The Sun. — London, England, 1863-08-19 00:00:00

RENEWAL OF WAR IN NEW ZEAL .ND. (From the Times' Correspondent.) MELBOURNE, June 26. The last mail will have put your readers i a pos session of the fact that a party of Maoris had made an attack upon a military escort at Taranaki from an ambuscade, and, after a successful volley, had rushed in and massacred with the tomahawk eight of the nine men of which it was composed, including Lieut. Tragett and Dr. Hope, all officers and men of the 57th Regiment. This is very naturally cha racterised as a cold-blooded murder, but the ex wes 'lion is inadequate , It is a murder and something more, and it is in that something more that the sig nificance lies. It is a studied defiance, an indication that the tribe at least which perpetrated the savage act and all associated with them intend war. The natives have none of the means of indicating a state of war in use among civilised nations. They have no ambassadors to withdraw, no demanding pass ports, no formal declarations. It would have been idle on the part of the Government to treat this savage slaughter as a murder, inasmuch as in all probability evidence of the identity of the perpe trators could not have been procured. The Govern ment, therefore, could only treat it as it was no doubt meant, and it is satisfactory to find that both the Governor and the General have acted with promptitude and vigour, and, aided by the courage of our troops, severe punishment has since over taken the natives. In the last war there was, un fortunately, an element of injustice, which has since been admitted, which divided the sympathies of the European population. In this the natives are wholly in the wrong, and the more conspicuously so as the last act of Sir George Grey, almost at the very moment of the massacre, was to abandon the claim of the Government to hold the Waitara. Un fortunately, however, the announcement of the intention of the Government was published at Auckland just after the massacre, and the natives may possibly delude themselves at first with the notion that the successful attack brought about the concession ; but it was not so. The concession was fully determined upon some time before, and the natives are quite sagacious enough to comprehend this on examining facts and dates. A private letter from Auckland affords me some information as to the giving up of the Waitara before the massacre. It says — I send you herewith a copy of the proclamation giving up the Waitara block, and, as you will see, it was donewith the advise and consent of the responsible Minister. of whom, a s you know, three—namely, Messrs. Domett, Bell, and Russell —belonging to the war .party of 1861, and two of them —namely, Messrs. Domett and Russell—to what was considered the extreme section of that party. It is under stood that, before coming to this determination, Mr. Bell himself conducted some sort of inquiry into the matter on the spot, while there with the Governor and the Chief Secretary (Domett), and he fully satisfied himself and them that it would be useless to enter into any further and public investigation, and that it would not be worth while to pro secute the Government claim any further." The New Zealander, on the same subject, says_ " Governor Grey, who, since the military occupation of Tataraimaka, has remained at Taranaki, has applied himself to the investigation of the validity of the Queen's title to Waitara; and it was very speedily discovered that the native land-sellers of Taranaki had no right to dispose of the Waitara, and that, though we went to war to maintain our right to this land, which we supposed to have been acquired, we had neglected to go through the ordinary form of paying the stipulated price of what was declared to be duly pur chased, and to belong to the Crown." Here, then, we have at length an authoritative declaration that the irritation of nine years—a long course of diplomacy, several expensive investiga tions, from that of Mr. spain in 1844 to that of Mr. Bell in 1863, the printing of several bulky folios, a bloody and costly war, and a ruined settlement, have all proceeded from a mistake, and that mistake not remedied early enough to prevent a new crop of evils, of which we can scarcely as yet measure the extent. I now return to my private letter : " Unfortunately, the proclamation(giving up theWaitara) came out after the recent surprisal and slaughter of some of our soldiers by a party of the Taranaki tribe, who have hitherto held the Tataraimaka block (that which Sir Geoi ge Grey has lately occupied) as a material guarantee,' as the Emperors of Russia would say, for the restitution of the Waitara, or rather of the land taken possession of by our troops outside the Waitara block, for that more than the block itself has been the sere point. But although the Pro clamation came out afterwards, it had been agreed to befoi e by all the Ministers—though I am told that one of them hesitated for some time before he could finally make up his mind." Now, I have no doubt that this decision of the Government will be accepted by a large proportion of the natives more or less well disposed towards the Government, and the improving influences of the Europeans, as a decided mark of the Pakehas sense of justice, and this feeling will be—indeed already is—much strengthened by the fact that the Taranaki natives have now put themselves in the wrong, whereas in the war of 1861 most of our native adherents believed them to be right. This is really a very important consideration, because there is a very marked " public opinion" among the natives of New Zealand, kept alive by their Runanga or deliberative meetings, and which the late events will greatly influence. The two great nations of the north are the Nga Pai and the Waikato—names with which the English reader must be familiar. Both of these have condemned the massacre, have orga nised a party to maintain peace, and some of the lead ing Waikato chiefs have announced to the Governor that they will prevent war and protect all the European residents in their country. A chief, who adopts the English name of Naylor, has written to Auckland announcing this favourable condition of opinion, and the measures which he describes for securing peace he states to have been agreed to at a Runanga attended by 400 natives. He adds that the mana (influence or authority) of the King move ment is gone. The southern natives have also de nounced the massacre. At the same time, it should not be concealed that -Waikato is not unanimous. There is a considerable party in what is called the Lower Waikato who continue to be hostile to the Government, and will sanction, and perhaps aid in, any warlike demonstration. It is said that they have lately constructed a strong pah at Rungiriri, near the Waikato river, "with that e ngineering skill and eye to position for which the Maoris are remarkable." But this hostile party will be weakened, and perhaps be kept mute and inactive, by the events subsequent to the massacre which I °ha ll presently describe. I ought here to mention another circumstance which will lend material aid in confining the war to Taranaki, and 1 do so because, as it is patent to every one on the spot, is not likely to be alluded to in recent ne seept op pers. I allude to the mean s o f transporting troa to miles f rom heart of the Waikato country. Abou a t n 2 d O vii i inge rom f Auckland is situated the township eadamoisedDrury, which is now reached by a good ma From __coach-road, on which stage-coaches ply daily. river a military road has been made to the Waikat olthe end o f a distance of not far from d or o , f u t l his road is a about 14 miles ; troop s river bank redoubt, called the Quefeonr'sc,o"vaenrciteg offensive embark is a small fort or battery ing on the river and other purposes, fensive. If " moral force" be at all correctl y ve definedlis the 4 ‘ fear of physical force," we need not doubt that this road and the redoubt and battery mat have during the last 18 months worked some moral effect on the mind of Waikato. Before the road l was made the country was very favourable to native ambuscades, now troops can be moved from Aaek hnd to the river in a day without any risk of sur prise, and with the certainty of prevailing over any native force in case of surprise. General Cameron has now about 2,000 troops under his command at Taranaki, and I believe this number does not include Volunteers, who are suffi cient in number and Efficiency to garrison the town. Applications have been made to India and Austra lia for reinforcements. Victol is had before fur nished nearly all she had, but New South Wales has sent some. It is said that one regiment is ex pected from England and another from India, with the addition of two native Sikh regiments, but this may be doubted. The first skirmish with the natives took place on the 18th of May, near the camp on the Tata raimaka block, and it gives indications of a policy different from that of General Pratt. Parties of tnelied u n d er exper i ence d troops had been (IP officers to act outside the Camp in different directions, and, of =no, acting independently of each other ; in short, to meet the native parties somewhat after their own fashion of warfare. Thus, as these parties clear the country of detached parties of natives, the war will be pushed into the enemy's country. One of these detached parties, consisting of about 30 men of the 57th, under Lieutenants Brunton, fell in with a party of natives early on tree morning of Monday, the 18th of May. They were stealing towards the camp, but were still on the south side of a stream which forms the southern boundary of the Tataraimaka block. Brunton's p arty was posted on the north side of the stream, 13 .n d a small detachment was directed to advance unee ' v e nd in order to draw the natives into a premat are at tack, the main body being at hand to suppr irt. The natives at once made their appearance, an?, the first of them who attempted to cross the street was shot and bayonetted. As more natives athee need, the small detachment retired in the rear of the main body, and then as the natives advancell further they were saluted by a brisk fire from the teoops. Eight natives were killed, but, the native force increas ing, the troops fell back to the mdoubt without loss. This slight affair will tend to give the troops conEence in this mode of we.rfar e, and dissipate the notion that the bush is not a safe fighting place for Europeans. I believe General Cameron and his officers have long been giving the subject of bush warfare care r f e u e le t. onsi s d m er a a l - 1 tion, and this is the first favourable ol as the affair was, it must therefore be deemed of importance. This first advantage was followed paowerdt ofup by a much more important success on trhedeotorbootpwshoienhlh'haudrbsday, theeenbuilt s b t y h t o h f J e m u a n o e r , when a iesonthe south side of the stream (the Kalikara), was as saulted, and carried in about 10 minutes, 27 of the defenders being bayonetted, and many more killed and wounded outside the redoubt, so called because it was constructed in imitation of European earth works, and was not a peh as it is called in Berne ac counts. The sagacious savages probably adopted this method to resist our Armstrong guns. On the previous evening a fence of about 580 men, consisting of parties of the 57th, 65th, 40th, 70th, and artillery, marched from the town of New Ply mouth to Tataraimaka. Oa the road they were joined by some more of the 57th, making the whole force about 650 strong. They had with them three Armstrong guns, the whole under the imme diate command of General Cameron. The march was silently effected, and the whole force assembled at St. George's redoubt and waited until daylight. At 6 o'clock in the morning the 57th, under Colonel Warre, aavanced towards the river, the 65th and 70th following in support. When they had pro ceeded about 400 yards the Armstrong battery was halted and placed in position on the north or right bank of the stream and at once opened fire on the native redoubt, about 800 yards on the south side of the little river. Oa the right of the enemy's position were some rifle-pits, and the 57th dashed across the stream and advanced in single file across the ground beyond the river to attack these pits and dislodge the Maoris within. Thie dangerous service was gallantly and effectually performed by the 57t1ii, under Lieutenants Waller and Brunton, and the enemy were driven from their position with loss. This opened the road to the supporting party, which came rapidly up, though not without a fire from the Redoubt. They were now within 300 yards of the Redoubt, which they at once assaulted with fixed bayonets, killing every native within. Captain Short and Captain Russell, with their respective parties, rushed at the redoubt almost simultaneously, and Ensign Duncan was in the redoubt at another point just after, as was also Colonel Logan, who had dismounted from his horse to join the assault. On clearing the rifle pits on the right, Colonel Warre, with his officers and men, pursued the flying Maoris to the south and inland, thus disregarding the bugbear of the high fern and bush, and in this they were joined and aided by parties of the 65th and 70th. When the Armstrong guns ceased firing, Lieut. Rait and his party, with their swords and revolvers, crossed the river and gully in order to in tercept the Maoris who might escape from the re doubt. The Eclipse was anchored off shore at about a mile from the redoubt, and threw some shells into it, and one of the natives was killed by a fragment of a shell, which was found in his body. The brunt of this smart offtir fell on the 57th, and the General publicly commended their gallantry in a few pithy words which soldiers value and treasure up, " Well done, 57th ;" and, turning to their Colonel, " You must be proud to command so fine a regiment." The affair of the redoubt. was over in ten minutes, and the loss of our troops was only three killed and seven or eight wounded. Twenty-four bodies of Maoris were carried into town—i. e., those killed in the redoubt. The whole loss of the natives is estimated at about 40 killed and many wounded, and one account says 75 killed and wounded. This gallant assault and its success have taken the natives by sur prise. In the last war the policy of the General commanding was to keep clear of rifle pits, and to approach pahs by regular sap, and it ought to be conceded to the gallant General who then com manded that he succeeded, and did, in fact, put an end to the war. The effect was, however, to make the natives believe that their rifle-pits were impreg nable, and this has converted a belief into a delusion. The Armstrong gun will be an irresistible arm against the strongest pahs, and the only problem which General Cameron will have to solve will be, not how to assault, for that he and his gallant troops know already, but how to defeat their old trick of an escape by the back door. The City and Metropolitan Police Forces. • An important document, bearing on the question of the comparative efficiency of these two forces, has just been published. It appears that Sir Richard Mayne deemed it his duty to collect certain returns, which he considers go far to demonstrate the superiority of the Metropolitan police in point of efficiency and cheapness. The results of his investigations and calculations were laid before Sir George Grey in the form of a letter under the date of the Ist of June, and this letter has now been printed and published. The following is a full abstract THE COST. Statistics, printed police police force From the last volume of the Judicial Stat' in 1861, the cost per man in the Met ropo li tan wou ld appear to be £7B 3s 2d, in th e City the figures 45 7d, the difference being only £ 1 is sci. Thoseli ce force £79 were obtained by dividing the total expenditure of re spective establishments by the number of poli ce i n each ; but Sir Richard Mayne points out that this method of procedure is erroneous, as in estimating the cost of the Metropolitan estableihment several large sums are included which do not properly relate to the cost of the police con stable, and which have corresponding items in the City police accounts. The sums amount in the aggregate to no less than £72,558 2s ld, and refer to expenses incurred for building and repairs, medicine and refreshment for prisons, horses, forage, special allowances to constables, deficiency of superannuation fund, &c. The accurate annual cost of the Metropolitan police force Sir Richard Mayne shows to be £400,389 2s 3d, which, divided by 6,116, the number of men, gives £65 9s 3d as the average cost of each man. The police constables belonging to the Metropolitan force, who are employed in the Dockyard and War Department are not of course considered in the foregoing figures, but i t has been ascertained that their cost per head is £3 Os 10d. On the part of the City police, the cost for the year 1861, according to the account; of the City Chamberlain, was costa r £ 4 79 4a £18,172 9s, making the average cost per man £79 4s. M otropol p it a a y n , 7itcl;,chthe force numbering 608 individuals. Thus, as Sir Mayne shows, that each man in the City 7d, or 9 1 per cent. higher greater expenses of the managem The- feooract.or differenceclothing, is cau•ed by a higher rate of e e n g t u o il f im th e e n c t, it & , p c o ., lic a e n . Sup posing the p ay, e d su th p o . trop_„, an , expenses, and management to be on the Me.. the c ul i ; ; scale,ti hits, a o sum of £8,370 per year would be saved by by the Metropolitan, itho other hand, if the City was adopted would be £4,l96establishment, the additional expendi tureanother point of view, Sir year ° Regarding the question from the maintenance S R. Mayne of the police on the whole population of police, considered as a tax per head district, 2s 10d, and i3acb. district, is, in the Metro politancent. higher in the latter distinic thet City, 8s 4d, or 191 per per house is shown to be 19 • In the same way the cos , s Oid for the 28 10d, or more than 200 per cent.high. r m etropolis, and £3 SECURITY FROM CRIII'E' in the City. Sir Richard Mayne next goes i nto a Craa o p risen of the cr i m es of ail classes in the City and Metropolitan districts, and quotes th e criminal returns in th e latest volume of Ju di c i a l Statistics, to show that the number of crimes corn.the 'hided in the year 1861 was, in the Cit y , 1,629 , and in the Metropolitan district 11,' 203 ; the area of the City being little more than one square mile, the population 111,784, number of house, 1,473; and in the Metropolitan istrict, area 571 square miles, j;o pulati.li 3,110,04, and uumber c 1 12914:40 46 1,848, The proportion of crimes to population is, in the City 1 crime to 158 persons, in the Metropolitan district 1 crime to 277 persons. In this relation crimes in the City are upwards of 156 per cent. higher than in the Metropolitan district. The proportion of crimes to inhabited houses is, in the City, 1 crime to 12 houses, in the Metropolitln district, 1 crime to 37 houses. In this relation climes in the City are upwards of 208 per cent. higher than in the Metro politan district. Sir Richard continues to furnish a variety of statistics favourable to the organisation and management of the Me tropolitan police. He shows that the proportion of the number of persons apprehended to the number of . crimes . apprehensions s to to 2B l c s ri c .m ri e m s e . crimes, committedt hele however,t rop h o a i a t n h n t e d h n i e s u t C r m i i district f p a persons apprehended by the between City numbereredischarged ofefficient apprehensions magistrates, a i s entered into. This ratio was, in the City, 10 efficient apprehensions to 32 crimes ; in the Metropolitan district, 10 efficient ap prehensions to 37 crimes. The proportion of prisoners dis charged by magistrates in respect of those apprehended by the City police, 1 in 2; by the Metropolitan police, 1 in 4. If the whole value of a police were to be measured by the number of magisterial committals in comparison with the number of police apprehensions, it would appear plain from these figures that the number of persons improperly apprehended by the City police is double that so appre hended by the Metroolitan. The Metropolitan police are concerned with much graver classes of crimes, or they get up their evidence more satisfactorily; of the suspected and accused persons apprehended by the City police less than one-half, of those apprehended by the Metropolitan police fully three-fourths, are committed for trial. The precise number of criminals committed for teal in the year 1861 was, in the City, 321; Metropolitan district, 2,997. Comparing the ratio of these fi g u res to t h e respective populations of each district, it is f o u n d th a t suc h crimes are in the City as 3 ; in the Metropolitan district, 1. Graver offences against persons are treated in the same manner in Sir Richard's letter, and he shows that the numbers were in the Metro politan district 1,368, being in the ratio of 1 to 2,273, or 0 V. per cent. of the population ; in the City 304, being in in the ratio of 1 to 368, or 271 per dent. of the population Of offences in houses he supplies the following figures :—ln the Metropolitan districts, 1,168; in the City, 104; the respective ratios being 277 per cent., and 782 per cent. of inhabited houses." In terminating this section of his report, Sir Richard Mayne says :—lt is thus shown that the crimes of a serious charac ter, both those against persons and houses, as well as crimes of every description, are relatively to population and houses much higher in the City than in the Metropolitan district. The inference is, that the Metropolitan police are more effi cient than the City police for the prevention of crime. The percentage of the persons apprehended who are committed for trial is much greater in the Metropolitan district than in the City. These results show that a greater number of persons are improperly apprehended in the City The Me tropolitan police act with better discretion, and more regard to the evidence against the persons apprehended. For the accuracy of the calculations and results which I have stated and for other calculations and interesting deductions on these matters, I beg to refer to a paper attached, by Mr. Frederick Purdy, secretary to the Statistical Society, and the statistioal clerk to the Poor Law Board, to whom I re ferred the returns for examination and correction. THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 19, 1863. ADVANTAGES OF COMBINATION. Towards the conclusion of this document Sir Richard points out the ad vantages which would result from a com bination of the City and Metropolitan police forces. He says:—" I beg leave, in conclusion, to state that the exist ence of a detached police force in the heart of the metropolis is at variance with the principle on which the police is esta blished in every other town in the kingdom. The continu ance of such an extraordinary exception in the metropolis has, after lengthened inquiry and careful considers ion, been condemned by two select committees of the House of Commons, and by two Royal Commissions appointed to inquire into the state of the Corporation of the city of Lon don. On the last occasion, in the year 1854, the commis sioners, the Right Hon. 11. Labonchere (now Lord Taunton) the late Sir George C Lewis, and Mr. Justice Patteson, in their report to the Queen, thus express their deliberate opinion with regard to the police :—' We believe that the incorporation of the City with the larger district by which it is surrounded is a measure recommended alike by consi derations of efficiency and economy.' The Charges of Indecent Assault against Clarke. William Henry Clarke, 17, painter, was indicted yester day at the Central Criminal Court for committing an inde cent assault upon Mary Ann Baxter, for a like offence upon the person of Sophia Allen, and for a third and similar assault on the person of a young girl named Lambert. Mr. Clerk, specially retained on behalf of the Government, assisted by Mr. Orridge, appeared to support the prosecu tion ; Mr. Dickie defended the prisoner. The court was densely crowded during the hearing of the trial, and the utmost interest was manifested in the pro ceedings. It will be fresh in the recollection of our readers that the prisoner was first arraigned at the Clerkenwell Police-court on the charge of murdering a little girl named Elizabeth Hunter, whose remains wore found in a nursery ground at Islington a short lirne ago, but the case being one of very great suspicion only, that charge was abandoned and the present one brought forward. The whole case having been so recently and so fully re ported, it will be unnecessary again to give the evidence in detail, as the facts of the case will he found fully narrated in the opening speech of the learned counsel for the prose cution. Mr. Clerk, in his opening, said that though the case as read from the indictment did not appear to be so serious as some which had been tried before it this session, yet it would be found to be the most important of any which has as yet been brought before them. In each case the prose cutors were little girls, all under the age of ten when the offences were committed ; and by the indecent conduct of the prisoner towards them, he was guilty of a crime which might have the effect of ruining these young children for life by corrupting and tainting their whole existence. For certain reasons he (the learned counsel) would not refer to the charge out of which the present case arose, as by so doing he might infuse a certain amount of animus into the minds of the jury, which he was most desirous of avoiding, The first charge to which he would refer occurred some considerable time back, and was one of indecent assault upon a young girl named Mary Ann Baxter, who was only about nine years of age when the occurrence took place. About the end of September, 1861, she was going down a street in Heston, when the prisoner met her, and asked her to take a letter to William-street, in which is situated the nursery-grounds where the prisoner was was employed. He then took her by the hand, telling her that he would get her the letter, and led her through the nursery-ground to the toll-house at the bottom of the garden, where he was guilty of very indecent conduct. He took her on his knee and put his hand up her clothes, when the child screamed out. He gave her a fourpenny-piece, but she threw it down, and cried to go home. He then took her to a place where glass was kept, and tied a handkerchief over her mouth, and told her if she screamed out he would murder her. He continued to keep her some time longer, when he let her go, and she ran home and told her mother what had occurred. The latter afterwards went to Mr. Roe, and the child at once pointed out the prisoner as the men who assaulted her. At first he denied all knowledge of the child, but afterwards, under a promise, he made a statement to his master which he (the latter) took down in writing. All this occcurred as long ago as September, 1861, but it was not the only case where the prisoner had been guilty of this kind of conduct ; fot some time in the January follow ing he met a little girl named Mary Ann Lambert, not more than eight years old, and to her he made exactly the same proposal as ho had done to the other girl, telling her he would give her a penny to take the letter. He did not, however, give her a letter, but took her by the hand to the nursery grounds, and when in the glass-house told her to lie down, but ske said she could not, " as her mother told her not to dirty her frock." The prisoner then took his coat off, and forced the poor child to lie upon it, and then in spite of her screams he behaved in a most indecent manner towards her. They could not tell whot had been done to the poor little thing; but when examined by a surgeon she was found to be very much injured. The same little girl had after wtnahnaaemradpusrdiiitsdienlntified him from a number of other men as the person who ha assaulted her. Besides these two cases there was a thi r d charge against him. This time the little girl, a l e s t r u e , accostedy wt took o s k her walking e hr,e irt tgo alongea tniinto te oße shop when conversationS w g a h t e e n• he stree t,twher,hi,ok heenr on his knee, and put his hand up her clothes till she screamed out and ran away. The whole of these cases would be distinctly proved before them, and it was by order of the Government that he was there that day, as it was a cruel and a monstrous thing that any man or lad should act in such a corrupt and debasing manner towards poor little children, who were quite unable to protect themselves. A large number of witnesses were called to prove the statement of the learned counsel, atter which Vickie addressed the jury on behalf of the prisoner, conten di n g that the children were all mistaken with regard to identity,as he had several witnesses who would prove an alibi on two out of the three occasions referred to. At fi rst the prisoner had been suspectedof that mu that charge hadrder,and the llovern ment hat prosecuted; but finding a n l d l t c h o e n vevidence the prisoner they could pos s ibl y soner on th ese paltry charges. lie did not think the Government s t ool thus scrapef ailed theyteg together r r raked up try and less boy, who had already suffere ble some other person, who unfortunately bar pened to resew in any very enviable light in dparloosnegcuitminpgriasopnoomrefnatt,heenrd for whom he had been mistaken. to the effect that the prisoner was with i A number of witnesses were calledh, w t h h e o n a s v n e d e i n v i d t e h n e c t e r and that he could n o t p oss ibly h av e been n houses on two of the occasions referred to evidence,tinhethreeen-house and committed the assaults imputed him. a rd t 0 I h r eit . then w repliedwas ht naturalupon t the e that whole fr friends Band e relati ons g . should t r y to screen the young man at the b ar. It was a , most difficult thing to prove an alibi to th e sa'isfaction or a jury "o lcug a t i me after the assaults took place. The Common Ser geant t h en summe d up t h e w h o l e o f the C Yi a tuce, putting the. points with great cicazacsa before the With r jury, telling them they must not be prejudiced against the prisoner because he was first apprehended upon a more serious charge, but must look at the case as it stood before them according to the evidence. With regard to the con duct of the Government, he thought it had been very fair throughout the whole proceedings. The jury then retired, and in a few minutes returned into court with a verdict of guilty on the two first counts. The Common Sergeant, addressing the prisoner, said he had been convicted after a most patient hearing, and he certainly concurred in the verdict. His conduct throughout had been most infamous, and there was only one thing which could be said in palliation, and that was his youth. Tha Common Sergeant then sentenced him to two years' impri sonment with hard labour. The prisoner in the most cool manner in the world then asked whether he might be allowed to see his legal adviser, to see what steps could be taken on his behalf, as he was quite innocent. The Common Sergeant said ho had nothing to do with that. ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. NORTHERN CIRCUIT. — LIVERPOOL, AUG. 18. CRIMINAL COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Blackburn). Jose Maria Alvan z, a Spanish sailor, aged 22, was in dicted for having, at Liverpool, on the 12th May, feloniously and of his malice aforethought, killed and murdered one James Harrison. Ho was also charged with feloniously wounding one Henry Cohen, with intent to murder him. Mr. Conway and Mr. A. Pent appeared for the .prosecu tion ; Mr. Charles Russall defended the prisoner. It appeared from the statement of the learned counsel for the prosecution, and from the evidence of the witnesses called, that on the evening of the 12th of May, about a quarter past nine o'clock, the unfortunate deceased man, in company with two other men, named Cohen and Howell, was proceeding down Old Hall-street, in the direction of the Exchange. They had been together about a quarter of an hour in a publichouse, and, according to the evidence of Cohen and Howell, they were perfectly sober. When nearly opposite Fazakerley-street they met the prisoner, and Cohen accidentally jostled against him. There was no pre tence for saying that there was an assault on his part ; it was purely accidental, So far from being intentional, or im plying any wish to offend, the moment he had done it Cohen turned round and begged the prisoner's pardon. The prisoner said some words in Spanish, and immediately pulled out a dagger and stabbed Cohen twice—first in the breast, and afterwards, Cohen turning round to escape from him, he stabbed him again in the back. The prisoner then went across the street, and Harrison, the deceased man, immediately followed him. Harrison caught him somewhere near a breadshop kept by a person named Simpson, and then the prisoner stabbed Harrison twice, inflicting the two stab wounds, one of them mortal, in the belly. There could be no question that in this case Harrison was perfectly jus tified, because all he did was his bounden duty to do. When he saw the offence which had been described com mitted on Cohen it was his daty, if possible, to arrest the offender, and therefore any act done to him in the execu tion of that duty was clearly unjustifiable on the part of the prisoner, i.nd would be no defence to the charge of murder. Harrison fell down. and the prisoner then crossed the street and and having made for Fazakerl e y- s t ree t. There were three women standing ther e . O ne of theta ca ll e d ou t t o him, "Y, u villain, wh a t h ave you done? " He made no re ply, but walked u p t o another woman who was stan di ng c l ose by, said in Spani s h, "Come here," he took hold of her apron and deliberately wiped the bloody dagger on it, after which he walked down the street. The learned coun sel felt it his duty to call the special attention of the jury to the act, because it appeared to him to show very great cool ness and very great deliberation on the part of the prisoner. He was followed down Lancelot's -hey, and was there lost sight of. It appeared that be went to the hoarding-house where he had been in the habit of stopping, kept by a Spa niard and his wife, named Antonio and Maria Bargus. The prisoner there entered in an excited state and changed his dress. When asked what was the matter with him he said he had fought four Englishmen in the street and had used his knife. It seemed that the prisoner left the boarding house about 7 o'clock that evening, and returned, appa rently very much out of breath, a little after a quarter past 9. In point of fact, the time of his return exactly coincided Bwiatrliguthseintismpanetibsah, A that the murder was a lle g ed to have taken n place, He had on at the time a bl u e shirt and a scarf or muffler, which wou ld be produce d before them. Ho said to pa t r h d o roonmatetefror; w an h d at th l e h p a r v i e done." Bargus asked whatt°lli° was ' . sener replied, "I h ave com e from Old hall-street, after having stabbed one E ngl i shman ." Bargus said , " Have you used your k n if e ?" He rep li e d, " Yes." " Have you killed him ?" inquired Bar us to which the prisoner re plied, "I don't know." He added that he had fought with four Englishmen, and wounded four of them. He then took off the blue shirt and the muffler, which would be proved by several witnesses to have been the dress in which he was at the time the offence was committed. He went away with his dress so changed, saying that " he would go to his girl." It appeared that he did go to a girl of whom he had some knowledge, and he was taken into custody on the following day. When arrested, he said tha t he had been at a coffee house from 5 o ' c l oc k that e vening until 11 o'clock, and that he was not the guilty party. Now, that was clearly untrue, because, as had been already stated, it would be proved by the evidence of the boarding housekeeper that he only left their house at 7 o'clock, and returned immediately after the time when the offence was committed. There would be some slight discrepancy —a s might be easily expected, considering the time of night and the natural excitement which would exist among parties wit nessing thi s dreadful transaction—with regard to the dress cap T h o o n learned with s a e and d s another ai dthat the prisoner was wearing at the time. One witness would sa y that he was wearing a blue, another th a t it was a blue an d t w h h a i t t shirt;e heh a d onnoe cap that on hadhe a at all. he would 11 able, however, to prove the identity b e y on d all doubt. It appear ed to him that the real questi on f or them ro consider was n ot whether or not the p risoner com mitted the deed, but what was the quality of that deed, as suming it to have tak en p lace. The deceased was p ic ked up and taken into Simps on's shop, and thence remove d to the hospital, where his w ounds were examined, and where he died. The medical man who attended the deceased would be called before the jury, and he would giv; a description of the nature of the wounds, and would state that beyond all question those wounds were the cause of death. The learned counsel then submitted tbat in point of law the homicide of the deceased, committed under these circum stances, amounted to the crime of murder, and was not manslaughter- The y learned couns el for the defe nce, contended, first, on the evidence, hadevi densctae,bbthedattthhee deceasedidentity h of a t d he n p o r t is b on ee e n r w sa it t h isf i a h c e to m ri a ly n w original establishedq n;a quarrel and, s econdly, that all th e c i rcumstances of the l re probabl y not b efore the jury, and it was difficult to say ho w fa r the prisoner had been provoked before he used the k nife he wore, and, as a foreigner, igno rant of ourlarguag e t he was probably not able to understand the conduct of the m en wh o jostled him, or their apology. wsee His Lordship, in su m ming' up, having directed the jury as to the distinction between murder and manslaughter, directed them to take into consideration the circumstances attending the first part of the quarrel, and also how far they f o e f re o i u g r , eePlnepre, might unacquainted with our language perhaps be more dis posedg thet k ttohtaneitkbeoeff e nce, and t o f ancy himself endangered, than andm might think a might under the same ci rcumstances have been the case with an Englishman. His Lordship remarked, however, that the law, though lenient to human frailty, was not so to human ferocity ; and if they were of opinion that the provocation was not sufficient to reduce the crime to manslaugter, then it was their duty as ajury to find a verdict of murder, and not of manslaughter. Of course they would have first to satisfy themselves as to the identity of the prisoner as the person who committed the offence charged in the indictment ; and with regard to that they would have to weigh carefully the evidence of the various witnesses. It they were satisfied that the prisoner knew that he was about to inflict a wound under such circumstances end with such an instrument as to show that he contemplated doing grievous bodily harm, and was reckless as to whether death ensued or not, then the crime could not be reduced to manslaughter. In con clusion, he would say to them that they should perform their duty carefully, and, while they were called upon to do their duty firmly to justice, they were carefully to consider if there was anything in the case which led them to think that it did not amount to murder, and give the prisoner the benefit of it. Were they satisfied that the prisoner inflicted the wounds, having received such provocai ion as might take away from the act what the law called malice, and reduce the crime from murder to manslaughter ? The jury would, he hoped, consider the question calmly and carefully, with out thinging of the consequences, but honestly doing their duty, for the consequences were the act of the law, and not their act. If they thought the prisoner had not been made out to be the man who had inflicted the wounds, then , he need scarcely say, they would acquit him altogether ; but if they thought he was the man, the question lay be tween murder and manslaughter. with a verdict of guilty, coupled with a recomm endation to The jury, having retired, returned shortly before 5 o'clock mercy. Lordship—Upon what grounds , g entlemen ? Tho Foreman--On account of his be in g a foreigner, and not understanding the English langu a g e. His Lordship--I understand you to mean, g entlemen, that a lt houg h you d o not think that sufficient to justify you in saying that it mitigated the offence from murder to man slaughter, yet it is a matter which somewhat palliates the offence? ri s o n Lordshiper, said, The Foreman—That is so, my Lord. assume The pbrlaoccklameaapti,oannhd,avadindgrebseseinngmtandeep, his —You have been found guilty by the verdict of the jury, alter a patient consideration, of the crime of wilful murder, and it now only remains for me to do that which the law ins. poses upon roe to do—to pass sentence upon you. The jury have recommended y ou t o m ercy. That recommendation I will forward to the proper a uthorities; but from the nature of the crime you have comusit;ed, I would not recommend you to entertain any hopes that that recommendation will be carried into effect by her Majesty's Government. Upon that I have not the power to decide, and I must now pass upon you having no other alternative—the sentence of the law to wul warder, J i J.49r1512ip tlie4 svcC*4 to pronounce the sentence of death in the usual form; and, at its termination, directed that his remarks should be trans lated to the prisoner. This was done by the Spanish Consul,who occupied a seat near the dock during the trial; and the prisoner, who did not seem to be at all moved, then lefr the dock. Esau Wilcox, aged 16, was indicted for the wilful murder of Mary Cullen, at Manchester, on the 28th of March last. Mr. Sowler (Q.C. in the County Palatine), and Mr. Leresch appeared for the prosecution; Mr. Hopwood de fended the prisoner. The prisoner, a stupid-looking youth, appeared to have been playing with some children and young girls in Bar ton .street, Liverpool-road, Manchester, on the evening of the 26th March last, when the prisoner was observed to go to the light of a shop window and charge a pistol which he had. Shortly afterwards he was seen to advance towards a girl named Mary Cullen, who was about 16 years of age, and when about eight yards from her he pointed his hand towards her, and immediately a loud report was heard, and Mary Cullen fell. She was found to have a wound in the forehead, and was lifted up and carried to the Infirmary, where she die:i six or seven hours after from the effects of a wound in the forehead, which had penetrated her skull and entered the brain. When she fell a boy present said, " That was Esau Wilcox," to which the prisoner cried, " Hush I" The prisoner was observed to go towards an ashpit near his father's house, and was afterwards taken into custody at his father's. On searching the ashpit a pistol, which appeared to have been recently discharged, was found there, and on searching the prisoner some gun powder and a leaden pellet were found in his waistcoat pocket. A post snortein examination of the deceased disco vered that a small triangular piece of bone had been driven into the forehead, and a wound large enough to admit the surgeon's finger had been made in the substance of the brain. A very small piece of lead was found in the brain, but nothing which could have made such a wound. There did not appear to have been any motive to induce the pri soner to commit the offence charged, and his Lordship inti mated to the learned counsel for the prisoner that he should confine himself to the charge of manslaughter. The defence urged was that there was no intention by the prisoner to injure any one, but that he had discharged the pistol in frolic, and that the paper wadding had proba bly inflicted the wound. The boy was a quiet and inoffen sive lad. His Lordship in summing up directed the jury that, if in their opinion the prisoner had fired the pistol with cul pable negligence, that would constitute the offence of man • slaughter, if his act had caused the death of the deceased. The wound probably might have been inflicted by some thing in the nature of a ramrod being left in the pistol, but of that there was no evidence. The jury found the prisoner guilty of manslaughter. His Lordship sentenced him to be imprisoned, with hard labour, for two calendar months. He did not think the circumstances of the case called for any severe punishm-nt, and he thought he might well have been spared the pain of the charge of wilful murder which had been preferred against him. The Hun. A Liddell, Q.C., and Mr. Price, Q.C., have each been sitting as Commissioners assisting in the trial of prisoners. In the Civil Court a long mining case, as to the getting of a quantity of coal, which was commenced yesterday, has occupied the day. It possessed very little public interest. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMEs T. • • aside all party aspects, the war in America, looked upon simply as a war, ought to put human nature in this 19th century to shame. It is not even war on modern civilised dimensions; it is war upon a barbaric scale. It is ancient war re vived. Its carnage, its devastations, its famines, its pestilences are barbaric. Its battlefields are upon an old plan, in which the slaughter is out of all pro portion with the strategy. The engines of war are modern, but the angel of destruction which fires them is the same destroying angel which laid low Assyrian, Chaldean, and Persian armies. Milton has given us a picture of ancient war conducted with modern instruments, and he has boldly introduced the thunders of field guns into the very earliest fights on record. This war combines the newest military inventions with the oldest type of horror and destruction. If any one was not satisfied of this from former descriptions he might have been from the results of the battle of Gettysburg, as just now more fully and accurately reported. We call it the battle, because it was to all intents and purposes one battle. We have there in one battle 40,000 killed and wounded—i. a., a whole army put hors de combat. Of these 10,000 are killed on the spot. Fancy such a solid mass of slaughter to be the work of one battle. Ten thousand dead bodies on one field ! Is it a scene of a civilised, mercantile, cotton growing, cotton-spinning age,—an age which boasts itself a peaceful age, an age which has discarded the pride of the soldier for the triumphs of the social improver, and adopted " Exhibitions" -as its victo ries ? Or is it a scene of the age of Alaric or Attila ? We need not take our readers through the inter minable rows of the hospital. It is impossible for any one to realise what the effect of the sight of thousands of gashed and disabled men is, unless he does actually see it. Indeed, all these accounts are mere words to many, without the aid either of the eye or of a vivid imagination. Reason, however, must come to the rescue if imagination fails, for it is nothing less than a duty for people to endeavour to enter into these facts, and take in the dreadful amount of human misery which is comprised in these scenes. It is a revolting idea that these frightful events should be taking place, and that they should pass over us without creating even the sense of a contrast—the contrast of our situation with that of these unfortunate cousins of ours. Here we are in this island of ours, —we never look on war; we do not know what war is as a spectacle. We are at war, indeed, sometimes—we make war, but we never see it—we do not catch a glimpse of it—we are never touched by the faintest stir of its most distant skirts. Our troops know what war is, but we only know it by our pockets being a little lighter than usual. We pay for war, but we keep our creditor at a distance, and send him his money by check. What a differ ence it would make if war made his appearance among us, not in the shape of a Chancellor of the Exchequer's budget, but in propria persona ! How would his rugged visage horrify us! Cannot we guess how we should feel at passing through " the lines," at catching sight of a battery on the brow of the next hill, at meeting files of troops and trains of artillery and military baggage as we went to pay our visit of business to the next tawn, or our call of condolence upon some mourning relation ? At the first sight of a sentinel pacing on some hitherto tranquil rural path our whole image of comfortable, secure, ploughing and sowing England would crum ble into fragments, and we should feel ourselves in another country. We should feel that a tie had broken, and that we had lost the England of our birth. Can we fancy the rails torn up between Slough and Reading, or between Rugby and Lei cester, or between 50 other couples of towns? C an we raise an image of bridges, which had spanned the Thames or the Trent or the Alton from time immemorial, blown up, of telegraph wires cut, and of the communication both of persons and news changed from its present likeness to a law of nature to the irregularity of chance and luck? If we can, we can see what a very extraordinary England that England would be, and how difficult to recognise under its altered look and circumstances. Or can we picture to ourselves what the news of a battle would he, fought at Maidenhead or Dorking, on Salisbury Plain, or on the Hog's Back, and how strange the very announcement would sound to our ears, as if a law of nature had been broken in the fact of an en gagement between two armies having really taken place on English soil? If we can, then we may feel how striking is the contrast between the situation of the Americans and of ourselves, and what the miseries and horrors are from which we are hitherto preserved. In parts of the United States the popula lation is being literally fed on " rations." Between Vicksburg an Jackson " the country is completely devastated." No subsistence of any kind remains. Every growing crop was destroyed where possible. Wheat was burnt in the barn and stack, wherever found. All subsistence was brought offor destroyed. Live stock was used or brought away everywhere. Thousands are applying for food to sustain life. (Jen. Grant is opposed to all opening of trade for the present. His experience has been that trade retarded military operations." The Battle of Gettys burg does indeed appear to have presented some of the grandest scenes of the horribly sublime kind that have been seen in any war. Our Correspon dent, describing the charge of the Confederates up the Cemetery Hill, held by the Federal centre, writes : should have fancied that no such scene had ever before reached mortal eye or ear. A thick canopy of smoke, constantly rent by bright, dart ing flashes of flame, cast its dense pall over the struggling, bleeding thousands who toiled and died in its centre, while out of the opaque gloom, as though from the bowels of the earth, one deep, pro longed, bellowing roar never ceased to issue. Through the deepening twilight, and on far into the night, the fierce struggle continued, unit in the gloom the dazziing paranole.s of flame, bursting into sparkling jets and coruscations, as the shells cracked and exploded, made a ghastly pyrotechnic display." The first day, however, was exceeded by the second. " The thundering roar of all the accu mulated battles ever fought upon earth, rolled into one volume, could hardly have rent the skies with fiercer or more unearthly resonance and din. Far back into the mountains the reverberations rolling from hillside to hillside startled strange and un musical echoes. Vast cumuli of cloud, such as would have shrouded 10,000 Homeric goddesses. . • . floated over the strife ; horses, the suffering and tortured ministers of man's fury and wrath, I3V thickly dead or horribly mutilated upon the ground; cou4aratly iroak out of tho white 1)14 of vapour issued wounded and mangled men, and rumours that this or that General was killed, that this or that regiment was reduced to a corporal's guard, traceable to no authentic source, neither believed ;nor disbelieved: by the listeners, rose, as it were, out of the ground." Such is war, and, with this before them, there is unquestionably an appetite for fighting which the continuance of war produces. There can be no doubt, according to our correspondent, that it was "the cry for im mediate battle" which impelled General Lee to the attack of the Federal position at Gettysburg that ended so disastrously for the Confederates. "A cry for immediate battle, louder and more peremptory than ever ascended from the Highlanders of Claver house or Montrose, swelled the gale—timid and hesitating counsels were impatiently discarded, and, as it appeared to me, the mature end cautious wisdom of General Lee had no choice but to float -with the current." In the thick of the fire General Longstreet was obliged to silence the cheering of his men, and from the very "ambulances, bearing their ghastly loads of wounded mei , r_ to the rear," there issued the loudest hurrahs as General Lee passed. War certainly does bring out a class of flue qualities in human nature, and brings them out in a way in which no ocher life can. Unfortunately in the great mass it produces a counterbalance. The very man who is a hero on the field is a brute when the battle is over. H 3 is insolent, arrogant, and selfish, and his government is a curse to the soil he has won. And that is the curse under which a large part of the United States now groans. There is a flesh of heroism while the storm of the battle lasts, but the steady. temptations of every day life in a hostile country sap a moral foundation which was never strong, and make the soldier too often , a grasping tyrant. Unfortunately America now feels his iron grasp, and it may be long before she is released from it. PosT.—We have little doubt that there will be as emany projects as princes at the Frankfort Confer ence. The Emperor of Austria leads off the dance; but there will be many ready to figure in it be sides Francis - Joseph. But we may for the moment content ourselves with the Austrian propo sitions. They form an indication of the direction which the attention of the Conference will first take. The dispute of the different German news • papers in regard to the precise detail of them is not important. All we require at present is their general tenor, and on that point there is a pretty general agreement. The Emperor of Austria's proposals appear to concern—first, the organisation of the Federal Diet; and, secondly, its powers. We must acknowledge that they seem to point very much in the direction of a re-establishment of the old Ger manic Empire. They form, in effect, the machinery of the old Imperial Diet, to a great extent at least, with the artificial substitution of a Directory for an Emperor. The Executive is to consist of a Direc tory, to be formed, according to one account, of five representatives, and, according to another account, of seven. Austria, Prussia, and Bavaria are to be represented singly and severally. The minor Ger man Powers are then to elect either two or four representatives to act conjointly with the Austrian, Prussian, and Bavarian delegates. Such is the proposition of the Emperor Francis Joseph for the constitution of the Federal Executive. We next come to the legislative part of it. There are to be two Chambers, according to this proposition. The Upper House is to be a Chamber of Princes, an aristocracy limited to that rank. Whether they also are to be representative. or to embrace the whole number of their order, does not directly appear ; but the absence of a limitation of number inclines us to the supposition that this aristocratical element is to coincide with the total number of Princes throughout the Confederation. We then turn to the Lower House. These ere to be professed dele gates. It is not proposed that they should be directly chosen by ordinary constituencies ; but they are to be chosen by the different Diets of the different States of the Confederation. This regula tion i would, it is obvious, involve some difficulty n regard to such States as have not at present repre sentative legislative assemblies. But at the same time it would tend no doubt to operate as a whole some premium upon constitutional government throughout the Confederation, inasmuch as the ab sence of it in any one State would diminish the voice and importance of that State in the Federal Assembly. This Lower House of the Federal As sembly is to be composed of representatives from both Houses in each of the State Diets. Thus the Lower House in each State Diet is to elect two thirds, and the Upper House one-third, of the aggre gate of the Federal Assembly. The Lower House of the Federal Assembly would therefore be, on this pro posal, of a highly composite character, as well as very indirectly elected. It would comprise both the popular and senatorial element in each German- State-constitution ; and even the popular element would be chosen, not by the usual constituencies, but by representatives already chosen by such con stituencies. As it is not proposed to render the designed Federal Assembly for Germany a highly popular body, we do not know that there is any sound objection to raising this broad interval between its members and the action of public opinion in Ger many. But the disproportion between the popula tions of the leading States and the comparative num ber of representatives whom their respective Parlia ments are to send to Frankfort is rather marked. It is said that Austria and Prussia are together to send one half the members of the Lower House of Fede ral Assembly to Frankfort, and that the minor States are to send the other half. Now, Austria and Prussia, reckoning, of course, only the Germanic territory of either, present a proportion of fully three-fifths of the population of Germany, we might almost say two-thirds. There are fully 25,000,000 Germans in these two States against under 15,000,000 in the minor States. At first sight this would look like remarkable moderation on the part of Austria. But it is a moderation in which Prussia would have to join, for the German population of Prussia is fully as large as the German population of Austria. To say the truth, the proposal seems to be so designed that that Power which promises to possess the greatest influence with the minor States shall, through them, rule the Confederation. We need hardly observe that, as matters at present stand, that Power is Austria. We must confess that we look with greater distrust to the oper a tion, or rather to the feasibility of the laws which are here put for ward to govern the powers of this Federal Assembly. As to the proposed power of determining a general right of domicile, we see every ground to applaud it. Few practical matters of German law have been beset with greater intricacy, from their very variety, then the law of domicile. But when we come to the question of a " general press law," which the . Emperor of Austria proposes, we have at once an infrin,ement on the municipal rights of sovereign States, which a jealous and powerful State such as Prussia is certain to resent. We readily concur in a general law of domicile, because it was a matter of international concern, and even of international law ; and it is one, therefore, on which all States may be expected to agree and to consent to a com mon compact and arrangement. Of course, if a general press law could be passed and be submitted to in practice, there would be every occasion to re joice at it, though an infraction of the sovereign rights of single States. The objection is that powerful States are likely to resist the infraction, and possibly to resist the whole measure, on the ground of its inroad on their domestic sovereignty. The same, too, muse be said of the scheme of a set of supreme Federal tribunals, that is to do away with the judicial sovereignty of single States—and yet more, to do away also with the Sovereign's pre rogative of clemency and mercy in criminal cases. Of course, if all the States approximated in power, it would be practicable to substitute for the exist ing Confederation of States a Federal State, Ench as the Helvetic Republic, or what the United Pro vinces used to be. But we gravely doubt whether, if the present King of Prussia will not submit even to a Prussian Legislature, any King of Prussia would submit to a German Legislature controlling his own internal sovereignty. And we venture to entertain some doubt whether even an Emperor of Austria would either, if the machinery of the pro posed Federal constitution were not to promise him a substantial indemnification in the shape of Ger man"supremacy. HERALD.—As if the love of enterprise were only another name for the equally restless love of noto riety or fame, M. Jules Gerard, the lion slayer, is just as busy in chroniclin g the achievements which remind us of his model Hercules, as in per forming them. The labours which carried the con queror of the Nemean lion from the Pillars of Her cake to the Mountains of the Moon seem to have tempted M.Gerard into an even wid er search of fame; and the last of our news consists of a couple of letters, siddressed to the Duke of Wellington and M. H. Claudet, from points near the western coast of Central Africa. He is purposing, he tells us, to make his way by Tinabuctoo to his former haunts in Algeria, and allows himself twelve months for the adventurous journey, and writes u nder a confidence of success which has a better foundatio. n in the well known courage and self possession of the travell er than in the character of the country which he pro. poses to traverse. There are a great . many haza r d s against oar having a Gerard as a gift from n ature, and still more that we shoulo have him safe and sound for the convenie nces of a London summe r season after going throug h so long a series of peril s ; and as we hear of th e drawing-room hero of two great countries riski n g among. remote savages so precious a life for tho satisfaction of a travelling whim, it is hard not to fear that the null s ves ti g ia re t rorsu m may stand between this new visit to the arida matrix leonum uhd the reoirn we shall be glad to weeeenis as tee, sensation of a er e so n . I n th e mean time we receive from him a pen a n d i n k sketch o f the txst African... huh, Ina in his traVuL% It is our old friend the King of Dahomey who ob tains this advantage from the hand of the French lion-hunter, and we are pained to find that the Gallic view is even less favourable to Dahomean Royalty than our own. It requires a very modest amount of Conservatism to be restrained from enter ing a caveat against the contemptuous standpoint from which M. Gerard looks down upon a King. Evidently he is no fit person to edit the " Court Cir cular," if Dahomey shoulfl betake itself to one. He describes his Majesty as well built, with a head like a bulldog, illustrated by an expression of mixed cunning and cruelty. The divinity that cloth hedge in a king demanded surely a more courteous detail of the facts. We are told that his black Ma jesty retains his fanaticism for old traditions and customs; continues his old love for slave-dealing and sanguinary spectacles; and his moral quality, in keeping with his physical conformation, is by no means the better for being seen close. This is what the painters would call hard, matter-of-fact, dry, physical handling of a subject. It shows how little of the genuine feeling of loyalty exists in modern Frenchmen, and sets us thinking what the country men of M. Gerard would have thought of a sketch in the same style of a Louis XIV. or a Louis Napo leon. The biting cynicism of the Frenchman actu ally luxuriates when it brings into play the singu lar accessories by which the King endeavours to give effect to his court grandeur. The palace is com posed of huts, and the two columns which help to make the gateway to it are so many chaplets formed by human heads. M. Gerard was assisted to a very lively comprehension of the power of his Majesty by the exposition of a pool of blood two yards in width between chaplet and chaplet. The Daho mean ideas on taste seem equally primitive and original on other matters. The music which deaf ened the Frenchman delighted his Majesty, and the distaste of the polite Frenchman is all the more extraordinary that the Ministers of State and the members of the blood royal shared in grotesque dances and joined in playing an African pantomime in his honour, to the accompaniment of " the most infernal" noise. A royal procession got up in hon our of the French visitor did not win a more fav ourable acceptance. A thousand women, some carrying bottles of water on their head, others car rying a brass foot-bath consecrated for the reception of the blocd of human victims, others baskets full of human skulls, others the drum of death, varied by processicnists bearing images cf St. Lawrence and the King, with certain old carriages and Bath chairs, the King himself bearing the emblem of Christ on his breast, formed what is called " the spectacle of the royal wealth." The scene was not precisely the sort of thing which the ceremonial of "Le Grand Abner que" would have provided to astound the imagina tion of a traveller from foreign parts. But then it was his taste, which was of course the taste of his kingdom ; and why should not the rule "De Gustibus" be as appliable to a king or kingdom in Africa as to a king or kingdom in Europe, where it is less needed ? M. Gerard is too polite a French man not to have had a word for the King's Amazon army. They are twelve thousand strong, he tells us, and " manoeuvre with the precision of a flock of sheep." But if their movements are somewhat wild, their courage is beyond dispute, and they have helped their Sovereign to some important acquisi tions of territory. The Mahee territory has been his Savoy, and, thanks to them, the King of Dahomey now reigns over a population of a quarter of a million. Let us add, to cover a multitude of sins and to supply a defect of M. Gerard, that he reigns over one of the best-cultivated and the richest agricultural countries on the whole continent of Africa. He may black his face with coal and dance in mad revelry with his soldiers at one of his country's feasts—but then he encourages agriculture, ' and farms are met even in the far interior, where our civilisation has rarely been ever heard of, that would do honour to many a country in Europe. COUNTRY MARKETS. 4 , LE E D S-TUESDA.Y.. New wheat is in good supply to-day, and, though offered at 3s to 4s per qr lower, meets only a partial sale. Other articles not materially altered. LIVERPOOL-TUESDAY. At our market to-day there was a small attendance of country millers, and wheat experienced a fair business at a reduction of ld to 2d per cental on the week. Indian corn was less pressed, and the reduction of 3d per quarter bn Ftiday was fully recovered. Barley and peas fully as dear. Oats and oatmeal negl.cted, and nominally without change in prices. Beans dull. Flour a moderate sale, and 3d to Ed per brl decline, MARKET HARBOROUGH-TUESDAY. White wheat,;44s to 48s ; red, 42s to 46s per 36 stone. Malting barley at —s to —s per qr. ; grinding, 30s to 333 per 30 st. Oats, old, 20s to 275; new,, 19a to 22s per 24 at. ; beans, 42s to 41s per qr. NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME-MONDAY. To-day the demand for wheat was slow, but there was a fair supply, and prices about is lower. Barley in mode rate show at late rates. Old white wheat..4Bs to 52s 0!d red wheat„ 4ls to 4Fa New do. .. 46s to 50s I New do. 44s to 473 Malting bar1ey....378 to 42s I Oats. 22a to COs Grinding d0.....27s to 30s I Beans 36s to 44s SIIEFFIELD-TUESDAY. A model ate supply of old, wheat, and the demand ruled very dull at lower prices than last week ; new sorts were also easier. Barley the same as last week. Oats tending downwards. Beans quite as dear. Red wheat, per load of 3 imperial bushels 18s Od to 20s Od White II , 2os Od to 21s Od New red , i , 16s Od to 18s Od New white ~ ~ lBs Od to 19s Od Beans I, If l7s Od to 19s Od Peas, per qr. 4580 d to 56s Od Grinding barley, per qr 30s Od to 32s 04 Malting ditto, „ ..... 34s Od to 38s Od Oats It 22s Od to 28s Od Flour, 18 7d to 2s ld per stone. MELTON MOWBRAY-TUESDAY. The following were the currencies :—New white wheat, 45s Od to 50s Od; new red, 44s Od to 47s per 36 stone; beans, 38s to 42s for old; new sorts, 36s to 38 sper 38 et. ; barley, —s to —s for malting, and 28s to 32s per qr. for grinding; new oats, 228; to 25s Od per 24 stone. DUBLIN-TUESDAY. To-day the business was dull, but the supply of neW grain increases. Prices nominal. We have had occasional rain, but the weather is considered most favourable. s. d. s. d. Wheat, white 11 0 to 12 0 Do., red lO 0 to 11 0 Do., new 0 to U Barley Data Do., black — 0 to 0 s. d. s. d. Beans.. — 0 to 0 Bere . 6 3 to 7 0 Rapeseed — 0 to C Oatmeal l2 0 to 15 6 Bakers' flour l5 0 to 21 0 Indian corn Full benefit of reduced duty obtained by pur chasing Horniman's pure Tea; very choice at 3s. 4d. and 4s. "High Standard" at 48. 4d. (formerly 48, Bd.), is the strongest and most delicious imported. Agents in every town supply it in packets. [AnymyrisnmiENT.] — Consumption, all nervous, bilious, liver, and stomach complaints, is every stage, are only ag gravates and accelerated by drugs of every description, but p A e r r a l b e c i c , a l y Foodcurab , l a e s b p y r D o v u e dB by y r r y' s thousands health restoring t c o a r s i e n R cases which eval epnat pad been considered hopeless. We quote a few.—Cure No. 62,90. Miss Lange, 18 years of age, cured alter the medical men had abandoned all hopes of her recovery from the last stage of pulmonary consumption, with fearful cough, expectoration , exhaustion, spitting of blood, perspirations, hollow cheeks. emaciated to a skeleton. She is now, thank God, a perfectly healthy, blooming, fleshy Lange, Commissaire de Police. Cure, No. 46,270. M r. J ames R o b er ts, of Frimley Surrey, of t hirty years' diseased lungs, spitting of blood, liver derangement. and partial deafnesd.—Cure, No. 47,121. Miss Elizabeth Jacobs, of extreme nervousness, indigestion , gatherings, low spirits, and nervous lancies.—Cure, No. 64,816. Ibe Rev. James 'J'. Campbell, Fakenham, Norfolk, of indigestion and torpidity of the liver, which had resisted all medical treatment. In tins, Ilb, 2s Od; 21b, 48 8d; 51b1 lie; 121 b, 225; 241 b, 40s. Barry du Barry and Co., No. 77, Regent-street, London; also Fortnum and Mason; and all grocers and chemists in every town of the United Kingdom, Births. DANVERS.—On the 16th inst., at Caterham, Surrey, the Eoia Countessth wife of Juland Danvers , Es q ., of a son. MANvEns.--On the 13 th inst., at 6, Tilney-street, Park . lane, e M l7 a nth inst. ve r , o.. at 50n. 48, RUpper Se 3 mour f a s treet, Portman - square, the wile of Lieut.-C o l one l R. F. Radcliffe, R.A., of a daughter. Ael . ii the r._ v) ,..„ GuA , N .—On the 16th inst., at St. Neot's Vicarage, the wife of the Rev. C. L. Vaughan, of a daughter. Marriages. HAMILTON-RANDALL.--0/1 the 18th inst., at Oxford, Suffolk, Major C. V. Hamilton Campbell of Netherplacet Asrshire, seco n d son of Lieut.-Col. Ferrier Hamilton, of Cairnhill, to Mary Sancroft, only daughter of the late Samuel Randall, Esq. Miatszo N — CALCRAFT.—On the 18th inst., at St. Mary's , Bryanston-square, the Rev. Charles Dallas M a rsto?: rector of St. Mary's, to Katharine, eldest daughter of L Hales Caleraft, Esq , of Rempstone, Dorset, and LOU Caroline Calcraft. Deaths. B.ENNET.—On the 17th inst., at Gravesend, Ann, the wif e of Commander Martin Bennet, R.N., aged 61. BUNNETT.—On the 16th inst., at Church-row, Fulham 'Thomas Bunnett, Esq., aged 7 3 . CAMPBELL.—On the 13th inst., at Dunstafinage, Argll e* shire, Sir Angus Campbell, Bart., aged 36. GLADSTONE.—On the 16th inst., at Sidniouth, DeVOl 3 ) D. Gladstbne, Esq., aged 80. JONES.—On the 14th inst. , at L owesto f t, Richard Lambert Jones, Esq., of 49, Dorchester-terrace, lionsingtort-ga° dens, aged 81. JONES.—On the 26th April, in New Zealand, gen* . Jones. eldest son of Lieut.-General Sir Harry D. Joll e '' G.C.8., aged 34. MELLISH.—On the 13th inst., Peter Mellish, Esq., sh ad well, aged 73. London: Printed and Pubfished by WILLIAM ANDILOV of /No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TIIE SUN ()tree Strand, in the Precinct of the 'Savoy. in the (,01I1it) Co ;41iltilesa.-IYednehuah August 19, 1861 • a