The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-07-18 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STAND,VR;IY.

EXTRAORDINARY DISCLOSURE-IMPORTANT
TO RAILWAY SHAREHOLDERS.

At a time when an increased desire to invest in railway
undertakings is being manifested, the following important
disclosure, made in a petition presented to the House of
Lords, may not be without value. The petitioner stated
that he was a shareholder in the North Wales Railway,
the act for which passed in 1845, since which two instal-
ments of 10 per cent. had been paid up. We give the
remainder of the facts in the reported words of Lord
Monteagle

"Soon after a change in the direction of the company took
place, and one of the first proceedings of the new direction was
to lend the money of the North Wales Railway Company for
the purpose of completing another railway with which the
North Wales Railway had nothing to do. Many of the mem-
bers of the new direction were also directors of the London
and Richmond Company, and to this latter company the mo-
ney of the North Wales Company was lent. But, as the North
Wales Railway Company were not empowered by law to lend,
nor the London and Richmond Company to borrow, the course
taken was not to lend the money to the London and Richmond
Company in its corporate capacity, but to private individuals
connected with the company on their notes of hand. After a
time the Richmond Railway was made, and sold to another
company. The directors of the North Wales Company, having
lent the money on insufficient security, and contrary to law,
nevertheless thought proper, when this took place, to repeat
the experiment, and they lent the money of the company to
two other individuals. A shareholder applied to inspect the
accounts, and after some resistance he was allowed to have ac-
cess to them. Their lordships would hardly believe in what
manner those accounts were kept. He held in his hand a copy
of the very account in question, and he found these entries,—
"Loan to A' for investment, £1,500." "Loan to B' for dit-
to, W 1,200." "Loan to 'C' for ditto, £4,000" "Loan to D'
for ditto, £8,000." " Loan to E' for ditto, £3,000." " Loan
to F' for ditto. £1,003," " Loan to G 9 for ditto, £1,000."
In fact, the account was a cypher which explained nothing.
The parties asked for an explanation as to who were repre-
sented by the letters "A," "B," "C," "D," "E," " F," and
" G," but that was refused. These were the two main allega-
tions contained in this petition; namely, first, a misapplication
of the funds from the purposes for which they were intended
by Parliament, from the North Wales Railway Company to the
London and Richmond Railway Company; and secondly, the
manner in which the accounts were kept. The answer of the
directors to the latter charge related a most curious fact. They
stated that this mode of keeping accounts,—namely, that of
putting forward an unintelligible account to be inspected by the
shareholders, and keeping a private ledger for their own use,
was the common course taken by other railway companies, and
they justified themselves by this most extraordinary plea.."

To us it really seems incredible that any other compa-
nies adopt a course such as these North Wales directors
declare that they do. If it is so, however, it would be
only prudent for every man, before investing his money
in the stock of any of these new companies, to ascertain
where is the money which their shares represent.

etntral

Out of 62,000 persons apprehended by the London po-
lice last year, 28,000 had no occupation.
During the last eighteen years, the streets of London
have increased 200 miles in length, nearly a mile a month.
The metropolis was visited by a severe storm of thunder
and lightning on Friday.
A vessel arrived in the Thames from Canton has brought
the somewhat remarkable importation of 140,000 Chinese
insects, for the purposes of natural history.
The London bankers are discounting commercial paper
1 per cent. below the minimum fixed by the Bank of
England.
Two children, aged seven and eight, were drowned in
the Severn, near Worcester, last week, whilst amusing
themselves with a fisherman's bo tt.
The Secretary of State has given orders to the commis-
sioners of the metropolitan police to have all the constables
taught the sword exercise.

A poor woman died last week at Ipswich, from the ner-
vous shock occasioned by a bee stinging her while she was
superintending a swarming: _ _ _

The Commissioners of Woods and Forests have ordered
several hundred chairs to be placed in the London parks,
for the accommodation of the public.
The Admiralty Court have decided that government is
to pay for the brig which the " Birkeneead " steam-frigate
ran down in the channel. The frigate was short manned.

A committee has been appinted at Hull to take mea-
sures for the preservation of the public health, in the
event of the town being visited ay cholera.

On Saturday last, a young man, preparing to sail from
Dundee to London, was fined ss. for smoking a cigar at
the harbour, after being warned that it was contrary to
law.

ARSON.—At Buckingham assizes, on Friday, James
Johnson. farm servant, was sentenced to transportation
for life for setting fire to some farm buildings of his em-
ployer.
On Friday, the bodies of two persons, a male and fe-
male, were found about two feet below the earth in a cel-
lar in Whitefriars, London. The bodies were lying close
to each other.

James Weybury and William Willoughby, railway ser-
vants, were tried at Abingdon, on Saturday, on a charge
of manslaughter, it being alleged that, by the removal of
a horse-box, they caused the late fearful collision on the
Great Western Railway. They were acquitted.
It is in contemplation to establish two more camps si-
milar to that on Kersal Moor—one in Yorkshire, and the
other on the southern or western coast. The troops are
to be regularly drilled, and will have all the appliances for
a campaign, easily movable at an hour's notice.
In a garden at Durham, there is now growing a plant of
" Victoria" rhubarb, which measures about sixteen yards
in circumference, while the stem is above six feet in height ;
and the whole of the plant is estimated to weigh fourteen
stones.

Ina garden at Loughborough there is now a currant
tree, on a bough of which are growing both red and white
currants, though no artificial means have been employed
to cause this singular difference in the fruit of the same
tree.

kconier, named Blythe, has been committed for trial
at Bilston, for the wilful murder of his wife. Whilst in a
passion, the prisoner struck the deceased first in the face,
then threw her down, jumped upon and kicked her several
times in the lower part of the person.
TN HEAVEN OR IN PURGATORY ?—We are at a loss to
reconcile the confident assertion of Dr. Wiseman, that
Archbishop Affre was, with St. George and St. Alban,
looking down from heaven upon the consecration of St.
George's Church, with the fact that at that very time
Prayers were offered in all the Churches of France, for the
deliverance of his soul from purgatory.

The Ipswich Express mentions that on Friday last an
old woman living at Bradfield St. George, who was attend-
ing some bees that were swarming, was stung by one of
the insects on her right thumb. She entered her house,
sat down, and exclaimed " How bad I feel !" instantly
fainted, and expired half an hour afterwards.
POSETITE DESOLATION.—The Western Times states
that at Teignmouth a blight seems to have gone over the
pews, noising seems to thrive but the altar, which is
overloaded with vases, and has all the appearance of a
sale shop for the gatherings of Roman antiquities.
A woman threw herself out of a train on the Bury St.
Edmund's Railway, near Witham. The train was at full
speed. She was carried, bruised and insensible, to the
workhouse, where she has since died. It was supposed
that she was insane. . .

The Banffshire Chronicle says that some time ago, a
boy at Portsoy got a lien's egg from some of his compa-
nions, and carried it about with him in his bosom. One
morning lately, he astonished his parents by exhibiting
to them a lively chicken, which he had thus hatched, and
which bids fair to become a fine fowl.
The horse trick will never become stale amongst persons
who do not take a newspaper. The Gateshead Observer
relates how, at the late Stagshawbank fair, a local preacher
was inveigled, under the old pretence of a quarrel, &c.,
to purchase a horse for £3O, which he was afterwards glad
to sell for £4.

LOUIS PHILIPPE'S FORTUNE.—The Quarterly Review
says that there is no trace of the ex-King having anything
in the American funds, and that all that his Majesty pos-
sesses out of France is £lO,OOO in the British funds,
yielding about £3OO a-year, and that the Queen has about
£5OO a-year in the Austrian funds, a legacy from an aunt,
one of the archduchesses.

FRUIT AND BLOSSOM.—There is, at the present time,
at Fryery, near Bath, a pear tree in full blossom, and it
has also a splendid crop of fruit on it. The tree is nearly
white with blossom. It is a fine large tree, near the
beautiful spring of mineral water which Mr. Brooks, of
Hinton Abbey, lately discovered. The tree has a great
many buds, still breaking for blossom.
The Brighton Gazette anticipates a plentiful supply of
prime oysters for the future, a bed, apparently inexhaust-
ible, having been found in the Channel, many miles in
length. Parties at Shoreham are fitting out smacks for
the express purpose of engaging in the oyster trade ; and
insteacrof oysters being sold at 3s. per hundred they will
not realize more than half that sum very shortly.

The Sheffield Iris, the oldest newspaper in Sheffield,
and formerly the property of the esteemed James Mont-
gomery, Esq., has just changed hands. As a commercial
undertaking, its ultra-radical principles have failed to make
it pay in the hands of its late proprietor, and it has now
become the property of the proprietors of the Sheffield
Times, who purpose to continue its publication on Thurs-
days.

FALSE IMPRISONMENT.—On Friday, in the Court of
Queen's Bench, Mrs. Elliot recovered from Mr. Topham,
a manufacturer, of Derbyshire, and Mr. Richardson, a
publisher, of Derby, £l5O damages for false imprison-
ment, they having given her into custody on a charge of
having stolen a sovereign when giving them change in her
capacity of waitress at a dining-house. The jury also
allowed her £2 17s. for money paid to a surgeon and an
attorney.

The Record states that two Protestant readers belong-
ing to the Reformation Society, who were distributing
their tracts to the visitors at the opening of St. George's
Roman Catholic chapel on yesterday se'nnight, were
attacked by the Romanists, who—" Fell upon them, and
kicked them in the most merciless manner; one of them
is laid up in bed, every rag of clothing was torn off him
and had not the police interfered he would have been
killed."

EXTRAORDINARY ROPE OF GALVANIZED IRON WIRE.
—Mr. Andrew Smith, of the wire-rope works, Mill-wall,
Poplar, has just completed one of the most extraordinary
ropes ever manufactured; the rope is for the Fowey Con-
sols Mine, is upwards of 567 fathoms (1300 yards) in
length, and weighs 4 tons 14 cwt. ! We understand it is
composed of the best and longest wire ever yet prepared,
and admirably adapted for the purposes for which it is
intended—the wire being in one entire length.
THE LONDON SHERIFFS ELECT.—Mr. Bousfield and
Mr. Mills, who were on Midsummer-day elected Sheriffs
for London, have declined to serve in the office. Mr.
Bousfield has paid the fine, upwards of £6OO. Mr. Mills,
it is said, disputed the validity of the fine, and will be
proceeded against by the_ City Solicitor for the amount.

A Common'ilall will be held-in a few days for the elec-
tion of two other persons to serve in the office. The
fines in such cases are appropriated to the improvement
of the city.

CRICKET.—KENT V. ENGLAND.—This match com-
menced on Monday last, at Lord's, and did not terminate
until Wednesday. The great feature of the game was the
introduction of Hinckley, on the part of Kent, which was
most prosperous. Asa bowler he is first.rate, having been
instrumental in taking six wickets in the first innings, and
in the second the whole ten succumbed to his powers.
The following is the result of the contest :—England, first
innings, 120; second ditto 74. Kent, first innings, ;',O;
second ditto' 40. England thus won by 55 runs.

THE SALE OF BREAD.—A bill is now before the House
of Commons, which is designed to regulate among other

things, the sale of bread. It is proposed to compel bak-
ers to mark, upon each loaf, its weight ; and if, within
thirty-six hours from the time of being baked, a loaf is
weighed in the presence of a magistrate, and found to be
deficient, the baker is to be liable to a fine of ss. for every
ounce so deficient. There are some other exceedingly
objectionable provisions in the bill ; but as there is not
the remotest chance of its being passed into law, it is not
worth while to allude to them.
LIFE POLICIES OF ASSURANCE.—A Bill has been
brought into the House of Commons for the purpose of
making life policies assignable at law. The Bill provides
that from and after the passing of the Act, life policies
may be assignable at law, and that the assignee of a
policy shall be entitled to recover from insurance compa-
nies. Memorandums of assignment are to be endorsed on
the policy of assurance, and the age of the person whose
life is to be insured is to be deemed that which is stated
in the policy. Policies of assurance are to be receivable
as evidence.

THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER.—The income, from all
sources, last year, was £69,735 15s. 10d. The principal
features of expenditure are thus made up :—Salaries to
the head officers of the duchy, £4,977 10s. ; salaries of
the new Stannary Courts, £1,157 10s. ; salaries to per-
sons employed in the collection of the revenue, £2,159
Bs. ; surveys and maps, £1,943 15s. ; • repairs and perma-
nent improvements, £5,280 19s. 4d. ; payments to Prince
Albert, £41,728 2s. 6d. ; investment in the purchase of
beneficial interests,. £2,ol3;—balance remaining in the
hands of the receiver-general, £7,493 17s.
A NEW SYSTEM. Or CANVASSING.—Some idea of the
excitement produced in the neighbourhood of Swansea
during the late election may be formed when it is known
that it even invaded the sacred precincts of the pulpit.
On Sunday night at Cadle Dissenting Chapel, the worthy
minister who officiated (Rev. Evan Morgan, Penydarran),
after dilating,, like his great prototype before the Roman
" righteousness, temperance, and judgment
to, come," in the plenitude of his holy(?) zeal, directed his
hearers' attention to passing events—the election of Co.
roner. After descanting upon, the incomparably superior
merits.and elaims of his favourite, he ended by bursting
into a violent exclamation, Russell for ever,,Russell for
ever," to the great astonishment and merriment of his
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