The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-09-05 00:00:00

BETTING AT TATTERS_iLL'S—Tins DAY,

LEAMINGTON STAYES.-7 to 2 agst Baalbec, off; 8 to
1 agst Pantomime; 12 to 1 agst Amalgamation; 12 to 1
agst Lurley ; 12 to 1 agst Hungerford
ST. LEGER.-100 to 45 agst B(
Trapper, tk and off; 7 to 1 azst A
Hannibal, tk

bat, tk ; 40 to I aid

CESAREWITCH.-30 to 1 28
agst Poodle; 30 to 1 agst Star of Surrey
D. 0. ; 50 to 1 agst Barrel_
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
agst Monie Moses •

st Burlington, tk ; 30 to 1
40 to 1 asst

-33 to 1 a,c,st Burlington; 38 to 1
50 to 1 asst Barrel, tk.

get De Clare

LIVERPOOL GUARDI

tN SOCIETY

4. special general meeting of the Liverpool Guardian-
- field last night in the Hall, Hackin's•hey.
chair was occupied by Mr. M`Millan. The meeting
was well attended. .
The first business was the consideration of certain
alterations proposed to be made in the rules of the society.
These embraced chiefly verbal changes, calculated to en-
sure the more ready working of the society. The chief
alteration consisted in the appointment of two new office-
bearers, namely, a solicitor and a banker. The proposed
alterations having been read seriatim, and in that manner
put from the chair, they were unanimously adopted.

TIIE PRICE OF GAS.

The CIIIIRMAN said, the next business which would
come under the notice of the meeting was the pro.
ceedings adopted by the society in reference to the price
of gas. This, as the meeting was well aware, was a sub-
ject which had been frequently before the committee of
the society, which had appointed a sub-committee to con-
fer with the directors of the Gas Company. He con-
cluded by calling on

The SiCRETATRY, who read the report of the sub-com-
mittee, which detailed in general terms the nature of the
conference. It complained that no reduction in the price
of gas had been made or intimated by the company,
although a reduction had been promised. The sub-com-
mittee also complained that economy was not observed
by the company in furnishing gas ; and likewise of the
amount charged as metre-rent. The secretary then read
the report adopted by the Gas Company at the annual
meeting held last month.

Mr. BOUGH remarked that the Gas Company had not
treated the Guardian Society in a proper manner, as no
notice had been taken of the repeated remonstrances of
the society. In these circumstances, it was, he considered,
perfectly justifiable to take steps for the organisation of a
He felt assured that the proposed reduc-

new company. ]
tion of sixpence

sed by the
ipany, had been wrung from it by. the threat
of a rival company. He expressed his concurrence in the
recommendation of the committee, which, expressing its
dissatisfaction with the report adopted by the Gas Com-

pauy,recog
Mr. Su:

pised the propriety of supporth
rMMERS moved the ad

new company.
tion of a resolution,

Mn with the Gas Companyls

and recommended that the support of the society be
given to a new company, which he understood was about
to be started.

The motion was seconded and unanimously agreed to.
Mr. Mrans, in answer to a question, stated that he
understood, from inquiry, that, paying a return of 7f per
cent. on the capital employed, with a consumption similar
to that of the Liverpool Gas Company, gas could be sold
at 2s. 9j-d. per thousand cubic feet, and that, with a return
it might be sold at 2s. sd. per thousand.
...ieved that at Bolton gas was actually fur-
nshed at 3s. per thousand cubic feet.

of 6 per milt.;
In fact, he be

Mr. C. CAiirs moved that the thanks of the meeting
be given to the chairman and committee, for their dili-
gence and attention in relation to this matter.

Lotion was carried by acclamation, and the meet.

ing separated

DISTRESSING TRAGEDY AT . OXTON
MURDER OF A POLICEMAN.

A. melancholy instance of the evil effects arising from
an'mptficient restraint upon the physical powers of luna-
tics, when they have apparently recovered their reason
occurred yesterday morning, at Oxton, near Birkenhead,'
which resulted in the death of a police-conslable, and
caused considerable consternation in the neighbourhood.
Near the Talbot Inn, Oxton, a retired gamekeeper, named
William Knowles, aged 57, formerly in the employ of Mr.
Price, the lord of the manor of Birkenhead, has for some
time resided with his family, but it is said he has been
twice placed in confinement in a lunatic asylum. He has
latterly,however, apparently recovered his reason, although,
as in most cases of this description, has been subject to
occasional fits of temporary derangement. On Sunday
afternoon he had been out with some friends, one of
whom returned home with him in the evening. whAy.

to afflict him asked the friend to remain in the house
with his father all night, to which request the friend
-"eded. About two o'clock yesterday morning, the father's

son wen

police-

LivaL, Li vitt LLIZ WILL, LO assist nun and luS
friend with his turbulent father. During the early part
of the morninc, he was sometimes worse and sometimes
better, but about five o'clock the violent symptoms having
abated, the son and friend went down stairs to
ne refreshment, leaving Matthews with Knowles
The latter asked Matthews to go into
led, follower

_ b, either he proceec. oy Matthews,
who stood in the lobby, peeping through the half-
opened door, when he saw Knowles walk to a cupboard

lie Lowi

ed gun

'vs called the sou up from

t.haf,

ho was coming un stair

know, when the father fired th;On—g-1;

the contents of the gui;in

the breast of the

man, the shots taking with them a
into the wound. The gun was

loaded with shot about No. 4—usually fired by sportsmen
—and the deceased being so near to the maniac when he
fired, they •had no chance to spread, but made a wound
which caused almost instantaneous death. Matthews had
just time to articulate,—" I am a dead man ; go for Doctor
Gordon." He then staggered to the yard, but the instant

g breath, and

then fell to the ground a corpse_
Knowles has always been on the best terms with iav
thews, therefore could not have been actuated by any ill-
feeling to murder him.

Matthews has been on duty, at Oxton, nine or ten years,
and was much respected. He formerly belonged to the
Liverpool police force. He has left a wife and five or six
children to deplore his loss.

Knowles was brought before the magistrates, at the
Birkenhead Police-court, yesterday morning, and some of
the evidence was gone into; but, ultimately, the magis-
trates thought it advisable to remand him until a Coroner's
inquest had been held upon the body.
Much sympathy is felt for the bereaved widow and
family of the constable, and it is hoped that something
substantial will be done for their benefit.

.11IUSIC

AND T.H-B DRAMA
♦

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.—At the Theatre Royal, Wil-
liamson-square; the first of a series of five operas was per-
formed last night. The piece selected for the opening was
Bellini's favourite opera of " Norma." The part of Norma
was ably sustained by Mad'lle Cruvelli, the other characters
being also charmingly filled by Mad'lle Alarai, Mad'lle
Albini, Signor Tamberlik and Signors Santi and Taglia-
fieo. The house was filled by a fashionable audience, who
expressed their approbation of the performances by mur-
murs of applause. and occasional outbursts of delighted
emotion. -The chorus is very effective, and gave evidence
'of good drill, and the orchestra was in admirable trim,
rs attractive
well in hand and obedient to their leader. During the
week we are to have in succession the operas of " Ernani,"
(this evening) "La Sonuambula," " Fidelio," and
' ()tell();" a more enticing musical treat was never of-
fered in -Liverpool.,
AT TILE ROYAL AMPITITIISATII:w,'eetkheenotII gushes"
talents
of the London Adelphi company continue to attract and
to deserve good houses. Daring the past week they have
repeated most of the favourite pieces by which they have
gained celebrity in the metropolis, much
and produced
gratification here as well as in other provincial. thefavouriteatres,
the
of the ofie Green
racaisttrieavtoe.
bTleiipserefvoerniniieig th
d,
aned incourse
dramas will be repeated.

A .pEitioN in want .of a .situation, hylaired of a -ratlitn4
sttwid-loPking individual if he vrould inform him of one.
ixn ;upon answering rather In the negative,
remarked that, from the look of his face, he' thoOht
might know of a vacancy.