The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1850-03-05 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

YOUNG MISCREANT.—At the London Central Criminal Court, on Thursday, a boy, only fourteen years old, was sentenced to seven years' transportation for robbery. The moment the sentence was pronounced, the prisoner shouted out to the judge—" Well, you are a pretty b— ! You might have given us three days' holiday first.  A few nights since, in London, a man, named Drury, whilst sliding down a water pipe fixed to a house side, three stories high, came in contact with a projecting brickwork, which threw hint down, and, falling on the pavement, he sustained such injuries as to cause his death next day. He had several times previously slid down the pipe, but on the last occasion he was intoxicated. The farm-labourers of the district round 'West Lavington, Devizes, have been resisting an attempt to reduce wages from is. to 6s. a week, by forcibly stopping farm operations. Some ringleaders having been arrested, more than a hundred men, armed with staves, marched to break open the prison ; but they were deterred by a strong military detachment.  There is at present living at Elton, near Stockton, a woman called Mary Benton, who is now in her 120th year. She was born at Cockfield, where the registry of her baptism may be seen in the books of the parish church, bearing date February 12, 1731. Her faculties are good, and she is able to perform most of her household duties without assistance.  The gallant Major Edwardes has written a letter to the papers of London, in which he says—" The morning papers have overpowered me quite with giving me a wife and two children' at a blow ! How soon I have all three I care not ; but, having none, my countrywomen will easily imagine how many reasons (and fair ones, too !) there may be for contradicting the report." While the mail train was traversing at full speed the East Lincolnshire Railway, between Alford and Fireby, on Wednesday week, a passenger suddenly opened the door of a second-class carriage and leaped out. On the arrival of the train at Boston, an engine was immediately despatched in search of the passenger: but as no trace of him could be discovered, he was probably unhurt by his leap.  A correspondent of the Timm, alluding to the recent plunder of a vessel at Boffin, says sixteen men of the island are in custody. The conduct of these islanders was most inhuman ; instead of rendering assistance to a foreign vessel in distress, they plundered her of everything they could carry away, stripped the captain and crew of their clothes, and left the vessel a wreck on the coast.  The Hull Advertiser relates :a story of a substantial tradesman of that place, a widower, who paid his addresses to a buxom widow, but forsook her. The widow one day lured him to a friend's house, plied him with brandy, took him to church, and there, by the aid of a previously prepared license, married him. It is hinted that the gentleman, dissatisfied with the proceedings, is about to try if the law cannot set aside the nuptials.  Joseph Hogg and John Nichol were tried on Monday, at Carlisle, and acquitted, on a charge of having murdered  a gamekeeper on the lands of Sir -.Tames Graham. The deceased was found dead on the hills in November last.  and it appeared that he had been strangled and robbed of £B. The evidence against the prisoner was that of an alleged accomplice who had perjured himself by giving two contradictory statements.  A boy of fourteen attempted, a few days ago, to drawn himself in the New River, near the City-road. lie deliberately mounted the parapet of a bridge, and jumped into the water; some people succeeded in dragging him out, but he begged to be allowed to go in again. The boy's brother, with whom he.had quarrelled, had boxed his ears ; and the anger thus excited seems to have been the only assignable motive for the attempt at suicide. On Sunday morning week the watchers on the grounds of Brancepeth Castle, Durham, had a bloody collision with a party of poachers. A greyhound belonging to the latter was shot dead, and all the men were very much injured. having fought desperately, though they fortu nately did not fire at each other. Three of the poachermust have been very much disabled as traces of blood were visible for more than a quarter of a mile along their track. ADULTERATION OF CHLOROFOT Al.—A correspondent of the Daily News attributes the occasional failures which attend the application of chloroform to the use of an impure drug :—" It is a fearful statement to make, but it is no less true, that for the mere sake of making money muriatic acid has in London been so largely used in the adulteration of chloroform as not only to destroy the effects of, perhaps the most valuable agent ever introduced, but even to produce the most deleterious and murderous effects." The late Mr. A. L. Johnston died on the 19th ultimo, near Castle Douglas, in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Mr. Johnston was the first British merchant who settled in Singapore, 30 years ago, and the greatly honoured leader of its mercantile community for more than 20  years. He bound the island a mere nest of Malay pirates, and he lived to see a place which owed so much to the example of his own enterprise, intelligence, and integrity, with 60,000 inhabitants, and in rank the third emporium of British India.  PEDESTRIANISM : RACE FOR £loo.—The match be tween Conway of London, and Hayes of Halshaw:moor, came off at the race-course, Aintree, on Tuesday. Hayes was the favourite at 5 to 4, but the Londoners, nothing daunted, backed their man with much spirit. The distance was four miles, and was performed in 19 minutes and 44 seconds. Conway assumed the premiership till turning into the straight running, w'ien Hayes came with a rush, passed his man, and improved his position till the finish, where he came in an easy winner by about twentyfive yards.  Prince Albert has just presented to the boys of Eton College a copy of the large work of Grumer, "On the Arts in the Medieval Ages." On the fly-leaf preceding the title-page is the following inscription, in the handwriting of his Royal Highness : " Presented to the Boys of Eton College, with a hope that this book may not be considered merely as an ornament to their library, but as a work freely to be used by them for recreation and the acquirement of taste. Albert, Windsor Castle, Feb. 6, 1850." A great number of works„ written by the Archbishop of Canterbury, have also just been presented to the boys' library by his grace.