards the support of the poor. The
ground of refusal for paying the rate is that the college is
extra parochial. A similar seizure was made a short time
since of the plate belonging to New-inn-hall, but it was
shortly afterwards redeemed by the Rev. Dr. Wellesley
(principal of the hall). Subsequently, notice of action
for an illegal distress was served upon the parish officers
of St. Peter-le-Bailey, where the hall is situated. Tt is
expected in the present case that the college authorities
will adopt similar proceedings. the ratepayers are deter-
mined to try the question as to the liability of the colleges
to help to support the poor of Oxford ; they contend that
the colleges are not extra-parochial.
THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN OF JULY 28.—The
approaching eclipse of the sun on Monday, July 28, is the
only one that will be' total in parts easily accessible from
this country

for many years to come. The last total
eclipse of the sun risible in London took place in April,
1715, and there will be no other till the morning of
August 39, 1887. The eclipse of the present year will be
total in the southern parts of Norway and Sweden, and in
northern Prussia, Poland, and Russia. The eclipse will
be more or less visible to the whole of North America,
the North Atlantic Ocean down to the 30th degree of

latitude, the whole of Europe, and the northern part of
Africa. The total eclipse will commence on the N.W.
coast of North America, near Queen Charlotte's Island,
traversing the continent of America. over the Rocky
Mountains, to the Slave Lake, which will be in entire
darkness at lh. 30 p.m. Greenwich time. In London

about 82-100ths of the sun's disc will he covered by the
moon, and although some degree of obscurity must neces-
sarily take place, it is not likely to be very great. In the
metropolis the eclipse will commence at four minutes
after 2 two o'clock p.m., and will end at a quarter past
4 ; the middle or greatest phase will take place at 12

minutes after 3 o'clock, and at this moment the sun will
appear as a narrow crescent, having the convex border
towards the horizon.

EXTRAORDINARY SOMNAMBULISM.—One of the most
extraordinary cases of somnambulism that has probably
been heard of took place during last week in New-court,
Farringdon-street, London. It appeared that a person
named Thomas Connor resided at 9 in the before-named
court, and on Monday morning a person sleeping in the
same room was aroused from his slumbers by hearing the
window open. He immediately sat up in bed, and was
just in time to see his fellow lodger jump from the second
floor into the stone-paved court below, the unfortunate
man having nothing on but his shirt. The instant Con-
nor reached the cold stones, he became somewhat alarmed,
and imagining that he had been thrown out of the window,
he ran off as fast as he could to the Fleet-street Police-
station, and claimed the assistance of the police, whilst
the various persons residing in the same house in the
court got up, dressed themselves, and made the best of
their way to Blackfriars-bridge, fearing that he contem-
plated drowning himself. From the inquiries put to the
man by Mr. Inspector Scott, who was on duty at the
station when Connor entered, it was soon found out that
the poor fellow, whilst asleep, had a dream that some
person was standing over his bedside with a naked razor,
for the purpose of cutting his throat. This acted so
powerfully on his nervous system that he, without know-
ing what he was doing, opened the window and leaped out.
The poor man was only injured slightly in the ankles.
COMPOUND HOUSEHOLD Ens.—An important altera-
tion has just been mai.e by Parliament with respect, to
voters known as "Compound Householders." Tbe new
act is entitled " An Act to amend the Law for the Regis-
tration of certain Persons commonly known as Com-
pound Householders,' and to facilitate the exercise by
such persons of their right to vote in the election of-bo-
rough members to serve in .Parliament." By parties

_ themselves.of the provisions of the act lief Ore the
20th inst., the franchise may be extended. According to
the Reform Act (2d and 3d William IV. chap. 45) the

poor rates are required to be paid by the 20th of July in
eacL year which were payable by the 6th of April, and by

another act, regulatiUg the payment of the rates and
taxes by Parliamentary electors (11th and 12th Victoria,
chap. 901, the rates, were to be paid by the same period
January in each year.

gable. b

solders" are required
to make continual claim to be registered, and it is decla-
red to be " often inconvenient or impracticable for such
persons to make continual claims in respect to each rate,
and many persons are consequently deprived of the (ran-
Therefore

It seems that " (

:ompounc

once claimed to be rated in respect of premises, and pay-
ing or tendering, nn or before the 20th of July, the rate
due by the sth of January preceding, shall not be re-
quired in future to renew such claim. Thp liability of a
claimant to rates is to continue so long as he occupies the

premises and remains on the register. A composition
with a landlord is to determine the amount of rate to
which the tenant is liable.
THE FAILURE OF THE STOURBRIDGE AND Buoms-
GROVE BANKS.—The whole of the partners have now
surrendered to the fiat. At a meeting of the creditors, on
Friday, it was stated that the liabilities of the Stourbridge
Bank were £250,000, and those of the Bromsgrove_ Bank

D 0; and that Messrs. Glyn and Co., of Lon-
don, were creditors to the amount of £90,000, but the
amount was covered by the most valuable of the securities
belonging to the firm, including a large amount of landed
property belonging to Mr. Philip Rufford, and 4,000 shares
in the Imperial Alkali Company, of which 600 belonged
to Mr. Wragge, and the remainder to Mr. P. Rufford.
These shares, however, were not registered in the name of
Glyn and Co., but were held by way of equitable mort-
gage, so that the assets of the firm would be liable to
Glyn and Co. for the original value of the shares, although
the affairs of the Imperial Alkali Co. are now being wound
up. It was also stated that Mr. G. H. Biggs had been gene-
rally believed to be a partner in the Bromsgrove Bank,
from the circumstance of his signature having been inva-
riably on the notes for several years past, and from the
firm generally signing itself " Rufford, Biggs, and Co."
Mr. Biggs, however, disclaims all liability to the creditors
in the matter.—The Worcester Herald says—" One of
the most distressing incidents connected with the bank-
ruptcy is, we are informed, the fact that from some cause
the

under 1

audit of Mr. Francis Tongue Rufford having been
postponed for a few days, while the tenants had provided
themselves against the usual day of payment with money
for their rents in Messrs. Rufford's bank-notes, they, con-
sequently, when the hanks failed, found themselves in
possession of the comparatively worthless paper instead of
their landlord's receipt. Mr. Rufford, in these circum-
stances, has kindly consented to allow his tenants six
months' grace."
ORIGIN OF THE LATE DYCE SOMBRE.—The Examiner
states that his maternal grandfather was a French ad-
venturer of the name of Reynard, who, for his sullen
look, went with his countrymen under the name of Som-
bre, or " the gloomy." Reynard engaged in the service
of Meer Cassitn, Nabob of Bengal, when he was concerned
in hostilities with the English. In revenge for the cap-
ture of one of hie fortresses, the Nabob resolved on the
massacre of his English prisoners, and accordingly put, it
is supposed, about two hundred to death. "He found,"
says one of ow Indian historians, "a fit instrument in a
renegade Frenchman, of the name of Sumroo." This
happened in October, 1763 ; and a month later, Patra,
where the massacre took place, was stormed and taken by
the English. Reynard, of course, fled, to escape being
hung or shot; and, being a man of great courage and
enterprise, he, in due time, succeeded in establishing for
himself an independent principality in the north-western
part of India, at Surdliana, some thirty miles from Delhi.
Reynard fell in love with a Cashmerian dancing girl,
married her, and made a Roman Catholic of her. This
was the celebrated Begum Sumroo, tile word begun*
meaning, in the Persian language, " a woman of rank."
The Begum had no children by Reynard. He had, how-
ever, by a Mahomedan, a daughter, who was adopted by
the Begum as her own child, according to the laws and
customs of the East. This daughter the Begum married
to Mr. Dyce, the half-caste son of Captain Dyce, of the
Indian army, and the late Mr. Dyce Sumroo or Sombre
was the fruit of the marriage. The Begum, having suc-
ceeded to her husband in the principality, after, by a piece
of extraordinary treachery, she had made him perpetrate
his own murder, administered it with great skill for nearly
half a century. In 1803, she fought against the Duke of
Wellington at Assye, as an auxiliary of the Mahratta chief,
Scindiali ; and, after the defeat, she fled to northern
Hindustan, and made her peace with the Marquis of
Wellesley, entering into a treaty with him, by which her
principality, on her demise, should lapse to the British
Government, her personal property to be at her own dis-
posal. Mr. Dyce, her adopted son, was to have been her
heir, and he commanded her army ; but in her extreme
old age she detected him in an intrigue, imprisoned and
disinherited him, substituting his son in his room ; and
thus the late Mr. Dyce Sumroo became the inheritor of a
French nickname and of half a million sterling, which was
paid over to him from the Anglo-Indian Exchequer,
where it had been deposited.