The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-12-30 00:00:00

LOCAL NEWS.

THE SMITHS' FRIENDLY BENEVOLENT, STelc AND
BURIAL SOCIETY.—The members of the above Society held
their annual Ball on Monday, the 26th inst. at their club-
house, the Grapes Inn, Charlotte-street. Dancing com-
menced at an early hour, and was kept up with that
enthusiastic spirit of harmony and vigour, which at all times
so truly characterizes these jolly sons of the forge. A good
quadrille band being in attendance, the true knights of the
anvil with their bellows, hammered away to time and tune,
until warned of the lateness of the hour. After many hours
spent in conviviality the company separated highly gratified
with the evening's entertainment.

A " DARK" DEED AT " NIGHT," BROUGHT TO LIGHT
BY " DAY."—On Friday last, a young man named John
Dark was brought before Mr. Rushton, at the Police-court,
on the complaint of a gentleman of the name of Day. The
complainant was at the Liver Theatre on the previous even-
ing, and, while coming away, found some one twitching his
pocket, at the top of the stairs, with intent to rob him of its
contents. He gave the alarm, and the prisoner was secured,
with some of the property in his possession. The case being
proved, and the delinquent having received an admirable
character for dexterity in such exploits on former occasions,
he was consigned
tto durance vile for three months.

THE FUNDS, WEDNESDAY EVENING.—The public secu-
rities remained steady all day, with a very small amount of
business in any description. The English stocks support
late quotations, Consols for the account being quoted 931;
3 per Cents. Reduced, 94;1 to -} ; Bank Stock, 171 to 172
31 per Cents. Reduced, 101 k tot; Long Annuities, 12 9-16
to s ; India Bonds, 48s. to 495. premium ; and Exchequer-
bills, 535. to 555. premium. The two last-mentioned securi-
ties. it will be noticed, are gradually advancing, which 15
attributed to the general abundance of cash, and the small
employment that can be found for it. Spanish stock has not
supported the improvement of yesterday. There is hardly
any doubt now but that the operations then entered into
were speculative purchases put out as a feeler of the state of
the market. Not having the anticipated effect, the parties
have been glad to secure themselves by sales. The Actives
closed ISa to 8; and the New 3 per Cents., 21-61 to Portu-
guese 5 per Cents. are quoted at the higher price of 40 to s ;
ditto 3 per Cents., 231 to 244; Brazilian, 71 to 72 ; Danish,
84 to 85 ; Colombian, 2l ; Mexican, 34' to 32 ; Dutch
2} per Cents., 54 to 53 ; and Belgian, 1012 to 1021.

I CHARGE OF STEALING A QUANTITY OF TEA.—On Wed-
• nesday, (the prisoners being remanded for further evidence,)
P three young men, George Morecroft, Thomas Marsh, and
John Makin were placed before the police magistrate, on a
charge of having stolen a quantity of tea from some packages.
From the evidence given on both days, (and which was more
lengthy than interesting,) we gathered the following particu-
lars in point:—The prisoner Morecroft is owner of a cart,
and the other two—Marsh and Makin, are acquaintances of
his. It appeared that on the 14th of the present month,
Messrs. Moffat and Co. of this town, wholesale tea dealers,
had to send to Mr. James Hogg, of Preston, nine half-chests
of tea, which were to be got out of Messrs. Green's ware-
house in Manesty-lane, and sent by railway through Messrs.
Hargreaves and Co. Davies, warehouseman, went for a
cart, and finding Morecroft, (with whom was Makin,) in
North John-street, he engaged it. The cart went to Manesty-
lane for the tea, and it was put into it, each package being in
good order—the whole weight being, including ropes, &c.,
5 cwt. 1 qr. 241 b. Morecroft was not present when it was
delivered—so at least it appeared. The usual note was
given for the carriers, and the packages were delivered at
Messrs. Harareaves', but it appeared that some of them were
then in bad condition ; and, finally, that there was a deficit
of about 201bs. of the article, exclusive of the ropes, &c., the
weight being only 5 cwt. 1 qr. 81b. It was about three
o'clock when the tea was delivered at Hargreaves'. The re-
ceipt note was there given to Makin, and Marsh was with
him. Soon after four o'clock the cart was seen, with ap-
parently nothing inlit, going up Tabley-street, across Park-
lane and into Suffolk-street. The three prisoners were with
it. It appeared that the return or receipt note for the tea
from the cart had stated that some of the packages were in bad
order, but that some erasure had taken place to conceal that
fact. The packages, too, were not delivered at Hargreaves'
until much later in the evening than the hour they ought to
have arrived at.—lt was stated for the prisoner Morecroft,
that, though the owner of the cart, he was not present or
cognisant of any thing wrong during the transit of the tea;
that he had left the cart to be driven by Makin, while be
went to draw a bill due to him ; that he afterwards was en-
gaged to carry a load of furniture for a gentleman in Ren-
shaw-street ; that he went to look after his cart, and found
it coming up Tablev-street ; and that he proceeded to Ren-
shaw-street, as agreed upon, but, after waiting an hour,
could not find the gentleman. No witnesses were, however,
produced to bear out these assertions ; and though the case
as against Morecroft was not so strong as against the others,
they were all three sent for trial at the sessions.

THE GREAT FIRE BETWEEN GREENLAND-STREET AND
PARLIAMENT-STREET.—The scene of the tire, though a week
has elapsed, still presents a picturesque, and, in some points,
a threatening appearance—as regards the safety of the men
employed in " clearing the wreck," and especially in pulling
down the remaining ruins. The long side wall of the large
warehouse, on the east side of the area of the destruction,
and near Newhall-street (which was standing at the date of
our last account), has been taken down, and the back-yards
and outbuildings of the houses saved in that street are ex-
posed to view. A great part of the long west wall of the
other large warehouse that bounded the area on the west has
also been got down from its perilous eminence, by means of
ropes, fastened through the window openings above. This
was a work of much danger to the police officers and others
employed, but happily no accident occurred. The turpentine
distillery in the middle is reduced to a ruin. The south front
to Greenland-street (close to which were the engine and fires
of the distillery) has fallen. The other front, or end, to
Greenland-street, still stands; but the whole building, from
north to south, is entirely gutted—the roof, floors, and
materials in the works being consumed—and the walls so
much injured—the mortar being, in all probability, calcined
by the heat within and without, that repair appears to be oat
of the question. The highly combustible contents of the nine
vaults under the large yard close by, on the west,—chiefly
turpentine and tar—were all burnt out. The vaults have
stood, but the arches are in a dangerous state. Although
much of the materials of the warehouses, &c., has been re-
moved, the ruins are still in several parts from ten to fifteen
feet in height. A great number of men are employed in ex-
tracting such damaged goods—cotton, corn, &c.—as can be
come at amongst the rubbish. Masses of these are still in a
burning state, and the whole is doubtless much damaged by
water, &c. The engines are still employed in keeping down
the smouldering combustion wherever it appears. Many
cart loads of damaged stuff have been, and continue to be,
carted away, but the general salvage will be comparatively
trifling in amount. The total loss will be somewhere near
the estimate which we furnished.—Connected with this fire
we may notice one remarkable, though not important fact.
The warehouses, as before stated, contained large quantities
of corn from time to time, and at the period of the ignition.
As is not unusual in such cases, a considerable flock of
pigeons, pleased with the provender they could there find,
by occasional spillage, and probably not less occasional
pilferage on their own part, had taken up their abode in
and about the buildings. During even the height of the fire,
we observed numbers of them, unwilling to quit their domi-
ciliary haunts, hovering and fluttering about on the tops of
the walls, and not unfrequently amidst the smoke, and even
apparently venturing to tip their wings in the flames. Guided
by instinct, they were mostly observable about the top of the
remaining wall of the western or" windward" warehouse; and
ven on Wednesdaytnight, though the whole of their aerie
was razed to the ground, they were still performing girations
over the ruins, or perching on the fragments of walls that yet
stood high over the smoking masses, as if in mournful council
of war on the destruction of their homes, and debating to
what point they should migrate in quest of more congenial
quarters. Although they paid no rent, and consequently did
not come under the provisions of even " the small tenement
act," they seemed to rebel most lustily against so unexpected
and summary an ejectment.

FATAL ACCIDENT.—On Wednesday afternoon last, about
half-past four o'clock, a labouring man, named Thomas
Rotherham, accidentally fell into the new graving-dock, on
the west side of the Salthouse Dock, and was so much lo'
jured that he died soon afterwards. He had been engaged
in working at the graving-dock, which is not yet completed.
He was picked up by some fellow-workmen and carried to
his lodgings in Sparling-street, but was found to be dead be-
fore they arrived. The inquest will be held this day.

DREADFUL CASE OF DISTRESS.—The attention of the be-
nevolent and humane is drawn to the distressing case of
George Jordan, living in St. Andrew's-court, St. Andrew-
street, a market porter, who is now confined to his bed, his
sickness having been Occasioned by hunyer. His wife sea
four children are also in a starving state, (the eldest of the
latter being a cripple.) The slightest relief would be thank-
fully received at the STANDARD-OFFICE, where any further
information required will be given.
SHAMEFUL fl oAx.--The public are requested to be On
their guard against an impostor who has adopted an ingenious
method of raising money in the neighbourhood of Edge-
hill. He calls on rectable
Families with a , message, p-
porting to be from J. e
S.sp Leigh,q., or some one in the neigh ur-
bourhood, to the effect that different kinds of game will be
left for them at Mr. Marshall's coffee-house on a certain
day, and requests them to send for it. In many cases he
has suceeeded in obtaining a fee for his promised present,
which it is needless to say has in no case been found when
sent for.

IMPUDENT ATTEMPT AT RAISING THE WlND.—During
the present week, small handbills have been widely circulated
amongst the domestic servants in the most respectable parts
of the town, in which it is stated that a man and woman,
" students in divine philosophy," may be consulted at their
residence, in this town, and " where all lawful questions
may he answered, upon property, business, marriage, health,
sickness, friends at a distance, &c., &c." This, we presumes
is a genteel way of fortune-teiting, but it is not on that ac-
count the less disreputable.