The Express. — London, England, 1851-07-26 00:00:00

kEl'Ola FROM THE SELF.Cf COMMITTEE ON NEWSI'AI'EU STANII%. The select committee appointed to inquire into the present state and openetion.d the law relatiec to newspaper e t,eope; also, into the law and regulatinne relative to the tranonioion of newspap e rs and odor pubsications by post, and to report their opinion th, re pose to the house • end who were also empowered to report the minutes of evi dence taken before them to the house; haveconsidered the mat ters to them referred, and have agreed to the follow ing report : In conformity with the object for which your committee was appointed, they have examined witnesses competent to give inLirination then the state of the law affecting newspaper stamp. and peration of that law upon the no Y our pre., and the public welfare. Your corurnittee have further taken evidence respecting the transiniresion of newspapers and other printed matter by the post-office. Upon the interpretation which the Board of inland Revenue put upon the law, and the practice which has been pursued by that department, your committee have examined the solicitor and the ass istant secretary of the board. Anionic the witnesses practically cognisant of the details involve., in the publication of nevespapere, your committee have examined the manager of the Times, one of the editors of the /Mile Vera, and other gentlemen connected with the metropolitan and the provincial press ; and upon the policy of imposing • direct tax on the diffu sion of • knowledge of current event, through newspaper., they have examined several gentlemen who have given attention to the subject. The duty on newspapers is imposed by the Act 6 and 7 William IV., e. 76, and n as follows For every sheet or other pkve of paper whereon any sews paper shall be printed, Id. A further additional duty of id. and Id. is imposed in ease the paper exceeds certain sizes epeeilled in the Act. These adilitioiml duties are practically, net incurred. On sup ,I. meat. not exceeding a certain sire, id. TM,- duties are declared to be payable en— lot. Any paper containing public new., intelligence or occurrence, printed in any part of the United Kingdom, to be dispersed and made public. 2nd. Also, any paper printed weekly or oftener, or at in tervals nut exceeding 21i days, containing only, or princi- pally advertisements. d. Alm, any paper containing any public news, intel ligence or occurrence, or any remark. or observations therein, printed for sale, and published periodically, or in parts or nusisle.r., not exceeding 26 days between the pub lication of any two such paper., parts, or numbers, when any of the said papers, parts, or number respectively shall not exceed two slit s t. of the dimensions specified, ur shall he published for .de fur a less price than 6.1., ex..' elusive of the duty of the Act impos“l. The net prelate of 11w-c duties, in the year 11.10, was 3.',144161. ; and, on an average of the years 1646, 16VJ, and 18.30, amounted to 3:011,11:4. per annum. It appears from the evidence of Mr. Keogh and Mr Timm., that in the opinion of the Board of Inland lie venue, there are three classes of publications legally liable to the newspaper stamp. I. Auy paper containing public new., without n.fireure to price, INV, interval of pubbei lion, or to its b ing published more than Mee. 2. Any paper printed at IV. interval. than 26 day., containing only or principally advertisements. 3. Any paper containing remarks on public new. printed at leis intervals than 26 days, whir, the price in less than or the sins kws than two sheets. With regard to publications of the first clans, your eons. mittee would remark upon the difficulty which until 'sect's sarsly elk in determiniim what the taxable article "new." is, and whether any or how much of it may be contained in an unstamped publication, and therefore they were not sur. pined to find that the officers of the Board of Inland lie. venue were unable to define the character of the into M istake is loch may legally be publi•lied on Unstarti ped • or that the practices of the Board had not been uni form as to the, kind of publications upon which they had felt thenvelves hound from time to lime to enforce the stamp. In proof of the difficulty of de lining the meanimr of Use ti run " new.," your committer would point to the evidence of the Solicitor of the Board of Inland Revenue, who states (Er. 100-163) that the Queen's Speech is " siewe," and he thinks that any one who printed the Quern's spas cis on a pima. of unstamped paper would hi bulge to a penalty of IKP., but lie doubt. whether (hi l'l:usrt blur ed the Exchequer'. sp. • new. (En. VA not and in the Cam - of the Qu.. li'n Spero ell being printed on umtiosped paper, he says (i.e. " that it is dose almost immediately after every .pea 'h is delivered; hot when wr have wilier of that, we write and tell the parties they bare infringed the law; if we hail a ropy of it, w that we could briel.t the MIS nee hum„ to the partr, we should promote Inns." Further, the W,anl eel Isilaa Ittrenue, as it sippers from the t Inkier of their secretary, reeogniee a 446- rimer Imr Ito be un.:erstssel betwerei public and pri vate new., and draw a distinction unknown to the hew h. twee% public and slave new., limp, cling private sown, the seereiary cLites (Q, No. OD that • paper containing nothing hat newels of proceedings in pnvate and rolusuisiou. insinuations as to the conduct of in dividual*, In nut liable to the stamp; and as to claw. news, it is undenitimel that a paper addressed to one particular subject—Mr in.t.inee, ambits eture, or law-- se., and Loving new. bearing sin that particular oul4ect only. er on pima]. voillitCtlll with it, in not ronsidered a isevrepaper thew. the Leval r• inibleshe. without a stamp an amount of a meeting of lawyers upon any subject, a. Clank new.; but if it heal pUblinhed on ac Collet of a meeting of clergymen (Q. 10271, then the were tary '• %model nit have lead the test doubt " as te its to the *tamp duty, as it would then he a report of a Ineetilis of pernini, not connected with the class subject.. It opoein that the Board el Inland Itevenue have ism usually interfered with eta. pablieation. tliiiiilllll to parti cular objects, in conasintnee of the insertion therein of wok trilling paragraphs of public news. Vet there are cee e pt to this rule ; for, in the Cane often unitampeslelam monthly 'edification called the " Norwich lieformer," where only on, -oixteenth of the contents elan, under the description of news, the motivator to the Board thought it oecessiry to intimate to the publishers that they were in fringing the law. On the n.eiind class of publications, your committee have not much information before them. It appears, however, that the circulation of those papers must be re:skis:led by the stump, and the facilities to the public of adverting thereby considerably owned. This is especially true in Witold to the eases of ado, rtiiing abets which era given away, where the point at which expenditure and receipt balmier each iolii r, and beyond which no circulation sun take place without absolute has, is serener allied at where cub copy i. compelled to hear the stamp than if it were free from that tax As to the third class of publications, which arc held by the hoard to be liable to the stomp, your cornmitkr would observe that if it in tiltlieMt M make cl e ar the meaning of the term " news, - the difficulty i• greatly iucremed in attempting to define remark. upon new., and in drawing the distinetou between remark. lapin news and news keel'', a distinction necessary to Ise mole, because• the former may, snider certain rinditson., he publishes! without a stamp, while the litter is Always limbic ti 1154. duty. The object for which the third "lain of publications was rendered liable to the pros nom. of the Newqmper Act appear. to have ben to subject to restrictions and cheap publications bouts' at frequent interval., not eon-Wens' as newspapers, but merely coutainingeo,y. on political subjects; the soli citor to the Board or lithral lioNiale state, (Q. 32) that then has been " very little pricker at all " in reference to this claws of publication., bee:nine the publications that hare come under the notice of the board have generally contained public new., and therefore they have come under the tint definition of newspspers. Parties have attempted to mouse themielve. by stating that their paper is not a newspaper within the third definition; hut our reply to that is. •• It is a newspaper within the first definition, he- 1 rause it contain.. public 114:1 , ., intelligence., and occur rence...•• It appears to your committee that, with respect to comments on news in cheap publication. the law ha. been allowed, to some extent, to .lisp. One witness, eatensively engaged in puldahing periudi. eels of various • kinds, pointed out the difficulty of keeping within the law about commenting upon events, and it is noturiou. that a great number of publica tions issued at intervals of less than 213 days, and at prices less than lid., by philanthropic, religious, political, and other societie., are pub:l4lml without a stamp, and contain cum meek awl observations upon public events. It appears to your committee that if the law, imposing a stamp en public intelligence and on übservotions thereon, Were CAlTied out, nearly all periodical printed matter, and a large portion of ocemion,d panted matter would be subjected to the stamp duty ; whilst, if it be understood that the law lie nod to he sully observed, much unequal competition must continue to arse between different publishers nail the Board of Inland Revenue will continue to be placed: in the undesirahle position of having to deride upon what perietli cals the law s. to I.e enforced, and in what cases its provi sions may be dispensed with. A want of uniformity in the practice of the board, even as to the tort of publications on which they appear to intend to enforee the law, is disown by . the evidence. As as insta nee that tniiht lx. eked. theism:mike would point to the case of the II it4.:Arld E.ramincr, a provincial paper, where a proweatiou was instituted inn l i ~, t, and a penalty of 10/., being rather more than the duty incurred, indicted upon the publieher kw reprinting kparately. on uastamped paper, the report ofa trial which hail previously appeared in his own stamped sewspaper, whil.t it appears that in the me trupoli. and elsewhere spcechaa in parliament sad accounts of public meetings are intend without stamps in a similar manner. tVath rrgard to the operation of the stamp on the eats binds'sf newspapers, it is of course ob. iuus, that by increasing theft swat, it limits the field of their circulation; and, more over, it bas bees shown (A. 2756.4%36) that the penny Mew to eta espy of a newspaper generally ratite the price to do puhus bsystd the mere addition of that sla al. The gait of As Newspaper Act in restricting the es teem of lottor•po,4 in newspapers, and ' an additional g il i M7=alo oew.O•Pees , le eit asamewry of the Tames, as stated by its , "br 111 "164 of ant only to reject advertieserests, t !. 110 . 91 * ohollieles el NW= liven norldiag eft limits. The ••••soo of the " " le a•smaillegatin• bilt ai lliet ali t CßT pp "°4 lyi:i ) t that pow it would pioliabry doable 0111.1. two popes, IBM Violin are es that dot be solar= ha" es ilaseest In tbs =ine s ec eldit. th e stomp, lad WIWI So im ' s tost by its dmillios. Wise thus ilinei4 sot be sorlimoi to lamb • good Sollielnilhe Owe et do IsnsOr nilsood • torsi I poi THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 26, 1851 MR CONSECRATION OP THE ROMAN I .` CATHOLIC NSW BISHOPS. " The law is being beautifully broken," as the I 7o I.f espresses it, Mill yesterday witnessed the ceremony 1 at Manchester of the consecration of two more of the new Roman catholic bishops. The two priests to be constituted „ successors to the Apostles" on this occasion were the sto called Right Rev. Dr. Turner, bishop elect of Salford, and the Right Rev. Dr. Errington, bishop elect of Plymouth. The ceremony took place in the fine new stone church erected by the eatholics in Salford (and dignified with the title of " the cathedral" from the day of its opening in II147), dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. " Ilia emi nence" Cardinal Wiseman officiated as consecrating bishop, and the Resisting bishops were Dr. Cullen, the Irish pri mate; Dr. Briggs, bishop of Beverley; Dr. Wareing, bishop of Northampton; and Dr.t: Ilathonse, hishop of Birmingham. There was a crowded congregation assembled to witness the ceremony, notwithstanding the price, which was graduated downwards from ss. Amongst the leading catholic gentry were some of the younger members of the Trafford family, Mr. Daniel Lee, Mr . Leeming, Mr. Roman , of OrmAir, i and a few others. The proceedings were to have opened at half-past nine o'clock, but it was nearer half-past ten when the procession of priests and bishops issued from the vestry and took their course along the south transept to the chancel of the church. The number of priests in this procession wee very large, and they occupied a considerable portion of the spa cious chancel. The Cardinal did not arrive in time to join in the procession, hut immediately it had entered the chan cel, a shout among the multitude outside the church—con sisting principally of poor Irish people, who cheered loudly —announced the arrival of his Eminence, and he entered the edifice as the organ and choir struck up the Gregorian anthem, "Ecce Szteerdos." The two bishop., elect, who are supposed to have fasted all the previous day, presented themselves before the ear • dinal, robed in white, as priests, with copes, and each at tended by two assistant bishops, wearing white mitres, and robed in rochets, aMiCet, states, &c. A chapel had been prepared in the chancel for his Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop, who, after a short prayer, seated himself in front of the altar occupying the chapel, and each of the elect advanced front separate chapels similarly furnished with altars, after the style of the Cardinal's (hut not so profusely decorated with candlesticks), led by their assistant bishops. The settior bishops then made the usual demand (hut in Latin, in which tongue, of course, like all Roman catholic services, the pmsent was conducted) Afoot re verend father, our holy mother, the Catholic church, de mands of you to promote the priests here present to the heavy office of a bishop." The authority having been pro duced, the bishops elect knelt before the Cardinal, and the oath was administered, this part of the ceremony ending with his eminence's " Deo Gratin." The next part of the ceremony, or rather of the prelimi nary to it, was the examination. The questions and an swers are all prescribed by the church, and the elect Promise consent and obedience, and to keep the traditions of the orthodox fathers, and he authoritative enactments of the holy apostolic see. They promise to render to the Pope and his successors fidelity, subjection, and obedience, accenting to the injunctions of the canons ; and express their belief in the trinity and in the holy catholic church, "in which the one true baptism is given," . anathematising every heresy which shall lilt its head against the church. . Alter these preliminaries the bishops elect were permitted to kiss the cardinal's hand, and the prayers of the mass were commenced. Then the elect had their copes removed, and were vested in sandals, with pectoral cross, Hewing stole, tunic, dalinatic, chasuble, and maniple. The cardinal chanted the Litany and other portions of the service very audibly, the whole body of the priests in the chancel giving the responses and this part of the ceremonial was rather ' effective. the litany of the saints was chanted, the bishops-elect were seen prostrated on their faces by the left side of his eminence—the other bishops and the clergy al-o kneeling. Then came the invocation, the cardinal =kill the sign of the cross over the heads of the prostrate candi dates as he asks of the Almighty that they may be " blessed, sanctified, and consecrated ;" and he next Vaiced upon their shoulders the book of the gospels, whilst he communicated what is termed "the tradition of the gospels." The anoint ing of the new bishops was one of the principal of the cere monies, and everything was of course done to give it an im puting effect. The choir sung the hymn " Veld, Creator, Spiritus" during this part of the ceremony; and the bishops elect presenting themselves with white linen napkins round their heads, his eminence laid on the chrism, first round the sides, and then upon the crown, After this their hands were also anointed, they were presented with the crosier, and with • ring at the pledge of affiance with the , church as the spouse of God ; then with the gospels, and with the kiss of peace. These parts of the ceremonial of course occupied • length of time, being accompanied with much sprinkling of holy water and incensing, besid, s prayers end blessing.. The necessary ablutions having ' followed this part of the ceremony (to remove the chrism), , the man proceeded, and then came the communion, the cardinal and the new bishop. partaking of the same host and chalice. They were next presented with mitres and white gloves, and, having been seated, the cardinal placed in their hands the crosier, and gave out the Te Donn, which was sung by the choir and whole congregation, the organ leading with Rumberg's beautiful music. During this imposing part of the service the new bishops were cm ducted round the church, scattering blessings on the con gregation. Having returned to the altar, the new bishop., after a short anthem and prayer, pronounced the blessing, and the congregation departed as the organ pealed forth Leo's grand double chorus and fugue " Gloria l'atri." The sermon was omitted, the proceedings we have already briefly described having lasted until half-past I o'clock. The cardinal and bishops were to dine together last evening. NIETROPOIAT.tN COURT OF SEWERS.—Yeaterdayl at noon, a court was held at the office of the commissioners, No. 1, Greek-street, Suho. There were present Viscount Ebrington, M.P. chairman; Major-General Sir J. Bur goyne, K.C.8.; Philip Ilardwick, Esq., R.A.; Captain Robb ; Kearsley Damson. ft.& ; Edward Lewes, Esq. ; and Thomas Lewes, Est. The chief business before the com missioners was the propriety of tocreeing to a variety of works, to the amount of :47i.KM., which hail been recom mended fur immediate execution by the committee, the chief of which were as follow : The construction of sewers in llridport-place, Houton; in Milford-lane, Strand; in Greyhound-court, Milford.lane • Felix-terrace., Felix-place,' Liverpool-mad ; East-street and Chatham-place, Walworth. Works at Percy Wharf ; also at Merton, Surrey. Sewers in White-horse -street, ltutelitf; anti in Salvailore-place. Thu works were agreed to. PEACE CONGRESS SOIREE.—Lset evening a soin , r. was given at Willis's Room., King-street, St. James's, to the friends of universal peace who had come to this country for the purpo-e of assisting at the congress, held at Exeter hall during the three preceding days. A very large nutnber of people were in attendance, including the greater portion, if nut the whole, of those foreign gentlemen who took an active part in the proceedings of the congress. Mr. Colslen, M.P.; Mr. George Thompson, M.P.; Mr. Elinu Burritt, and many other English orators were present, and the' various continental countries were represented by persons of distinction. The deputation of working men who were introduced at the congress the other day, were also amongst the visitors, mid the true spirit of fraternity" was I manifested towards them, not only by their compatriots and continental friends, but by their peace brethren in this country. Mingling with the creed was observed Father ! Gavazsi, wbo was tile object of much notice, and there were other distinguished foreigners, whose presence seemed to excite some interest. Thc arrangements for the soirée; were in the best possible taste, and the refreshments sere in perfect accordance with the national hospitality. In the , count: of the evening Mr. Cobden and several other gen tlemen who spoke at the Congress, entered the music gal lery, thus giving rise to the expectation that they were about to address the meeting. Mr. Cobden then announced that the better mode of earning out the object for which they were assembled. would be for the visitors front the different nations to convene together, and thus promote an interchange of sentiment upon the important and interesting subject which had pro duced this agreeable eettnatn. Still, however, it was thought that a few short speeches might not be unaccept able, us there were some gentlemen present who had not yet had an opportunity of addressing the members of the Congreu. Nevertheless, he trusted that the grand purpose for which they were met —viz., the formation of friend ships of a sincere and lasting kind—might not be lost sight of, but that the representatives of the various countries would endeavour to eultitate those feelings and sentiments towards each other which would cause them to return home as the apostles of peace, and with a desire to cheek those animositie. which had hitherto divided nations. The speeches of the gentlemen who succeeded Mr. Cobden were brief, and were all directed to the promotion of the same objects which formed the substance of the resolutions paused at the Coofyress—the discontinuance of the system of war, ' and the dissemination of the principles of peace. The soiree passed off in a very satisfactory manner, and the zeal of those most deeply interested in the cause did not appear to be in the least degree abated since the commencement of the Congress. TUE FATAL RIOTS IN LITERPOOL.—LIVERPOOL, FRlDAY.—'rhe adjourned inquests on the bodies of Jones and Malley, two of the victims of the riots consequent on the Orange. processions in this town, were resumed this morning before the coroner of Liverpool. Mr. howling, the police commissioner of Liverpool, said that on the day of the procession, about nine in the morning, he was riding towards the North Ducks, having been to inspect a divi sion of men whom he had ordered to be in readiness in case they should be required. He then heard that the Irish catholics were coming out, and immediately di-snitched orders to Mr. Quick to march to London.rourl. He (Mr. Dowling) soon afterwards met Mr. Towerson, with whom he proceeded to the scene of the disturbance, and separated the belligerent parties, after which no more violence was offered. He then put himself at the head of about 150 of the police, and, in company with Mr. Towenon, followed t►e preeeesiou through the whole of the southern parts of the town, to be ready to set in case of any emergency. Subsequently he sent Mr. Townson to the north, and the • finally separated about two o'clock into lots or to dine at their respective places of meeting.—A juror inquired if any other fatality had occurred from the proemeion than those which they were now inquiring into ? —Mr. Dowling said that another man was stabbed at eleven o'clock the neat night.—Several other witnemes having been examined, the Coroner summed up, and the jury, after e brief conversation, gave a verdict of ' Manslaughter." THE POISONING AT EASTWOOD. i Mr. Smith was subsequently recalled, Court, said: Mr. Mather made what I euppostiel WWI the , home. chalk mixture on Wednesday afternoon, gotbefore hthave had At the Nottingham areir,oa (Midland Circuit) during I keep arsenic in my surgery, and Mather [ night . cl on the vessel of " Liquor the whole of Thureclay an d yesterday , the Crown Cause ee .. eee , t o it. Th e re is a lab (Mr. Baron Parke) was occupied in the trial of Sarah arsenic:die." Ile had helm in my . senior a year. 'f he and, in reply to the II of which butcher, who were ind:icted fur the wilful murder of 7ceteph tilled water, and a small portion of opium, a which are Barber, aged 22, dressnieker, and Robert Ingrain, Reed 19. chalk mixture consists of chalk, aromatic coatintern, die- Barber, the husband of the first-named prisoner, at Ea s t - . constituents are kept in proper boxes or bottles, wood, on the 24th of March last. ' labelled. I bad no other arsenic in my surg er y at that The female Pris jeer is a very tall and rather good-looking ti m e. woman. During, the trial bee behaviour wits remarkably i M r. R o b er t Gossett Browne, surgeon at Eutwood ; Dr. indifferent and unconcerned. Ingram, on the other hand, Th o mas Wrigingham ; anht, consultingd Mr. Joseph White, residentphysician to the General I Lo f/S-preserved preserved throughout an attitude and appearance of the ' p i ta l a t Nottingham ave,,, attention . ' surgeon of the same institution, detailed the result. Mr. Mammies, Q.C. and Mr. Denison conducted the th e i r exa mination of portions of the liver and stomach of prosecution ; Mr. O'Brien defended Sarah Barber ; and the deceased, all deposing to the presence of arsenic , Mr. Cockle defended Ingram. I amounting in quantity to about eight grains, which had The deceased, Joseph Barker, was • horse-jobber, in • * seen a b sor b e d i n to the wystem. comfortable circ ta umsnces ' reekling at Eastwood, in this 1 ; Professor Taylor, M.D.—I am a professor of medical county, Ile died on Thursday night, the 20th of March, i j ur i spru d ence in Guy's Hospital, London. On the Ist of co at the age of 3i can. At that time he had been mar- ; April Mr. Gossett Browne brought nee part of the contents 'of a stomach in a glass jar. I am aeguninted with the family. The deceased, for some weeks before his death, I appearances o f s t oma chs after irritant pc-mu, and this Pao ried to the female prisoner Hee years ; but she had no had been unwell, and suffering from !pains in the joints, mach presented those appearances, with the exception that for which he had been attended by Mr. Smith, a sar- it was diluted with water. That dilution might have been goon at Eastwood, and his assistant, Mr. Mather. Mr. caused by the deceased drinking seater just previously to 1 Mather left Mr. Smith's on the 23rd or '24th of March, his death. I learn from Mr. Browne that it had been &- or the beginning of April, and had not appeared since. lilted with water since death. I made an examination of the He was called upon his recognisance as • witness, and fl u id i n M r . Browne's presence, and detected about onc-eighth upon his non-appearance that recognisance was entreated. of a grain of arsenic. The quantity of fluid was about six It was said that he had left the country. The de- teaspoonfuls. I tasted the inuriatic acid, the water, and all ceased had been treated for rheumatism by Messrs. the vessels before making the experiment, and there was no Smith and Mather, but he was out and much better the arsenic in the m Friday before his death. He had also been treated for time the copper was coated with a grey metallic powder. 1 gonorilices. On the Sunday before his death the deceased material or vessels. After boiling a short then applied beat and examinee with a magnifying glass, was riving out in a gig with the prisoner Ingram, who and the deposit had all the appearances of white arsenic,' lived near him, and who assisted in nursing him during as commonly. The proportion of arsenic which I rib-, hie illness; but he had a bad night on the Tuesday follow- tamed was about an eighth of a grain, the whole of which ing, and on the Wednesday was so much worse that his was extracted front the liquor. I then tried an experi mother was sent for. His mother remained with himuntil mint with the cardiac extremity of the stomach, which was 11 o'clock on the Thursday morning,when he appeared better. 3 inches by 4. It was 12 days after death, hut it was well After she bad left he again became worse, and about 6 o'clock preserved. When arsenic is absorbed into the tissue it acts that evening, when some neighbours went in, he was in great as a great preservative. There was a softening of the mucous agony, complaining of excessive thirst, and violently purged. mem b rane; an d there were two spots where blood had At 12 o'clock he shed. On the following Monday au inquest been effused below the mucous membrane, which are ap was held, which was adjourned frame time to time, in order ',caramel such as any irritant poison would produce. I exa t* afford opportunities ter an examination of the body. At mined the coating of the stomach with a magnifying glow, first Messes. Smith and Mather did not succeed in discovering but could detect to appearance of arsenic. There were arsenic in the stomach; but its contents were preserved and two or three yellow patches on the outside of the stomach aftervrards subjected to various teats by ProfeesoeTaylor and resembling very much the appearance caused by arsenic. other medical gentlemen of eminence, who ascertained that There were two or three small marks of the same colour. I arsenic was present in sufficient quantities to have caused first experimented upon one square inch, the result of death. The circumstances adduced in evidence for the par- which was the detection of arsenic in a crystaline form. pose of bringing home to the prisoners the charge of wilfully There was another jar which Mr. Browne had brought, sad administering poison to the deceased were very nume roue, which contained a pinion of the intestines. The iota rior i and many of them minute. The female prisoner and the was very slightly tuft ailed. I tried it with the magnifying deceased had not always lived on very good terms, and en glass, and could detect no appearance of arsenic. It was 18 some occasions she had used threatening language towards inches fang; and I examine six inches by one process and him. About two years ago she had left him for several six inches by another, having first boiled one of the six d months and gone to France with another man, accenting to inches in distilled water, to which I applied the test for the statement of the mother of the deceased; but the de ceased went and brought her hack. Since that time they arsenic, and no arsenic was prrnliieed. Tide is conclusive to show that if there were arsenic it was absorbed in the tie continued to live together; and the deceased, on his death- sues. I then applied further experiments to the pieces of, bed, veto in terms of gratitude for the kindness and at- intestine, both tests proving the existence of arsenic, the tcntion which his wife and the other prisoner had shown to proportions of arsenic hying nearly the same although the him during his illness. Both prisoners ' however, were pro ces se s were different—about an eighth of a grain to six preyed to have purchased arsenic shortly before the death; inches. We generally allow about seven hour; fur the' de they had iulmitted the purchasing of arsenic on the Friday position of arsenic iuto the hverafter being taken. On the an.l the Wednesday before; it had been purchased openly following day, the 2nd of April, Mr. E. Swann delivered for the avowed purpose of destroying mice, with which the to me a two-ounce bottle containing an ounce of liquid, house of the deceased was very much infested. The state said to be part of the contents of the deceased's stomach. mein of the prisoners, however, was, that the pennyworth There was a heavy sediment, which I dried on a glass, and bought on the Friday was burnt, and the pennyworth examined it with a microscope, and found it to be crystals bought on the Wednesday lost. Neither of them, however, of arsenic. I found half a grain in an undissolved state. • had made any disclosure of the purchase by Ingram of a By other tests I found the fluid contained arsenic, partly in • third pennyworth of arsenic at Bidwell, on the Sunday a dissolved state and partly in an undissolved state; of the ' morning, when the deceased was riding out with him in a dissolved arsenic there was another half grain. I h av e ' gig. We subjoin the most material portions of the evidence : known arsenic to remain two or three days in the stomach W. S. Smith.-1 am a surgeon, residing at Eastwood. without being absorbed or thrown back. There was no • My first visit to the deceased was on the 2 Sib of lebruery• appearance to show that arsenic haul been administered in • My assistant attended 'him before then. I treated him for large quantities at any. time. The results I obtained were rheumatism in the ungs. I attended him for that up to consistent with the opinion that the deceased haul died from Tuesday, the 18th of March. Ile gut better of that rem- the effects of one or several doses. The quantity I found • plaint. He was then sufficiently well to warrant the discos- altogether was three grains and one-eighth. I should infer tinware of my attendance for that. I attended hint at his from the appearances that arsenic had been administered in • house. When I attended him he was always at home and small doss. It is possible for there to he a cessation of in bed until the 16th or 17th. I believe the last day I use vomiting and purging tire hours before death. From my observations I sous of opinion that some arsenic must hove • hint Was the lath, when I did not consider it necessary to administer any more medicine. Ile was up. 11.. made no been taken in powder. I complaint of sickness either the last time or the last time Cross-examined. Some poisons are co ns id ere d mann -1 but one I saw him. At the commenualuent of his attack, 'afire, but this is not. The m oment arsenic begins to 1 from the 24th of February to the 3rd of March, he was suf. absorb its action commences. It is a sulistance that a fering front a feeling of sickness, and at times being sick, person can become accustomed to by frequent small doses. Presuming a person haul taken laudanum, the limits of time accompanied with diarrhoea. I attributed these symptoms at the time to the medicine we had been giving him, which in which death would ensue varies, the av e ra ge b e i ng 24 I was emetic tartar and colchicum. Wheu I ceased to „tend hours. The lowest that I know of is two hour,. I have r him he was in a convalescent state. I was made aware of his known one ease in which six days intervened between the i death on the morning after it took place, Friday, the 2lst. time o f taking arsenic into the system and the death. I I was surprised to hear of his death, judging from his eon Elisabeth Barber. —Joseph Barber , the deceased, was m ; dition the last time I saw biro , and I could only account for to hie wile se sun. . o son. He had . boa,.ii married li . •'• 11 • • Sh had , it from the fact that after I had • •d to n n atted hint my no family. his wife sent me word by a little boy about half . aesistant, Mr. Mather, priecribed fur him. I did ot see the past 11 the day before he' died that he was ill, and I got t moisture made by Mather, but I made a similar one the fol. y hour. lie in h to him in about half . an . e was el upstairs, mi -1 lowing day. It was a chalk mixture to stop diarrlicea. dressed. Hie wife came upstairs and Will lie had haul a eery I There is no circumstance beyond what was discovered at the of it. lie laid he had been veer Orlythat , I plat). lOrt• IN examination to explain the cause of his death, night, nighte but was much better, and " felt a deal 'better e ." ile • I was present at the post-mortem examination. Mr. of his mouth bvin I I arched, and that :Slather made it, but 1 was present. That Was on the complain ed a'lie did not toll me ' rYl_rarhaft lien sick. His 24th. Mr. Mather, myself, the two Messrs. Bro wne , !..w "1. thirsty . woe said nothing more than that he had a poo ' ; night. She • surgeons, of Eastwood, and a relative of mine, in the army, came upstairs, and said what I have just stated, and were present. We examined the whole body, except the just walked down again. I made himgruel, and he drank that it some ' head. The general state of the organs waa not such as to about . a pint,was err: nice. lle went on i cause death. We found the right kidney dismowd e and two rest of getting . better , i h all told me thatlee i n great deal Letter.' saY Tt i e Id tit or three ounces of fluid in the pericardium. The I remained with him in the room a that night. lie next r the organ , were not in such a state as would have accounted had a little cold water, and some preserve, but had no other for death, none of them indicating disease sufficient to ac kind of feud while I was there. lie drank a good deal of count leer it. The stomach was afterwards examined in water that afternoon. I only gave him about three or four my presence, by Dr. T. Wright, of Nottingham. That was Th ere table spoonfulsat a time, and I gave it him every q uar t er on the Tuesday after the rust-modem examination. of an hour. lie could have helped himself, for a b ou t one was inflammation of the upper portions of th e stomach, y &cheek at night he went down stairs. About th a t ti me I I and there was no substance in the stomach, but a qu an tit y. made him some more gruel. lie took nothing e l se . 1 was of fluid. I attributed the inflammation, in the first inetance, to his imprudence is eating and drinking. It was s u ch a n ill myself that night, and lay by his side. Il e got u p several times during the night to bring me water and th e sme lli ng , inflammation, in my opinion, as would have been presented in the stomach a a persou who died from imprudent bottle. Ile only vomited once during th a t t ime , an d that was alto 'clock ant he morning wlnai he threw u twotablespoon. 1 eating and drinking. There was a little Tenon s congestion On the coating of the stomach. 'there were sligint ui-in, an- fuls of gruel . lie was not purged while I was P there. Ilia wife ou the coating of the stomach. There were slight app u ars r awes as if ulceration was commencing, which might have was not in the bedroom at all that night. She an d I were not on very good terms, and I did not go so often as I otherwise , arisen from the inflammation he was suffering under. We should have done if she had been 'plc:Kant When first his , preserved the fluid, „emu)), and intestines. We did not illness began about five weeks before he died, she went away , preserve the liver. Dr. T. Wright examined th e fl u id two nights 1,:•!• o use I wan there. I did not know ' where she , contents of the stomach in my presence. The cont e nt s went. On the I hursday Morning my son appeared to be, and of the intestines counisted of moue and the medicin e he , said has was, better. I left him nut 11 o'clock in the niOrning, bed taken. We examined the fluid on Tuesrlay, the 2ath. when he talked of having a cup of tea and a new laid egg . I ', We subjected it to Iteinehe's test. The result was very went home and heard nothing More of him till 3 o'cl oc k th e , unsatisfactory. I'reviously to applying the copper we following morning, when Ingram (th e m a l e p r i soni • r ) an d t h e boiled the fluid. We could not satisfy uurselves of the canes! next door neighbour (Shaw) . Caine to my hous e . O n t h e d ay of our failure, except that it was late in the evening and I was nt my son's the prisoner Ingram ware 'inn some meth , dark. We also: boiled a portion of the stomach itself. I did not make any other examination aiterwarde, nor see any eine out of Mr. Smith's bottle. I know it w as M r. S m i t h' s o bottle, because my son told him to give him sonic out of it. It was a half-pint glees bottle. I don't know of what colour made. We used muriatic acid in the test. 1 left a portion it was. Ile had two table spoonfuls. I s a w M r. B ow k er ' s • of the intestinesand fluid with Dr. Wright, for lain to goon with the experiments on the following day. That had had bottle's. My son told me to get th en , f rom un d er t h e table. • nu tests applied to it. I took a portion of the stomach and • intestines to Eastwood, which I Melted up in the gig-house. One dose had been taken out of one, and the other was full. • They were the same sized bottles. One was a kind of a bite, and the other was slight red. Ile had hada dose out of the • I was suddenly called away, and on my return I found the white mixture. My eon told me to cork the bottles up arnin, • stomach and intestines had been removed. There was and put them under his bed, for he would here no more of , I the greater portion of the lute:ethane and about a third of them ; and I did so. This was before Ingram gave lam the 1 1 the stomach. I discovers) that they were gone on Thurs ' day morning, the 27th. My gig-house haul been broken open by my own servant, and I did not discover where it dose of Smith's medicine. ' was gone to until yesterday. My servant is not here. I The cross-examination of this witness elicited nothing of ' bad to remain at the place I went to on the Wedneselay, importation. I and sent my gig home, and my boy broke the gig -house Eliza Shaw.—My husband is a sawyer, residing at East 'i open on purpose to put the vehicle in. I missed the stomach wood, and we live next door to Barber's. During tier time ' and intestines immediately on my return, but could not the deceased was ill his wife, Ingrain, and Robert Scrim 1. ascertain where they had gone till yesterday. A part of the shaw, of Shetland, were with him. Scrimshaw was there thud I had put in my house. That was given to Mr. Swan, only during the first part of his illness, and waited upon ' ljun., and sent up to Professor Taylor. I sent the whole of him sometime. by night and sometimes by day. He left '1 it to Dr. Taylor, and had nothing left. Before it was sent him, however, a month before his death. During the ' to Dr. Taylor I kept it locked up in my house, under a lock latter part of his illness only the two prisoners, with the ex ' and key. A portion of the cardiac portion of the stomach ception of lice deceased's mother when she was there, waited I I and from two to three ounces of fluid were given to Mr. upon him. Ingram properly resided at Langley Mill, but i , Gossett Browne on the Monday afternoon, at the surgery. during Barber's illness he resided at his house. On the Sun- I I did not examine that portion which was given to Mr. day before his death I saw the deceased and Ingrain get into ' ! Browne. I did net detect any poisonous substance in tho his gig to go to Bulwell. On the night he died I went to see , stomach or intestines. him, and was also at his house on former days, when I saw 1 Cross-examined—The portion of the stomach below that Ingrain give him medicine, and th e other prisoner give him • 1 which I gave to Mr. Browne was inflamed. I was attending things to eat. I saw Mrs. Barber several timeson the morn o the deceased for rheumatic fever. During the time I i ng o f th e d ay h er h us b an d died. I asked her how th e de- - • : attended him I knew he was labouring under another ceased was, and she replied he was very ill, and f ur th er disease, for which he had no medicine from me until after told me that Inc was taken ill on Wednesday mornina and his recovery from the rheumatic attack. lie might have had h a d b een very s i c k . Sh e also said that he was sick ' that ot h g e i r .t bro at th Ea., er t fo w r ow som , n o a ri rne th n e ie A f e en e m duce M d e Ue ( ; :nlien ' the medicine for that disease on the leth or 16th. Mr. (Thursday) morning. On Thursday afternoon she said p t d ath u c c r ei m th ad eu e ut it .t u tc p. aff T et ha tio t h d t ira a s se e , (n ert ono fo rr nit hmal th er h i nt et a i t m it r tn a s w li h e o h i a t t sent dru acting upou the heart produces a severe disease culled peri- and that she had lost it th same night out of h d night, confab., which is a dangerous thing. If a man died of an pocket as she wu returningh f 'r re" home rem a church lecture ' attack of rheumatism at the heart, I should expect to find She also said she lost at the • ' ' same time ad., which was the o' a large effusion of fluid round the pericardium. 1 have change out of the sixpence she had given her b rother . m I examined cases of that kind and h ive always found such buy the arsenic; and also that she had bought the to poison oleffueions. I did not preserve the heart after the examine- to destroy the mice, of which there • l u mu cre a great many i n O I hon. I believe Mr. Mather cut it open, but could the house. She s a id nothing then II not say positively. Mr. Metier performed th e o p era - b ut on the previous Sunday - she did. L any other arseni c , y husband asked five part of the examination. I had frequently to call her whether she had laid ' an arsenic for the mice. Ile asked 0 1 upon the deceased. His wife was sometimes pre- this because on the Friday before I I sent, and he told me she was kind and attentive to go witlt him as a witness to c n u meram asked my husband '• to him from the commencement of my attendance. worth of arsenic and helien's to buy a penny went Mrs. Barber, in reply to r Mr. Mather, Messrs. Browne, and I were the only medical what my husband asked, id she * . said had burnt it. This con ' meu at the examination of the body on Monday. At that Ive tiontook plate while Barber and Ingram had gone , time we examined fur the purpose of seeing whether the to Dulwell. On Monday, the 24th, the , individual had had arsenic. Arscree, if administered inn such i day on which the in was held, the female , , portions as to cause death, does not always produce evident I and said, ~ MT.. Shaw , will prisoner came t i t nto the house , • appeerances. At that time —my first examination—l was of , burn the arsenic ?" I reied Y' g t " l ekr ld you WV 1110 a wou not tell a story , I opinion that death was not caused by arsenic, and I then' for any one My husband w oO attributed his death to diarrhcca. I did not sup that , not T ' tat . as present at the time, but did . two or three ounces of fluid in the pericardium was tbe re- ; Me say anYtb Mr ut t. I saw Ingram shortly afterwards. me from my *snail intors. Barber's yard, and I atilt of rheumatism in the heart. Ido not know where Mr. ' went out to hi II Mather ie. He left my establishment on the 23rd or 24th of ' swear that o In. e , ' Mrs Shaw, are you going to March or the beginninfor April. The fluid in my i ~I . T . it saw Mrs. Barber burn the arsenic ? go i 1 said He said nothing !Sian was brought away so the stomach by ➢Mr. Matherfrom I am M. more, and went away, and I returned to my own house ;the deceased's boner It was in Mr. Mather' possession I Mr.• On the second day of the in when I left my beam and no fluid had then beCei extracted geese was at Oodber's public-house, the place where from the stomach or es. the inquest was held, and Mrs. Barber asked me whether I I was going to swear I saw her burn it. I 'd I 141 was not. I Re-examined —I am which Yam produced =fated with cases of pericareitis , had not seen her burn the • • death. In those caws there lin her possession. would be pnat_Gain in tie legit* of the heart, hurried ear - ' Cross-examined. —The- • = eat &Nasky of breedshag of nose of which the I very kind and • ff • 11.1141.11 C, our had I ever seta any prisoner (Mrs. Barber) was always • ectaonate towards her husband during his emplaieect. Who I was ' called in on the 18th of illness. I have heard Mr. Barber tall his wife to get 'rime- March, am of the sytaa of pericarditis were visible, thing to kill the mice. Th He could Vo m iti ng not have w Shout h a d th ere b een. V •' ng waited upon the deceased was t h at The reason the prisoner (Ingram) is net a Word Node of Paitneditis ; nor is purging - bu t him. Scrimshaw left Barber himself neat for . bemuse the deceased would not have wag is, generally tweaking. Chalk mixture would not be I him. =me Winans kr pair ditis. Bleeding and hi' t • R eselansined• — dltbouth ts eruig the prisoner treated her hu bs ehis pope tweenneet for that disease , bond very kindly during is illness, ..._,lttllNl—Tha laws, was a little enlarged and I vioos/y quarrelled with him sh e had frequently t r a e i int tient wee nothing to cause death in the ap- language to him. , and occasionally used very I John Shaw, husband of the last witness, after corm- I ', ora ti ng part. of her evidence, said--f a•:ted r if she had fiiiml any mice that had been poisoneil. said she had burnt the urvenic, becausu if her ha•b.:.td were to die suddenly p.ople w•mdd say he was Ito :, „„,i , and she would therefore not have it elem.. the On that day l heard the female pri•on'r a•:, my ale whether she would sty site had seen her burn the amok; but my wife said she would not tell a story for any ono. On the same day Mrs. Barber told me that her 1ne.1,414 had been in the habit of going to the stable aid taking some medicine there; that she did not know what it was, but that if it destroyed life it would b•e hard f.. her to suffer, as she was innocent. She said this after site had returned home from the first inquest. Cross-examinutl.—l know Barber hail a stable, and I have seen him take something, which he poured out of a bottle, in that stable. I saw hint on out; OCCLINIUII take some during his inners. . . . ...... Robert Stance!. Ilowker, of Bidwell, surgeon, ilepowiet o having seen deceased and prescribed fur him a mixture, com posed of eupailm, potash, and sweet nitre, which was of a white colour, as well as an injection, composed of su:pliate of zinc, which was entirely tolouriess. Before I Raw : Jinn the mixture (said the witness) I asked hint if ever he had taken eopailei !rehire, and whether it made him sick, and ho replied he hail taken buckets full. The disease he was af fected with at the time was very slight, and I should nut have given him the copailm mixture if he had nut wanted it himself. In the (vent of the man hiking the injection in stead of the ismiliba mixture it probably would have made him sick, but would have hail no other evil effect, and would not have proved dangerous to life. By the Court.—l am quite certain that there was no arsenic in either of the mixture*. There was a scruple of the sulphate of nine in the injection. Dr. Taylor was here recalled, and said that if deceased had been poisoned with sulphate of nine he should undoubt edly have found some traces in the stomach, but he did not find any. G. Gosling was called, but his evidence was merely to the effect that he thought the prisoner Ingram was the man with whom he hail seen deceased near Mr. Buck li's shop. W.C. Buekell.-1 am a druggist, residing at On Sunday, the 16th of March, a man, whom I believe to he the prisoner Hobert Ingram, came into my shop, and pur chased a pennyworth of arsenic. Ile gave me a daps nee, and I returned firepence in copper. Ile said he wanted it to poison rats and mire, I believe in a barn, hat I am not quite certain as to that. I said it was a curious thing to come for on a Sunday, and he replied " We can't get any in our place." I asked him where that was, and he said " Eastwood." I wrote on the paeket, in largo letters, " Arsenic—poison." It was then between 11 and 12 o'clock. The shutters were closed, and part of the door is formed of ribbed glass, through which I could not see anyone out side. No one came into my shop with the man, but imme diately alter he left the shop l heard a noise as of a gig or cart driving away from the dour in the direction of Mr. Bowker's. I have Ten little doubt that Ingram is the man, though I should not like to swear to him. 1 pointed Ingram out at the inquest as being like the man. George Leavers, having been sworn, stated as follows : My father keeps ii public-house at Bidwell. I remember the deceased calling at my father's house on Sunday, the 16th of March. He was accompanied by the prisoner Ingram, and came to Bulwell in a light cart. Benjamin Cullen—l ant a grocer, residing at Eastwood, and also sell drugs. On Friday, the 14th of March, the pri soner Ingram came to my shop, nod asked for one penny worth of arsenic, to kill rats and mice. I gave hum the arsenic, and wrote upon it, " Arsenic—poison." A witness was present, it nit being my custom to sell arsen;c except another person be present. On the Weilneaday evening afterwards, Mrs. Barber's brother, George Italy, ',Ought and paid for a pennyworth of arsenic. On the morning of the same day a woman mimed Betty Lees had called for a penny worth of arsenic, but I refusAl to let her have it. The di position of the prisoner Ingram, who ;:s examined as a witness at the coroner's inquest, was put in and read. The only importance it possessed was as showing the kind ness of the female prisoner to her husband, and his acknow ledgment of the same. Ile (Ingram) stated that be bought one pennyworth of arsenic at the request of the female pri soner, who said she wanted to kill mice, and told him aft, r wards that she lost it, as stated above. Ingram's depo snion concluded as follows : " Upon my oath I believe the deceased has died a natural death by the will of God, and not otherwise." Eliza Goodwill proved that on the day before Barber's death the female prisoner applied at Carr's, a drugaist at. Eastwood, fur a pennyworth of an.tnic to kill mica with, but there War.ll3olle fu the shop. Elizabeth Lees proved that on the Wednesda• morning before the death of deceased the prisoner, Mrs. Earner, roatt her to Benjamin Cullen's tOr a pennyworth of aixenie, which he refused to serve except in the pre , attee of witness. Rowe, n builder at Ea.twood, deposed that he had heard angry words pass between the deceased and the female prisoner, and that on one OCC.i.nt iu Is in. when she wan in a lias•fii,t.he said she would le•ison him , "if it was longer first," meaning some day or other. Crois-examined-1 hare frequently seen them on friendly terms since. Thomas Barnes proved the use of a similar expression by Mrs. Barber aliout 18 months being.° her huslatnirs death. John Shaw, one of the county police, deposed that in January last he went to wadi Burlier's house for a stolen gun ; that he stated for a hat purpose he came, and that then then the female prisoner said, with an oath, " You sec what disgrace you hose got into by keeping such bad company, but I will put a stop to it. lit poison you, if it should be longer first." Mr. Gossett Browne was revelled, and explained that a portion of the intestines, which had been missed from the stable by %tr. Smith, had been given by Mather to him (Mr. Browne) at his request. A letter ail, then read from the brother of Niather, stating that he had sailcil for New York on the i cat of J uly. Several witnesses who were called in the course of the trial proved that deceased had expressed himself in edit:- , tionate terms towards his wife fur her kindness during his The ease for the prowieution occupied the court during the whole of yesterday, and from half-Inuit 8 till uiarly 12 this ruing. Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Cockle then severally addressed the jury on behalf of the two pristmer,i, commenting mi nutely upon every Fart of the evidence, and dwelling par ticularly upon the adoence of Mather, who had made up the medicines for the &mama! and made the first minutia- Con of the body after death. Shortly before 3 o'clock the learned jut* summed up. The jury ruturneLL as their verdict—Saradt Barber tiaiky; Ingrain Vet titiiity. Sarah Barber was then sentenced to death, without hope of mercy. PAILLIAJIENTARY DIVISION HOUSE OF LORIIB. THE ECCLESIASTICAL TITLES BILL. List of the minority en l.' rd Miurreiglebt motion he richt hag Ire. land Dom the operation iii the brxlesiditical Titles Lid: stanue•t•as. Ii•. Genitals to Frey?* Ile,dlort Leitrim Kinstaird Sligo £lOOOO. l.eent KAMA. Arundel Montt sgle Charism At Camoys l'e re EltentroiorGh Dimmer Stourion Fingal Tsui Lint of the minority on the Duke of Antril's motion fur Neeting tkc clsure a lowing I.roseeui inns by the euroakon in: ~,,, ler: In KIS. linestl Beaumont drain la•itrim Canny. Nees castle Zielsuo Dormer l'owis 1). Freyne waant•trl9. St. Germans Kinnear! Ilmelfkrt kali:slow boat Shiro Idontergle of Branil'll .senrsr. Petro ►OOLS. C inning Ktnurtun Aberdeen Tau♦ of I larruwilen dletitor ugh IlAk . lNit. bkbrunclitte kaimini re Arundell of Wardosir PASSENGERS' BAGGAGE FROM TILE CONTINENT. The following petition to the House of Commons: is signed by the most influential banking and commercial houses in London: To Tile Uosocnao, . c Tile Coxteoca Or l'sirrms GUENT BRITAIN IRELAND, ry Plilt- LIAMENT The humble petition of the undersigned Merchants, Bankers. and others of the City of London, Showeth,— That pa gingers arriving from the Continent are incon veniently delayed at Dover and Folkestone, and unable to proceed to London until their baggage is examined at those plum That such inconvenience would be removed if the t nation were to take place in London. That like facility is afforded by the French government to persons going front this country to Paris, whose baggage is not examined until their arrival in Paris. That your petitioners arc informed that the South-Eastern Railway Company are willing to provide at the London terminus of that railway better xi commollation for the pur pose of each examination of baggage there than now exists either at Dover or Folkestone. Your petitioners, therefore, most humbly pray your most honourable house that your honourable house will be pleased to pass such resolution as will warrant the Lords. Commissioners of her Majesty's treasury to authorise the necessary arrangements for examining in London the bag gage of persons travelling there instead of detaining them for the purpose at Dover or Folkestone, whereby your peti tioners believe that a saving of one or two hours of time will be insured to passengers from Marseilles and Paris and the Continent generally to London. And your petitioners will over pray, &c. ESSEX PROVIDENT SOCIETY.—Tito great general meeting of this society, which has been looked to for twu or three years past as the means of placing the institution on a firm basis, and healing all the divisions and agitation that have prevailed, was held in the Corn Exchange, Brain tree, for the purpose of finally deciding on the alterations in the rules, which have been so often discussed at the different branches. Sir J. I'. Wood presided, and about MO mem bers were present at the meeting, which was of a must stormy character. Various modifications of the old rules oldie society and some reduction of the salaries of the paid officers, which were hailed by the meeting with much satis hetion, were adopted, and an adjournment for the period of ire years was carried. evidence in support of these opinions, and they point be the testimony of the manager of this Timer, why abate, (}:v. 2,22.3), " his conviction that if the stamp duty he taken off, the commercial advantages to the Times would he enormous. it is stated to your committee by the editor of the Scots man (Ev. 1,471), that the peony *tamp is • f.is-oura'ile arrangement for newspapers on the whole ; " that be does not " consider it a tax," but " • payment ade to the Post office for services which he does not think could be so effi ciently performed in any other way . for much more cost." Other wanner, do not participate in this opinion, nor is it supported by the Post-office authorities. It appears to your committee that newspapers do not practically enjoy such favourable terms for transmission by post as other printed matter ; for whilst newspapers are compelled to stamp every copy of their impression, whether sent by post or not, other publications, up to the weight of two ounces, obtain by virtue of a Treasury minute, the same freedom from postage as newsmen, by registering as newspapers, and by stamping , only soma, copies as are actually required to be sent by post. If the Illmerspes stamp were allowed to be affixed only to such copies et aerapeper r go through the post, it might then assume the arrester of a mere equivalent for postal services, but in those cases, especially in that of provincial papers when the post is little used, the compulsory stamp upon every copy can be viewed in no other light than that of a tax. In reality, however, the freedom from postage charge is not always accorded to newspapers in return for the neve paper stamp. As an instance of this, your committee think at right to advert to an anomaly th at exists with regard to the transmission of newspapers by postage, viz., that in the Loudon district, a circle of three mile, roun the General ' Peet office, and where the post might be of much use far the distribution of newspapers, a stamped newspaper; is • charged a penny if posted in one part of that district to be transmitted to another. Your committee do not see any a Rood reason for this regulation, and would, therefore, re commend that it he abolished. Your committee find that considerable evasions of the' postage charge take place under cover or pretence of stamped newspapers ; that letters and unstamped publica tions and parcel, are seat concealed within roll, of stumped newspapers; and that ianstamped and foreign newspapers are occasionally pissed without being auojected to charge. This is partly admitted by the Post-office authorities, who attribute much of the evasion to the papers which pass through the Post-office by virtue of the Treasury Minute of 114314. It is clear that in a department transmitting daily 120,000 to 260,000 papers and which are despatched within two or three hours a ft er the greater portion of them are iv ceived, nothing but an extravagantly large force of examin ers could prevent evasion. If a revenue is to be derived from the postage of news papers, it is worthy of consideration whether it would not be simpler and more economical that the collection of such re venue should be managed, as in the case of letters, directly by the Post-office, rather than indirectly by another depart ment. Were this suggestion adopted, and the present news paper stamp abolished, your committee see no reason to doubt that the Post-office authorities would devise means of regulating the transmission and distribution by post of news papers, if not of all primed matter, at a small charge, not exceeding a penny fur each pack up to a weight equal to that of the largest existing newspaper, without exposing the revenue to the frauds to which the present system unavoid able renders it subject. In passing, it may be right to men tion the peculiar use which is sometimes made of the exist ; nag privilege of sending papers within the United King ;dim, free from postage charge fur ever, in virtue of the original Somerset-house stamp. Mr. l'arkhurst, senior clerk in the office of the secretary of the Pint-office. (Ev. 1677), says, " We know that newspapers are sent as waste paper very often through the pod; there have been cases of very old bundles of papers being sent in that way." There is, however, a consideration connected with the ad ditional cod supposed to be caused by the imposition of the stoop on newspapers,wbich requires a particular notice; viz., the right of gratuitous transmission of newspapers through poet, Mr. Smith, the head of a London newspaper agency firm, waich has been established fur the last sixty years, and which transmits about ogle-seventh of all the London daily palters, states distinctly that the re-transmission of news ' papers is eanied on toa most enormous extent, so as greatly to reduce the coot of their newspaper to those least aisle to I pay fur it. Ile gives instances in which the cost of the Tunes is thus reduced to 2.1., and to even Id., and yet read by the last person in theseries on the second morning after publication, and he adds, that the number of persons thus receiving the best newspaper' ate very cheap rate, is ex ceedingly numerous, and that the proposed charge of Id. foe each re-transmission would, in fact, prevent them, pro bably, (rum taking any paper at all, unless it was a weekly Pa to r. the whole, considering on the one hand the various modes now in ow by railways and private agency of distri buting newspapers through the country, and on the other the frauds upon the foot-office from unetainpcd publication' being now weavoidably carried post free; seeing, in short, that in many cases the stamp is paid where no postal advan tages are received, and in other caeca the 'tamp is net paid where postal advantages are obtained, your committee are of opinion that immediate ate-pa should be taken to place the regulations affecting the trunsmission of newspapers and other printed matter by poet, on a more satisfactory eluting. In examining witnesses as to the operation of the law on the newspaper mese, it is found that an opinion prevails to some small extent, that the maintenance of the stump has the effect of n odering newspapers more respectable than they would be if tree from that restriction. After weigh ing the reasons fur such opinion, your committee conclude that it does net net as any good foundation. No dete rioration of the newspaper press, hut, on the contrary, an improvement followed the reduction of the stamp which took place in 1826 ; and doubtless the character of news papers would continue to improve in proportion to the advance in public taste and morals, although the stamp should be entirely abolished. It is stated by one of the wit nesses, as an objection to the removal of the damp, that a new clam of journals would spring up, if the stamp were repealed, in the smaller towns and country district., and thatit would he (ftv. 1,.1-Vs) "a misfortune that there should be local papers of a more petty charastcr than at present exist." The general bearing of nearly all the other evidence is of • contrary tendency ; and the unanimous opinion of thole gentlemen who, being peroms who had devoted atten tion to the education and social imprueoment of the work ing clauses, were specially examined on this branch of the subject, was to the effect that moral advantage , ' might be expected to follow the establishment of 'heap local newspapers. Year committee concur with the proprietor of the Liter - pool Journal in thinking that the cheapening the cost of existing provincial papers would extend their circulation and improve their quality ; whilst they also believe that, should • new clam of small and cheap local papers arise, they would occupy a field hitherto not reached by exi s tin g newspapers, an d the vehicles of knowledge to large classes of persons who otherwise would get no newspaper at all. The present extensive sale of penny publications, as shown by the evidence —(Evidence 2,194 and 2;109), abun- dantly proves the desire among the humbler classes fur some kind of reading and mental improvement ; bur the stamp prevents the penny paper from containing a record of the current events of lite, thus depriving the readen of small periodicals, who are fur the most part persons living by bour or Of limited means, of that must useful knowledge, ,• the news of the day ; fur which, as is stated by Mr. Abel Ileywood, a gentleman extensively engaged in supplying cheap literature, '• as the result of his experience," amongst the class of readers alluded to, there is a greater desire than for any other kind of information. It may be said with truth, that the newspaper stamp prohibits the existence of l such newspaper as from their price and character would be suitable to the means and wants of the labouring classes. The question of pirating articles of intelligence by one newmper from another has been brought under the notice elyour committee by witnesses conversant with the news carpress, and favourable to the abolition of th e d u ty. I e r established new.papers, particularly the London daily' press, collect the valuable information which they report to the public at a very great expe nse , an d pu bli s h it at a very costly celerity. It has been stated that if the news , paper duty were abolished, there would be great temptation to the numerous halfpenny mid penny publications which would then spring up. to pirate the public intelligence cel llected at so much cost and exertion. It has been proposed that some short privilege of copyright should therefore be conferred. Your committee consider it their duty to direct attention to the objections and abuses incident to the present system of newspaper stamps, arising from the difficulty of defining ' and determining the meaning of the term " news;" to the inequalities which exist in the application of the Newspaper Stamp Act, and the anomalies and evasions that it occasions l i in postal arrangements ; to the unfair competition to which stamped newspapers arc exposed with unstamped publica tions; to the limitation imposed by the stamp upon the cis calation of the best newspapers, and to the impediments which it throws in the way of the diffusion of useful know ledge regarding current and recent events among the poorer o classes, which species of knowledge, relating to subjects which most obviously interest them, call out the intelligence by awakening the curiosity of those classes. How far it may be expedient that this tax should be maintained as a source of revenue, either in its present or in I any modified form, your committe e do nut feel themselves pad upon to state ; oth e r considerations, not within their 1 peo~mcrwould enter into that question. B u t ; apart from eon ' aiderations, they do not consider that news is of it self a desirable subject of taxation. July 18, 1861. MANSLAXGIITER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE .1T LIVERPOOL—On Thursday an inquiry took place before tae borough coroner into the circumstances attending the death of Ellen Hogarth, whose death. it was alleged, bad resulted from injuries inflicted upon her by her husnind, Themes Hqprtb. The occurrence out of which the inquiry originated toot place on Tuesday night, et the house of Tho mas Anderson, Gomer.street. Soho-street, where the de mimed and her husband lodged. The husband was taken into custody at his own house immediately on the death of his wife, and conveyed to ltose•hill station, where, during the night, he attempted to put an end to his existence by banging himself by his handkerchief from one of the bars of the bridewell window. Out of the bridewell keepers dis covered him after be had been hanging a short time, and immediately tut him down. Hogarth was much exhausted, but, upon the application of the necessary remedies, he recovered. The evidence showed that at the termination of a male between prisoner and his wife, which took place in their room, she was found .n a dying state and expired in • kw minutes afterwards. The jury returned a verdict of manamighter against the prisoner, who was committed for triaL—Livespeei Mercn►y the J 19th This proce the May, rlym mout comp sth Rc evr/4 11th 13th I. who 17th B ♦tae 110th 0 30tIci who bird I en' 77th ♦ice F be a' the W 3. Disur lay '1 friL its t, hay iN sack. Th Thu. r.un, foun. fullor MI Serjc eipn a sec be hear was of uc )1a Perm satin for t port, he d ettal the. to tr Oa tl eilu a rig that your duty tuna incri peril to b. title dom to II con. then buil obt hwl pert it of C pro I S pen con Ar 1 mei riv 4 by tab the SeN a r ins me Mx