The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-08-06 00:00:00

SUNDAY TRAFFIC.—The new proprietor of canal boats
from London (through Reading) to Bristol has advertised
that his boats go every day except Sundays. This an-
nouncement is highly creditable to the parties concerned,
and we trust is the commencement of a better state of
things ; for the gross demoralization of the boatmen in
this kingdom is become proverbial, and, it cannot be
doubted, is to be traced to the system of Sabbath desecra-
tion on our rivers and cdnals, so generally adopted, and
which, unhappily, has so long had the sanction of the
British public. Many canal proprietors, canal carriers,
and others interested in the subject, are desirous of
seeing an improvement as to the existing state of things,
which affects injuriously not only boatmen, but porters,
lock-keepers, clerks, and others. We understand that a
considerable number of boat owners in Staffordshire have
expressed themselves anxious to see a change as relates to
the present system. Much good may be expected to
result from the united efforts of benevolent individuals
connected with the commercial world, which ought to
meet with universal encouragement and support.—A.
clergyman of this city some time ago addressed fifty
boatmen in a warehouse, not one of whom. he was credi-
bly informed, had been in any place of worship for the last
twenty years. When such is the case, we must not be
surprised at hearing of crimes committed by this body of
men.—Worcester Journal.
THE LATE DR. DALTON.—The death of this distin-
guished philosopher is mentioned in our obituary. Dr.
Dalton had been for more than half a century an active
and invaluable member of the Literary and Philosophical
Society of Manchester, having, together with his friend
Dr. Edward Holme, M.D. F.L.S. been elected on the
25th of April, 1794. Indeed, they were the oldest sur-
viving members of the society, with the sole exception of
Sir George Philips, Bart., who became a member in 1785.
Dr. Dalton had been president of this society since 1817.
In 1788, he commenced his " Meteorological Observa-
tions," which have been continued to the present time.
In 1793, he published a volume of " Meteorological Ob-
servations and Essays ;" a work which displays much
original thinking, and the germs of some of Dalton's
after discoveries. Some time afterwards he was appointed
to the situation of Professor of Mathematics and Natural
Philosophy in the New College, Mosley-street, Manches-
ter. He resided for about six years within this institu-
tion, with which Dr. Barnes was contemporaneously
connected as Theological Professor, and continued to hold
his office until the college was finally removed to York.
On withdrawing from the college, in the year 1799, Dal-
ton began to teach mathematics and natural philosophy,
at his own residence. The deceased was a member of
the Society of Friends. During the present week seve-
ral meetings have been held in Manchester with a view
to devise some public tribute to the memory of the de-
ceased.

SENTENCES ON THE PRISONERS FOR ARSON AT NOR,-
FOLK.—Mr. Baron Alderson said, they were called upon
to receive the punishment their particular offences re-
quired to be awarded for their several crimes. You,
Samuel Jacob, and you, Martin Turner, have been con-
victed of setting fire to your master's premises. You,
Edward Botwright, have been convicted upon two in-
dictments, charging you with setting fire to farming pre-
mises, and also with sending a threatening letter to Mr.
Robert Watling, threatening to kill him and fire his pre-
mises. You, Frederick Borley, were tried at the last
assizes, and escaped on a point of law ; but it has not
acted as a warning upon you. You, James Lankester,
have been going about the country in a state of vagrancy,
using inflaming language, and also with sending a threat-
ening letter to Mr. Robert Watling, threatening to kill
him, and fire his premises, and finishing your crime by
committing the act for which you have been tried. The
sentence of the court upon each and every one of you is,
that you be transported beyond the seas for the term of
your natural lives. You, Robert Hammond, have been
convicted upon two charges of arson, though not of the
same magnitude as those of the others. The sentence of
the Court is, therefore, upon you, that you be trans-
ported for the term of 20 years.—Mr. Justice Williams,
in sentencing James Macclesfield, said :—the circum-
stances attending your case, James Macclesfield, leave no
doubt that the motives which induced you to commit the
crime of which you are convicted were deliberated and
long-cherished revenge, and, in consequence, have in-
volved in ruin not only the farming property, but have
entailed a frightful loss of animal life. Without entering
into detail, no less than 200 unoffending animals fell vic-
tims to your crime. The sentence of the Court is, that
you be transported for life. The Judge, in sentencing
Isaac Everett and Layzell Randall, said: The devastation
occasioned by you, Everett, is little less than in the case
of the last prisoner ; for not only was farming property
to a great amount destroyed, but several cottages were
also burnt to the ground. The sentence of the Court is
that you, Isaac Everett, be transported for 20 years, and
you, Layzell Randall, for the term of 15 years.—James
Friend, for sending a letter to Mr. William Cockrell, was
sentenced to fifteen years' transportation. Robert Grim-
wade, for sending a threatening letter to Sir Joshua Row-
ley, was sentenced to ten years' transportation. Wit.
Liam Greengrass, for a similar offence, was sentenced to
two years' imprisonment and hard labour. George Davy
was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, and to be
twice whipped. John Woods to six months' imprison-
ment and once whipped, for setting fire to some furze
bushes and underwood.
THE DREADFUL NOTTINGHAM MURDERS.—At the
Nottingham Assizes, before Lord Denman, William
Saville, a frame-work knitter, of New Radford, was
charged with the wilful murder of his wife and three
children. The prisoner, in May last, was lodging at the
house of a man named Sutton, near Birch-row, Radford.
His wife and three children had been in the workhouse,
but had come out on the day before the Tuesday when
the crimes in question were alleged to have been commit-
ted. Saville had been paying some attentions to a young
woman of the name of Tate. and the only motive that
suggested itself for the commission of those awful mur-
ders was, that he wished to get his wife out of the way
and rid himself of the incumbrance of his children. It
appeared that when the poor woman left the workhouse
with her children she said she would go in search of her
husband and on the following morning the husband, wife,
and children were seen in Nottingham together. In the
afternoon of the same day he was seen alone, and was
heard to say he had lost sight of his wife near Manners-
street. With respect to the young woman Tate there was
nothing against her character, for when she became ac-
quainted with Saville she did not know he was married,
and upon finding he had a wife and three children she
broke off the connection. In the course of the Tuesday
evening, Saville was heard to say he supposed his wife
had drowned herself, and suspicion being excited inquiry
was set on foot, and on the Wednesday the bodies were
found in a little plantation, in the neighbourhood of Not-
tingham. From the appearance of the ground it was
evident there had been a struggle between the wife and
the prisoner ; In her hand was found a razor. The bodies
were discovered by a man on the 29th of May. He went
into the plantation to get something for his rabbits, where
he saw three little children, lying, as he thought, asleep—
one had its eyes open. Looking at the girls he saw them
wounded—further from them the body of the woman was
discovered with her throat dreadfully cut, and a razor in
her hand, but quite loose, so that it would appear to have
been placed there. The body of the woman was a few
yards from the children. She lay stretched, as though
dragged : the children lay together. There was a train of
blood nearly all the way from the female to the children.
The evidence went to prove the prisoner was seen near to
and going in the direction of the spot in question, with
his wife and children on the Tuesday ; that he was carry-
ing the youngest child on his shoulder, their ages being
about seven, five, and three, and that the bodies of the
murdered children were those that had been seen with the
prisoner. Two men named Bret saw the prisoner, his
wife, and children, sitting on a bank within twenty yards
of where the bodies were found. The children were
gathering flowers. Saw the same man some time after
come from the plantation alone—as be passed he looked
very white. Many witnesses were called, a.d altogether
a case of as strong circumstantial evidence was made out
as could well be. The jury almost immediately returned
a verdict of Guilty, whereupon he was sentenced to be
hanged.