The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1853-02-22 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE ROSCOE FESTIVAL.  IN doing homage to the memory of William Roscoe, Liverpool will do herself justice—and nothing more. According to Lord Brougham, the accomplished historian and Bard of the Mersey was, "in some respects, one of the most remarkable persons that have appeared in the literary world." He certainly stands at the head of our local men of letters ; albeit this commercial soil has pro. duced a goodly array of noble intellects, who,—by devotion to literature, science, or art,—have moulded the national taste and elevated the mind of the country. We hear much now-a-day of the increasing taste for literature, diffused among the people by the numerous agencies which have been inaugurated in the present age. The proposed celebration of the Roscoe centenary must illustrate the pleasing change. It will form a gratifying spectacle to England, for it will attest the power of genius even over a vast community whose members dedicate their busy lives to the pursuit of commerce. And it will be a pleasing chapter in the annals of our own good town, precious to every native-heart which values its reputation, or desires to see its intellectual keep pace with its surprising material progress. ' We have pleasure in learning that the arrangements are progressing to maturity in such a way as must ensure hopefulness with respect to the resuit. The labours of the managing committee, entrusted with carrying out the details of the arrangements, have been very great, and the list of the guests invited to attend includes the names of nearly the whole of the eminent literary and scientific men of the day. The public breakfast hour is fixed for ten o'clock, in the Philharmonic-hall, the hour having been made earlier in order to secure the presidency .of his worship the Mayor. The breakfast will scarcely be concluded before one, when it is the intention to proceed to the formal opening by the Mayor of the Derby Museum. A private meeting of the Literary and Philosophical Society will then take place at the Museum. The Earl of Sefton, lord-lieutenant of the county, has consented to preside. The Philharmonic-hall has been secured for the dejetiner, and the committee have arranged that those who do not join in the participation of " creature cornferts " may have an opportunity of listening to the speeches, and being spectators, from the boxes and'gallery.  The committee have entrusted to the care of our talented townsman, Mr. Mayer, of Lord-street, the design for the admission tickets—which it is intended should be worthy of the town, and be retained as memorials in the possession of the parties present. His worship the Mayor, who, with his usual public spirit, has taken the subject up very warmly, not only intends to take a prominent part in the day's proceedings, but to close up the day's festival with a soiree at the Town-hall, on a scale of great magnificence. The committee of the Royal Institution have arranged to open their collection to the public on that day. Mr. Jas. Boardman, in a letter to the trustees, governors, or committee of the free schools, suggests that the Bth of March be declared a holiday, and that each child have presented to it a copy of suitable verses from the pen of Roscoe. In the course of the day, the following interesting documents will be exhibited by Mr. MAYER from his library : The original M.S. of the " Life of Pope," by Roscoe, and the printed copy, illustrated by more than eighteen hundred portraits and autographs ; the correspondence which passed between Roscoe, Currie, Gilbert Burns, (the poet's brother,) Thompson, M'Crerie, Cormick, and others relating to the works of Robert Burns, consisting of several hundred original letters, which form part of the illustrated volumes comprising the life and works of the peasant bard.  ISABELLA TAYLOR, aged thirty years, the wife of a stone-mason, residing at Ambleside, was charged at the Lancaster Assizes, on Saturday, with attempting to murder her daughter, a little girl, three years of age, but was acquitted on the ground of insanity. It appeared that the insanity was:consequent upon the poor woman's confinement