The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-11-07 00:00:00

MURDER IN HEREFORDSHIRE.—On Friday, at BriHey,.
a wretched drunkard, named Whitford, murdered his
wife. He was partially intoxicated, and on attempting to
go out to obtain more liquor, and finding that his wife
had locked the door, he suddenly seized a heavy piece of
wood and beat out her brains by repeated blows. The
murderer was secured the next day.
SUICIDE OF CAPT. SWINEY, OF THE 63D REGIMENT.
—On Saturday this unfortunate gentleman destroyed
himself in his apartment, No. 8, Cecil-street, Strand,
London. He had for a long time past been given to acts
of excessive intemperance, which had brought on delirium
tremens. The deceased was found lying on 'Ate floor with
a severe wound in his side. A regimental sword was
lying by him, the point of which was covered with blood.
To have effected his object he must have placed the
handle of the sword on the ground, and forced himself
forward upon its point.
On the 18th ult. a corpse was found near a hedge in the
vicinity of Halstead, not far from Seven Oaks : it was
that of a female about forty years of age ; life appeared to
have been extinct not more than twenty-four hours. The
head, face, neck, and shoulders were a mass of wounds
and bruises; on the ground were several pieces of blood,
and the condition of the spot showed that the poor woman
had struggled strongly for life. She appeared to have
been slaughtered by blows from flints and kicks from
nailed boots. The object of the crime seems to have
been plunder only ; the woman's pockets had been rifled.
She was on her return from hop-picking. A coroner's
jury nave met twice, but the inquiry is adjourned. It is
suspected that a man with whom the woman cohabited is
her assassin.

SUMMARY PUNISHMENT.—Last week the neighbour-
hood of the Pinfold-gate, Loughborough, was thrown
into a state of great excitement, by a report that a person
living there bed conducted himself in a most indecent
manner towards his own daughter, a young woman 16
years of age. Proof, it is said, being obtained by the
neighbours of the fact, they determined upon summary
punishment. He was accordingly seized and well
drenched at a pump. 1 hey then procured a hand cart,
in which they conveyed him to the canal, and threw him
in. He crossed the water, and was getting out on the

other side, when two boatmen who had become ac-
quainted with the offence seized him, resolved to give
him another ducking, and threw him with main force
again into the water, and was some time before he could
make his escape, half drowned.—Leicester Journal
THE PRISON V. THE WORKHOUSE.—On Saturday last,
a female pauper was taken before the Lord Mayor of
London charged with violently assaulting an assistant
relieving officer. The charge havin2, been proved, the
complainant said :—There is no such thing as standing
the violence of the paupers now. They are worse than
ever they woe known to be formerly.—The Lord Mayor ;
Prisoner, what do you mean by these desperate attacks
upon this man, who has never done you any injury ?
Prisoner : I don't know, I am sure, but I'll pitch into
him wherever I see him. I like it.—The Lord Mayor:
You must find bail to act peaceably for three months
before 'you make your next attack, at any rate.—Corn-
mitted.—The Lord Mayor: It is quite ridiculous to sup-
pose that while there is better food to be found in a
prison than in a union the poor will prefer the latter.
That such a state of things should be is a monstrous
anomaly.
A DANGEROUS MISTAKE.—On Monday last a collier,
working in the Pentrefelen pit, near Llangafelach, nearly
met his death under the following sinaular circumstances.
He had brought with him a supply of food for his meals
—among other things a pot of good strong tea—that
plant " which cheers but not inebriates." In a similar
pot he had with him a more dangerous companion, a
pound and a half of powder—not the tea called gun-
powder—but good rock powder, used for blasting pur-
poses. At the usual hour for the meal the canny man
took up the pot and set it on the fire. It was the pot of
powder, not tea. The result may easily be imagined—
an explosion, which burnt the man and a boy, and five
who were at the time in a shed near the works with him.
Fortunately the injuries received by the sufferers, though
severe, are not such as to endanger their lives—a circum-
stance which they owe, in great part, to the shed being
open, and the roof, we believe, partly uncovered.— Welch-
man.

A BRAVE LASS.—On Sunday se'nnight, a family
named Outlaw, living at the Round House on the turn-
pike road between Bury and Newmarket, went to Gazeley
Church in the afternoon, leaving at home a daughter,
who, about four o'clock, locked the door and went to
meet her parents. On their return, they found the cham-
ber window and door open, and, on going up stairs a man
jump...d out of the window ; he had opened a bureau, but
had taken nothing from it. The daughter immediately
gave him chase, and in spite of his threats that he would
do for her if she did not leave him, she continued the
pursuit for full two miles, till she met with two gentle-
men, who assisted ber, and took the fellow into custody.
On the following day he was brought before the magis-
trates at Bury, and sentenced to three months' imprison-
ment; the magistrates complimenting the girl on her cou-
rage, and telling her she had done more than many of the
police would have done, and that she would make an ex-
cellent member of the force !—Norwich Post.

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE.—On Tuesday night the
domestics of the Hon. Colonel Begot, of Eaton-square,
London, were retiring for the night, it occurred to one
of them that the top of a cistern, used for supplying the
nursery, which fastens level with the floor, was not so
tight down as it should be, and she raised the flap for the
purpose of forcing it down closer.. She was than horri-
fied at observing Emma Radwell, the housemaid, crouched
down in a sitting posture under the water, and quite dead.
The most unaccountable part of the sad story is the small
dimensions of the cistern, which has only an opening of
about 18 inches square, and so shallow that it was not
supposed capable of holding a human being, an I had there
been any means for pulling the top down inside, taking
this to be a case of suicide, there is no human probability
of the body being discovered until decomposition took
place. No reason can yet be assigned for this strange
affair, except some expressions the deceased let fall, that
she feared she should not do her work to satisfy her mis-
tress.

THE MAN WITH MANY WlVES.—Btainall, or Beau-
mont, the surgeon, was brought up again on Wednesday,
at the Mansion House, London, charged with having
married several young women, all of whom are now
living. Elizabeth Tinley stated, that she was married
to the prisoner on the 25th of March, 1843. He stated
to her that his name was Henry Edward Beaumont, and
five months after the marriage he went to sea. Emily
Georgiana Rose, whose affections the prisoner had gained
on the passage to India in the vessel in which he was
acting as surgeon and she was a passenger, was the
next witness called. The poor young creature was an
object of great and general commiseration. She has not

yet attained her 16tb year, and upon being called upon
according to the customary form to say whether she knew
the prisoner, she was quite overpowered by her feelings,
and sobbed and wept bitterly. It was well that she had
but to answer a question or two. She stated that she
was now in Sussex, living with her friends, and that she
had been married to the prisoner at the Old Church in
Fort William, Bengal, on the 30th of October, 1847, and
had lived with him afterwards as his wife. Anna Amelia
Bland, who was supported to the chair in the witness-
box, and appeared to be in extreme affliction, gave evi-
dence as to her marriage with the prisoner on the 30th of

September, 1848, and stated that she had lived with him
till the Saturday on which he was apprehended. Mr.
Coach, a gentleman of well-known respectability in the
city, stated that he was brother to Rebecca Coach, the
prisoner's first wife. She was now living with her parents
at Liskeard. The prisoner left her in 1842. The witness
here produced the letter which the prisoner had written to
his wife upon his departure, excusing himself for the ab-
sence of a day or two. Several other cases can be sub-
stantiated against the prisoner. The prisoner passed as a
surgeon, and was possessed of a certificate, which be-
longed to another person, whose name he erased by a
chemical process. for the purpose of substituting his own.
It is expected that the Apothecaries Company will prose-
cute him for this offence, as transportation for seven
years is the heaviest punishment for all his matrimonial
offences.

BRISTOL A FREE PORT.—By an act passed during the
last session of Parliament the docks of Bristol were trans-
ferred from the hands of a private company to those of
the municipal corporation, with power to reduce the' ates
on vessels and goods, and to levy a borough rate not ex-
ceeding 4d. in the pound per annum on the rateable pro-
perty of the borough in aid of such reductions. At a
special meeting of the Town Council of Bristol, which was
held on Monday last, on the recommendation of the
Docks Committee the following reductions, amounting in
all to about £12,000 per annum, were unanimously re-
solved upon, and to take effect on and after the Ist of
November instant:—The* tonnage rates on vessels tra-
ding from Africa, Honduras, Surinam, and other ports in
South America, the United States of America, East and
West Indies, all the ports within the Straits of Gibraltar
and the southern whale fishery, reduced from 3s. to Is. ;
on vessels trading from the British colonies, Portugal,
Prussia, Russia, Spain without the Straits, and Sweden,
from 2s. to Is. ; on vessels from Flanders, France without
the Straits, Germany, Guernsey, Holland, Jersey, Nor-
way, Poland, and Zealand, from Is. to 6d. per ton ; on all
vessels trading from Ireland from Bd. to 4d. per ton; and
and on coasters from 6d. to 4d., except vessels from Car-
diff, Newport, and other ports to the eastward of the
Holmes, which are only charged at rates varying from ss.
to 21s. per vessel per voyage. The dock rates on goods
were entirely abolished on about 500 out of 600 articles
contained in the schedule ; and amongst other articles
which may now be imported into Bristol entirely free of
dock dues are the important ones of corn, flour, meal,
rice, and other provisions ; cotton, wool, yarn, &c. At
the same meeting the Master of the Society of Merchants,
Mn G. W. Franklyn (who is also a member of the Town
Council), announced the determination of that body to
abolish the wharfage dues (which the Society of Mer-
chants hold under lease from the corporation) on all
exports ; also on Irish goods imported ; thereby placing
the Irish trade on the same footing as the coasting
trade, and that the rates on all goods of foreign impor-
tation shoud be reduced throughout, the maximum not
to exceed 6d. per ton on any article. Bristol is there-
fore now an entirely free port for exports, there being
neither dock, wharfage, or any other port charge on
exports, either on vessels or goods, and inwards the
dock dues on shipping are low. Wednesday last be-
ing the day when these reductions came into operation,
all the shipping in the port was decorated with the flags
of all nations, and they had guns firing, bell ringing,
and other popular demonstrations; and Monday, the 13th
instant, being the day which has been kept as a holiday
for many years past, in commemoration of the celebrated
Edward Colston, one of Bristol's former munificent mer-
iciloiastei tbs and df
obr eonl eoftabci toogr sa,
nwd hood founded
aabnodo
te nBdoo wpeodo
ra pbuo by
s-
in his native city fur ever, and many other public chari-
ties, will this year be doubly honoured by a public pro-
cession of the trades, and be observed throughout the city
as a general holyday to celebrate this most important
event in the annals of Bristol—the day from which it is an-
ticipated she will date the restoration of her trade.

The Gazette of Tuesday contains a series of further
regulations for the general promotion of the public health,
and the prevention of cholera. They affect every portion
of Great Britain. They have reference to the cleansing
of highways and public thoroughfares, the removal of
nuisances, the cleansing of the dwellings of the poor, the
previdinc, by guardians of the poor of medicines, medical
aid, and accommodation to poor persons afflicted with
cholera ; and to various other matters.
CONSECRATION OF THE SABBATII.—It will be remem-
bered by many of our readers that towards the close of
last year a Christian gentleman offered. three prizes of
£25, £l5, and £lO, for the three best essays, to be writ-
ten by working men, upon the "Temporal advantage of
the Sabbath to Working Men." • In the short space of
two months, upwards of 950 essays were received, many
of them so remarkable for the talent exhibited that it was
decided that the number of prizes sliou!d be increased
from three to fifty-three, to be provided by the liberality
of British Christians. Many of these additional' prizes
have already been offered.

THE CROPS IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.—We have
received from a very intelligent and experienced,corre-
spondent in the North of England, who is practically con-
versant with the agriculture of the district, soma important
particulars as to the yield of the late crops. The pota-
toes have suffered materially : old pink eyes are nearly all
bad, and three parts out of five of the Yorkshire red are
useless. The corn has suffered much in consequence of
the extremely wet weather. Some of the farmers made
hay while the sun shone, but many of them will be great
sufferers. One near Barnard Castle, Durham, has twenty
acres of wheat to cut yet, and another is engaged in cart-
ing nearly the same quantity of peas into the told yards
for manure. A great proportion of the barley is yet out,
and some oats. Red Wheat is selling at Barnard Castle
at 525. to 565. Potatoes, in consequence of the disease,
are being hurried into the market at per bushel, but
they are expected to advance to a much higher price.
THE LATE MAJOR CHIPCHASE.—ThS gallant officer.
whose decease we announced in our last, for some years
past held the appointment of Barrack-master at Windsor.
He was formerly one of the noble Commander-in-Chief's
confidential officers, and throughout his career was actively
employed. He served in the Peninsular in the 61st Foot,
from 1809 to the end of 1812, including the battle of
Busaco, pursuit of Massena, investment and capture of
the fort of Almeida, the battle of Fuentes Donor, the
actions of El Bodon Guinaldo, and the siege and capture
of the forts of Salamanca. In the latter action he was
severely wounded. That the Duke of Wellington had a
high opinion of the character, military and otherwise, of
Major Chipchase, may be gathered from the fact of his
having entrusted him with a mission which, in fact, in-
volved the safety of the whole of Europe. It may be
recollected Cast, for some days previous to the battle of
Salamanca, both Generals were continually watching►
their respective movements, each being ready to take ad.
vantage of the first blunder committed. The French
Generals Massena and Joseph Bonaparte, at length made
a movement in the wrong direction, and the duke com-
menced his successful attack. Had Major Chipchase been
either unfaithful or careless, the result might have been
different.

FALL OF MR. WILSON'S SUGAR-ROUSE, GLASGOW—
SERIOUS Loss OF LIFE.—We published the following,
extract from a letter dated Glasgow, Oct. 30th, in
the second edition of the STANDARD of Tuesday last :
" A very melancholy accident happened this morning at
seven o'clock : the falling down of the whole of Mr.
"Wilson's sugar-house, Alston-street, in one instant. It
is certain that there were 32 men on the premises at the
time, but doubts are entertained whether three or four
other individuals were not buried in the ruins. At
nine a.m. four were got out : one dead, three very
badly bruised, and not expected to recover. During the
day five more were exhumed : two dead, the others
more or less injured. Since 5 p.m. one got out, with only
the flesh torn from one leg, and able to walk home. The
cries and moans of many others are heard—two of them
so near and unhurt, that wine has been conveyed to them
through a small aperture. At least twenty are yet to be
sought out ; the greater part, it is feared, have perished.
The affair happened so instantly that three could not be
counted till all was down. Verily, in the midst of life we
are in death." Since this was published several other
persons have been dug out. The lower part of the build-
ing presents a mass of stone blocks, ponderous beams,
iron pillars, planking, sugar pans, and machinery firmly
jammed amongst each other, for not nearly all the ruins
are yet removed. Altogether 17 bodies have been dug
out, 12 of whom were dead. The property destroyed is
valued at £15,000. _ _ _

CURIOUS CASE.—In the course of last week a female
who calls herself Mary Kean or Hunter, and describes
'herself as a native of Dumfries, and respectably con-
fleeted there, came from Liverpool by one of the steamers.
In the same vessel was another female, residing in Gor-
bals, with whom Hunter entered into conversation, and
told a plausible story as to her object in visiting Glasgow.
The result wag, that Hunter was offered for the present
the shelter of the other's house, in wl.ich Hunter's
chest was deposited. A day or two afterwards, the lady
Hunter gave information to the criminal police at the
central-office, that her chest had been robbed, and a
quantity of wearing apparel, besides some money, stolen.
The story seemed plausible, and the officers consequently
made a search among the pawnbroking offices; and hav-
ing succeeded in recovering part of the property, the
parties in Gorbals were apprehended and charged with
the theft before the Gorbals police-court. From certain
circumstances, however, which transpired, the case was
continued for further investigation. In the meantime,
by the activity of Patrick, of the southern criminal de-
partment, it was discovered that the plausible Mrs. Hun-
ter was herself the party who had sent the articles to the
pawnshop!—that the parties charged were innocent of
the knowledge even oE the contents of the trunk, and the
party who had carried part of the articles to be pawned,
had done so at the desire of Hunter herself. In these
circumstances, the much wronged and robbed lady was
sentenced to 30 day's imprisonment, on a charge of wilful
imposition.—Giasgow Citizen.

A meeting of the friends of peace was held on Tuesday,
at Exeter Hall, to receive M. Visschers, Councillor to the
Belgian Government ; M. Francisque Bouvet, Member
of the French National Assembly ; the Baron Suringar,
of Holland ; Elihu Burritt, Esq., of the United States;
and Wm. Ewart, Esq., M.P., occupied the chair. The
vast hall was crowded in every corner. A French Na-
tional Guard, who had taken his seat on a back bench,
was, on being perceived by the meeting, loudly welcomed
forward to a chair on the first rank of the platform, and
there again enthusiastically cheered. Mr. Scoble detailed
the proceedings of the peace Congress at Brussels, and
read the resolutions which the Congress had unanimously
adopted, inculcating upon all Governments the propriety,
the essential necessity, of conducting their administration
upon principles of universal peace and harmony. Mr.
Scoble eulogised in the highest terms the courteous, the
deeply sympathising manner in which the deputation
that, on the previous day, had waited on Lord J. Russell,
had been received by the noble lord, who had expressed
his gratification at the late Congress as an efficient means
towards the object which he, in common with the Con-
gress, had warmly at heart—the maintenance of peace
throughout the world. The resolutions were moved,
seconded, and supported by Mr. W. Bowley, of Glouces-
ter, Dr. Bowring, M. Visschers, W. Ewart, Esq., Elihu,
Burritt, G. W. Alexander, Esq., the Rev. J. Burnet, M.
Jousselin, the French National Guard before alluded to,
the Rev. T. Spencer, Mr. Joseph Sturge, the Rev. Dr.
Burn, Mr. Clapp, and Mr. D.W. Wire.

On Wednesiay, Spencer Lindfield, 66, widow, and
Mary Anne Dryden, were indicted as principals for the
murder of Eliza Wilson, by using an instrument for the
purpose of abortion ; and Richard Orpin, aged 35, car-
Tenter, was indicted as an accessory before the fact.
he deposition of the dying girl spoke to the fact that
Orpin was father of the child, and that by his advice she
went to the other prisoners, the former of whom used
an instrument three times, after which she became
seriously ill, and subsequently she died. A surgeon spoke
positively as to death having been caused by injuries
received from the instrument in question, which was pro-
duced on the trial; but, on cross-examination, admitted
that in some cases the use of such instruments was ne-
cessary to give relief, and the injury might have been
accidental. Mr. Parry, who appeared for Orpin, declined
addressing the jury, as there was little or nothing against
his client. Dryden had nothing more to say than what
she had admitted before the magistrate, that she had
given the deceased some medicine, which she believed to
be " fine things" for the stomach. Mr. Ballantine urged
that little dependence could be placed upon the dying
statement of the girl: and the jury. after a short de-
liberation, actually returned a verdict of •` not guilty."
Judge Maule, who tried the case, was obliged to leave the
court from illness, but the Recorder addressed the
prisoners, telling them,—" They had had the benefit of
an impartial inquiry, and the jury had, fortunately for
them, returned a verdict of not guilty. He bad read all
the depositions, and it was quite clear that they had been
in the habit of giving medical advice under very critical
and suspicious circumstances, and he hoped they would
take warning by the present transaction.
STATE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE THIRD QUAR-
TER OF 1848.—We take the following extracts from the
return, just received, of the mortality, &c., in 117 districts
of England, in the quarter ending September 30, 1848 :
"The mortality in the quarter is below the average.
Only 43.445 deaths were registered ; which is less by 6,034
than the 49.479 deaths registered in the corresponding
recollected,
ir wasst
quarter low in
registeredquarter
lnB4t
h 7
e;
Septemberand 7,960 less
quarter than
osf 11,48(4156: theT numberhe mor-
tality
of 1846; a slight increase took place in the spring quarter
of 1846 ; in the summer a great mortality broke out, and
continued through the autumn, as well as the whole of the
the thorefe the
years country,i it should
18d in
1845, and
an
year 1847, until influenza raged epidemically at the close
of the year 1847, and was then and in the winter of 1848
fatal to thousands. A remarkable improvement was ap-
parent in the spring of the year 1841, and was still more
obvious in the summer quarter. While the deaths in the
summers of 1846 and 1847 were 8,660 and 5,986 above,
the deaths in the summer of 1848 were 809 below the
corrected average. * * The improvement in the public
health is considerable in all the divisions except London.
The deaths in the districts of Lancashire and Cheshire, in
the September quarters of 1846, 1847, and 1848, were
15,221, 17,080, and 11,720. In the same years the deaths
in the districts of Yorkshire were 5,708, 4,708, and 4,404;
in the northern districts, 2.988, 2,291, and 1,812; in the
north midland districts, 1,902, 1,604, and 1,369; in the
western, including the iron districts, 6,276, 5,041, and
4,755. * * A few cases of common cholera are referred
to in the Lancashire districts. The population of some
parts, like Hulme, has probably diminished ; in others it
has increased slowly ; and the Irish immigration into Lan-
cashire appears now to have ceased, or to excite no re-
mark. But the health of the Lancashire people has un-
questionably been better during the summerf# 1848 than
in that of 1846; after allowing for the eration Of PER
those changes which reduce the deaths 7. 4,04 imply- 1
ing a diminution of the rate of mortality-J.-that-is', of the •
proportion the deaths bear to the population during a
given time. .
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