The Press. — London, England, 1858-03-13 00:00:00

/M al an Ntilitarg gnittligent. A GENERAL ORDER has been issued by H.R.H. the General Commanding-in-Chief with reference to the conduct of the detachment of the 54th Regiment, on board the Sarah Sands transport, when a fire broke out in that vessel on her passage to India l as t au tumn. His Royal Highness highly eulogises the heroic conduct of Major Brett and the detachment, which he considers " must render manifest to all the advantages of subordination and strict obedience to orders under the most alarming and dangerous —stances in which soldiers can be placed." —*once demanding observation, but that - It is a which we will presently explain, no allusion is made in the general order to Colonel Rowland Moffat, of the 54th, who was the senior officer on board. This omission, we have reason to believe, is inten tional, and arises from the following circumstances : —The wife and children of Colonel Moffat suffered such distress on being put into a boat that Colonel Moffat was induced to join them, and hence was com pelled to remain in the boat alongside the ship for the two days that the peril was beiug combated and overcome by the crew and the troops thus left in temporary command of Major Brett. Ix consequence of representations which have been made to the Secretary of State for War of the serious disappointment that must result to several gentlemen now preparing for admission into the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, by competitive examination, if, as has been previcssly announced, there are to he no more direct admissions by such examinations, Major-General Peel, with the con currence of his Royal Highness the General Com manding-in-Chiet, has decided on holding two more competitive examinations for the Royal Military Academy, to be open to gentlemen between the ages of seventeen to twenty ; namely, one in July next, another probably in January following. These ex• aminations will be the It.st, in order to allow of the amalgamation of the Royal Military College and Royal Military Academy before the year 1860. Con sequently, after January, 1859, gentlemen desirous of obtaining commissions in the Royal Artillery or Royal Engineers will have to pass through the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, to which they will be admissible at the age of sixteen. A pro spectus of the next examination will be issued here after. 3rtlank DEPARTURE OF LORD CARLISLE. THE EARL or CARLISLE left Dublin on Wednes day on the resignation of his office as Lord Lieutenant. The noble lord's departure was not characterised by the slightest display of public feeling. On the previous day the Corporation of Dublin and other public bodies presented farewell addresses. The deputations were received with the usual ceremonies in St. Patrick's-hall. Lord Car. lisle in reply expressed his gratification at receiving, at the close of an administration of rather above an average length, so cordial a testimony of approval from those who had had the closest opportunites of observation. He congratulated the country upon the unusual prevalence of tranquillity, and the most decisive symptoms of continued improvement and progress, and looked with confident hope to the healing and elevating influences of equal laws and enlightened institutions when brought to bear upon susceptible and generous natures : Among all the changes and chances of political events there are eternal principles constant and uniform in their operation. Ido not see bow the fortunes of Ireland are to wane, if she will only persevere in the path of steady industry, and teach her sous that there is a duty above bating each other's creeds, which is to love each other. I esteem it a signal favour to be enabled to close my term of office as I began it—without one single speck of personal animosity or bitterness in the entire retrospect or in the crowded memories it will bequeath to me under the sane Lion of the public prosperity and repose. I have passed among you a period of great social happiness, and I need not dissemble the regret with which I see it brought to an end. I fervently pray to Almighty God that be may ever continue to pour down his best blessings on your ancient city and your lovely land. MR. LEFROY is actively engaged in his canvass for Dublin University. Mr. Lawson has withdrawn from the contest. THE notorious Mayor of Sligo, Mr. J. M'Gowan, with his confederates, have been tried and convicted of a conspiracy to procure a " fictitious majority " of votes in order to secure the return of Mr. J. P. Somers as Member of Parliament for the borough of Sligo. M'Gowan, the mayor, was fined 501. and im prisoned for one month, while his confederates each rs.leived a sentence of two months' imprisonment. THE Loan CHANCELLOR has appointed Mr. William J. Napier his private secretary, assisted by Mr. Richard W. Gamble, barrister-at•law ; Mr. William B. Drury, Secretary of Lunatics ; and Mr. William Lees, pursebearer. Z HE PRESS, MARCH 13,1858. Sal ant Volta. AN ACTION FOR SLANDER, which has caused much excitement and speculation in Dorset, was tried at Dorchester on Wednesday. It was brought by Mr. Tucker, an attorney of Charmouth, against a Bul. len, Esq., a large landed proprietor in the county. It appeared that Mr. Biillen, who is a county magis trate, had in May last granted an information against some person for game trespass, and the case came before the Bench at Beamiuster on the 25th of May last. Mr. Tucker was about to be sworn, when he demanded 31. 3s. for his fee. This the Bench cut down to 21. 25., which the plaintiff swore Mr. Batten threw down, remarking, " I will give the vagabond 21. 2s. to hear him speak false" : Mr. Tucker was then sworn, and was asked if he had shot on certain lands. He replied, " I have, and when I shoot I shoot like a gentleman, and do not trespassa on the adjoining land, as other persona do." To this Mr. Bullen replied, " You insinuate that to me, you scoundrel. I appeal to the Bench if I am to sit here and be insulted by that blackguard. Speak the truth, and do not perjure yourself as you have, you d—d scoundrel. You d—d blackguard, you have perjured yourself, you d—d black guard, you d—d scoundrel. If you were in any other place I would let you know whether you would insult me like this, you vagabond, you blackguard." The magis- trate requested that a stop might be put to this, and the case proceeded. This was the slander complained of. After two day's trial the complainant failed entirely to prove that these words were used, while unimpeachable wit nesses declared that Mr. Bullen never used such expressions. Mr. Justice Crowder took five hours to sum up, and the jury after an hour's deliberation returned a verdict for the defendant. Upon applica tion the judge agreed to stay execution till next term, in order that the plaintiff may move the court above for a new trial. A WEALTHY WIDOW, Mrs. Eberhardt, of Stour bridge, with a weakness for auction-rooms, and a taste for the fine arts, brought an action for breach of warrant against one Mason, formerly partner in the firm of Elkingtnn and Co., the well-known electroplaters, for having sold her as " old masters" several pictures, which, of course, turned out to be copies, and bad copies into the bargain. The action was tried at Worcester before Baron Channell, and the case was this:—Mrs. Eberhardt, who "had tra velled a bit" and seen the picture galleries in Paris, in Feb. '57 attended a picture sale at Kidderminster. A Mr. Nixon, a picture dealer, was there, and in troducing himself to the notice of the lady patroness, offered to take home her purchases. Nixon, being a man of business, appreciated the opportunity. Here was a widow, rich and ignorant, with a "fancy" for pictures and a fondness for bargains. The result was that he " sold " her some pictures, and a few days afterwards confidentially informed her that he had " a friend " whose pictures were to be bought " cheap." That fatal love for a bargain characteristic of ladies of a certain age with money and without occupation seized hold of Mrs. Ebel hardt. She instantly got into a cab with Nixon, and drove to the friend's house. That friend was Mason, who shook her by the hand, called her Mrs. Eber hardt, and asked her to "take some dinner." Poor Mrs. Eberhardt was too resthetical to think of dinner, or to notice the remarkable fact that Mason should have known her name, and should have dinner just ready as she arrived. She rushed to the "gallery" with Nixon. In a short time Mason came in : I pointed to four or five pictures which I said I should like. The defendant called them by their names. I said, " That is very beautiful; who is it by ?" He said, "By Muller." I said, " Are you sure ?" He said, " Yes, his name is on it." He said another was by Paul Potter. He said the two at the top were by Zuccarelli. I asked him if he was sure it was a Muller, and he said he was sure it was. He also said the two at the top were by Zuccarelli. I said they were unlike those I bad. These two were so high up that Mrs. Eberhardt could not distinctly see them. " I took her near the door," said Mason, on his cross-examination, " and she was in admiration in a moment." The end of all this was " luncheon " and another visit to the " gallery "; then tea with Mrs. Mason ; and, finally, the purchase of certain pictures for 1,7771. This was afterwards made up to 2,0001. Of the real value of the pictures the evidence of Mr. Foster sufficiently explains. Edward Foster, examined by Mr. Sergeant Pigott, said : lam an auctioneer in Pall-mall, London. I have had great experience in pictures for the last twenty-five years. I have been in the habit of selling pictures, ancient and modern. I submitted some of these pictures to auction. Only two were sold (by Cox). The others were all bought in. There is no pretence 13r calling the picture produced a Murillo. It may be worth 51. Murillo painted 2(y) years ago. The picture produced is below criticism, and was probably painted from a print. (It was charged 801.) The large Muller charged 1001. I value at 20 guineas. I value it as a pleasing piece of furniture. It is not by the great Muller. The smaller Muller I value at 30s. (charged 30/.) It has no pretensions to be a Muller. The Bonington (charged 301.) I value at 4 guineas. It is a 255 very bad imitation. The two Van Berghems (charged 501.) are, one a bad copy of Cuyp, and the other of Berghem. They are worth 101. The Guido is a bad picture, and I don't think it is a copy of the master. It is worth 41. (charged 201.) The subject is a Madonna reading. The Palainedes is worse than bad. It is worth nothing. I put it down at 21. (charged 151.) The next, the Angelica Kauffman, I value at 31. (charged 201.). 1 do not think it is a copy of that artist.. The Schiadone is not s Schiadone, but it is worth 201. The two Synders are not genuine. I value them at 101. (charged 851.) Upon learning the real value of her purchases, Mrs. Eberhardt very properly took legal advice, and now brought an action to recover a portion, 5001., of her expenditure. The defence of Mr. Mason was that he had given no warranty ; that he believed the prices to be "fair prices " ; and that l►e had originally given as much and in some instances more for the same pictures. The jury, without much hesitation, found a verdict for the full amount claimed for the JEREMIAH CARPENTER, charged with the murder of the policeman Starkins, at Stevenage, in Decem ber last, was tried on Saturday week at Hertford. The case for the prosecution closed with a curious piece of evidence. W. Quint, the constable who attended the prison -van to the gaol the previous evening, swore that he overheard the following con versation between Carpenter and another prisoner in the van : Just before the van started he heard the prisoner say to the other man, " What have you got?" and he replied, " Ten months." The prisoner then said, " I have not had my trial ;" and the other man asked him what he was in for, and he said in reply, " For the murder of Starkins." Nothing more passed until the van arrived at the prison gates, and when it stopped the prisoner again addressed the other man and said, " Do you know whether Shepherd (one of the witnesses for the prosecution) has said any ?" The man replied "No ;" and the prisoner then said, "If he has he will do me." The van was then driven into the gaol•yard, and when it got inside the man said to the prisoner, " Do they know who done it?" and the pri soner replied, " I done it, but nobody knows it." The Crown failed to substantiate this evidence, and the jury ultimately found the prisoner " Not Guilty," coupled with an expression of opinion that a strong case of suspicion existed against the prisoner. GIOVANNI LANI is " fully committed" for trial for the wilful murder of Heloise Theubin, the French prostitute living in Arundel-court, Haymarket. The medical evidence at the coroner's inquest was en tirely in favour of death by forcible strangulation, ss she was lying on her back. It was impossible, s aid the medical men, that. a suicide with such appear ances could have occurred. The prisoner appears cool and reserved. GAROTTING IN A RAILWAY CARRIAGE is becoming a favourite amusement with gentlemen of pre datory habits and tickets of leave. A Mr. Waine wright the other day was travelling by night from Manchester to Liverpool. Just before entering the train, he imprudently took openly some nine or ten sovereigns from a friend. At that moment a man jostled past—the next the same man entered the same carriage with Mr. Wainewright. The train started, and, when about halfway on the journey, Mr. Wainewright's companion presented a pistol at his head, and in the mildest terms demanded his money. Mr. Wainewright hesitated, when his companion seized him by the throat and choked him into insen sibility. On recovering his consciousness Mr. Waine wright found himself lying on the floor of the car riage—his money, his watch, and his companion gone. THE FRENCHMAN, BERNARD, was finally examined on Thursday before Mr. Jardine at Bow street. Evi dence was given that the ingredients purchased by Bernard were for explosive purposes, and witnesses were produced—Orsini's housekeeper, for instance— who swore to the extreme intimacy existing between Orsini and Bernard, and between Bernard and Rudio. The wife of Radio gave most important evidence, tending directly to implicate Bernard as the insti gator of Radio in the attempt of the 14th. The pri soner will be brought up for the last time this day at three p.m., when an application for his full corn • mittal for trial will be made; A CURIOUS ESCAPE FROM PRISON occurred the other day at Holloway. Two prisoners, 'ireenfield and Wilkes, wero severally condemned by the Lord Mayor to three months' and twenty-one days' im prisonment. While being conveyed to prison, Wilkes. by the solemn promise of a pair of boots, in duced Greenfield to assume his (Wilkes's) name, and to change sentences. The bargain was made, the prison•van arrived at the Holloway prison, Wilkes was called and out stepped Greenfield, and to Green field's name Wilkes answered. The result of this is that since Wilkes's discharge the plot has been dis• covered, and Greenfield now stands charged with " aiding and abetting the escape of a prisoner," a charge which will involve serious consequences. THE NORTH EAST GALF. OF SUNDA. very destructive to shipping on the Several vessels were wrecked and found, less than eighteen helped in Lowestoft damaged., e,,,,jigc,„ NIGHT proved Norfoik coast. ndered, and no 3toft seriously ' I S. L