The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-06-10 00:00:00

CALIFORNIA.

A correspondent of the Morning Chronicle, writing
from San Francisco, gives the following description of the
social state of California This country has been the
scene of great excitement during the last month, origin-
ating in the number of murders, assaults, and robberies
that have recently been committed. Highway robbery
and " cattle lifting are carried on as " wholesale" and as
common as they were in Scotland in the days of Rob
Rov. Ranches or farms everywhere are attacked, rifled
of all available means, and deprived of their horses and
cattle by gangs of robbers. Cut-throats parade the fre-
quented passes watching for their prey ; and our very
cities and towns are plundered right and left. The most
cold-blooded murders are of frequent occurrence ; but
the day of revenge has arrived. In this and many other
parts of the country, immense mob meetings Lave been held
to consider the propriety of bringing the accused in all cases
to immediate trial, instead of abiding the delay of the law
courts, and allowing criminals to go at large on giving bail.
The cry is, away with statute and common law—away with
corrupt courts and packed juries—down with our filching
' city fathers' and bribed officials, and three cheers for Judge
Lynch. In San Jose the capital, and in Sacramento and
other places mob law was carried into execu' ion before
our houses of legislature and the city officials. The mob
compelled the authorities to hand over the accused to be
tried by them—juries were chosen, counsel were appointed
and the cases tried. If found guilty, sentence is executed
within half-an-hour of conviction. If to be hung, the
criminal is strung up in the most conspicuous part, where
the body is ordered to remain for twenty-four hours, a
fearful warning to the assassin and the robber. Here, as
iniother places, the mob was led by the leading merchants
and most influential citizens, but the city authorities re-
fused to yield to the populace. There was, however, no
rash act in consequence. They merely took firm stand
to see justice done and speedily exocated, and to watch
over the law courts and city authorities with a jealous eye.
The demonstrations will do good, though they were only
to teach the courts and authorities that life and property
must be protected, in order that Lynch-law may be
avoided."

With regard to the mines the same writer says :—" The
news from the mines has recently been of a very encou-
raging nature. New mines continue to be discovered,
and larger lumps found. One of the last discovered
mines was lately sold for 130,000 dollars. On the beds of
the rivers and streams the miners are particularly success-
ful. Should the season continue dry, they will be able to
work the beds of the river without damming, (which will
be a great saving,) to great advantage. A new feature
in the business of gold mining has lately been introduced
in the shape of dredging machines, which are used on the
rivers where the water is too deep to procure the earth
from the bottom by other means. Two small steamers
have been engaged for a short time past in dredgirg the
bed of the Yaba river. The results of the first efforts
which were made are reported as quite satisfactory, and
have induced others to enter into similar speculations. I
understand it is proposed to get up mining companies in
England to work the quartz mines of California, and that
several large lumps of gold bearing the quartz have been
sent home as specimens."

Mr. Halliday, builder, Kirkcudbright, had a swarm of
bees from one of his hives, on Monday, the 26th ult.
It is said there are 400,000 feathers upon the wing of a
silkworm moth.
It is said that the London and North-Western Railway
have already issued 36,000 tickets for Exhibition visitors
for this week.
" As THE OLD COCK CROWS THE YOUNG ONE
LEARNS."—.Not always. One of the sons of Mr. Mal-
thus has a wife and fourteen children !
THE " GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE."— Mr. William
Burk, who, when the admiral's flag was carried away by
the enemy's shot, recovered it during the action, and
planted it on the broken stump of the mast, still survives.
The gallant veteran resides at Stonehouse, near Plymouth,
and is in his 82nd year.—United Service Gazette.
EARTHQUAKES IN MAJORCA.—We find, in the Paris
journals, of Friday, the following :—" Some rather violent
shocks of earthquake were felt in the night of the 14th
ult. at Palma, Majorca. The atmosphere was observed to
be very heavy throughout the day, with occasional flashes
of lightning. Towards night there was a heavy peal of
thunder, after which several shocks of earthquake, each
of which lasted from four to five seconds, were felt. A.
number of the houses were more or less injured, and seve-
ral steeples of churches were thrown down. At Soller
and Valdemosa the shocks were felt more violently, and
much mischief was done. The account makes no mention
of any loss of life, with the exception of one man, who
appears to have died from fright a quarter of an hour after
the shocks had terminated,"
PENDLE-HILL, LANCASHIRE.—On Pemlle-hill,
Clithe-
roe, stands Malkin Tower, that in 1633 was much cele-
brated as being the resort of witches ; and at one time
seventeen poor wretches were condemned for having held
meetings there with the devil, though upon subsequent
scrutiny the verdict was set aside, and they had the good
fortune to escape the hangman's clutches. A witness
swore h saw them go into a barn and pull at six lopes,
down which fell smoking flesh, butter in lumps and milk
as it were flying from the said ropes, all falling into six ba-
sins pieced beneath. On the top of this hill, which is ex-
tensive and somewhat fenney, stand two large cairns
about a mile distant from each other. Pennant conjec-
tures that they were the ruins of some ancient speculce, or
beacon-towers erected by Agricola after the conquest of
the country.—The Book of the Months.
THE ANTIQUITY OF THE STOCKS.—The time when
stocks were first used in England does not appear ; but :in
the second Statute of Labourers, 25 Edward 111., A.D.
1350, in the octave of the Purification, it is enacted, that
refractory artificers shall be put in the stocks by the
lords, stewards, bailiffs, or constables of the town where
their offence has been committed within three days, or
sent to the next gaol, there to justify themselves ; and
that stocks be made in every town for such occasion be-
tween that time and the feast of Pentecost. In 1376 the
commons prayed the king for their establishment in every
village. In " King Lear," act ii , scene 2, Shakspeare
has introduced the stocks upon the stage. Farmer, com-
menting upon the passage, says—" It should be remem-
bered that formerly in great houses, as still in some col-
leges, there were moveable stocks for the correction of the
servants." The last pair of stocks seen in London re-
mained till within these few years in Portugal-street, Lin-
coln s-inn-fields. A whipping-post usually adjoined the
stocks.

QUAKER PERSECUTORS.—" Friends" often claim for
themselves credit for being free from the sin of persecution;
and therefore it is that I relate this, my experience, of
their tender mercies. Sad stories have been told me of
the misery and destitution which " Friends" have unpity-
ingly caused to others who have offended them. One
young man, for "neglecting to bear his testimony against
an hireling ministry, by saffering himself to be joined in
marriage by a priest," was deprived of property amounting
to fifteen thousand pounds. Another for the same un-
pardonable offence, died for want of proper food and clo-
thing, whilst his parents rolled to meeting in their carriage.
think it was O'Connell who said, " that one fact was
worth a cart-load of arguments." Ido not feel at all
competent to argue; but I can supply an abundant store
more of facts, if those I have already narrated are not con-
sidered sufficiently demonstrative of my assertion, that
Quakers, as a sect, are unrivalled in their vindictive per-
secution of those, who once belonging to their body, have
dared to separate, either from conscience sake, or from
any other motive.—Quakerism, by a Female Member of
the Society for forty years.
MAKING TEA.—Dr. Lardner, in his treatise on tea,
remarks that vessels intended to contain a liquid at a
higher temperature than the surrounding medium, and
to keep that liquid as long as possible at the higher tem-
perature, should be constructed of materials which are
the worst radiators of heat. The tea-urns and tea-pots
are best adapted for their purpose when constructed of
polished metal, and worse when constructed of black
porcelain. A black porcelain tea-pot is tLe worst con-
ceivable material for that vessel, for both its materials
and colour are good radiators of heat, and the liquid con-
tained in it cools with the greatest possible rapidity. On
the other hand, a bright metal tea-pot is best adapted for
the purpose, because it is the worst radiator of heat, and
therefore cools as slowly as possible. A polished silver
or brass tea-urn is better adapted to retain the heat of
the water than one of a dull brown colour, such as is
commonly used. A tin kettle retains the heat of water
boiled in it more effectually, if it be kept clean and
polished, than if it be allowed to collect the smoke and
soot, to which it is exposed from the action of the fire.
When coated with this, its surface becomes rough or
black, and is a powerful radiator of heat.
THE " PUBLIC VISIBLE" AND " Ilvv-rsinLE".—/ have
lived long enough to find out that there are two Publics—
a Public invisible, with " airy tongues that syllable men's
names," much quoted in newspapers, much referred to
by members of Parliament,—and another Public that is
visible and tangible, that we meet in street and club, in
market and shop ; and I cannot say I find this latter
Public of the same mind as that first-mentioned and
mythical Public, with which neither you nor I, nor any
creature of flesh or blood, ever comes into positive con-
tact. I have as wide a range of acquaintance as most
people, amongst all ranks and all classes; and whether I
talk with the statesman, the man of the world, the ab-
struse thinker whose task it is to master these topics, or
with the merchant, the man of business, and theintelli-
gent tradesman, I find a very large propoi iion who are in
favour, certainly not of prohibitory duties, not of a rever-
sal of the general policy involved in our tariffs, but of a
moderate fixed duty upon foreign grain. And moreover,
amongst those not in favour of attempting such a modifi-
cation of the law, I find at least half who are far fi•om
disliking the notion of that said fixed duty in itself,—far
from doubting its beneficial effects, if it could be carried ;
but who merely doubt whether that animula ragula, that
incorpoyeal essence, the other Public, will be disposed to
accept it.
And, though it may seem strange to persons
yl poblio and
might
less acquainted with the inconsistencies of mankind than
it has been my professional lot, as a writer, to make my-
self, I positively aver, that among those who, thus seen
in the
ca streets
talkedso
fwavitolriint,trlafinnqduinl
onosomkusi,l eniuthme: favour a fixed duty altogether, or wish the other meta-
phsi
ber of the very men who enjoy, by votes in Parliament or
paragraphs in print, the reputation of being " sensible
and enlightened," and go the whole loaf with Mr. Cob-
den ! The Corn-law settled ! No ! Free-traders and
Protectionists alike feel in their heart of hearts that it is
not settled; that it is not in the power of this Parliament
to settle it. Many large portions of the constituent body,
many agriculturists themselves, were induced, by the
calculations of great authorities, to consent to what was
called an experiment. Those calculations have been
tested ; and it is now not on the speculative probabilities,
but on the experiment itself, that the agriculturists at least
to decide on the nature of its fulfilment. "It is one
wdeitshirefatoithpaisns tthheeirporapnpihieocny. Ttlht There hasma sbt e
be Pa
rliament
with aa
Parliament
thing," said the shrewd Arab, " to believe the assurance
of Mehemet that he can move a mountain, and another
thing to say before the kadi that the mountain has been
removed,",—Sir 13tatver'$ ,Lettfrf.