The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-08-15 00:00:00

CUTTING AND WOUNDING.

Thomas O'Neil, 29, was indicted for cutting and wound-
ing Joseph Roberts, at Birkenhead, with intent to do him
some grievous bodily harm. It appeared that on the 19th
of June, the prisoner and the prosecutor, with some forty
or fifty other labourers had been celebrating the roofing
of a house at Birkenhead. During the evening a dispute
occurred hetween O'Neil and a man named Seddon ;
when the former was once or twice knocked down. The
prosecutor took no part in the affray. Roberts started
about ten o'clock at night, and on the way was assaulted
by the prisoner, who came behind him and struck him a
heavy blow with a bludgeon under the right eye, which
knocked him down and rendered him insensible. The
assault was observed by two or three men who had parted
from the prisoner a few minutes before, and who had seen
him flourishing the bludgeon over his head. The prose-
cutor was confined to his bed for a week. and is still suf-
fering from the effects of the blow. Verdict—Guilty.
Sentence, ]8 months' imprisonment.

MURDER AT STOCKPORT.
James Ratcliffe, 58, tobacconist, was indicted for the
murder of his wife, Elizabeth Ratcliffe, at Stockport, by
stabbing her with a knife. it appeared that the prisoner
and the deceased were man and wife, and from the loose
habits of the former they had for a very long time lived
together in a state of great unhappiness, so much so, in-
deed, that the deceased's life was often in danger. On
Sunday, the 22d of June, the prisoner asked permission
to sit down in a neighbour's house, which was granted
him. His wife shortly afterwards came in, when the pri-
soner said he was poorly, and she must fetch him a doc-
tor. She replied, I have no money, and did not go. He
then asked her to fetch him some water, which she did,
and held it to his lips while be drank it. She then went
and sat down in another part of the house ; and the pri-
soner having gradually drawn his chair close to her, (with-
out any provocation) suddenly sprang up, drew a knife
from his sleeve, and inflicted such wounds upon her as to
cause her death on the following day.
The prisoner was found guilty on the clearest evidence,
and the Judge sentenced him to death without hope of
mercy.

CROWN COURT.-THURSDAY.
MURDER.

George Redfern, aged 22, was this morning placed at
the bar, charged with the wilful murder of Elizabeth
Mitchell, at Macclesfield, on the 24th June last, by throw-
ing her into the canal, by beating and wounding her, and
by strangling her with his hands. The case lasted the
whole day, and ended in a verdict of acquittal.

CIVIL COURT.-FRIDAY.
THE WILL CAUSE.

In the important will cause, Doe Dem Forest v. Forest,
which came before the court this morning, a verdict was
returned for the defendant.

WORTHINGTON V. GRIMSDITCH, M.P.

This was an action brought by Mr. Thomas Worthing-
ton, the administrator of Miss Duncalf, against Mr.
Thomas Grimsditch, M.P. for Macclesfield, for the re-
covery of the sum of £3,489 upon bonds passed at various
times, with the interest thereon. The defendant pleaded
first, that he had paid ; and secondly, he pleaded the sta-
tute of limitations.
Mr. Jervis and Mr. Welsby appeared for the plaintiff,
and Mr. Evans and Mr. V. Williams for the defendant.
It appeared from the statement of counsel, the docu-
ments, and the evidence, that the late Miss Duncalf was
the survivor of three sisters, and the representative of a
wealthy family, and that Mr. Grimsditch was a distant
relative, and commonly called himself a "cousin." He
had formerly been an articled clerk, and subsequently be-
came the law agent of the Adlington property, upon which
property Miss Duncalf resided, and rented a farm. Mr.
Grimsditch was appointed the collector of her rents, and,
being but indifferently supplied with money when he
started in life, commenced to raise money from her on
bond so far back as the year 1810. He continued to bor-
row for years afterwards, until at length the sum borrowed
amounted to that which was now claimed.
A verdict was returned for the plaintiff.

PUBLICANS, &c.—Two publicans were on Friday fined
at the Police-court £1 and £2, for infringing the law ; one
beer-house keeper was fined 205., and two were acquitted.
The members of the New Share Brokers' Association,
at Liverpool, have adopted a resolution to close the New
Stock Exchange at two o'clock on Saturdays.
GRAND CONCERT.—Miss Whitn ,11 announces, in an-
other column, a very attractive concert, for which some
unrivalled vocalists have been engaged.
MARRIAGE DURING CHURCH SERVICE.—On Sunday
forenoon last a couple, apparently in rather humble life,
were married at St. James's Church, in the presence of
the entire congregation, as soon as the banns of their mar-
riage were read for the third time.
INQUEST.—On Saturday, an inquest was held before
Mr. Curry, on view of the body of Archibald Bitten, a
seaman, aged 50. It appeared that on the previous day
the deceased lot his life by accidentally falling from the
bowsprit of a vessel in one of the docks, by which he was
drowned.—Verdict accordingly.

NEW MAGISTRATE AND DEPUTY LIEUTENANT.—
George Stanfield, Esq., of Burnley, qualified as a magis-
trate for the county, at the Preston Sessions, on Friday •
..._ 1 • •
took the oaths on being appointed a Deputy Lieutenant
of the county.

CRICKET.—The return match at cricket was played on
Wednesday last, the 9th instant, between the Manchester
and Liverpool clubs, on the ground of the former club in
Moss-lane, when the Manchester club beat the Liverpool
in one innings, the score being, Manchester Ist innings,
313; Liverpool Ist and 2d innings, 49.
THE LIVERPOOL THEATRE-ROYAL.—Lord Brougham,
on Thursday night, presented a petition to the House of
Lords from the proprietors of the Theatre-Royal, Liver-
pool, stating that the Theatres Regulation bill would most
seriously affect their property, and praying that the bo-
rough of Liverpool may be exempted from its operation.

"TILE JUDGEMENT OF SOLOMON."—There is now on
sale at Mr. Jones's, South John-street, (as will be seen
by the advertisement \ an excellent picture by an eminent
artist, embodysng this fine subjeci, from the Ist Book of
Kings, 16th to 27th verses. The admirers of scriptural
pieces would find it a great acquisition to their collections,
and it may be purchased—such are the pressure of the
times—for a very moderate sum.
REMORSE OF CONSCIENCE.—Mr. Priestley, chemist
Lord-street, lately received a letter, bearing the London
post-mark, and containing a full sheet of penny stamps,
with the following words :—" Sir,—Accept one pound's
worth of stamps from a sinner who once wronged you to
that extent, and who is desirous of expressing his repent-
ance.—Sir, yours, ." Mr. Priestley has no idea of
the party from whom the letter comes.
CASE OF ANDERSON.—Mr. Dowling, commissioner of
police for the borough, is at present in France on a jour-
ney of discovery connected with the recent robbery of
Hayter Blackmore, Esq. M.P., the circumstances of which
recently transpired at our police-court. Mr. Dowling
went by way of Boulogne for the purpose of tracing one of
the £lOOO notes, of which he expects to find traces some-
where about the French capital. Another £lOO note, it
is said, has been traced to Anderson.
ROBBERY AT LIscARD.—On Saturday last a respect-
able-looking female, named Elizabeth Morton, who had
formerly kept a respectable milliners' shop in Bold-street,
Liverpool, was committed for trial from the Birkenhead
Police-court, on two charges, of stealing from Mrs.
Wynne and Mrs. Bolton, of Liscard. The former lady
she had lodged with, and in her absence had decamped
with a table-cloth and two silver spoons ; and from the
latter she was charged with stealing a silver tooth-pick,
which she took off a table at Mrs. Bolton's house, during
the time she had left the room to fetch money to pay for
a dress she had been making.
WATER-TIGHT Bo Lx-H Enos.—ln noticing in a recent
article, the water-tight bulk heads of an iron vessel, we
attributed the invention of that plan, for strength and
safety, to our townsman, Mr. John Laird, who has, in
nearly all the iron ships he has built, adopted the princi-
ple. We find that the merit is due to our townsman,
Charles Wye Williams, Esq.. of the City of Dublin Steam
Navigation Ship Company, by whom it was first applied
to, we believe, the Royal William, and the Royal Ade-
laide. The principle is so admirable that there can be no
doubt but that if the steam-ship Solway, and, more
recently, the Pegasus, been built upon it, the lamentable
fatalities that attended them would have been avoided.

CASE OF STABBING.—A respectably-dressed young
man, named William Williams, was yesterday brought
before Mr. Rushton, on a charge of having stabbed a man
of the same name, who yet remained in so dangerous a
state that he could not appear in court. It appeared in
evidence that a quarrel had ensued in the street between
the prisoner and the other man, and the latter was seen
to take a knife and stab his assailant in the side. The
knife (a pen-knife with a large blade at one end) was pro-
duced, and was stained with blood. It was ordered to
be kept in the state in which it was. The prisoner said
that he was twice knocked down and maltreated b} the
man without provocation, and stood in his defence. Mr.
Rushton said he must be remanded, until the fate of the
wounded man were known ; but, if the prisoner could
prove his allegation of violence in the meantime, he should
admit him to bail.

COLLISION ON TIIE RIVER.--On Tuesday, and by
adjournment on Wednesday, an inquest was held before
Mr. Curry, on the body of William Johnson, who, as we
stated in our last, lost his life by the upsetting of a boat
which was run foul of by one of the Rock Ferry steamers
on Friday week. Several of the passengers on board the
steamer deposed to the circumstances attending the acci-
dent, and entirely acquitted the captain from all blame.
It appeared that the engineer was below at the time look-
ing after the flues. John Turner, a private in the Royal
Sappers and Miners, produced a neat plan of the pier and
river, showing the position of the boat, aad the position
and course of the steamer. He stated that he and others
called out loudly to those on board the steamer. The
boat also bailed the steamer, and there was an answer by
the waive of the hand, and the steamer altered her course
and si rved inward a little, but turned outward again.
There was no impediment in the shape of a bank, or any-
, thing of that sort, to prevent the steamer from going be-
tween the boat and the pier, as there was fifteen feet of
water and a width of twenty-five yards. After several
other witnesses had been examined, the coroner explained
the law of the case, and the jury, after an absence of half
an hour, returned into court, and delivered a verdict of
" Manslaughter" against the captain. The coroner said
he had nothing to do but receive the verdict, though it
was directly at variance with his own opinion. The wit-
nesses were bound to appear at the nest assizes in recog-

CORRESPONDENCE.

NEW ROADS AT BIRKENHEAD

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

SIR,—I was much pleased the other day by a visit to
the town and township of Birkenhead, after a considera-
ble absence from that locality, to observe the rapid in-
crease of population, and the erection of numerous and
handsome new streets, public buildings, &c. I find, also,
that " the authorities" have laid out many new streets,
in prospective, over a large area, towards Oxton and
Bidston Hill. They have, however, made a great mistake,
or rather omission as regards these roads. All of them
are macadamized with sharply broken stones, so that no
man who has a regard for his horse or his wheels will xtn-
counter them. Had they been laid down with'gravel in
the first instance, they would have been available at once,
and might have been made permanent by macadamizing
as they were required. As they now are I would advise
that the stones should be covered with a thin layer of
pounded sandstones, of which there is abundance in the
neighbourhood, and, if then rolled with a heavy roller,
they would in a few weeks become good smooth roads.
It was generally supposed, when macadamizing was first
introduced (and the opinion held for many years,) that
the " metal," or material, must be allowed to compact of
itself, by the continued action of wheels passing over it.
This is a mistaken notion. The stones will not biad until
their sharp edges be ground off, and the pounded matter
be sufficient to fill up the interstices, and they are thus
kept tumbling about for months, even in a thoroughfare,
to the injury of horses' hoofs and the annoyance of tra-
vellers, until those on the top surface are worn as round
as eggs, and cannot afterwards become so firmly bound
together. lam borne out in this opinion by the survey-
ors of the streets of Liverpool. Part of London-road was
macadamized a few weeks ago, and a layer of broken
sandstones was put upon it a priori. In a few day 3 it be-
came smooth and firm. Another portion of the same
street is now being done in the same manner. In Birken-
head there is a greater necessity for the adoption of a si-
milar plan, as the number of vehicles is but few. The
object of those who have laid out these roads, is, more-
over, to sell the land on each side for building ; and the
ease and convenience of visiters ought the more to be con-
sidered.—l am, Sir, &c.

A FRIEND TO BIRKENHEAD.
Liverpool, 14th August, 1843.

DESIGNS FOR THE TERRACES OF THE
PRINCE'S PARK.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SlR,—Some time since an advertisement appeared in
the papers inviting architects to furnish designs for the
proposed terraces in the Prince's Park, according to the
particulars furnished by Messrs. Foster and Stewart and
A. and G. Williams, architects. Twenty designs were
sent in; nine of them only were in accordance with the
regulations, and the remaining eleven more or less con-
trary to the instructions, and therefore ought, in justice
to those gentlemen who had followed the instructions, to
have been at once rejected. It was particularly mentioned
that no attic story should be allowed to appear above the
cornice, and also that the drawings should be tinted in
sepia only. Notwithstanding this, two of the designs,
Nos. 6 and 14, having an attic story appearing above the
cornice and partly tinted in colours, have had the premi-
ums awarded to them ! However clever the drawings
may be in themselves, nothing certainly can warrant such
a decision. If the instructions were not intended to be
followed, it was no use printing them as a guide to deceive.
The professional men of the town ought, I think, to take
steps to protest against, and to prevent in future, such
want of faith in parties advertising for designs. It is
surely unfair to tie down competitors to certain rules,
and, when they, in the hope of success, devote much
time and expense to produce plans in accordance with
such rules, to leave them to the mortification of learning
(after those plans have been publicly exhibited) that they
are all rejected, and that others contrary to the rules are
accepted. Simple justice, I think, demands that all those
who followed the rules should at least be paid for their
drawings.—l am, sir, yours, &c.,

COMPENSATION FOR PERSONAL INJURY DONE BY A
CARTER.—SO far back as the 13th of May, in the present
year, a little boy of three years and a half old, named
Harper, while crossing Roscommon-street, was run over
by a cart, and so much injured in the left hand that am-
putation of the little finger was found necessary. He was
also injured in the leg, and was unable to appear before
the magistrate, at the Police-court, until Wednesday last,
when he was brought up by his parents, who preferred a
claim for compensation, for personal injury, under the
197th clause of the local act of 1842, " for the improve-
ment, &c. of the borough." It appeared that on the day
in question William Topping, the defendant, who is a
carrier between this town and Winstanley, was, with his
two carts, passing along the street named, at a leisurely
pace, and some two or three yards in advance of the first
cart, when the child, wishing to cross the street, got be-
tween the two carts, was knocked down in doing so by
the horse in the second cart, and was injured as stated, by
the wheel, which crossed his hand and leg. One of the
witnesses was strongly of opinion that had there been a
driver to the second cart the misfortune would not have
happened, as the boy could easily have been got out of
the way. The accident was so sudden that those who saw
it had not time to get up to him. The father stated that
the child had but imperfect use of his fore finger and
giant p:1 that the hand was disabled for life. His leg
sewed up in three places. Mr. Booth spid there had cer-
tainly been great carelessness as regarded the parents, or
their servant, but the defendant was also much to blame,
and the law must be enforced. A carter was allowed by
law to drive two carts on th& highway, but not in any of
the streets in the borough. The defendant, who appeared
much to regret the accident, and had come from Win
stanley to settle the matter, said he had for years driven,
the two carts, which he always did leisurely, and no such
accident had ever occurred before. He added, that he
had ix children to support, and hoped the fine would be
modFrate, as he did not see the child. Mr. Booth said
he should have had another driver, and must pay the sum
of £5 as compensation to the plaintiff, in default of which
distraint upon his carts and horses must follow. On re-
ferring to the clause in the act, we find that £5 is the full
extent of the fine that can be imposed. This is, we be-
lieve, the first fine ordered under the act, and we notice
the fact more particularly as a caution to drivers of carts
or other vehicles in our streets.

THE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTION .—The excellent schools
at this institution are again in active progress ; and as a
number of prizes for superiority in the several branches
of science and learning are already announced, we doubt
not but the pupils will acquit themselves at the next ex-
amination in a manner that will do honour to themselves
and their talented teachers. The exhibition is still open,
and will remain so for a short period. it has been re-
duced, and is confined to the upper rooms of the build-
ing; but it still comprises the extensive collection of
pictures, and all the most valuable articles that were
originally contributed ; and the price of admission is so
low, that those who have not seen the collection would do
well to avail themselves of the opportunity. The institu-
tion now presents another source of interest and instruc-
tion in the series of lectures in course of delivery by our
talented townsman Dr. Brett, "on Heat and Combus-
tion," That gentleman delivered the first lecture (of a
course of six) on Tuesday evening, and was listened to
with great attention. He began by directing the attention
of the audience to the effects of heat on matter of various
kinds,—solid, liquid, or gaseous. He showed the ex-
pansion of metals by an experiment with a brass rod,
fitted accurately into a groove when cold, and which when
hot elongated, and no longer occupied the same space.
He explained the dilation of liquids as in the case of
quicksilver, water, and alcohol, and that of gases by the
great expansion of the atmosphere on only a small amount
being applied to it when in a glass tube or bulb. The
various instruments employed for measuring heat, in-
cluding the recently introduced thermo-electric instru-
ments, was next considered ; and he then noticed the
different heat-conducting powers of various bodies, as
exemplified in solids, liquids, and aereform fluids. The
imperfect indication of slight differences of temperature,
afforded by the common sensitive powers, was next con-
sidered, with especial reference to the application of
the facts deduced in selecting articles of clothing.
The radiation of heat, and its radiation from polished
metalic reflectors, was then explained by experiments ;
and, in conclusion, referred to the facts hitherto dis-
covered with respect to central heat.—On Friday the
second lecture was delivered in continuation of the subject.
The lecturer commenced by an experiment showing the
imperfect power of water as a conductor of heat. He
produced a glass tube filled with ice at the bottom and
water at the top ; the upper part was applied to a lamp
until the water boiled within an inch of the ice, yet the ice
did not melt. He then passed on to the consideration of
solar and terrestrial heat. Heat passing from the sun
through a transparent convex medium, as a burning glass,
was so radiated that it set bodies on fire, although glass
was not a very good conductor of heat ; but terrestrial
heat had no such power, though it was not impossible but
it might have it in a very slight degree. He then calcu-
lated the thermo-electric pile, and explained several of
Malloni's discoveries with that instrument, showing that
caloric rays were retarded by certain transparent media,
and that heat passing from one substance to another was
not conveyed, when a piece of glass intervened, by induc-
tion, but by radiation, independently of the inductive
process. He showed, by a galvanometer, the effect of
heat when conveyed directly to an object without inter-
ruption, and the difference that took place when various
substances were interposed, such as glass, alum, and rock
salt. These had various powers in retarding the trans-
mission of heat by radiation. Sulphate of copper, though
translucient, obstructed the passage of every ray of heat.
Alum allowed all the rays to pass but three. The trans•
parency of the media was not essentially connected with
their povier to transmitting or permitting the passage of
heat, fora, piece of unpolished glass so opaque that it
could not be seen through would still convey heat. He
then came to the consideration of specific heat, which
meant the quantity of heat required to raise different
substattes to the same temperature, which he illustrated
by a tobje showing the relative heat required for water,
mercury, sulphur, glass, and the various metals. He then
noticed latent heat, which could not be measured by the
thermometer, and concluded by a number of interesting
experiments on liquefaction and vaporization—showing
the process of producing ice artificially, and the sudden
manner in which the thermometer was effected by immer-
sion in it and in water alternately. On its being immersed
in sulphate of soda and muriatic acide, it descended from
68deg. to under 30deg.; but muriate of lime mixed with
snow would cause a still greater depression. The suc-
ceeding lectures take place on Tuesdays and Fridays, and
will be more interesting as they proceed, as they will have
reference to combustion as connected with the late de-
structive fires in the town.