The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1847-08-17 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE.—On Saturday, John Ovenstone, an upholsterer, of Great Tichfield-street, London, made a determined attempt to shoot Mr. Geo. Crawley, a wine-merchant, whose office is No. 12, Mark fortunai  e gentleman is severell wounded. The assassin afterwards fired a pistol at his own head, and inflicted injuries from which he is not expected to recover. It appeared that Mr. Crawley's solicitor had put an execution into Ovenstone's house and sold his goods. Ovenstone presented himself before Mr. Crawley's clerk, and requested to see that gentleman. An interview was granted, when Ovenstone said, " What do you mean by doing what you have done ?" Mr. C. had not time to reply before Ovenstone pulled a pistol from his pocket and shot him. The wounded man was carried to the hospital, where it was found that the bullet had entered his cheek, torn away a portion of the roof of his mouth, and lodged in the cavity. In the evening the ball was extracted, and it is hoped the patient will recover. Meanwhile the clerk locked Ovenstone up in the office. A report of a pistol was immediately heard, and when the police entered, they found him in a chair, with a couple of pistols near him,  suicide ; but the ball was soon extracted, and he is a little better. On Sunday evening, a change for the worse had  Thames between Robert and Thomas Coombes, (champion of the Thames and his brother,) and Henry and Robert Clasper, of Newcastle, for £2OO, came off on Wednesday. The Coombes' boat was steered by Henry Cownden, a boy 13 years of age, and the Claspers by  their brother Thomas, 13 years of age. The oars used by the Londoners were of the ordinary character, but those  Or tneir opponents most peculiar; tney were six or sevo inches shorter from the loom to the blade than their o'  )onents' and had a feather of no 1e• s a• depth than six  at a quarter to  Coombes being on the Surrey side of the centre arch, and their opponents on the Middlesex side of it. At the instant of starting the Coombes jumped away with a lead, and stroke by stroke gradually drew away, and between the Star and Garter and Messrs. Seale's (not more than  clear. Off the Crab Tree the Coombes had got 'five lengths' lead, and about ten at Hammersmith-bridge. The Coombes, with the greatest ease, went on in advance, and won by 46 seconds, accomplishing the distance in 28 minutes and a half. The Claspers gallantly endeavoured throughout to mend their position, but without effect. Their style differed materially from their former efforts ; there was a want of alacrity in the stroke, the ponderous blades being too long out of water before they were dipped again, and their opponents taking at least four strokes to their three. Betting had been strictly even before the start, but three minutes after it 6 and 7 to 1 could find no ta'- The style of the Coombes was beautiful.  FAILURES IN THE CORN TRADE  -The failure  alleged to be about £400,000. The alarm consequent upon a stoppage so unexpected and' serious was, however, mitigated during the day by an understanding that in all probability the creditors would ultimately receive 20s. in Mr. Alexander, the senior partner, is repre_ _  the pound  sented to possess estates in the north of Ireland, yielaing a rental of £7,000, and valued at £200,000, entirely free from any encumbrance ; and there can be little doubt, under these circumstances, that the favourable result anticipated will'be realised. Two further failures of large  amount were reported on Thursday, the pa  Coventry and Sheppard, and Messr  vil, and Co  The liabilities were not stated, but the  supposed, in each case, to reach about £200,000. Mr. Coventry was of the firm of Hunter and Coventry, which stopped in 1842, and King and Melvil also stopped at that period. In the present instance great efforts had been made to sustain both houses through the credit of their connexions, and the fact of these efforts having failed,  augurs, it may be feared, somewhat unfavourably for the final result. The immediate cause of the suspension of King, Melvil, and Co., is stated to have been the return of a bill of Lesley, ATeYander, and Co., for £lB,