The Sun. — London, England, 1865-07-31 00:00:00

Iting's County Election. Owing to the illness of the high sheriff and to some delay in the delivery of the poll-books the court was not opened until 12 o'clock, when Mr. Longworth, the high sheriff, accompanied by his as sessor, Mr. Dames, and the candidates, appeared upon the bench. Mr. Dames broke the seals of one of the books, and said that he would perform the task of totting them, as the high sheriff was too ill to perform that duty. Mr. Longworth, who ap peared extremely indisposed, then left the court and sat in the judges' retiring-room during the counting of the votes. The totting was not concluded by Mr. Dames until half-past two, and then he left the court for the high sheriff, with whom he returned, and to whom he handed the result of the totting. Several objections had been made by Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. Leech, as well as by Mr. Hennessy, to the manner in which Mr. Dames had added up the votes, but Mr. Dames had overruled them. The final result, according to Mr. Dames's calculations having been placed in the sheriff's hands. Mr. Porn HENNESSY said :--•" I desire, Mr. High Sheriff, to tender some objections to these figures, and to this proceeding," and then read a paper which Mr. Adam Mitchell, his agent, had drawn .up in court. As well as we understood the paper of objections set forth that the assessor had not accurately added up the votes ; that the number of votes should be cast up by the sheriff himself or by his deputy sheriff duly sworn ; that the assessor had counted up votes for Sir Patrick O'Brien which had actually been given, according to the statement appearing on the face of the sheriff's poll-book, for for Mr. Hennessy, that the assessor had cast up votes for Sir Patrick O'Brien which the deputy sheriff had deliberately obliterated,such votes having been given before ; and that the assessorhad counted three votes given byone voter, and had made several other errors tending to reduce Mr. Hennessy's ma jority. An objection was also made that, being after two o'clock, the state of the poll could not then be declared. _ The HIGH SHERIFF read out the state of the poll as follows : King ... ••• ..• ••• ... 2192 O'Brien ••• ... 1246 Hennessy ... ••• ••• ..• 1240 And then declared Mr. King and Sir P. O'Brien duly elected. Mr. KING and Sir P. O'BRIEN returned thanks. Mr. POPE HENNESSY, who was received with loud and general cheering, said :—Electors of the King's County, I can sincerely reciprocate the last remark of Sir Patrick O'Brien. No political difference has for the past six years influenced our personal rela tions, and I confidently trust no unfriendly spirit may disturb our social intercourse in the future. (Hear, hear.) He has said that at the final close of the poll on Saturday he addressed the electors as a defeated candidate. But the unexpected and re markable decisions now given by the assessor have' not only affected, but actually reversed my majority, and lam apparently defeated. I say apparently, for the decisions against me are of such a nature as to necessarily involve an inquiry before a parlia mentary committee. (Cheers.) To that impartial tribunal the extraordinary circumstances of this extraordinary election will be submitted, and I will with confidence claim that seat which, for a second time, the majority of the electors have given me. (Loud cheering.) In the meantime I have to per form the pleasing duty of thanking my stanch friends and supporters. Though, at this moment, apparently defeated, I am not, whatever the result, disgraced—(cheers)—and I will add, with truth, lam not in the slightest disheartened. (Cheers.) Even if the majority now announced against me were not fictitious, I have no reason to despond. I have youth, I have an honourable ambition, I have honest principles. (Cheers.) I have a consistent policy—(cheers)—l have devoted some time and some labour to the service of my country—(loud cheers)—and I have every reason to know that my fellow countrymen have formed a most generous estimate of my little public services, and that they will not forget them. (Great cheering). But what ever I have been able to do in public life, and whatever public position I have been placed in, it is to you, the electors of King's County, that my gra titude is due. In 1859 you received me - when I came here unknown, untried, and almost friend less ; on the announcement of my political prin ciples you adopted me, and sent me to the house of Commons. I never can be sufficiently grateful to the King's County for that act of gener ous confidence. It gave me a great opportunity, an opportunity which I hope I have not lost. (Loud cheers.) During the six years I have been in Par liament I have not been idle. (Cheers.) I may, perhaps without presumption, venture to say that I have not been unmindful of the responsibility of the position you gave me. I have endeavoured to dis charge my public duties with some industry and some zeal—(cheers)—and if I have done so likewise with some success—(loud cheering)--that success in public life is due to your confidence, your forbear ance, and your support. To the latest hour of my life I shall remember your early and constant kind ness. It is you who have enabled me to plead the cause of Ireland before the most intelligent and in fluential assembly in the world. In that assembly the interests of Ireland require to be carefully watched, and he who is entrusted with their guardianship has no trifling or easy task. This has been especially the case in lie late Parliament, when year after year our population, our wealth, our general prosperity, and our national hope have been declining. In facing a hostile ministry an Irish representative had no sine cure duty. The present Government, apparently mindful only of English interests, neglected Ireland —(cheers)—much might have been accomplished for our country by an administration really anxious for our material welfare. I lost no occasion of pointing this out. (Loud cheers.) Over and over again I indi cated the various measures which the country needed. Though the influence of the ministry was always against us, I am bound to say that in the House of Commons there were, and I have no doubt will con tinue to be, many English and Scotch members who arc really anxious for our welfare. (Cheers.) Espe cially, I always found amongst the representatives of the agricultural districts of Great N. - Hain the greatest • sympathy with the agricultural pop ulation of Ire land. When during last session and the session before I moved resolutions expressing regret at the decline of our population, and calling on the Govern ment to adopt means for giving employment to the People, 1 found the county members voting with me. The same party that .supported the policy of Lord Georg e B entinck nearly twenty years ago is be seen . in Parliament, and is to this day animated with the same just and g enerous spirit, and the same sincere desire for the advancement of Ireland. (Loud cheers.) You have enabled me to carry some measures which have already proved to be most beneficial. I may, perhaps, be pardoned for alluding at such a moment as this to my w l a bours—(cheers) —but it is due to you, my friendson and supporters , that I should do so. Five or aim years ago the mortality of the orphans and deserted children in Irish workhouses was a great scandal and reproach to the country. When, during my 1 canvass, I called at one of the workhouses in this county, the master said, " Formerly 90 per cent. of these little infants died ; now, s ince your law has been brought into operation, they are reared up as healthy children, well conducted, and morally trained." The law to which the master referred was one I proposed, and succeeded in passing, after re peated divisions, by which these little children are now reared out of the contaminating influences of the workhouse, not only to their own physical and moral advantage, but also to the benefit of the rate payers, for it has been proved that the cost of bringing up the children outside is actually less than the cost of rearing thenl within the walls of -the workhouse. That, I venture to assert, was a useful measure—(cheers)—and I am not the less proud of it because it immediately concerns those who most need protection, the destitute and deserted. (Cheers.) It was my fortune to be able to carry other practical amendments of the law, with the details of which I need not trouble you now ; but I will only repeat that whatever I have accomplished in that way is the result in the first instance okyour generous con fidence in me. In referring to another subject I (1° so because it is of some importance to every young man in the King's County, and to my young countrymen generally. Every year the ministers gave away thousands of government ap pointments. They dispose of them, almcst univer sally, through the various members of Parliament who vote for the Government ; and the members of Parliament dispose of them amongst their own sup porters. This system of parliamentary corruption I have strenuously opposed. (Loud cheers.) I have opposed it for two reasons—first, because it corrupts members and electors, and, secondly, because it de prives many hardworking young men of those fair chances of succeeding in life to which all should be entitled. (Cheers.) No one who has not undergone the ordeal of an election canvass can fully appreciate the debasing but, at the same time, most powerful influence of this corrupt political patronage. No one who has not watched the division lobbies of the House of Commons can estimate its equally danger -1 ous and disgraceful influence upon the repreienta tive. (Cheers.) Mr. Brand, the Government whipper-in for divisions, is called the " Patronage Secretary of the Treasury." The whole system is unblushingly dismayed. Any one who knows how the Whigs attempt to govern Ireland will under stand how sore they are upon this question of patro nage, and why Lord Palmerston opposed so vigor ously my effort to expose and remedy the evil. I moved for a select committee to inquire into the expediency and justice of doing away with this system, and of throwing open to free public compe tition those numerous Government appointments. Lord Palmerston spoke with great energy against my motion ; his colleagues supported him, but the House of Commons supported me, and the Govern ment was defeated. In that committee I carried a resolution affirming the principle of open competition for all. Since then the Government have done their best, to prevent the decision of the committee from coming into effect, but I have every hope that the new Parliament will ratify and enforce the resolution that I carried. When young men who have indus try, talent, and ambition—and every young man ought to have an honourable ambition to advance himself—(cheers)—l plead guilty to being moved by that ambit:in myself—(cheers)—l say that such young men, and there are many in Ireland, will then have a fair chance. They will no longer have to rely upon the influence of an M.P., or of some man of rank ; they will no longer have to be going, cap in hand, soliciting a nomination, to some Govern ment supporter, but they will be able to start for the race themselves, with a fair field and no favour. (Loud cheers.) I say this question is peculiarly an Irish one, not only because we have been made the victims of Whig patronage and corruption, but be cause in such of our competitions, as far as they have gone, Irishmen have been remarkably successful. It is not for us to be boasting of the talent of Irishmen, but it is a fact now well established that in the com petitions for the medical and civil appointments in India the Irish candidates generally beat the Scotch and English candidates. (Cheers.) Before leaving this subject I may be allowed to remind you that at the close of the session before last the Government brought in a bill to abolish this open competition for medical appointments in India. The Government wanted to get hold again of the patronage for their own object, and they did not conceal the fact that a very inferior set of professional men couldbe selected. In the interest of my favourite subject, open com petition, and in the interest likewise of the medical profession, I opposed the bill. At first the Govern ment beat me ; but I attacked the bill at every stage, the majorities of the Government grew smaller and smaller, and at length, upon the third reading, I threw out the bill by a majority of two. (Loud cheers.) In pointing out the neglect of Irish inte rests by the Government I asked for some fair share of the imperial expenditure in Ireland. This the Government always refused. Something, however, is being done in that direction, but we have not to thank the Government ; and as I was very much mixed up in the matter to which I allude I may venture to say a few words upon it now. I refer to the establishment of a royal dockyard at Cork. (Loud cheers.) The Corporation of Cork sent me a resolution of thanks for my efforts in obtaining the decision in favour of Cork, and I venture, on behalf of my fellow citizens, to tender that vote of thanks now to the King's County, for without your and I should have been powerless. (Loud cheers.) Some people have whispered that I did this for my own city, but I am sure the King's County did not grudge the time I gave to Cork harbour—(cheers) —for believe me, whatever good it does there, it will be felt in other parts of Ireland likewise. (Cheers.) I have had some share in the labours of those who kept the Canal in the King's County. (Cheers.) I have done something for those who are concerned in the Shannon. I have been one of the members who prepared the Drainage Bill. My name was on the back of that bill ; I worked on the committee to which it was submitted ; I had during its progress through Parliament a constant correspondence with the leading persons in this county interested in the subject of drainage, and I venture to take some credit to myself for what has been done on that subject ; and, let me add, it is a subject of vital moment to the King's County. (Loud cheers.) To turn from such questions to those of wider range. I have not forgotten that Irishmen take an interest in foreign affairs, and I have associated the name of the King's County with the vindication of an oppressed and gallant people —a people whose sufferings touch the hearts of all, and whose courage and national devotion are the admiration of mankind. (Loud cheers.) And here at home I have pursued a policy of which no man need be ashamed ; I have broken no pledge—. (cheers) —I have offended no class ; I have en deavoured to unite and to conciliate. (Cheers.) He is the friend of Ireland whose policy brings together the gentry, the clergy, and the people. My public policy has had that effect—l proclaimed it in 1859, and from it I have never deviated. (Cheers.) Even if I were really at the foot of the poll, and that this declaration to-day by the sheriff was a valid election (which you are aware I deny) I could still point to the triumphant majority of Mr. King as an evidence of the progress of my policy. (Cheers.) Since the Union no Irish landlord with such principles as those held by Mr. King has been re turned by such a constituency as this. His over whelming majority marks an era in Irish elections. (Cheers.) I congratulate him, and I congratulate you. I believe he will be a credit to his country, and in giving him such an united ovation his county has sot an example to Ireland. (Cheers.) One word more only about myself. I repeat, I never can be sufficiently grateful to the King's Covuty—l thank especially the barony of Garrycastle—l thank the clergy of all denominations, the gentry, and the noblehearted people of this county. Had Ino other object in doing so but to maintain my connection with so many valued friends, I should keep my pro mise of proving, as I shall do, that I have had a majority of votes at this contest. A vote of thanks was then passed to the high sheriff, and the proceedings terminated. EXCESS OF ZEAL.—We take the following from 1 the Japan Herald of the 29th of April An 1 , affair that lately occurred in our usually quiet harbour has , given rise to a good deal of merriment ashore, in which we should be inclined to join were it not for the serious results that may be apprehended. :It appears that, on Wednesday morning, asigual wasmade from 11.8.M.'s ship Conqueror that " her boats -were about to attack H.B.M.'s ship Osprey, and that the latter must defend herself." Accordingly, the boats of the Conqueror being lowered, about 150 men were ordered into them. On reaching the Osprey they received the command to fire blank cartridge into her, and attempt to board. The Osprey literally defended herself ; and the boarding party was opposed so vigorously that several of them sustained very severe injuries. Rumour, indeed, had it that one man had died o f f his wounds ; but, on inq u i ry on board, we find t hat this is a mistake. An official investi gation ot yettook p l a ce on Thursday, the r es ul t of which has n transpired. It is stated that the co mm ander of th e In isputable Remedies. —In oFrZieezdNeTd.litisiiit the use 's Ointment and Pills. — Indisputable of these medicaments • must always do good—both shou l d n g t h er e andnee d purifying b e n o hes i tation pr ope e r s o u ll b t ofli o in f od t w h t l y i Ip•ei lacecp o r l e i p an inr e h tvi e oe a l ur ysi hitoduissephlaoylds.inTrheelioeirg,ohnetasltiannod, of bad legs they most inveterate sores, ulcers, and in c a ses stands and unr i valled thoroughlyfortchuerifnagcil:htye ac an t d a w s oauclhdahrmav,easlostt theirhou l d im s will testify amputation testifywhotbletdfo them, admirable medicine. The pills, by stimulating, and regulating every organ, greatlyassisttle punf re myeindigal virtues of this excellent ointment ; they cannot possibly do any harm, but will always do good when the printed direc tions are followed. ffiE 8151+4 ; I:4ONDON, MONDAY . EVENIN . O., JULY 81 .1i,365 SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. THE " SATURDAY REVIEW" ON LORD DERBY'S FATHER.---EXPENSIVE METAPHOR !—The Conser vative leaders can now estimate with some accuracy the exact cost of an unfortunate trope. A metaphor often goes a great deal further than an argument, and the majority of men are evidently much more powerfully affected by a figure or an illustration than by the substantial reasoning which it is meant to colour. Lord Derby, as an accomplished master of the whole art of eloquence, might fairly have been expected to know this, and as the respectable leader of a party he might fairly have been expected to profit by his knowledge. Everybody who has had any experience in discussion, even in private life, is aware that plenty of people who can listen with patience to a series of the most crushing argu ments, so long as they are advanced with gravity and deference, will be thrown into violent anger by a single jocose simile. In the case of large and im portant bodies of men this disposition is intensified. The offensive tropebecomes more offensive by being on the lips of all men, and it is soon felt too that the trope is a condensed and graphic expression of the orator's real sentiments. Nobody knows better than the author of " Coningsby" what is the worth of a cry, and Mr. Disraeli must have felt that the elaborate and pointed figure of the Muzzle was supplying his opponents with a far better cry than they could have devised by their own un assisted ingenuity. It is very hard upon the lieu tenant that a single metaphor of his reckless chief should have demolished the sublime structure which had been so artificially raised upon the mysterious base of Caucasian Catholicism. For six long years in the cold shade of Opposition he had cherished a becoming sympathy with the Pope, whom he no doubt looks upon as a brother in affliction, as he is only parallel in impotent perversity. During the whole of that time he had done all he could to win the sweet confidence of the Irish Ultramontanes, and at last he even tried to persuade them that no thing but a wise regard for their best interests could have induced him to vote against the Oaths Bill. He laid great stress on the sincerity with which he " honoured their ancient faith and venerable creed." With Mr. Whiteside and Sir Hugh Cairns by his side, Mr. Disraeli deserves sonic credit for having had the courage to go so far. He even said that, if the Roman Catholics considered that any reproach was laid upon them by the opening words of the existing. oath, he would not for a moment oppose their omission, though, parenthetically, he rather thought any feeling of this kind was of " a morbid character." The Pope himself could not reasonably ask more. Such fair speaking deserves a better reward, but Mr. Disraeli's evil star was, as it usually is, in the ascendant, and his three columns of argu ment and appeal and deep religious feeling were worse than nullified by one pungent metaphor in the mouth of his rash chief. With fatal complete ness the metaphor was worked out and polished until rhetorically it was faultless. When the last sentence was finished, the hearts of all Liberal whips and solicitors and electioneering agents must have rejoiced with exceeding gladness. " I am very much obliged to you, but I had rather " keep the muzzle on," was as welcome an inspira tion to them as " Our Young Queen and our Old Constitution" was to Taper and Tadpole. The eight seats which have been lost to the Conservatives in Ireland, unbalanced by a single gain in that country, are a striking and substantial proof of what rhetoric can do. The peculiarities of the occa sion make this especially provoking to the Opposi tion. They were on the point of reaping the fruit, which had been so long ripening, of the Italian policy of the Government. The support given to the impious assailants of the property of the Holy Father was supposed to have utterly destroyed the traditional ties between the Roman Catholics in Ire land and the Whigs. Indeed there is every reason for thinking that, if the Conservative leaders had not fallen blindly into the trap which Mr. Monsell set for them, their sanguine anticipations would have been fully realized. Solomon's proverb, however, that in vain is the snare laid in the sight of any bird, does not apply to the Conservative birds. Instead of giving the Oaths Bill the go-by as adroitly as they could, both Mr. Disraeli and Lord Derby did their best to make it one of the most prominent questions of the Session. They could not vote for it without offending the more fanatical of their Pro testant followers, nor against it without offending the Roman Catholics. In either case they were in a difficulty ; and their delicious skill and thrice ad mirable- tact were shown by Mr. Disraeli making a speech that was sure to annoy all the staunch Pro testants, and by Lord Derby working out a trope that was sure to outrage the feelings of all the stanch Catholics. Such be thy gods, 0 Carlton ! THE " EXAMINER" ON THE ROAD MURDER.---COB stance Kent is sentenced to death without the ver dict of a jury. There was no finding, for there was no searching. The prisoner was her own accuser, declared herself guilty, and the Judge thereupon ordered the plea to be recorded, and proceeded to pass sentence of death. There was thus, in fact, no trial. The only evidence was the evidence of the prisoner against herself, which was accepted as con clusive and decisive. It seems to us that, according to all the principles of jurisprudence, Constance Kent's accusation of herself should have been tried just as if Constance Kent had been accused by an other, and evidence should have been called for and examined to see whether the self-crimination was or was not corroborated by circumstances. This would have thrown light upon the method of the crime, a knowledge of which is always for the interest of jus tice. As it is, all is left in darkness. The seal of confession has, indeed, closed up truth against jus tice, as the priest's lips against disclosure. We all know that there is a sort.of mania for false confes sions, and without meaning to say that the confes sion of this convict falls within the number, we hold that it ought not to have been accepted without the severest scrutiny. As we have • said before, we rather believe in, it than not, but it: is possible, though barely possible, that it may be.the fancy of a diseased mind, or an invention for a purpose to which we shall presently advert. The truth of her whole statement, as conveyed by her counsel, we do not believe. She denies that she was goaded to her crime by any unkind treatment in her home, where, she declares, she met with nothing but tender and forbearing love. The object of this avowal seems to be to aggravate her guilt to the utmost, and to make the • foul, unnatural murder appear absolutely motiveless, a fiendish caprice. But there are many persons who know that, whether with cause or without cause, Constance Kent was unhappy in her home, and thought she had reason to complain of her treatment. And for this she had the sympathy of the neighbourhood. That sym pathy might have been given on mistaken grounds, for there is always some prejudice against a step mother's rule, but, be that as it may, it was believed in the vicinity that Constance Kent had undergone oppression and humiliation, which had goaded her to her cruel act of vengeance. And when this opinion prevailed in the neighbourhood, the eager ness for the detection of the criminal declined. To believe that a girl of sixteen could have deliberately committed this detestable crime without 'any venge ful motive, and in return for tender and forbearing love, is to believe something utterly out of human nature. In very unnecessary efforts to deepen the dye of guilt much stress has been laid upon the sus picion under which the convict's father fell and suf fered for many years. But is it quite fair to assume that the girl living out of the world knew anything of that suspicion.? And here occurs a supposition far from credible certainly, but not to be pronounced impossible. Suppose this confession a device to de liver the father's character from the cloud that has hung over itsince the murder. Suppose the daughter sacrificing herself to restore her father's fame and lost place in society. Mark how much it would do for him, for it would not only rescue him from an unmerited odium, but it would give him a claim for all the reparation society could make. The _hypo thesis will be said to be to the highest degree improbable ; be it so, but to the highest degree improbable also is the crime confessed. And by the issue of the proceedings in the Criminal Court, to which the name of trial cannot with any fitness be given, we are left in a wide sea of conjecture open to all imaginings. To one conclusion only we can confidently come, that the statement made by Con stance Kent's counsel, as authorised by her, is not all true. She may be guilty, but not guilty with every motive for innocence. Her obvious object has been to criminate herself to the utmost in order to acquit her family to the utmost. We see a very significant circumstance supplied to the report of what passed when the judge was passing sentence. In dwelling upon the bad passions which had led to the crime, the judge mentioned jealousy, upon which Constance Kent interposed, not jealousy. Now what ground had the judge for specifying the bad passions to which this crime could be attributed? He had nothing judically before him but the indict ment for murder, and the prisoner's plea of guilty. There was not a circumstance, not a tittle of evi dence before the Court, to indicate the motives of the crime, or the bad passion to which it might be referred. All was wanting that should belong to a conviction. And in his difficulty the judge had to place Constance Kent through certain bad passions of which the Court had not a jot of evidence in the possession of the Evil One. In the indictments of former times judges were saved the trouble of citing this agency, for the crime was always laid to the instigation of the Devil. The commutation of Con stance Kent's punishment to penal servitude for life is what every one was prepared for, and if, as re ported, her destination is Western Australia, that is an additional mercy ; for in a prison of her own country her punishment would be more keenly felt, well educated as she has been, and nurtured far . „ above the average lot of female convicts. Perhaps, at some distant day. another confession will come to light. THE " SPECTATOR" ON THE POSSIBILITY OF RE FORM.—Are we to commence at once another thirty or forty years of steady progress, removing disabili ties, soothing hatreds, forming alliances with our colonies, linking Ireland more strongly to the Em pire, assisting in the emancipation of other European races, or are we to waste another six years in a sterile contest about the principles of motion, the distribution of power, the munber of revolutions which can safely be made per minute and all the other primary data of political mechanics ? Are we to begin the battle in thorough condition, or only to chatter angrily about the true principles on which training should be conducted ? Tadpole and Taper say we are ; we say we are not ; and we will give them the benefit of opening the case. Their argu ment, if we understand it, is contained in the an cient joke that it is a shame to fritter away one's money in merely paying one's debts. It is a pity, they say, to fritter away so splendid a majority in passing a bill which will either bring it to an end or render it unnecessary. That majority if wisely used . may accomplish very great things—things which even Tadpole and Taper wish to see accomplished, changes in administration, in the law, in our colo nial relations, in the organisation of the huge club which practically rules the army. It may enable us to complete the scientific adjustment of our finance, by applying sound principles to local, as we have already done to imperial taxation, may raise mate rially the condition of the poor ; may even, as the speakers confess with a shudder, help to get that in terminable ecclesiastical question out of the way. If it does none of these things, it will at least secure to the party a long and easy tenure of power, avert divisions, tide the country over the chasm between Lord Palmerston and Mr. Gladstone without any Tory interregnum, and generally make the lives of all Whigs very pleasant to themselves. Above all, it would make the Government strong qua Govern ment, as a power which is not only to exist but to act, to urge, and lead, and restrain—by no means an unimportant point. Government has of late been a little weak, a little apprehen sive of interests, a little afraid of giving oppor tunities y controversy, perhaps even a little blind to" the necessity of maintaining order, as in the lax proceedings in Belfast, and the reluctance shown to keep the skeleton of Convocation strictly chained in its tomb. All these advantages are to be thrown away, and for what? For a measure which, so far as Tadpole and Taper can see, the country does not demand. There is argument in the press, but it is reasonable argument, not denun ciation ; there are no meetings, no subscriptions, no monster petitions, nothing anywhere which can fairly be called agitation. A few members have been unseated for not being distinct enough in the cause, but so have a few members for not being clear upon the malt tax, a few moderates have given place to men of stronger opinions, but at least as many Radicals have been unseated some what unceremoniously. How are the Lords to be made to pass a Reform Bill if the country will not stir? yet a rejected Reform Bill, if brought on in earnest, involves a dissolution, and so also does one which has been accepted and passed. Mem bers will only be savage at the idea of facing their constituents so soon, and the long expected defection of the Liberal Conservatives will probably take place with that for its excuse. There is force in all these arguments, more particularly the last, but public opinion inclines, we believe, nevertheless to the replies. In the first place, the argument for de lay, based on the value of the existing majority, implies that it is a homogeneous whole, a body of votes which can be relied on even when there is no central idea to hold them tightly together. It is nothing of the kind. There has been no personal cry in these elections to bind the party together, for though Lord Palmerston has been defended, they are Tories who have defended him ; and though Mr. Gladstone has been praised, the whole body have not heartily assisted in the laudation. The party is not a strong staff, but a bundle of staves by no means all round or square, though held together by a common desire to advance instead of standing still, by a common resolve to oppose reaction, by a common fear lest a Tory Government should, on some one point or other, America, or France, or finance, or the Church, take some retrograde step. The pivot round which its common ideas revolve has been the question of Reform. There is scarcely a Liberal in the country who has not expressed in some form or other, in a greater or less degree, a willingness to admit a new class within the pale of the Constitution, the single difference being the width of the door to be made. If this pivot is taken away the machine must cease to revolve, and it will be taken away, if for the second time Par liament declines or neglects to recognise the neces sity of new fastenings. The Radicals alone can lock the whole machine. We all talk very plea santly, and in one way very truthfully, of the im meme majority the Government have secured, but what is that majority worth if Mr. Bright, and Mr. Forster, and Mr. Stansfeld, indignant at broken pledges, and aware that the one Minister they care for is in opinion on their side, walk out on the next great division with their following at their heels ? The majority will not be able to accomplish much after that, even of its ordinary work, will certainly not be able to secure to the departments pleasant or easy lives. These men are in earnest, and there is no American question now to keep them, like con scripts, willing or unwilling, still obedient in the ranks. The Government would be driven on every serious emergency to renew the policy of last ses sion, and look to its opponents as a reserve, a course fatal not only to progress, but even to the strong Government Tadpole and Taper love. E very in terest would be dangerous, and a new idea merely a ladder to facilitate hostile escalade. Mr. Gladstone would be paralyzed, and every other _Minister, except Sir Charles Wood, who sits in the pleasant shelter of a mound of popular ignorance, would be compelled in self-defence to proclaim a policy of quiescence. Any corporation would be too strong for the Government, any com pany too formidable, any clique, even the reduced band of Ultramontanes, too dangerous to be slighted, and every improvement would be clipped, and pared, and mutilated, to avoid a factious opposition. The great majority would be useless, and when Lord Palmerston gave up the reins Mr. Gladstone would be compelled to appeal to a constituency weary of watching year after year the Liberal waste of power. Even therefore on the party ground, we believe that it would be safer to introduce a well considered, moderate bill, a bill based on information collipted during the recess, a bill which could be carried with out resistance, more especially if it were not followed by an immediate dissolution. Why should it be fol lowed ? The workmen who have waited so long would, once their object had been secured by law beyond all chance of revocation, wait patiently for another year or two, and every other class professes that it is already represented. The argument that the House would no longer represent its own con stituency is not an argument, but only a reminis cence of 1832, of the time when a few great families possessed a clear majority in a House in which they now seat rather less than a fourth. If the bill is a wise one it will make no such change as to throw electors and constituencies out of rapport ; it will take one session at least to pass, there must be time to register, and opportunity given to reorganise, and in the interim Parliament can go about its daily work as placidly as at present. The Govern ment would at all events not be weaker than it will be if the earnest Reformers split off in disgust from the majority which at this moment inspires it with such-hope. THE " OBSERVER" ON INFANTICIDE.—From the days of Moses, -who, as an infant was exposed by his parents in an ark f bulrushes, with the hope of saving him from a more certain death, to the pre sent day, infanticide has not been an uncommon occurrence. It was a usual thing for certain ancient nations to expose on the highway or river's bank those infants they could not support, and a benevo lent country took charge of them. The most whole sale act of infanticide on record was committed in 1772, in which year a woman was executed at Lis bon for the murder of thirty-three infants committed to her charge. it is hard to believe that such a barbarian, especially in a female shape, should exist in the nineteenth century, but a reference to the re port of the law proceedings in the Western Circuit during the past week will show that a something (we canot call her female), named Charlotte Win sor, has made a business of " putting by" the chil dren of women to whom they were an encumbrance or a shame. Charlotte Winsor is charged with the murder of the infant of one Mary Jane Harris, and the latter, in giving her evidence against the infamous woman, relates one of the most extraordi nary stories ever told in a court of justice. The mother of the child swears that " indeed she wished it to live," but that the prisoner had so " filled her mind up" that she was actually present when the poor infant was slaughtered. Three distinct cases, besides the one before the court of " putting children away," were sworn to by Mary Jane Harris as having been confessed to by the prisoner, and these were spoken of in such a way as to lead to the inference that child murder was made a regular trade by Charlotte Winsor, the remuneration or blood money varying from £3 to £5. The past week has also witnessed the trial of a married woman for the murder of her female child (suggested on the part of the prosecution to have been illegitimate, although no evidence was produced to prove it), which resulted in a verdict of " Not Guilty ;" and the trial of a girl under 20 y " e a G r u s i l o t f y , a ” ge forwwith c c e six w a e l m e k e s n , m of pr b ig irt on h m , a en sentence a r o d f labour, being passed upon her. Scarcely a week passes but that in the pollee or law outs Peparti may be found a case of child murder, or its milder form, concealment of birth ; and the cases which come under public notice mustbe but a tithe of those which actually occur. Yet how is the crime to be prevented or cured? The fear of punishment, be it never so heavy, would not operate on the mind of a wretched girl who, having the will,has no diffi culty in accomplishing the means of not publishing her disgrace to the world. It is a most delicate subject, and one worthy of the attention of philan thropists and students of political economy. We cannot hope to eradicate vice from our country, but I it is possible to render vice so hateful and so difficult to follow that virtue would be preferred. An asylum for deserted children, after the manner of the ancients, would perhaps be of benefit. As bear ing somewhat upon this subject, we may allude to a question which has been recently 'mooted, more prominently in Marseilles than else where. Does the present extravagance, espe cially in personal adornment among females, discourage men from marrying ? Two or three seasons back it was suggested by a correspondent of the Times that no man with an income of less than £3OO a year should think of marrying. We fear that time has made the case rather worse than better, and that extravagant habits and notions are in creasing not alone in the female sex, but also among the males. Luxuries are now so easy of attainment, and the life of a single man, especially in London, is so full of charm, and so wanting in the cares and anxieties which form part of the married life, that we cannot wonder that Ccelebs should linger in a state of bachelorhood,when he sees of what stuff the wives of the present day are made. Over education may have something to do with this. Girls now-a days are not brought up to spin and work as their grandmothers were. Sewing machines and patent domestic utensils have changed all that. Middle class society, too, does not seem contented with its lot, but must have its box at the opera, house out of town, and summer visit to the Continent, as well as those to whom formerly those privileges were reserved. And this alteration in the tone of society must necessarily affect the condition of the young women. They cannot spin, to toil they are afraid ; so, unless their parents can during their lifetime provide for them by marriage or otherwise, they must come to grief. The governess market has been long overstocked ; now one can get a governess, with accomplishments not dreamed of fifty years ago, for less than you pay a footman who can scarcely spell his own name. All this may have something to do with that immorality which every day becomes more painfully apparent. A remedy Must be found, or England will lose its character for the purity as well as the beauty of its women. THE "ARMY AND NAVY GAZETTE" ON BIG AND LITTLE ANCHORS.—The late Mr. Brunel, the de signer of the Great Eastern steamship, had such mammoth ideas in reference to all that concerned his gigantic conception that he actually ordered anchors of 15 tons weight to be hung at the bows of the vessel. Mr. Brunel, who doubtless arrived at his deductions from taking the Admiralty anchor as his model, the weight of which is calculated in proportion to the amount of tonnage it is called upon to hold, would now, if alive, be surprised to find that the big ship has been held in the impe tuous tideways of the Mersey and Medway, and rode out in safety the furious gale which destroyed the Royal Charter, by a comparatively small " Trotman," which, ex its iron stock, weighed 5 tons 11 cwt. 201 b. When the Great Eastern got under way lately at the Nore, the Special Corre spondent of the Times paid this anchor a graceful and deserved compliment. We may add, that from the moment the Great Eastern was launched up to the present time, she has had no other anchor in use. Notwithstanding this, and that the royal yacht, the Victoria and Albert, depends even when she has a precious freight on board, on the holding powers of her " Trotman," the Lords of the Admi ralty persist in stating that the anchor is unsafe. There is no logic in this statement. If the anchor is dangerous,why, in the name of all that is reasonable, is it portioned out to that vessel specially reserved for the use of the Sovereign ? The fact carries contra diction with it. If, however, anything is wrong with the ground tackle of the yachts of the Tycoon of Japan, the Emperor of the French, the Emperor of Russia, the Pasha of Egypt, the Pope, or of Prince Jerome, the Lords of the Admiralty will be indirectly blamed, as all the distinguished indivi duals named were probably induced, when ordering their anchors, to argue that what was good for the Queen of England would be equally so for them. The question is essentially a public one, as Mr. Seely, when he made his successful onslaught on the Go vernment, asserted that the nation was paying for its anchors 50 per cent. more than was necessary. This may at the first glance appear to be a haphazard statement; but it should not be so regarded, as by the employment of the patent and improved anchor a great portion of weight may be dispensed with. For example, the established anchors supplied to the Black Prince and Warrior, of 6,109 tons, and to the Achilles, of 6,121 tons, weigh 5 tons 12 cwt., ex stock, or a trifle heavier than the one by which the Great Eastern, of 22,000 tons, has ridden out gales of wind and even hurricanes. We leave this exercise in the rule of three to be worked out by the mathematicians at Whitehall ; and if they are un equal to the task, we would suggest that they should be handed over to Dr. Woolley, at his school at South Kensington. COUNTRY MARKETS NOTTINGHAM—SATURDAY. The show of wheat at our corn market to-day was mode rato, and tho attendance was limited. The demand was slow at 1s .per qr..deeline. Little barley on offer, an d sales were made at last week's rates. O a t s in moderate request and supported their previous value. Beans scarce and firm in price. Old white wheat, 44s to 48s ; old rod, 40s to 44s ; neW white, 44s to 48s ; new red, 39s to 44s per 36 stone. Bar ley, new malting, 27s to 35s per qr ; old grinding, 26s to 28s ; now, —l3 to —s per. 30 stone. Oats, old, 25s to 30s new, 21s to-255 ; . old foreign, 22s to 26s per stone. Beans , old, 42s to 46s ; new, 40s to 43s per 38 stone. NORWICH-SATURDAY. The supply of wheat at this market to-day was rather more liberal than last week, and the weather being Yell fine the trade ruled dull at a decline of is per qr. ' b u t the farmers were reluctant sellers at the , reduction. In other articles little doing. Oats are scanty, and beans and peal; below the average. White wheat (weighing 631 b to 641 b), 48s to 49s ; red ditto (weighing 631 b to 641 b), 40s to 42s ; best malting barley (weighing .5.51 b to 561 b), 30s • to Ms ; runs ditto (weighing 541b.t0 551 b), 28s to 30s ; distilling ditto (weigh" ing 521 b to 531 b), 24s to 26s ; oats, 24s to 26s ;- beans, 31a to 39s ; peas (maple), 36s to 38s per qr ; flour, 26s to 3 4 ° Od per sack. YORK-SATURDAY. Accounts respecting the crops in this district are for the most part satisfactory. The supply of wheat at our mar ket to-day was fair for the season. Trade languid at 1% per qr. below late rates. Little barley showing, and price' unaltered ;no malting. Supply of oats meagre, and priceS stationary. New white wheat, 44s to 48s ; new red, 42s to 44s per 86 stone. Barley, for malting, -- sto —s per qr ; grinding, 27s to 28); per 30 stone. Oats, new, 22s to 24s per '24 stone- Beans, 38s to 40s per 40 stone. Malt, 58s ; rye, 28s per qr. Flour, 32s to 33s per sack of 2801 b. LEICESTER--SATITEDAY. The weather has been very hot during the week, and the crops are being pushed on rapidly. There was a better supply of wheat at to-day's market, and business was dull at:ls per qr. loss money. The supply of barley scanty, an d ,. prices remained much the s ame as l as t wee k. F or bean' late prices were sustained. Old white wheat, 42s to 46s ; old red, 38s to 43s ; nevV white, 45s to 49s ; new red, 42s to 44s per 36 stone. 1 341 7,, ley, malting, 32s to 34s per qr. ; grinding, 28s to 30s per 3' stone. Oats, old, 28s to 30s ; new, 22s to 27s per 24 stone. Beans, old, 43s to 44s ; new, 86a to 41s per 38 stone. DUBLIN.-FRIDAY. Few buyers in attendance, yet more disposed for buy'" ness, at reduced currencies for foreign wheat. Donau' slow for Irish corn, and receded Gd per qr. Old oat; scarce and in demand ; a few samples of new appe a red. 1 4 °, oa t m eal offering. Flour quiet, and buy ers l oo k f o rwara for lower prices. Currencies :—White wheat, 22s 6d to 24s 6d ; re d do., 20s 6d to 22s Od; grinding barley, 12s Od to 13s Od; malt ing do., 13s to 14s 6d ; white oats, 11s to 12s ; black do., 10s Od to 11s Od. Births. HAY.—On the 25th inst., at Edinburgh, the wife of Cart* A. C. Hay, Madras Staff Corps, of a daughter. LYLE.—On the 23d inst., at Dover, the wife of Captai Hugh C. Lyle, R.A., of a son. RAMSAY.—On the 27th inst., the wife of Geo. D. Ramsay' Esq., of a daughter. ROUTLEDGE.—On the 28th inst., at 35, Woburn-squar e ' the wife of Robert Warne Routledge, Esq., of a son. Marriages. PEPPER — PARKES.—On the 27th inst. at Christ Chur clf / Streatham, Frederi c k T. Pepper, Esq., of the Island (A Tyree, N. 8., to Anne, eldest daughter of Joseph Parl° 3° ' Esq., of Streatham-hill. SALVIN—DARLEY.—On th e 26th i ns t., a t th e par i s h euu rebo Catton, Anthony, eldest son of A. Salvin, Esq , Hawksfold, Sussex, to Emily Marianne, eldest dough of C. A. Darley, Esq., of Burton Field, Yorkshire. Deaths. BOWYEIL—On the 26th inst., at Botchwortb, Surron fir. Michael Bowyer, aged 70. MILLER.—On the 24th inst., at 146, Kentish-town-O A George Miller, Esq., aged 70. Monnis.—On the 26th inst., at The Lodge, Gvirbortt Cardigan, the Rev. Caleb Morris. RIPLEY.---On the 23d inst., at 11, Somers-place, Hyde-P ar/4 Edward Ripley, Esq., aged 28. NITATKINS.—On the 22d inst., at Killarney, Lieut.- 0011- Aral W. Watkins, late Madras Army, aged 71. co ,-. 1 4r0: London : Printed and Published by WILLIAILAND...„"'" 112. of No. 112, Strand, Painter, at Tnr. Sus office. N° 91 Strand, in the Precinct of the Sfivoy, in the W in " Bliddleoeiv—Monday, July 81, 1885. SUMMER ASSIZES. --o- WES TERN CIRCUIT, ExEnu, July 28, CROWN COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Keating.) THE TORQUAY MURDER. Charlotte Winson was indicted for the wilful murder of Thomas Edward Gibson Harris, at Torquay, on the 9th of February. Mr. Carter and Mr. Bore were counsel for the prosecution ; Mr. Folkard appeared for the prisoner; Mr. Prideaux and Mr. C. A. Turner appeared for a woman named Mary Jane Harris, who was removed from the bar and admitted Queen's evidence. _ _ _ In our impression of Saturday we reported the whole of the extraordinary case for the prosecution, and we now take up the case from that point. The medical men stated that their first impression was that the death was caused by exposure to the weather. The appearances were consistent with death having taken place within three or four days, or within 12 hours. There was nothing like decomposition. Snow would preserve a body for some time, and when the child was found it was the coldest weather of tho last winter. As Mr. Folkard said he should not call witnesses, Mr. Carter proceeded under the recent statute to sum up his evidence, urging that whether the death was occasioned by suffocation or by exposure to tho severity of the wea ther was of no consequence ; either was consistent with the evidence and the appearance of the dead body. It being 5 o'clock, Mr. Folkard begged his lordship to ad journ the trial until the following morning, as the evidence had come upon him nearly by surprise. He wished for time to well consider it, and in addition to this he felt quite ex hausted, and not in such a state as to be able to perform his duty to the prisoner. Mr. Justice Keating said in a case of life and death he could not refuse the application, although it would be at tended with the greatest inconvenience, as the jury must be kept in confinement all night. The trial was then adjourned. SATURDAY. Mr. Justice Keating took his seat at nine o'clock this morning, and the prisoner was then placed at the bar. Mr. Folkard then proceedodto addresstho jury on behalf of the prisoner. In the first place, he tendered his thanks to his lordship for the indulgence granted to him last night, an indulgence which he would not have asked had he not felt that the evidence was so voluminous and so extraordinary that it was his duty to read it over and give it grave consideration before he addressed them for his un happy client. He approached the case with considerable anxiety and apprehension, for, after they had heard the evidence yesterday by that miscreant Harris, they must stand aghast at the horrible revelation which she asserted' the prisoner had made to her. Let them stop for a moment to ask who was the person who came forward to make this charge.: She was a woman who came from beneath the very shadow of the gallows to save her own life by attempt ing to swear away that of another person by whose side she stood at the last assizes charged with the very same ofience herself. The circumstances were sufficient to jus tify him in asking them to be extremely cautious as to what weight they should attach to tho extraordinary state ment made by that woman Harris yesterday. He should ask them to advance step:by step:with the greatest care be fore they arrived at the conclusion that the prisoner was guilty of the crime with which she stood charged. They must recollect they were not trying the prisoner £pr any of the atrocities which Harris had asserted the prisoner had revealed to her, but they were to confine themselves to the consideration of the murder of this child, Thomas Gibson Harris. The woman Harris had sworn that she had only seen the prisoner once before the extraordinary conversation had taken place which she had related. She said that as they were carrying the child to the prisoner'shouse she, the witness, said to the prisoner that t here had been a child picked up. Why should Harris say that ? Why should she speak of a child having been picked up ? But she proceeded to say that the prisoner answered her by saying she had put one away for a girl for £3, but the girl had not paid her. If that statement was true, why did not Harris immediately run away from such a woman ? Why did she after that trust the child, her own flesh and blood, which she had told them she loved, and that she did not with any harm to come to it ? She had trusted her child with a woman who had revealed to hor such a catalogue of crimes as made ono stand aghast with horror, and had hired the assassin to take away tho life of her own offspring. The learned coun sel then asked what motive the prisoner had in taking away the life of the child. On the contrary, she had a direct inte rest in its living, for the prisoner was paid 3s. a week for its keep. But in the first place they must be satisfied that the child found was the child of Harris. He went through the evidence of Harris, which he urged was not to be be lieved, and he contended that, so far from being corrobo rated, it had in many instances been contradicted by many of the witnesses. They would recollect that a verdict of guilty could not be recalled, and that the prisoner, whose mouth was closed, must suffer the consequences of their verdict. Ho pressed upon them that without the evidence of Harris there was no proof against the prisoner ; that, as to the evidence of Harris, it was not worthy of their belief, and that there was so much doubt that the jury must acquit the prisoner. Mr. Justice Keating then summed up. No doubt upon a former occasion the approver Harris was upon her trial, and the jury were then discharged without giving a verdict. The prosecution had now considered it proper for the inte rests of justice to call that person as a witness, and she came before them no doubt in the position of an accomplice.. He would state what the law laid down as to the reception of the testimony of an accomplice. In point of strict law a j'iry might if they pleased act upon the uncorroborated testimony of an approver, but judges had always told juries, and so invariably told them so that it might practically be considered part of the law of the land that juries ought not to believe the testimony of an accom plice except that evidence was corroborated in some mate rial parts by untainted witnesses. It was not necessary that the evidence of the approver should be corroborated by untainted evidence in every particular, because if that was necessary there never could be any occasion for call ing an approver; but the rule in all these cases was that the evidence of an approver must be corroborated in some ma terial particulars, and if the jury were satisfied of that it was for them to say whether they would not receive the entire evidence as truth. That Harris stood in the position of an accomplice was beyond all doubt. Seldom had been heard such a revelation as that made yesterday by Harris. She had placed herself before them as the murderess of her child, and if the facts she had related had been proved by other witnesses, no doubt she would have stood in the same position as the prisoner, because they were acting in one common purpose in taking the life of that unhappy child; therefore beyond all doubt Barris stood in the light of a principal accomplice, and in that state in which the law called on the jury to see that her statement was corroborated iu some material particulars before they gave credit to her statement. if she was so corroborated, it was their province to say whether she was speaking the truth upon which they could rely. Ho should first call their attention to the evi dence given by Harris, and then direct their attention to the other evidence in the case, as to hciw far her statement was corroborated in any material particulars. The learned judge then read the whole of the evidence of Harris. Mrs. Gibson corroborated Harris as to the birth of the child. She had also seen the childat the prisoner's. She afterwards saw the dead body of the child, and she swore that that was the body of the child of which Harris had been delivered at herhouse. The next witness was Selina Pratt, a little girl only eight years of ago, the granddaughter of the prisoner.- She was a most important witness. She said she recollected the child being brought to the prisoner's. He was called Tommy. There was a wart on his toe. Then she said Harris came on the day in question. The prisoner, little Tommy, and Harris were in the kitchen. The prisoner sent her out to get some candles. She went back to the prisoner. Harris and the prisoner were there, but she did not see little Tommy. She was sent out again to get some buns. On her return Harris and the prisoner wore there, but not little Tommy. She never saw little Tommy again: On the next day she went with the prisoner to the qastle Inn. The prisoner had put some of Tommy's clothes into a bag,which she took with her to Harris's. They had previously been going along a road until the prisoner said that that was the wrong road, and turned back. She saw the bag next day empty. She asked the prisoner where Tommy was, and she said Mary's aunt had taken it away. She pointed out to the policeman the place in the road where they had been. (The suggestion on the part of the prosecution was that the prisoner had taken the body of the child in the bag, and had deposited it in the place where it was found.) The jury would con sider whether the evidence of this child was to be credited ; if they could rely upon it, it was a powerful corroboration of the statement of Harris. Then came other facts—the finding the body by the side of the road on the 16th of February, and its being taken to the po li c e-office. The weather was very cold, and there was sno w on the ground. Then Ford, the policeman, spoke to receiving the child. On Monday, the 20th February, he went to the prisoner's cottage, saw her, and asked her if she had not been keeping a child for Harris. She said " Yes." He asked her if it was there then ; she said " No, the aunt and mother had taken it away three weeks before." On the 23d February he again went to the prisoner and asked her how long the child had been taken away, and she said that day month. She described the aunt who had taken away the child. She was asked to describe the child, and she gave a description which was different in some respects to that given by other witnesses. He found four newspapers in the house, but not one of the 6th of May, in which the body was wrapped. Tho little girl pointed out the place in the road where she and the prisoner had been, and that was the spot where the body was found. When the little girl saw the body she said at once, " That's little Tommy." EdwardsAthe police sergeant, Bated that he had been to the house of the aunt of the pri soner, but there was no child there. He went to the pri soner and they bad a conversation, and the prisoner said, " I hope nothing has happened to it, pretty dear." She gave a description of the child, but said nothing about a wart. Vergo, the policeman, was called. He stated that on Fob. 22 Harris was brought in custody to the poliCe-office. The prisoner came there, but not in custody, and said she did think Harris had murdered the child ; her aunt had taken it away ; she should know the child among a thousand—it had a private mark, viz., a large flat wart on the toe (but Mrs. Gibson had said the re was no such thing, yet the little child had said there was a wart) ; it had been gone from her a month. She went to the cell where the child was ; she took up the right loot and said it was not the ohild, for it had not a wart on the toe. She then looked at the head and said it was not Mary's child. On another occasion Harris said to the prisoner, " Is the child mine ?" The pri soner said, " I can hardly tell you, ithas been dead so long; you will not hang me nor transport me, will you 2" Mrs. Wansey corroborated Harris as to her having asked permis sion to go out. The prisoner came to herhouse to see Harris, and she told her she was taken away in custody. She said she was sure the child was not Harris's, as the aunt had taken it away. M rs. Wansey corroborated Harris as to her having had ls. 6d. from her. She said that on Feb. 9 (the day of the murder) Harris had a holiday, as she said, to go to Exmouth. Mr. Stabb, the surgeon, and another surgeon stated that they saw the child on February 16 ; the stomach had food in it which had only begun to be digested ; the heart was congested ; there was no trace of poi son. They had first come to the conclusion that the death had been caused by exposure to cold, but the appearances were consistent with suffocation in the mode stated by Harris. The body was not decomposed, but that must have depended very much upon the temperature, and the weather at that timo was extremely cold. His lordship said that they would observe upon the statement of Harris that she was an accomplice, and the question was whether they thought she was speaking the truth. If they had a fair and reasonable doubt of the guilt of the prisoner they would give her the benefit of it, but if the evidence brought home to their minds the conclusion of her guilt they would not flinch from their daty, but bring in a verdict to that effect. . _ . . The jury retired at a quarter after 12, and returned at 35 minutes past 1. They then found the prisoner guilty of murder. The prisoner sobbed bitterly. Mr. Justice Keating then put on the black cap and ad dressed the prisoner—Charlotte Winger, you have been found guilty of the crime of murder—of murdering this poor little child you had under your care. It is true, quite true, that you were assisted in that murder by the mother of the child, but that can be no justification or afford the slightest excuse for the act you have committed. If the statement of Mary Jane Harris be true—and the jury, to whom is intrusted the province of deciding upon the con duct of every witness, have believed her—your case is one of most serious aggravation. It is to be feared you have on various occasions acted - in the same nefarious manner I that you have done in the present instance. I have no wish to harrow your feelings or to aggravate the horror of your present position by dwelling upon your crime, but it is my duty to advert to it for the purpose of warning you to re linquish all hope of mercy or commiseration. You showed no mercy to this unfortunate child, and you can expect to meet with none at the hands of justice. I would entreat you, therefore, to use the time that yet remains to you in endeavouring to seek for mercy where alone it is to be found, and I trust you may obtain that hereafter which you cannot hope for here. For me the duty only remains, that duty which is imposed upon me by the law, to pronounce upon you its sentence. The awful sentence of death was then imposed upon the prisoner, and she was led away in a pitiable state. Edward Osborne was indicted for forging an allotment ticket for the payment of seamen's wages. Mr. Sergeant Kinglake and Mr. Poulden prosecuted ; Mr. H. T. Colo defended the prisoner. From a vary long statement it appeared that the accusa tion against the prisoner was that of having forged or uttered an authority purporting to be that of Harriet Stewart for the payment of various sums of money which were appor tioned to her by her son-in-law, Edwin Stewart, who was an able seaman on board the Caledonia. The prisoner had been a sub-messenger in the pay-office in the Dockyard at Devonport, and was well acquainted with the mode in which -persons who were alloted a portion of seamen's wages ob tained payment. Harriet Stewart had an allotment for the payment of £1 ss. per month. She was in London from December to May. She had left her allotment ticket locked up in a chest in her rooms at Devonport. On the 11th of April, during the time Mrs. Stewart was in London, the pri soner went to the pay-office with an order purporting to be signed by Stewart, and there being a large crowd of people there waiting to be paid he said he was in a hurry, and a woman named Pearce, who was there, offered to got the money for him, and he produced a paper which he told her to sign, and he also produced a clergyman's certificate of the illness of Mrs. Stewart. Harriet Pearce wont into the office and produced the order, but the clerk said it was not properly filled up, and she must call the next day at two o'clock ; he returned her the papers and she gave them back to the prisoner, who asked her to come back the next day and get the money, as the poor soul was at home ill and wanted it. Harriet Pearce said as that was the case she would come, and accordingly the next day she went again to the pay-office and saw the prisoner, who gave her the paper again, and she went into the office and drew £5 for four months' pay, and she handed the money and papers to the prisoner, who gave her 6d. for her trouble. On the 15th of May Mrs. Stewart came home, and found her chest had been broken open and her allotment ticket gone ; shortly after "Harriet Pearce accidentally met the prisoner, who told her that the woman for whom she had drawn the money had been making a bother about it, and if any one called and asked her about it she must say she knew nothing about it. When Mrs. Pearce returned home she found a policeman had been there,land she went directly to the Police-office and told the whole story. It was shown that the son-in-law had in truth obtained the money. Mr. Cole made an ingenious speech on behalf of the pri soner, urging that there was no fraud, as in truth the man, who was entitled to his pay, had received the money. The highest character was given to the prisoner. The learned judge having summed up—one of the greatest questions was whether the prisoner intended to defraud, anti whether he had forged the document or uttered knowing it to be forged with such intention— The jury returned a verdict of not guilty. The Execution of Dr. Pritchard. In addition to the complete details of the execution ol this criminal, which we published on Saturday, a report from Glasgow states that after an interval of three-quarters of an hour Calcraft ascended the scaffold and prepared to lower the body into the coffin underneath. His appearance was the signal for a mingled burst of hisses and cheers, the lat ter ultimately prevailing. Either from indifference, or ex cited by the cries which greeted him, he lowered the body far too quickly, the result of which was that it came down with a crash, and broke the bottom of the coffin prepared for its reception. The body was immediately taken out and stretched on the ground by some of the joiners pre sent, who afterwards as speedily as possible repaired the coffin. While this operation was being proceeded with, Cal craft coolly entered the interior of the scaffold, and catch ing hold of the body by the back of the neck, something in the same fashion as a butcher would take hold of a sheep, lifted it into a sitting position, and after removing the straps which bound the arms took off the cap which covered the face. The countenance did not present any unusual ap pearance. Like the hands, it was ghastly pale, but there were no indications that the convict had undergone much suffering before death. Calcraft, after wrapping a hand kerchief, which he took from the inside pocket of the de ceased, round the lower part of the face, removed the straps which bound the legs. On removing the rope from the neck of the corpse, which was not, so far as we ob served, discoloured or swollen, he cut off a portion of it a little above the noose, and handed it to one .of the head warders of the South Prison, who received it without remark. Calcraft having put his straps into his pocket, turned to leave the interior of the scaffold. Bailie Wilson asked if he was done, to which he gruffly responded in the affirmative, and walked away, leaving the body lying on the ground. Tho coffin having by this time been repaired, some of the joiners, at the request of the bailie, lifted it into the shell, which was carried into the old Court-house, and through the trap into the room underneath, whore Mr. Bryson, of Edinburgh, Mr. Ewing, sculptor, and another gentleman, were in waiting for the purpose of taking a cast of the head for the Phrenological Society of Edin burgh. This was an operation which occupied about an hour, and while it was conducted no other person was present. We believe, however, that they took a careful phrenological measurement of Pritchard's skull, and are of opinion that the results, looked at from a phrenological point of view, harmonise with the facts which have been disclosed as to his real character. At the conclusion of thisprocess the coffin was closed, so as to be in readiness for interment at one o'clock in the flagged court-yard, the burial place of felons. It is part of the punishment justly due to Pritchard's crimes that no respect was to be shown to his remains ; and accordingly the rude deal coffin in which they were enclosed was de posited by four labouring men in the gra ve which had been dug for its reception, close beside that of Riley, the last T murderer executed in Glasgow. e corpse was laid in the grave or hole which was five feet in depth with the clothes on it which the convict had worn on the gibbet. Some little time elapsed before the hole was filled up and the flags were restored to their original place, but when this was done there was nothing to indicate what had just taken place. •••••••1!........."''"''111• MELANCHOLY SUICIDE AT ST. JOHN'S-WOOD. —An inquest was held on Friday evening by Dr. Lan kaster, at the Clifton Arms, Clifton-road, St. John's-wood, o on the body of Mr. Robert S me ting, aged 54 years, wh committed suicide by cutting his throat on Tuesday morn ing last. It appeared that deceased was a solicitor, and in very excellent circumstances. Latterly he had become de pressed and exhibited strangeness of manner. He was conducting a law case for some friends, and it so affected him that his nights were disturbed, and he got but little sleep. He was constantly expressing his intense sy M mpathy for those clients, and frequently asked his partner, r. Lydall, for advice relative to them, and also asked him to join with him in prayer. On Tuesday morning he went outside the house. After ringing the bell he returned up stairs, and immediately afterwards his wife found him in their son's room, bleeding from the throat. Mr. J. C. Whaley, surgeon, deposed to seeing d ecea sed lying on the bedroom floor, with a wound across his throat. Ho had divided the tongue and trachea. He could not speak, but groaned. Ho had no doubt the wound was inflicted with the razor produced, and by his own hand. The cause of death was the hemor r h ag e andsuff oca tion from blood going into the chest. The jury returned a verdi c t of " S uicide while in an unsound state of mind."