The Sun. — London, England, 1863-08-31 00:00:00

INTELLIGENCE. HOME CIACUIT.—CRovporr, Aug. 29. (Before Baron Bramwell and a Special Jury.) 'WOOLLEY V. POLE. THE CAMPDEN HOUSE FIRE.-FIFTH DAY. The Court sat at h alf-past nine o'clock on Saturday morning, when the peoceedings in this remarkable case were resumed and brow s , ,ht to a conclusion. The inquiry appeared to create considerable interest, and every seat in the court wAs occupied immediately after the proceedings were opened. Mr. Bovill, Q.C., Serje ant Ballantine, Mr. Mereweather, Mr. Henry James (specially retained), and Mr. Rosher, appeared for the plaintiff. Mr. Lush, Q.C., Mr. Denman, Q.C., and Mr. Garth were for the defendant. It will be recollected that at the rising of the court on Friday evening the evidence of both plaintiff and defend. ant was concluded. and Mr. Lush asked to be allowed to postpone his summing up of the defendant's case until the following morning. Mr. Bovill addressed his lordship, and stated that on the previous day a letter had been received by the solicitors for the plaintiff, stating what he considered to be an important fact. The witness, who could prove that fact, was in at tendance, and, with his lordship's sanction, he proposed to examine him. Baron Bramwell said that if Mr. Lush consented on the part of the defendant he had no objection. Mr. Lush said ho certainly should object to any further evidence being adduced after the case had been formally closed on both sides. If such a course were [allowed to be taken the trial would never be brought to an end. Baron Bramwell said that as this objection was taken the additional evidence could not be received. Mr. Lush then summed up the defendant's case. He said that since the Court had adjourned he had attentively con sidered all the facts of the case, and had endeavoured to winnow out from the mass of evidence that had been given those portions which he considered material to be urged upon the jury. It appeared to him that whatever result might ultimately be arrived at by them, every circumstance connected with the case was of the most extraordinary cha racter, and all, as it appeared to him, seemed to tend only to one conclusion, which was that this house had been wilfully set fire to. If the fire was accidentally caused it certainly was a most wonderful coincidence that every circumstance should have concurred to carry it out effectually. The house was covered with fresh varnish in almost every part. cloth and light paper were hung from the ceilings of the rooms to the floor, a large quantity of open books were placed about in all directions, and the hour was an early one on the Sun day morning, when there was less chance of fire being quickly discovered than any other period of the week, The hand of the incendiary was rarely seen to apply the torch, but all the circumstances, as he should contend, showed clearly that the fire was a wilful one, and that Mr. Woolley was in just the position to render it likely that he should commit the crime. He had spent all his wife's fortune, part of her sister's; he was embarrassed, and if he could have obtained this large sum of money, secured by these policies, his retreat from the fashionable world was secured without any indignity. What more could be done than was done, if he wanted to destroy the house ? Every wain. scot was varnished, cloth and paper were hung all over the place, all the books were opened, and nothing was wanting but to apply fire to three or four rooms, and the mischief that had occurred was at once, and most surely, effected. If they wanted to conceal the fire before it obtained suffi cient hold, what better course could be taken than to close up all the windows, as these were proved to have been, by cloth and tapestry ? With regard to the books, it was a fact well known that closed books could not be destroyed by a fire, but being opened, and the air admitted between the. leaves, the effect would be that these would be totally de stroyed. These were the admitted facts. They were ad mitted by Mr. Woolley and by Crozfer,and no one disputed that every one cf the suspicious circumstances he alluded to had actually occurred. If the tapestry wanted repairing, w h a t necessity could there be to r e p a i r th e w h o l e o f i t at once; and would not the reasonable course have been to re pair a portion of it at a tim e ? Th en as to t h e hour chosen. Why it was the very moment that would be selected to carry out such a wicked obj ec t—th e ear l y h ours o f t h e Sun day morning, when almost every one was at rest in this great metropolis. There would be no chance of the fire being discovered by any labouring men going to their work, or by any one else. Everybody must rest after the week's labours. It was admitted there had only been two fires in the whole house during the preceding day, and if the fire was accidental he would ask them to consider how it was possible the fire could havegot into the theatre, which was divided from the rest of the property by a very thick wall. Another circum stance was that on the very following day to the fire the premium would have become due, and it was quite clear that at this time Mr. Woolley was not overburdened with money ; and this, as it appeared to him, was another in gredient for their consideration. Who could have occasioned the fire ? There were no children in the house; no one was there but Mr. Woolley and Crozier and the Temples. Why should he have gone down with Crozier to put the gas out and have sat upon the stairs while Crozier went into the kitchen ? Again, who were the persons first seen when the fire was discovered? Why, Mr. Woolley and Crozier. Was it not a remarkable conclusion to come to that having caused the fire and provided for their own safely, Mr. Woolley was the first person to escape from the burning building. He then referred to Mr. Woolley's own state ment as to the circumstances connected with the fire, and said that he himself admitted that his statement that the fire was under his bedroom and Crozier's was false, and that they never were in the danger that he represented them to have been, and he submitted that this false state ment could only have been made because Mr. Woolley did not dare to speak the truth. It was also clear from the re port that Mr. Woolley felt the necessity of giving some ex planation how it happened that such a building as this was destroyed in so short a period of time, and he therefore endeavoured to make it appear that the police had not per formed their duty,and that three-quarters of an hour elapsed before he was able to obtain any assistance. This statement was undoubtedly false. for no one could doubt that Rogers, one of the policemen, was at the fire almost at the moment it occurred, and although Mr. Woolley, in his report, stated that he saw Mr. Frere, and that he lent him a cape, he did not say a word abouthis havingbeen accompanied byßogers. All the evidence, in fact, showed that the policemen were upon the spot at all events within a few minutes of the fire breaking out. The evidence of Woolhouse, as he should contend, if they believed it, was conclusive of the guilt of Mr. Woolley. How could a suit of clothes come into the passage of the house, and how could such a fact be recon ciled with any other theory than that Mr. Woolley and Crozier undressed themselves in that passage for the pur pose of enacting the part they afterwards did outside. It appeared to him impossible to conceive that Woolhouse had deliberately come forward to perjure himself, and to depose i to a fact that was not true. They would also remember that ho did not volunteer his evidence, but on the contrary he was unwilling to come forward until his master compelled him to do so. What motive could he have had for telling an untruth ? The effect of such a piece of evidence could not have been imagined at the time the statement was made, and it did not in itself appear to be of the slightest importance; and it was not until afterwards that the cogency of this fact, in connection with other circumstances of the case, became apparent. It appeared to him, therefore, that if they be lieved this witness—and he did not see anything to justify them in comingto the conclusion that he had perjured him self—the case for the defendant was completely established, and it would be impossible for them to come to any other conclusion than that the crime of wilfully setting fire to this house was committed by Mr. Woolley, and that it did not occur in anyother manner. The learned counsel next referred to the evidence of the witness Ellis, as to having seen Mr. Woolley and Crozier together outside the house on the ' morning of the fire, and he said that, although this witness bad not given his evidence very clearly, there was no reason to doubt that he was speaking the truth, and that the fact he deposed to was one of the greatest possible importance, and coincided completely with the suggestion that Crozier and Mr. Woolley had sat up on this night until what they considered a fitting time had arrived far carrying out the design they contemplated. Mr. Lush then again commented at considerable length upon the circumstances connected with the fire, and to the extraordinary rapidity with which it spread over every p ar t of the house, and he also called the attention of the jury to the fact that although Mr. Woolley represented that before he left the burning edifice he shrieked out "Fire," and iz Murder," neither of the Temples heard any such cries. The next point for their consideration was the conduct of Mr. Woolley after the fire. He evidently thought that there was likely to be a contest with the fire office, for within a few days after the fire the witness Clift was em ployed to make a model of the house; and when he sent in the first claim he refused to sign it in conformity with the requisition of the company, and when the formal claim was sent in the amount of the property alleged to have been de stroyed was stated at £l,OOO less than the amount of the first claim. With regard to the suggestion that there was a difficulty in making out the claim, that could not be the case, for there had been a bill of sale in 1859, and he had nothing to do but to look at the bill of sale, and he would have obtained all the information he required. The learned conned concluded by stating that the Sun Fire Office would not have resisted this claim if they had not felt that it was their duty to do so ; and when the jury had considered the whole of the facts connected with this extraordinary in quiry he believed they (the j ur y ) would come to the conclu sion that they were perfectly justified in the course they had taken. Mr. Bovill then rose to address the jury in reply upon the whole case. He commenced by saying, with considerable warmth, that he had no hesitation in expressing his opinion that if the directors of the Sun Fire Office considered them selves justified, upon such facts as were relied upon by his learned friend, in this case to support a charge of arson, the sooner they left off insuring the public against fire the b et t er . (There were several loud cries of " Hear, hear," when the learned counsel made this observation.) Baron Bramwell asked if any one could be pointed out who had acted in this unseemly manner. It was most dis graceful to behave in such a manner in a court of justice, and any one who did so should certainly be committed if he was discovered. Mr. Bovill then went on to say that he could not conceive a more cruel charge than that which was made against the plaintiff on the present occasion, or one which, as he should contend upon all the facts, could be more unfounded. Not only was Mr. Woolley charged with arson—an offence for which he was liable to be sentenced to penal servitude for life—but Crozier was also included, who could not by any possibility have had the slightest motive or object to com mit such a crime. The defendants had evidently raked up the whole history of Mr. Woolley ; but, although no doubt they had spared no expense or trouble, they had been unable to discover that he had been guilty of one single dishonour able act. The worst thing they appear to be desirous to make out against him was, that he had at one time been a waiter at Raggett's Hotel, but this was proved to be untrue. They then endeavoured to make out that he had formed part of a company of provincial actors, but this also had failed, and all they were able to maka out was that he had played on the stage, and that hehad taken a benefit at Southampton. Even if they had proved it, what did it amount to ? Did it in any way go to show that he had been guilty of the fearful crime of setting fire to his own house. He asked the jury to consider what the effect of such a charge as this must neces sarily be upon any man possessed of the slightest honourable feeling. No verdict that they could deliver would entirely restore that peace of mind. which had been so cruelly destroyed. For more than a quarter of a century Mr. Woolley had been moving in the highest circles of society, and respected and honoured by persons with whom it was a pleasure to be ac quainted. He was received into the very best society, and he had obtained the friendship and consideration of persons of the highest rank. His learned friend had attempted to make out that he was embarrassed ; but this was not thefa te c h t The only debt he owed at the time of the fire w e wae witness consideredT e m pl e h e , andttbetter for he prudentialw o ul would av o e o ns beenconsiderations r p a a t t i d o n bu a tsth at thatto i i e t should not be done until this inquiry was terminated. Not a single person could be found to who m the plaintiff owed a farthing, and yet the insurance company, to avoid paying the amount of their insurances , h ad ventured to make such e that onr t se o w f a pro r n o o . so f o , r w t u h n e e t a lig e h h t ar m g a e t a te g r ai f n or st t h h i e m m ; to a n h d a itv e a t p a p k e e a n r e s d u t c o h h a m . to admittingh having t that a spent h h a t d s d wife's ne upone e:asditnhegaa.tl Cam o PWa t h ei tn e h Hr i e n og s ua u sr r ed a ' n ce company ? She had not com plained,w and it was evident that her sister and her brother, Captain Cope, made no complaint of the conduct of Mr. Woolley, but, on the contrary, they were still on the most intimate and affectionate terms with him, and they had the highest opinion of his honour and integrity. Notwithstand• ing what had been insinuated against Mr. Woolley, there could be no doubt that when he was introduced to his late wife he was moving in good society, and when he married her ho admitted ho obtained a fortune of £35,000 with her. Were the jury, because Mr. Woolley thirty years ago had belonged to a company of actors, to come to the conclusion that therefore he was likely to commit a felony such as was imputed to him? It appeared to him that the fact of Mr. Woolley having raised himself to the position he now occu pied was more to his credit than otherwise. What was Mr. Woolley's connexion with the defendants ? Why, it appeared that whenever he desired to insure his property he insured in the Sun Office, and he said it was worthy of observation that the factappeared that down to the year 1859 there ac tually had been no insurance at all upon the furniture, and it had been clearly established that the amount of the in surance had only been increased at the earnest solicitation of Miss Cope, who had a mortgage of £13,000 upon the property, and who felt that she was not sufficiently secured by the amount of insurance that was already effected. There was no secrecy when the insurance was effected—the surveyor to the Sun Fire Office went over the house, and he consented to take an insurance of £lO,OOO ; and it showed that the company were pretty mindful of their own interest by their insisting upon being paid the doubly hazardous premium, or 4s. 6d. per cent., instead of ls. 6d., and it also showed that they were at the same time aware that it was a place very likely to be accidentally burned. He really could not understand how it was possible the fire office could come to the conclusion that there was the slightest suspicion that the plaintiff had wilfully destroyed Campden House. They had heard what sort of place it was. It was more than 200 years old—Charles 11. had held many revels there—it was once the residence of Queen Anne; but when the plaintiff took it it had been a school, but in 1854 he gave £5,000 for a lease of the house and grounds for 99 years at a nominal rent of ss. per annum. After this period it appeared to be the sole object of his life to renovate the building, and it could not be doubted that he had spent the whole of his wife's fortune, £35,000, and £13,000 belonging to her sister, in that object. His desire evidently was to make Campden House one of the most magnificent places the world could produce, and to a certain extent he succeeded. The defend ants, notwithstanding this, would endeavour to induce them to come to the conclusion that he had wilfully destroyed the whole work of his life—and with what object? Why, the amount of the insurance, although large, was really in significant compared with the value of the property. The building itself was insured for £12,000, and it would have taken more than that sum to rebuild it. What could he have gained by that? It would not give him one single sixpence, and under these circumstances he was to make himself a felon and subject himself to penal servitude for life. This is what the Sun Fire Office would have then believed. Could anything more monstrous be con- ceived ? What would this house have fetched in 1861, with five acres of pleasure grounds. They knew what houses of the ordinary description did fetch in that neighbourhood, and to talk of burning such a housel It he wanted to let it, did they doubt that ho could have obtained a very large rent indeed ? If he had really been so insane as to destroy such a place, which it had been the object of his whole life to create, surely he wculd have waited till after the Exhibition year, and it was for the jury to consider whether it could possibly be conceived for a single moment that Mr. Woolley would have destroyed this splendid man. sion and the whole of its costly contents for the sum of £29,000 when it was admitted that he had expended £50,000 upon it. Every one knew that the ordinary object men had in view when they insured their property and destroyed it was to obtain a profit ; in fact, to obtain considerably more money than the property insured was worth. But was that the case here ? On the contrary, if Mr. Woolley had received every shilling of the £29,000 he would still be an enormous loser by this unfortunate fire. The learned coun sel then referred to the course adopted by the fire-office in insisting that Mr. Woolley should prepare plans and sur ' Veys of the building, which would have cost him £l,OOO, and the learned judge himself appeared to be surprised at their adopting such a course, and said he could hardly believe that the company seriously intended such a thing to be done. As to the building, then. there was no doubt that the amount of the insurance upon it was most moderate, and his learned friend did not appear to dispute this fact. After they had given him a great deal of trouble to estab lish the value of the fittings, they also admitted that they were insured for a reasonable and proper amount; and his learned friend was at last compelled to take his stand upon the item of the furniture. He then commented upon this portion of the case, and said that with regard to any allega tions that there had been a fraudulent claim in respect of the furniture, even if every article that had been referred to by the witness Temple had been removed, the value of the fur niture that undoubtedly remained was considerably more more than £5,000, for which the property was insured, and he also reminded the jury that Mr. Woolley stated in his claim that the prices ho h a d fixed were not made. in refe rence to the actual cost, but upon the assumption of whst it would cost to replace the different articl es. The learned counsel, after some further observatio ns with refer ence to the conduct of the defendants, said th a t upon aen theyr ae book Woolley claiming 4s. a volume for 1 , 0 00 books, Mr. actu ally required that he should give the titl e of every and the price it cost him, and ho put it to the jury ry whe whether this was not a most monstrous thing to ask for, d whether it was possible to be complied with. He then commented upon what he said had been described as puttin g the housented into an extraordinary state of preparation fur a fire, by var nishing the different rooms, and he argued that ev ery fact that had been proved showed that Mr. Woolley, and his sister and brother-in-law also, were merely engaged in doi ng what had always been their principal enjoyment, namel y, embellishing and beautifying this house, and that the u „„ of the varnish was an act of the most innocent character. He said it appeared to him that all the facts they had had to contend with were mere shadows, and he must say that he was utterly at a loss to find those conclusive facts upon which the directors of the Sun Fire-office felt themselves justified in defending this action. The learned counsel then proceeded to comment upon the evidence that had been given by Temple and his wife, and to the manner in which they had contradicted each other with regard to the cooking or the warming of the sausages, and he said it was not at all improbable that the fire might have been occasioned by the neglect of those people in leaving a fire or a candle in the green room, and that one object they had in view was to screen themselves from blame. He said it was also clear that both these witnesses were actuated by a strong animus against Mr. Woolley, and that their evidence ought not to be relied upon ; and ho called upon the jury to dismiss their evidence entirely from their consideration. He then referred to the evidence of the witness Woolhouse, and said that his evidence with regard to what he alleged ho saw when he first arrived at the fire was clearly false, as that portion of the building which he represented as the first that was in flames was actually still standing, and the fireman who had the charge of the salvage was actually living in it. Having remarked upon the evidence given by the witness as to the alleged finding of the clothes, he submitted that his story was absurd and improbable, and that he was a worthless fellow whose testimony could not be relied upon; and he said, at the same time, that he could not help expressing his opinion that the Sun Fire Insurance Company ought to have investigated the story told by this man, and have ascertained whether ho was speaking the truth, or whether he was a man whose testimony could he depended upon, before they ventured to charge two respectable persons with the crime of arson, for which they might be sentenced to penal servitude for life. The next point upon which his learned friend seemed to place great importance was the evidence given by the witness Ellis. Now, they had beard the manner in which Ellis had given his testimony, and he would ask them whether they thought they ought to place the slightest reliance upon him. They had seen the manner in which he had evaded the questions that were pnt to him, and they would remember that when he was asked to mark the places upon the plan where he had represented he had seen Mr. Woolley and Crozier, he made the letter N i ns t ea d of A, and he said that it was caused by his hand shaking, They could judge from this fact and his own edmission about his haying had delirium tremens what sort of man he was, THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 31, 1863. particularly when this was coupled with the fact that it was proved that he admitted that on this night he was " shied," and that he had only seen the backs of the persons. Could they doubt for a moment what condition this man was in when he was going home on the morning in question at two o'clock or that even granting he did see two persons walk ing together, might he not have been very easily mistaken in supposing they were Mr. Woolley and Crozier ? The jury would not forget that the witness Temple, his wife, and his son were in Cautpden House at the time, and if Mr. Woolley and Crozier really had gone out after they were supposed to have gone up to bed, would not they have been aware of the fact ? but yet they did not venture to say that the fact had occurred. Both Mr. Woolley and Crozier were also well known, and if they had been walking about Campden House at this early hour in the morning would not some one have recognised them ? It appeared to him, that after the con tradictions that were made by Ellis, and all the other cir cumstances, they ought not to place the slighest reliance upon his testimony; and, while upon this part of the case, he could not help thinking that it was rather a strange thing that young Temple had not been called as a witness, He played a rather prominent part in the proceedings that took place after the fire was discovered. He was present w hen his mother jumped out of the window; and th e on l y way in which he accounted for his absence was, by suppos ois n n fa a e t t et d r et a or d h r. i y i c s t H e r learnedudeanhb, friend was f afn u afor g t wha father n a u t t wofa upon rhehsedo:hmiaraned important mrt e n oohrstata e v x nes a ta examined n i e s lei re m , v ee o dv t h e hreyer fact hanadd upon which the defendants relied to support the charge of arson; and he asked the jury whether, if upon such facts they had been called upon to convict Mr. - Woolley of that offence in a criminal court, and the present proceeding was exactly the same, for they could not return a verdict for the defendants without virtually deciding that Mr. Woolley was guilty of arson, they would not have laughed at the. idea. His learned friend had called a great number of policemen as witnesses, but the contradictory statements they made, and the confused character of their testimony, appeared to him to render that testimony quite immaterial. There was no doubt also that Mr. Woolley had complained of their conduct, and without wishing to say a word in dis paragement of the police, who, generally speaking, were undoubtedly a very useful body of men, still he could not help remarking, with reference to this transaction, that it was an admitted fact, that although a considerable portion of the building was not on fire when they arrived, that with the exception of a few chairs, not a single article of pro perty %as rescued from the flames, and all that they did to save life was to send for the fire-canape; and he contended that under these circumstances Mr. Woolley was quite jus tified in coming to the conclusion that they had not been so active as they should have been, and that the Commis sioners of Police would have done well to have made some inquiry into the matter, in order to ascertain how far Mr. Woolley was justified in coming to the conclusion he had arrived at. One of the jury here inquired whether it was necessary for them to hear any more of Mr. Bovill's address. Baron Bramwell raid, if they were satisfied already, it was, of course, not necessary to proceed further. The topics that were urged by Mr. Bovill, however, appeared to him to bo perfectly legitimate ones, and to be well worthy their consideration. The foreman of the jury said that his lordship must un derstand that the juryman who had spoken was only ex pressing his individual opinion. Baron Bramwell said if they were not all agreed, it would be better that Mr. Bovill should proceed. He would, no doubt, not occupy them very much longer. Mr. Bovill said he would be brief, but the issue involved was really such a fearful one to Mr. 'Woolley, that if he were to run the least risk from his having neglected to urge any topic that tended to show the utter groundlessness of the charge, he assured them that he should blame himself for the rest of his life. Baron Bramwell said that the learned counsel was per fectly justified in the course he had taken. Mr. Bovill then proceeded to say that the Sun Fire Office had undertaken to prove that Mr. Woolley had committed the clime of arson, but he hoped he had satisfied them that they had not only failed to do so, but that every one of what they called facts tending to support the charge was entirely fallacious. Mr. 'Woolley was acting not only for the vindication of his own character, but for the protec tion of the public generally, for the jury would recollect that the object the Sun and the other fire-offices had in view by making the charge against him, was to escape from pay ing the £29,000, the amount for which they had granted policies. Whatever result was arrived at, it would not remedy the pain and misery that had been occasioned to Mr. Woolley by having such a charge preferred against him; and he believed that when the directors of the bun Fire office heard the verdict they would pronounce, they would themselves regret having made such a charge upon such shallow and unsubstantial grounds. The learned counsel then proceeded again to comment upon the circumstances connected with the fire, and he urged that every fact in the case tended to support the suggestion that it was acciden tal; and he particularly remarked upon the fact that the defendants, who through their surveyor ware well acquain ted with the nature of the building, treated it as one that was likely to be destroyed by fire, and insisted upon being paid what was called the doubly hazardous premium. The most that could be said, appeared to be that no one knew how the fire occurred, and he would ask them whether this afforded the least ground for saying that Mr. 'Woolley did it, and still less Crozier, for the charge, no doubt, equally applied to him, who had nothing whatever to gain by such an act. He concluded a very eloquent speech by stating that the defendants had entirely failed in making out the case they had set up, and he called upon the jury to give the plaintiff the whole amount of his policy andinterest at 5 per cent. Baron Bramwell then summed up, and he commenced by observing that if the jury agreed with Mr. Bovill that the defendants had failed in establishing the charge they had made against Mr. Woolley, he was entitled to, and they ought to give him, every farthing they could. The question that had to be disposed of by the jury was undoubtedly a most important one, not only to the public, but to the plaintiff; and to the defendants it was probably of less im portance than to any one else, for to such eminently respect able and wealthy offices as the Sun, the Hand-in-Hand, and Atlas the amount of money—which was the only question involved, so far as they were concerned—was not the slightest consideration. He thought it right to state, as the result of his experience, that whenever an insurance office defended an action of this description, they did not do so unless they believed they really had a good case, and the defence was, at all events, an honest one. The charge that was suede against the plaintiff by the defendants was no doubt a most grievous one; but the best proof that it was not altogether so unfounded as had seen represented was that, after the jury had patiently sat for four days listening to the evidence that had been adduced on both sides, they still thought that they ought to go on to the end, and this fact, as it appeared to him, acquitted the defendants of having done anything improper in ,defending the action and if they should in the result believe they were in the wrong. The public also had a great interest in questions of this description, because if insurance companies were to pay every claim when a fire oc curre d , although they might be lieve it was a wilful one, because by defending the actioa they might bring discredit upon themselves and the public, no one would be safe, as a d ishonest person might take a house next door to them with impunity and burn it down, thus risking the neighbours' lives and property, upon the assumption that the insurance company would not resist the claim. If, therefore, insurance companies w ere mere l y t o consider their own immediate interests and to pay every claim that was made, it appeared to him that it would be a very dangerous state of things indeed, and it might be neces sary for the Legislature to interfere and take some steps to ensure inquiry into all suspicious cases of thi s d escription. It was hardly necessary for him to remind them that the most innocent and useful institutions had by the ingenuity of man been turned to instruments of serious mischief. He might instance burial clubs, which in too many instances had had to tho commission of nzurdcL in order to obtain the burial fees; and there was no doubt that insurance com panies were frequently called upon to pay claims where the fires were wilful. To the plaintiff the issue on the present occasion was no doubt all important. He was charged with arson, perjury, and fraud, and also with an act which, if it had terminated in the death of Temple or any of his f amily, would have amounted to the crime of wilful d mu i kel-y to e r,and with an act which at all events was very have led to their death. The case for the d efendants, no doubt, also was, that having committed the act the plaintiff had stood coolly looking on, taking no steps whatever to save the people whose lives he had endangered. This was alleged to be the been conductacl ad f duced, c a e no anof whom, from all the evidence that had was very yo ung he was could be said than that when he men who went into a not merchant'squi te office,s o s te anya n d n y dr s e in m a a ine dy there g e until he worked his way up. It was then said that after his marriage he had squandered his money away. Supposing he had done so, he no doubt thought he had a right to do as h e pleased; and if h e were asked the question he would no doubtjustify the course h e had taken. He had probably s quandered his money, an d had possibly got into a station no t quite his own ; and if upon these grounds and the other facts in the case they should think that he had committed the crime imputed to him, all he could say was that the best thing he could do would be to go to some place where neither he nor Carupden House would ever be heard of again. He must remind them that the burden of proof was upon the defendants. It was they who had to ma k e out that the plaintiff had wilfully se t fire to this hou se , and that Crozier also was concerned in it; for it appeared to him that they could not decide that one was guilty u n l ess they were at the same time of opinion that the other was a l so concerned in the act. And the first thing in such a case would be to inquire whether there was any motive for the commission of such a crime. They must not under stand him to say that the absence of any . motive, or at a ll events an adequate one, was a convincing proof that a ny particular act had not been committed. They could not dive into the hearts of mankind in order to discover the particular motive that induced them to do an act; but the absence of any apparent reasonable motive for the commission of a great crime was always a material ingredient for the consi deration of a jury, and they would require stronger evidence to show that the act was committed by the party ac . cused. The motive suggested i n thi s ca se he could hardlyqi, un derstand, lie believed, however, that one ouggeetzon by the defendants for the.commigaion of the act by the plain tiff was that he .night get beck the money he had ex pended ; and another was, that no t b e i ng a bl e an y l onger t o keep the station he had up to that time moved in, he had i t e his e money friendswas reasonable he to would the orreceive and to They h re solved to burn down hi s h ouse and quietly retire from the stage, and thus relie ve hi mself from being in a position to n give t e th n expensiveesmuurastn insurance s offices. tcon :e • tertainments he forme r l y h a d done : of course taking with himv t h It was for the jury t o cons i der how far either of these pro• positions from probable. eider the value of the property that was destroyed ; and with reference to the furniture only, there could be very little doubt from the evidence that, even if they believed every word that Temple had slid with regard to the articles that were alleged to have been removed, the value of the property that still remained it the house would have still been considerably greater th an the amount he would have received from the insurance office for it. If he did set fire to the house and destroy this property, be also did a most cruelly ungmeful • thing to Miss Cope, who had behaved so kindly b him, for it was her only security for £13,000 which she had advanced to him. While at the bar, he (the learned judge) had had a good deal of experience in fire cases, and he did not remember an in stance in which a man who played at the game of arson did not do so with very long odds it his favour. A man would readily, no doubt, burn £5O worth of furniture in the ex pectation of getting £l,OOO for t from the fire-office ; but he never yet knew a man who hat acted in a way the plain tiff was supposed to have done. :He must have jeopardised £20,000 or £15,000 worth of property at the very least by his act, and there was nothing to show that he could not have obtained the same sum, alai probably more, by selling the property in an honest and o?en manner. They started then with these considerations ; and what was the case that was sought to be established on the part of the defendants to show that the plaintiff had committed the act imputed to him ? The learned judge then briefly recapitulated the prin cipal points in the evidence thee had brought forward. It was certainly rather remarkable that the plaintiff should have gone down with Crozier oa this night to see him put out the gas, and that he should have gone out of a warm room and sat down on the stairs while he was so engaged. The suggestion no doubt was, thit having pretended to go to bed, and b e i ng me t by the Temples while he and Crozier were going do wn s tairs upon their horrible errand, it was necessary for them to give some explanatio n ; and this was a point for th e cons id era ti o n of the jury. The act in it °cif, I"'"'`.) appe a r e d of a trivial oharaotcr, and possi▪ bly might have been explained in the most y manner. lie must observe also, that if the plaintiff had wilfully caused the destruction of the building, if the account of his conduct afterwards was correct, he must at the same time also have contemplated the needless murder of three people. Ile himself, however, cou ld not beli▪ eve this evidence; h e cou ld not b el i eve t h a t any man could be such a fiend as to stand coolly looking on and not take any steps to save th e li ves of the persons that were jeopardis• ed by his own act. Such a thing could not be. He now came to the evidence of the man Ellis. It was impossible to sup pose for a moment that he was subpoenaed to tell an untruth, and there did no t appear to be any mot i ve f or his coming forward to state what he had done. According to his evi dence he saw Mr, Woolley and Crozier walking together on the morning of the fire ; and he also declared that he saw their faces, and spoke positively to their being the per sons he saw. Upon this fact, however, he was contradicted by two people, audit appeared to him there were no grounds for coming to the conclusion that he was wilfully saying what he knew to be untrue, but that if the persons he saw were not Mr. Woolley and Crozier, he was probably mistaken. If the jury should, however, be of opinion that this witness did see M r . W oo ll ey and Croz i er at t h e ti me he mentioned, it was a matter well worthy of their most serious oonsidera • tion ; because it showed, at all events, that those persons were not speaking the truth when they stated that they never left the house; and the jury would consider how far this fact talli e d w i t h the other c i r cumstances in the case in support of the suggestion of guilt on their part. The next evidence of importance was that given by Woolhouse, and if they believed his story with regard to the finding of the clothes in the passage was correct, it certainly involved a very serious subject for inquiry. He must remark with re gard to thi s w i tness that he cou ld not be mistaken with re gard to the fact that he deposed to, and he could not dis cover any grounds for imagining why he should have come forward to tell a w i lful untru th, or what motive he could have had for doing so. If he really did find the clothes there, it was, as he before said, a most important fact. They could not have come there by any rightful means, and the sugges tion no doubt was that the clothes were thrown down in this passage after the act of setting fire to the house had been committed, and that they were taken off there before going out to the back of the house ; and the material ques tion appeared to him to be, whether they could place reli. ance upon the evidence of this witness. The learned judge then said that the question was purely one of fact for their consideration. The burden of proof was on the defendants, and if they had not satisfied them by the evidence they had brought forward that the plaintiff had wilfully set this place on fire, they were not entitled to a verdict. He repeated that before they could come to this conclusion, they must at the same time be of opinion that the plaintiff had been guilty, not only of arson, but of perjury, fraud, and almost murder,these offences being accompanied by dire ingratitude to his best benefactor, Miss Cope. The point involved was one of very great importance to the public generally, and all important to the pl a i n tiff. They would consider all the facts, and say what conclusion ought to be arrived at. The Jury immediately returned a verdict for the plaintiff. Mr. Bovill said the amount of interest would be £277 16s. sd. The jury said they gave a verdict for the plaintiff for that amount also, making a total of £i,277 16s. 61d. It was understood that this verdict would decide the other insurances, and that the amount of the whole of them, with interest, would be paid to the plaintiff. Mr..l3ovill, addressing its lordship, said it had been a very long and arduous inq u iry, and he asked his permission for the jury to be Paid a gainea a day instead of the usual fee of one guinea each forthe trial. doubts whether he had the power to do whatß a was a Bramwell requested of —jot unless both sides concurred. He remembered in one instate° where it had been done a new trial that ground. quite willing on the part of the de fendants proposition of his learned f r iend. T tly paid a guinea a-day for th e i r attendance,en h d e a j n y , weremakinge seciuh n atotal of 60 guineas. ]u r w . a L s Lush to appliedsai dconsent for he wast uponot ucre SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. SATURDAY RERIEW.—M. von Bismark has satis factorily explained that absence of Prussia from the Frankfort mewing which required no explana tion. H - has, however, managed to draw the at tention of Europe to what might otherwise have escaped observation, and has revealed the extreme indifference with which the Emperor of Austria regarded the opposition of a King of Prussia who has fallen so low as 'William I. The Emperor, to the delight of all Continental gossips, went spe cially and in person to Gastein. There he saw the King of Prussia,and:proposed a meetingofSovereigns for discussing Reform. The King, prompted by M. Bismark, pointed out, in the most convincing way, that it would never do—that there must be all sorts of diplomatic conferences first, and that, at the very least, it would be necessary to wait till October. The Emperor seemed to acquiesce, and went away; but a few days afterwards up rode an aide-de-camp, and brought an official invitation to the King to attend a meeting of Sovereigns in a fortnight. Di rectly the Emperor of Austria found out that there was to bo no competition on the part of Prussia, and that he was to have a monopoly of reform, he was quite easy. The iron was so hot that he could not think of waiting till October to strike it. He knew that Prussia would be absent, but he thought that it was quite worth while to try to lead Germany in the absence of Prussia. Of course the King of Prus sia was not to be induced to attend, however ardently the leaser Sovereigns might regret his absence ; and unquestionably Prussia had excel lent reasons for keeping aloof from the movement if she chose to do so. She can al ways urge, and M. von Bismark does urge on her behalf, the unanswerable argument that no manoeuvres and shiftings of the Federation can bind a member thatis strong enough to act independently, and chooses to exercise her power. Prussia an nounces that the Sovereigns may make any arrange ments, and pass any resolutions, and set up any sort of sham authority they please, but that she will go on just the same, and think only of her own in terests. It is also easy for Prussian statesmen to pick holes in the Austrian scheme. The proposal of Vienna is not half liberal enough for such zealous Liberals as M. von Bismark and his master. They cannot stand a House of Delegates from Diets— they must have a real popular Assembly freely elected by the people, and the number of represen tatives must be in proportion to the population. It such an Assembly were constituted, Prussia, as M. von Bismark hints, might b 5 incined to respect its decisions. The population of Prussia is rather more than double the German population of Austria, and M. von Bismark, therefore, meata t that Prussia might act in harmony with an Assembly in which her representatives were rather more than double the number of the representatives of Austria. This is quite in the established sine of Prussian policy. The King and his Ministers have inherited a policy which they did not invent, but which they cannot abandon. It is very intelligible that Prussia should say that all Federal Reform is moonshine until it is settled who is to rule in the Federation : and that Prussia, having double the German population of Austria, and being in sympathy with the German people, intends to rule. This is the line which all Prussian statesmen have taken in recent years ; and M. von Bismark talks as his predecessors have done. He maintains the pretensions of Prussia, but then he has done all in his power to make the pretensions of Prussia absurd. If Prussia were really able to lead Germany in arms, and were the fountain of domestic liberty, the Prussian notions of Federal Reform would be very plausible. And, in theory, Prussia is strong and liberal. M. von Bismark always speaks, when he is not addressing the Prussian Chamber, as if Prussia were very strong and very liberal. But facts are stubborn, and facts are wholly against M. Von Bismark. Prussia is weak, timid, and contemptible in its foreign policy, shuddering at France, and catching con vulsively at the skirts of Russia ; while at home it is reactionary and absolutist. M. Von Bismark and the King, or the clique they both obey, have, for the present, made the standing policy of Prussia in Germany absurd and impossible. In words, they are as brave as ever, and stick to the claims of their country. But practically they have managed to make Prussia and its opposition a nullity. The statesmen of Vienna have seen this, and have taken the opportunity of giving an accidental preponde rance to the influence of Austria. Everything confirms the opinion that the project of Austria cannot possibly be carried out, bat that Austria has set a real reform on foot which its promoters have a fair chance of controlling. The sovereigns have hitherto occupied their time in settling the constitu tion of an imaginary Directorate, and very subtle provisions have been devised for the election of the members of a board which has no chance of possess ing real power, and which, if it had any practical control, would seriously endanger the independence of the smaller States. Nor is it to be wondered at that German reformers laugh at the notion of a Parliament which is only to meet once in three years, and is to be composed in a great measure of the nominees of the reactionary nobility. A still more fruitful source of discord is the proposal of Austria that the Federal Council shall determine by a bare majority when the Confederation shall defend the non-German possessions of any of its members. It would be strange if Austria could not command a barn majority, and then she would at any time be able to bring the whole force of Germany to guarantee her tenure of Venice or Hungary. If there were any reality in the details of the propo s ed reform, it would have been a serious blunder in Austria to have made a proposal which seems as if her object in taking up her new position in Germany were a selfish one, and exposes her to the imputation that all this appara tus of reform is nothing more than a manoeuvre to strengthen herself in the provinces where she is conscious of weakness. It is inconceivable that Prussia should ever acquiesce in a change which would make her the slave of Austria and oblige her to renounce all independent action in Europe. One of the most sensible acts of the late Prussian parlia ment was its declaration that it was no concern of Prussia to keep Austria safe in Venetia ; and the Prussian parliament, patient and long-suffering as it is, would scarcely endure to have its decisions re versed by a body of which a very large proportion would be simply nominated by Austria. Nor could neighbouring Eurepean States regard with indiffer ence an alteration in the constitution of Germany which would have an important bearing on the balance of power. So long as the movement now set on foot can be regarded as solely intended for the defence of Germany, no one can complain ; and if it can be said to be directed against France at all, even Frenchmen would allow that Germany is quite right to take care of itself. SPECTATOR.—WhiIst the Ultramontane faction and its favourite organs, the Armonia in Italy, and Le Monde in France, endeavour to stir Catholic faith by working on the superstitious feelings of the fanatical and weak-minded, the liberal section of northern Catholics resort to proceedings more in harmony with the spirit of the age. The Belgian archiepiscopal metropolis, Mechlin, batter known under its French denomination Malines, has been the scene of a remarkable gathering of renowned Catholics. The assembly might well be denominated a council of the Church, were it not for three reasons; it was not convoked by the Pope, it had no dogmatic object, and, above all, the majority was composed of laymen. Morita lembtirt, Albert de Broglie, and Prince Czartoryski sat there, in company with Monseigneur Sterckx, Archbishop of Malines, with the Papal Nuncio and Cardinal Wiseman. The famous M. Veuillot was absent, and Le Monde scarcely deigns to mention the important meeting; two circumstances which alone would suffice to stamp the assembly with a liberal character. Theology has nothing to do with the Congress; and, in fact, if we accept the dogma of the temporal power, scarcely any point of faith was raised. The dignitaries, priests, and laymen of the Church assembled together for merely poli tical purposes, and fall therefore legitimately under newspaper criticism. Reserving and qualifying our approval, we must sympathize with many ad mirable words that felPfrom the lips of the speakers. It is a good sign of the times that even Roman Catholic cardinals feel compelled to associate with the laity in a public Congress, to listen compla cently to almost revolutionary appeals, and to applaud with several hundred conscientious Church men, Montalembert's bold thesis—" a free Church in a free State." The Congress;of Malines lasted five days, and there were several public sittings held in the Seminary of that ancient city. After high mass wes celebrated, the members went in procession through the streets, headed by Cardinals Sterckx and Wiseman in their red gowns. The masters of ceremonies wore ribbons of the pupal colours, white and gold, and the hall was orna mented with an ivory crucifix under a red canopy, and a portrait of Pius IX. over it. The Archbishop of Malines opened the proceedings by a short speech, in which he maintained that "men must associate if they wish that their labours may LA prove barren." It was certainly a startling though gratifying fact to hear a cardinal of the Church of Rome, the primate of a Catholic kingdom, conclude with the generous words, "All hone st o p inions ma y be put forward, all measures bent on propagating good may be proposed, both may be supported, dis cussed, and refuted with the greatest liberty." The Archbishop gave his blessing to the kneeling con gregation, in the saeramental words :—Benedictio Del omnipotentis, et Full, et Spiritus Sancti descendat super vos, et maneat, and the real business of the Congress was opened with a speech by the working president, Baron de Gerlache, the learned and re spected first president of the Belgian Cour de, Cos . THE FATAL BALLOON ACCIDENT: Mr. Henry Coxwell, in a letter to a contemporary, says : " Sir.—The evidence which was adduced at the late inquest was generally considered t) be so clear and conclusive, each link in the chain apparently exonerating me from blame, that I had no idea that it would become my duty to offer a separate e xplanation besides that which was given to the coroner and jury at Arnold. A leading article or two in the Nottingham p a pers, as al so some strictures in the L on d on press, Permit me briefly to refer to one or two features o f the sad affair. The balloon I found, compel me to do so. upon trying its ascending power three times, would not lift me; this is indisput a ble, therefore, by reason, and the laws of mechanics, I could not ascend. My weight is 11 stone 6 pounds. At this moment poor Chambers stepped forward, he strated it by fair test, he nobly offered to take my place, in the 2st 61b. would give him the advantage. In order that the simplest mind may f u lly understood my position, I will illustrate it by stating ara huavoing that observed as h e m wasy difficulty, aw l w h en I a gain demon only 9st., that a balloon is often brought to a simple balance before starting, and then a few pounds weight taken out, more or l ess , gives it the required ascending power. "Upon doing so the unfortunate occupant of the oar was raised with about 151 b. of sand, and not with 2 stone weight, which would have been nearly equivalent with the excess of my own weight. Now, as a balloon in its ascent may be said to bo a rever sal, so, of the l aws o f grav ity, it may b e com paredpair of scales,supposing that an oup ward scales were the test of sufficiency in steadof a pound of a tea w ere th us es ti ma t e d, an d it was f oun d or ot motionl o a downward,the apparently ac of tio nthe a s on a grocer ' s co u n te r . If th e we i g ht f a that half an ounce less caused it go up, then it can more readily be understood why 9st would rise, and list 61b would remain stationary. When I allowed this poor fellow to ascend, I might be c ompared to the ow ner o f a conveyance w h o was prevente d from running it home himself, but who permitted it to be coached by on e Who was not a novice, feeling sure that by enjoining him to drive slow and sure he would reaoh the destination. I cann ot possibly, now th a t th e aeronau t i s no m ore, charge him it with unskilfulness ; but I may be permitted, not withstanding, to d o j ust i ce t o myse lf . A ga i n, th en , I re peat that was not because I would not go myself, but be cause I could not,i since the balloon three times refused to lift me. I might here fall back upon past exploits which are now historical, and, by comparison, show the absurdity me with b e i n g reluctant to go a mere thousand feet charging highgi n oz so, if the balloon would take me. It is not however, in my nature to fall back upon my successes, but rather to explain my shortcomings. lam quite willing, and indeed, anxious t o a d m i t t h a t I h a d better have sent off my balloon alone, and borne the scoff of the dissatisfied, than risk any other life than my own. I have more than once faced the world's dread laugh, which scarce the firm philo sopher can scorn ; and time, the groat revealer of truth, has proved that I have not been wrong. If I deserve censure let me have it; it is with me that the outcry should be raised. The committee and the visitors I absolve from all blame. There were no roughs in Basford-park, but 25,000 oi derly persons; and, in conclusion, I feel bound to say that if those who feel called upon to censure felt as shocked at the occurrence as I do they would think of sym pathy with the fatherless and widow, as well as of reproach, and would, after having dipped their pens in gall, dip them for the seco n d ti me i n t heir pockets, and thus join in mak ing amends for that which cannot now be prevented, Full benefit of reduced duty obtained by pur chasing Ifornimaif s p u re Tea; very choice at 3s. 4d. and 4s. "High Standard "at 4e. 4d. (formerly 4s. Sd.), is the strongest and most delicious imported, Agon in 9very town 'supply it in packete, salon. His address was certainly eloquent and stirring, but it would not serve our purpose to analyse it. The first sitting was ended by the read ing of a telegram in which the Pope sent his Apostolic blessing to the Assembly. At the follow ing meetings many more speeches were delivered. Cardinal Wiseman spoke with his usual fluency and strenuousness on the religious and civil con dition of English Catholics, and he certainly gave an amazing account of the increase in the number of his flock, the augmentation in the list of bishops and priests, the multiplication of churches, convents, and religious buildings, and, above all, the extent of " conversions" from Protestantism. It certainly seemed that the representative corn ing from " heretical" England had fewer com plaints to make than his brethren who belong to Catholic countries. After a glowing eulogy of the mission fulfilled by the Sisters of Charity during the Crimean war, the Cardinal ex claimed—" We rely on the power of opinion ; in England the heart of the people is full of prejudices against the Catholic religion; but, nevertheless, we have confidence in the justice of our cause, we have confidence also in the justice of our country men." We doubc the grounds of the Cardinal's COD fidence ; but, if well-founded, does it not prove how infinitely better a creed will fare if it does not lower itself to a political alliance with despotic powers ? French Catholics are wont to speak of their Eng lish co-religionists as if they were oppressed and persecuted, and certainly for no better reason than that they have not the power of the Government at their disposal. We make bold to state that English Catholics, who have only to fight against national prepossessions, are freer, in fact and in truth, than their French brethren, who form a domineering majority and surround the Imperial throne. But, after all, the laymen played the principal part in the Congress. There was Prince Ladislas Czartory ski, who wished to make it understood that Poland had become a political martyr for the mere sake of her Catholic loyalty, and who exclaimed," They said to King Sobieski; ' Sire, save Christendom !' answer, if Poland could revive, the Church would not be where she now is." The friends of Poland will hardly thank him for the statement, There was likewise Prince Albert de Broglie, who was at a loss to describe the impression " which be felt at the s:ght of that great, free, and religious assem bly in a free and religious country, a sight which must strike a Frenchman as if he came suddenly out of darkness into the full rays of light." Last, but by no means least, we have to mention AL de Mon talembert, who was greeted with deafening cheer ing and the cry " Honour to the son of the Cru saders!" This does not infer that the eloquent Catholic lineally descends from these ancient knights—it is but a delicate allusion to one of his famous phrases, The sons of the Crusaders shall not retreat before the sons of Voltaire." M. de Montalembert read his speech sitting, saying that twelve years of silence had deprived him of the habit of speaking, and that he was not only able to read in his chair, as before the French Aca demy. EXAMINER.—We have been charged with unfair ness for not having noticed a letter in the 'limes, signed "An African," in reply to M. Jules Gerard's account of the King of Dahomey, and in vindica tion of the character of that respectable monarch. We confess to some neglect, for the thing is a curio sity in its way. The King of Bonny had a poet laureate in Mr. Close, and the King of Dahomey has possibly an official champion in the correspondent of the Times. Not, indeed, that such an officer is necessary, for never was there a character so de praved as to want an advocate and approver. Robespierre has had many admirers, Nero is pro nounced more sinned against than sinning by a his torical critic of the day, and we are in hourly expec tation of seeing some apologist of Nana Sahib arise. To wash the blackamoor white was a foolish at tempt, but the better plan practised now is to whitewash the blackamoor. Begin with the postu late that the Devil is not so black as he is painted, and you may end with exhibiting an angel of light. And this is the method of" An African." M. Jules Gerard he charges with having exaggerated vastly everything connected with the King of Dahomey, and immediately after this assertion we are told that those human sacrifices regarded by the French man with so much abhorrence, " come under the same sort of inspiration as that which leads us to bend the knee in prayer." This comparison of the very worst impulse with the best is worthy of the champion of the blood-stained King of Daho mey. "An African" next proceeds to show that a certain officer, who is a sort of black keeper of the King's conscience, and who is put to death upon the demise of the Crown, has not the least objection to having his throat cut, and would not survive his monarch if he could. Well, if it be a condition of office for the Ocrah to go out, as it were, with the King, we will give up that point to "An African," but what is one voluntary sacrifice amongst cold-blooded mur ders of prisoners out of number ? "An African" consistently prefers the narrative and conclusions of Commodore 'Wilmot:to the opposite account of M. Jules Gerard. One would indeed almost think "An African" and the credulous Commodore one and the same. The champion of Dahomey then endeavours to show that African kings are in advance of their subjects, but that their power is limited, and the king alone is unable to do what he likes, There is a bold homely saying, that "any stick is good enough to beat a dog," and it seems no less true that any figment is good enough to flatter a king, even one of barbarians. So just after" An African" had exculpated his Dahomean Majesty by asserting that he could not do as he liked, his power being limited, he hazards the opposite proposition, that he has power in his hands verging on despotism, but nevertheless is served more from love than fear. Now which of "An African's" stories are we to believe ? Is his admired monarch in advance of his people, but obliged " to let I dare not wait upon I would," and having the will, to want power, or is he to be next to a despot ? If we adopt the latter of the two conflicting propositions, how are we to account for his sable Majesty not doing what seems good to him, as " An African" vouches for his superior intellect, and extraordinary capacity for govern ment ? With power almost despotic, an intellect to wield it to the best advantage, and dispositions in the right direction, how is it to be explained that no improvement takes place, no abandonment of barbarous usages ? Simply by the fact that the King has the power but none of the will for good attributed to him by "An African," who in the next breath admits that he is a bigoted Conserva tive, attached to himself more than to anything in the world. Imagine the Christian Government of England addressing itself to the' satisfaction of the self-interest of a king delighting in human sacri fices, and paddling a pleasure-boat on a lake of blood, in token of his glory and might. Is it not somewhere written that we may not league with evil that good may come of it ? And in this case what would be the probability of future good, what the certainty of the horrors of barbarism mean while ? The pitch is not to be touched without de filement. But we we have no doubt that Commo dore Wilmot's views will find supporters, and "An African" rivals in glorifying the King's talents and virtues. And before the next session of Parlia ment we expect to see Bolingbroke's " Idea of a Patriot King" eclipsed by a portrait of the real excellencies of his Majesty of Dahomey. To describe a female paragon Pope wrote : Narcissa's tamper tolerably mild, To make a wash, she'd hardly stew a child. What the King of Dahomey with his mild temper would hardly do in the way of torture and destruc tion it would tax poetic invention to predicate. LONDON REVIEW.—When a man has lost his life by his foolhardiness, it seems cruel to arraign him for an offence which has cost him and his family so dear. And, perhaps, if there were nothing more concerned in the fatality than his own imprudence, it would be as well to let the matter pass without comment. But it rarely hap pens that we may not learn something from what we call fatal accidents, which may prevent their re currence. Rather more than twenty years ago Miss Moir threw herself off the Monument, and the authorities were content to regret her folly and hope that no one would imitate her example. Not long afterwards, some one did imitate her example, and then the authorities thought that it might be as well to put a stop to this mode of suicide, by erect ing a railing which would render it impossible. No one has thrown himself off the Monument since. We hope, too, that, for a time at least, we have seen the last of these constructive suicides against which the Queen has protested in language which, we trust, will live in the memory of her subjects. But there is always some gap to stop. On Monthly last a man met his death by a balloon accident, under circumstances which, from the beginning, promised danger, and which only by something short of a marvel could end happily, There was a " grand fete'' given in the park of Mr. North, at Basford, near Nottingham, for the benefit of the General Hospital ; and part of the day's pleasure was to see Mr. Coxwell ascend in his balloon. The bal loon was small and new ; and when "the accom plished aeronaut" had inflated and tried it, he found that it would not carry his weight. Thrice he got into the car, but the balloon, even without ballast, would not lift him. The specific gravity of the gas was three times greater than it should have been ; and as the ascent could not be made without six bags of ballast, one of the bystanders recommended that the balloon should he packed up and the ascent relinquished. Mr. Coxwell, however, w as i n a difficultv. Th er e was the balloon ; and there was the mob expecting to Pee it go up. The per formance was part of the consideration for which they paid their money ; and if they were disappointed Al r ,Cwavell feared that they might tear his air.ship to pieces , and perhaps offer violence to himself. In this difficulty, a man named Chambers, lighter than Mr. Coxwell, stepped forward and offered, and he had had some experience in such matters, to go up if the balloon would raise him. Coxwell consented ; and, with two bags of sand, the volunteer started, and the crowd were satisfied. But the difficulty, removed from Mr. Coxwell's shoulders, now took up its position on those of Chambers in a greatly aggravated form. The lifting power of the balloon had not been sufficient to raise Mr. Coxwell with out any ballast. H e we i g h e d list., Chambers weighed 9st ; but he took u p t wo bags of ballast with him. Their weight is not mentioned ; but, sup posing them together to have weighed 201bs. the lifting power of the balloon when Chambers made his ascent would have been so small, that the addi tion of 8 pounds' weight must have brought it to the ground. So that, if by an escape o f gas , or an addi tion to the weight of the balloon by its being wetted in passing through a cloud, the sustaining power was overbalanced by the lord the balloon had to carry, the chances were a thousand to one that the result would be fatal. Now, both these conditions took place, and they were aggravated by the fact that Chambers, immediately after ho began to ascend, threw out a portion of his ballast. Shortly after it rose the balloon entered a heavy cloud, and, breaking from that into the clear sunshine, the gas expanded and escaped through the neck, which is always left open, of course, at the bottom. This might have been prevented by Chambers opening the upper valve, at the top of the balloon, in time. He failed to do this till too late. The gas rushing from the lower valve appears to have stifled him, and he was found, on the fall of the balloon, lying dead at the bottom of the car, with the valve cord round his wrist; so that the upper valve must have been kept completely open, utterly reversing the slight balance between the weight the balloon had to carry and its power to carry it. This easily accounts for its collapse ; and on a review of the evidence given at the coroner's inquest, it is but just to Mr. Coxwell to say that the circumstances which at starting rendered the ascent so perilous do not seem to have constituted the proximate cause of the fatality. But we cannot acquit him of blame in handing over his balloon to an amateur, of whose ability as an aeronaut he had no personal knowledge. Of csurse,from the moment the balloon left the earth the error was irreparable ; but the proof that it was an error became at once apparent. His ballast is the aeronaut's only hope, when the weight and the lift ing power are so nearly balanced as they were in this cube. Chambers at once showed his ignorance by throwing it out. From that moment he was doomed should the balloon become wet by passing through a cloud, and its weight increased beyond the power of the gas to sustain it. Even if he had not been suf focated—and this is only Air. Coxwell's surmis e, though a probable one, as tee man was found with hi 3 handkerchief stuffed into his mouth—there is every reason to believe that his fate would have been the same. The manipulation of the balloon in the untcward circumstances under which it started re quired a skill and delicacy not to be expected from any but the most experienced aeronaut. No doubt Mr. Coxwell felt the pressure of the consequences to be expected from a disappointed crowd. He had had his balloons torn in pieces before by an enlight ened British public which had come to see them go up, and would take no excuse, not even the proba bility of the owner breaking his neck to please them. It is due to him also to say that he cautioned Cham bers nut to go either high or far. But it would have been better, wiser, and far more satisfactory if he had let the mob wreak their vengeance on the balloon rather than permit an ascent which this very cau tion shows he considered unusually perilous. ATHEN. , EUM.—After waiting more years than a man of middle age likes to own for a public sight of the four lions commissioned from Sir Edwin Land seer by Lord John Manners for the monument in Trafalgar-square, we are assured by a writer who has been favoured with a peep, that a model of one lion has actually been finished, and has been shown to " a few friends and critics in a private studio in Brompton. The model is small—and the real working model has still to be made. This real model, we are told, can now be fashioned by in ferior hands. When it is likely to be done, when it is likely to be ready for the caster, when the bronze is likely to be set up in Trafalgar-square, no hint is given. Or course, the " friend and critic" speaks in raptures of the lion thus shown to him, The public who care for Art will wait until the work is publicly shown before accepting as serious an announcement that the Landseer lion beats all other lions, ancient and modern, the Egyptian lions of the Campidoglio, the lions of the Assyrian frieze. the great lion of Cnidos, together with the lion of Canova and the lion of Lucerne , completely out of the field. The world will judge of that by-and-by. Meantime it will notice, with surprise, that it is now proposed to give us only one lion for our money—one lion, four times repeated, with such simple variations of attitude as a turn of the head or a wag of the tail may produce. We cannot pretend to think that this is a satisfac tory announcement. Rightly or wrongly, the world believed that it was to have four lions for the Nelson Column—four distinct artistic works. It has paid for those four lions a very large sum of money. It has waited for them a great many years. Will it be content to know that a small model of one lion has been finished, and that the artist proposes to cast from this model four copies, with such unim portant changes as the shitting of a paw or the turning of an eyeball may effect in the character of the group ? COUNTRY MARKETS. , b NOTTINGHAM-SATURDAY. There was a fair show of wheat to-day, and the demand was moderate, at late rates. There were several samples of the new crop of barley shown, but business was limited, as holders demanded extravagant prices. Oats were dull. —White wheat, from 47s to 50s ; red wheat, 40s to 475. Barley—malting, 38s to 41s ; grinding, 30s to 325. Oats, old, at 24s to 31s Od; new, 22 s to 275. Beans sold at 384 to 43s per qr. ; new, 38s to 425. GRANTHAM-SATURDAY. Old white wheat, 44s to 46s ; red, 43s to 45s per 36st. ; new white, 45s to 47s ; new, 44s to 465. Malting barley, —s to —s per qr ; grinding, 30s to 32s ; oats, old, 26s t) 28s ; new, 24s to 26s ; beans, 40s to 425; peas, 38s to 40s. NORWICH—SATURDAY. The supply of wheat at market to-day was somewhat limited, principally brought forward by the smaller growers. and prices were fully maintained for all sorts. The trade in other articles dull. White wheat. 46s to 478 I Red wheat 43s to 45s Malting barley ...388 to 40s I Chevalier barley 36s to 37s Distilling d 0..... 33s to 35s I Oats.. 24s to 28S Flour, 31s Od to —s Od per sack from the miller. LE ICE STER—SATURDAY. Old white wheat, 4,5 s to, 50s ; new, 46s to 48s per 36 stone. Old red, 4ls to 48s per 36 stone. Barley, malting - , new, 34s to 38s per qr.; grinding, 28s to 31s; oats, 27s to 3Js; new oats, 24s to 26s per 24 stone. Beans, new, 38s to 42s per 38 stone ; flour, Ns to 35s per 20 stone. NORTIIAMPTCIN-SATURDAY. There wasagood supply of new wheat to-day, the qua.. litv of which was excellent. Prices unaltered, and dull. —White wheat, 454 to 475; $ red, 40s to 455; fine, 47d to —s per qr. Barley, 34s to 38s—grinding, 29s to 388; Oats, 308,t0 32s per 24 stone. Beans, 31s to 40s. Peas, 368 to 42s per qr. YORK-SATURDAY. There was a better show of wheat to-day than there has been for some time past. The demand was inactive, and late prices were in some instances barely supported. Barley scarce, but still a healthy trade. Oats dull, with a good supply. Beans at late rates. Wheat, red 44s to 46s I Oats.... 2os to 24 s White do .46s to 50s B eans 3Sa to 42 , s Barley .30s to 32s Peas ..—s to —f4 a perlt,sack. 625t064s per qr.; rye, 32s per qr. ; flour, to 355 133 s Malt, ____---- THE SCOTCH AND IRISH TEMPERAMENTS.—. Between the two there is a very wide difference. The latter will feast and be merry with the bailiff in the h ouse ; the former will have no appetite for his dinner to-day if ho sees any doubt of another some years after date.—A W r i ter l ie the anthill for September. Births. BRAND.—On the 27th inst., at 43, Blackman-court, the wife of Alfred A. Brand, of a son. KINTORE —On the 27th inst., at 21, 11Ioray-place, Edin burgh, the Countess of Kintore, of a son. RIDLEY.—On the 26th inst., at Worthing, the Rev. 0. M. Ridley, of a daughter. SEYmouu.—On the 26th ir.st., at Barwick House, Norfolj the wife of Rear-Admiral Seymour, C. 8., of a son. Marriages. IBI3ETSON—WHITE.-011 the 27th inst., at St. Nary ' s, Bury St. Edmund's, Captain H. L. Ibbetson, son of Captain L. L. Boscawen Ibbetson, K.R.E., F.R.S., Scc., to Sarah Adelaide, elder daughter of the late Rev. John White, rector of Chevington, Suffolk. LIw — OGILBY.—On the 26th inst., at St. Mary Abbott's• Kenai: gum, Colonel Law, eldest surviving son of the late Hon. Charles Ewan Law, M.P., Recorder of London, to 'lsabella, only child of the late Alexander Ogilby, liEco of Pelligier, co. Londonderry. Deaths. BARROW.—On the 25th inst., T. J. R.Earrew, Esq., R.N. of the Ryelands, Randwick, near Stroud, eldest son of the late Barrow, Coldetteatn Guards. Bunn.—On the 25th inst., Robert Sutton Budd, E sq ,, of Plymouth, aged 22. MouLD.— Oa the 10th inst., at Oal:harn, Miss Elizabeth Mould, aged 90. NELSON.—On the 25th inst., at u. Camden-street, Oakley' square, Thomas Nelson, Esq. RAYMOND.—On the 27th ins t . , at S, Nicolas Coll e g e, Lancing, the Rev. IV. S. Raymond, M.A., aged 31. WI I,I,EY.—On the 26th inst., at Limerick House, Learning" ton, the Rev. Jocelyn Willey. London : Printed and Pub!ished by WILLIAM ANDRE . "' of No. 112, Stran d, Printer, at TILE SUN Office No. 112 ' Strand, in the Precinct of the ['Savoy, in the county c iC itildilleavx, — .Mon a ay , August 31 3 ten ) 3