The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-04-08 00:00:00

At Oxford, John Trilloe and Thomas Tudor were con-
victed of arson, and sentenced to fifteen years' transport-
ation. In several cases, in which men had been robbed in
houses of ill fame, the Learned Judge refused to allow them
their expenses.
Edward Crowe, a general dealer, in Waterloo-street,
London, hung himself last week, being driven to despera-
tion by his wife, a regular t.rmagant, who on one occa-
sion attacked him with a red hot poker, severely injuring
his hands and face.
General " Tom Thumb" had the honour of being re-
ceived on Sunday by the King and Queen of the French,
and the other members of the Royal family. They were all
delighted with the " little man," who remained in the
royal presence upwards of an hour and a half.
THE LATEST SPRING FOR FIFTY YEARS.—Tbis year,
for the first time fifty years, says La Presse, the well-
known chesnut tree of the Tuileries was not seen green
with leaves on March 20; the branches were as bare as in
the middle of winter.
FALL IN THE PR',CE OF BREAD.—OR Wednesday the
bakers in the borough of Southwark and neighbourhood
lowered the price of the 41b. to 4d. and 44., and in some
places as low as 3d. The demand was in consequence
much greater than the supply.
At the annual dinner of the Tailors' Benevolent Society,
the chairman, Mr. Sheriff Syd:.ey, said Mr. Steitz had
contributed the munificent sum of £14,000 towards the
society, and bad offered to give another piece of 1 nd as
soon as the society should have funds enough to build
larger almshouses.
A beautiful specimen of fossil oak has been dug out of
the embankment at the cut leading from the new quay to
the railway station, North Shields. by one of the work-
men engaged in repairing the wall. It was at a depth of
32 feet below the surface, and forms part of the top of
the main trunk of the tree.
During the past twelve months, one hundred labour-
ers and sixteen noblemen and persons of property com-
mitted suicide. Of the labourers seventy nine hanged
themselves, and the noblemen and persons of property
generally put a period to their existence with guns or
sharp instruments.
Hannah Levy, a young woman in her twenty-second
year, living in Weymouth-street, New Kent road, has
been accidentally poisoned by swallowing prussic acid.
Two bottles of medicine were sent to her by a druggist,
the labels of the two were misplaced; and the girl poi-
soned herself by drinking in wrong quantities a medicine
containing the acid. A verdict of " Accidental Death"
has been returned by a coroner's jury.
A numerous meeting was held at Guildhall, Norwich,
the other day, the Mayor in the chair, to consider the
means of arresting the prevailing epidemic diseases, and
alleviating the sufferings of the poor. The most dis-
tressing details were given, and resolutions were passed,
urging the adoption of sanitary measures by the Magis-
trates and Paving Commissioners, and for raising a sub-
scription to cleanse the houses and provide clothing, &c.
CoNvicTs.—An abstract of returns of the number of
convicts confined in prison throughout the United King-
dom, under sentence of transportation, &c., informs us
that there are altogether 2,397 convicts immured within
the prisons of the three kingdoms, of whom 1,969 are
males, and 428 females. Toe number of convicts whose
health rendered them unfit to be removed amounts to 133,
of Whom 86 were males and 47 females. In England and
Wales there are 2,053 convicts in prison, in Scotland 71,
and in Ireland 273.
SUPERSTITION.—The Sherborne Journal relates a ease
of gro,s superstition at Weymouth. A fellow named
Stone having had a quarrel with his mother-in-law, nor
only beat and kicked her, but drew a prickly thorn across
her face till it was covered with blood. His defence for
this refinement of brutality was, that his mother-in law
had bewi ched him, and that the only way of breaking
her spell over him was by drawing blood from her person.
At the Edinburgh assizes, John Johnson, a farm ser-
vant, was convicted of shooting (with invent to kill) at
John Cockburn, a fellow-servant, and a succe,sful rival
in the affections of their mistress, a widow, to whom
Cockburn has since been married. He was severely
wounded, and it was thought at first that he could not re-
cover. The prisoner was sentenced to transportation for
life.

There are 1,434 licensed victuallers in Birmingham, 385
beer shops "licensed to be drunk on the premises,"
thirty-three " licensed to be drunk off the premises,"
thit teet, places licensed for the sale of cider, making in
all 1,865 places licensed for the sale of strong drinks.
Every twenty-second house is so occupied, being one
house to every 108 of the population. The average an-
nual cost to each individual in Birmingham, for intoxicat-
ing drink, is £3 12s Bd.
SHOCKING SUICIDES.—On Tuesday afternoon last,
James Greenwood, weaver, Todmorden, who had be, n
drinking to excess, was found dead in a field near his own
house, with his throat cut from ear to ear. He had a
razor in his hand when found. On Wednesday morning
last, Robert Melleliew, labourer, Oldham, aged 31 years,
committed suicide by hanging himself with a rope, in his
father's hou-e. He had been drinking upwards of a week.
There have been three suicides last week in Oldham, all
brought on through drinkine.
SINGULAR RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—On Sunday last,
as the pilot engine was proceeding towards Loughborough,
a hawk, attempting to cross the line at the moment, was
knocked down by the engine. On returningfrom Lough-
borough, the hawk was found on the spot a ith its head
cut completely off, and a snipe in its mouth, which, from
the wounds at the back of the head, had evidently been
killed by the hawk, and being too heavy prevented the
hawk's flying with its wonted rapidity, and thus was the
cause of its death also.
At Kingston, Richard Wood and Thomas Jones, con-
victed of burglary, were sentenced, one to transportation
for life, the other for fifteen years. Their conduct in the
dock exciting the suspicion of the gaoler, they were
searched, and three large stones, which they had, no
doubt, intended for the Judge, (Alderson,) in the event
of a conviction, were taken from them. They afterwards
had a despera'e struggle with the officers, using the most
dreadful imprecations, and they were with difficulty sub-
dued and removed. At Shrewsbury, James Onions was
found guilty of having intended to kill game, and sen-
tenced to six months' imprisonment, with hard labour.
STRANGE CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER.—A labourer
named Howell, residing in Glass-house-street, London,
was brutieht up at the Thames .police-office, a day or two
ago, on a charge of manslaughter, which involved some
strange circumstances. The prisoner cohabited with a
female named Mason; a quarrel ensued between them,
during which time an infant. the fruit of their connexion,
was suckling, at its mother breast. The prisoner was seen
attempting to kick the woman on the breast, but the infant
rect iced the blow on the head. The mother and the child
fell together from the force of the blow, and although the
prisoner and his paramour made up their differences, the
child sickened and died. He was remanded.
A wholesale coiner of French money was detected at
Birmingham the other day, in the act of striking off
coins at a large and powerful self-acting press. The man
was seized and on his person were found 5 five-franc
counterfeit pieces, and 5 genuine. He was taken to the
station house, and on being again searched £7O, mostly
in gold, was found upon him, and two valuable gold wat-
ches. Several implements of finished make for the pur-
pose of coining were found on the premises, and it has
also been ascertained that he had lodgings in London.
The prisoner has given his name to be Sine, and he is a
Spaniard, 49 years of age, and of gentlemanly address.
The dies found were all for French coins. and Sine had
receipts for them alone for no less than £550.
MAYNOOTH AND THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.--The
Times of Friday thus described the appearance of the
House of Commons immediately before Sir Robert com-
menced his speech on the Maynooth grant. " The spec-
tacle was more diverting than honourable. Waen the
moment was approaching for the Premi r's exposition of
his project for Maynooth, the provident Speaker suggested
that those members who had petitions against the grant
had better present them at once—that is, once and for all—
once, and have done with them. In an instant. nearly the
whole ministerial phalanx, two hundred strong, arose,
and pointed their suppliant rolls _to the table. Their
opponents retained their seats, and roared with laughter.
We must say it is cruel in the conservative party. to put
their representatives to this open shame. They ought
either to rebel at once, or make a quiet submission. But
Sir Robert, it is evident, has mastered the bodies, not the
minds of his supporters. His is a reign of terror."
BURGLARY AND ATTEMPT TO MURDER.—On Wed-
nesday some villain entered the house of the Misses
Vaughan, who keep a seminary at Crokberberton. near
Cardiff, and proceeded to the drawing-room. In a room
adjoining, a young lady named Fowler, a governess in
the establishment, and some other young ladies, sleep.
Miss Fowler, hearing footsteps, and having repeatedly
called out " who is there ?" the noise still continuing,
opened her bed-room door, and with great courage pro-
ceeded to the drawing-room, on entering which she was
horrified at the appearance of the ruffian, who on beinz
questioned by Miss Fowler, discharged a pistol at her!
She miraculously escaped, a slug having lodged in the
door close to her person ; still possessing her presence of
mind, she rushed back to her room, locked the door, and
commenced ringing the alarm-bell, which with the report
of thesistol, awoke the inmates of the house, and the
miscreant lost no time in making his escape, taking with
him only a pair of silver sugar tongs.
CONFESSION OF A FRATRICIDE.—john Brought con-
victed at the Staffordshire assizes, hes made a con-
fession, of which the following is the substance :—After
describing what took place when his brother Thon.as
came to the house, the conversation about the boxes, &c.,
Thomas's refusal to listen to his mother's entreaties, arid
the departure of the two bailiffs, the prisoner said.
"Thomas shortly afterwards left. I followed him, and
lc( pt begging and entreating him to let me have the boxes
back again. I promised be should have the rent. He
said he would not let me have them again that night; but
he would consider of it by the morning, or by to-morrow
at noon. A little hammer, for breaking stones, was
reared up against the stone wall in the meadow. 1 took
it up. I then struck him on the head one blow. He
stood a little nit after I hit him and then fell down. I
then went straight home. I remained but a few minutes,
and then got up and walked to the rneedow to see whether
my brother Thomas was gotten up and gone home. He
was sitting up. I stood looking at Thomas, and I per-
ceived a person on the contrary side. Thomas was in a
bit of a hollow. The person I saw stood on the top of a
ban's. I was tightened lest he should see me, and stooped
down by a ditch. Thomas was sitting on a place that
sloped down to the din h, and I afterwards heard a splash
to the wafer from Thomas's falling in. It is possible for
amen to slip dowu into the water even if he had not been
hurt. At this moment I saw the person who had been
looking towards the place where my brother was, move,
on; I hi ard his step, and thought he was coining where
Thomas was. If he had come to his help I think Thomas
would have lived. I was afraid to go myself, and went.
off home immediately as fast. as I could and washed my-
self." He states that he then procured a wheel-barrow,
into which he put the body, wheel d it to the mouth of

the stone-pit, and threw' it in,-di,loagitig two or three
stones, %%WI the view of inducing the supposition that
tho murdered man had accidentally fallen into the pit.