The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-07-09 00:00:00

ST. GEORGE'S HALL.—From a return presented to
the council on Wednesday, it appeared that the total
amount expended on the hall up to the present time was
£140,300,45. 4. ; for future works, the completion of the
steps, approaches, ventilation, courts, and other contin-
gent charges, £34,367 9s. Bd. ; for a large organ for St.
George's Hall, and an organ for the concert-room, fixing,
&c., £17,000: making a total of £191,667 14s. The
courts will be ready by the March assizes of next year.
THE WEATHER.—Light showers fell on Wednesday
morning up to seven o'clock; the remainder of the day
was clouded, but fair. Thursday morning was showery;
the forenoon was alternately clouded and bright. From
noon, heavy showers fell at intervals, and about 4 p.m. a
thunder storm passed over the town, the electric fluid
striking the chimney of a house in Windsor; scattering
the earthenware top in fragments, and descending through
the chimney and fireplace to the yard, without further
damage, or injuring the children of the family, who were
in the kitchen. Friday was bright and moderately warm,
but on Saturday the rain descended in torrents the greater
part of the day. Sunday and yesterday were tolerably
seasonable, though rather cold.
ADELPHI SHADES.—It will be seen from an advertise-
ment in another column, that this popular restaurant is
now under the management of Mr. George Latham, for-
merly the proprietor of the St. George's Tavern, in Fen-
wick-Street, and more recently at the head of the cuisine
department of the Exchange Club. Mr. Latham is a
clever and spirited caterer for the public, and he cannot
fail to restore by his attention and politeness the high
character which the Adelphi Shades for many years
enjoyed.
WRECK or THE ORlON.—Captain Douglas arrived in
Glasgow from Portpatrick on Thursday, and brought the
gratifying intelligence that the body of Captain M'Neill,
of Collonsay, had been recovered and given up to his re-
latives. The strong south-east winds which have pre-
vailed during the last few days have sent in a tremendous
ground swell, which, it is feared, has broken up the
ship, as the quarter-deck has parted and come ashore.
At all events, all hopes of raising the Orion entire are now
at an end. The three government steamers still remain
on the spot, but they have-been of course inactive, from
the severity of the weather. When the sea calms, the
divers will go down ; and as there will be now easy access
to the interior of the ship, should she partially hold to-
gether, it is expected that a great amount of property may
be saved.
MR. SKIRVING'S COLLECTION OF ROSES.—The fine
showers which have fallen during the past fortnight have
been no where more beautifully felt than in the various
nursery grounds and gardens in our neighbourhood.
Vegetation which had languished under the influence of
protracted dry weather, wherever the laborious process of
watering was not attended to, has advanced with a ra-
pidity which we have rarely seen paralleled ; and a visit
to any of our first-class horticultural establishments is
just now a treat indeed. We had last week the pleasure
of a ramble through the extensive grounds of Mr. Skir-
ving, of Walton Nursery, and of inspecting his collection
of greenhouse and other plants, which we never observed
in finer condition, or affording a better choice for pur-
chasers of rare and ornamental plants. The pelargoniums,
and fuchsias are especially excellent, and in every variety.
The collection of heaths is also very beautiful. Amongst
the more rare plants interesting to the professed horti-
culturist, are some very exquisite and valuable specimens.
Our visit, however, was made more expressly to the col-
lection of standard and other roses, now in full bloom,
which the public are invited to inspect for the purpose of
selecting sorts for removal to their own grounds as soon
as the season is sufficiently ;natured. The former are
peculiarly suitable for ornamental gardens, occupying
little space, and from the elevation of the stems upon
which they are grafted, presenting a very pretty appear-
ance. No tree, in fact, is so suitable for the parterre, or
the small cottage plot as the rose, when treated in this
mode. Mr. Skirving's collection is very varied and rich
alike in colour and perfume. A large assortment of the
best sorts of roses, both in pots, and cultivated in the
open soil, is also available for purchasers ; and every other
species of favourite ornamental plants, in every stage of
growth and perfect cultivation can be supplied to pur-
chasers. The shrubs at this establishment, it is well
known, are surpassed in none other; and many rare
foreign sorts are here perfectly acclimated and as hardy as
when seen in their native soil. A visit to the nursery
just at this period will well repay the trouble of the
journey.
DISASTER AT SEA.—A casualty of an extraordinary
and fatal nature occurred on Tuesday last, on board the
ship Hemisphere, Captain Whittelseye bound for New
York, with cargo and passengers. The vessel, which be-
longs to New York, and is one of the usual passenger
ships between that port and Liverpool, left the latter place
on Sunday last, and when off Holyhead, about halfway
across the channel, on Tuesday night, the wind com-
menced blowing very strong, when the captain sent a
number of men aloft to reef the topsails. Eighteen
men were speedily on the yards to carry out these instruc-
tions, when the ship gave a tremendous lurch, and the
three masts were at once blown overboard. All the men,
with the exception of four, were then thrown with great
force on to .the deck, two of them, William Gibbs and
George Bethell, being killed on the spot, and all the
others seriously injured. Four of the crew were pitched
into the sea, one of them not to rise again. The remain-
der of the crew then got up what headsail they could, and
put the ship round. After beating about all night, they
were taken in tow by a steamer, and brought back to
Liverpool. The wounded men were then conveyed to the
Northern Hospital, where several of them still lie in a
very precarious state; and indeed one of them, named
Blair, died on Friday night. The coroner's inquest on
the two first-mentioned men returned a verdict, on
Thursday, of accidental death. On Saturday, another
inquiry was instituted by the Coroner as to the death of
the man Blair, who had died in the meantime, and consi-
derable doubt was expressed as to the surgical treatment
he had received. After some evidence had been taken,
the Coroner invited the particular attention of the jury,
stating that a little circumstance had occurred when the
captain was giving his evidence the day before which
made the case pregnant with every feature of man-
slaughter. It was notorious to all who read the public
journals that there was a great amount of mortality on
board emigrant ships, whilst convict and other vessels,
comparatively speaking, escaped from fatalities of the
same description. He did not mean to cast any imputa-
tion on the captain, the crew, or the owners of the ship,
but there was great reason to suspect that the surgeon
was not altogether blameless. Mr. Taylor, of the firm to
which the ship was consigned, was sent for, and, in
answer to the Coroner, stated that he did not know any-
thing of the surgeon, except that he was a German, and it
was stated that he had his proper diplomas. The inquiry
was resumed yesterday morning, when the depositions of
the different witnesses were read over. The evidence of
Mr. W. B. Fryer, surgeon at the Northern Hospital,
went to show that deceased was brought into the hospital
on Friday ; he was in a state of collapse, the pulse low,
and at times delirious; the right upper arm had been
amputated; the bone had not been sawn through; a
piece of calico was tied very tightly round the extremity ;
death, caused by mortification, ensued the same night.
A post mortem examination was made, when the viscera
appeared perfectly healthy ; the artery was cut through,
not torn ; the bandage was not tied in a proper manner;
the artery had not been secured, and the circulation
was entirely stopped. This; of itself might have
caused the mortification, an opinion to which the
witness inclined, though he would not state this as
his conviction. Mr. Curry went over the case rather
fully. He regretted that the man was allowed to
remain on board so long, without being taken to the hos-
pital. He laid down the law of manslaughter in general,
and particularly with reference to cases similar to the pre-
sent. He spewed that there are no criminal consequences
from an unlicensed person acting as a surgeon ; but if a
party takes upon himself to perform certain duties, such,
for instance, as those of a surgeon, and discharges his duty
in a gross and improper manner, he is liable criminally.
He pointed out the difficulties by which the defendant was
surrounded at the time the accident occurred, and also to
the fact of Mr. Watt not choosing to describe the treat-
ment as gross; for it might have been proper under the
circumstances. After a few minutes deliberation, the
jury returned a verdict of accidental death.