The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-01-14 00:00:00

IWISCELLA.sIcEoUS

The CHAIRMAN announced that Mr. Walker and Mr.
Cubitt, the engineers, had again conic down to Liverpool,
and that they would meet the sub-committee of works after
the termination of the general business.
The tenders of Messrs. Davenport and Grindrod, to erect
cranes, &c. on the north quay of the new south dock, were
accepted.
assistant to the Marine
The salary of Mr. Wm. Jones,
Surveyor, was raised, on the recommendation of the sub-
committee of that department, from £l5O to £2OO per
annum ; but it is to be understood for the future, that all appli-
cations for increased salaries are to be made in the first in-
stance to the general committee.
The CHAIRMAN said he had just received a letter from
Mr. John North, enclosing a resolution passed at a meeting
of several of the deputations lately appointed by the mercan-
tile associations upon the subject of the respective dock plans.
The Chairman then read the resolution, which appeared to
have been passed on the 11th instant, at a meeting over
which It. G. Henderson Esq. presided. It requested the Dock
Committee would inform the Chairman of the Deputations
whether upon the recent reference of the several plans now
under discussion, to Mr. Walker and Mr. Cubitt for their
consideration, the instructions to those gentlemen were
limited to the parliamentary site under the late act, and if so.
that the Dock Committee would favour the deputations with
the definition of such site.
Mr. EVANS believed there had not been any doubt before
of the instructions to the engineers; that the dock committee
requested their opinion and advice in general.
The CHAIRMAN.—And their report has not yet been re-
ceived. _

Mr. AIKIN.—And in reply to the second question, Mr.
North, being a professional gentleman, must know that the
definition of the parliamentary site is in the act of parlia-
ment.

The committee then proceeded to the transaction of some
financial business, and shortly afterwards separated.

The Scottish Patriot, the Chartist paper in Glasgow, has
ceased to exist.

ON DITS.—" You'll split my sides," as the oak tree said
to the flash of lightning.—" I'll stick to you." as the treacle
said to the fly.—" I'm dreadfully cut up," as the crimped
cod said to the fishmonger.—" Why don't you bit one of
your own size," as the tenpenny nail said to the sledge ham-
mer.—" You're too hard upon me," as the corn said to the
tight boot.--" Come in, out of the wet," as the shark said
when he swallowed the nigger boy.
On Monday a portion of the ransom paid by the Chinese
for the evacuation of Canton arrived in London, and was
transferred to the Royal Mint, in which establishment it was
deposited at two o'clock. The procession attracted much
notice in the streets through which it passed. The value of
the treasure is 550,0001. sterling, and consists of small bars
and lumps of sycee silver, the whole of whim is to be melted
down and refined previous to its being converted into the
current coin of the realm. The remaining portion of the
ransom paid by the Chinese for the release of Canton will be
distributed as prize-money among the brave soldiers, sailors,
and marines, engaged in the war.

SUDDEN DEATH.—On Tuesday morning week, the Rev.
Richard Ratcliffe, 0.5. D., the respected:chaplain ofSir E. J.
Smythe, Bart., of Acton Burnell, died awfully sudden. The
rev. gentleman left Acton Burnell at ah early hour that
morning, for the purpose of administering the sacrament to
a sick communicant at WenlOck ; and when passing through
the villiage of Harley, he was observed by two cottagers to
stagger suddenly, and immediately afterwards fall to the
ground. The cottagers hastened to his assistance, and lifted
him up ; but he almost Instantly expired, having been seized
with apoplexy. The body was removed to Acton Burnell
the same day. The deceased was in his 70th year, and was
the last descendant of the Derwentwater family, which
suffered so much for espousing the cause of the Stuarts.

EUROPEAN CAPTIVE AT BORNEO.—The mention by Cap-
tain Page that some of the Lascars of the Sultana who had
found their way to Maludu (northern extremity of Borneo)
had there seen an European female, led to some inquiry on
the subject by the local authorities, and the following is a
copy of the deposition of one of the Sultana's crew taken
here in the course of the investigation :—Hajee Hassan, a
Lascar, of the late ship Sultana, states—l was one of the
party in the cutter which landed at Maludu, I cannot say how
long I remained at that place, but I had been at Bruni ten
days when the steamer arrived. When at Malhdu I lived at
the house of a Syed, and was treated very well. About three
days after leaving Maludu for Bruni we touched at a place
called Amboon for water, where there is a good harbour.
There were about forty houses on the beach. I had pre-
viously heard, when on board the boat, from the clew, that
there was a European female residing at Amboon. The
house was pointed out to me, which induced me to enter ; it
was raised on poles about six feet high, and situated in the
centre of the village. On entering, I saw seated on the mat
a European female ; she was dressed in the Malay costume.
There was a Malay woman seated near her, and five or six
children playing about the house. I did not see any man in
the house. 1 remained about a minute. The European
female did not attempt to leave, nor did she say a word. She
looked at me for a moment, and then hung down her head. I
j am most positive she was a European female, and about forty
years of age. fair, with blue eyes and light hair. We remained
at Amboon two days, but I did not see the female, save on the
occasion just stated. I heard that about 15 years since the
female alluded to had been taken to Amboon, but whether a
vessel had been wrecked or captured about that time, I did
not learn. Taru Passook is inland of Amboon. This is all
the testimony that has qeen elicited ; but there seems no
reason to question its truth, for what could have prompted
the Lascar to invent any story of the kind ? There is also,
to countenance his statement, the fact of missionaries and
others who have of late years visited Borneo having often
heard mention made of a European female being still in that
neighbourhood. When our government adopts means, as it
no doubt will, to effect the release of the twelve Lascars of
the Sultana, who are still detained at Maludu, some clue reap
be discovered as to the identity of the female in question, any
measures taken to release her.