The Press. — London, England, 1857-06-27 00:00:00

. G 36 rtlant. THE I►IURDER OF MR. LITTLE. A WAN has at length been arrested, charged with having committed this horrible crime. He is a painter, James Spollen, in the employment of the Midland Railway Company ; and he was w rested on Wednesday morning, accused by his wife of having murdered and robbed Mr. Little on the. night of the 19th November. We quote the Dublin Freeman : She asserts that on the night of the 19th of November her husband returned to his residence about eight o'clock, bringing with him a bucket Rill of gold and silver, which he told tier was Mr. Little's money, stating, at the same time, that he had killed him, and that she saw him burn a pocketbook. and take off his cravat and throw it into the fire. She also says that his clothes were dabbled over with blood-stains, which he covered with paint, and that be fully related to her the manner in which he effected the murder and robbery, and how he made his escape along the roof of the terminus. She further stated that she assisted her husband in concealing the money, and that she would point out the two places in which it had been deposited. With reference to the hammer and razor found in the canal by the police, she says that the hammer belonged to Spolien, but she had not then seen the razor found. She says that her husband was greatly excited on the day the razor was found, and adds that after the murder he put it into a case prior to his throwing it into the canal. The reasons assigned by Mrs. Spollen for giving this information to the police o•ere a strange feeling of fear and dread she had of her husband, and also from intense anxiety of mind and from conscientious motives. On the places indicated by Mrs. Spollen being searched, 1991. es., in parcels of notes, gold, silver, and copper, were found. PO/. of the money lay concealed near the cattle platform iu a space about six feet wide and twenty feet deep, covered with stones and gravel ; while the remaining 67/. ss. were hidden just inside a small aperture at the bottom of the privy, through which a running stream passes at a depth of twenty-five feet. The clothes be wore on the night will be chemically examined in order to test the presence of blood. The arrest of his son has also taken place, and it is now hoped that this horrible mystery will be cleared up. When charged at the police station with the crime, the wife of the prisoner was present and appeared to be sadly affected. She said, addressing him—" Confess your guilt, you unfortunate man; what I have done was to save your soul, and that yon may repent of your crime." On the charge being read for him he only said, " I deny it." He was then led back to his cell. Mrs. Spollen is in charge of the police. L LAUGHABLE SCENE occurred in the Rolls Court last week. A well-known eccentric applicant ap pealed to the Master respecting a certain judgment in the case of "Young v. Hassard." The Master re fused to hear him, and after much discussion and improper behaviour on the part of Mr. Ha'sard, ordered two constables to take him into custody : They came forward to the place where he was standing. He apparently entered into parley with them, but while they were expostulating with him, and before they had laid hands on him, he made a sudden dive under the table and disappeared amid the laughter of all the spectators. Qa liassard's sudden disappearance the business of the watt bad been resumed. and Mr. Hughes, Q.C., was addressing the court, until he was obliged to throw down his brief convulsed with laughter. The hero of a hundred legal battles dying along, still under the table, from the policeman who was in pursuit of him, had seized the eminent Queen's counsel by the legs. On this circnm• istsnee becoming known, the bar, the spectators, and even the ordinarily immovable gravity of the learned judge, were overcome. Nor were the sounds that issued from wilder we table of a character that tended to diminish the ladieronsuess of the scene. Kicks and plunges might be heard, taingled with such exclamations as these sounding through the wood, like the conversation of Gallagher, the ventriloquist, with the people in the street :—" Let me go" —" that's not fair "—" this isn't justice "—" I'm getting no fair play." At length he was fairly caught and carried away ,captive to cool his ardour at the station•house. AT A WESTING OP THE ARCNDEL SOCIETY, held at 10,Charles•street, Berkeley-square,on Thursday, Mr. Layard gave an interesting description of his re searches for frescoes during the autumn of '55 and '56 in the towns of Urbino, Siena. and Perugia, where the most interesting remains of the art of the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries are now rapidly falling into decay. Mr. Layard told the story of his excursion, illustrated by reference to his tracings, hung round the walls, and to the drawings of Mrs. Burr, who accompanied him, thus enabling his auditors at once to appreciate the beauty of these frescoes as complete composi tions, or parts of a whole system of ornamentation, while single figures and details were shown by the tracings Persons in authority could not comprehend a man's giAng himself such trouble in climbing up ladders, and coking into cellars, and risking kicks from cavalry horses, to bring away a few tracings from mere ram di Giotto stuff. At &ego San Sepolcro Mr. Lazard found a..)me of the finest frescoes of Pietro dell Francesca, lauded THE RESS. by Vasari "as too beautiful and too excellent for the time," from which Raphael acquired his finest ideas of chiaroscuro, in a room now filled with pledges of the Monte di Pieta of the district. To this room there were five keys, one for each director of the Monte di Pieta, and these five gentlemen happening to be at loggerheads, it may he con• ceived that some diplomacy was necessary to obtain the five keys. And then there was the room to clear of corn, wool, cloth, oil•jars, and lamps; and then the windows having been bricked up candles had to be brought in, till at length was discovered, traced, and recorded in a faithful drawing, one of the most impressive representations of our Lord's resurrection. By the tracing of the solemn figure of the Saviour stepping from the sarcophagus, and by help of Mrs. Burr's drawing, the audience could appreciate the power of the painter's conception—the grey dawn between the twilight tree•trunks and beyond the summits of the darkling hills, the soldiers quietly sleeping round the tomb, and the figure of the Redeemer, white and wan, with the banner of the cross in his wasted hand, rising, with a still serene majesty, from the arms of death. Another and scarcely inferior fresco of the same painter was shown, representing that sleep of Constantine in which the victorious cross was revealed to him in a dream —the very fresco so praised by Vasari in his life of the painter, as having given an impulse to the art by its light and shade. While Mr. Layard was tracing this fresco the workmen were breaking through the wall above it, and a brick falling struck away half the head of the page who is watching the Emperor. When Mr. Layard remonstrated —" Half his face gone?" was the reply, " Per Ram ! then we will paint him another!" Mr. Layard described how when, by Mr. Kirkup's efforts, the contemporary portrait of Dante, by Giotto, was brought to light on the wall of the Bergen°, at Florence, it was discovered that a nail hail been driven right into the eye of the poet. So the Grand Duke employed a painter to paint in a new eye; and then the old face was repainted to harn - onise it with the new eve; and then, 83 the red of Dante's hood and green of his dress were the colours of Italian unity, the obnoxious tricolour was replaced by a harmless chocolate. Mr. Layard found the chapel of St. Cecilia, at Bologna, used as a cavalry stable, and the frescoes of Francis and Costa destroyed as high as the soldiers could reach. One of the finest frescoes of Fra Bartolommeo is in a cart•shed at Florence. We cannot follow Mr. Layard through his long enume ration of works of equal interest now rapidly perish ing ; but at Spello are the masterpieces of Pintu ricchio, the contemporary of Perugino, and friend of Raphael ; at Cagli, in Urbino, is the finest fresco of Giovanni Santi, the father of Raphael, representing a Madonna and sa'nts, in which the portrait of the young Raphael himself is introduced as one of the angels; in Gubbio is an exquisite Madonna, with harping angels, by Ottaviano Nelli, which fills a gap in the history of Umbrian art: while at Arezzo, Panicale, Siena, Milan, and Sarono are many master pieces neglected and rotting. Mr. Layard concluded his address by an appeal to the Arundel Society to arrest, so far as this can be done by careful copies, the annihilation of these grand works. So important are these publications considered in their hearings upon art, that the Government take one hundred copies for the use of the Schools of Design. With this the society will present to its subscribers a chromolithograph of the Arena Chapel at Padua, from a drawing by Mrs. Burr, and two of the wood engravings from those frescoes in continuation of the series already so far advanced. Mr. RuAin ad dressed the meeting after Mr. Layard had concluded, and gave eloquent confirmation to all Mr. Layard had said of the progress of destruction among the great mural monuments of Italian art. The pro ceedings then terminated. The meeting was fully attended by a very fashionable audience. Kane Varket anb it Intelligent. FRIDAY EVENING. THE return of the Bank of England for the week ending the 20th inst., shows the following ciainges compared with that for the week preceding:— Decrease in Circulation Increase in Public Deposits 193,636 Decrease in Other Deposits .. Increase in Government Securities Decrease in Other Securities 197,245 Increase in Bullion Increase in Rest Increase in Reserve Bullion in Both Departments Circulation, including Bank Post Bills The present return is, like the last, of a favourable chi. racter. and it confirms the prudence of the Bank Directors in reducing the rate of discount last week. The Bullion shows a large increase, and it now exceeds 11,100.0001., with every prospect of a larger aggregate in the succeeding return. The Reserve has also increased, although a con. siderable sum out of the Private Deposits has been with. drawn, mainly in consequence of the addition to the Public Deposits, and the repayment of advances. The Private Securities have fallen off nearly 200,0001. On the whole, the returns is in all essential respects the most satisfactery that has appeared in the current year. Money has been in good demand, but without causing any particular pressure, though in some quarters the incidence of revenue payments at this period has led to considerable tightness. In the early part of the week nothing could - be done under the Bank minimum, but SATURDAY, during the last day or two some relaxation has been made in this respect. Attention is now fixed upon affairs in France, where the elections are in progress, the results of which, so far, cause some degree of sensitiveness, which has not been removed, but rather increased, by the policy of the Bank of France in reducing the rate of discount from six per cent., at which it was fixed on the 20th September last, to five and a half per cent., as this move ment is atttibuted to the direct interposition of the Government, and not to the spontaneous action of the Bank. There is some ground for this state of feeling, the more especially as the reduction has been made in the face of a falling off in the bullion to the amount of 800,0001. In all other respects the aspect of the English market is satisfactory. The prospects of a br.untiful harvest are eminently satisfactory, the stock of bullion is increasing, and trade, with some exceptions, is improving. Under these circumstances it is possible that the Bank Court may shortly reduce the rate of di;count to five per cent., below which we do not anticipate it can or will descend in the present year. The bullion movements of the week have not been of much importance. Altogether, 401.000/., or rather less, has been received, of which about 100,0001. has been sent to France. Of the remainder the Bank of England has taken 150,0001., and the balance was purchased to•dav for the Continent. There is now due from Australia nearly 400,000/. The Continental Exchanges are, upon the whole, well sustained, though on some places they are rather lower that this day week. To-day they were flat. The English Funds have been remarkably inanimate the whole week, the greatest extent of fluctuation nit having exceeded one eighth per cent. Business has been, as nearly as possible, nil. They closed on Friday at 93} to } ex div., and last night at the same. During the interval they were occasionally quoted at 931, but this price was on no occasion sustained. Tacky they closed flat at 931.__ _ _ Railway Shares have been nearly as inactive as Consols; but yesterday rather more was doing, end the tendency was towards improvement. The approach of the settle ment is now restricting operations. Sbeffields have rather gone back. The Canadian lines are lower. French descriptions have not varied much. To-day the market left off dull. In the Foreign Market the late improvement in Turkish and Russian stocks has been confirmed; but business is exceedingly languid. Joint•stock Bank, Mining, and Miscellanecns Shares extremely dull, at previous rates. A sale in the stock of the Atlantic Telegraph Company (7001. paid) was nego tiated yesterday at NO. Exchentus Bills have declined ; and the present price is 7s. to 2p. dis. The Canada Company have divided 51. per share free of income tax for the half•year. The amount paid into the Treasury of the Enst India Company for bills on India from the 10th to the 25th inst. was 30,292/. A dividend of lOs. per share for the halflear, with a bonus of 55., free from income tar, making, with lOs. paid in January. a total of 2:is, for the year, has been declared by the General (Nova Scotia) Mining Association. The promoters of the Isthmus of Suet Canal Company held a meeting at the London Tavern on Wednesday, when a resolution was passed that the undertaking would prove eminently advantageous to the commercial interests of Great Britain. At the Court of Bankruptcy on Wednesday the examina• tion of the directors of the Royal Briti , h Bank was adjourned to the 23ru September. Their balance-sheet to be filed on the 23rd September. The assets are still computed to produce sufficient to pay lOs. in the pound. Nine of the directors are either in custody or have given bail for their appearanceto take their trials. Mr. Cameron is one of this number. Mr. Cochrane is not yet in custody. The audit of the accounts of the Agra and United Service Bank, taken on behalf of the new directors who have recently joined the company, has been completed, and is stated to have been most satisfactory. The Australian Auxiliary Steam Clipper Company have held their first ordinary meeting, when a report detailing progress was adopted. For the present no dividend is declared, though the earnings of the ships have been satisfactory. The Turkish Gas Company is to be dissolved, and out of the 2s. fid. per share paid. Is. 61. is to be returned. The expenses have absorbed the remainder. The Board of Trade accounts for the month and the five months ending May 31 were issued this morning. The increase in the declared value of the exports is satis• factory: and there is now every prospect that this branch of our comme , ce. during the year, will be equal to, if not exceed, that of 11 , :r#6. The following table shows the results comparatively : Month Fire months Ending al at May. ending 31st May. 1F455 0 . 3.049.246 Z 34,949.727 1135(3 8.733 3!10 43,307.329 1ii.57 11,332.204 50,195,541 Appended to these accounts is a table of the declared value of oar exports to each foreign country and British pos session in 1856 and 18.55, from which we extract the totals : 1855 lASO Foreign countries.... £69.135,210 £82,526,509 British possessions .. 28,552,875 33 300.439 Total The Trade Reports of the week are upon the whole rather cbeerinv, the prospect of an abundant harvest all over Europe having diffused an encouraging tone among all classes of traders. The ahort•time movement in the manufacturing districts of Lancashire is still in operation, but it is not extending.