The Sun. — London, England, 1849-01-30 00:00:00

FRANCE. The National of Sunday gives the following account of the arrest of the officers of the Garde Mobile : " On Saturday General Changarnier summoned the commanding officer of the 25 battalions of the Garde Mobile to the Tuileries, to explain to them the mea sums about to be adopted with respect to a reduction 'of their corps. After some observations relative to the superior claims of the regular troops, he said, ' I am told that the Garde Mobile are dissatisfied, and that they propose to meet to-morrow in the Champs Elysees. Let them take care, if they stir I 'rill have them sabred. After some moments, clitring which the officers ob served the most profound silence, General Changarnier 'ordered four of the chiefs to be confined in the military prison of the Abbaye for one month. This order produced some remonstrances on the part of the officers, when the General rang a bell, and a detachment of gendarmerie entered the room, and seized the officers--one . of them, M. Alderige, who had joined Prince Louis .Napoleon when he landed at Boulonge, instantly drew his sword, broke it, and declared that he bad entered the service as a volunteer, that he would resign, and that, being no longer restrained by military discipline he would express himself in strong language on the conduct of the Ge m,_,ral. He was foTthwith sent off under a military escort to the Abbey°, and, in the course of the evening, four other Commandants, MM. Duseigneur, Arrigh, Bussac, and Cameru, were arrested and committed to the same prison." The Journal du Peuple announces that it was seized again on Saturday. It publishes an address to the people, beseeching them to abstain for the present from all species of manifestation, to avoid collecting in crowds, but to suffer their representatives to continue the course, they have commenced. It tells them that the safety of the people and o f th e R epu bli c d epen d s in their obedience. 'Precautions were taken on Saturday to prevent any disturbance on the re-appearance of M. Lhermi nier in his hall in the College of France. Troops were stationed in one of the courts of the college and in the neighbourhood, and patrols of cavalry were in the Place de Cambrai and the Rue St. Jacques. In the interior of the college a commissary of police and eighty agents were ready to take into custody those who should attempt a disturbance. While the professor delivered his lecture a few students at tempted to interrupt him, but they were seized and expelled. The lecture was continued without further disturbance. It was rumoured in Paris on Sunday, that M. Lher minier had resigned his professorship. Other ac counts stated that the Minister had dismissed him. Certain it is, that he is no longer a professor of the College of France. AUSTRIA. Smolka, who presided over the Austrian Diet, at Vienna, during the month of October, has been again elected President at Kremsier by a large majority. PARLIATWEN T iRY COMMITTEES. EXAMINERS' COURTS ON STANDING ORDERS. On Saturday this department of the Parliamentary business of fre - e-eaion was proceeded with, in Com mittee-rooms N(.s. and 26, the investigation consist ing of inquiries oh the part of Examiners appointed by the Speaker, as to whether the promoters of applica tions to Parliament in the ensuing session for railways, joint-stock, and other undertakings, had so far complied with the requirements laid down by the standing orders of the House as to entitle them to enter on the ulterior stages. There are two courts, as was the case last ses sion, the one presided over by the Chief Examiner, Mr. Smith, and the other by Mr. May, late librarian of the House. Both Examiners are barristers, and do what was formerly the work of eight and forty Members. Their sittings for this session are considerably earlier than in past ones, although the business before them is about one half its former extent. Indeed, it is fully expected that they will be able to get through it with facility before the middle of next month. The total number of petitions for Bills, set down to undergo the ordeal of inquiry, is 147, of which number sixty are in connexion with railways, the remainder being for works of a miscellaneous descrip tion, such as docks, harbours, and navigations, with plans for the internal improvement of the country. There are no applications for new lines. That for the Brentwood, Southall, and Pinner Railway, the object of which was to unite, by carrying a rail to those points, the Eastern Counties, Great Western, and North-Wes tern Railways together appears to have been withdrawn by the promoters, or, at any rate, it does not appear in the list before the Court; and the same may be said of two other new lines for which Parliamentary notices were given, namely, for a railway from Faversham to Chilham, and to fall into the South-Eastern Railway at the latter place, by a route of some ten miles; and the Belfast and Ballymoney Railway, to unite with the line from Belfast to Ballymena. The busi ness, therefore, mainly consists of applications for "amalgamations." These will form the chief fea ture of the railway legislation of the session, and from the important considerations involved, it is expected that the question will be referred to a higher tribunal, and that the Railway Commissioners will report to Parliament their views upon the subject. The majority of applications are for branches, exten sions, deviations, and abandonments of lines already granted. Of applications for amalgamation, lease, and purchase, there are upwards of twenty; and although the necessary Yarlireaentary notices were given by the London and North-Western, Great Western, and South- Western, of their intention to proceed with their pro posed amalgamation, there is no entry to that effect on the E xaminers' list, thus confirming the fact, already perhaps sufficiently well known, that for the present the projected alliance is abandoned. The generic feature of all the applications is that of future economy in constructive works, and of internal mutual arrange ment. Of the entire number there are not many of what are termed opposed cases. Amongst the applications are two in connexion with railways :n India. The notice of the East Indian Railway Company is " for making one or more railways in the East Indies" (incorporation), and the other runs as fol lows, " Great Indian Peninsular Company (registered provisionally), for making a railway in India from Bom bay to or near Conan, with branches or extensions to other places." Another noticeable application is one from " The Universal Railway Casualty Compensation Company," for insuring passengers in the event of acci dent. Of applications to Parliament of a miscellaneous character, there are 10 for water-works, 6 for improve ments of navigations, 6 for improved drainage, 5 for gas companies, 6 for docks in connexion with railways, 3 for insurances, 2 for iron companies. There is also a rather remarkable one for " the sale or lease of the Royal Pa vilion at Brighton," and for vesting its edifices, stables, coachhous , s, riding-houses, lawns, roads, pleasure gar dens, and appurtenances, the property of his late Majesty William IV., in the Queen's most excellent Majesty, her heirs and successors in fee simple, and as parcel of the possessions of the land revenues of the Crown, under the powers and authorities of the Lords Commissioners of Wcods and Forests. In order to facilitate the progress through Parliament of the various measures, and to save expense to the par ties, some ameliorative alterations hare been made in the standing orders. The most important one relates to the service of notices on owners and occupiers of land. For me ly it was necessary that every notice given by the railway companies for purchase of land for the line should be personally served upon the occupier; and the fixed professional charge for this was, in every case of service, 11.; so that, as was frequently the case in pre vious sessions, where 10,000 or 20 000 notices had to be served, the cost of this process alone was 10,0001. or 20,0001. In addition to this, in a multitude of cases there was the extra expense of sending clerks into the various counties, to Ireland and Scotland, and of the payment of their travelling expenses. Heretofore a notice sent through the Post-office was rejected as inadmissible, and as a non-compliance with the standing orders; now, however, by the 17th standing order, it is sufficient to forward the notices by post, in a letter registered by the Postmaster-General, the production of whose receipt and written acknowledgment of the party applied to, is to be sufficient evidence. It is estimated that some hun dred thousand pounds might have been saved to the rail way interest, and the public, during the last few years, had this simple method been adopted. Another amend ment is the abolition of the troublesome process of pre sentation to the House, by Members, of petitions, who were constontly besieged in th e l o bb y b y agents and others. Now the Private Bill-office is to be the recep tacle for all these petitions, and through this channel they will be brought before the House. The Examiners have already disposed of the following cases, illustrating the improvements proposed to b e effected in vario us parts of the country, and i n a ll of which the standing orders have been declared to be complied with : Alford and Boston Road. Shrewsbury and Chest er Railway (Dee branches). East Lothian Central Railway. Blackburn Waterworks. London Hospital Incorporation f o r incorporating and regulating the affairs of the London Hospital, and givin g further power to the Governors). Brierly Hill District Gas Company (for incorpo rating). Kingston upon-Hull Dock Company- New North Read (continuation Act). Surrey and Sussex Roads (Amendment of Act and alteration of tolls). Sunderland Dock Act and River Wear Commissioners Act (Amendment). Sheffield and Tinsley Road (Extension of the Tinsley and Doncaster Turnpike -road to Sheffield). Sunderland Waterworks. Ashton-under-Lyne Police, Markets, Improvement Acts, Extension and Amendment, and transfer of Gas and Waterworks, and other Property to the Corpo ration. Dublin, Ashbourne, Slane, and Drogheda Roads con tinuation. Nottingham Gas. Grimsby Corporation and Freemen's Arrangement. Dublin Consolidation, Improvement; Waterworks and Sewers. London Incorporation (for extending the right of voting at elections). Thames Conservancy. City of London Sewers (Incorporation of the Com missioners for Lighting with Gas the City and Liberties and authorising them to purchase the mains and pipes of existing companies). Eastern Counties Railway Company, and Newmarket Railway Company Amalgamation. Bury St. Edmund's Gas Company. Longton (Enlargement of Market). Epsom Rates. North-Western Railway (Extension of Lancaster Branch), Abandonment of Vililliamland's Branch, New road to Settle Station, Extension of Time for Purchase of Land, and Construction of Works. Kidderminster Union Tenements Rating. East Indian Railway Company for making one or more Railways in the East Indies (Incorporation). Bradford Waterworks. Lancaster and Carlisle (Railway from the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Lancaster to the Preston and Wyre Railway in the parish of Preston, with a Branch to Glasson Dock, and Amendment of Acts of the Lan caster and Carlisle and Lancaster and P:a ton Junction Railways). Division of 0.7.3 'Living of Richmond and Kingston upon-llamas, in the county of Surrey; Reading, Guildford, and Reigate Railway (Branch to London and South-Western Railway). The Examiners resumed their sittings yesterday. THE ATTEMPTED POISONING AT BRISTOL. On Thursday an exami na ti on o f H enry E vans , w h o i s in custody upon a charge of attempting to poison his wife, took place in presence of the sick wottati. The wife was sworn, and examined at some length, and, in addition to confirming the statement made by the policeman at the previous examination as to her husband having on Sun day last given her some pork over which a white powder had been strewn, she detailed the following facts: — About four or five months ago her husband came home one night, and brought home some liquor in a tin can, which he said was gin and beer, and asked her to par• take of it. She sipped it, and finding it had a very pe culiar taste, did not drink it. He poured some out in a glass, and she observed that, although quite clear on the top like water, it was at the bottom of a milky white. The next morning she asked him what he had done with it, and he said he had drunk some and thrown the rest away. Either on the 13th or 14th of December (a day or two after her confinement) she wanted gruel in the night, and he made her some. She did not like the taste of it, and told him it was not like what his mother or Mrs. Winter made for her. Site drunk about half a pint of it, and in about two hours afterwards was seized with violent vomiting and purging. She told him that should die if he did not call assistance. He said, "Per haps you will be better by and bye." Mr. and Mrs. Winter desired him to call a doctor, and he went and got Dr. Parker, who gave her a draught which relieved her. On Sunday the 14th of January he made ber some tea, and after drinking a cup violent vomiting came on. The witness was cross•examined for the prisoner, and admitted that she was subject to bilious attacks, but said that the sickness was not of so violent a kind. She also admitted that her husband and little boy drank tea poured from the same teapot, and also that he partook of meat cut from the same joint as herself. He was further remanded till Saturday. On Saturday last the prisoner was again brought up for final examination at the Council House, Bristol, charged with administering poison to his wife Hannah Evans, when some additional disclosures were made. Mary Ann Winter said she was the wife of Police• sergeant Winter, and she lived in the same house as the prisoner. The prisoner worked for his father who made coffins for the Clifton Union. Mrs. Evans had spoken in confidence to witness several times of the suspicions which she entertained of her husband. She mentioned to her about something which he brought home in a can. She said she would not taste it till he did, and he only took a very little, and it made him sick. On the 12th of last December Mrs. Evans was confined, and witness at tends d her. The next evening witness left her as late as twelve o'clock, and she was quite well then, and in re markably good spirits. About two hours after the pri soner came into her room, and asked her to get up. She asked what was the matter, and he made no reply. She went to the prisoner's room and found his wife in a most alarming state, with a violent sickness and purging. She sent the prisoner for Mr. Parker, the surgeon, and after he was gone his wife again stated her suspicions, and said he had put something in the gruel which he gave her between twelve and one o'clock. Mrs. Evans's general health before her confinement was good, but soon after she began to complain of numbness in her limbs, and then totally lost the use of them. When Mr. Parker came he asked to see the contents of her stomach, but they were thrown away. It was the prisone r who threw them aw a y, for she saw him returning with the empty vessel. George Winter, police-sergeant No. 77, took the plate with the meat to Mr. Herepath, and from what he heard Mr. Herapath say he took the prisone2 into custody. Witness searched him at the station-house, and found 1 the key of his workshop, which he then went and searched, and in a hole over his workbench he found an old cart saddle, and under this a paper parcel, which he opened and found to contain a powder similar to that on the plate with the meat. This parcel he took to Mr. Herapath, who said it was sugar of lead, a poison. Mr. Herapath, analytical chemist, sworn, said—On Tuesday morning the last witness brought me a plate, on which were some remains of cooked pork and pota toes. There was some white powder on it, which must have been added after the operation of cooking. On analysing it I found it to be a corrosive salt of mercury. This substance was usually sold under the name of white precipitate ; it was an irritant poison, and but seldom resorted to for purposes of secret poisoning. It was cal culated to injure extensively, and, in sufficient quantity, to destroy life. Francis Blakewaide deposed that he was an apprentice to Mr. John Buller Barge, druggist, No. 7, St. Augus tine's-parade. On Saturday morning last, about eleven o'clock, the prisoner came to his employer's shop and asked for a pennyworth of white " cippity" powder. He said "it was for the children's heads." Witness went to the dispensary and weighed him out one scruple. He put a printed label on it, on which was inscribed, " White precipitate—poison." The prisoner was committed for trial for feloniously and wilfully administering poison to his wife. Through out the lengthened examinatiot, he maintained an as pect of the most apathetic indifference RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. SOUTH YORKSHIRE, DONCASTER, AND GOOLE.—The South Yorkshire, Doncaster, and Goole Railway direc tors have adopted a rule, which is so excellent in princi ple, and so satisfactory to the shareholders, that we have no doubt, when generally known, it will be universally applauded, and we wish we could add, universally adopted. The directors have announced that the books and balance-sheet of the company for the half-year, will be open to the inspection of the shareholders fourteen days before, and one month after the said meeting. The di rectors invite investigation, and place every facility at the command of the shareholders, so that they may be prepared at the forthcoming meeting to put any question which they may think calls for a detailed answer. We have been astonished to see, that although the share holders of this company will soon be in the receipt of six per cent. on their outlay, that the shares, with 6l paid, are quoted at 30s. This is but another illustration of the unfairness of the constitution of the share mar ket. The shares are not to be bought at that price,. though holders may, if they are silly enough, sell as I many as they please at the share market quotation.— ' Railway Gazette. EASTERN COUNTIES.—It is confidently reported that Mr. Hudson will very shortly resign the chair of this company, and Mr. Waddington will take his place, Mr. Peto being called in to take the deputy chairmanship. The dividend, we believe, is not yet settled, the accounts from the other companies not being yet in ; but it is be• lieved it will not exceed 63. per share.—Herapath's Journal. YORE, NEWCASTLE, AND BERWICK.—THE TYNE DOCES.—The contract for the construction and com pletion of the York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway Company's Docks at Jarrow was let at York on Mon day, and obtained by Mr. Leather, of Leveuthorpe Hall, near Leeds. We understand that Mr. Leather's tender was something below 140,0001. EDINBURGH AND HAWICIL—WO understand it is de• finitively fixed that a pilot engine will proceed as far as the St. Boswell's station of the North-British Rail way in the course of a few days. It is also arranged that the line will be opened for traffic to the same station from Edinburgh on or about the 10th of Feb ruary.—Kelso Chronicle. THE WEATHER. The weather throughout the past week has been exceedingly tempestuous, and rain has fallen heavily at interval 4. The wind has been chiefly from the west, though it has paid occasional short visits to the south, south-west, and north-west. Yes terday was a raw and gusty day, with frequent heavy squalls from the north-west, accompanied by hail and lain. In the north the weather continued exceedingly boisterous.—Liverpool Albion of yesterday. FlRE.—About one o'clock yesterday morning a fire broke out in the provision warehouse of Morton, Son, and Co., Temple-court. The proximity tc, the fire engine-station was, of course, a:: advantage, and with the use of the reels alone, the flames -'ere soon extinguished. The warehouse was well stocked, we believe, and had not the fire been so promptly checked, the loss must have been considerable.-16id. We are happy to say that Sir John Gerard has quite recovered from his recent illness. The worthy Baronet was in Liverpool on Friday.—lbid. A VILLAGE DESTROYED BY FIRE .—PETER• BOROUGH, JAN. 26.—Last evening a fearful catastrophe befel the picturesque village of Green-end, near Sawtry, in Huntingdon, by the destruction by fire of nearly forty houses, nearly one-half of the place. About half past seven o'clock, flames were observed issuing from the premises in the occupation of Mr. Flanders, supposed to have originated by a spark falling from the chimney on the thatched roof. A furious storm existing at the time scattered the flames to the houses adjacent, which, on account of being thatched, ignited rapidly, and in an in credibly short space of time no fewer than twelve houses were in a blaze. The bulk of them being tenanted by poor farming labourers, it was most distressing to witness the poor creatures rushing about in a state of from most h o o f u them, s e to the house, flameswere unableextending to w al i m th os s t u d c i h str v a e c h ttin ty ; T ht to play into the destructive ele ment,engines were brou g ht cave any portion of their furniture or property. o ngtwenty wind. The tother sretill aga i nst o s t h ta e ti s o t n r were as quickly consumed. It was conflagration g b ra u t t io w n e buildings caught, twelve o'clock, a large number of l not checked till nearly spread noava its d e damaeed. Every exertion other premises being great ly the p rincipal inhabitants to and was made by the rector and p d to a state of desti b provid e th e un f or tunate poor creatures who had been burnt out o f th e i r h ouse s, and reduce titution, with temporary shelter and relief. A subscrip tion has been set on foot for their comfort. The actual amount of pr o p erty d estro y e d i s no t known. We regret to have to announce the failure of Messrs. Robert Eglinton and Co., a highly reap-stable East India firm. The liabilities of the house a year or two back must have been heavy, but a considerable reduction has since been effected in them, and it is un derstood they will not now prove large. During tho commercial crisis it was said Messrs. Eglinton and Co. received assistance from the Bank of England and the British Linen Company, and it is to a refusal from Scotland of a renewal of this aid, the term of which has just expired, that the necessity for suspension is at tributed. WORSHIP-STREET. ROYAL GENERAL ANNUITY SOCIETY. A general meeting of the subscribers to this charity was held at the London Tavern yesterday afternoon ; J. A. Robarts, Esq., in the chair. The report stated that there would be an election for Six annuitants, three males and three females, out of a list of sixty-one most deserving candidates. The direc tors had increased the payment of annuities to men from 1/. 12s. per month to 11. 18s., and to women from 11. 4s. per month to 1/. 75., and they ultimately expected to increase these amounts. 4881. ls. had been invested in the public funds since the last report, and the funded property amounted to 2,2421. ls. 10d., being an increase since 1844 of 1,842/. 6s. There had been an increase in the amount of annual subscriptions since last year of 1281. The directors stated that at a full meeting they had unanimously agreed to suggest the erection of an asylum for the aged annuitants, towards which they solicited the assistance of the subscribers. The report was received and adopted, and the officers of the society appointed for the ensuing year. It was then proposed that it was expedient to erect an asylum in connexion with the institution, and that a spe cial fund should be opened for that purpose. This was met by an amendment, which, however, was negatived. and the original motion carried. After the transaction of some other business, a vote of thanks was proposed to the Chairman, and the meet ing proceeded to the election of annuitants. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. OLD COURT. Henry Slape surrendered to take his trial for mis demeanour. Mr. Ballantine prosecuted, and Mr. Clarkson was For the defence. The prosecutor in this case was a horsedealer, named Samuel Lazarus Lawrence, and the charge against the defendant was that of having obtained three horses from him by false pretences. It appeared that the parties had had dealings together for horses in April of last year, and in July the defendant had purchased three at different times, for which he gave bills, all of which were dishonoured when they arrived at maturity. According to the evidence of the pro secutor, he was induced to give credit to the defendant upon his representation that he was the proprietor of omnibuses running from Camberwell to the Regent's park, and that the animals were required to work in his vehicles ; but, upon legal proceedings being taken to recover the amount of the bills, it turned out that the father of the defendant was the proprietor of the omnibus business, and that the defendant had no in terest in it; in addition to which it also turned out that he was a minor at the time of the transaction. The prosecutor, in his cross-examination, admitted that he had originally treated the matter as a debt; but, finding he could not recover his money by civil process, he resorted to an indictment before the grand jury; and it also appeared that upon one occasion he had agreed to accept a composition of 53. in the pound on account of his claim. After the prosecutor had been examined some com munication took place between the attorneys in the cause, the result of which was, that an arrangement was effected, and Mr. Ballantine withdrew from the case. _ The RECORDER said he thought the Learned Counsel for the prosecution had exercised a very sound discretion, and had only done his duty in taking the course he had. The Court, of course, would be no party to any arrangement that might be made between the prosecutor and the defendant; but, under the circumstances, he considered Mr. Ballan tine had acted quite properly in not carrying the case any further. The jury then returned a verdict of Not guilty. William Carter, aged 18, pleaded " Guilty" to three indictments, charging him with stealing pewter pots, the property of different publicans. From the statement of the constable who appre hended the prisoner, it appeared that he carried on a deliberate and systematic plan to plunder publicans of property of this description. Upon his being searched, six pewter pots were found, the bottoms of which had been cut out with a knife, sharpened for the purpose, and the remaining portion of the pots were flattened, and put under his shirt, and a strap was fastened round his body to keep them up. The pri soner, it appeared, had gone from house to house, and the pots found in his possession had all been stolen the same morning from the houses of different pub licans residing within a very short distance of each other. The RECORDBR ordered the prisoner to be kept to hard labour for nine calendar months. - .Kenneth Sutherland, 36, clerk, pleaded" Guilty" to three indictments, charging him with embezzling different sums of money, the property of his master, Charles Fisher Wace. _ _ _ Mr. BALLANTINE, who appeared for the prosecu tion, said that the prisoner was in the service of the prosecutor, who carried on a large business as a butcher in Newgate-market. The offence was com mitted in 1846, and, although there were only three indictments against the prisoner, he felt bound to in form the Court that the whole amount abstracted by the prisoner exceeded 2001. The prosecutor, how ever, had instructed him to state that, believing the prisoner had become mixed up with some gambling transactions, for which at that period there was un happily too much facility afforded, and as he had likewise given information to the prosecutor with regard to the extent of the depredations he had com mitted, and had, in fact, by so doing enabled him to prefer the present charge, he was anxious on these grounds to recommend him to the merciful considera tion of the Court. The RECORDER inquired how it happened that the charge had not been brought forward at an earlier period ? Mr. BALLANTINE said that the prisoner absconded, and they had only recently been able to take him. The RECORDER, in passing sentence, said that but for the recommendation of the prosecutor, the Court would certainly have felt it their duty to send him out of the country, and as it was he must expect to un dergo a protracted imprisonment, as an example to others in a similar position. He then sentenced the prisoner to be kept to hard labour for 18 months. James Brown, aged 22, pleaded " Guilty" to a charge of feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling house of James Francis Telby, and stealing three watches, the property of Joseph Toms. The prosecutor is a jeweller on Ludgate-hill, and it appeared that the prisoner, on the day named in the indietment, deliberately dashed his fist through a large plate-glass window and snatched out three watches, and was endeavouring to make off, when he was stopped by a policeman with the property in his possession. The RECORDER put some questions to the officers in order to ascertain if the prisoner was known, but no information could be obtained respecting him, and he refused to give any account of himself. He was sentenced to be kept to hard labour for 18 months. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. GUILDHALL. When Mr. Alderman Musgrove had nearly finished the business of the Court, a respectably attired female handed a letter in for his perusal, respecting the character of the man Jaques, whose case of attempted suicide was reported a little while since. The writer. who signed her name " Mrs. Rattray, of 17, Iron monger-street, St. Luke's," stated that Frederick Jaques had lodged in her house the latter part of 1847 and a great part of 1848, during which period she not only boarded, lodged, and washed for him, but recommended him to a tailor for a suit of clothes. For his board and lodging he ran up a bill to the amount of 71. 75., promising to pay as soon as he got a situation, and he likewise induced her hus band to become security to a loan society for 61., and left them to pay it ; but, in consequence of her husband, who is a baker, being out of em ployment and very ill till a short time since, they were unable to pay, and the society was now pro ceeding against them. Jaques obtained two or three situations, but never had the honesty to attempt to repay one farthing, After that he prevailed upon a female servant to lend him 201., with which he took an eel pie-house in Barbican, and, instead of being turned out by the landlord, he absconded, after selling some of the materials, and with the remaining portion of the money got married; and, lastly, excited the sympathy of the public in his behalf by what the writer considered a sham attempt at suicide. On Saturday night last, being short of money, and not wishing that her husband should go to prison, she called at Jaques's lodgings for the purpose of asking for a trifle of what was due, when she saw Mrs. Jaques, who refused to pay anything, and put her at defiance. Alderman MUSGROVE said he had no doubt, as the press had been the means of obtaining the money, the same facility would be afforded to give his true cha racter, to prevent further imposition. Mrs. Rattray, with tears in her eyes, said that she and her husband had relieved Jaques when they themselves were in want. It was therefore that, knowing his character, and seeing that he was receiving money from th e court, she came there on public grounds, as she considered benevolent indivi duals ought not to be further imposed upon. Alderman Muscuovx said he did not doubt for a moment that she had acted most kindly towards him, and had received a most ungrateful return. He was of opinion that in all cases of suicide the culprit ought to be tried by a jury, who should judge of his character and motives, and he also much lamented that charitably disposed persons did not send their contributions for the benefit of the poor-boxes of the different courts, when they would be dispensed pro perly, instead of for the use of individuals. The , Alderman considered Mrs. Rattray s conduct ver y creditable. He should order her ss. out of the poor box. nes M s, an d retired. Mrs. R r a e tt t ra e y d. thanke4 the Aldermen for hi s kind- John Flavin, a powerful fellow, who has been repeatedly in custody on previous occasions, was placed at the bar betore Mr. Hammill, charged with having robbed and brutally maltreated Jeremiah Lennard, a compositor, who had sustained such inju ries that his life was seriously in danger. Shortly before one o'clock on Sunday morning, a policeman named Sanders, of the H division, found the prosecutor stretched upon the pavement in Wentworth-street, Whitechapel, to all appearance lifeless, with the whole of his pockets turned out, and bleeding copiously from a frightful wound at the back part of the head. The only person near him at the time was a little boy, on the watch at a short distance, who told the policeman that the man had been attacked by a party of thieves, who had rifled his pockets, and afterwards knocked him down and left him. With the assistance of another officer, the injured man was conveyed upon a stretcher to the station-house, where his wounds wete dressed by Mr. Meares, the divisional surgeon, who succeeded in partially restoring him to consciousness, and directed his removal to the hospital; but he had ever since remained in too bewildered and suffering a state to be able to furnish any particulars of the outrage. Such an accurate description of the most active of the wounded man's assailants was afforded, however, by the boy who witnessed the attack, as left no doubt of his identification with the prisoner, who was sub sequently traced to a low lodging-house in the neigh bourhood, and taken into custody. John Lee, the lad referred to, stated that he was returning from an errand for his father at the time in question, when he observed the prisoner and three other men lurking at the corner of Wentworth-street, and the prosecutor having come up at the moment, the prisoner sprang out, and seizing hold of him, made some demand, to which the other replied that be had not a farthing about him. The prisoner then proceeded to rifle his pockets, and after turning the whole of them inside out, dragged him up the street and dashed him down upon the pavement, where he lay without sense or motion until the police came up, the prisoner and his companions having in the mean time effected their escape. A medical certificate was put in which stated, that besides the wound in his head, which was of a serious character, the prosecutor had sustained several contu sions over the face and temple, the result of which could not at present be ascertained. _ _ The prisoner, in defence, denied all participation in the outrag e , and was ordered to be remanded for a week ; but, as he was leaving the bar, he assailed the witnesses with the most violent threats and impreca- Lions, which he vociferously kept up until he was re moved by main force to the cells. THAMES. During the greater part of the day, Mr. Norton, who sat for Mr. Yardley, was engaged in hearing some of the numerous cases of mendicancy, which for some days past have almost wholly occupied the court. Amongst one of the earliest batches was Mary Carthy, a rather good-looking Irish woman, who simulated illness with all the tact of a practical actress, aiding a cleverly affected tremor of the lips by her intermit tent moanings. Wigley, a constable of the H division, who has known the prisoner for a considerable time, and was well acquainted with her habits, found her yesterday at her usual Sunday haunt, near the Roman Catholic chapel, Virginia. street, St. George's-in-the-East, soliciting alms from the congregation as they passed to and from their devotions. She had a child with her at the time, and they were so admirably made up for effect, that they looked most pitiable objects. The prisoner said the constable was quite mistaken; she was not begging at all, she was only taking her child to mass with her. Mr. NORTON considered nothing could be more indecent than to have people thus waylaid as they came to and from their place of worship, and sen tenced the prisoner to one month's hard labour. The next case was that of Johanna Cleary, who during the week-days is a dealer in fruit and green groceries in Whitechapel, but makes the greater portion of her income by begging in Virginia -street on the Sundays. She was as usual at her post, with two children, who sustained the character of destitu tion admirably. When taken into custody by 208 H. 2s. 44d. in copper and ss. 4d. in silver was found upon her. The prisoner was sentenced to a month's hard labour. Prisoner—Will you let, my little boy have the money, if you please, to buy some fruit ? Mr. NORTON good naturally consented, advising the lad, who was about fourteen years old, to expend it in a way that may insure an honest return. The next person brought up was a healthy, well fed looking fellow, who had stationed himself in Whitechapel, with a placard in large letters held before him, stating that he had had his and. broken. Mr. NORTON said that he should apply to his parish, and sent him to hard labour for fourteen days. There were several similar cases, in which the parties were punished with a greater or lesser term of imprisonment. LAMBETH. Thomas Conden, Alfred Bellars, and Edward Keeley, were charge before Mr. Elliott with begging in different parts of the district. In the last case, police-constable 121 P deposed that on that day, about one o'clock, he saw the pri soner knock and ring at the houses of several of the inhabitants of Knight's hill, Norwood, and when the servants came to answer him, he offered some penny books for sale, and asked for alms. He also saw the prisoner go up to a lady, and importune her to pur chase a book, or give him something in charity, and he took him into custody. The witness added, that the inhabitants in the vicinity of Norwood complained loudly of the extreme annoyance which they expe rienced from the shoals of beggars which infested that locality. The prisoner, in his defence, denied having asked for charity, and said he had merely asked them to purchase a book. Mr. ELLIOTT, after looking at the books, remarked that it was quite clear that they were carried as a mere blind and pretext to beg, and sentenced the pri soner to 14 days' hard labour at Brixton. The other two prisoners were sentenced to a similar period of imprisonment. CL ERKEN W EL L. Mr. Henry England, house and estate agent, ap praiser, surveyor, &c., of Caledonia-road, Islington, was placed at the felon's bar, before Mr. Comhe, charged in the police-sheet with having stolen 60 tons 4 cwt. of Derbyshire stone, value 1001. and upwards. Mr. Algernon Sydney Sparkes deposed that he carried on the business of an importer of stones, in conjunction with Mr. Garland, of the Regent's Canal. On Thursday morning they missed the property from their wharf, and from information received, they found that it was deposited in a barge at the wharf of Messrs. Curtiss, Thornhill Bridge, Islington. From further information, witness proceeded to the prisoner's residence, and asked him if he had not a quantity of stone ? He said he had, or expected it, if it had not been lost in the river ; that a party had been to him in reference to such stone from Lett's wharf to Mr. Curtiss's, and he (the prisoner) ex pected he had sold it again. Witness inquired what he was to give for it, and from whom he had received or purchased it? He replied, from Line, but he would not say what he had agreed to give for it. Witness said it was his stone, and had been taken from the wharf without his sanction or authority, and he served him with a written notice not to part with it, or pay any money on account. He subsequently saw the prisoner, when he said he had purchased the stone for 1001 and upwards ; that " Billy Line" was one of the cleverest men about town, and there was great credit due to him (prisoner) for having " licked" him at his own game ; he would act upon witness's no tice, and would not pay Line, and he made an ap pointment to meet him on the following day, when he would give him further information. He saw him with a friend, when the prisoner said, " I will observe no secrecy." He then produced a receipt, purporting to be William Line's, for 1001. and odd, as received from the prisoner for s tone, and on the back were two memorandums of different dates, stating a deposit of two different sums of from 21. to 51., as part pay ment of the 1001., but the prisoner said, " I have not paid the money, and I shall not upon your notice, and give no one an undue preference. He then mimicked the disappointment of Line as to what he had done, and witness said he shoul d app l y to this court and give him into custody, which he did on Sarurday. Witness added that he never authorised Line to take away the stone, which was still lying at Messrs aurtiss's wharf. Mr. Nrakeling, jun., for the prisoner —Have you not given Line into custody to prevent his giving evidence ? Witness denied this. Mr. Wakeling produced an invoice for the stone, and asked the witness whether it was not in his hand writing ? He admitted that to be the fact. Mr. COMBS perused it, and said that on the very face of the proceeding it was an acceptance for three months. - Witness said that Line represented that he could find a purchaser for the stone, and they parted with the property to him. Mr. COMBE said it was evidently a sale from Sparkes to Line. Witness said there ought to have been a transfer, invoice. Mr. that species of Mr. COMBE said there was a design between him (Sparkes) and another party to defraud somebody. Line is the party who ought to complain as being out witted. lie discharged the prisoner, who left the court with his friends. Mr. Curtiss applied to know what course he should adopt in reference to the stone. Mr. COMZE said he was in no way to blame, but be could apply to his attorney. IVE,S TAIIIVS TER. Hannah Kelly, s , m iddle• aged woman, whose face was disfigured bycontusion under each eye, ap parently the result of a recent pugilistic encounter, was charged with begging, and also with cruelty to a fine little child she had in her arms. Mr. BRODERIP expressed his regret that he had not the power to take the poor little thing away from her. He entertained not the slightest doubt that the defendant was a professed beggar, and one of the very worst of that class. It was in general with reluctance that he exercised the extreme power given him ; but in this instance he regretted that the law did not allow him to inflict a greater punishment, as he had no doubt that she was in the habit of tormenting the poor child, that by its cries she might the better extract money from the benevolent passers-by. He then committed her for one month to hard labour in the House of Correction. SOUTHWARK. Michael Knight, a respectable looking man, was brought up from the station house at the rear of this court, where he had been for some hours, having been previously taken out of the river in an exhausted condition, into which he described that he had been thrown by two men for refusing to give them some money. A fireman belonging to the floating fire-engine moored off the Southwark-bridge, stated that while on board that morning, about three o'clock, he heard the cries of some person in distress at some distance off, and a splashing of water as if he was in the river. The witness got into a boat alongside, and rowed towards the spot from whence the noise proceeded, and on approaching a barge that was moored off Bankside, he saw a man in the river struggling to keep his head above water, by holding on to a plank that projected a little beyond the others, but he was in such an exhaustedconditi9n when witness got there, that he must have sunk in a very short time. Witness, however, extricated the man from his perilous situa tion, by dragging him into his boat, and some police men having by this time been attracted to the spot, they got him on shore, and subsequently to the station-house, where a change of clothing being pro cured, and proper attention being shown to him, he soon recovered sufficiently to be enabled to give an account of the circumstances which led to his being found in the river. Witness was present when he made the statement, which was to the effect that he had been over in the City with some friends, and on his return home, on walking along Bankside, he was accosted by two men, one of whom asked him for some money; which he refused to give him, and that, immediately upon his refusal, he had his watch forcibly seized from his pocket, and on his resisting, being near the river side at the time, his two assailants pushed him off Bankside into the water, and left him to struggle for his life. The witness added that the man appeared to have been drinking, but was not in toxicated. Policeman 133 M stated that Knight subsequently varied a little in his account of the transaction. He said that he had been thrown into the river by two men, as already described, but said that his watch had not been taken from him, for he had not one in his pocket at the time. The policeman added that he found some money, as also a tobacco-box, in Knight's possession. In reply to Mr. COTTINGHAM, The policeman said he had been down by Bankside a quarter of an hour before the circumstance hap pened, but did not observe any persons about there ; that he did not hear any cries for assistance, and that when he came up the first witness was in the act of dragging the man into his boat out of the river. Mr. CoTTINORAM questioned Knight, who said that he had been seven years in the employ of Mr. Hales, a tallow chandler, and that being out with some friends on Sunday until a late hour, as he was walk ing home he was interrupted by two men on Bank side. They demanded money front him, which he refused to comply with, and that they then pushed him into the river, and that he certainly would have been drowned but for the assistance - rendered to him by the man from the fire-engine, who got him into the boat when he was exhausted and in a sinking condition. Mr. COTTINGIIAM said that the complainant's ac count of the circumstances attending his being attacked in the way he described, and thrown into the river, was of a most serious nature, and that the police, on being informed of it, would, no doubt, en deavour to discover the perpetrators of such a despe rate act. The magistrate added, that Knight had to consider that his life was saved by the prompt at tention of the man from the floating fire-engine. THE ENGLISH DRAMA IN VIENNA.—The Vienna correspondent of the Morning Chronicle says :—A glance at the theatres is sufficient to show that the influx of the wealthier classes is on the increase. The Holf Burg Theatre, or Holf National Theatre (new style), a shabby building enough, still maintains its superiority over all the other theatres of Germany. Here may frequently be seen Schiller's and Goethe's best pieces, played by masters of their art. Our own great dramatist, too, cuts a very respectable figure on these boards, to say no thing of Sheridan's School for Scandal, and some of Knowles's plays. Shakspare invariably draws a full house. " Gods and groundlings" alike do honour to his immortal works. Lear, Hamlet,and Macbeth are each cast in a style that would do credit to the haunts of Kean and Kemble. Kate and Petruchio, Benedick and Bea trice, the Merry Wives of Windsor, have all had a hear ing within the last three weeks. Falstaff is an especial favourite, though it must be confessed, rather un-English. I saw him a night or two ago—a fat, phlegmatic German. The audience, however, were delighted, and roars of laughter accompanied his hasty retreat in the clothes basket. The same actor (La Roche) is perfection in Shylock. Comedy carries the palm at present; whether it is that the good easy folk have enacted enough tragedy for themselves of late Ido not pretend to decide, but most true it is, that at the performance of a serious piece the uneasiness displayed by the unhappy few, who drop in to shed tears, presupposes an unusual share of nervous sensibility. ROYAL MATERNITY CHARITY.—Last evening the annual general meeting of governors of this institution was held at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, William Barry, Esq., in the chair. The secretary, 1)r. Rayner, read the annual report, which stated that the number of tickets granted for the mid wives' attendance upon poor married women from January 1 to December 31, 1848, amounted to 3,548, and the number actually delivered during the same period to 3,170, being an increase of 307 over the preceding year, Only 16 deaths of mothers had oc curred out of the total number succoured, and in only 45 instances the assistance of the medical staff was rendered at the accouchements. The accounts showed the re ceipts of the past year, inclusive of the charity's funded property, to amount to 1,7571. I Is., and the disburse • ments to 1,8051. 104. 1 ld.; leaving a balance due to the treasurer, on the 31st ult., of 471. lts. 11d. Six poor disabled midwives are at present receiving 11. per month from the midwives' superannuation fund, and there is placed to the credit of that fund 218/. 10s. Id. in the savings bank, in addition to 2001. invested in the Three per Cent. Consols. After a lengthened discussion, the report was received and adopted by the meeting, which was rather numerously attended; and the consideration of the propriety of altering certain of the charity's rules was deferred to a future occasion. _ THE NORFOLK MURDERS.—On the afternoon of Saturday week a mistake was committed at the Bell Inn, Orford-hill, Norwich, which, for a time, caused con siderable anxiety and alarm; and, as various false or exaggerated statements respecting the occurrence have been in circulation, we have made inquiries upon the subject, and have ascertained that the following are the real facts of the case:—lt appears that Mr. J. Cann, jun., solicitor, had been requested to bring a carpet-bag, be longing to a gentleman, to Norwich , when he visited this city on Saturday, the 6th, It seems that on leaving home the matter entirely escaped his recollection, and he arrived in Norwich with only his own carpet-bag, and put up as usual at the Bell Inn. Soon after his arrival he had to go out on business, leaving the carpet-bag in his room, and during his absence the brother of the gentleman whose carpet-bag he ought to hare brought called and inquired for him. He was told by the waiter that Mr. Cann had gone out, upon which the gentleman requested to be shown to his room, saying that he would wait tor him. The waiter pointed out the room, which the gentleman entered. After remaining for a short time, and Mr. Cann not re tnrning, the gentleman, perceiving a carpet-bag in the room, concluded that it was his brother's, and accord ingly took it away with him. On his return, about four o'clock, Mr. Cann missed the carpet-bag, and as it con tained a number of important documents relating to the prisoner Rush, he became exceedingly alarmed, conceiv ing that the carpet-bag had, in all probability, been stolen by some friend or accomplice of that individual. This feeling was strengthened by the fact that the gen tleman who had been seen carrying the carpet-bag down stairs was an entire stranger to the waiter. Fortunately, however, the matter was soon after satisfactorily ex plained by the gentleman returning the carpet-bag, with its contents, as soon as he had discovered the mistake. — Suffolk Herald. DIATH OF ROBERT KERSE OF THE TROWS.— Many of our readers will peruse with deep regret the announcement of the death of Robert Kerse, which took place suddenly, at his fishing cottage at Makerstoun, on the afternoon of Wednesday last, from an attack of the prevailing epidemic, aged 79 years. Few men, in his station of life, have enjoyed a larger share of the friend ship of all classes, from the highest to the lowest, and none have contributed more to the sport and enjoyment of the lovers of angling, than the subject of this notice. Belonging to what may not improperly be called a family of " hereditary fishermen" on the Tweed, Kerse spent the greater part of a long life in the pursuit of that oc cupation, having been tacksman of the fishings at the Trow Craggs for the long period of 45 years, in the course of which he came in contact with many noble and distinguished sportsmen, as well as with some of the leading literary characters of the day, with all of whom he was an especial favourite. His extreme simplicity of character, obliging disposition, and enthusiasm as an angler, has often caused a day at the Trows with " Old Rob," to be looked forward to by the youths of his na tive district (many of whom are now far distant from the Banks of the Tweed), with an elasticity of spirit, which none can understand but those who have experi enced its delightful and exhilarating influences. The pages of, Blackwood's Magazine have more than once borne testimony to the celebrity of the name of " He o' the Trows," as a fisherman.—Kelso Mail. The King of Prussia has just c o nferred on M. Guizot, member of the French Academy, the order of merit for the arts and sciences. THE FINANCIAL REFORM ASSO- 1 CIATION. THE NAVY. SECTION 1.-SHIPBUILDING AND ENGINE-MAKING, On the 22d of February, 1848, a Select Committee of fifteen Members of the House of Commons was ap pointed, " to inquire into the Expenditure on account of the Army, Navy, and Ordnance, and to report their observations thereupon to the House." This Committee consisted of—Lord Seymour, Chairman; Mr. Fox Maule, Mr. Hume, Mr. George Bankes, Sir James Graham, Marquis of Granby, Sir William Molesworth, Mr. Cob den, Mr. Corry, Mr. Walter, Mr. Edward Mice, Mr. William Miles, Mr. John Greene, Sir Frii,ch Thorn hill Baring, Sir Thomas Acland. The business was chiefly conducted by Lord Sey mour, Sir James Graham (formerly First Lord of the Admiralty), Mr. Corry (formerly Secretary to the Ad miralty), Mr. Hume, and Mr. Cobden. During their sittings, extending through the greater part of the long Parliamentary session, they were occupied .its evidence relative to the expenses of the navy. A volume of 1,226 folio pages, containing the report of the Commit ee, 10,191 questions and answers, and a large number of offic:al documents, tabular statements, &c., has been prin. ed. To read a volume of such dimensions seems a formi dable task, yet few will begin this without going through it. The Financial Reform Association, for the sake of those who cannot obtain the. original, nor find time to go through it if they had it, make a few ;electi.,fis, In the first place, Mr. Ward, the present Secretary to she Admiralty, in his evidence, states— "I should say that there is no department" (under Government) " in which the want of a regular system has been so much felt as in the Admiralty ; one in which so many expensive alterations, p inicularly in naval construction, have been created by the sudnen changes of persons having the authority, and by the want of a systematic application of certain principt s. There is no doubt that the alterations in naval con struction have been one cause of the immense increase of labour in the dock-yards, and of our great national expenditure." _ _ _ An adverse vote in the party warfare of the House of Commons gave, with a new ministry to the country, new Lords of the Admiralty, a new secretary, and a whole legion of applicants for employment and State pay. Ships on the stocks were pulled to pieces, the timber re hewed into other shapes, or sold as offal, and new frames of other ships of other dimensions laid on in their places ; ships completed in the building were pro nounced not to be worth rigging; or if completed in the rigging, not to be worth manning and commissioned for sea; and, accordingly, new ones, without regard to number or expense, were hastened forward, while these virgin ships, to the extent of 70 or 80, were kept, and are now kept, in the harbours, going to decay, or getting repairs to the extent of 20,0001. or 25,0001., once in every cycle of six or seven years; they have not been commissioned, and never will be, as they are alleged to be complete failures. As many or more have been taken to pieces within a few years. The Lords of the Admiralty and their servants have worked at some as children do at toys, adding a piece to the length and taking away a piece; changing form, and restoring form; cutting down and building up, until the thing under their hands has grown so mon strously absurd, that they have thrown it aside as way ward children do, disgusted at their own work. And so they have gone on to something else, to repeat the same expensive child's play, But not only have the amateur lay Lords, and the crotchetty sea Lords of the Admiralty, amused them selves with millions of public money and scores of ships every year thus ; they have employed servants equally incapable and crotchetty. Mr. Creuze, the surveyor to Lloyds, who had been educated in the School of Naval Architecture, who was a mas ter shipwright in the Admiralty Dock-yard up to 1844, and still retained a partiality for some of the practices there which others did not approve, was unable to withhold his condemnation of the Admiralty ships built since 1832 by the Surveyor of the Navy. fie stated that in 1843 and 1844 he had been officially employed to examine and report upon the ships of war which had been built during 10 years; but in:reply to;question 9,029, put by Mr. Hume, said he" would rather be permitted to forego any examination upon that subject." Whereupon ques tion 9,030 was put by Mr. Hume thus :—" The com mittee, however, request that you will state (though you may be compelled in doing so to mention facts that may be disagreeable to the parties who took part in that construction) what opinion you formed of the system pursued in the construction of ships for the public ser- , vice?" To which, being thus pressed, he replied,— " That the ships were merely a series of experiments, not founded on correct principles." And to the next question, he answered, that these were " the whole of the ships, to a greater or less degree, that were built by Sir William Symonds." Question 9,032 (by Mr. Hume)—" Are you to be un derstood to mean that all the ships built by Sir William Symonds were built without regard to the scientific principles to which you refer?" Answer—"l do not say they were built without re gard to scientific principles, but I say that Sir William Symonds was not sufficiently acquainted with the pro gress which correct principles of naval architecture had made to make them available in the construction of his ships; thus, for instance, one great fault was a want of knowledge of the correct principles on which the sta bility of ships depends * • All his ships were more or less uneasy, so as to render them virtually inefficient as men of war. They were expensive from their wear and tear. • • An uneasy ship deteriorates fast, because the strains upon her are heavy. She becomes loose and leaky, and the admission of water causes her to decay fast; therefore, she is frequently under repair." Other witnesses proved the astounding numbers of ship-building abortions which had been begun, not com pleted, taken to pieces and the timber reconverted for ships of other sizes, or sold as " offal." But in steam-engines made for the navy, and the ships built for the engines in the dockyards, without their respective artists having any knowledge of what the other was doing, exceeds in absurdity, and even in cost liness, the freaks of Sir William Symonds and the ama teur Lords of the Admiralty. Mr. Scott Russell, a practical engineer, and member of the Institute of Civil Engineers, who had been exten sively concerned in the construction of steam-ships and their engines of the first class—those magnificent vessels which work like clock-work on the Atlantic Ocean — explained how easy it was to obtain a certain result in the mercantile steam-navy, while in the war steam-navy all was uncertainty, and reckless cost. Question 7,027 (by Mr. Cobden).—" You have ex plained to the committee how it is that in private yards they obtain one uniform result in building steam-vessels where the builders are experienced; how do you account for the failures which have taken place in the Admiralty steamers during the interval of time as you have stated to the committee the merchant steamers have been so uniformly successful?" Answer—" I think the cause is just the difference between people of experience building and people of inexperience. • • Sir William Symonds, for example, began to build a war steamer. Sir William Symonds had never built a war steamer before ; the consequence was, that instead of taking the section mid ships, which we learned by our dear experience to be the only section that would answer, he took a section of a sailing vessel which we bad found, seven years before, would not answer ; just putting back the work seven years." In the next section, a list of the ships built under this blundering system, from 1832 to the present time, with their tonnage and cost per ton, will be given. The list is too long for the present section, but a few specimens of the steamers may be cited here. The royal yacht Victoria and Albert is one. The naval architect had spoiled a good many ships in attempting to make a steam -navy, and fooled away a goodly number of millions sterling before he tried his hand at the royal yacht; so that it might have been expected that he had gained experience. But no; the Victoria and Albert cost in building, rigging, and fitting for soa, 69,9411.; but, on getting afloat, the obstinate ship held down her head, and would not move, except at the risk of being driven by the engines to the bottom. The engines had to be taken out; fittings pulled down to get them out; and before they and the fittings were replaced, a further sum of 43,8064 was expended. The engines were lighter than they should have been, being con structed for another ship. This construction of engines for one class of ships, and placing them in another when they are found not to work in the class intended, dege nerate occasionally to a farce. Three first-class steamers were built; the Simoon, to carry engines of 780 horse power; the Vulcan, to carry engines of 700-horse power; and the Megrera, to carry engines of 566-horse power. The Admiralty men changed their minds after the engines were in progress, and partly paid tor, thinking them too heavy. They resolved to transfer them to three ships of the line, already afloat. Preparations were made, at great expense, to render those ships of the line fit to receive them. But again the Admiralty men changed their minds, thought the three ships of the line would be spoiled, and so the large engines lie unemployed. Meanwhile two steamers were ordered to be built, and begun, called the Seahorse and the Eurotas, the engines of which were to be 350-horse power. Mr. Napier, of Glasgow, who had made engines by contract for the Admiralty, refused to tender for engines of that size, "to be crammed into the small hold of the Seahorse and Eurotas ; but other engineers tendered, and the engines were made. Not so the ships. The minds of the Admiralty Lords were changed ; the Seahorse and Eurotas abandoned, and the engines left unemployed The Lords looked around to discover if they could use them any where—anyhow; and seeing the Simoon without an en- gine (which was built for one of 780 horse-power), or dered one of those of 350 horse-power to be placed in that ship. Mr. Gordon, an engineer, the London agent of Mr. Napier, of Glasgow, says:—" The reckless waste of money in altered and defective plans in building ships and steam-engines for the navy would have long since made any mercantile company bankrupt." He gives, as one of the reasons for the slow progress of science in the steam-factories of the dockyards, the fact of the practical men there being debarred, through formality in speaking, from suggesting improve ments to the superior officers; while these again, must make their report through Somerset House, whence the suggestion goes by message to the Admiralty, at White hall, where it lies on the table, to be considered by the Lords. They may or may not understand the nature of the practical suggestion; but they answer, and send their answer to Scmerset House, from whence it is sent to the surveyor, or captain superintendent of the dock- yard, who conveys it to the master-buildt r or engineer, or some one else. But the chances are that they are lost by the way, or so absurdly transformed in its formal p ro gress from one power to another , that it no longer applies to its purpose. On the other Land, Mr. Gord on s t a tes many, if not most, of the practical improvem en t s in the engine factories of private firms originate in sug gestions or remarks made by intelligent workmen, fore- men, and other subordinates to their superiors, who are always ready to be spoken to, and NAho und,ratand the mture of the improvetnews sty d. THE COUNTRY MARKETS. CHELMSFORD, JAN. 26.—The trade in best wheats was firm at last week's prices, whilst inferior samples were much neglected. All else without alteration; the business in seed corn, however, showing rather more animation. 'Per Quarter. Wheat, White, 01d... New Red, 01d... New s. Per Quarter s. s. 51 55 ?eas, Partridge 3l 34 50 54 White ...... 31 34 41 47 Dun 40 46 Beans, Tick (new) 24 27 27 Z3l Old 27 31 Harrow Ticks (new) 25 28 Old 2B 32 111,1zi. - :g.en (hew) 22 25 OA 26 28 29 'Si Oats Malt .., rs CI; Chevalier COLCHESTER, JAN. 48s to 50s; red, dit7.o, 44, to 46-i; harle7., 23 t 31-; be.o•s, 24s to 25,; ,t; 28- as, 303 to 34s per quarter, KIRKALDY. JAN. 1:7 Hupp it.s of wheat. and b qualities of barley brought. t - ie..:tT other kinds stone as last We- Barley Chevalier r t(• day small ats. Fine -ter advatce ; • , • Its brought reudii) an advance of from 6 • p-r Wheat. Peas, First ...50s Od 2P. Od —s Od - '.econd 4Bs Od 27s tid *..! Od I—s Od Third Oatmeal, ner - 4 .° . 2bs to 265. DALILEITH, JAN- " r. large supply of grail; at this t, excepting for oats. Wh. , as • t,. ciarter, but down on the ave , -.1. is 91 , 1 i.) , :t; ~ rt the top 8d per quarter. Barley to r . current price 6d per quarter. P , a , and beam, up 6d to Is per quarter. Quarters. Best. Current. 1 Interior. 302 Wheat ... 2/ 12s Oil 2/ 6s 0111/ lOs Od 1.194 Oats ... 1/ is 4d 0/ 19s 0 01 12s 8d 612 liArley ... 1/ lls Od 1/ 7s Ocil/ Is Od 36 Peas, 8.,e. 1/ 11s 61 1/ 10s Odjll 9s Od Average of wheat. 212 s 1 lid per qr. The relative weight per tour bushels of the three prices whetof were 18st 111 h; 18st 01h; era] 16st 121 b. Oats, 12st 71b; 12st Olb; and lOst 131 b. Barley, 16st 81b; 15st 13lb; and 14st 10Ib. Peas and beans, 19st 51b; 18st 41b. and 18st 010. HADDINGTON, JAN. 26.—We had a smaller supply of wheat to-day, and of other grain larger than in last mar ket. Sales were dull. Wheat, top, Is, and average Is id down; weight of top, per four bushels, 18st 111 b. Barley, top, is 6d, and average 5d down; weight of top, per four bushels, 16st 81b. Oats, top, 3d, and average 5d up; weight of top, per four bushels, 13st 11b Beans, top, same as last market, and average Id up; weight of top, per four bushels, 19st 121 b. Wheat. Barley. Oats. Beans. -. 53s Od 2)s Od 22s Od I .32.6 Od Second ... ... 44s 10d I 26s 2d l9s 10d ! 28s 7d Third ... .. 32s Od 18s 6d 117 s Od , 24s Od Total quastity of Wheat in market 406 qrs., 358 sold Do. Barley do. 338 qrs., 286 solo Do. Oats do. 559 qrs., 540 sold Do. _ Beans do. _ 115 qrs., 107 sold GLASGOW PROVISION MARKET, JAN. 25. L- Cheese, 463 Od to 52s Od per cwt; retail ditto, sid to 6d per lb. Skim milk, 00s to 00s per cwt. Country fresh butter, 10d to lld per lb; Irish powdered, i❑ lumps, 9d to 10d; country powdered, wholesale, 84d to 9d. Country eggs, Is per dozen; carried hen ditto, 8s 6d per hundred, or 10d per dozen. Hens, 2s 6d per pair; ducks, 2s 6d. BERwIcK, JAN. 25.—Wheat, 41s 101 d; barley, 225 84d; oats, I9s 4id; peas, 00s Od, average per imperial qr. KELSO, JAN. 26.—Wheat, old, 38s to 425; ditto, new, 32s to 365; barley, new, 17s to 20s Od; ditto, old, —s to —s; potato oats, —s to --s; ditto, new, 13s to 153 Od; common oats, lis to 14s; ditto, new, —s to —s; peas, 24s to 255; beans, 24s to 25s per boll of six imperial bushels. HAWICK, JAN. 25.—Wheat, new, 36s to 425; ditto, old, 46s to 48s; barley, new, 19s to 21s; ditto, old, ; potato oats, 14s to 16s; common ditto, Ils to 14s; peas, 27s to 28s; beans, 27s to 28s, per Inn of six im perial bushels. PERTH, JAN. 25.—Wheat, 40s to 495; barley, 22s to 265; oats, 15s to 18s; peas and beans, 24s to 28s per quartz r; oatmeal 26s to 28s per sack. FALKIRK, JAN. 26.—The supply of grain in this day's market was 238 bolls. Wheat at 20s Od to 23s 6d per boll; barley, 17s Od to 20s 6d; oats, llsfid to —s; beans, 13- to 15s Od per boll; oatmeal, —s to —s per load. STIRLING, JAN. 26.—Wheat, foreign, 26s to 295; ditto home, OOs to 00s; ditto ditto, new, 20s to 225; barley, per boll of six bushels, 003 to 00s; ditto, new, 17s to 21s Od; oats, common, 005 Od to OOs; ditto ditto, new, 103 6d to 11s; ditto, Flemish, OOs to OOs; ditto ditto, new, 00s to OOs; malt, distillers, 385 to 395; ditto, brew ers, 38s to 41s; beans, per boll, 00 , 0 d to Os; ditto, new, 12s 6d to 14s 6d; peas, Os to Os. Flour, new, per sack, 38s to 40s; ditto, comnr , n ditto, 25s to 26s 6d. Oatmeal, per load, 00s to OOs; ditto, new, 26s to 275; ditto, per peck of 71bs, 83-el to od. Fresh butter per lb, 8d to 10d. Eggs per dozen, 9d to 10d. Hay, per ton, 453 to 465. COAL MARKE'J Buddle's W. Hartley 15s Od Charlotte .. Chester Main l4s Od East Adairs Main l2s 6d Jonassohns Hartley New Tanfield l3s Od Original Tanfield lls 6d Ord's Redheugh Smith's Pontop anfield Moor ranfield Moor Butes l2s 6d,' Walker's Paknrose West Hartley Wall's End, &c. r.-Y ZSTEADAT. East Hetton: Lyons lss Od Haswell l6s 3d Russell's Hetton Stewart's West Keepier Whitwell .. Caradoc 153 6d Cassop .. .. Kelloe .. 15s 3d South Hartlepool ..... 14s 6d Thornley - 145 9d Trimdon Adelaide Tees Tees ...... ........... Whitworth l3s 6d Witten Park l4s 6d Cowpen Hartley Hartley _ ...... —... Howard's W. H. Neth 155 Od Ships at market, 240. Brown's l3s Od Brown's Gas Framwell Gate ...... 14s 6d Killingworth l3s 9d Eden Main Belmont lss 6d Braddyll's Hetton lss 6J R4ILW AY SttAttt. AiiKETS. LIVERPOOL, Jax. 29. STOCK EXCHANGE.—Our share market has sustained.' reactionary movement, and we quote a considerable fall in prices. The sales are—Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe, and West Yorkshire, No. 1, Ditto, Preference, 6 per cent. guaranteed (B), 20 V 2 —Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Che• shire Junction (late C. and B. 271. les. Shares), 6 per cent -I 15% Caledonian, Preference, 14 p.—Kendal and Wl"' dermere, 101. Preference, 1 p. —Lancashire and Yorkshire (late Manchester and Birmingham), Fifths, 2%dis.—Ditto , 32/. Shares (late Extension), 6% dis.—Ditto, 101. Prefer ence, 1 3 4 p. ex int.—Ditto, Halves (late Liverpool and Bury), 104 dis.—London and North Western, 136—Ditto, New Quarters, 4 3 / 4 p.—Midland Stock, New Halves, 44 dis.—Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, 10L Pro ference, 11%—North British, Quarters, 3 3 / 4 —North Stafford shire, 2% dis.—Shrewsbury and Birmingham, 9/. 12s. ad• Shares (B), 3/. lls. 3d. dis.—South-Eastern and Dover, 254—Ditto, No. 4, Thirds, 7/. 13s. 9d. ex int.—York, Nor - castle, and Berwick (Extension, No. 1), 14 p.—Ditto (- 1 ° N. E. Purchase), 1 p. MANCHESTER, JAN. 29. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The sale:+ tire—Manchester and Birmingham, Quarters (C), p.—Ditto, Quarters (A and ß), p.—Caledonian, Preference, 1% p.—Leeds, Shares, 7 di'.—Leeds and Bradford, 1004 North Stafford shire, 3 dis. —Old Dover, 25V.,—S)uth-Eastern and Dori:: No. 4,7% dis.—West Riding Union, 4 1-16 dis.—Sheffiel d and Lincoln, 12:;,i 61).-111,441, 48th—Great Northern (B), 158 dis.—London and South-Western, 42. BIRMINGFIA.:II, JAN, 29. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The following are the day's quote • tions:—Shrewsbury and Birmingham (A), 51 dis.—Ditto (B), 3/. 1 ts. 3d. dis.—Ditto, Preference, 30s. p.—South Staffordshire, 2% dis. YORK, JAN. 27. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The business transacted to-day vis s as follows :—Great Northern, 9 2 ex int.—North Britisbr Thirds, 41. 13s. 9d.— Shrewsbury and Birmingham (A), 354 ex int.—Ditto, Preference, 10—York, Newcastle, and Ber wick (G. N. E. Purchase), 9/. 3s. 9d.—York and North Mid' land (East and West Riding Extension), 27A. HULL, JAN. 29. STOCK EXCHANGE —The sales are—Ambergate, Notting' ham, and Boston, 4 1 4 dis. Blackburn, Darwen, and Boltoth 6 7 4 3 —East Anglian (Ely and Huntingdon), Preference , 6 per cent., 2:y B —Hull and Selby, Halves, 51. ANGER.—Nuthing ia so inconsistent with self poS" session as violent anger. It overpowers reason; confound s our ideas; distorts the appearance; and blackens the colou r of every object. By the storms which it raises within. and by the mischiefs which it occasions without, it generally brings, on the passionate and revengeful man, greater miserY than he can bring upon his enemy. BIRTHS. On the 18th inst., at Upchurch Vicarage, near Sitting' bourne, the wife <t the Rev. J. Woodruff, of a daughter. , On the 22d inst.. at Camphelton , Argyleshire, the lady 0 ' C. C. Hook, Esq., 7th Madras Cavalry. of a son. On the 23d inst., at Brighton, Mrs. Henry S. Turrell, of daughter. On the 25th inst., at Ankerwycke-house, Bucks, Mrs. gar' court, of son. On the 26th inst., at Dawlish, Devon, the wife of E. 0. Jones, Esq., of Newland, Glocestershire, of a daughter. On the 26th inst., at , tanley-lodge, Mortlake, Surrey, the lady of A. A. Julius, Esq., of a son. On the 26th inst.. the wife of J. F. Ilalcombe Read, Egl" of a son. On the 28th inst., at Bristol, the lady of M. Mogg, Esq" of a daughter. MARRIED. On the 25th inst., at Brampton Brian, Hereford, the Re''' Arthur Henry W. Ingram, rector of Harvington, W or cester! to Sophia Mary, only daughter of the late ieut.-Colo nel George Arnold, of the Hon. East India Company's Service; _ On the 25th inst., at St. Peter's Church, Coggleshall, t n° Rev. J. W. Brown, of Twyford, Hants, to Ellen, young est t ,. daughter of the late H. Slungley, Esq., of the formelac DIED. an On the 11th inst., Mr. Henry Field, for above 40 years attentive assistant at the Concerts of Ancient Music, °Pe r "' &c., aged 56. On the 28th inst., Mr. William Augustus Erck, at Devon shire-place, Wandsworth-road, aged 57. 1 Si r On the 26th inst., at M a n c h es t er , Li eu t enan t-Genera A Thomas Arbuthnot, K C 8., C omman d ing th e North an Midland District. On the 24th inst., Mary, the wife of the Rev. G. IL B. Gabert, incumbent of Claverley, Shropshire. On the 25th inst., at Sussex-square, Letitia Pryce, ag ed 57, the beloved wife of Colonel Cameron. B2l On the 26th inst., a t N or th-t errace , B rom pt o n, aged Mrs. Mary Ann Lloyd. ife On the 26th inst., at Norfolk-square, Brighton, Jane , of Captain Hebden. On the 26th i n st., at Ha c kn e y-ro a d, the Rev. L ear Williams, curate of Hanslepe cum Castle Thorpe, 130 ,c 1c ti o i 0-2 the 26th inst., at Richmond-green, Surrey, J. ‘. l° Es Onlate cf H. E. I. C. S. aged 38. of the 27th inst ,at Clapham-rise, Mrs. Favell, widow the late S. Pavel], sq., aged 84. Richar d On The 27th inst E ., at Dulwich-road, Brixton, Mr. E. Williams. of Ludgate-hill, aged 32 • of London: Printed and Pub F.-lied b' MURDO YOIM No. .112, Strand, Pin:ter, at The Sun office, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in 1lt• cOanq Middlesex, Tuesday, January 30, 1849. First t's