The Press. — London, England, 1856-09-06 00:00:00

SEPr. 6, 1856. A constable of the H division corroborated the state ment of the witness as to the brutal ill treatment. Mr. Hammill said that of all the scoundrels who ha been ever brought before him the prisoner he be• lieved was the worst. He would make sure of her protection from such oppression for as long a term as he could, if not for ever, and his sentence was that the prisoner be committed to the House of Correc • tion for six months with hard labour, and at the end of that put in substantial bail for a further period of like duration. Two DEAD INFANTS, a boy and a girl, were dis covered one morning last week in the garden of 31, Pembroke villas, Kensington. An inquest was held on Nlonday, and, on the medical evidence that the children were born alive and perished from exposure, a verdict or "Wilful murder " was returned. A ComPosrrost, withadiseased heart, while stating a charge against a pickpocket at the Sheffield Police office last week, was so alarmed at a sudden howl set up by a number of drunken Irishmen just then brought in that he fell down dead on the spot. An inquest was held, and a verdict accordingly returned. Two OFFICERS OF THE GERMAN LEGION, Herman Dittmar and Major Yates, have fiAured at the police court this week. It appears that Dittmar, who has left the legion, bad some personal against Major Yates, and on the evening of Tuesday week, meeting him at Cremorne Gardens, with a thick stick struck him two severe blows over the head and shoulders, crying out, "tell them at Alder shott I kept my word, I thrashed the major." The police refused to interfere, blit after some days Major Yates obtained a warrant against Dittmar, and the case was heard at Westminster before Mr. Arnold, who, after a remand, decided upon sending it to the sessions. The solicitor for the deendatt made a strenuous effort to induce Mr. Arnold to adjudicate upon it summarily, but Mr. Arnold declined, and the witnesses were bound over to prosecute. Dittmar was liberated upon bail. A VERDICT OF " WILFta, MURDER" has been re turned at Newcastle, against one Fleming, for causing the death of the woman he lived with by brutal ill-treatment. THE PREVENTION Or CRUELTY TO ANIMALS SOCIETY'S officers have this week been unpleasantly exposed. Several of the men have been charged with taking bribes to suppress prosecutions. These charges, however, must be received with caution, pending examination by the committee of the society, as they are prosecuted by men who have been punished for ill-treatment to horses through the evidence of the officers they charge with taking bribes. The four officers under suspicion have been suspended by the society, pending inquiry. MR. ILLINGWORTH, income-tax collector at Black burn, has been arrested and lodged in Lancaster Gaol for defalcations to the amount of 1,0001. A PAINFUL CASE, in connection with the Royal British Bank, came before Sir Chapman Marshall at the Mansion-house on Wednesday. Mrs. Susanna Chipp said her husband had been captain of the Ide, belonging to Messrs. Linklater and Green, and on June 28th he sailed from Jamaica for Liverpool in perfect health. On Tuesday she got a telegraphic message from Queenstown, stating that herhusband had died on the passage home, leaving her a widow with two children, one fifteen months and the other five weeks old. On Wednesday she went to the Royal British Bank, and drew out 3201. which she had de posited there in December last. It was all she had in the world to support herself and her children. One of her brothers, who was with her, and who has 3001. similarly deposited there, told the manager of the bank the eircumstanoies of her misfortune, and that she wished to deposit the money for safety. The manager assured her it would be perfectly sale, and advised her to leave it. Upon that assurance she gave back the 3201., and received the usual deposit note. They left the bank, but, from a rumour they heard they returned in about a quarter of an hour, and their astonishment was extreme when they found the door closed, and a placard on it, stating that the bank " had suspended payment during negotiations." She was now utterly ruined, having lost her husband, and with the money every other means of support. Sir Chapman Marshall, after consulting with Mr. Martin, the chief clerk, said he did not know that he could interfere; but, as it was a case of the greatest hardship, he would send Mr. Roe, the officer of the court, with them to the tank. Mrs. Chipp said she did not think it would he of any use, for there was a crowd round the door, knocking and ringing, but n answer was given to them. Sir Chapman Marshall said that, if anybody could get in, Mr. Roe could, and they bad better go with him. They accordingly accompanied him, and on their return, Mr. Roe stated that he bad been admitted to the bank and has seen a clerk, who to o k th e d epos i t no t e to th e directors, who were then sitting, and laid the appli cant's case before them. When he returned he said the directors dare not pay the money now, but they bad no doubt but that everybody would be paid in full. With this assurance the poor widow was obliged to be satisfied for the present. THE PRESS. A Miss BARR, of Dudley, was Sh.lt, last Saturday night by her lover, one Dance, a dissolute fellow. ft appears that his attentions were discouraged by Miss Barr's family, that he came drunk to the house on Saturday night about ten o'clock, and was ordered out of it. He returned about eleven, and getting in by the back door walked up to Miss Barr in the pas sage, and pulling a pistol from his pocket tired it at her neck and lower jaw. She fell fearfully wounded, and in a state of insensibility. In a moment Dance drew a second pistol and blew out his own brains. Miss Barr lingers in a precarious state. At a coro ner's inquest on Dance a verdict of " Temporary in sanity" was returned. lisallatuns. MR. BAYLIS, manager of the Unity General Assu rance, has resigned his place, and published a pamphlet. The explanation be gives of the cause of his resignation is, that the directors agreed to a dis creditable compromise he refused to sanction. The details are simply these. In December last an as surance for 2.0001. w as effected, through Mr. Wieland, the company's agent at Glasgow, on the life of a lady resident. This lady enjoyed an income of 5001. a year, which died with her. Her health was delicate, and six years were added to the life. In April, 1856, the lady's husband, firding that the policy in her name would at her death go to her re latives and not to him, wrote to know it' it could be so altered as to make him the insurer. On the 15th of June a new policy was granted, and sent to Mr. Wieland, who finding that the lady was now " very ill," put the policy in his drawer, and wrote to Mr. Baylis, suggesting that as she seemed likely to die, an excellent opportunity was offered of getting rid of the engagement altogether. To this Mr. Balis replied on true indisputable principles : If any suppression as to health has taken place, it will be well to establish it at once, challenge the husband with it—always assuming the fact is established beyond die pate—and thereupon to return the premium and to refuse to receive others, leaving him to his remedy. On the 30th of June the lady died, and Dr. Lloyd, the medical officer, started at once for Glasgow. An examination into the circumstances of the lady's death convinced Dr. Lloyd that no foul play bad taken place, but the suddenness of her death and the possession of the policy by Mr. Wieland appears to have been too good an opportunity to lose. The husband was cross questioned, and closey examined, the threat of a post mortem examination was held over him, the body of his poor wife was boxed about first there then here, long consultations took place with different doctors, till at length, by the " clever " management of Mr. Wieland and Dr. Lloyd, Mr. agreed to compromise his claim for 7501. The money was instantly paid over, and Dr. Lloyd started for town with Mr. 'a surrender of claims. For some days all went well ; Dr. Lloyd re turned to town and took great credit to himself for his clever tact in arranging the affair. Poor Mr. Wieland was forgotten, no resolution of approval passed the board for him, no thanks and no bounty. On the 15th of July he wrote an indignant letter to Mr. Baylis, protesting against Dr. Lloyd taking a I credit to himself in this well-managed affair, and threatening to press for a settlement of his commis sion claims. Mr. Baylis then became aware of the details of this compromise, and at the first board day protested against the whole affair, and recom mended the payment of the 1,2501. at once, as Dr. Lloyd had written Mr. a letter, admitting that Mrs. had died from " natural causes," and that the company were perfectly satisfied with his conduct. Mr. Baylis says he also statei " that the whole affair was very discreditable, and that the policy being indisputable, except in cases of personation which could not be proved, Mr. -- was legally entitled eon could recover the money." The board refused to pay the money, approved of the compro mise, and Mr. Baylis resigned. THE REV. WILLIAM Nix!), M.A., Senior Fellow of St. Peter's, Cambridge, while staying at the Hotel du Monde, Paris, was alarmed last Monday night with the cry of "Fire." The unfortunate gentleman jumped out of his bedroom window and was killed on the spot. THE GOLDEN LECTITHESHIP is at length vacant, by the resignation of Mr. Melvill, appointed to a canonry residentiary in St. Paul's Cathedral. The lecture. ship is in the gift of tho Haberdashers' Company, who will proceed to the election of a successor in the course of a few weeks. Tin AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS for the emTent year, give 3.545.7211 acres under cultivation for 1856 against 3.530,0681 for 1855. The number of occupants is 42,919. The returns show an increase in wheat against a corresponding decrease in oats and barley. The total amount of stock was, in 1855, 6,981,295; in 1856, 7,096,637. Of these the increase is principally in horses, milk cows, and other cattle. 851 A CORRESPONDENCE between Dr. M'Neile and Mr' Conybeare, with reference to certain expressions used by Mr. Conybeare alainst the learned and rev. doctor in an article in the Edinburgh Review, and republished by Mr. Conybeare in the late edition of his essays, has been published this week. Dr. M'Neile calls upon Mr. Conybeare to retract certain statements, without specifying tnem, but which he characterises 1111 a gra tuitous fabrication. Mr. Ginybeare declines to re tract the statement that he, Dr. M'Neile, was the leader of the extreme Evangelical party, " as it is unquestionably true," and declines all furtber corre spondence. Dr. M'Neile replies that the statement he referred to was that in which Mr. Conybeare called him the leader of a party who teach "the worthless ness of morality," and says in his reference to the first correspondence on the subject : I requested you to support your a'sertion with even an appearance of proof, expressing my willingness —nay, my anxiety, to remove it if such existed. You supplied none. After a long time you repeated the statement, without any attempt at proof or any reoognition of my remonstrance. Such conduct fully justified me in calling the statement a gratuitous fabrication, and daring you to the proof of it. Still you attempt no proof, and yet you refuse to retract the statement. Talents high and unquestionable may be exhibited at too high a price, and reputation u a clever writer may prove but a gilded monument erected on the ruins of repu tation as an accurate and truthful man. I hope this exposure may be attended with one good result, in making reviewers either more sparing in their personalities or more cautiously accurate in their allegations, or both. M. Lotus BLzue has addressed a second letter to the Times this week upon the subject of the French political prisoners in reference to the statements of our contemporary's Paris correspondent : The question (M. Louis Blanc observes) is not between the French Government and myself, but between the French Government and those who atone by the most awful agony in the swamps of South America for the crime of having defended the laws of their country. I cannot but be painfully surprised at your correspondent questioning my candour, because I drew from his own as sertions the conclusion that, in French Guiana, men of rank and intellectual culture, like the ex-Mayor of Beziers, and common convicts are herded together. The lamentable reality of the case is no way affected by the cireumetanoe that these common convicts, after having undergone their pnnishment, came again within the green of sneh political tribunals as were established for the rarticular purpose of backing the coup•d'etat of the And of December. Is there, indeed, any legal proof that all those had taken part in po litical plots and risings who were sent to Cayenne in oat:- sequence of sham trials, or without trial ? In such confu sion and horrible darkness were the proceedings of the French Government at that time involved, tbat ordinary criminals are likely to live, at Cayenne, side by side with the most irreproachable men, without the latter being aware of the fact. That " there are cases where recourse to exceptional tribunals may be justified by extraordinary circumstances " is an opinion which I cannot possibly share, and I wonder how it can be held by any Englishman, in this our age. Laud and Strafford used the same argu ment when the Star Chamber was instituted ; but, fortu nately for England, the days of Charles I. are gone by, nor is it to be hoped they will ever revive. Ma. JIMEM /imam, with reference to Mr. Bes semer's new process, writes to the Times this week : I vas the first to originate and carry into suocessfnl practice the system on which Mr. Bessemer's process is founded,—namely, the passing of a blast of gaseous sub stance up through the molten crude iron for the purpose of thereby converting it into the malleable state, and at the same time dispensing with the greater part of the manual labour hitherto employed in the ordinsry process termed " puddling." In my process ald ..t of d 7 s'e Iln is the agent employed, which n upward wave through the mass of molten crud - iron out onlv effects the requisite agitation, but also, b coming resolved into its constituent elements, the liberated oxygen of the decom posed steam carries off the carbon of the crude iron, while the hydrogen in like manner removes any sulphur or other such impurities that the crude iron contains, and a quantity of malleably iron results of a very superior kind, and that in a much shorter time produced than by the ordinary laborious process. Mr. Bessemer has with great candour publicly admitted be'Or. the members of the mechanical section of the British Association, at the late meeting at Cheltenham, that it was my process of passing a blast of steam up through the molten crude iron that led him to his admirable process. GENERAL CHESNEY, as Commis-ioner of the Eu phrates Valley Railway Company, accompanied by Sir John M'Neill, the enrineer-in-chief, and a staff of engineers, left town on Wednesday night, en route for Constantinople and Syria, to obtain the Amman for the concession for the railway, the preliminaries having been previously arranged with his Highness the Grand Vizier when in this country. The mission has secured the sanction and concurrence of her Majesty's Government, and is assured of the coun tenance and support of the British Ambassador at Constantinople. From the advanced stage of the negotiation, it is expected that General Chesney and Sir John M'Neill will only be detained a few days in Constantin pie, and that they will proceed rith the engineering staff to make the necessary surveys of the line between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates.