The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-02-08 00:00:00

NIISCELLANEOT::

Several extensive and destructive fires occurred in London
on Saturday.
The Leominster election takes place to-day, when it is
expected Mr. Arkwright, a staunch Conservative, will walk
the course.—The Taunton election is fixed for the following
day, when it is expected the Conservative candidate will be
returned.

LIVES LOST IN LONDON.—On Thursday morning, the
lower part of an old house, in Charles-street, Drury-lane,
which a number of bricklayers' men were pulling down, fell
with a tremendous crash, burying several persons under
the ruins. Two lives were lost by this appalling calamity.
A PATRIOTIC ENGLISHMAN.—Some one was telling a
worthy son of Albion a day or two ago of the splendid burst
of enthusiasm made the other day by Marshal Saastiani,
when he exclaimed,—" If I were not a Frenchman I should
wish to be an Englishman. " After having explained to our
magnanimous ally of the other side of the Channel the meaning
of the above exclamation, he was asked whether he felt that he
could say as much with regard to France. "As for me,
replied this thorough John Bull, " if I were not an English-
man I should wish to be au Englishman."—La France.

The Gloucester Diocesan Board of Education have esta-
blished a school at Bristol, to the Head Mastership of which
the Rev. Francis Laing, M.A., has been unanimously ap-
pointed.

The Queen has been pleased to present the Rev. David
Sutherland to the Church at Strathy, in the parish of Farr,
in the presbytery of Tongue and shire of Sutherland, vacant
by the transportation of the Rev. A. APGillivray to the
Church and Parish of Dairsie, in the presbytery of Cupar
and shire of Fife.—Gazette.

The French correspondent of the London Times states that
the treaty of the five powers, for the suppression of the slave
trade, will not be ratified on the part 6f France. The treaty
was to be ratified on the 20th, which will not be unless it
undergo some important modifications.

A true bill was returned on Friday, at the Central Crimi
nal Court, against Lord Ashburton, Francis Baring, and
Henry Mildmay, for a conspiracy to bribe members of the
Mexican Legislature to pass a law preventing foreigners from
holding land, to the detriment of the prosecutor. The opi-
nion of the Recorder was that the Court had no jurisdiction
in the case.

A stock of bees belonging to Mrs. Bishop. of Leigh, were
in full charm at twelve o'clock at night on Old Christmas
eve, showing every indication of their intention to swarm, as
in the hottest days of summer.—Sherborne Journal.
FORTY " BLACK CROWS."—On Tuesday se'nnight the
frost was so severe in the neighbourhood of Horncastle, that
on the farm of Mr. Betts, of Benniworth, forty crows were
taken up alive by the hand, their wings being so frozen as to
prevent their flying.—Lincoln Mercury.

The following are the receipts of the railways for the last
week, that is to say, up to the date to which the respective
returns arc made :—Blackwall, £563 ; Hull and Selby, £691 ;
Manchester and Birmingham, £306 ; Eastern Counties,
£641 ; Birmingham. £12,988 ; Northern and Eastern. £839 ;
South Western, £3145 ; North Midland, £3727 ; Midland
Counties, £2156 ; Great Western, £10,475 ; York and North
Midland, £1281; and Birmingham) and Gloucester, £1477.

A. shocking tragedy occurred at Toynton, St. Peter's, on
Monday morning last. Francis Jeffery, an old man, having
had some words with his wife, took the poker and beat her
so as to break her arms and fracture her skull in a dreadful
manner, in consequence of which she died in a few hours.
Jeffery has been considered deranged for some months, and
since the death of his wife has attempted to cut his own
throat.—Stamford Mercury.
A most disgraceful affair lately occurred at Stoke. A
young man for the sake of two quarts of ale, promised him
by a dastardly scoundrel, providing he would for one half
hour turn his hand round in a howl of snow, thinking no
harm, immediately agreed to accomplish it, the inhuman
wretch having contrived to convey a quantity of salt into the
bowl. The victim, unconscious of the trick intended, pro-
ceeded with his task. We are not aware that he completed
it ; but suffice it to say, the effect was such as might be ex-
pected—viz., the loss of his hand.—Slaffordshire Gazette.

PRESBYTERIAN MARRIAGES.—At a public meeting of
the ministers and laity of the Presbytery of Antrim and Ul-
ster, held in Belfast, on Wednesday last, the following reso-
lution, amongst others, was passed :—" That, in our opinion,
it is essential to the well-being of the community, to the sa-
tisfaction of the minds of dissenters, and to the prevalence of
peace and harmony between the different religious denomi-
natinos, that the law of marriage in Ireland be henceforth
definitely settled by an act of parliament, founded on the basis
of religious liberty, and affording equal advantages to all
sects ; and that as all religious denominations in England
and Scotland enjoy a perfect equality of privelege, as to the
right of celebrating marriage, we trust to the justice of par-
liament to concede an equal measure of religious liberty to
Ireland."

THE PRINCE or WALES.—We understand that the An-
cient Britons of the Principality looked forward with intense
anxiety to the names of the Prince of Wales, hoping fervently
her Majesty would perpetuate the name of an Arthur, a Cad-
walladr, or a Llewellyn ; but on finding that " Albert Ed-
ward" only were to be his designation, they bore it with ad-
mirable temper, and ingeniously tried to reconcile themselves
to their disappointment by the discovery that the etymology
of Albert will bear a Welsh interpretation of the most appro-
priate and significant description—which they hope her
gracious Majesty was aware of—Al (in Welsh) being a Welsh
prefix that always highly enhances the affixed epithet ; and
" Pert," or " Bert," being one of the Welsh primitives—
hence Albert implies in Welsh " The exalted lovely one"
(or loveliest), which certainly is an appellation most admi-
rably suited to this royal heir of England, Scotland, Ireland,
and Wales.

SUICIDE.—A most melancholy case of suicide occurred
yesterday evening, about six o'clock, in the rear of Bucking-
ham-place, North Strand. The deceased, whose name was
Cresssvell, and who filled the situation of book-keeper in the

office of the Liverpool Steam Packet Company, hadfOt: the
last three weeks been labouring under an aberration of mind,
and was so severely affected that it was found necessary to
commit him to the care of a keeper. About the hour above

stated, the man to whose care he was committed was sent on
a message by the sister of the deceased, who undertook to

watch the patient until his return ; but he had scarcely left
the room when the unfortunate maniac leaped through a
window sixty or seventy feet from the ground, and was killed
on the spot. His remains were removed into the house, and
an inquest was held this day on the body. On last Monday
week he made an ineffectual attempt at self-destruction by
throwing himself into the canal.—Dublin
We regret to learn that about four o'clock on Wednesday
morning last the life of E. C. Lister, Esq., was attempted
at his residence at Fairfield House. We believe the circum-
stances of the attack are as follow :—Mr. Lister was disturb-

ed by some noise, and perceived a man with some instrument
about to strike him. Mr L. immediately sprung up and
said, " You have no occasion to murder me—what do you
want ?" He replied, he had come on purpose to murder him.
Mr. Lister seized him, wrenched the instrument out of his

hand, threw him on his back, and was about to strike him on
the head with it, but threw it to a distance, and then let him

get up. He immediately made another spring, and Mr.
Lister again threw him down. One of the_servants _ then

came in and said, "It is the butler. " Mr. Lister exclaim-
ed, " Oh, James, what could induce you to do this?" He

replied, a man with large black whiskers had haunted and
tempted him to do it. Mr. Lister perceived that he was de-
ranged, and had a surgeon sent for, who bled him, and he
then expressed his sorrow, but reiterated the statement about
the man tempting him. He was an old and confidential
servant, and has for the last 10 years been in connection with
the Wesleyans.- lie has since been removed to the York
Lunatic Asylum.—Bradford Observer.

SiIsIGTLAR SCENE.—Button-on-Trent Was made the scene
of a very unusual and remarkable occurrence on Tuesday
morning last. It appears that a dispute exists between two
gentleman respecting the site upon which stands a new
building, erected by one of them. After considerable iiti-
gation, and tired, perhaps, of " law's delays," the last-named
gentleman determined upon razing to the ground the disputed
building vi et armis. Accordingly he marched a troop armed
with pickaxes, &c., to the scene, but found it pre-occupied
by a defensive party, most effectually equipped. The leaders
themselves were not without their accoutrements, the one
wielding a most formidable and longtailed pitchfork, and the
other a no less dangerous hatchet ! The attack was not
commenced, however, owing to the display of the enemy
indicating that a quid pro quo was intended ; and the bellige-
rent parties continued to face each other from morning till
midday, inactive though so hostile. At length Mr. Butt, of
Cotton-hall, a magistrate, very opportunely arrived, and fear-
ful that the peace of the town might be broken, menaced the
parties with the reading of the Riot Act, upon which they
immediately :dispersed. The affair created a great deal of
amusement and considerable apprehension of serious conse-
quences, and some hundreds of the inhabitants assembled to
watch the proceeding.—Slaffordalare paper.

THE REV. ROBT. MONTGOMERY AND M. D'AUBIGNE.
—Mr. Montgomery having sent a copy of his new poem,

. .
called " Luther," to the French historian of the Reforma-
tion, has been favoured with the following reply :—(Tran-
slation.)—Sir,—l have not received the books which you
have had the kindness to send me, and I wrote to Paris, in
order that they may be sent as soon as possible. Your name,
sir, is not unknown—it is dear to all the friends of religious
poetry ; and it will be with great interest that I shall read
the poem of which you speak—consecrated to the great re-
former. Luther himself was a highly distinguished Christian
poet. Happy are we, sir, if, verse or prose, we can exalt the
great cause of the gospel, which is not that of a particular
church, neither that of an ecclesiastical government, or of
the fathers or doctors, but which is the cause of Christ, con-
sequently that of man. Accept my thanks for your present
—the expression of my Christian sentiments.
(Signed) D'AIII3IGNF.
COMMERCIAL BANK OF ENGLAND .—A A general meeting
of the shareholders of this suspended bank was held on Wed-
nesday last, at the Athenaeum, Manchester, when reports
of the directors and the inspectors of the accounts of the
bank were laid before the meeting. It. appeared from these
reports, that, notwithstanding the difficulties of the times,
and some unexpected losses, the liabilities had been reduced,
during the last half-year, by the sum of £34,432 • and that
they amounted, on the 29th ult., to £111,666 ; of which sum,
£59,656 is owing to shareholders, and £43;472 to other par-
ties. The amount of probable loss, in winding up the ai:
counts, in addition to that mentioned at the previous haY
yearly meeting, was stated to he £6,502, arising principa!lY,
from a farther deficiency at Birmingham ; making
balance
loss of bad debts, £203,431 ; and leavi:v an apparent
ated
to the credit of the shareholders, after det'ducting all eswn
losses, of £57,500. The reports were unanimously approved
by the shareholders. .

--, •
NTIsM °V"
THE POLITICAL SUPERIORITY OF PF.OTF.sTAh
POPERY.—I will not speak of the contrast
eye of every traveller (says the eloquent, 0
f witzerland.
between the Catholic and Protestant Glutinous populat ion of
I will not speak of the moral and intiusteras
immeasurable superior-
the United Provinces, or tell of their
tiltwolmakes for the superi-
w which sctrhiakiems::!se)
ity in virtue and freedom, and all th
~0 people of Spain,
that land at once of superstition and they nobly revolted,
ority or well-being of a nation, overd
:"potism—the land of
their proud oppressors against
lesson may be learned by us
and as nobly triumphed. 11,e
rus may read it in Ireland
nearer home. Literally he wifiid in the course of a few days
and that on a cursory giun,..ne„'t-ns the light of day, that the
rapid travelling. It is P°4l off the distinction between the
.I"ff the distinction between, on the
two faiths, also mat. industry and peace, with a population
same geography whicrhks p
other hand, a land 0
ie ; and on the other a land teeming with
of thriving faraiL-sli land of mendicity and midnight tumults ;
political
the
abroads in their streets and highways ; and
where violence wi retched hovels,:there are found. and almost
at home 111 I e filth and the squalid destitution of perhaps the
invariablY, t..)
till'i treite su,s andliav have e butco theuld
which is the region of grievous and gene-
ral tei on ed
Popishpea saai.indt riy,.
rioiti
eFs..,tuarnotpceo..
names
learn
ral distress, of unequalled turbulence, and incessant agitation;
orstfcrooofin th e ma p
and which the region of prosperous industry, of peaceful and
orderly habits, and of decent respectable sufficiency, even
down to the lowest labourers of the soil. The truth is open
to us through many channels, and by various statistics, as the
amount of crime and number of commitments in the province
of Ulster when compared with the rest of Ireland—the propor-
tion of military required in these two great departments, to
protect from outrage
ment—the
outrage, and maintain the authority of govern-
Vagrancy that meets us everywhere in the one
territory, and is comparitively rare in the other. These all
speak for themselves
are afraid of the
theological question, weand if our statesmen
ask them to take it up as a question
•
of policy, and tell us in the name of all that is dear to Protes•
tantism, whether it were better to have a nation of Papists
or a nation of Protestants in that unhappy land.