The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-05-20 00:00:00

The account of the parish of Johnstone, Dumfriesshire, in
the new statistical account of Scotland, is thus concluded:—
" Finally, in this very populous rural parish, we have neither
public-house, nor meeting-house, nor resident surgeon, nor
village, nor postoffice, nor prison, nor lawyer, nor beggar."
Mr. George, the English engineer, who was killed in the
frightful accident on the Paris and Versailles Railway, was
formerly in the service of the Liverpoci and Manchester
Company. He was an intelligent and trustworthy man, and
much respected by his employers both in England and
France.

- -
Dr. Webster, one of the governors of Bethlem Hospital,
proposes to institute a medical lunacy class, to be publicly
supported, the students of which, as on the continent, shall
have personal access to the patients, and thereby become ac-
quainted with the features of this malady, which is now much
neglected.
A frightful accident occurred in this town on Saturday
night. Miss M'Garaghan, Castle-street, being about to take
her clothes out of a chest, on opening it with a candle in her
hand, some part of her dress took fire. She immediately
shrieked out, and ran down stairs, but before the fire was
extinguished, she was so severely burnt that she died the
next day.—Sligo Journal.
Sir Edward Sugden has confirmed a judgment of Commis-
sioner Macan, in the case of Perrin, a bankrupt, to the effect
that, notwithstanding a clause affecting the bankrupt law in
the recent act for abolishing arrest on mesne process, judg-
ment creditors are not to have priority in bankruptcy cases,
but must come in, pari passu, with ordinary creditors.—
Dublin paper.

FOUR AND SIX-WHEELED ENGINES.—A writer in a me-
tropolitan contemporary says, " there can be no doubt that
had the engine to which the accident on the Versailes Rail-
way happened been a six-wheeled one, the 50 or 60 victims
of railway policy would have been spared their lives, as the
engine would in that case have run swouthly on without caus-
ing any fatal obstruction to the carriages, and there would
have been ample tune to the engineers to stop the train."

POOR-LAW SURGEONS.—The poor-law commissioners
have issued new orders for the regulation of medical officers
of unions : amongst the most important, it is the wish of the
commissioners that the competition of the candidates for offi-
cers should turn upon their respective character and skill,
and not at the sum at which they may be severally willing to
undertake the office ; the guardians are required to fix the
remuneration, to be approved by the commissioners previ-
ously to advertising for tenders.

EFFECT OF THE NEW TARIFF AT EXETER.—A local pa-
per informs us that the first effect produced by the contem-
plated new tariff of government upon agricultural stock in
this district has been upon asses ; and that these animals
have already been purchased in Bideford Great Market, for
6s. each, while twelve months ago it appears they would have
sold from 30s. to 40s. each.

NEWCASTLE REPRESENTATIVE.—Pending the issuing of
the writ, the conservatives have not thought proper to make
any public avowal of their intentions and proceedings ; but it
is generally understood, that, in the event of Mr. Miller de-
clining to become a candidate, Mr. John N. Gladstone, the
late member for Walsall, and the brother of the Vice-Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade, will consent to be put in nomi-
nation.—Tory paper.
A HINT TO SMITHS.—The cutting of bars of iron or pipes
with the chisel is a laborious and tardy process. By the fol-
lowing mode the same end is attained more speedily, easily,
and neatly :—Bring the iron to a white eat, and then, fixing
it in a vice, apply the common saw, which, without being
turned in the edge or injured in any respect, will divide it as
easily as if it were a carrot !
POOR LAWS IN SCOTLAND.—We see from the Glasgow
papers, that a public meeting of the inhabitants of that city,
called by the Lord Provost, is to be held on an early day, to
consider the propriety of memorializing her majesty's govern-
ment on the subject, and praying for such revision and adap-
tation of the poor-laws to the altered circumstances of Scot-
land as may seem necessary.
THE SUNDERLAND MAGISTRATES.—HOSTILE MEET.

ING.-A hostile meeting took place at Marsden, near South
Shields, at Saturday at noon, between Mr. Richard Spoor,
of Whitburn, one of the Sunderland borough magistrates,
and Mr. Joseph John Wright, of Sunderland, solicitor. It
is understood the point of difference arose out of Mr.
Wright's allusions to Mr. Spoor, in a letter addressed by
Mr. Wright to the Marquis of Londonderry, and which was
read by that nobleman in the House of Lords on Monday
evening last ; and the parties exchanged shots without effect,
when the seconds interposed : an explanation took place, the
parties shook hands, and left the ground with their friends.
Mr. Spoor was attended by Mr. Crawford, son of the late
M.P. for London, and Mr. Wright, by Dr. Millar. This
occurrrence has caused a great sensation in Sunderland and
the neighbourhood.—Times.

STEALING NEWSPAPERS IN THE POST-OFFICE
late sitting of the Glasgow Circuit Court of Justiciary,
Daniel Peddie, sorter of newspapers in the Post-office, Glas.
gow, was accused, on six charges, of stealing, embezzling
or secreting, or of wilfully detaining or delaying in course o
conveyance, or delivery thereof by post, printed newspapers
without covers, or in covers open at the sides. The prisoner
pleaded guilty to two of the charges, and was sentenced to
six months' imprisonment. It appeared that the papers so
abstracted were principally those directed to foreign parts,
upon which the postage had not been paid, and which the
prisoner ought to have transmitted to the " Dead Letter-
office."

,—At the

SINGULAR DEATH.-Mr. Wakley held an' inquest on
Tuesday, at the George and Dragon, Buckingham-street,
Fitzroy-square, London, on the body of Mary Ann Stacey,
aged three years. The parents of the deceased reside at
No. 33, Cirencester-place, in the above neighbourhood. On
Wednesday last deceased was walking backwards in the
kitchen, drawing a toy after her, when, coming in contact
with a pail of boiling soapsuds, he fell over head foremost
into it. On being extricated a surgeon was sent for, who
rendered every assistance, but she lingered till the next day,
when she expired in the greatest agony. Verdict—" Acci-
dental death."

IMPROVED MACHINERY.—Amongst the many improve-
ments in machinery which are daily taking place, we notice
with pleasure the introduction recently, at the harbour works,
of a self-acting machine for driving piles. The moving power
is taken from a cylinder connected with the engine erected for
pumping out the water in the dock. We have not a sufficient
acquaintance with mechanics to be able to give a particular
description of the machine ; but it does its work in a most
admirable manner. There are two other pile-driving ma-
chines, wrought by manual labour, in operation alongside of
it, requiring nine men to each ; and this self-acting machine,
attended by one man, gives seven strokes for every one that
the others give—so that it does the work of 63 men. It can

be extended in the same proportion to any power. It is the
invention of Mr. James Milne, engineer at the dock—a young

man of very considerable promise.--Montrose Review

DEATH OCCASIONED BY EPSOM SALTS.—An inquest was
taken at Sawtry, on view of the body of Daniel Cox, a
labourer, who died on Wednesday night. It appeared that
the deceased was drinking at a public-house on Tuesday,
and was rather intoxicated, when some persons in the room
put a quantity of Epsom salts iu his beer, which acted so
violently upon a constitution enfeebled by habitual drunken-
ness, as to occasion death on the following night. The jury
returned a verdict cf r,-;717r17,:17,1 i. against Thos. Staynton,
William Ashbridge, Mary Seotney, and William Newton,
the foolish 1381'6011i who administered the salts. The three
former were held to bail to answer the charge, and the latter
has not been taken into em,:-.Jdy.—StocAport Advertiser.

EXTRAORDINARY FLIGHT OF BlRDS.—During the high
winds that prevailed on Sunday last, our harbour and float•
ing docks were visited by large flights of a rare and beautify:
species of bird, the " Sterna Arctica," or Arctic Tern. Tin

birds were assembled in such vast numbers, that two or three
hundreds were killed with stones and other missiles, whilst

several were caught alive; and so tame were they, that many
were observed to pitch on the backs of passers by. This tern
as its name indicates, is a native of the higher Arctic regions,
and has been met with in all the late expeditions to the Polar
Seas. It is a summer visitant to the coasts of Scotland, and
the north of England, but is rarely met with more southerly,
and until the present, there was no instance on record of a
specimen having been obtained in this neighbourhood. The
appearance of such vast flights of Arctic birds, rare as a
species, in the very heart of a large city, is an occurrence as
remarkable as it is interesting. Flocks of these birds were
also observed the same day at Clevedon, Weston, and other
places along the Channel coast.—Bristol Mirror.
The family of the Rev. F. C. Johnson, of Whitelackington,
near Ilminster, Somerset, are plunged into the deepest dis-
tress from the untimely death of the rev. gentleman's eldest
son, which has taken place at Palermo, in a duel with the
Due de Calabritti, a Neapolitan nobleman, with whom he
had a quarrel, and whom Mr. Johnson struck in the face,
knocking out two of his front teeth. The combatants were
placed at fifteen paces' distance, pistols being the weapons
used. The first took place without effect ; but, unfortu-
nately, notwithstanding every attempt was made to reconcile
the parties, a second fire was insisted on, when, horrible to
relate, Mr. Johnson was shot dead on the spot, his own shot
wounding his antagonist in the face so desperately as to carry
away part of the nose, disfiguring him most probably for life.
The seconds are all in custody, and will probably be dealt
with very severely.
On Monday evening the usual annual meeting of the St.
Ann's Society's schools was held at their Institution, at
Brixton Hill, Surrey. The Archbishop of Canterbury pre- '
sided. After prayers had been offered up by the Rev. David
who
grace
had concludedsueeee_ded wtei t
prosper-
ae ns
peexr
wards Laing,
to h i
tshgersaec
girls
raddresseda
dt
hh
ee e
nmee_
educatedt ign , ainedt
hper ei snesnt
itted et
er
ne
and then continued his' address to those who were likely to
alwayshcomet forward to cheer
pbo become
li:
at
thatthieoinr s
hs uei
nc
hopedeel si
fseor sw.
thoseould His
their old associates, of whom he the
number a
oosfaythe e
females r e
many proud examples. Among
Dowager found this girl
navy. It appears that the Queen
orphan,pr esente dwahnods
eefnattiht leerdhtaod the
formerlyrewards e wasen a Sarah
lieutenantß e x foirnd ,tahne
utterly destitute, and exhibited to thpoblic in consequence
of her possessing pink eyes and long
about the streets in a public caravan as a n
white(,hi heasi re,
ehanildd.shoTwhne
jesty's knowledge, she generously rescu t
on he above
circumstances attending her birth having
eccoinlheertofrhoemr
tmhaa-t
situation, and purchased a presentation for her
eatablishment.