The Press. — London, England, 1855-05-12 00:00:00

MAY 12, 1855 Sala an Vatitt. THE DESTRUCTION BY FIRE of the floating battery in Messrs. Scott Russell's yard, at Millwall, has been attributed to an act of incendiarism, and a shipwright named Happer was on Wednesday charged at the Thames Police-court, on suspicion of having com mitted the crime. Mr. Dixon, the engineer of the yard, stated that he left everything safe at half-past eight o'clock, and soon afterwards witnessed the out break of the fire, which showed evident signs of pre• paration. The flames on first showing themselves spread along down the side of the vessel as fast as a man could walk, the fire seeming to catch, at intervals of about three feet, with a sort of " pop." John Coolie, a workman, corroborated this statement, and added that, as he was running to save his tools, he saw the prisoner come out of the bow of the battery. This witness repeatedly asseverated his conviction n the question of identity, and the prisoner was conse quently remanded. His counsel declared that he had abundant evidence to prove that he was not on the spot at the time. JOHN WILLIAMS, described as a commission agent and traveller, in the employ of Richard Allen Sprigg, book-eller, of Great Russell-street, was brought up to Bow-street by habeas from the Queen's Prison (being a petitioner in the Insolvent Debtors' Court), to answer the charge of having obtained books, va lued at between 2,0001. and 3,0001., by false pretences. The case was regarded with considerable interest by the numerous pawnbrokers and others with whom the property had been deposited. Oat of about seventy cases, seven were selected for the purposes of prosecution : From the statement of Mr. Sprigg it appeared that the pri soner was employed by him to obtain orders, etc., a commission being allowed upon all works disposed of through his ag ncy. During the last six mouths a great many valuable publications had been entrusted to the prisoner upon his representation that he had obtained orders for them from different noblemen and gentlemen, which turned out to be untrue, the works having been pawned. or otherwised disposed of, almost directly after wards. In February the prisoner acknowledged that he had made away with MI worth of books in this manner, adding that he had used him (prosecutor) extremely ill ; but subse quent reference to the books showed him to be a defaulter to the extent of more than 2,0001. The prisoner was remanded. THREE CASES, in which Lord Clifden is defendant and various bill-dit:counters are plaintiffs, have been noticed before the Court of Queen's Bench during the week. The actions are brought upon acceptances for very large amounts, given by Lord Clifden to drafts drawn by the Hon. T. Villiers. Some question has arisen whether the oases abould.be tried kly common or special juries, but ultimately the latter course has been arranged, and the trials are fixed for the first sittings in next term. A PARLIAMENTARY RETURN moved for by Mr. Locke King, and published on Thursday, gives some particulars regarding the killed and wounded in the Crimea since the commencement of the campaign. In the cavalry there were killed 11 officers, 14 non commissioned officers, and 146 men ; in the artillery 6 officers, 5 non-commissioned officers, and 35 men ; in the Sappers and Miners (Royal Fngineers), 1 officer and 1 man ; in the infantry 64 officers, 82 sergeants, and 1,000 men, and 9 officers of the staff —making a total of killed of all ranks, 1,360. The total number of wounded was 4,518, viz.—in the cavalry, 21 officers, 21 sergeants, and 181 men ; in the artillery, 9 officers, 10 sergeants, and 149 men; in the engineers, 3 officers, 1 sergeant, and 9 men; in the infantry, 188 officers, 236 sergeants, and 3,098 men, together with 22 officers of the staff. Of the 241 officers of all arms of the service thus wounded, 20 died in consequence of the injuries received. The number of horses killed during the campaign was 381, while those who died from other causes amounted to 1,406. THE WAR-OFFICE appears to have at last sec to work in earnest for the embodiment of the foreign legion. DepOts are forming at Shorncliffe and Heli goland for the embodiment of 5,000 men, and Gene ral Stutterheim has been appointed commander of the force, Colonel Kinlock inspector, and Colonel Wooldridge commander of brigade. On Monday, Colonel Wooldridge called upon the mayor, and the proper authorities here, to inform them of the mo mentarily expected arrival of a portion of the force, and requesting that such steps might be taken as would create as little confusion as possible by the influx of a body of foreigners. From the energy already displayed, in a very short time there will be collected at Dover a force of 5,000 men, wet officered, well organised, and ready to take the field. AN ORDER has been received at Woolwich Arsenal to send out immediately to the Crimea 20,000 shells —10,00013-inch shells, and 10,000 10-inch. The order was received at Woolwich within twenty-four hours from leaving Sebastopol. No INTIMATION has been received at Rochester from Mr. Villiers with respect to his resignation. It has, however, been announced, that in case of a vacancy Mr. Bodkin will come for aril the Con- Rrvetive interest, THE PRESS. lttibtats AO Clams. FATAL SHIPWRECK. THE loss of another emigrant ship, accompanied by an awful sacrifice of human life, was announced on Monday. The unfortunate vessel was the barque John, of Plymouth, which sailed on Thursday week l i from that port for Quebec, with a large number of emigrants on board, and in the course of the same evening struck on the Manacle rocks, off the coast of Cornwall, and immediately afterwards drove into Godrevy Cove, and sunk in about four or five fathoms water at nearly low tide, it being then about half-past ten o'clock, wind East North. East, blowing fresh. The greatest confusion immediately fol lowed; and although, for the instant, the crew and passengers were enabled to keep the deck and poop, yet for five or six hc*rs no help was afforded, owing to the coast thereabout being quite uninhabited, but as the day dawned a fishing-boat came out from Porthallow Cove, and succeeded in materially assist ing the preservation of the crew and about fifty passengers. From information gathered on the spot, it would seem that there were between 200 and 300 passengers, principally women and children, from Cornwall and Devonshire, and at least 150 must have perished. The parties had been so short a time together that they were almost unknown to each other, and it was found impossible to get any names of the people from those who were fortunate enough to escape, for they could hardly have been mustered after quitting Plymouth, and the master had lost the list with his papers. The cause of this unfortunate disaster has not transpired, but it is most melancholy to think that, with a fair wind and tolerably clear weather, and with so recent a depar ture, such a calamity should have occurred. The passengers declared they never opened the Lizard lights.. . . Subsequent investigations before the coroner have shown a most criminal degree of recklessness on the part of the captain and cl ew. All the latter, it is stated, were drunk at the time of the catastrophe, and only one out of the whole number, while carefully providing for their own safety, seems to have paid the least attention to the passengers, or attempted anything for their rescue. The inquiry has termi nated in a verdict of " Manslaughter" against Cap. tam Rawl, who has been committed to Bodwin gaol accordingly. A VIOLENT TEMPEST burst on the 24th ult. over the valley of Arran, in Catalonia, near the French frontier. Enormous masses of allow fell from the Pyrenees, and completely buried three large villages, named Una, Vaquerque, and Llabely, each contain ing from 500 to 700 inhabitants. The authorities of the district immediately causedllaborersu r ers to be employed to remove the snow, and though the operation was far from complete when the last accounts left, not fewer than forty-seven dead bodies had been discovered. _ _ _ A SERIOUS fracas took place in Cork on Sunday be tween the depot of the 59th Regiment stationed there and the 2nd Somerset Militia. Some hundreds were engaged on both sides, and several were hurt, though no dangerous wound was inflicted. Even the sentries on guard took part in the row; but the officers at length proceeded at the head of strong parties of military and militia, and succeeded in securing the leading rioters. A similar fracas, which took place in Clonmel last week, rendered the removal of the military depot to other quarters necessary. A RUSSIAN EAGLE, a trophy captured near Bala klava, brought to England by her Majesty's ship Vengeance, has been sent by Captain Lord E. Russell to London, as a present to her Majesty. ABD-EL-KADF.R has applied to the French Govern ment for permission to visit Paris, to see the Great Exhibition. The request will doubtless be granted. A LETTER from Lille reports the burning of the church of La Basee, remarkable for the magnificence of its spire. The sacred building was set on fire by the fusee of a firework, displayed in honour of the Immaculate Conception. THE EASTERN ARCHIPELAGO COMPANY are orga nising a fleet of screw steamers of peculiar construc tion, in connection with their coal mines at Labuan and on the opposite coast of Borneo, where their grant from the Sultan extends 150 miles. The first of these steamers was launced at Liverpool on Satur day, and has a capacity of 1,000 tons. IT IS INTENDED to increase the land transport corps by 10 troops of 100 drivers each, 10 captains, 10 sub-officers, 10 superintendents, 20 conductors, and 10 quartermasters, making a total, including officers, of 1,060 men. THE SIX MORTAR VESSELS at Sheerness, with the slung apparatus, fitted on Captain Julius Roberts's plans, have been tested since the alteration in rudders and rig, and are now said to be in such good order that they will take their departure for Sebas topol on Friday, in charge of Wiki9Zl 44 Ole Odith Obituarg. We regret to announce the demise of SIR ROBERT Isous, Bart., who expired on Saturday night, at his residence in Bedford-square, after a short and painful illness. Sir Robert was born in 1785, and had there fore attained the allotted age of man. He was the son of the first baronet, who for many years presided over the East India Company as chairman. The name of the deceased will long be remembered in connection with the institutions of this empire, whether as a member of Parliament, • champion of Church and State, or as a supporter of the benevolent institutions of the country. Sir Robert received his education at Oxford, and at an early age graduated it Christ Church. He subsequently became a member of the bar, but soon declined the law for the service of his country. Although in every sense of the word an Englishman, his career in the House of Commons commenced as an Irish member, being in this respect coincidental with the cases of Peel, Goulburn, Hume, and Russell. In 1824, by the influence cf the Roden family, he was returned for the borough t f Dundalk, which he continued to represent until 1826. At the close of the latter year he was elected for Ripon; and from 1828 to the close of his parliamen tary career, about two years since, Sir Robert sat for the University of Oxford. There he was the suc cessor of the late Sir Robert Peel, who resigned his seat to test the feelings of the constituency on tie Catholic question. As a speaker, Sir Robert Inglis bore a fair reputation, and his voice was ever heard in favour of Conservatism in the Church and State. He was a warm supporter of charitable and educa tional institutions, particularly those relating to tl Church, and held the honorary distinctions of D.C.L., F.R.S., and F.S.A. In 1807, Sir Robert married the eldest daughter of Joseph Seymer Briscoe, Esq., of Penhill, Surrey, by whom he does not leave any male issue. The title was first conferred on the father of the deceased in 1801. Intelligence has been received of the melancholy death, at 13alakl ava, of Da. HECTOR Gsvr , r, one of three sanitary commissioners sent out by Lord Panmure 10 see what could he done to improve the condition of the hospitals at Scutari and Smyrna, and the can p before Sebastopol. The circumstances attendh g this event are of a peculiarly painful character. The deceased had been at Balaklava about a month, and resided in the same hut as his brother, a veterinary surgeon. On the night of the 20th ult. the brother, it is reported, was playing with his revolver, and 1 y some accident it exploded, the ball struck Dr. Gavin, entering at the groin and lodging in the back. Ti .e unfortunate gentleman lingt‘red in great agony fcr three hours, and expired. In a letter from Balaklave, written by Mr. Newlands, and published in the Liver 4 pool Journal, it is said:—" The person most to lo pitied is poor William Gavin, who is really out of his reason. He adored his brother the doctor, who, I should state, made a deposition, stating the facts to be, that he offered to exchange pistols with Ins brother, and handed him one without telling him it was loaded, when the poor fellow pulled the trigger, and the ball killed his brother." REAR-ADMIRAL C. STRACHEY expired on Saturday last, in the 77th year of his age. The gallant admiral entered the navy above sixty years ago, and greatly distinguished himself, being in the receipt of a medal for his services afloat, and having had the Order of St. Vladimir conferred on him by the late Emperor Alexander of Russia. When commanding the Jalouse sloop, in company with the immortalite and Cruiser, he fought a gallant action off Cape Blanc Nez, and captured a brig and schooner-of war in 1803. He also assisted at the defence of Dantzic in 1807, then being in the command of the Dauntless Praam. The com missions of the deceased admiral bore date xi follows :—Lieutenant, 15th May, 1798; Commander, 29th April, 1802; Captain, 28th June, 1814 ; and. Rear-Admiral, 21st June, 1850. THE extensive property of the late Miss Morgan, of Panty-Goitre, who died intestate, is likely to afford profitable employment to the lawyers. There are already six claimants to the estates. THE province of the Isthmus of Panama has, by an act of the Congress of New Grenada, been created into a separate State, under the title of the State of Panama, from the Ist inst. The new territory is to include Panama, Azuero, Veragnas, and Chiriqui. THE SHIP Queen of the West, which cleared at Boston, Mass., some time since, for San Francisco, California, had all her berths taken up. Among the passengers were several young ladies. A gentleman wishing very much to take passage in the ship, found there was no room for him except by marrying one of the young ladies, which he ac. , cordingly did ; and the berth which was to be occupied by the young lady will, it is hoped, be tilled up by a happy couple. AT an early hour on the morning of the let of May a woman respectably attired, and accompanted by en elderly gentleman, applied for admittance to the cemetery at Ply. mouth. On being allowed to enter they proceeded to the grate of the last man interred, and the woman, who had a largo wen in her throat, rubbed her neck three times each way on each side of the grave, &partial; before Sweetie Py ;Me Frown it I'm 'mote@ the miloizrPvitibt ong