The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1844-01-23 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

WASTE LANDS—ENCLOSURE ACT.—On the motion of Lord Worsley, a very long return was made in June last " of the true or estimated quantity in statute measure of all common or waste lands not being held in severalty in every parish or tithe commutation district. The summary of England shows that in the 40 counties the total quantity of land amounts to 6,718,523 acres, of which the quantity of common or waste land is stated to be 1,358,419 acres. In Middlesex alone there are 1321 acres of waste land. The largest quantity of waste land is in the north riding of Yorkshire, there being no less thon 132,815 acres of common or woste land out of a total of 1,897,592 acres, moking a total of waste land in England and Wales of 1,860,232 out of the total of 8,616,115. By the return it appears that from 1800 to 1810 the number of enclosure acts passed was 905, from 1810 to 1820 the number was 741, from 1820 to 1830 the number was 192, and from 1830 to 1840 the number of enclosure acts was 125.  Ex:oE,celtrocTki o onN OsFatAurPdaAyß,RlCoslDepEh.—DßoebtLene,n wthwoe lwve. _was 25 one years of age; was executed behind the Castle at York, for the wilful murder of his father, by shooting him, at Mount Tabor, near Halifax, on the 4th of July last. For several days after his trial the convict maintained considerable diffidence of demeanour, and when spoken to respecting his impending fate, was slow to admit the justice of his condemnation, and would cling to the morbid palliative that the dispute between him and his father could not but have terminated with blood, and had he not killed his father the old man would certainly have killed him. This pernicious delusion, however, subsided before the advances of religious admonition, and a marked change was wrought in his mind, and he was brought to look upon his condition with becoming concern. The sermon to the condemned was preached on Friday by the Rev. J. Shackley, who, after his discourse, addressed the other prisoners present, and said, that he was requested by Dobson to state to them, that it was after a long course of sin he had committed the dire offence for which he was about to suffer, never having been in a place of worship in his life previous to his committal to prison, and urging them to conversion and repentance. The culprit, after his condemnation, continued in the enjoyment of excellent health, and at his own request his daily rations were doubled. The fatal drop was erected in the usual place at an early hour in the morning. At half-past ten o'clock the convict received the holy sacrament from the hands of the acting chaplain, and front the termination of that ceremony to 12 o'clock both were engaged in earnest prayer. Precisely at mid-day, the Under-Sheriff demanded the body in the ordinary way, and the devoted man was then pinioned. The usual procession accompanied him to the scaflold, the burial service being read in an impressive manner. Dobson was evidently quite resigned to his fate, and met an ignominious death with fortitude. On the termination of the funeral prayers, Mr. Salvin shook hands with the culprit, saying, " Good by—God bless you, Dobson ;" to which he distinctly replied, " I sin in His arms now." His lips continued moving in prayer until the executioner placed the cap upon his head, and after adjusting the rope with much minuteness, the bolt was drawn, and the pour fellow launched into eternity. His struggles were scarcely perceptibJe, and the work of destruction was soon accomplished.  Jan. 23, 1844  THE PoLv cuitoNiecosT.—We have lately had our at•ention called to a very ingenious invention, which will be frond useful for reporters and members of Parliament .vho may wish to take notes of any particular speech. Ihe objection to the use of the ever-pointed pencil has keen the having to replenish the points ; for as no indication denoted how much lead still remained in the point, 'he supply was found to he generally exhausted at the most inconvenient time. These objections are entirely obviated by this invention, as the case contains lead throughout its length, which is propelled forward as required until the whole is used ; this is effected by an external screw and travelling propeller, indicating from its position the length of lead at any time remaining for use.