The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-08-19 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

Saturday the Queen Dowager completed her 50th year.
Notwithstanding the absence of that illustrious personage
from town, Marlborough-house, Pall-mall, was beseiged
throughout the day by the principal nobility and gentry,
anxious to enter their names in the visitors book. In the
neighbourhood of Bushy-park, at Hampton, Hampton-
court, &e., the children of the parochial schools were regaled
with a substantial dinner, and the principal inhabitants
dined together in the afternoon. In the evening her Ma-
jesty's tradespeople in the metropolis illuminated.
Theatricals, as Mr. Robins truly observed, have in these
days got to a very low ebb ; as a very excellent and complete
equipment for a private theatre, four rolling scenes, three
skies, 11 side scenes, a foot lamp, stand for 301ights, four
the high amount of £l. lls. 6d.
lanterns, "&c., brought
Other articles retched equally low prices. The billiard table,
complete, 'and in',Capital condition, brought only fourteen
guineas, and a mail coach, (one of the four-in-hand club),
sold only for seven guineas—about the worth of the wheels !
The Duke of Welling,tOn accepted the office lately held by
Lord Hill on Friday. We have reuson to believe, however,
that the arrangement is merely temporary, and that Sir G.
Murray will eventually succeed to the appointment. The
reason assigned for the Duke's acceptance of office is said to
be that Her Majesty was so bewildered by the number and
pressing applications of candidates for this important ap-
pointment, that she requested the Duke of Wellington to
relieve her from the delicacy of the position in which she
found herself placed, by accepting it, pro tempore, himself.
We repeat our confident belief. however, that his Grace will
remain in office a short time, and that his place will ulti-
mately be supplied by Sir G. Murray.—United Service
Gazette.

CHEAPNESS or FRUIT.—On Monday in Clare-market,
London, ripe gooseberries of a large size were selling freely
at one penny per quart; well-flavoured mellow pears, one
hundred for twopence. Remarkably fine fresh-gathered
Kentish cherries, retailed in full weight (avoirdupois,) eight
pounds for sixpence. Green gages at fourpence, and fine
Orleans plums at threepence per gallon. Large well-
flavoured apples, fit for pies and puddings, at one half-penny
per dozen ; whilst sugar-loaf cabbages were retailing at three
for a penny. French beans and scarlet-runners at threepence
per peck ; large size cucumbers, two fora penny; and water-
cresses, four bunches for a halfpenny. Such a scale of prices
for the same edible commodities has not been recognised by
the oldest person who attends the stalls in the above market,
and some of them are far advanced in senectitude, and have
frequented the same for upwards of forty years.
SUICIDE.—BruGnToN, August 15.—A most determined
act of suicide was committed l!tre yesterday morning, about
ten o'clock, by a gentleman named Peate, who had been
some time domiciled at a house in Bloomsbury-place. He
is a married man, and on risino-,; in the' morning desired his
wife to go below and see to the breakfast preparations, and
she accordingly proceeded to comply with his wishes. No
sooner, however, had she left, Chan, securing the door of the
apartment, he, with considerable difficulty, owing to the
smallness and position of the window, forced himself through,
and after hanging for a few seconds outside by the window-
sill, dropped to the pavement below. The window was one
of a second floor chamber, and his leg was broken by the fall.
A Mr. Brown, surgeon, residing in the neighbourhood, was
on the spot immediately, and rendered the proper assistance ;
but, notwithstanding that the injuries to the leg were the
only ones discoverable, the unfortunate gentleman expired in
little more than half an hour. We hear that the deceased
had been much afflicted with the gout and other complaints,
and that on more than one occasion he was thought to exhi-
bit an appearance of deranged intellect.
WATERSPOUT.—The Mersey, Captain Steel, belonging to
Liverpool, arrived at Oporto from the former port, reports
having seen a waterspout on the 3d instant, which rapidly
approached the Mersey, but passed about three ships' length
off her. It then made a direct course towards a small
schooner about a mile and a half ahead of the Mersey, which
Captain Steel supposes was ingulfed in the vortex, as the
weather was thick at the time, with heavy rain, thunder and
lightning; and on its clearing up in about 15 minutes after,
the schooner was not to be seen either on deck or aloft. The
schooner was apparently steering the same course as the
Mersey when the waterspout was first seen. The schooner
was under a heavy press of sail at the time, and the weather
being hazy did not probably perceive it until it was close
upon her. The Bayonne Islands bore by compass S.E. by
S., distant 36 miles, the wind from the north westward.

BALLOON AscENT.—On Friday afternoon an ascent was
made by Mr. Green, in the Albion Bandon, from the race-
course, at Weymouth, Dorset. On account of its being the
first that has ever been made in the county, an immense
assemblage was attracted to witness the event. The balloon,
on quitting terra firma, passed over, at an altitude of about
1,500 feet, Weymouth-bay and the cliffs at Hillsworth, the
aeronauts having throughout their voyage a fine commanding
view of the Channel. The descent took place near Bland-
ford, in about an hour and a half after the ascent. The bal-
loon was the same that Hampton nearly lost his life with,
on three occasions—namely, descending, after au ascent from
Rochester ; in the sea, off Dover ; and his parachute expe-
riments at Cheltenham and Bayswater. Mr. Green was
accompanied by Captain Currey.
AMERICAN PINE TimuEr..--During the month of July,
this year, 6,408 tons of shipping arrived at Liverpool, with
5,719 pieces of fir, against 27,454 tons, 23,537 pieces in July
last. Between February and July, last year, inclusively,
51,455 tons with 37,227 pieces arrived, against 15,649 tons,
11,2-11 pieces received'this ear. The sales were limited, and
we fear sales are likely
to decline gradually in extent till the
10th of October, the period for the operation of the new du-
ties, because buyers naturally look now for new wood, and
as this can only be possessed by consumers through an im-
mediate payment of lls Gd per load to the customs, which
neither benefits buyer nor seller, this impost (about to be
cancelled in the course of a few week,) naturally interferes
as a dead lock for the present on all the operations in the
trade. We judge that the imports which are sold on arrival
till October merit attention from speculators, because of the
unprecedented depression, and that, then, buyers will get
possession of their woods at merely nominal duties, and
meantime getting a deduction of the existing duties. The
stock at the end of July, including all recent arrivals, was
estimated at 2,384,000 feet ; on the 31st May, it was
2,755,000 feet, since when 351,000 feet having been imported,
the consumption for the last two months appears to have been
722,000 feet. 11.000 feet of good Quebec was sold by auc-
tion, in one lot, at 124 d per foot. Other sales have been
effected, by retail, at from 13d to 14d per foot. St John, in
cargo of
precise rate has not transpired.
good quality and average, has been sold beneath
18d per foot, but the
Sales of middlinff qualities have been made ofr the uay, to
M. per' foot.'
the extent of 11,000 feet, at from lnd. to.
But most of the imports of the month have been either
stored, or held on board, which appears to be more natural
and proper course for importers just now. Quebec red pine,
of fair quality, has been sold at 20d. and 22d. per fbot.—
Trade Circulars.

TIDE TABLE.
Days. Men. Evn. Height. Sundays, Holydays,
n. 31. F. 1.
Friday .. 19 10 23 10 42 13 8 Saturn sets oh 30m morn,
Saturday 20 10 59 11 16 14 9 Jupiter sets oh 43m morn'
Sunday.. 21 11 31 11 46 - IS y 13th Sunday after Trinity.
Monday .22 0 2 16 3 Moon in Apogee 7h morn.
Tuesday. 23 0 17' 031 16 7
Wednes .24 046 i• 0 16 7 St. Bartholomew.
Thursday2s 114 15g 16 1