The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-08-19 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SALE OF SLAVES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THEOLOGY.
—We find the following notice, signed by the Deputy-she-
riff, of a public sate, in the Savannah _Republican of
March 3, 1815. After describing the plantation which
was to be sold, the notice adds—" Also, at the same time
and place, the following negro slaves, to wit, Charles,
Peggy, Antonett, Davy, September, Maria, Jenny, and
Isaac—levied on as the property of Henry T. Hall, to
satisfy a mortgage fi. fa. issued out of Mclntosh Supreme
Court, in favour of the board of directors of the Theolo-
gical Seminary of the Synod of South Carolina and
Georgia v. said Henry T. Hall. Conditiona cash."
MATRIMONIAL Cu tutENcY.--The enterprising colonists
being generally destitute of families, Sir Edward Sandys,
the treasurer, proposed to the Virginia Company to send
over a freight of young women to become wives for the
planters. The proposal was applauded; and ninety girls,
young and uncorrupt, were sent over in the ships that ar-
rived this year (1620), and the year following, sixty more,
handsome and well recommended to the c )mpany for
their virtuous education and demeanour. The price of a
wife at the first rate was "one hundred pounds of to-

bacco ;" but as the number became scarce, the price was
increased to "one hundred and fifty poturls ;" the value
of which in money was 34. per pound. Th's debt for
wives it was ordered should have the precedency of all
other debts, and be first recoverable. The Rev. Mr.
Weems, a Virginian writer, intimates that it would have
done a man's heart good to sae the gallant young Virgini-
ans hastening to the water side when a vessel arrived from
London, each carrying a bundle of the best tobacco under
his arm, and taking back with him a beant,ful and virtu-
ous young wife.—Gilbert' Banking in America.
A VENETIAN PICTURE DEALER'S ROGUERY.—Tra-
vellers should he on their gua-d against the impositions
Practised by Venetian picture dialers, as even the most

experienced connoisseur may easily be taken in uy
Not long ago a gentleman visited a celebrated depot of
paintings in this city, and, happening to fancy a particu-
lar picture, agreed, after some little bargaining with the
dealer, to purchase it. All was settled, but the gentle-
man insisted on taking it home with hiin, having his gon-
dola at hand. " What," said the dealer, " have you any
doubts of my sending you_the origival ? Put your own

seal on the back, and-satisfy yourself." This was, how-
ever, declined by the purchaser, who, sending for his ser-
vant, ordered him to carry the picture downstairs in spite
of the entreaties and remonstrances of the collector. On
arriving at his hotel the gentleman found, after a close
scrutiny, a copy neatly inserted in the frame behind the
he would have sealed, had he suffered
)f course he kept both,

himself' to De pre
the dealer, as may readi.y be imagined, never appearing
to claim either.—Ainsworth's Magazine.

WORKING. THE ORACLE.
(From Ainsworth's Magazine.)
Theophilus forcing his way through a very miscellane-
ous assembly, consisting chiefly of attorneys, clerks, and
farmers, anxiously inquires," How are the Squabashes ?"
" All right," is the reply, " Government have given
their consent. Committee seem to have made up their
minds. Two of them have been asleep, the chairman wri-
ting letters all the time. They 're as safe as the bank !"
The heart of Theophilus leapt within him. Thank God,
be had got out of a great mess in the case of the Squa-
bashes, that he was no longer a bear, but a valorous bull
again ! Being relieved from anxiety upon this st ore, he
rushes into room double X, where the Great North Cir-
cumbendibus line is under consideration.
He arrives apparently in the nick of time. There is
evidently a hitch. Committee look as grave as Mr. Cal-
craft on the day of an execution,—counsel argue and ar-
gue, try to puzzle them, try to frighten them, to cajole
them—anything. Bystanders in a ferment. Heads peer-
ing forward in a huge red mass; a whole phalanx of hats
elevated aloft on sticks.

" A datum error ! Is it indeed a datum error ? Will
it be fatal to the bill ?"

" They can hardly get over it, I should think. Com-
mittee seem to think so."

Theophilus waited for no more. " Sell 500 Great North
Circumbendibus ;" he writes on a card, hands it to a
jockey ready waiting on horseback, who starts off like a
flash of lightning for the city. He returns to the room,
snapping his fingers, and rubbing his hair all round his
head like a man with a headache; "there's a one and a
half operation to a certainty," he exclaims.
He has hardly entered the room, however, when he per-
ceives that the discussion is still going on, and with some-
what a different complexion. Mr. Plumline, the engineer,
proves that it '

_ is a surface error, and not a datum error,
and after some communing the committee overrule all the
apprehended fatal objections.
How differently does an event affect one according to
circumstances. Theophilus saw none but smiling faces
around him ; very few, however, of the other sort. Agents,
counsel, witnesses, all pleased—triumphant ; whilst he,
poor animal of a bear, had nothing else to do but to scam-
per into the city and undo all he had done on the best
terms be could. On jumping into a cab he had the satis•
faction of seeing a man on horseback start off at full tear,
who would of course anticipate him in the market.
Well, by dint of bullying and bribing the cabman he
gets into the city in seventeen minutes and a half, and
finds himself in the little, dark, unfurnished upper apart-
,. . ti
tle of office by its occupant Mr.

Popps

"l'opps," he cried, " I have made a sad mistake ! Buy
back all those Direct Circumbendibuses."
" Dear me! I thought you had made some mistake.
They went down thirty shillings ten minutes before your
express arrived. However, I sold them, as you left. me

noOption, at -"

go, buy them back—close

them and have done with them."
Off went Popps, and in a few minutes returned.
)sed them at four and four and a quarter ; sold
will make

hem at three ai

wo-and-a-'
immptlia

unoying affair
" and be proceeded then to other business, till

Certainly ;

another customer ad

Led him away, and

sent him again into

".the House

Meantime Theophilus chewed the cud of disappoint-
ment in silence, watching the operations of the juvenile
clerk, who with wonderful expedition made out the follow-

" Sold for you. for the 15th, £ s.
300 Direct Circumbendibuses, 2 pd, 3 pm. 1650 0
200 Ditto n pm. 1000 0

2650 0
62 10

Deduct commission

£2587 10

Bought for you,
200 Direct Circumbendibuses. 2i pd, 3 pm. 1200 0
300 Ditto at 4i p.m. 2025 0

£3225 0

The clerk was too genteel to draw the balance ; but Theo-
philus saw at a glance that it was somewhere between six
hundred and seven hundred pounds for his afternoon's
exertions. He began now to think affairs looked serious,
and had only the Squabashes to depend upon as his sheet
anchor.

" Why, what's the matter with the Squabashes?" said
Popps, as he came into the room, and putting down his
hat walked to the fatal desk ; " they are throwing them
in by cart loads. It's well you got out of yours, Mr.
Smith."

The little clerk, if he had touched Theophilus with the
tip of his pen, might have felled him to the ground.
" Squabashes ! I'm not out of them—that is, I'm in
again ! For God's sake, go and see what you can
ao for me. Sell six hundred of them at any price, and
let me quit this infernal city." He clenched his hand,
smote the fatal desk, and for the first time Theophilus
seemed really dejected. His pluck hitherto had been the
admiration of the whole room.