The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-08-22 00:00:00

BODY OF A MAN FOUND.—On Saturday last, the body
of a man unknown was found on a sand bank in the river,
close to the Coburg Dock. He. had on blue trowers, vest,
and jacket, and a grey cravat, with tie shoes. He was
about five feet six inches in height, of dark complexion,
and apparently about 32 or 33 years of age.
DEATH BY ACCIDENT.—On Thursday evening Thos.
Sparks, 8 years old, residing with his parents in Napier-
street, Toxteth-park, was playing amongst some logs of
timber, upon a piece of waste ground in Northumberland-
street, when a spar on the top of it on which the deceased
was sitting astride, canted over, fell upon his leg, and
afterwards rolled on to his neck. Assistance was procured
but he was quite dead.
SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS.—There has been no
jou'rntal that has talked louder, or that has done more mis-
chief than the one I hold in my hand, which is the Liver-
pool Mercury. In all the discussions that have taken
place in this journal there has been gross inconsistency,
wilful blindness, producing intolerable ignorance, and very
great malignity throughout. (Hear, hear.)—Mr. Earle's
Speech in Council.
THE WEATHER.—We have again had a week of pre-
carious weather, with showers of considerable duration—
sunny forenoons on some days and rainy afternoons—
causing some uneasiness as regards the harvest in these
districts. Luckily the rains have not been very heavy,
and the wheat and oats have been but very slightly in-
jured hitherto. Yesterday morning we had again a down-
fall, wind, S.S.E. Much rain also fell during the day.
The wind was very high, blowing a hurricane almost—
more like the depth of winter than the middle of
August. Dry sunny weather is now desirable,
these crops being now nearly ripe. Some of both has
been already cut and secured. It is gratifying to learn
that, take the kingdom at large, the rain has not been so
prevalent during the present month, as in this locality,
and in the south the harvest is nearly completed. The
bakers have taken advantage of the weather to raise their
bread considerably in price, but this it is hoped will not
last long. The green crops generally look well. There
is still much talk about the potato blight ; but we have in
this town an abundant supply of the root, of excellent
quality, selling on Saturday at fild. to 7d. a score, of 211bs.
Miss EMILY GRANT.—This young lady appears by
our advertising columns to have resumed her professional
duties after her late sojourn in the Irish metropolis, al-
ways abounding with the best musical critics, who on this
oocasion appear to have vied in their acknowledgment of
her transcendant talents and qualifications as a distin-
guished artist, and exponent of every class of music, for
which there is now so much growing taste and aptitude
among the better classes, as will require more competent
professors than access can be had to out of London and
other more distant places, the abode of such masters as
Miss Grant had the opportunity of studying with, an ad-
vantage so, rarely to be met with in the general profession,
which accounts for the unanimous approbation bestowed
noon her. The following we extract from the Dublin
Evening Mail:—" Among the cantatrici of the age our
gifted countrywoman, Miss Grant, has taken an elevated
position; her clear gushing notes and sparkling soprano
voice, cultured into graceful cadenza, by Maestri, whose
celebrity is European, Crivelli, Bordogni, and Garcia,
having won her a reputation which increases with time.
Like Miss Hays, the prima donna of La Scala—Miss
Grant possessing an organ of extensive register, singularly
brilliant in the upper notes, has wafted to far-off shores
the ancient lyrical glory and minstrel fame of Ireland, and
the triumphs which have crowned her efforts as well as
the warm praises of so fastidious a critic as M. Jules kanin
fully attest, if such were necessary, the genius of this fas-
cinating artiste. In our eyes, her being a native of Ire-
land does not detract from her shining merits, and we
feel assured that our worthy fellow-citizens with wonted
kindness will extend their patronage to an artiste of rare
genius, adorned with every social and domestic virtue—
who has already achieved in a young career many an ova-
tion ; and, amid strangers, whether warbling some olden
lyric of Ireland, or, mayhap, an aria from Mozart or Au
ber, has won her many a wreath in the temple of song."

SIGNS OF THE TIMES.—EXORBITANT TAXATION.—
Nothing is more indicative of the still depressed state of
the times in this town, and the want of means amongst
families once affluent, and amongst others who erewhile
enjoyed a moderate competency—than the vast number of
houses, shops, and places of business, devoid of inhabi-
tants, and billed on the windows—" To be Let." There
is scarcely a street in any part of the town in which these
written or printed announcements do not meet the eye on
both sides ; in some parts at every second house, in others
in a still greater ratio ; while in others whole ranges of
dwellings are similarly ticketted. In some of the once
fashionable streets, such as St. Anne-street, large and
elegant houses, a few years ago the splendidly furnished
abodes of the opulent, frequently ringing with the noise
of festivity and glee, are now dismally silent and solitary,
with dirty and broken windows, and dilapidated walls.
The process of desertion of this and other fine streets,
has been going on for several years ; and the boards "To
be let or sold" appear to multiply. Several new proprie-
tors have struck out shops, not of the most elegant de-
scription, and in one instance, wherea " merchant prince"
was wont to entertain his guests, resides a pawnbroker
who has abutted his shop as far into the street as the
rails conferring the freehold will allow,—thus destroying
the contour and respectability of the street, against which
practice some law ought to be obtained ; for if the same
principle be followed by all the other proprietors, the
street would become virtually narrowed by 12 or 14 feet,
in defiance of all our boasted sanitory regulations as re-
gards outward space and circulation of air. Many fami-
lies have withdrawn from large and wholesome houses,
and huddled themselves into smaller tenements as
tenants, or even lodgers ; and amongst the middle
and humbler classes a corresponding retrograde move-
ment has very generally taken place. The question
arises, to what is this falling off to be attributed ?
It must be allowed that the facilities for migration to the
neighbouring country by rail, steam-boat, omnibus, &c.,
withdraw many of our " aristocracy," or gentry, from the
noisy precincts of the town, (after the counting-house
business of the day,) to the quieter and more healthy
retreats, large and small, of the vicinity,—Wavertree,
Woolton, Bootle, West Derby, &c., on this side the
water, and Wallasey, Birkenhead, Tranmere, and more
distant places, on the line of the Chester Railway, on the
Cheshire side. But the change of venue will by no means
account for half the defalcation of local residence, es-
pecially in the winter months. The depression of the
times, which affects both high and low, has more to do with
the desertion of good houses for inferior ones ; and per-
haps quite as much, the monstrous and growing pressure
of taxation, of which the assessed taxes, and the window
duties especially, form a heavy and unpopular item. The
local taxes, too, are swelling out to such an exorbitant
amount, partly from the number of poor, to the support
of whom, in natives, and others congregating from distant
parts in search of work, and many of them becoming
destitute ; and partly from extravagant and sometimes use-
less works persisted in by our local authorities,—so that
he is a bold man, or must be possessed of good store of
cash, who will encounter one of the fine houses in ques-
tion, with the outlay required to furnish and maintain
such an establishment, half of which (with the rent)
would provide a palatial mansion some ten or fifteen miles
from the town, with a considerable farm and a good
garden and pleasure grounds.
THE CHINESE COLLECTION.—We do not remember
any place of public resort which has attracted more
general attention, and, we may add, afforded greater
gratification to visitors than this extensive and truly
splendid collection—extraordinary in itself, and correctly
illustrative of an extraordinary people, in their physical
appearance, their government, their customs, their religion,
their arts, sciences, and general pursuits. Though the
Chinese widely differ, in nearly all the departments of
social life, from the European and other branches or
tribes of the human family, and for ages have been little
more than heard of as an exclusive and distinct race,
recent events have opened out a field for more intimate
observation of their character and attainments than was be-
fore afforded by the casual and generally unwelcome sojourn
of foreigners amongst them; and thanks to the industry, re-
search, and liberal expenditure of the collector and curator
of the curiosities and specimens here brought together, we
now almost at a glance become initiated in all the myste-
ries and peculiarities of Chinese life, and that too far more
accurately than a world of reading could supply. The vi-
sitor will be greatly assisted by referring to a copious
pamphlet, which is sold for a comparatively small sum at
the door, and which not only comprises a full description
of all the figures, works of art, &c., that are exhibited,
but furnishes historical and statistical accounts of the
country, drawn from personal observation of some
years' duration, and from other authentic sources. From
the multiplicity of objects that attract attention, and
almost bewilder the beholder, we can enumerate only
a few. The Buddhist Temple and Collossal Idols (page
18) are sad monuments of the false worship of the people,
who in many other respects have advanced far in the arts
of civilised life, and, in some mechanical and decorative
departments, excel nations much more civilised. The in-
troduction of Christianity amongst them, (of which some
hopes are now entertained through intercourse and com-
merce), would be a grand means of advancing them in the
scale of humanity, for which the mere morality of Con-
fucius and others is inadequate. Case 20 (page 83) is well
worthy of inspection. Case 2 (page 25) presents an inte-
resting group ;—a priest of Fuh, &c., and, in the centre,
a figure of a gentleman in full mourning. Grouped with
other figures in another case stands a literary gentleman,
for literature is liberally encouraged. In case 4 (page 34) is a
group of Chinese ladies, attired in costly robes. Some of the
facesare pretty, and the aspect joyous We cannot admire
their cramped and deformed feet. The hands are peculiarly
small, with the fingers so attenuated that they have a
corpse-like appearance. Some of the compartments con-
tain fine specimens of silk and other manufactures, richly
wrought ; others represent shops with the vendors and
purchasers. Case 5 (page 37) represents a gorgeously-
dressed tragedian, surrounded by a number of juvenile
actors, apparently receiving lessons in the histrionic art.
The temple at the west end of the room, containing a num-
ber of figures, is illustrative of ceremony in high life.
Case No. 9 is interesting, as is 12, filled with beautiful por-
celain. There are numerous oil paintings and water-colour
drawings, by native artists. Amongst the former " The
Marriage Procession," (No. 1239,) attracts much attention.
But we have not space further to particularise. The saloon
is brilliantly lighted in the evenings by gas from a variety
of beautiful and elaborately-fashioned and decorated
Chinese lanterns, round the bases of which figures of all
kinds move in procession, the motive power being, we
believe, on the principle of the smoke-jack. The junks,
large and small, are examined with much interest. There
is an excellent Sax-horn and cornopean band, led by Mr.
Blight, playing choice airs and pieces ever and anon : we
have never, indeed, heard one more perfect in harmony,
or more expert in execution. We need but add that the
scene is daily crowded by fashionable parties, who enjoy
the promenade, or rest on the numerous seats around,
inspecting the numerous figures and articles that enrich
the great hall. There is at present a good-looking young
Chinaman in the costume of his country. He converses
fluently in English, and appears to possess no inconsider-
able amount of intelligence.