The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-03-18 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

THE QUEEN v. ACLAND.—This indictment, which was
against Mr. Acland, the anti-corn-law lecturer, for a libel
on William Robinson, Esq., the late Mayor of Lancaster,
has been arranged : the defendant making an apology in
court, and expressing his regret, a nominal punishment of Is.
fine was inflicted.

A GALLANT WITNESS.—At a trial the other day in Clon-
mel, a police constable, who was examined as a witness, after
giving his testimony that the prosecutrix in the case was
worthy of credit on her oath, added :—" I know nothing of
her but what 1 heard the neighbours say ; and, in my opinion,
what women say of one another is not worthy of belief."

THE LATE THEODOVIOOK.—The complete destitution
of the family of this po far writer may be judged from the
fact that his personal property has been sworn under the
value. of £lOO. The will and codicils are very short, the
whole being on a single sheet of letter-paper, and dated as
far back as 1828.—Brilannia.

CORONER'S INQUEST.—FRIGHTFUL GAS EXPLOSION.
—On Saturday afternoon a lengthened inquiry took place
before Mr. Wakley, M.P. and a respectable jury, at the
University College Hospital, on the body of Jane Allwood,
aged 22, whose death was occasioned by the bursting and
explosion of one of the main pipes belonging to the Imperial
Gas Company, on Tuesday evening last.—London paper.
AN ODD MISTAKIL—At tke King's County Assizes,
Denis Keenan, a national schoolmaster, was found guilty and
sentenced to seven years' transportation, for obtaining money
under false pretences. Much amusement was created in the
court, from the circumstance of his lordship, Baron Penne-
father, inadvertently proceeding to pass sentence before the
jury had given in their verdict.—Waterford Mail.

MELANCHOLY OCCUERENCE.—A melancholy accident
occurred this week to a part of the crew of the revenue cut-
ter Mermaid. The Mermaid was at anchor, on Tuesday
last, at noon, off North Queensferry, in Fife, and not ex-
ceeding half a mile distant from the shore. A party of sea-
men, seven in number, who were sent on shore for coals,
were in the act of returning in the boat to the cutter, when
she shipped a sea a short distance from the shore, and in-
stantly swamped. The accident was seen from the shore,
and prompt assistance rendered, by which three out of the
seven were rescued, but the others perished.—Edinburgh
paper.

SHOCKING CASE.-At the Glamorgan assizes, Catherine
Thomas, aged 30, was charged with the wilful murder of her
stepdaughter. The deceased lived with her father aud step-
mother, the latter of whom had two children of her own.
It appeared from the evidence that the poor girl was deaf,
and not altogether of sound mind, and that in her father's
absence she was treated in the most cruel manner by her
mother-in-law. In winter she was put to bed at 5, and not
allowed to get up till 10 neat morning. She had been seen
the dunghill, and ate food WM'.
was given her by the neighbours, The Ha.
ceiaotuinsglyP :htaetr it was
ceased's head was cut, as if by blows, in several places, and
there were lice in the wounds. There was some deficiency
in the evidence, and the jury returned a verdict of " Man-
slaughter."

Loss OF THE INDIA EMIGRANT SHlP.—Direct accounts
from Port Philip give further particulars of the loss of the
India emigrant ship, while on her voyage from Greenock to
that colony. The India had 198 persons on board, and left
Greenock on the 4th of June last. On the 20th of July fol-
lowing, when in south latitude 15, and west longitude 33, she
caught fire, in consequence of the ignition of some spirits by
a lighted candle, while being incautiously drawn off by a boy.
In a very brief space of time the flames had enveloped the
whole ship, but fortunately a French whaler was in sight, and
came near to render assistance. Upon the first boat being
lowered there was, as usual, a tremendous rush, by which it
became immediately swamped, about eighteen persons, all
passengers except one, being drowned. By the admirable
conduct of the mate all the remaining parties were saved, but
some were almost in a state of nudity, and others were in-
jured by the fire. The whole were conveyed to Rio de
Janeiro, where the British merchants presented the com-
mander of the French whaler with a gold chronometer, and
the shipmaster with an elegant gold snuff-box. The sum of
£lOOO was also raised for the emigrants, who had lost every-
thing by the fire, the officers and the crew of the American
ship Potomac having generously subscribed 550 dollars. The
Grindley, which was to convey the emigrants to Port Philip,
had not arrived up to the 19th of October last. Here the
necessity is shown of providing a sufficient number of boats.
—Standard.

DESTRUCTION OF THE OXFORD POST-OFFICE BY FIRE.
—About seven o'clock on Sunday morning, an alarming fire
broke out on the premises of Mr. Parsons, man-mercer,
adjoining the Post-office, in the High-street, Oxford. The
flames immediately communicated to the Post-office on the
east side, and the house of Mr. Charles Foster, jun., draper
and habertlat.her, on the west. It was a considerable time
before a sufficient supply of water could be obtained to work
the engines, so that the flames got the complete mastery,
and those three houses were very soon entirely destroyed.
The flames caught the roof of Mr. Marshall's house, which
has been considerably injured. Property to the amount of
at least £7,000 must have been lost or destroyed. The fire
is supposed to have originated in a flue which communicated
with a beam, and thus remained in a smouldering state all
night. The houses are insured in the County Fire-office.
One day lately. when Mr. Shirreff, sheriff-substitute of
Orkney, was returning in his drosky to Kirkwall from Ren-
dall, where he had been on business, accompanied by his son,
who rode a small Shetland pony. Mr. Shireff was alarmed
by the cries of his sou. Upon looking back he saw a large
dog attack and take hold of his son, a young boy, about nine
years of age, by the collar of his coat, and pull him off the
pony's back, when little Trip (the Shetland pony) instantly
seized hold of the dog by the neck with his mouth, kicked,
bit, and shook him so severely that he ran away howling. Mr.
S., it was said, would not part with Trip for any considera-
tion, he is so docile and attached to his young family, end
they to him.--John's O'Groal's Journal.
• THE LATE MARQUIS OF HERTFORD'S WILL.—The will
of the late Marquis of Hertford is said to be one of the most
remarkable documents ever bequeathed to posterity. The
:nt marquis, we believe, succeds to £lOO,OOO per annum.
Strachan, Marchioness di Salsa, has a large jointure.
La Comtesse Itichi has th sum of 4:200,000, the house in the
Regent's-park, and a prospective law-suit respecting some
casket at Messrs. Coutts'; at least so runs the tale. The
lady's maid to the Lady Strachan is left a property the esti-
mated value of which varies from £150,000 to £200,000.
Lord Henry Seymour, nil. .The wines, said to
_he worth
£lO,OOO, are left to a comparative stranger, and legacies to a
considerable amount to foreigners of high and low degree.
It is our melancholy duty to record the death of the Ve-
nerable Dr. Singleton, Archdeacon of Northumberland, and
Canon of Worcester Cathedral. His decease was awfully
sudden, and took place on Sunday, March 13th, at Alnwick
Castle, the seat of the Puke of Northumberland, whose
chaplain he was, and where he had been fur some time on a
visit. Though he had been suffering much from indisposi-
tion during winter, vet no serious apprehensions of danger
were entertained ; indeed his health was supposed to be im-
proving; when, having retired to his own chamber, precious
to reading the evening prayers, on Sunday last, be was
found lifeless on the floor by the servant who entered a short
time afterwards. The cause of his death is supposed to have
been water on the chest,. and his age, as nearly as we can
ascertain it, must have been about 58 years.

ARSON AT CARLISLE.—On Saturday morning, about two
o'clock, the Angel Inn, English-street, Carlisle, was disco-
vered to be on fire, but, by the prompt arrival of the engines,
the flames were subdued in about an hour. On examination
of the premises, however, by Mr. Graham, superintendent of
police, ample proof appeared that they had been wilfully set
fire to, and he immediately took into custody Mrs. Christo-
pherson, the landlady, her servant, and daughter. At 11
o'clock on the same day they were examined before the ma-
gistrates, when Mary Blaylock, the servant, confessed to
having prepared peat, wood, shavings, and other materials
by her mistress's order, to burn the house, for the purpose
of recovering the insurance upon the premises, which was
£5O upon her stock, and £350 on her furniture, under a
promise to convey her to America to her husband. Mrs.
Christopherson recriminated by laying the blame of the pro-
posal to the girl. The prisoners were then removed, and
ordered to be kept in separate confinement.—Carlisle
Journal.

TIM TRAGEDY IN ALDERMANBIIRY.—O❑ Monday a
coroner's inquest sat on view of the bodies of the father and
his children, whose melancholy end we detailed in our last.
'Maurice Nathan, one of the witnesses testimony, was very
affecting. He stated his place of residence to be in Ilam-
burgh, but that being in London on business, he had taken
lodgings on Friday evening at the house of the deceased.
The witness entered into a long detail of the conduct of the
deceased on Saturday evening, tending to show a manifest
aberration of mind. Amongst other things. he had very in-
quisitively, although a perfect stranger, inquired into his
affairs. and pressed him that he should give him some hope
that he should want a warehouse in London, and that he
would take him into his service. The deceased's importuni-
ties lasted probably as long as an hour and a half. Yesterday,
whilst he was in bed, he heard a noise up stairs, and a groan.
He afterwards listened, and in about three minutes he heard
one of the children cry out, " Oh, wicked father!" and then
a sort of scuttle ensued, which was presently succeeded by a
sound resembling the splashing of water on the floor. Im-
mediately after this all was quiet. He next heard the girl
run down with great rapidity and cry out. Ile soon after
heard Mrs. Lucas exclaim that her husband had murdered
her children. The witness then described the spectacle he
had witnesses on entering the two rooms in which the bodies
of the father and his children had been stretched in death.
The jury returned a verdict of temporary derangement. A
subscription has been set on foot by the Lord Mayor for the
widow.

THE EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW RAILWAY.—The num-
ber of persons (says the Glasgow Argus) who passed along
this line on Sunday last, going and coming, was SO. In the
morning train from Glasgow there were nine carriages, three
of each class, carrying 259 passengers, the greater portion of
whom were for Bishopbridge, Kirkintilloch, and the stations
in the west. The morning train from Edinburgh on its ar-
rival in Glasgow had 197 passengers. The evening train
from Glasgow had 1-I3 passengers, and the evening train
from Edinburgh 279.
In the morning train from Glasgow there were—
First class passengers
Second do. do.
Third do. do.
Evening train from Glasgow—
First class passengers
Second do. do.
Third do. do.
In the morning train from Edinburgh there were—
First class passengers..
....
Second do. do.
Third do. do.
Evening train from Edinburgh—
First class passengers.
Second do. do,
Third do. do

THE MURDER OF MR. Pow ELL.--At
on Monday last, Francis Hughes w
atglePman. He was found
the murder of this much lamented genin
passing sentence, ad-
guilty, and Mr. Justice Cramptorprapeis Hughes, have been
utth eu
p'tornmhaigsh tarrailz fe(s) 1.•
dressed the prisoner thus :—Y";,o,,ii, and a jury of your
indicted for the murder of Air. '-
that murder ; and I am
country has has found you guilty
t in the court, who heard the
d I- the justice of that verdict.
st
ruiaall,e dt therehat i notis
i„notull oney c
it now becomes my duty to
.
upon you. You did not com-
law
pass the sentence of the
You have been convicted in passion,
In pursuance of that verdict,
mit the crime of whichlt
but coolly, and with forethought. You
the 2d of January, and proceeded to
he was refreshing himself after the
o nv personnc.e o -
on
;entered the house, you dragged him
andot
irie thel),
couuhsreealot)
,fior3tf.
yohuml
rocov;disc:3;
-uf his child, and then murdered hint ;
al in that murder ; you thought to evade
you suborned witnesses to perjure themselves, but
flyaroobumo labours
eeo fa:epr theev
idnaacr3in•p
justice;
the courage of a high-minded girl, and the vigilance of the
police, rendered nugatory your attempt to escape the arm of
the law. Of what crime had this murdered man been guilty ?
lie was fulfilling the orders of his employer, had he broken
some secret law of some secret society with which you were
associated? The severest sentence of the law must therefore
be passed upon you for this heinous crime. I can hold out
no prospect of a reprieve to you; I am a weak, frail fellow-
mortal like yourself, I can only sentence the body, I have no
command over the soul; thanks be to God there is a refuge
for you, even if your crime was ever so much more heinous
than it is. " Come unto tue, and I will in no wise turn you
away," is the entreaty of the Gospel. I conjure you to take
advantage of this blessed invitation, and purge yourself of all
your sins ; divest yourself of all hope, for it is useless for you
to expect any. The sentence of the law is, that you be taken,
on Wednesday, the 20th day of April, to the place of hanging,
and do there hang till you be dead.