The Sun. — London, England, 1860-03-29 00:00:00

THE GENERAL POST-OFFICE. - The public will require very little apology from tie for directing their attention to a subject of such wide-spread interest, and such deep public impor tance, as that of the arrangements and present 'working system of the General Pest-office. It is a subject, too, with which most of our readers are tolerably familiar, whether they regard St. Mar tin's-le-Grand as the centre of that immense rami fication through which circulates to all parts the private and commercial intercourse of nearly half the world, or merely recollect it being h e them e e of some of the most interesting periodical ad ma gazine articles of their kind which have appeared. In the latter sort of publicity it has certainly had the honour of beiing more written about than any other Government ~:stablishment in the . kingdom. From such sources v,e are all familiar with the let ter statistics of Valen'tine's -day, and know almost to a sackful the precise' number of the newspapers with which the two unfortunates who stand in the large window of the hall are pilloried by those who come on Friday night to despatch the country edition of the weekly papers. These stock wonders of the place are wonders now no more. We should think ;by this time even children must be aware that jars of leeches, packets of hops, tea, silkworms, F utta percha, watches, pickles, crinolines, and jewelry are seat by post, and, knowing this, are quite prepared to hear unmoved of " hair-breadth scapes " and dangers in " their travel's history." Those dreadful scrawls, the blind ,directions, have been so quoted, lithographed, and reproduced, that they are now as legible as print in their way. Even the celebrated letters from eminent banking firms containing untold wealth in notes which have been huddled into the letter-box open and unad dressed fail to command any great astonishment. Everybody knows that £50,000 was this found derelict in the box some long time back, and is, on the whole, perhaps rather disappointed to hear that in the interval that has since elapsed no new trea sure-trove of greater value has turned up. On the thrice-told tale of these postal curs °sales, therefore, we are not now going to enter. The object of this article is to direct atten tion towards the Post-office through a newer and less agreeable channel ; to point out where, in some matters, it is falling in the public estimation, and to endeavour, as far as lies in our power, by timely notice, to check the spirit of false economy and system of routine from seriously impairing the efficiency of a great national institution, and one of which this country is justly proud. If our readers could be aware of the communications nightly re ceived on this subject, with their details of letters lost or other postal grievances in various parts of the kingdom, it would need little else to show them that the system of St. Martin's requires help or alteration of some kind or other. By the courtesy of the postal authorities, who accorded every facility for visiting the chief office and mak ing inquiries, we are enabled to point out certain existing arrangements and deficiencies which do now, and must still more ere long, tell most seriously on the efficiency of the establishment. The main cause of all the shortcomings may be summed up in a few words—firstly, inadequate space in the pre sent building for an efficient staff; secondly, the whole system being treated more as a source of re venue to the Government than as a necessary public convenience, to the really proper working of which the ordinary consideration of profit and loss should be in a great measure subordinate. The present building was erected in 1824. Since that date there has been a perpetual struggle to adapt the edifice to the wants of the system, which, in truth, may be said to have outgrown the accommodation of a building three times its size. These attempts, of course, like all others of the same kind, have only yielded their usual expensive and incon venient results. Imagine endeavouring to adapt the old Golden Cross at Charing to receive and dispose of the traffic brought in daily from King's-cross and Euston-square, and our readers will have a pretty good notion of what has been effected by the same mode of dealing with the difficulty at the General Post-office. Rooms have been overcrowded, closets have been turned into offices, extra rooms hung by tie rods to the girders of the ceilings, and, as a last resource, the working staff had been continued at so low an ebb as to be unequal to the duty. But all in vain. There are not enough hands to do the duty pro perly, and there is not enough room for those who are already there. These inconveniences react with more or less of ill effect through all the de partments. To the want of space, and consequent diminution of staff, it is due that the public have been called upon to discharge Post-office work by affixing the district initials to their letters. Partly from the same cause has also arisen the necessity of discouraging to the utmost the transmission of newspapers through the post, and by this evasion of its duty leaving it to news-agents to perform a most important part of its functions throughout the entire kingdom. When to these shortcomings are added the inconveniences which arise from avoid ing anything in the nature of outlay in order to increase the profits to the Government, it will readily be guessed that the whole postal machinery is being gradually worked under a system which must ere long deprive the public of its chief effi ciency. Both these faults—want of space and the avoid ance of a little judicious outlay to secure good working appliances and zealous subordinates — make themselves manifest throughout every room in the General Post-office from first to last. The circulation-room is the first the visitor enters. It was built at a time when a double sheet in a letter paid double postage, and when it was necessary to ascertain this fact by holding it close to the light of a strong lamp in order to see through. From this huge apartment, therefore, the light, and to a great extent ventilation also, are carefully ex ' eluded. Its use, however, is still compelled by want of space, a want of which has encroached upon every spot fn the apartment save one. This is a small six sided room or turret chamber built in the thickness of the wall, near the ceiling, whence the detectives constantly watch the carriers and letter-sorters night and day. The totally inadequate scale of remuneration with these men receive makes this espionnage unfortunately but too necessary—so necessary, in fact, that since the recent reduction in their wages no means have been found adequate to cheek robberies at the Post-office, which are still, it is to be f eare d, f ar f rom being on the decrease. Disregarding an appearance of dirt and confusion in this room, as due to the want of accommodation and proper working means, let the visitor pass at once to the end where the oining letters arrive. It is near six Itt'eleek, and e they . are in by thousands, through the ape r t ures of the letter-boxes, into a deep trough. A " shoot" f rom convey them at once to where the this place would men have to " face" and 'star%) s them, but th ere i no room for a shoot, the building is not adapted it, for and the expense must not be incurred. The letters, there fore, are got out of the trough by a porter, wh o sweeps them into baskets with an old carpet broom, and any one who has witnessed this operation can at once understand how it is that letters are so often found open, or why postage stamps come off in this grubbing-out process. The department devoted to registered letters is managed with the utmost care that is consistent with the perpetual want of accommodation. But even in this branch there are some strange anomalies. Regis tered letters, it appears; are used by banking firms more than by any other class in the kingdom, and their packets of notes or gold go free. Thus the visitor will see by the side of wealthy parcels from Baring's or Rothschild's, which aro transmitted for nothing, ill-scrawled addresses on envelopes con taining a few half-crowns for some poor family in the country, on which the Post-office in registra tion fee and postage levy a tax of a shilling or eighteenpence. It appears scarcely just to remit established charges in favour of any class, though, above all others, the last one would think who ougltt to be excepted ate the bankers. The process of " facing" the stamped letters in their order is gone through at long tables, which are not, however, long enough to afford room for a suffi cient number of hands to do the work either quickly or quietly. This begins the series of petty delays. They ate next carried to other tables, where the date and hour are stamped on their backs, after which they Undergo another removal, to where the Postage stamp is obliterated, after which they are sorted at other tables into divisions, and yet again, at other tables, into postal towns. Let any of our readers who are curious in these matters go and see fbi themselves how each of these 'processes is managed by hand and rely upon it that they will agree with tho t . intrusted with the management in of the dut ycirculation-office that the system and of working is bad, valuable time is wasted by it. The tables are s aid no t to be large enough to accommodate the number of sorters that ought to be employed, and there is no room for larger tables. Again, if there were better t a bl es, ther e would sti l l . be teo foe. hands for the work, and the employ ment:,of more, even at the miserable low rate of weave that is paid, is avoided on the ground of expense. It is profit, profit, and always profit which seems the chief object pursued at the Post office,•!and pursued, too, in such a manner as must eventually defeat the object. It will scarcely he credited that the old process of hand-stamping the letters: ie persevered in at a time when machinery is so universally employed to simplify and save time and labour. These causes of delay—which we think can be proved to be aggravated by the sys tem of so far underpaying the hands employed as to make them quite fearless of dismissal and indif ferent to doing their work prope.rly—amount in the ag t lre gate to a considerable loss of time. It is so great, iLZ ;fact, that it is only by a system of driving of which the men bitterly complain that the Wu ICK , can be got through at all. The mails are thui constantly more or less delayed, and even letters, it is said, are sometimes left behind. It is but fair to add that these letters are stated at the Post office to have been, in nearly every instance, circulars; though we apprehend that those wb o send circulars pay the post as well as other people, and have as much right to have their com munications forwarded. At all events, it is not attempted to be denied that the business of the Post-office is daily increasing, and not the least provision is being made for its accommodation for the future, either by a better system, better staff, or additional space. These shortcomings in the circulation department, as affecting the most important portion of the Post office duty, are, of course, much to be regretted. Yet they are small when compared with the extent to which they are aggravated in the newspaper de partment, where all the causes we have mentioned —want of room, want of system, and, above all, want of a more numerous and better paid staff — are still more keenly felt. The first thing which the visitor notices on entering these rooms, apart from the dirt, overcrowding, and confusion, which the most unremitting efforts of those in charge fail to mitigate, is the poor and miserable aspect of the men employed. The causes which make these ap pearances but too natural we shall refer to here after. The newspapers are brought up in baskets to the top of the room, and emptied down through a trapdoor into a tremendous pile on a table, round which the sorters crowd as near as they can. There is not fair room for the number employed, though work for twice as many. Then all are in the way, and jostle each other as they crowd to and fro with their arms full of papers till the floor is strewed with periodicals of all kinds. Most of these papers are the journals of the previous day or weekly periodicals, which are sometimes taken down to be posted at Greenwich or Woolwich for delivery in town, in order to evade the penny extra charged if they are posted or delivered within three miles of St. Martin's. In the centre of the heap we have mentioned a man wades knee-deep, armed I with a kind of wooden rake, with which he goes through a haymaking process of tossing the papers towards the sorters. Have any of our country readers, when they impatiently expected their daily / paper from London, ever received a copy of the Bayewater Briton or Penzance Publisher, with the usual printed notice, that "several newspapers having come out of their covers, &c. 9" If any one wants to know the cause of all this, let him go and see the haymaking we have described, and watch the porter in the centre of the papers treading them out of their covers by scores. On two or three nights a week here the staff are utterly unequal to discharge their heavy duties, and this emergency is met by taking on additional men — labourers about the Post-office—who are paid at the rate of ls. a night. With such aids it can readily be imagined how these intricate extra duties are performed. But we have neither time nor inclination to go on ringing the changes on a perpetual series of deficiencies, nor to point out how the papers are sorted accord ing to all sorts of plans, one most essential part of each process apparently being to stand every in dividual paper up on its end ! Suffice it to say that in most instances they are got rid of in time, though it is a very common occurrence for a large propor tion to miss the mail altogether, and, as a matter of course, all those that are trodden out of their covers remain behind. The sacks at last are bundled into their huge vans—half-fire engine, half water cart, drawn by horses as meagre-looking and as slow as the poor extra sorters in the Post-office at los. a week. These vans were once sailed. " acce lerators," and the name is still retained in bitter pleasantry. They leave the Post-office at half-past eight in morning, by which time the city is begin ning to fill with business men, who have already seen their daily paper, and when, through the private enterprise of the news-agents, the London journals have started two hours ago and are flying along the rail to all parts of the kingdom. At such an hour these " accelerators" may be seen, laden with the letters and papers of the previous day, lumbering slowly down Ludgate-hill.—Times. TEE FRENCH TREATY. It is not a bargain. The French Treaty is not a bargain. We have admitted this over and over again. But it bears the outward and visible sem blance of a bargain. If a highwayman should meet a peaceable citizen in a dark lane and should invite him to change coats and watches with him and the citizen surrendered his property and declined the exchange, it would not be a bargain ; or, if an old woman should beg you, for the love of Heaven, to buy a pennyworth of nuts of her, and you gave her the penny and refused the nuts, it would not be a bargain ; but there would be the considera tion of a whole skin in the one case and of a charitable act in the other. There is, however, no consideration of fear or of charity in our dealings with our very affluent and courteous friends on the other side of the Channel. What, then, is the reason that we are ostentatiously indifferent as to any equivalent ? Why do we surrender our coat and watch without even looking at the fustian jacket offered in exchange ? Why do we pay our penny and disdain to hold out our hands for the nuts ? We are a very rich nation and a very grand nation, and we have a history interlaced with glorious traditions, and a rule which extends. as far as there is land or water for the sun to shine upon ; but that is no reason -why we should give ourselves such tremendously weak Grand Seigneur airs in dealings with our friends the French. They are not a nation of paupers. We are not tossing them a dole. They come to us with an offer to deal on equal terms. M. Thouvenel takes care to tell us that " gratitude and sentiment are not the basis of the relations of States." In the cases we put, when you give the highwayman your coat and watch there is an implied agreement that he will allow you to go quietly on your way home; when you give the old woman the penny she is bound to follow you with blessings. But France does not promise to cease her aggressions. or to render you a good word for all that you give her by this Com mercial Treaty. She invites you to make your own bargain, and if she gets the best of it she laughs at you for a blockhead. To-night the sealing of this "merry bond" is to be proceeded with. The papermakers are to be offered up as a sacrifice to that entente cordiale which proceeds so pleasantly. Now, there is, as we have already intimated, no interest in this coun try with which we have less community of pecuniary interest than the papermakers. To us the one great virtue of the reduction of the paper duties is that it shall give us cheap paper. When the duties cease we have promised to give the public the bene fit of the change, and if the price of paper should not fall when the duty is removed we shall be most obviously losers by the alteration. To us cheap paper is to be desired—cheap paper made of rags. We cannot use paper made of straw. 'We must have such paper as the public expect at our hands. It is clearly, therefore, our interest to throw over every con s id era ti on o f English or foreign produc duction ; an d, if we can only see our way clear to get. ' a lasti ng supp l y o f c h eaper paper from abroad than we can get a t home, to advocate the course of legislati on b recogniseev the facter,that w public to We think, zow which that supply can be procured. tlltmiatyhaasppneeavler to been the our custom to intrude our mercantile interests into the discussions in which •it is our duty to take part ; nor in t - g our line upon this question of the papermakers have we for con sidered how it would affect ourselve a s. seemsmiotmen t to us that a great injustice is ab ou t to be done to a class of traders, and that this injustice is not only uncalled for by any public interests or true commercial principles, but that it is volun tarily inflicted in the mere officiousness of subser viency, or in the merely pedantic affection for the integrity of a particular scheme. We are told that the sacrifice must be at it, because we once consummated. I t i s premature to object to do not yet know what great good the Emperor of the French has in store for us. - We mu st begin by shutting • our eyes before we open out mouths to take in that rich niorceau which the Emperor holds between his finger and thumb. Surely we have bad enough of this nonsense ? With recent examples before them, the House of Commons will scarcely listen pa tiently to the Chancellor of the Exchequer exhort ing them to give up all security against being tricked, and to trust to the magnanimity of the Emperor of the French. Again, we are told, that we already import a great many rags from Zollve• rein, in spite of a high export duty. So we do. We pay so high a price for our paper here that we can afford to buy the German rags, even with a burden of ClO or £l2 per ton upon them. But, when the Germans can send us their paper free, does any sane man suppose that they will send us rags burdened with an export duty ? Strong ex periments are made upon the House of Commons just now, but we can scarcely believe that it will he called upon to give effect to argumerts such as these. We have been unable to resist the appeal o the papermaliers, b ecause it see ms to us to unite in its favour every consideration which generallyin fluences men in making bargains. In the first place, we do not like to be so manife'stly and openly " done." It is wounding to our amour propre and . to our m ercan til e i ns ti nc t s . It i s a n exception in favour of France to the whole system of our legislation with respect to other countries, for, whereas we always put en an import duty where we have an Excise duty, here we keep up an Excise duty and take off the import duty. A fRE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY 7 EVENING; MARCH 29, 1860 he S o t n o l p y a diff b e it r . enc T e h i e s thousand mouths will be here opened to tell us that j E s e x i u s t e y d i s u t n y o t s t a t k a e k n e Ar n ; off.t t h a 't it is levied on the other side of the water, that i t go os into the French and not into the English Excheq:ter, and that it is levied upon the raw mate rial, and not upon the manufactured article. Duty free paper and export-duty-paying rags means a bounty upon the export of French paper paid by the English consumer to the French Treasury. Dis guise it in what inricacies of speech Mr. Gladstone may, his proposition is to pay a 25 per cent. bounty to the French Government upon the import of French paper, and to make our papermakers or our consumers pay this money. It is as plain as thought can present itself that this must be so. You dam up the raw material by an export duty of 50 per cent. ; you let the manufactured article flow in free. What must be the operation of this upon the Eng lishman who exists by buying the raw material and selling the manufactured article ? Can it be other than what we have stated ? This is the case of the papermakers. We do not want to overstate it ; and, advocating as we are an interest which is not our own, we do not want to understate it. We shall be very glad to be convinced that there is nothit t' , at all in it. A bounty for cheap paper cannot but have a pleasant sound to us, whose largest expenditureis beyond all comparison in this particular substance. We do not pretend to endorse all that has been said by the papermakers as to the total destruction of their trade ; but we think they are about to be most unfairly weighted in the race they will have to run, and we are not disposed to rely mare en tirely than we can help upon a foreign supply, when we see every reason to believe that an English supply would be more certain, and even more cheap, if the weights were kept even, or, rather if there were no weights at all upon either competitor. If we are wrong we should be the greatest losers by our error in judgment. But we cannot think we are wrong in trying to preserve ourselves and other paper consumers from paying a large tax upon rags to the French Government. Mr. Gladstone says, " Trust to the Emperor ;" we say to the House of Commons " Trust only to yourselves." Our advice is to adjourn this question till after Easter, and to negotiate in tne meantime. Observe what we have to give. We have the largest paper-market in the world to offer to a people who already produce very good paper, and who have an immense gathering ground for rags. Surely we are in a position to ask something in return for this—if Mr. Gladstone is not too proud to ask, or too much enamoured with that faultless creation of his to submit to have a de fect removed. igPORTING INTELLIGENCE. NORTHAMPTON RACES. SUBSCRIPTION ROOM, TUESDAY NIGHT. Time was so occupied on the course by the events immediately run off, that little time was afforded backers of horses and bookmakers to resume specu lation on races to come. Although we heard seve ral inquiries after Spiceox, Hefty, and Red Ea ;le, for the Spencer Plate, yet we did not see an in vestment upon them. 20 to 1 was taken about Odo for the Chester Cup. Very little disposition was evinced to resume business in the room. The coming fight for the championship was more talked about than horse-racing. CITY AND SUBURBAN• 30 to •1 agst Gaspard 40 to 1 agst Herne (offered) 1000 to 12 agst Rattlebone TWO THOUSAND. 12 to 1 agst Umpire (offered) 20 to 1 agst Brother to Rainbow (taken) 25 to 1 was taken about Buccaneer winning this event, and Umpire the Derby. DERBY. Bto 1 agst Buccaneer (taken to £100) 15 to 1 agst Nutbourne (taken to £100) THE FIGHT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. 60 to 40, and afterwards 2 to 1 to £5O, was betted on Sayers. WEDNESDAY. Racing Stakes of 20 soya, h ft, with 50 added, for three-yr • olds ; colts, Bst 1016 ; fillies, Bst Glb ; certain penalties and allowances. One mile. Lord Stamford's Paleface, Sst 51b (French) 1 Mr. F. Robinson's Croquemitaine, Sst 51b.. (G. Fordlimn) 2 Betting-5 to 2on Paleface, who waited upon Croquemitaine to the turn, where ho came away, and ran home an easy winner by two lengths. Earl Spencer's Plate, of 100 sovs, added to a handicap Sweepstakes of 15 sovs each, 6 ft, if declared. • Certain extra. The New Spencer Plate Course; Mr. Hall's Fravola, 3 yrs, Gst 111 b (W. Bottom) 1 Capt. Christie's Spicebox, 3 yrs, Gst 21b (11. Grimshaw) 2 Mr. W. Day's Traducer, 3 yrs, 6st (J. Adams) 3 Mr. F. RoMnson's Actieon, 4 yrs, Bst 111 b (S. Rogers) 4 The following also ran :—Ardour, Drogheda, Maud, Red Eagle, Marseillaise, Zitella, Brown Holland, Lady Peel, Curlew, Hartley Wintney, Confectioner, Golden Pippin, Hetty, Horace, Bow Belle, Clio, Fenella, Brother to Remedy, Theodora, Volcano, and Urania. Betting at starting-6 to 1 each agst Spicebox and Traducer, 8 to 1 agst Bow Belle, 9 to 1 agst Fravola, 100 to 12 agst Theodora, 100 to 8 each agst Fenella and Confectioner, 100 to 7 agst Ac tzeon, 100 to 6 each agst lictty, Curlew, and Lady Peel. On assembling at the post Urania became frac tious, plunged forward, and sent Pearson from the saddle, and lashing out as he fell, she struck him a severe blow on the mouth. The mare then ran riderless past the stand, and when caught she had lamed herself. She did not get back to the post in time to start. Owing to the refractory conduct of certain jockeys the signal was not given until long after the appointed. time. When the flag was dropped Fravola obtained a clear lead, Fenella, Actiton, Hartley, Wintney, Volcano, Traducer, Brother to Remedy, and Bed Eagle being next in pursuit, as nearly as could be made out, in the order named. Spicebox and Confectioner headed the next lot, which were close together. The race admits of little further description, for Fravola held the lead to the end, and won by six lengths ; half a length between the second and third, and a head between the third and fourth. Curlew, Fen ella, Hartley Wintney, and Theodora were next. Lady Peel and Clio were beaten off. Maud ricked herself, it was supposed, on ascending the hill im mediately after starting, and was pulled up within the distance, and dismounted. Northamptonshire Cup Stakes, for all ages ; three years old, 6st 91b ; four, Sst 71b ; five, 9st llb ; six and aged, Ost 41b. The \ginner to be sold for £5OO if demanded Two miles. Captain Little's Pitman, by Knight of Avenel, 3 yrs, Est 91b Mr. Hall's Eskdale, 4 yrs, Bst 71b (Charlton) 2 Mr. Parker's ilevis, 4 yrs, Bst 71b (J. Adams) 3 The following also ran :---Birdeage, Lovebird, Jenny Longlegs, Dreadnought, Volunteer, and Weatherbound. Betting-5 to 4, at first 2to .1, agst Pitman, 5 to 1 each agst Eskdale and Weatherbound, 7 to 1 agst any other offered. Weatherbound and Eskdale kept close company until passing the stand, when Volunteer bore his colours to the front. On rounding the top turn ing, Eskdale egain took up the running, and Volunteer soon beat a retreat, leaving Weather• bound, Bevis, ard Pitman next. On entering the dip Weatherbound was beaten, and Pitman became second. He ran with Eskdale to the bend, when he took the lead and won cleverly by a length and a half; same between second and third. The others beaten some distance were pulled up. Althorp Park Stakes of 10 sovs. each, with 50 added, for two-yr-olds ; cats, Bst 711); fillies, Bst 31b ; winners extra. T.Y.C. About half a mile. Lord Stamford's Walloon, by the Flying Dutchman, Bst 71b Lord Strathmore's Shillelagh, Bst 71b (Aldcroft) 2 Mr. Fitzwilliam's Bohemienne colt, Bst 7113.. (E. Sharp) 3 Mr. Gibbs's Morella, Bst 31b (G. Fordham) 4 The following also ran :—Billy Dwindles, La Reux, Lupus, Big Ben, King of Kent, Polyolbion, Vinca, and Captain Fortibus. Betting-2 to 1 agst Walloon, 4 to 1 at first ; 2 to 1 agst Big Fen, .5 to 1 agst Morella, 7 to 1 agst Polyolbion, 8 to 1 agst The Bohemienne colt, 100 to B . agst Lupus. The running was made by the favourite ; the Bohemienne colt being second, with Shillelagh, Morella, and Big Ben lying up ; Walloon, how ever, carried on the running, and won by two lengths; a head between second and third; the same distance separating third and fourth; Big Ben headed the text lot, which were pulling up as they passed the lost. Selling Plate of 5 soya each, with 25 added. Weight for age ; selling allowances. One mile. Capt. Christie's Codicil, by the Cossack, 3 yrs (L3O), Gst 111 b Mr. Tbyle's Charybdis, 2 yrs (L5O), 4st 111 b .... (Buck) 2 Lord Chesterfield's Little Poll, 3 yrs (L3O), 6st 111 b (Challoner) 3 The following also ran :—Mr. Itaroy, Tonio, Marwell, and Prevention. Betting-6 to 4on Codicil. Mr. Rarey made play, but running' out at the turn, nearly drove Marwell on the wrong side of a post. Marwell alto was within an ace of coming down altogether it a few strides further. At the distance, Codicil, palling hard, took the lead, and gallopped home the winner by half a length ; bad third. The winneh was sold by auction to Mr. E. Brayley, for 135 guineas. St. Liz Handicap of ]0 sovs each, h ft. with 100 added. Winners extrs, &c. One mile and a quarter. Mr. Saxon's The Monk, 3 yrs, sst 71b (Midgley) 1 Mr. Talbot's Remunerator, 4 yrs, 7st (Challoner) 2 Sir W. Booth's Clovarnook, 3 yrs, 65t...... (Grimshaw) 3 The following also ran :—Ancient Br:ton, Claire, Sam Spode, Gorsehill, Vulcan, Curlew, Antidote, Earl of Essex, Plumper, Orlando colt, and Grand Mistress. Betting-4 to 1 agst The Earl of Essex, 6to 1 agst Gorsehill, 6 to 1 agst Clovernook, 7 to 1 agst The Monk, 10 to l tgst Ancient Briton. Won by a neck, tkree lengths between the second and third. Gorsehill, Earl of Essex, Curlew, and Plumper were next close together at the finish pulling up. Dclapre Handicap of 5 soya each, with 30 added. The win• ner to be sold for 100 soy. Certain winners extra. About half a mile. Lord Stamford's Philomela, 3 yrs, Est 3113:(inc. 61b extra) (A. Edwards) 1 Mr. Barratt's Buttercup, 3 yrs, Gst 51b.... (W. Bottom) 2 Mr. Smith's Mountebank, 2 yrs, Est 51b (Page) 3 The following also ran :—Fusee, Marmalade, Maradan, King Edward, Carlotta, and Urania. Betting-6 to 4 agst Philomela, 7to 2 each agst Carlotta and Buttercup, 6 to 1 agst Marmalade. The favourite made all the running, and won by two lengths; a bad third ; Mamalade, King Ed ward, and Carlotta were next ; Urania last. A Sweepstakes of 20 sovs each, h ft, for two-yr-old ; colts; Bst 71b; fillies, Bst 31b; certain allowances. Althorp Park Stakes Courso. Mr. Merry's Folkestone, by Birdcatcher, Bst 71b (Custance 1 Mr. Brown's British Prince, Bst 71b (Fordham) 2 Betting-7 to 4on Folkestone, who won easily, DERBY BETTING ON THE COURSE. 8 to 1 agst Umpire (taken) 40 to I agst Richmond (taken) ERRATUM.—By an error in tPanscribing, Plumper was placed second, and Lord Palmerston third, for the Stand Plate. Jenny Longlegs was second, and Precise third. A QUA TICS. UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE. Great difficulties have arisen ever since this race was first talked of, in arranging the day and hour for the rowing of it, but it has been definitely ar ranged that, it shall take place on Saturday morn ing, at half-past eight, to start up over the usual course, from Putney to Mortlake. We have already published the names of the contending crews, in which no alterations has since taken place. They both arrived in town on Saturday, and are staying at, Putney. They have been in active training ever since, the times of both in going the course being very good. There is a great difference, however, between the crew s , f or th e b es t j u d ges, w hil e g i v i ng it as their opinion that the style of Oxford is very fine, are convinced that the pace is with Cambridge, who have been faster in their trials, with but one exception. The Cambridge gentlemen rowed against the new twelve•oared outrigger, manned by the members of the London Rowing Club, on Tues day night, and after a fine race for two miles, beat them with comparative ease; and yesterday morn ing they were pitted against a picked eight of Lon don watermen, in which were Harry Kelly and Tom White, with other good men. This was also a fine race for two miles, when the Cantabs gradu ally drew away, and won by a few lengths. All the gentlemen are in good health, and a fine race may be anticipated, Betting is on the Oxford party. In order to prevent disappointment to many of our University readers and others, we have been desired to state that the steamers chartered to ac company this race on Saturday next lull start from London-bridge as early as seven o'clock in the morning. This notice is rendered necessary, as previous arrangements have been entirely over thrown by the sudden alteration of the time and place of starting. ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. HOME CIRCUIT.—KINGSTON, March 28. There was only one court opened to-day, in con sequence of Lord Chief Justice Erie having to attend the funeral of a near relative. (Before Mr. Justice Wightman and a Special Jury.) OXENIIAM V. COLLINS. This was an action to recover damages for an excessive distress, and for breach of an agreement entered into by the defendant. Mr. Montagu Chambers, Q.C., and Mr. Wood were for the plaintiff; Mr. Hawkins, Q.C., and Mr. Garth were for the defendant. The plaintiff in this action was formerly the land lord of the Cricketers' Inn, at Richmond, and the defendant, Mrs. Collins, is the:executrix and trustee of her deceased husband, the proprietor of the Richmond Brewery, to whom the property be longed. The plaintiff went into possession of the Cricketers' in 1857, and he got into difficulties, and in June, 1858, a distress was put into the premises and the goods and effects were sold, it being alleged that this proceeding took place in contravention of an agreement entered into between the parties, and also that there was an excessive seizure. Upon the agreement being called for it turned out not to be stamped, and as the plaintiff's attor ney declined to pay the penalty, Mr. Chambers made a most strenuous effort to establish the case by secondary evidence, and as a last resource he called Mr. Smythe, the defendant's attorney, for the pur pose of showing that he had acted as the agent of defendant, and that she was the responsible party. This gentleman, however, stated that the affairs of the brewery were in the hands of the Court of Chancery, and thatlhe had acted in the matter under the authority of that court, Mrs. Collins having her own solicitors to manage her private affairs. Mr. Justine Wightman, after a good many ques tions had been put by Mr. Chambers, said that the learned counsel had tried very hard to make out the defendant's liability, but he had not got the materials. If any one was responsible, it appeared to be the Court of Chancery. (A laugh.) Mr. Chambers—According to Mr. Smythe, that would appear to be so, but we cannot bring an action against the Court of Chancery. The learned counsel put some further questions to Mr. Smythe, but failed to elicit any fact of im portance ; and he at length admitted that it was useless to proceed further with the ense, and, by the direction of his lordship, the plaintiff was non suited. NORFOLK ClRCUlT.—Noitwicu, March 28. CIVIL SIDE. (Before Chief Justice Cockburn.) Businees was commenced this morning. The cause list is unusually heavy, there being no less than nineteen entries, of which several are set down for special juries. THE 'NAVY. The screw gun vessel Landrail, sister vessel to the Ranger, was launched at Deptford yes terday afternoon. The Landrail is a fine spe cimen of a new class of screw vessels between the ordinary gunboat and the steam de spatch or small corvette vessels. She was laid down immediately after the launch of the Ranger in November last, four mouths only being occupied in her building, and has been constructed under the superintendence of Mr. Chatfield, from a new design, approved of by the Admiralty. Her arma ment, which will be furnished from Woolwich Arsenal, will consist of five guns —namely, one 68- pounder 95 cwt. gun, 10 feet in length ; and four 24-pounder howitzers. The following are her exact dimensions :—Length between perpendiculars, 145 ft. ; length of keel for tonnage, 127 ft. 10in. ; breadth extreme, 25ft. 4in. ; breadth for tonnage, 25ft. ; breadth moulded, 24ft. Gin. ; depth in hold, 13ft. ; burden in tons, 425 14-95. She is now in the basin awaiting her engines, which will be of 80 horse-power. The Bacchante, 51, screw frigate, in charge of Captain G. T. Gordon, commanding the steam reserve at Portsmouth, steamed out of the harbour yesterday at 1 p.m., and proceeded to the trial ground in Stokes Bay, to test her speed at the mea sured mile with the leading corners of her propeller cut off. Mr. John Dinnen, Inspector of Machinery to the Admiralty, and Mr. G. Murdoch, Inspector Afloat at Portsmouth, and Mr. Miller, Assist. Chief Engineer of Portsmouth Dockyard, were on board to superintend the trial. The engines were under the control of Mr. Warrener, from the firm of Maudslay, Field, and Co. The force of the wind, its direction, and the weather generally, approxi mated as nearly as possible to those experienced on the official trial of the ship on the 6th inst. The ship also drew the same water, consequently the screw had the same immersion, and the only difference in the two trials was that on the former occasion the screw was tried in its original form, and on the present one with its leading corners cut off. Six runs were made on the former trial, and gave the ship a mean speed in knots of 12.049. The same number of runs were made yesterday, and gave the ship a slight increase of speed; nothing, however, of moment, beyond the fact that it was an increase, with less vibration. The decrease on this latter point was most satisfactorily marked by the ac tion of the iron-plated flooring of the stokehole. The engines made nearly one more revolution per minute yesterday than on the 6th inst.—the mean being 541. The temperature in the stokehole was 111. At the conclusion of the runs at the measured mile the ship's helm was put hard a-starboard, when she made a complete circle under full steam in six minutes. The steering apparatus, which is applied on the plan of Vice-Admiral W.F. Martin, exhibits as we stated on the 7th inst., a good command over the rudder, but the wheel appears to work very stiffly, requiring great exertion on the part of the men to get the rudder hard over. The principle is capable of great improvement, the crosshead on the rudder, from which work the twu parallel bars, being much too short, and reducing the power brought to bear on the rudder-head in urecisely the same degree as working a capstan, with bars only one-third their usual length would do. Perhaps the great merit of the invention, or the manner in which it is applied in this case, consists in its work ing its crossheads and parallel bars underneath the captain's cabin-floor, protected to a great extent from the effects of shot by the ship's beams. The ship returned into harbour at 4 p.m., and it had been the intention of Capt. Gordon to berth her alongside the Camperdown, off the north end of the dockyard. When the ship had got half-way up the harbour towards her berth a boat from the dock yard came off with orders for her to return along side, an operation, from the advanced position of the ship, of extreme difficulty to perform, but which was managed with consummate skill by the Government pilot (Mr. Jones) on board at the time. An order has been received to fit the Bacchante with a poop, which is supposed to have been the cause of her returning alongside the jetty. It is said she is destined for the Pacific station, and will carry the flag of either Vice-Admiral Smart, K.H., or that of Sir T. Maitland, K.C.B. _ _ The Bullfinch, screw gunboat, Lieut.-Commander James, tried an experimental propeller yesterday at the measured mile in Stokes Bay. The following appoiatments were made yesterday at the Admiralty :—Lieut. Harry M'Hardy, to the Forte; and J. Whittall, Paymaster, to the Pearl. THE ARMY. The annexed information of the changes and appointments in the Royal Artillery are announced in a general regimental order :—Col. Arthur George Taylor has been appointed Commandant of the School of Gunnery and Superintendent of Experi ments at Shoeburyness, vice Mitchell, resigned ; Lieut.-Col. and Brevet-Col. E. M. Wilmot is ap pointed to the command of the Royal Artillery in .Canada, vice Taylor, appointed Commandant in the School of Gunnery, and while holding the appoint ment will be placed as colonel on the Staff of the army in North America. Lieut.-Col. F. A. Camp bell has been appointed a member of the Ordnance Select Committee in the room of Col. Smythe, who has resigned. An exchange of batteries has been sanctioned between Second Capt. and Brevet-Major W. G. Andrews, of Capt. Paget's battery, and Second Capt. A. Williams, of Capt. Johnsen's bat tery, Horse Brigade. Lieut. H. St. J. V. L. M. Thomas, of the Depot Brigades, vice Maxwell, de ceased ; Lieut. G. Deedes, of the 9th Brigade, vice Griffiths, removed to the supernumerary list ; Lieut. G. C. Sartoris, of the Depot Brigade, vice Doull, r l e s m tß e ig d a t d o e t , h i e laa s sn upernumerary list, are raised to b d pe L en te lla u p t. p W oi increased pay, appointed Acting Adjutant j o u f ta t i l i t t e at G Sl e i n ee e r r n al es s s irlrieGeeorgue Brown, G.C.8., will leave London on Saturday morningcomunmding the Forces in for D u blin, to assume Generalsi to General Lo r d S e aton, T h i i .e s li d n u id ti , es in as succession G.C.l'e•B sterday afternoon a .brigade field-day of the whole of the troops belonging to Chatham ;garrison took place on Chatham lines, on wh ich occasion siontbe entire force of the garrison, including three bat. talions of the East India depots, the corps of Royal and Indian Engineers, and the battalion of R o y a l Marine Light Infantry, were assemblud on the ground. [ADVESITISEMENT.—iiOIIOWay'S Ointment and Pills.-- March winds are noted for producing- great disturbance in the circulation ; whence proceed bronchitis, sore throat, diptheria, and multitudes of ailments resulting from va riable temperatures. A chill or cold should always have instant attention, or serious consequences may spring from neglect. All may rub Holloway's ointment on the skin over tho affected part, with the certainty of mitigating pre vious sufferings, and averting all future danger. This ointment penetrates the skin, and revives the feeble circu lation in subjacent organs, purifies the blood, and rectifies every function. In urgent and chronic cases Holloway's Pills (taken whilst the ointment is being used) expedite and ensure speedy cure; which in most cases will be thorough, radical, and lasting. NIX .V. SMITII.-SEDUCTION. This was an action for the alleged seduction o. the plaintiff's daughter. Mr. O'Malley, Q.C., and Mr. Keane appeared for the plaintiff; and Mr. Palmer and Mr. Couch for the defendant. Mr. O'Malley, in opening the case, said the plain tiff was a baker, residing at Whittlesey, and was the father of four sons and four daughters, of whom the subject of the present action, Catherine, was one. Before the year 1857 the plaintiff was a mem ber of a congregation of Reformed Wesleyans, and his daughter Catherine was a teacher in the Sunday school conducted in connexion with the chapel, In 1857 the defendant, who is an ironmonger at Whitt lesey, also joined the Reformed Wesleyans, and soon assumed a prominent part in the congrega tion. He was a married man, With two sons al most grown up, and he first became a teacher, and subsequently a local preacher. between the de fendant's family and Catherine Nix a close inti macy commenced in 1857, when she was about six teen years of age, and as she frequently stopped out late at night, her father remonstrated with the defendant on the subject. He replied that it was extremely profitable for the girl that she should come to see him, for they spent their evenings in singing, reading, and prayer. The suspicions of the father being thus quieted, the intimacy proceeded. In February,lBsB,, a person named Vincent lectured at Peterborough, and the defendant proposed that the plaintiff's daughter should go to the meeting. The plaintiff at first objected, but ultimately withdrew his op position, and the young woman went to Peter borough with the defendant and some other friends. She walked home with the defendant late in the evening, and when they were about two miles from Whittlesey he lingered on the road, so that they fell behind the other persons who had been with them. He then attempted to take liberties irAti her, but she resented and repelled them., and for some time the intimacy between the parties was in terrupted. It was afterwards renewed, however, and the young woman, in April, 1858, went to the defendant's to stop a week at his house. While she was there the intimacy took place, which led to the birth of a child and in the present action being brought. Evidence in support of the plaintiff's case was being proceeded with when our report was de spatched. CROWN COURT. (Before Mr. Justice 'Williams. The calendar contains the names of about 20 pri soners, but none of the cases are of a very special character. This afternoon the learned judge charged the grand jury, and proceeded with the business of the court. WESTERN CIRCUIT.—DEvizEs, March 28. TIIE ASIICOMBE MURDER. Scrafin Manzano, the Spaniard charged with the murder of Anastatia Trowbridge, at Ashcombe, on the 3d of November last, was again placed at the bar this morning. ' The case flay the prosecution closed late last night. The prisoner manifested the greatest indifference during the whole of yesterday, and frequently smiled at the witnesses and spectators around him. Mr. II• T. Cole applied to the Court to allow the prisoner to make a statement preparatory to his addressing the jury. Mr. Baron Martin, after consulting Mr. Baron Channell, said, as there were precedents for it, he would allow the statement to be made. At the same time he did so against his own judgment. He re garded it as a most dangerous practice. The prisoner then made a statement to the effect that he met a man and woman, the former of whom asked him to exchange clothes. He did so, and slept with them in a shed, but before he awoke in the morning they were gone, and he did not know in what direction they went. The man was dressed somewhat like himself. He was a taller man than himself, Mr. Cole, in addressing the jury for the prisoner, complained that everything had been done to ex cite prejudice against him. He had been photo graphed with a policeman's hand upon his shoulder, and those photographs had been publicly exhibited in different places in the county. Even the she riff's, chaplain had assumed the prisoner's guilt, and held him up as a warning to his congregation. The learned counsel then proceeded to contend that the only fact against the prisoner was the possession of the prosecutor's clothes. The possession of those things, however, had been accounted for by the• prisoner, and he asked the jury to believe the state ment which the prisoner had made. If the prisoner had committed the murder he must have been covered with blood, and he argued that the ab sence of blood from the prisoner's clothes com pletely established his innocence. His lordship, in summing up, said he felt bound to allude to some observations which had fallen from Mr. Cole. He was not aware whether the learned counsel heard the sermon of the sheriff's chaplain on Sunday Morning. He (the learned judge), did, mid he must say it contained no state ment calculated to prejudge the case against the prisoner. With regard to the photographs whi c h had been taken of the prisoner and a policeman, he said it was decidedly wrong, and:he hoped never to hear of such a thing again. Ho was bound to tell them, however, that neither of these facts had the slightest bearing upon the case. They were bound to try the prisoner upon the evidence, and he was sure they would not allow anything which had taken place out of doors to influence their minds. His lordship then read through the evid ence, and, with regard to the prisoner's statement, he said if they believed it, they mint also believe that the person who really committed the murder must have allowed him to take the whole proeeeds of the robbery. The:jury then retired, and in about half an hour returned with a verdict of guilty, His Lordship then 4ssmned the black cap, and sentenced the prisoner to de4th in the usual form, and held out no hope that his sentence would be commuted, POLICE INTELLIGENCE—March 28. WESTMINSTER. Jane Hoden, alias Anne Martin, alias Dufrea, a woman 30 years of age, with an infant i n h er arms, underwent a length ened examination before Mr. Paynter, charged with extensive swindling, under very novel and peculiar circumstances. About two months ago the police received infor mation that a woman was obtaining various sums of money by advertising for the situation of cook. The answers to her advertisements were to be ad dressed to J: 8., Belvoir-terrace, Vauxhall-bridge road. On inquiring there the police found that she had received a great number of letters, but did not again present herself. Subsequently the authori ties learnt that the same systematic and extensive frauds were being committed by a person to whom letters were addressed in Grosvenor-street West, but in this, as in the former case, she did not again make her appearance. As there had been in the advertisements the peculiarity that the professed cook was willing also to attend to the bakehouse and dairy, the police narrowly watched the adver tisements which appeared from day to day, and finding one answering the description—" Address to C. E., 44, Churton-street"—Birch, a detec tive of the A division, kept a watch upon the house, and apprehended the prisoner as she was leaving the place with a large bundle of letters respecting engagements. Upon inquiries at the houses where they had good-naturedly, but imprudently, permitted her to have her letters ad dressed, it was ascertained that she averaged 50 answers, out of which, it will be clearly seen, she selected her victims. Mrs. Smith, of Ingatestone, Essex, said she an swered an advertisement in the papers, a month ago, of a cook requiring a place. She saw prisoner at the Stag Brewery, Pimlico, by appointment, when she told her she had lived nine years in a for mer situation, and lastly two years with Mrs. Has luck, at the Rectory, Enfield, which she was about to leave, owing to the return of an old servant. Her account was so extremely satisfactory, that com plainant engaged her to come the following Wed nesday, unless she got a letter to the contrary, and upon prisoner requesting her fare from and to En field, complainant willingly gave her 3s. Mr. F. Hasluck, of the Rectory, Enfield, proved that prisoner, who had never lived in his service, had also obtained money from him to go to Enfield. He had seven or eight applications from persons to whom the prisoner had used his name. He saw the prisoner, in answer to her advertisement, at his business house in Hatton-garden, where he gave her the money. Mrs. Adams, of 20, Upper Bedford-place, Russell square, said she answered an advertisement in the papers 10 weeks ago, and prisoner called upon her. She said she lived three years and a half with Mrs. Griffiths, of Oak Lodge, Chiswick, and gave her own address, Mary Blaney, Alma Cottage, Chiswick. Complainant was so satisfied with her statements that she engaged her subject to her character being approved of. Prisoner then complained that she had not had any food since she left home at 7 o'clock in the morning, upon which complainant sent her up luncheon in the drawing-room. Before leaving prisoner said she had not sufficient to pay her fare back to Chiswick, whereupon complainant gave her a shilling. The lady further stated that not hear ing any more of the prisoner she was driven in her carriage to Chiswick, where she met the postman, , also in quest of the accused, with a letter com plainant had addressed to her. She took him up on the box by the side of the coachman, and after three hours found their search for prisoner fruitless. Mrs, Biddulph, Eccleston-square, proved a simi lar case against the prisoner, who obtained money from her in consequence of alleging that she had lost her purse. Mrs. Walker, of the Chase, Enfield, and her daughter, proved another charge against the accused. Inspector Humphreys having intimated that he could produce a hundred cases against the accused in which she had obtained various amounts, Mr. Paynter observed that she appeared to have been a most successful swindler, and said he would take two of the present charges against her for trial, and entertain a third, spoken of by the inspector, on Wednesday next, to which day the prisoner was remanded. Sir James Fergusson, M.P., for Ayrshire, ap peared to prosecute a complaint against Wemyss Jobson, a person of gentlemanly appearance and address, between 50 and GO years of age, who had been apprehended by Knowland, one of the sum moning officers, on a warrant, charging him with sending a threatening letter to the complainant, whereby a breach of the peace might have been occasioned. Sir James said that the prisoner, who was utterly unknown to him, had addressed a series of letters to him, alluding to transactions to which he was a perfect stranger. The first of these complained thv.t defendant had been defrauded by relations of com plainant's, and the last contained a threat. Com plainant had inquired of persons whose names were mentioned in the letters whether there was any foundation for the grave charges they contained, and was informed there was not. The letter containing the threat, which defendant had admitted to tahse then officer rea a when t he in captured agi st r w a t a e s . written by him, w It said, " With Mr. Wemyss Jobson's disdains, and notice that i these cowardly efforts are further per sistedin„ he shall flog Sir James from one end of -- (the word was un i ntelligible as it appeared) to the other should he find him." Defendant requiring the production of other letters, they were read. They did not, however, refer to Sir James personally, but contained a series of charges and much invective against distant branches of his family. One, however, imputed that part of defendant's patrimony had been expended to secure Sir James's return for Ayrshire. Sir James expressed the astonishment he had felt at the imputations, and repeated that he knew nothing about defendant or his patrimony. In reply to questions from defendant, Sir James declared he never knew that his uncle and nephew had got hold of defendant's familys property, and had never heard of such a thing till now. Had never had any of defendant's property ; never em ployed anybody to track his course about town ; never knew him till he wrote the letters ; and never saw him till now. Never met Lola Montes at Lord Camperdown's, or set her to get him assaulted in an American court of justice. Never threatened de fendant while speaking of him to anybody. Defendant, in the course of a long statement, said that Sir James's uncle had married his (defen dant's) niece, and then the parties getting hold of another uncle, induced him to disinherit the de fendant, his brother, and sister, the two latter of whom were in poverty and deep distress. All this was done while he (defendant) was away in Ame rica. With regard to the threat in the letter, he submitted it was clearly hypothetical, for if Sir James did not annoy him there was nothing in it. The defendant submitted he ought to be the com plainant, and if the law did not protect him, he must do as people did in America—protect himself. A very formidable dagger found in defendant's possession having been produced, Mr. Paynter said it was quite clear defendant was suffering under some extraordinary delusion, in which he entertained a strong feeling against the complainant. People were not allowed in this country to threaten to flog others, or to carry about dangerous weapons to redress their supposed or real wrongs, nor would well con ducted men do so. Defendant was to be feared as a very dangerous man, became he suffered under a very dangerous delusion, and he must find two sureties in £lOO each for his good behaviour. On the intercession of Sir James, the bail was reduced to two in £4O, but, as the court was closed, he had no opportunity of procuring them. MARLBOROUGH-STREET.—Robert Pitcher was charged by the police with causing an obstruc tion on the public footway in Coventry-street for betting purposes. Leader, C 40, said he saw the defendant and six or seven other persons altogether on the pavement in the above street at half-past one o'clock in the day. By such assemblages very great trouble was caused. Mr. Beadon—What do you call trouble ? Witness —The way is obstructed, so that passers by are frequently compelled to walk out into the road or carriage -way, and many complaints, both from th e i n h a b itants and others, have been made in consequence. The trouble was the difficulty in keeping the footway clear. The defendant had one or two books, which he believed were betting books, in his hand, and, seeing him, he walked. away ; but as he had before cautioned him, he fol lowed and took him into custody. Mr. Beadon asked the defendant why he per sisted in this mode of obstructing the pavement. The defendant replied he was only speaking, and was not aware he was doing wrong. Mr. Beadon said he was liable to a fine, and, ad vising him not to repeat the .offence, ordered him to enter into his own recognisance to be of good behaviour for three months. SOUTHWARK.—Thomas Crowther, a saddler and harness-maker, of 26, Wilson-street, Finsbury square, was brought before Mr. Combo, charged with having in his possession a large quantity of leather and buckles, in the course of manu f acture for the R o y a l Artillery, the property of Messrs. Oastler and Palmer, leather merchants, Grange road, Bermondsey. Dennis Scannell, 177 M, said that in consequence of information he received, he went with Strick land, 76 AT, another detective officer, to the pri soner's place of business in Wilson-street, Fins bury-square, and seeing him in the workshop, he asked him if be bad not recently purchased a quantity of harness leather. The prisoner said that be bad; and went to a drawer, from whence he took out a large bundle of leather cut roughly in strips. Witness asked him where he got it, when he replied that he gave 12s. for it a few days prior. The man's na me v as Fadkin s , h e a dd e d, b u t he did not know where h e li ve d . Wi tness found a l so a quantity of short st r ip s an d a b undle of buck l es , a ll of which he b e li eve d to h ave b een stolen. Mr. Charle s T om li n , manager to Messrs. Oas tl e r and Palmer's wor k s a t B ermondsey, said that t h e y had a large c on t rac t w i t h t h e G overnment to supp ly the harness, &c., t o th e R oya l Artillery.. The leather was manufactured on their premises in the Grange-road, and cut into strips for making up, al! each piece was branded. He identified the leather produced as a portion of their stock intended to be made up for the Government, but the ends where the brands were had been cut off. Mr. Combo asked how he could swear so posi tively to them. Mr. Tomlin replied that they were peculiar reds , manufactured on purpose for the Government. Some were for flank straps and some for back straps' and they were worth to the firm about £3. Mr. Combe asked witness how it was likely that they got out of their possession. Mr. Tomlin said that as soon as they were cut and branded they were sent out to be finished, and as soon as returned they were forwarded to the storekeeper at Woolwich. The leather produced had either been stolen from their warehouse, or made away with by persons who had the g oods given out to finish. If the prisoner was remanded they would no doubt be able to ascertain the fact. In answer to the charge the prisoner said that he really did purchase the leather from a men whom he had in many instances dealt with, and he had no suspicion as to its being stolen. There were no marks on it. Mr. Combe told him that from the fact of giving less than a fourth of the value he must have known it to be stolen. He should remand him. for a fog days, and in the meantime recommend him to find the porson from whom he purchased it. The officers would also have an opp or t un it y o f making furt h e r inquiries. The prisoner was accordingly remanded until Tuesday next. COUNTRY MAR.ICB2'B. NEWARK—KiIIen 2S. At this corn market the attendance of buyers and seller , was tolerable, and wheat, which was in tolerable supply , sold freely at 2s to 3s advance on late rates. Barley I'M in middling show, and dearer. Beans and oth er ar ti c lea steady, but little business doing. White wheat, now, 49s to 54s Barley, grinding.. 30s to 33° Red do. 4ss to 49s Oats, old, .. 2os to 32 1 Old white 5OB to 58s New do 22s to 26 9 Red do. 46s to 48s I Beans 40s to 5 09 Barley, malting.... 38s to 47s Beans, new....„ —a to --0 NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE—MAE= 27. Tho wheat trade since our last has continued firm, and to-day south country sorts were chiefly in demand at is per qr. advance. Flour a steady sale at late rates. Barley well sold and higher rates given. Oats scarce. Beans and peas more inquired for at late rates. BOSTON-MARCH 28. We had a moderate supply of wheat from the growers ts. day, the demand for which was firm, and at is to 2s ad' vance on late prices. All other kinds of grain sold at rib' ther improved prices. Wheat, red .42s to 46s I Oats.... White do .46s to 51 s Beans Barley .31s to 37 s Peas 35448883s to ttoo HULL--MARCH 27. . . The market to-day was rather dull for wheat, but good dry samples were bought for is per quarter more nionef° Barley, oats, beans, and peas in fair request, with little or no alteration in value. Wheat.... Old white per qr. sos Od to 52s OA Old red New white .. ~ „ New red .... 4bs , Dantzic, Konb , &c. old white 42s Od Od to to 5 4 4 9: Dutch, Belgian, an d F renc h 4 ss Od t o 47s V a 01 0(1 Baltic and Hamburg., red 44s Od to 48s .„ St. Petersburg and Ri ga , o ld 39 s Od to 44s n Barley.... English malting 36s Od to 42s ,1 Grinding 3 os Od to 32s „ i '''' Saal and Oderbruck ' 37s Od to 40s rav' Holstein and Danish 34s Od to 38s Grinding 26s Od to 295 odd Oats English, old 1 I I i Archangel and Riga, per st Os 100 to a Friesland and Dutch Oslld to v il a Swedish and Danish Oslld to °s a Beans ....English, old, per qr 46s Od to Os New pigeon Od New tic 40s Od to 428 , 39s Od to 408 Va. k Egyptian 378 Od to 38s Oa Peas Foreign breakers . 39s Od to 41s Oa i Grinding Tares ~.. Winter Indian Corn Linseed, feeding 50s Od to 52s 04, crushing Linseed cakes (Hull) '£lo 10 ot o £lO 15 : Foreign 716 oto 8 5 v Rape cakes 415 oto 5 0 g Bones 415 oto 5 5 - MARKET lIARBOROTJGH—MARcu 27. There was a seasonable show of wheat, which m et 0 brisk demand, at is over late rates. White wheat, 42s tp. 49s ; red, 40s to 47s per 36 stone. Barley, old, 30s to 40 . 0 2 new, 26s to 325. Oats were sought after, from 25e to 3 0 :, per 24 stone. Beans (old), at 36s to 40s ; new, 34s to 4a per 38 stone. COAL MARK] (Prices of Coal per Ton at :.T—MARCH 28. the blocs of the market.) Walls End. s. d. Bell's Primrose ......13 0 Davison's West Hart- ley .16 0 Buddle's Nest Hartleyl6 0 Holywell 16 0 Howard's West Hart ley 16 0 Tanfield Moor l2 6 Tanfield Moor Butes l2 6 Wylam l6 6 Walker Primrose 13 3 West Hartley l6 0 Byass's Bebside West ' ...... Whitworth Framwellgate Kelloe Hatton.... Eden Haswell ..... Cassop Russell's Hetton Acorn Close Haugh Hall Keiper Grange Hunwick Hartley v . .16 3 Chilton Hartley Steam.ls 0 Hastings Hartley , . 16 0 St. Cuthbert's Hartley 15 0 Grey's West Hartley.. 15 6 Trimdon Thornley South Hartlepool. South Durham Riddell North Hartlepool Braddyll's Hetton Thorpe Gosforth.. South:Hetton )t, 116—Sold, 87. Walla End. Hartlepool..... 21 3 8rand0n....... Ships at market FOREIGN MAIL PACKET LIST. In the following table E signifies that letters are despatched by evening mails from London, and M by morning mails. Ne•lct DESTINATIONS. Despatch I Port of Mail of Mails. I Despatch. due. Australia and Mauriti u s, via Southampton A p p r r i i i ll B 23 Ditto, via Mar se ill es April 4 IA: Br.hamas and Havana via Newt York Canada, Arc. (by Canadn. pckt )! A A M p P a r r r i . l l l - 5 1 , 4 , Cape of Good Hope, Aseen-I mon, and St. Helena Liverpool.. p p o o 0 1 : .. , overdue g ' E EE lDevonport , April $ China, Penang, and Singa-! pore, via Southampton 'April 4, M,'Sonthamp. April 1,, Ditto, via Marseilles , lAprillo, E, , April P. Gibraltar, via Southampton ..April 4 ,M,Southamp. April ', Honduras and Blewfields .... , Aprill7, M' Southamp. Aprill. India (Calcutta) and Ceylon,) 3 via Southampton ' Ap r il 4, M ,S ou th amp. Apri• i Ditto, via Marseilles I Ap r illo, El A p ril l i India (Bombay), via South ampton Aprlll2. 14I I Southamp. Apn . l, lo Ditto, via Marseilles Lisbon, Brazils,Buenos Ayres, and F. Islands April 9, M 'Southamp. ,April 4 s Lisbon, Vigo, and Oporto April 7 , MiSouthamp, April . Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via I Southampton !April 4, MSonthamp. April Ditto, via Marseilles Mexico and Havana Newfoundland I Mar. 30, E Liverpool.. -- United States and British N America (by British packet) Mar. 31, E Liverpool.. Mar. 2 9 Ditto (by U. S. packet) .IMar. —,E Southamp. West Coast of Africa, M a . -I deira, and Teneriffe l Ap r il23 B Li verpoo l .. April i° West India, California, Yene ! zuela, Chili, Peru, Grey-1 town, New Granada, dm !April 2,3l;Soutkamis. ,Apr il — _ 2,3 f Soutkamp. !April I BIRTHS. BARRY.—On the 26th inst., at Southgate, Middlesex, till wife of Arthur E. Barry, Esq., solicitor, Gray's-inn; a daughter. BURTON.—On the 26th inst., at Cherry Burton, near B e ' verley, the wife of David Burton, Esq., of a daughter.. EVELYN.—On the 22d inst., at Onslow-crescent, the Wif e of Colonel Evelyn, of a son. MARRIAGES. FISHER, MILLER.—On the 27th inst ,at St. Jalu e l Church, Piccadilly, Mr. Henry richer , of Duke-str e J r : St. James's, to Charlotte Sophia, third daughter of A I Joseph Miller, late of Piccadilly. t the WASHINGTON— SEA RES . —O n th e 27th inst., at the Church of St. J o h n th e E vange li st, Stratford, A' Adams, second son of the late J. P. Washington, Ea of Hackn e y- roa d , t o Amelia, third daughter o f Nv• Scares, Esq., of the Grove, Stratford. BA R I tOIVeLIFFE.—On D th F C 2 A ls T t i ri nst B. at ut °l / 1 1 Barrowclitle, Esq., late of Nottingham ghanni h J Hall, aged 75. GRENFELL.—On the 22d ult., at Cuddaqsa, Madras, of Leger Murray Grenfell. Assistant Judge, sec ond son - Pascoe Ft. Leger Grenf e ll, E sq ., Meest; House, Saraw sea, aged 30. • d LONGFORD.—On the 27th inst., Edward 'Michael, thi r Earl of Longford, aged 42. l aa n; NAPIEII.—On the 26th inst , at Scinde House, Clap rk, Caroline Amelia, the w idow of General S ir Willits d Napier, K.C.8.. whom she survived only six weeks, aglail (laughter of the late General the Hon. Henry Edw Fox, aged 70. LONDON : Printed and Published by MURD O 0 of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, NO. 11 Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the WW I I) . Middleaoz, Thuradiy, March 29, 1860. -tA Por Inc P PA./ T 1 font PEs SAT, The itter;l don Ti, Wyi vei l litre( Chat iSir Prai si r u oht John John Joh, Le w J o h, The ,i ~xti.Z I , IN Prep valu, bent Ceiv c _ • •Itti !liar ..or CO, Ca note star t toru