The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-12-16 00:00:00

DOMESTIC.

THE ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM
RAILWAY.—One of the sufferers, Mrs. Bye, by the accident
which occurred, on the 7th inst., on this railway, is since
dead. Mr. Tomlin is now likely to recover though he con-
tinued for several days in a most precarious state. The other
two ner.nna ate doine well-
ANOTHER SIGN OF THE TlMES.—Speaking with an ac-
quaintance, a pawnbroker, on the long-continued and deep
distress which prevails throughout this district, he invited us
to an inspection of his returns of pledges taken by him, and
we found, that in the years 1833 and 1134 he was days with
out taking in one pledge ; while in the years 1840 and 1841
the number averaged for every day in those years 125 per
day, or 3,750 for each month.—Bolton Free Press.
Mrs-manic OPERATION.—In addition to this extraordi-
nary feat in surgery (Mr. Ward's), we have to add that an
operation took place in this parish on the 19th of August,
when a medical gentleman, to cure a contraction in the knee-
joint, put a female in a mesmeric trance, and while she was
in that state divided the hamstring muscles without her being
conscious of the circumstance; and we are happy to add that
the individual now walks with facility.—Hampshire Tele-
graph. •

LAUNCH AT POOLE.—On Saturday last a very fine barque
of 400 tons burthen, was launched from the building
yard of Richard Pinney, Esq., on the Hamworthy side of
the harbour. The vessel, which was named the Great
Britain is of handsome form and symmetrical proportions,
and she slipped oft' the stocks in graceful style amidsst the
plaudits of a great concourse of spectators. She is designed
for the Canada timber trade.—Dorset paper.
THE BANK OF IRELAND.—This day the usual half-yearly
meeting of the proprietors of bank stock was held in the
Bank—the Governor in the chair. We regret to state that,
on announcing the usual dividend of four per cent. for the
half-year ending the 25th instant, the Governor was obliged
to state that, in order toenable the Bank to pay the dividend,
it became necessary to draw on the "rest', to the extent of
fifteen thousand pounds ! This announcement caused great
consternation amongst the holders of bank stock.—Dublin
Evening Mail, Monday.
POWERFUL MICROSCOPE.—At the Polytechinc Institution
a new and most powerful microscope, has just been fitted up.
The powers which may be applied are 30,000, 60,000,
1,000,000, 2,000,000 and 47,000,000 superficial; or 173,245,
1,000, 1,414, and 8,600 linear measures. Of course, as the
higher powers are applied the light diminishes, but there is
great distinctness of vision under the very highest. We be-
lieve, no such a power nas ever been applied before to any
optical instrument ; the highest of Herschell's large telescope
was 7,000. One may form some idea of this instrument
when we observe that the disc on which the image of objects
was thrown, is 28 by 24 feet ; and that a flea, by one of the
lower powers, was made to fill nearly the whole of this space,
while with the highest its head only could be taken in.
CHURCH EXTENSION.—There are now 12 new churches
building or about to be commenced in various parts of the
metropolis, one in the Kent Road, in the parish of St George,
Southwark, one in the parish of Paddington, another on
the site of the old Broadway Chapel, Westminster; a large
church, with a lofty Gothic Tower, iu which a muscial peal
of Bells is to be placed, in Wilton-square, Knights-bridge ;
three in Bethnal-green parish, and a church in St. Pancras
parish. Sites have been chosen for a new church in the
Waterloo road district of Lambeth parish ; another in St.
Botolph Without, Aldgate, in the county of Middlesex ; and
a third in St. George in-the-East. The new parish Church
of St. Giles's, Camberwell, building on the site of the old
edifice, which was destroyed by fire, is progressing rapidly'
and will be a noble and spacious edifice.
BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY.—We believe we may state with
confidence, that the directors of the Birmingham Railway
have for some time contemplated placing a‘carriage between
the tender and the first passenger carriage of every train.
Several experiments were made to ascertain the description
of carriage best suited for the proposed object. A carriage
truck was first tried, but experience proved that the only
carriages suitable were either second-class carriages or par-
cel vans. A number of parcel vans were then ordered to be
built to supply advanced guards for each of the trains, and
until these carriages are completed an empty second-class
carriage will be used as a substitute with every train. We
are happy to hear that Tomlin, who was most hurt, is going
on well.

LITERARY AND TYPOGRAPHIC CIIRIOSITY.—We have
now before us the Family Herald, or Useful Information
and Amusement for the Million, published in London on
Saturday, " the first specimen of a publication produced
entirely by machinery—types, ink, paper, and printing."
The types were set up by Young's Patent Composing Ma-
chine, to which frequent allusion has been made in our co-
lumns. The paper
in
set up by two young persons (fe-
males, no doubt) " n the same space of time as would have
required the exertion of five skilled men by the ordinary
method." It is a handsome publication, and is at once a
literary and a typographic curiosity. What the compositors
call " The Infernal Machine" is now in practical and regular
operation, and its effect is seen in the low price of the He-
rald, which is sold for one penny, the paper being about half
of the size of the STANDARD.

MELANCHOLY SUICIDE OF A SURGEON.—On Thursday
night last, Mr. Roger Rankine, of Accrington, surgeon, ter-
minated his life while in bed, by opening the vein of the right
arm usually opened by surgeons in taking blood from patients,
and also by severing the main artery by which the arm is
supplied with blood. The deceased had been at Haslingden
on the previous night, transacting some important business
along with his legal adviser, Mr. Bannister, solicitor, of
Accrington. They returned together from Haslingden about
four o'clock cn Thursday morning. The deceased complained,
to his sister, during Thursday, of a severe pain in the head,
and was much depressed in spirits, attributing his depression
to an unfortunate business connected which he said he had
formed in Haslingden, and also to other matters of a private
nature. At bed time, his sister took leave of him for the
night. In the morning, about seven o'clock, she knocked at
his bed-room door, and was surprised at receiving no answer;
on which she entered the room, and approached his bed. She
called her brother by his name and shook him ; but still his
voice was silent. She then screamed for the servant-maid,
who came to her, and immediately ran for Mr. Bannister and
Mr. Charles, who are neighbours. These gentlemen, and
Mr. Popjoy, surgeon, immediately arrived, and on examina-
tion, found that Mr. Rankine was a lifeless corpse. The
bed, under the left side, was covered with blood ; and there
was a quantity of blood in a basin, which the unhappy man
had taken into bed evidently for the purpose of receiving the
blood from his arm. Mr. Popjoy ascertained that one of the
principal veins, and the main artery of the left arm, was
completely cut across. This had been effected with a pen-
knife which was found clutched in the right hand of the de-
ceased.—Blackburn Staxdard.

At a late hour on Wedneiday night the vicinities of the
Minories and Goodman's-fields were thrown into a most
painful state of excitement by the outbreak of a dreadful fire,
accompanied by faarful sacrifice ofhuman life, in Little Pres-
cott-street, Goodman's-yard, Alinories. he premises in
which this deplorable event originated were situate at the
west side of 'the street, within a few yards of the Black well
Railway. They consisted of a dwelling-house, four stories
high, the property of Mr. Cook, a soap-boiler, in Goodman's-
fields, who lets them out to numerous families, to the nom-
her, it was reported, of no fewer than 25 individuals. The
ground-floor was tenanted.by a greengrocer, named Shackle-
ton ; the first-floor front room by a foreigner (a manufacturer
of Dutch drops) ; the third floor by Mrs. Holland and her
four daughters ; and the remainder of the rooms by other
persons, the names of whom could not be obtained. The
discovery was made at about a quarter past 10 o'clock ; and
the parties instantly commenced knocking violently at the
street-door, whilst others endeavoured to arouse the inmates
by throwing stones at the windows, but for a length of time
none of them made their appearance. At last the front-door
was opened, and two females :rushed out across the street
in a state of nudity. By this time police constables came up
when an attempt was made to force a passage up the stair-
case, but it was found impracticable, in consequence of the
smoke and heat, which were intense. A few minutes after-
wards two females made their appearance at the windows of
the second floor, in an abject state of suffering. It was evi-
dent the window was their only means of escape, and the
mob, which had now increased to nearly 100 persons,
shouted out to them to hold on until some ladders were
baought, while others called to them to jump oct. One poor
creature got one of her legs over the sills of the window, and
after remaining in that position a second or two, threw her-
self out, and fell with awful violence upon the pavement,
smashing, apparently, every bone in her body, the height
being upwards of thirty-five feet. Directly afterwards
the other precipitated herself in a similar manner; but, for-
tunately, her fall was in a slight way broken by alighting on
the lead front of the shop window : before being picked up
she was proved to be dreadfully injured, and as soon as the
stretcher could be procured, she was forthwith conveyed to
London Hospital. The other unfortunate sufferer proved to
be dead. She was recognised to be Julia Holland, and the
other, her sister, Nancy Holland, young women, under the
age of three and twenty. In the interval, the terrible ele-
ment had made rapid progress ; it had extended up the stair-
case to the rooms above, and shortly shot forth from the
roof, attracting an immense concourse of persons to the spot.
A body of the H division of police had previously blocked
up the different avenues leading to the burning building,
thereby affording ample space for the operations of the fire-
men, who speedily came up from the stations of the brigade
in Jeffery-square, Wellclose-square, Watling-street, and
other parts of the city.
Shortly after the fire had been somewhat got under, Mr.
Braidwood directed several of his men to discover whether
any person was missing, and shortly after they learned from
a poor man, named Proudfoot, who tenanted a room on the
second floor, that three of his children were not to be found.
He said he had saved his wife and two children, but whether
any one had preserved the rest he was unable to say. The
poorlman was running about in all directions in quest of them
and appeared almost distracted. Upon this information Mr.
Braidwood directed several of his men to ascend the scaling
ladders, which had been placed against the wall of the pre-
mises, and if the ruins would permit, to search among them.
At 1 o'clock in the morning, the bodies of two children
were found by Carter, and another of the brigade, among
the rafters of the flooring, on the second-floor, shockingly
burnt and disfigured. These proved to be poor Proudfoot's
children. Shortly after another body of a•child was found
on the same floor, apparently a girl of about six years.