The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-06-27 00:00:00

the parish of Kentisbeare, a farmer hearing the sounds of

dtidk. as if in distre

in his farm-yard, went out to

discover the cause, when he saw a duck which bad been
sitting on some begs, with a large rat, apparently hanging

Unwilling the duck

should sustain injury, heat

first thought his presence, and the noise he made for this
purpose, would cause the rat to quit his prey, but finding
this was not the case, and that the animal still retained its
hold, he struck it with a stick, and with such sure aim and
effect that he broke its back, and killed it. Still, how-

ever, it appeared to hold out, and the duck continued the
appeals for assistance, when going up to it, and lifting both
duck and rat from the ground, he found the rat had made

its attack with such strength and fierceness that it had

perforated the duck's bill with its teeth,

,s unable

to withdraw them from the horny sui

)sfance. These were

now withdrawn, and the duck betaking herself again to
the task, appears to have suffered nothing in consequence.

Exeter Post

On Sunday week, the vicar of Bradford, the Rev. 3

Durnet, pyeac

d a sermon to t

e Orangemen of

that district, told them that the society to which they be-
longed was a loyal society; it had stood the test of perse-
cution for its loyalty, and although persecuted by those
who should have known better, they themselves being
loyalists, yet the Orangemen could not be driven from
their principles—loyalty to their Queen, to their country,
and to their Bibles ; but he would remind the society to

open their lodge meetings with prayer. Their society was
a religious one. They must first personally possess that
faith themselves which was recorded in the text, and then
they must contend earnestly for it. He hoped the society
would go on and prosper. He knew the value of the brave
loyal Orangemen of Ireland at the time of the last Irish

rebellion, and he knew that if now wanted, although they

had suffered from Government, which ought to have
treated them in a different manner, they would be the
first to defend the Queen and Constitution.
THE POISONING CASE AT BRISTOL.—The jurors in
this case re-assembled on Monday, for the purpose of
proceeding with their inquiries. The inquiry as to the
death of the elder of the children was resumed by calling
Harriet Hill, sister of Mr. Thomas Wellington Hill,
from whose testimony it appeared that after the death of

the infant no one remained in the house at ni

Mr. Hill and his children. He would cook the dinner
himself, and the tea. He also made the gruel and the
arrow-root for the children, and gave it to them himself.
A druggist, named Reid, was also called, and proved that
Mr. Hill once sent to him for muriate of mercury, when
witness sent the sub-muriate, or calomel. Mr. Hill
called the next day, and said he wanted a preparation
that was soluble, to make a lotion ; corrosive sublimate
was given to him, and on his being told that it was poison
he said he knew it. The coroner having summed up the
evidence, the jury consulted, and returned a verdict of
" wilful murder ' against the father, Thomas Wellington

The magistrates at Bow-street have been much em-
ployed in hearing charges against various parties de-
tected as ringleaders in a row Drury-lane Theatre. It
appears that a company of French dramatists, finding it
difficult to obtain a living in Paris in its present anarchial
state, took Drury-lane Theatre on speculation, and an-
nounced several plays of M. Dumas for performance.
This raised the jealousy of some second-rate English
actors, who, like the dog in the manger, unable to use the
theatre themselves, objected to its use by foreigners, and
accordingly, organized a body of about one hundred per-
sons, succeeded in getting up such a row in the house the
only two nights it was open as effectually to stop the per-
formance. Most of the parties were liberated on er ter-

ing into their own recognaances to keep the peace for
two months. One exception was made in the case of
Samuel Cowell, an actor at the Princess's, who, having
expressed his determination of trying the rights of the
theatrical public, was fully committed for trial at the Old
Bailey, hut afterwards liberated on bail.
RAGGED SCHOOLS.—On Wednesday, the second annual
meeting of the friends of the Ragged School, established
in Marylebone, was held, and was attended by a large
number of the neighbouring gentry. Lord Ashley, M.P.,
took the chair, and said he had no doubt whatever that

ragged schools would soon receive government aid. (Hear,
hear.) From what had passed in the House of Commons,
and from private communications he had had with go-
vernment, he knew that a certain number of those poor,
desttiute, and helpless children, who bad received certifi-
cates of good conduct at the schools, and were qualified
by a certain amount of education, would be transplanted
to a soil where they might industriously, honestly, and
happily pass the remainder of their days. (Hear, hear,)
Lord Grey, the Colonial Secretary, said to him (Lord
Ashley) a few days ago, " If you take care to attend to
the moral training of those children, imbibe them with
religious principles, and give them a knowledge of some

industrial occupation, so Tsio-fitihemfer lab-our, then I
do not hesitate to assert that the means at the disposal of
government will be employed to convey them to the British
possessions abroad."
Loss OF THE LONDON AND QUEBEC PACKET-SHIP
ASTORIA.—On Saturday letters were received at Lloyd's,
communicating the total loss of this fine, newly-built
ship, 500 tons burthen, while on her first outward voyage
to Quebec. The unfortunate vessel was only launched
at Sunderland in the latter part of last year. She took
her departure from Gravesend in the early part of the
spring, with a number of passengers, and a cargo insured
for £70,000. Her passage across the Atlantic was favour-
able, and she had gained within seventy miles of her
destination, when, on the night of the 11th of last month,
while running along the coast of the Little Fox River in
a gale of wind, a thick mist prevailing prevented observa-
vations of the ship's course being taken, in consequence
of which she ran ashore on a mass of sunken rocks.
Her masts were cut away in the hope it would lighten
the vessel, but she remained fast, and the weather con-
tinuing boisterous, soon beat in her bottom, and she filled
with water. The following night an attempt was made
by a gang of desperate wreckers to plunder the wreck and
the stores, which had been saved and landed. They came
down in large numbers, and the crew were compelled to
fire on them to disperse them. By the last accounts, it
appears there is not the smallest chance of the vessel
being saved.

THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH AND HIS ASSAILANTS.
—The only landed estate conferred upon the Duke is apart
of what is now enclosed by the park wall, the present Duke's
grandfather having added to the area a considerable por-
tion of Bladon and Coombe parishes, and three copses of
underwood outside the park wall. This is the whole of the
landed estate which was given to the Duke; and we may
just observe that this was not purchased by the country, but
granted from the domains of the Crown. The outside
value of the whole is £2,000 a-year. Now, a word as to
the pension. The legislature, in the time of Queen Anne,
granted this pension of £5,000 per annum out of the
revenue of the post-office, in lieu of £lOO,OOO down ; and
from this sum is annually deducted £1,200. We must
confess that we cannot see the slightest distinction be-
tween the grant of a sum in gross, and the grant of an
annual pension for services performed. If the £lOO,OOO
had been granted and paid, no one would have thought of
asking for it back ; and yet it is thought just by some per-
sons to refuse payment of the sum given in lieu of it. All
thorefore that is enjoyed by the Marlborough family, for
the services performed by the great Duke, is £5,000 per
annum. Now just contra t this with what the country has
bestowed on the Duke of Wellington, and no one, we hope
and believe, grudges him a farthing of it, or thinks that

his services. have been overpaid. Instead of the £5,000
which we have mentioned , the legislature bestowed £700,000
upon his Grace to purchase an estate equal to some £35,000

TO THE RIGHT HON. EARL GREY, H.M. PRIN-
CIPAL SECRETARY FOR THE COLONIES, &c.

MY LORD,—I would suggest that, for the purpose of
emigration, assistance be afforded to single and married
persons with their families, and I am convinced that the
outlay for each adult emigrant to our Australian colonies
need not exceed £l,l. For instance :
A ship of five hundred tons would carry two hnndred and
•
fifty adult emigrants, allowing one emigrant to two tons.
Freight to Australia, at 18s. per ton .E 1950 0 0
150 days' provision, each adult at Sd. per day . 1250 0 0
150 tons water, oil tons, at 60s. each 450 0 0
Filling and shipping water, at 2s. per ton
250 beds and bedding, at 1os.

3790 0 0
tie of oil casks in the colony, 150

at 50s. each

Net expenses

375 0 0

Or cost I

415 0 0

13 13,

I have pr

ready s

in the whale f