The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-05-31 00:00:00

LATEST PARTICULARS

The assassin is a young man not apparently more than 25
years of age, rather short and stout. He is decently dressed,
and his general appearance betokens respectability. It is
stated that he exactly answers the description given of the
miscreant who made an attempt to assassinate Her Majesty
yesterday evening. We were not inclined to credit this story
of a previous attempt on Her Majesty's life last evening,
but, on inquiry, we learn from the highest authority, that it
is but too true that such an attempt was made. It appears,
that previous to Her Majesty's return to Buckingham Palace
this evening from her usual drive, the assassin attracted con-
siderable attention, by making use of the most horrible
language in the Park, saying that the Queen lived upon the
vitals of the people, at the same time making use of the
most abusive epithets. Her Majesty was in the low pony
phaeton, drawn by four greys, and just as the phaeton
reached the spot where the maniac Oxford made his diaboli-
cal attempt on Her Majesty's life, the individual now in
custody, drew a pistol from his breast, and presenting it at her
Majesty, attempted to discharge it, providentially without ef-
fect. The miscreant was instantly arrested, and amidst the exe-
cration of the bystanders,who seem ed almost inclined to execute
summary vengeance on him, was conveyed to one of the
lodges of the Palace, and partially searched. The pistol with
which he had made the attempt, and which he had immedi-
ately afterwards thrust into his bosom, was taken from him,
examined, and discovered to be loaded with ball, so that the
same difficulty as to proving the intent will not occur in this
case that occurred in the case of Oxford. He was subse-
quently conveyed to the Gardner's-lane Station-house, where
he was subjected to a most minute examination, but whether
or not any other weapons have been found on him, we were
unable to ascertain, as the strictest orders have been given
to the authorities to observe the greatest secresy on the sub-
ject. The prisoner does not present the slightest appearance
of insanity, and seemed perfectly calm and collected. We
understand he refuses to state his place of abode, or, indeed,
any particulars about himself. At half-past seven, he was
conveyed from the Station-house to the Home-office, where
he is at present under examinations before the Privy Council.
Sir R. Peel, Sir J. Graham, Lord Wharncliffe, and all the
Cabinet Ministers, are assembled at the Home-office, for the
purpose of being present at his examination.
Mr. Manic, the Solicitor to the Treasury, and Colonel
Rowan, the Chief Commissioner of Police, are also in
attendance there. We have reason to believe that the
prisoner's name is known, but that it would frustrate the
ends of justice if it were permitted to transpire for the
present. The examination is a strictly private one, and no
stranger is on any account permitted to be present. We
sent our reporter to the Home-office, for the purpose of
watching the proceedings. His request to be present, how-
ever, was met by a very polite but a very decided refusal.
It is rumoured that the prisoner has associates in his crime,
and that a clue has been obtained to their discovery ; indeed,
it is reported that one of them, a tall individual who was seen
in his company in the Park, is already in custody, and will
undergo an examination at the Home-office this evening.
The whole of Whitehall is crowded with persons anxiously
waiting to catch a glimpse of the assassin on his return from
I the Home-office.

St. James's Park also is thronged with people, pressing
towards Buckingham Palace to make inquiries as to the
well-being of the Queen. .

Prince Albert was with her Majesty in the phaeton at the
time th attempt was made, but neither of them seemed aware
of what had occurred until their return to the Palace. _

About half-past six o'clock Sir James Graham was ob-
served to enter the House of Commons, and walk towards
the Speaker's end of the House, with a face evidently be-
traying anxiety. As he got oppoisite to Sir Robert Peel he
beckoned to the Right Hon. Gentleman, who immediately
retired with Sir James Graham. It was then the latter
Right Honourable Baronet communicated to Sir Robert
Peel, the intelligence of which he soon afterwards informed
the House, when it broke up, the Members pouring instant-
ly into Palace-yard, and dispersing to gather all the intelli-
gence in their power.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

OF THE CHURCH OF

SCOTLAND

On Wednesday, the business of most interest was the case
of Mr. Munro, presentee to Fala. Mr. Munro is charged
with having expressed a certain opinion as to the power of
the civil magistrate, which is deemed heterodox. It is said
that Mr. Munro's meaning is misconstrued, and he disavows
the doctrine imputed to him. The Presbyterial certificate
was withheld from him by 181 to 88.

On Thursday,ttiecaser of the clergymen who have held
communion with the Strathbogie ministers came before the
house, when was witnessed the extraordinary spectacle of
eleven ministers placed at the bar for countenancing their
brethren in obeying the law of the laud ! The accused at
once admitted the truth of the charge. Dr. Candlish, who
seems to have volunteered the performance of this congenial
task, then addressed the Assembly. His great object ap-
peared to be to prove that the accused, though delinquent,
were not so guilty as the Strathbogie clergymen. He endea-
vsured to make out a distinction between the character of
the offences committed by the two parties. The result of the
matter was, that the eleven clergymen were again to be sum-
moned to the bar yesterday.
On Friday, Mr. Clark was deposed for his conduct in ap-
pealing for protection to the civil courts, and the settlement
of Mr. Middleton was annulled.

ATTEMPTED MURDER IN PORTSMOUTH

DOCKYARD

PORTSMOUTH, SUNDAY.—At an early hour yesterday
morning the family of Rear-Admiral the Honourable D. P.
Bouverie, the Admiral Superintendent, residing in this dock-
yard, were considerably alarmed by the information that
Joseph Bolton, a footman in the service of the admiral, had
attempted to take the life of the lady's maid, Louisa Pettis,
by cutting her throat. It appears that Bolton, who, it is
supposed, had been out all night, and had been drinking,
went on his return home, between five and six o'clock, into
the bedroom of his intended victim, with a knife in his hand,
with which, while she was sleeping, he cut her throat.
The incision, however, was not sufficiently deep to de-
prive her of life. Upon being wounded she awoke, and,
after struggling desperately with the assassin, succeeded
in reaching the room of some of the other servants, though
not without receiving some severe cuts under her chin and
upon her shoulder and breast. After having made this at-
tempt upon the poor woman's life, Bolton immediately pro-
ceeded to the room of the butler, Benjamin Payne, whom he
awoke, and said, " I have cut Louisa Pettis's throat; I give
myself up as your prisoner." Rear-admiral Bouverie and
the household were immediately alarmed, and the admiral
ordered Bolton to be given into the custody of the policeman
who had been called in. The admiral also despatched mes-
sengers to the nearest medical gentleman; so that no time
might be lost in procuring proper assistance for the unfortu-
nate sufferer. Dr. Henderson shortly arrived, and rendered
such immediate aid as the case required. It is not at pre-
sent anticipated that the wounds will prove fatal. No reason
has yet been assigned by the prisoner for making this atro-
cious attempt. He told the butler it was because she was
always aggravating him.
In the course of the day the prisoner (Joseph Bolton) was
examined before the magistrate, upon the
,charge of having
attempted to murder Louisa Pettis, ladys maid to Lady

Bouverie.
Benjamin Payne stated that he was butler to Admiral
Bouverie, and that the prisoner was a footman in the same
service ; that between 5 and 6 o'clock this morning (Satur-
day) the prisoner came into the room and awoke him, and
said, " I give myself up to you a prisoner. I have cut
Louisa Pettis's throat." He immediately dressed himself
and went down into the pantry, accompanied by the
stioprning,
pri-
soner. The prisoner went out the previous evening, and
said he should be back again by half-past 10 to attend on the
ladies. He looked for the prisoner at that hour, but was
notrn able to find him. Did not see him again until the
certifie
that LouisaatPSig
when he came into the room and gave himself up.
ingyoNlithat the prisoner had been out all night and drink-
lady's
him
• heard the prisoner say some time back that the
maid owed
blood, that
that at present there
pri-
soner was then r a grudge.
Signed by Dr. Hsnderson was put in, stating
itettis was so much weakened by the loss of
impossible she could be examined, but
tehmere was no immediate danger. The pri-
anded until next Thursday.

DUTIES ON SUCkRAv
AND TIMBER.—Sir Robert Peel in-
tends, on Friday, to
n3o
eresolutions, in Committee of Ways
and Means, declaratory
of
the " expediency of continuing
the sugar duties ;" and Mr.
Roebuck will, in the same scom-
ittee, move that the
sugar be reduced to that ne:wr the importation of foreign
that the duties on colonial andvfied on colonial sugar ; and
equal. Mr. Labouchere will alsootoreig° timber be rendered
t°1`11:, as an amendment to
Sir Robert Peels proposition, that
be reduced to 30s. per cwt., and on Colonial sugar to 20s.
REPRESENTATION OF DERRY.--RETURN,.. ~,„
sos.—Thursday being the day appointed foielectingßATEplace a re-
on the forenoon of Sir Robert
Bateson, who lately resigned, renoon of that d
presentative for the county of Derry, in
gentlemen, connected with the city and ay a
county
assembled the court-house of Derry, and after it was yr!
nummbebrleodf
apsosseed and seconded that Robert Bateson, Esq. (son of i.t.
Robert), was a fit and proper person to represent the county
in the House of Commons, he was elected to that high and
honourable office without opposition, and declared to be duly
returned.

imperial Varliament.

HOUSE OF LORDS-THURSDAY

Lord HATHERTON presented a petition against Sunday
trading on canals, and asked if it was the intention of govern-
ment to bring in any bill to enable the proprietors of canals
to close them on Sunday, which they could not do without
the authority of parliament, inasmuch as canals are the
Queen's highways.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE said it was not the intention of go-
vernment to bring in such a bill, but if the noble lord would
bring in such a bill, government would afford him every pos-
sible facility to pass it.
Lord KINNAIRD then moved for a copy of the Queen's
letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, with a view to raising
subscriptions for the relief of the poor.
The Luke of WELLINGTON said he had no objection to
the production of the letter, though owing to some circum-
stances, he was not aware (when the noble lord had given no-
tice on a previous evening) that sucha letter was in existence.
After some conversation as to the propriety of resorting to
such a mode of relieving distress of such magnitude, the
motion was agreed to.
The LORD CHANCELLOR moved that the house should re-
solve itself into committee upon the copyright bill. He re-
gretted to find that it was to be opposed from a quarter from
whence opposition was at all times formidable, and more
particularly so in a case like the one under consideration.
This opposition rendered it necessary for him to enter at some
length into the subject, but he would do so without trespass-
ing on the time of the house further than was absolutely re-
quisite. The noble lord then gave a history of copyright,
showing, that in the first instance authors, by the common
law, had a permanent right in their works, and that the sta-
tute laws passed in the reign of Anne, instead of granting a
right to authors, actually curtailed the right which they had
by the common law. He only asked, therefore, for justice at
the hands of their lordships for the literary men of this great
empire, who were in a worse position, as respected copy-
right, than the literary men of any nation in Europe, with
the exception of Austria, which, by a singular coincidence,
had produced fewer works of eminence than any other
country.
Lord BROUGHAM was opposed to this measure, which not
only made a considerable alteration prospectively in the law
of copyright, but also contained a retrospective clause, which,
in his opinion, was most objectionable. The noble lord con-
tended that the increase of the period of copyright would be
of no use to the author, for the bookseller would give no
more for a copyright for 42 years than for a copyright for 28
years. He had caused a calculation to be made of the com-
parative value of a copyright for each period, presuming that
there was a certainty of a profit of £lOO per annum on the
publication of a work. The value for 28 years would be
£730, and for 42 years only £7Bl. This was a proof that
the author would gain nothing by the bill; for even this
small difference of £5l they would not obtain from the book-
seller. While, therefore, it would be of no benefit to the
author, it might operate seriously to the disadvantage of the
public, by keeping up the price of valuable works that ought
to be in the hands of the people, and this was his great ob-
jection to the bill.
Lord LYTTLETON said that the arguments of the noble
lord, however cogent as to those authors who sold their
works, did not at all apply to those who retained their copy-
rights in their own hands. He was satisfied that prolonga-
tion of the term of copyright was necessary, and he should,
therefore, support the bill.
The Bishop of LONDON, in supporting the bill, contended
that the calculations referred to by Lord Brougham were a
fallacy, for in many cases books were gradually improving in
their marketable value, and would be most valuable just
about the time when, under the present law, the copyright
would expire, and all the advantage would be reaped by some
speculating bookseller, instead of by the author and his

Lord COTTENHAM contended that this question should not
be argued upon the ground of justice or injustice to authors,
but solely upon the ground of the public interest, and believ-
ing that it would operate injuriously to the interests of the
public as far as related to the clause having a restrospective
effect, he must oppose that portion of it, though he con-
curred in the general principle of the bill.
Lord CAMPBELL supported the bill ; after which the house
went into committee on the bill, and the clauses were agreed
to, pro forma, it being understood, that they should be dis-
cussed on bringing up the report.
Some bills on the table were forwarded a stage, after
which their lordships adjourned.