The Sun. — London, England, 1863-07-18 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN MAIN DRAINAGE. On Sature.ay the first step was taken towards utilising t'ae now gigantic system of subterranean tunnels w hich constitute the works of the Main Drainage, by lowering the contents of the High- level Sewer, which collects the drainage of Hamp steao, Highgate, and Holloway, Camden-town, Hackney, and Bethnal-green, for the first time into the river at Barking. This occasion was taken ad vantage of by a large party of members of both :houses, members of the Board of Works, engineers, and scientific gentlemen, to pay a long visit of in spection to the drainage worksnow in various stages of progress on both sides of the river. The whole party assembled early on Saturday in the tea-room of the House of Commons, and among the many persons of distinction pre , zent were the Archbishop of York, the Duke of Grafton, the Duke of Manche-ter, the Marquis of Westminster, the Marquis of galisbury, Lird Henniker, Lord Cal thorpe, Earl Pawis, Lord Harris, Lore Lifford, Lord Itanover, E trl Clanwilliam, Lord Manvers, Lord Talbot de Malahide, Lord Wodehouse, the E iri of Harrowbv, the Earl of Yarborough, the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Keane, Lord Skeimersdale, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Right Hon. Mr. Cowper, M.P., Sir J. Trollope, M.P., Lord Clarence Paget, M.P., Lord Stanley, M.P., Mr. John Walter, M.P., Mr. Kinnaird, M.P., Mr. A. Turner, M.P„ the Lord Mayor, MT., Mr, A. Mills, M.P., Mir. Mundy, M.P., Sir Stafford Northcote, M.P., Mr. R. M. O'Ferrall, M.P., Liewenaut-Colonel Packe, M.P., Mr. Paget, M.P., Mr, Papillon, M.P., Mr. Peacocke, M.P., Hon. A. G. J, Ponsonby, Mr. Powell, M.P., Mr. Roebuck, M.P., Lieutenant- Col, Rowley, M.P., Mr. W. F. Russell, MX., Mr. J. A. Smith, M.P., Mr. Stansfeld, M.P., Hon. F. J. Tollemache, M.P., Hon. C. Trefusis, M.P., Mr. Warner, M.P., Mr. Western, M.P., Lieut.-Col. White, M.P., Mr. Woods, M.P., Mr. P. P. Bou verie, M.P., Mr. Adair, M.P., Mr. Alcock, M,P., Mr. Ayrton, M.P., Mr. Beale, M.P., Mr. Beecroft, M.P., Mr. Bramston, M.P., Sir B. Bridges, M.P., Mr. Briscoe, M.P., Sir H. H. Bruce, M.P., Mr. 'lite, M.P., Mr. T. Collins, M.P., Mr. Marsh, M.P., Col. Sykes, M.P., Mr. J. Wytd, M.P., Lord Fer moy, M.P., Mr. Forster, M.P., Mr. H. Foster, M.P., C.,ptain W. Gra3 , Mr. Greene, M.P., Mr. H. Bruce, M.P., Mr. Gregory, M.P., Mr. Powell (Cam bridge), M.P., Mr. Collins, M.P., Mr. Hankey, M.P., Mr. Taylor, M.P., Mr. Sullivan, M.P., Lord A. Churchill, M.P., Mr. Doulton, M.P., Mr. Hume, M.P., Hon. P. J. Locke King, M,P., Lieut.-Col. B. Knox, M.P., Sir E. H. K. Lacon, M.P., Rev. E. W. Andrews, Sir R, Mayne, Mr. Thwaites, chair man of the Metropolitan Board of Works, Mr. L. Taylor, Mr. Terry, Mr. Bodkin, Mr. Nicholay, Mr. Smee, Mr. Bazalgette, the chief engineer to the Board of Works, Sze. _ _ _ As on the occasion of the somewhat similar visit the members of both Houses paid to the works this time twelve months, so in this also Mr. Bazalgette before starting addressed some short remarks to the party on the nature and purpose of the works they were about to visit. He pointed out briefly how, with the enormous increase of the metropolis, the increased facilities for drainage into the Thames had added to the mass of sewage daily poured into it, till the evil was now become almost unbearable. For 18 hours out of the 24 the outfalls of most of the metropolitan sewers were tide-locked, and :on days of heavy rain the waters from the higher grounds flooded the basements and cellars of low-lying districts with both water and sewage. These low-lying districts could only be properly drained by continuous pumping, and though one important feature of the new system was to reduce pumping to a minimum and carry off the water by gravitation, still pumping was in some places absolutely necessary. Another difficulty which had to be met was the varying quantities of sewage and " storm" water to be dealt with. Four times as much sewage passed down the sewers at midday as at midnight, the maximum flow being about equal to a rainfall of a quarter of an Lech in 24 hours, and the sewers were quite large enough to carry off this rain together in with the maximum quantity of sewage. But this quantity was greatly exceeded about 24 days in the year by heavy storms, which added more than a hnndred times to the quantity the sewers could carry off at once ; and as it would have been almost impossible to con struct sewers large enough to carry off these flood waters, the existing main sewers were made to act as storm overflows, so that when the intercepting main sewers were full the surplus storm waters should pass through the storm overflows into the Thames ; and it was to these storm outfalls on the north and south sides of the river, that the visit of Saturday was paid. The party embarked on a steamer at the Speaker's Stairs, and proceeded down the river to Crossness Point in Erith Marshes. While on the voyage down we may venture on giving our readers the general features of this great Main Drainage plan—a work of such magnitude as no city in the world but this would require, and certainly one of such cost as few cities in the world but this could afford to pay for. The subject of sewage is not a clean one, nor one adapted for the literature of the dog days ; but after inhaling dirt and drinking dirt for so many years we may well afford to read about it, and to look statistically into that foulest of all our great sewers, the river Thames. Until the adoption of the present scheme the object of all London drainage %vas t o make the Thames the great main sewer of the metropolis—an object which we shall see was realise to the fullest possible extent. Al. the sewers in Lon don, on both sides of the river, run due north and south, discharging themselves into the Thames within a length of some five or eix miles. At the very fiat glance this arrangement seems bad enough, thour;h it i 3 infinitely worse when we come to exa mine how it w as arrange d to wor k . O n both sides of the river th e b eaks are very little a b ove high water mark, while the average level of the ground immediately behind them is much below it; half Lambeth, Bermondsey,and Rotherhithe being Eft. below hi g h- water the level o f the level. Of course, when this is ground the s ewers are muc h lower still, a n d their outlets so completely tide-locked that it is only at dead low water that th e y can em pty themselves at all. Thus, for nearly 18 h ours ou t of the 24 the sewage on both be , andnffits is still miasm a to into an sides of London u se d to immense extent, pent u p, giv ingevery street and house. A s we have said, i t could tidenly escape at dead l ow g water, when th e returnin immediately c h urne d it up the river, keeping all e its . abominable " flotsam bridge and jetsam" above finding 200,000 or 300,000 taillilethe tide ebbed , out ope rated upon in a similar mannerg ofns . filth to be was the arrangement 12 years a n its return. This entirely so ; but, even bad a g s o L . andis almost capable of being made worse, and worts was, it w as it was made. In 1849 most of the houses e n accordingly don had cesspools attached to them, o es d in Lon don very large proportion were without any drains n at all. The alarming nature of this evil showed itself slowly but surely in the Bills of Mortality, and the then Commissioners of Sewers, who were feebly battling with the evils of the drainage BBy t e set to work to mitigate the cesspool - dange r by drainage, making the Thames, as usual, the general receptacle. From that time to the present some 700 or 800 miles of new drains have been made, and all cesspools made to drain at once into the river. By this " improved" drainage some 200,000 additional gallons of sewage were daily added to the Thames at low water, containing no less than 300 tons of " organic matter" which in this case is the scientific term for filth. Nor was the Thames the only sufferer. Wherever a stream could be found, no matter how clear its waters or how bene ficial its course, drains were at once made into it. I fackney Brook, onco well-known to anglers as one of the clearest and prettiest of streams that wound from the north of Loudon into the river Lea, was made to vie with the Thames in filth and stench ; and even the Serpentine was brought into requisi tion, and the Ranelagh sewer (one of the largest in London) daily discharged itself into that much prized piece of ornamental water. The Thames, however, as the largest claimant, always got the preference of dirt, and the great mass of corruption which has flowed into it year after year has at last made it the largest and dirtiest open sewer in Iluro p-° . ILe result, as a matter of course, has been th a t in the summer months the stench from the river has occasionally been intolerable. In 1857 great quantities of lime and chloride of lime were put in daily ; in 1858 the same expedient to be resorted to again ; and in 1859 the doses ad to be increased to 110 tons of lime and 12 tons f chloride of lime, costing some £1,500 per w . Even in a pecuniary point of view, however, lis was not the only evil of the system, The Thames in this hot weather runs short of water, and when there is no rain the collections of refuse in the sewers have to be flushed into the river by arti ficial means. This flushing alone during summer costs £20,000 a year to get the poison into the Thames, where £20,000 more is generally required to keep it from breeding a plague. The tide in summer carries off little or nothing. A marked object was set afloat in the river and watched, with a view of ascertaining this fact, and for three weeks it went backwards and for wards between Vauxhall and London bridges, with out going much further either way. During the same period of course, the sewage of the Thames, increaserr, by its daily contribution, goes backwards and forwards likewise under the summer sun, and yet people professa,he magnitude and an w d hyit .tbominably. importance smells S o o t r h o t v hased , t z h h e is c e h v i i f ha e v n e long ginee r b e o e f n t he known, Boar a d nd of Mr. Works, B az if! fought t h e t , long and assiduously t o have and, strongly aided b y public p , o th i e ni o p n lan his im fig p beer successful. His main drainage scheme is nearly completed. In less than two years more it wilt be entirely comp leted, the Thames purified, and London effectually drained. A s ma y be easily imagined, it is impossible in an article like the present to give more than an outline of this great plan, which may best be briefly described as consisting of three gigantic main tunnels or sewers on each side of the river. These completely divide underground London, from west to east, and cutting all existing sewers at right angles intercept their flow to the Thames, and carry every gallon of London sewage under certain conditions into the river on the north side below Barking, and on the south to near Erith. These main drains ere called the High, Middle, and Low Level sewers, according to the height of the localities which each respectively drains. The High Level on the north side is about eight miles in length, and runs from Hampstead to Bow, being at its rise only 4ft. 6in. in diameter, and thence increasing in cir cumference, as the waters of the sewers it inter cepts require a wider course, to sft., Oft., 7ft,, 10ft. 6in., lift. Gin., and at its termination, near Lea river, to 131 t. 6in. in diameter. The drain is en tirely finished, and in full work. Its minimum fall is 2ft. in the mile; its maximum at the beginning nearly 50ft. a mile. It is laid at a depth of from 20 to 26 feet below the ground, and drains an area of 14 square miles. The Middle Level, as being lower in the valley on the slope of which London is built, is laid at a greater depth, varying from 30 to 36 feet, and even more below the surface. This is nearly complete, and extends from Kensal-green to Bow. The Low Level will extend from Cremorne to Abbey Mills, on the marshes near Stratford, but as the city portion of this will pass through the Thames Embankment we shall have occasion to refer to it hereafter. At Bow the Low Level waters will be raised by powerful engines at a pumping station to the junction of the High and Middle Level ducts, thence descending by their own gra vity through three tunnels to the main reservoir and final ontfall below Barking. These three tunnels are each Oft. 6in. in diameter and nearly four miles long. Great engineering difficulties existed in the construction of these main arteries, as, from the height at which they all meet, it was necessary to take them above the level of the marshes reading to Barking. For a mile and a half the embankment which encloses the three tunnels is carried on brick arches, the piers going 18ft. below the surface, and being based on solid concrete. In the marshes at Barking the reservoir for the reception of the sewage of the north side is formed. This reservoir is a mile and a half long by 100 ft. wide and 21ft. deep. It is made of this great length in proportion to width to allow of its being roofed with brick arches, which are again covered with earth, to a considerable thickness, so that not the slightest smell or escape of miasma can take place. This is capable of containing more than three times the amount of sewage which can enter it while the pipes are shut, and thus, when all is complete, the works will not only be large enough to take off all London's sewage now, but its sewage when London is double its present size. While the sewage is in the reservoir we have spoken of, it will be completely deodorised by an admixture of lime. When the tide is at its height the sluices which pass from the bottom of the reser voir far out into the bed of the river will be opened, and the whole allowed to flow away. It takes two hours thus to empty the reservoir, by which time the tide will be flowing down strongly, and will carry its very last gallon a distance of 13 miles below Barking, which, being itself 13 miles below Lon don, will place the contents of the sewers, every 12 hours, 26 or more miles distant from the metropolis. Thus, instead of letting loose the rankest of this great city's abominations in the very midst of Lon don, and leaving it to stagnate, or, still worse, to be agitated backwards and forwards in a small body of water, it will all be carried away a distance of 13 miles, then (Mod( rised, then suffered to escape into a body of water more than a hundred times greater than that into which it now cl awls, and thus disin fected and diluted, so as to be without either taste or smell, swept still further down the stream, till every trace of it is lost. On the south side the three great sewer arteries are constructed on similar plans—the High Level from Dulwich to Deptford ; the Middle from Clap ham to Deptford ; and the Low Tavel from Putney to 1),- ptford. At this point is a pumping station, whicli raises the water from the low to the high level, whence it flows away through a 10ft. tunnel to Crossness Point. One part of this tunnel, pass ing under Woolwich, is a mile and a half in length, without a single break, and driven at a depth of 80 f ee t from the surface. At the outfall will be another pum pi n g station, to lift the water to the reservoir. The southern reservoir is only five acres i n extent that on the north is , 14. In the reservoir it will be' deodorised and discharged in a simil ar way to that we have already described. last-named work s , am id an ap- It was over th ese parently inextricable labyrinth of culverts, a rca d es, chambers, and columns, that the visitors were con ducted yesterday. first inspecting the channel for the overflow of storm wa ter, next the two culverts, as large almost as railway tunnels, which carry th e Sewage to the east and west pumping stations. Be fore the entrance to th© pumps are massive iron strainers, which keep out all the coarse refuse brought down the sewer, and w hich afterwards dredged up by the filth hoist into the filth chamber, The r which is flushed into the river at low at pumping-house is nearly finished and the iron work of the engines begun. The pumping stations will each consist o f an eng i ne -h ou se, containing 10 boilers calculated to work up to 500 horse power nominal. This power working through eight pumps of 7 feet di ameter and 4 feet stroke will d a ily raise '9,000,000 cubic feet of sewage from 19 feet below tow water to the level of the outfall; but, in case of necessity, the pumps can raise 25,000,000 cubic feet per day. The reservoir into which it will all flow is not yet finished, but when roofed in with brick will hold 20,000,000 gallons of sewage. After in specting these works on Saturday the visitors were taken across the river to the Barking outfall, where the works are larger, simpler, and much more ad vanced, for on the north sewage is brought at such a level as to discharge into the reservoir by its own gravitation. The reservoir here is far advanced, a great deal of it being roofed in, so that all will be completed in a few months more. Close to this the contents of the High Level sewer were turned on into the river direct, and not as they will in future flow, through the reservoir. The inspection of this murky Niagara of sewage as it came tumbling down seemed to be not at all unpleasant to members who are accus tomed to legislate in hot wea;he on the banks of the largest sewer in the world—the Thames. Aft er gazing on this unsavoury volume of dirt for som e t i me, b y wa y o f a n appetizer, the whole party re turned to the great reservoir to lunch. At this re past various :ova! err conarafulatory toasts were The witness was then shown another signature, and aft er looking at it for some time he said he thought the " o" and "p" were Mr. Richard Roupell's, and he afterwards said he thought the whole was a genuine signature. The "r" was not like his usual signature, but still he thought it was his handwriting. Another signature was then rhown to the witness, and ho said this was very different, and he " found fault" with the "o" and the " p," and the flourish was not a bit like Mr. Richard Roupell's.. "Upon the whole, he said he should express an opinion that the signature was not a genuine signature of Mr. Richard Roupell. He was aware that these signatures were photo graphs. Sergeant Shee contended that Mr. Bovill had no right to use photographed signatures. Baron Channell said it was a new point, but he did not think photographs could be used in the way proposed by Mr. Bovill. Mr. Bovill said if his lordship had any doubt he should not press the matter further. In further cross-examination the witness said he had a lease of some of the property which had been granted him by William Roupell. Witness had himself expended £50,000. upon the Roupell-park estate. Ho got the money on mortgage from different parties, but all these proceedings took place in connection with Mr. Richard Roupell. Wm. Roupell was a little boy at this time. He received a profit rent from the leases granted him by 'William Roupell of about £250 a year. Re-examined—He was well aware that his interest would be destroyed if the plaintiff succeeded in this action. Mr. W. C. Longman deposed that he was a collector, and that in the year .1856 proposals were made to him for a loan upon the security of the property of Mr. Richard Palmer Roupell. The proposals were made by Mr. Whitaker, and in the course of the year witness advanced £6,000, and entertained a proposition to advance more, but after con sulting with counsel he made a requirement that Richard Palmer Roupell should join in the security, but could not obtain his concurrence, and be declined to advance any more. He was repaid the £6,000 he had already advanced in the course of the same year. Mr. N. Springham, the tenant of one of the farms now in dispute, proved that he took a lease of the farm from old Mr. Roupell in November, 1842, for twenty-one years from Michaelmas, 1842, at the yearly rent of £BO. Old Mr. Roupell used to come down and visit the farm once or twice a year, but witness generally used to go up to Cross -street to pay him his rent. The last time he paid him was in July, 1856. There was some back rent due at this time. He produced the receipt, and said he saw the deceased sign his name to it, and he had seen him write on several other occasions. After the death of old Mr. Roupell he paid the rent to Mr. Muggeridge. He added that old Mr. Roupell never upon any occasion said anything to him about having given the estate to hie son William Roupell. Cross -examined—Old Mr. Roupell did at one time say that he had a dispute with the lord of the manor about the property, and that his son William was to be their land lord. He believed this was some considerable time before July, 1856—it might be a year perhaps. He had no par ticular reason for recollecting the exact time. He gave Mr. Linklater, the solicitor to the plaintiff, all the receipts that he could find —he should think about nine or ten, and all the ethers were destroyed or lost. (Mr. Lush produced the receipts referred to, and they were identified by the witness). In 1862 he received a letter offering him the farm at £lOO a year from the solicitors to the mortgagees, and he accepted the proposal, and he said that he was aware at this time that Wm. Roupell had absconded, and that there was an allegation that the deeds were forged. He was subsequently sued by the mortgagees for two quarters' rent, as he bad declined to pay because he did not know who was the party rea lly entitled to the rent. He went t o M r. Linklater be cause he knew he was the solicitor to the Roupell family, and he guaranteed him against costs, and defended the ac tion, and witness did not trouble himself any more about th e matter. Soon afterwards, however, he was told that he must pay the rent to the mortgagees (the present defend ants). Witness knew nothing about th e costs, and he had never been asked for them. He gave the money for his rent to Mr. Linklater, and ard h s e sseurpypeodsehdimhewpiathidathneotoietheeorf party. Mr. Linklater aftehrwim that he would not take any notice c o t- f g e n o a f tu th r: ment, but he told d he heard a l r a du laugh.) h nothing The m more handwriting, and ho knew no thing about the existence o f eijt2ecatnmdehnot, a d n id d n d o id t no o t I sa n n t d to. e to the fraudulent lease proceedings.oflBs6 w as not at all like wit ness ' s such a lease until these vi f d arm maco th o a f t a was similarthe subject t H o o f w t s h , only a very short time character, and he also proved t e t h p e r e l a s e n n d t l o r a d e t o i o f h t e ghaa o l ! e h e evidence b were entirely lo e w fo a r n e c o e s l d f .N o l r r r . R ate o s u a p n e d ll o d t id h e er , he expreeneseeisv,etalhtdheorrednetr, emade to be cut, an d a ct e d as th o ugh the propertyn d under eath, is h i i r s .l c v o n n i t . r ß o 1 0 . _ him some ren t t h at was due, but he refuse d to rec eive it Immediatel y upell called on hima ft e a r n o d l d il h eo i ff r. eredto Roupell'say him self, and said an agent would apply for it. Mr. Wm. eßou pell after thi s gave him receipts as executor to his deceased father. This witness then went on to state that no such per son as Josh. Goddard, whose name appeared to the fraudulent lease of his farm as the attesting witness, lived at Great I Warley, and he had never heard of such a person. In cross-examination he said he remembered old Mr. i Roupell coming to see him on one occasion, when he told '~_~:,. THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY gVENING, JULY 2€, 1868. given —that of Mr. Thwaites, the chairman of the Board of Works, and Mr. Bazalgette, his chief engineer, being greeted with much enthusiasm. In the afternoon thevisitors returned to town, hav ing enjoyed an agreeable, and, we, may add, an in structive excursion. 'I he total length of the three rows of intercepting sewers, the course of which we have sketched on each side of the river, will be 50 miles, and before all the works are completed 800,000 cubic yards of concrete will be consumed, upwards of 300,000,000 of bricks, and 4,000,000 cubic yards of earthwork. THE ROUPELL FORGERIES. The proceedings in this extraordinary trial were resumed on Saturday morning at Chelmsford. Mr. Sergeant Shee, Q,C., Mr. Lush, Mr. J. Brown, and the Hon. Mr. thesiger appeared for the plaintiffs ; and Mr. Bovill, Q.C., Mr. Hawkins, Q.C., and Mr. Garth for the defend an . s. The cause is proceeding very slowly, and although it has already occupied three days very little actual progress has been made. This is partly owing to the ci, cumstance of the late hour at which the court sits to accommodate the special jurymen, half-past ten o'clock, and to its rising early, soon atter five o'clock. Mr. NV. Roupell is brought down from London every day in the custody of a wardpr of Pentonville prison who is dressed in plain clothes, and they walk to and from the court arm in arm and go to a public house in the town and have their meals together, apparently in the most friendly manner. On Friday evening, when the train arrived in London, the once celebrated M.P. and his attendant were seen to go into a little cook-shop in Shore ditch, where they had supper, or perhaps as Mr. Roupell, having reference to his former position would call it dinner, together, and then proceeded in a cab to the Model Prison at Pentonville. Mr. Roupell has become very much thinner since the examination at Guildford, and the removal of his beard and moustache have made a very great change in his looks, and given him a common appearance. Nothing like an accurate idea can yet be formed of the duration of the trial, but it is not expected to be brought to a conclu si before Wednesday night at least. It is expected that the case for the plaintiffs will be finished to-day (Monday). The following additional evidence was now adduced for the plaintiffs. Henry Muggeridge said—l am a builder in the Brixton road, and I was well acquainted with the late Richard Pal mer Roupell, and was employed by him for several years. My father, John Muggeridge, collected rents for deceased several years before his death. He died in 1857, aged 88. I remember having a conversation with William Roupell after his father's death about a will, and also about the collection of his rents. The conversation took place very soon after the funeral. Witness collected the rents from this period down to March, 1862, and among the rents he so collected were those of the Great Warley property. lie obtained the receipts from Mrs. Roupell, at Aspen-house, and he gave the money he received and always accounted to Mrs. Roupell. The amount of rent he collected was £2OO a year in one ease ar d £BO in the other (the fictitious ac counts were £560 and £250). The supposed deed of gift of the Great Warley property was then shown to the witness, and he said that he thought the signature of the old Roupell that appeared to it was not his handwriting. He added that "he should say" it was not. 'Witness's father was very infirm in 1856. He generally went out collecting at 12 o'clock, and did not return till four, and did not go out again. The alleged will of the deceased was then shown to witness, and he said ho did not think the signature of the attesting witness, John Muggeridge, was his father's hand writing, but he took his stand on the " M,'' which he did not think was his father's writing. He was also of opinion that the signature Richard Palmer Roupell was not the signature of the deceased. He was well acquainted with the handwriting of the deceased, and the Rof Roupell was not the sort of R he would make. Cross-examined—l believe that the signature of Mr. Richard Palmer upon the paper now produced (handed to him by Mr. Bovill) is like Mr. Roupell's signature, but I think there is the same objection to the R. The paper was handed to Mr. Brown, and he opened it, apparently with the object of seeing the contents, and Mr. Bovill complained of the proceeding, and said that the learned counsel had been guilty of a very great impropriety. Mr. Brown denied that his object was to see the con• tents of the paper that had been shown to the witness. He said that he had no such intention. Sergeant Shea submitted that the plaintiff,' were entitled to look at any paper that was shown to a witness in the cause. Mr. Bovill said that the paper was not put in evidence, and his only object was to ask the opinion of the witness as to the validity of a particular signature. Some technical discussion took place upon this point, but eventually Sergeant Shee withdrew his application to be allowed to see the paper. Mr, Bovill said he had no objection to his lordship see ing the paper, and Mr. Baron Channell accordingly opened it and examined the document. „ , him that he had given the estate to his son William, and that he might do as he liked about enfranchising it, or he might do as he liked with it. He also told him that he had given witness's and Springham's farm to his son, and now they would have a lawyer for a landlord. (A laugh.) lie was aware that William was a lawyer, and he had never heard of Richard or any other son. The conversation to which he referred he believed took place in 1855. The wit ness then stated that when the action was brought against him by the mortgagees, Mr. Linklater indemnified him against costs on behalf of the Roupell family, and that he only paid the amount of rent that was due. Oa re-examination the witness said that old Mr Roupell made the observations he had mentioned in quite a positive manner, and he was laughing at the time. Mr. Sharp, clerk to Messrs. Ring, the proctors, of Doc tors'-commons, proved that he was acquainted with the de ceased Richard Palmer Roupell, and that a will was made for him in 1839, and another in 1840, and a third in ]B5O. This last will was a very long one, and witness engrossed it, but he did not remember whether he was present when it was executed. He could not find a draft of that will in the office, and he believed it was destroyed in 1860, when their business was removed from one office to another, He remembered the deceased coming to his office on the 30th of August, 1856, and informing Mr, Ring that he wished to make a codicil to the will of 1850, and he at the same time produced a paper of instructions. Witness prepared a codi cil while the deceased waited, and he took it away with him. changed one of the exe curtio'hrse c , and gave was read.aves t all eglatciresertroldYifferent persons who were in the service of the deceased. and confirmed the wi,l of 1850 in every other particular. The witness then stated that ho drew up several other wills for the deceased besides those he had mentioned, but he never heard of the one now alleged to be forged until it was brought to tiae office of Messrs. Ring by William Roupell. Mr. Ring corroborated the testimony that had been given by Mr. Sharp, and he explained that the draft of the will of 1850 was not destroyed until after the will that was alleged to be forged had been proved by Mr. William Roupell as the last will and testament of the deceased. Mr. Jas. Surridge, who had occupied a farm belonging to the deceased, proved that he was on very intimate terms with the deceased, and was well acquainted with his hand writing. The will that was alleged to be forged was placed in the witness's hands, and he was asked his opinion as to the signature, and, to the astonishment of the learned coun sel for the plaintiff, he said that in his opinion the signa. ture was a genuine one. He was asked to put on his spec tacles and look at the signature attentively, and he aid so, and then said that he was really unable to say whether the signature was the handwriting of Mr. Richard Roupell or that of Mr. William Roupell. The witness went on to say that he remembered dining with the old gentleman on the 31st of August, 1856, a few days before his death, and the deceased then told him that he had made his will, and that he had appointed him one of his executors, and that he would have £l5O for his trouble. The witness added that he did not know that he was appointed as one of the exe cutors until William Roupell told him there was another will, but he said he should have the £l5O just the same, and he paid him that sum shortly afterwards. The witness then produced several receipts that had been given him by the deceased. In cross - examination he said that he had given a great many other receipts to Mr, Linklater, the solicitor to the plaintiffs, besides those that had been produced. Mr. Bovill said he should like the whole of those receipts to be produced. Mr. Lush said he had no objection to this being done. Mr. W. Roupell was then re-called w;th a view to his being examined as to how he was occupied on the 2d of September, 1856, the day the forged will was alleged to have been executed by the deceased, and to have been attested by himself and Muggeridge, and he detailed how he passed the day, and all the different places he went to. His evidence, in this respect, was to the same effect as that given by the witness TrurMan, who was represented to have been with him the greater part of the day. He swore posi tively that he did not even see old Muggeridge on this day. He detailed the particulars of the genuine will and the mode in which the property was divided among the family. Baron Channell inquired of Mr. Bovill whether he had any questions to put to the witness. Mr. Bovill said he should ask nothing of this person. Mrs. Hunham, the housekeeper to the decea,ed, was then examined. She said she remembered Mr. Surridge and his son dining with the deceased at the end of August, 1856, and that at this time he was very ill, and kept getting worse until his death, and she said she did not think that he ever went out again. She also said that Mr. W. Roupell was very kind to his father during his illness, and he was con stantly with him, and used to help him upstairs. Several witnesses were then examined with a view to corroborate the statement made by Mr. W. Roupell as to how he was occupied on the 2d of September, the date of the alleged forged will. The foreman of the jury interposed, and said that a state ment had been made by Mr. W. Roupell wi h regard to this will which they should be glad to hear corroborated if it was possible. The statement he referred to was that after hie father's death he went into the bed-room and took out the genuine will from the bureau, and put it into his pocket, but finding it was too large to be concealed, he put it into a small writing desk which he constantly carried about with him, and that he did not see the will, and had no opportunity to destroy it until a week afterwards. The jury were very anxious to know whether this statement could be confirmed by other testimony. Baron Channell said that possibly Mrs. Hunham, the housekeeper, might be able to give the court some informa tion upon the subject. This witness was accordingly recalled, and in answer to questions put to her she said that after the death of old Mr. Roupell, Mr. William was constantly in the house until the funeral. Mrs. Roupell used to come every morning at 8 o'clock, and she remained until 11 at night, but as there was no accommodation for her to sleep, she would go back to her own house at Brixton and Mr. , Wm Roupell slept every night in the house; and after his mother left there was no one but him and witness on the premises With regard to the writing-desk, she said she knew he bad one, and when he came to Cross street in his own carriage it was brought with him, but if he went out in a cab he left it at home. Between the death of old Mr, Roupell and the funeral she said she was certain that Wm. Roupell was frequently by himself for many hours. Mr. Francis Thomp son, w ho had been clerk and c as hi er waslyn'n where the dec ease d k ept an account for ext examined. H e stated that he was w anut e al‘ l n l iy a e c sy q ser u as a .r i s n G, ted with the deceased, and with his handwriting, and upon being shown the forged will and the alleged deed of gift, h e e xpressed a confident belief that the signatures of Richard Palmer Roupell to both these documents were for geries. He stated with very great clearness the grounds that led him to form this conclusion, and said that he had arrived at the above result for the reasons he mentioned, and which he represented were quite satisfactory to his own mind. The, trial was then adjourned, the cross-examination of the witness being postponed until Monday morning. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. SATURDAY REVIEW.—It is quite clear that the French Emperor did make some complaint of the treatment he had reteived from the English Minis try in reference to Confederate reeognition, for the two members asserted it, and he has not denied it. It is probable that the offence took place at some time between January, 1862, when M. Thouvenel's despatch upon the Trent affair proved that he was was heartily with us, and November, 1862, when Count Fiahault's melted othisnion to observe the ordinary form of leaving a copy of the despatch which contained the proposal for an armistice indicated the existence ofsome estrangement. It is probable, there fore, that the communication upon American affairs which Lord Russell is said to have betrayed to the Americans was made in the spring or summer of last year. From the scrupulous care with which Lord Russell has retrained from making any de nials upon the subject, and the ostenta ' tious frankness with which Mr. Layard has been always ready to deny everything, it is likely that the communication Was made privately to Lord Russell ; and from the zeal with which Mr. Leyard has searched the written archives of the Fo reign-c ffiee, it may be interred that the communi cation was verbal. To secret diplomacy Vi , t. which Mr. itoehuck's disclosures are connected does not probably enu here. They appear to have caused negotiations at least as important as those which they revealed. It is not to be supposed that the Emperor abstained from confirming the statements of the envoys he had selected, or that they them selves have been content to endure ali kinds of in sinuations in silence, except for a consideration of some kind. It must have been shown to them that the object they were seeking was more easily to be attained by silence than by talking. We must wait for the future policy of the El fish Go vernment to inform us whether any dis , inct un derstanding, as to the period of recognition, was the price of their discretion. The strongest feeling which this curious episode has left behind it is a decided dislike to private diplomacy. It is not merely that the channels of the Imperial confidences to the House of Commons w. re not " re sponsible," as Lord Palmerston argued; for that hackneyed word is now so bare of any shade of meaning that it has almost ceased to be available even as a constitutional fiction. Few people would think of quarrelling with an official, self-constituted or otherwise, for being des.itute of so shadowy an at tribute. The real evil is the informal and ill-defined functions which a private diplomatist fills. Eie never has any authority to speak for anybody. When Mr. teoebuck gave to the Emperor at, explanation of the teelings of the House of Commons, he spoke without any commission from that body, and probably misled his Imperial friend very considerably. When he re versed the process, and came to tell the House of Com mons of the opinions of the Emperor, he was in a difficulty scarcely less serious. He had a com mission, indeed, of some sort, to speak in the Em peror's name; but he was under the shelter of none of the formalities with which those whose function it is to deal with princes protect themselves against wrong. He had no memorandum of the conversa tion, no despatch in which it was embodied, no com mission to reveal it that he could show. The result was,that he was wholly unprotected against any trick the Emperor might like to play him. If the Emperor had chosen to disavow him, he could have done it with perfect ease. Ap.,rt from the infor mal oral evidence of Mi. Lindsay, Mr. Roebuck had nothing to which he could appeal—not even the testimony of a past diplomatic career. The con stitutional question is, of course, large and grave. For the House of Commons to receive the messages 9f foreign Sovereigns is, in effect, to assume execu tive authority. It might as well send out its own orders to generals and admirals, and receive from them direct reports. If it may keep up relations Frith independent Powers, it becomes an in dependent power itself. The whole machinery of Queen, Ministers, and diplomatists is entirely super anous, if the functions which they pertorm can be iischarged by the employment of two travelling Members of Parliament as volunteer ambassadors. MURDER IN LAMBETIL On Saturday afternoon Mr. William Carter, the coroner for East Surrey, opened an inquiry at the Old Barge-house tavern, Upper Ground -street, B lackfriars-road, touching t he death of Sarah Howes aged 41, lately residing at 84. Upper Ground stree,, who it was alleged had been killed by her husband, Joseph Howes, a porter, on Thursday evening last. Police-constable Mansfield, 70 L, said that from in formation he received on Thursday night, at 10 o'clock, he went to 84, Upper Ground-street, Black triars-road, and found a woman lying in the second flo,r back room quite dead. Several persona werf there. The witness was told the woman had nt en murdered by Joseph Howes, her husband, ant from further information he went to the Windmil I publichouse, at the corner of Bennett-street s , and apprehended him. Ho said his wife had been drinking all day, but that hr would not have touched a hair of he i r head. Jane Chatfield, who lived at 84, Upper Ground-street, gave evidence similar to that taken before Mr. Combe at the Southwark Police-court on, Friday, to the effect that she heard the sound o, blows and screams in the deceased's room on Thurs day night, and that neither deceased nor her hus band were sober. She also stated that they were in the habit of quarrelling, and that the husband had frequently threatened deceased. From the evidence of the police who examined the room where the woman was killed, it appeared that there was a con sidersble quantity of blood upon the floor and upon the bed. The deceased had a black eye, and was otherwise much bruised. The stockings of the hus band were found to be saturated with blood, The wainscoting on one side of the rcom was battered in as if some person bad fallen heavily against it. Mr. Morney Coppin,No.l7, Mount-street, Lambeth, sur geon, said he was called in to the deceased on Thurs. was considerable She w eff a u s si q o u n it o e f ci b e l a o d o ' d on the mwandiceha Thurs day night. t h h a e d b s r i a n in ce , h p oo s t t h n u o g r h t modem examination e a s b m e n n act caused o u n s e o d f b t the e external body. vio lence.d There was no fracture. The cause of death was rupture of blood vessels in the brain, caused by blows or falls, or b o th con j ointly. After deliberat ing for about 20 minutes the jury returned a ver dict of " Wilful murder against Joseph Howes." Full benefit of reduced duty obtained by pur chasing Horniman's pure Tea ; very choice at 3s 4d. and 4s. "High Standard "at 4s. 4d. (formerly 4s. Bd.), is the . stcngest and most delicious imported. Agents in every town supply it in packets. SPECTATOR.—The uppermost phase of English Conservatism which is that of Lord Robert Cecil, — the Conservatism of what we may call aggressive and almost cynical commonplace, which seems to be Conservative at all only because it is so much more easy to browbeat any novelty that is a candidate for political existence than to browbeat that which is actually in the field, and which ceases to be really Conservative wherever the spirit of la and custom puts unpleasant restraints on the policy of aria toctatic self-interest. There is no doubt that Lord Robert Cecil represents this kind of Conservatism with considerable ability. He lays his finger on the very centre of disputed inte rests with unfailing accuracy and a harsh aggres sive touch. He always puts his case On we lowest ground he can take with an unpleasant audacity which looks exceedingly practical, and sometimes is so, if the house is conscious of a iarge infusion of low motives; which, however, is somettm.s, again, ineffective enough, and never persuasive, though it encourages others to assert, where without this ex ample they would be ashamed of asserting, their ;real motives or reasons. For example, when he was .iebating the question of a wider religious inclusion , for the Universities, he said, " Now, he would not put the matter on high religious grounds, he would 'ask whether that would pay." So again on the question of recognition of the South, he studiously selects the most tangibly selfish argument, and asks how we can beso absurd as to "give way to the North on sentimental grounds," when they are " our rivals politically and rivals commercially," while every interest must lead us to cultivate friendly relations with the agricultural people of the South, our " na tural ally." He always seems to seek to put his Conservative case on a ground which may recom mend itself most of all to the most commonplace minds in their hardest moods. 'fake his clever speech last session on the bill to permit marriage with a deceased wife's sister. What speech ever entered less into the higher points at issue, or dealt more aggressively with the selfish interests in volved ? His main thesis was that people wanted new opportunities of " giving way to their pas sions," and found fault with the present law be cause it put obstacles in their way. His whole argument was most characteristic, and consisted simply in asserting that every reason alleged by the mover for the repeal of the present restrictions might also be urged by any one who favoured bigamy or polygamy in favour of these institutions. " If they passed the bill they would set every one in the kingdom thinking whom they might marry and whom they might not." He did his beat to persuede the House that if you once touched the marriage law, even on good grounds, the floodgates of un•• authorised passions would burst open, and we should have men insisting on marrying their stepmothers. It has often been noticed that the Tory orators are more personal and more reckless than the Liberals. The more memorable Conservative papers have ge nerally gained their reputation by satire or persona lities,.like the Satirist the John Bull, Blackwood, more recently, and, on its first start, our contempo rary the Press. The Standard, too, is the most bitterly personal of the present daily pvers, and Mr. Disraeli certainly the happiest master of perso nal criticism, while Lord Derby is the most eager in onset, and the most successful in taunts of all the orators of the day. T , ere is an obvious reason for this in the nature of Conservatism. Those who are in possession of the field, and whose position is, there fore, defensive, are (most forced into discrediting t heir opponents. Knowing t hat th lugs are not per fect as they are, t heir only object is to shake faith in the suggested remedies, which, as they have never been tried, are more effectively ahakeu by under mining the authority of their opponents than by re kiting their argument. The reformers have their theme in the inequalities and evils of the existing system of things. The Conservatives have to with draw attention from these, and cannot well do it better than by personal attacks. Lord Robert Jecil clearly shares the impulse for this kind of warf ire. But it is not his happiest line. He is apt to be too little discriminating and too insolent in his person alities to be thoroughly effective. " Qui dit trop, ne dit rien." The other day, when he was defending the indiscriminate charities against Mr. Gladstone, he accused that statesman, with probably less jus tice than was ever before shown in a personal at tack, of " a hard and material philosophy," and, in still more elegant language, of "smearing the me mories of testators" by imputing to them principles which were horrid to their feelings. Last ses sion ho attributed the frequent count-outs "to the wish to insult an enemy,' which is not a likely mo tive in the House of Commons. Only last week he launched against Mr. W. E. Forster the epithet of a Federal Sinon, on the ground that he wished to betray the Confederates into a defeat by urging Mr. Roebuck to go on with the debate which he had injudiciously begun. In truth, he almost always hits rather wildly whenever he indulges in personal hits at all. He has scarcely the delicacy and play of mind which are requisite to catch skilful personal characteristics, and would do well to leave that branch of debate to Mr. Disraeli. "There is a hardness in his eye" which misses the point, as though Lord Robert Cecil had used his culture to barricade himself against the influence of others, and had so ceased to understand them. What he does best is to "put his foot down" heavily on liberal impulses, sympathies, or hopes ; his literary sense is not quick, for the same reason for which his Conservatism is a kind of repellent common-place. Mr. Disraeli cannot be said to have genuine sym pathy with any class of principles unde r th e sun, but then he has an active, pliant, ever delicate in tellectual fancy, which obliges him to receive accu rate impressions of the images of character around him. Lord Robert Cecil is essentially a "bard shell" aristocrat, and as such is eminently suited to express any bold Conservative aversion to change, but by no means, we think, to fulfil the highest function of a statesman by interpreting clearly the indistinct wants of his time, and thoroughly under standing even the opponents whom he confutes. LONDON REVIEW.—It is said that the Crown Prince intends to publish a protest against th e rece nt measures of his father's Government, but he will probably deem this superfluous after the full dis closure of his views which has now been made. Obvious considerations render it inexpedient for the heir-ap parent to take a more prominent part than is abso lutely necessary in opposition to the King. Although he might thus gain a momentary popularity, he would most likely incur a permanent loss of respect. Besides it is scarcely desirable that he should, so to speak, play all his cards at once. It is easy to fore see contingencies in which such steps as the issue of a formal protest, and the resignation of his corn missions, would produce an effect all the greater, from their having been withheld as long as possible. In the meantime the measures which the Prince has taken must be regarded with the utmost satisfaction both in Prussia and in England. We have aright indeed to feel some little pride iu them on our owe 4ccount, if it be true that his Royal Highness's Liberalism is in no slight degree due to the advice ,)f his English wife. But be that as it may, it is 4mpossible to read his letters without imbib ing considerable respect feu his character, and a corresponding confidence in his sincerity. There is no affectation of a warmth, and vehemence of political sentiment which the Prince can hardly be expected to feel. He would, no dount, be well content to govern as an arbitrary sovereign, if it were possible or were consistent wit h the Constitution o f his country. But he sees that, as a matter of fact, this is impracticable; and that sound policy, as well as goo, Lith, requires that the spirit of the existing laws and in. :tuition. shou to be faithfully adhered to by the monarch. Confining himself to that point, his temperate but de.2 l defl language affords the best warrant for the reality and depth of his convictions. His words are those of a man who does not speak lightly, but of whom we may feel assured that he will act up to his pro fessions. If they produce that impression in Prus sia, they must very greatly diminish, even if they do not entirely remove, any danger of a violent or revolutionary collision between the king and the people. With the assurance that the next sovereign is willing and determined to respect the Constitu tion, it is scarcely worth while pushing matters to extremity with an old man in failing health. If the existing system is likely to fall of itself, prudence may well suggest that it is safer to bear even with Von Bismark and his ways for a little longer, than to incur the risks inseparable, not only from any appeal to force, but even from any extraordinary action on the part of the Legislature. On the other hand, it is difficult to believe that the King and his Ministers can be so utterly lost to common-sense as persevere in their present policy after this distinct warning from the Crown Prince, that their success must be so short-lived as to be absolutely worthless. His Majesty has, we know, a superstitious respect for the supposed duty of transmitting the Royal power, which he received fronvlleaven, unimpaired, to his successor. Bat one may almost venture to hope that even his peculiar mind is not entirely proof against practical demonstration that the contest he is waging is entirely hopeless. He can scarcely think it worth while to sacrifice without any per manent results the popularity of which he is fond, and which he might easily regain . by a very mode rate concession to the national wisa'es. EXAMINER.—" We ask no more than nature craves," whines the starved porter in She:idan's "Duenna," and so touchingly aver certain members of Parliament, who want a few thousands of the public money to be spent in altering the house, to the end that they may obtain better dinners. Mr. P. O'Brien affectingly pleads, " The expense was small, and the house would not grudge it. A steak, chop, cold meat, or such plain dinner as could be obtained under the Bellamy Administration sas all that was required." It almost brings tears into one's eyes to read this modest application for suste nance, but it strikes us there is a small error of the press in the passage and that for the Bellamy Ad ministration should be read the Belly-my Adminis tration. Mr. Bass thought that dining advanced business, but if the house would not increase the allowance for the kitchen, he thought it would be better to abolish it altogether, and for members to go back to mutton chops. Think of that, good people all. Think of your representatives return ing to mutton chops. It will next be proposed that they shall return to painting their bodies blue, or some such usage of ancient barbarism. Mr. Os borne followed, and lashed severely gentlemen no. satisfied with mutton chops, and wanting to dine on the fat of the Consolidated Fund. A fortiori, it better order and attendance came of a mutton chop dinner instead of French cookery, a still further improvement would be the result of total absti nence, and as e really see no reason why the Com mons should not, like juries, be starved into right conclusions and agreement. Of this we are certain, that many dreary debates that now weary the public would be spared if nothing to eat and drink were to be had on the premises. " A full house" has a nasty gluttinous soand. The Greek proverb says that a fat stomach and a fine mind cannot co-exist. In Mr. Dilworth's excellent spelling book of a century or so ago, there is an edifying story of a papa who made it a condi tion of eating apple pia that his little boys should spell the word. Now in the various reports on the important subject of the kitchen and refreshment rooms we observe some English of so disorderly a nature as to call for some condition like that which Dilworth's father imposed upon his children in the matter of the apple pie. Members should not have what they ask for in the way of eatables and drinkables until they can put their demands into decent language. How abominable is such a sen tence as this, which we commend to the notice of the Civil Service Examiners for a place in the rig marole to be done into English :—" Further, that the £3OO per annum now allowed for servants had its origin in the keeper of the refreshment rooms having formerly been deputy housekeeper, when the servants had to clean the house ; and now that the departments are separated, it is indirectly a subsidy to the refreshment rooms, but is insufficient for the direct purpose for which it is voted, as seen .by the table of amount of wages, paid by Mr. Steers,' appended to the first report." How in the world could £3OO a year have its origin in the keeper of the refreshment rooms having formerly been deputy, &c., &c., when the servants had to clean the house ? A candidate for employment who can disentangle the meaning, and put this rigma role into decent English, must be an exceedingly clever fellow. There is only one instance of money originating in any living creature, and that is the remarkable case of the goose that laid golden eggs, and certainly we shall not be disposed to be scepti cal about that phenomenon if it can be well proved that £3OO a year had its origin in a keeper of re freshment rooms. The thing is much more curious than the source of the Nile, and we recommend it to the immediate attention of the anatomists. ATHENEUM.—Some two or three years since the depressed fortunes of our theatres experienced a sudden reaction. It is true that, in the seasons immediately preceding this period, an attractive work now and then - roused the town from its apathy; but such an event was too rare to secure the prosperity of the drama proper—burlesque, in deed, seeming the only form of entertainment which could be counted on for profitable results. Had rank been determined by success, the tiny house called " The Strand" might then have been regarded as the headquarters of theatrical London. Its walls were nightly packed with a delighted pubic; whilt audiences respectably numerous, but not sufficient!) so to defray the great expense of attracting them, witnessed Mr. Charles Kean's scenic and archmote gical revivals of Shakspeare at the Princess's, and smaller gatherings lent a zealous but ineffectuai support to legitimacy at the Lyceum, then under the control of Mr. Dillon. Drury Lane avowedly relied for success upon the pantomime yearly lur nisbed by Mr. E. L. Blanchard, and the abatement of its attraction was the invariable signal for closing the theatre. Mr. "Webster—who, like his successor Mr. Buckstone, had been faithful to some sort of legitimacy at the Haymarket—provided, at the New Adelphi, fare as intellectual as his patrons would tolerate. In proof of this we may instance the dramas of " Janet Pride" and " The Dead Heart." To the manager's credit it may be added, that he had even produced the works of Shakspeare and Moliere on It stage before devoted to melo drama. Mr. Robson's excellent acting in pieces of which "The Porter's Knot" is the type, had also gained due appreciation. But it is scarcely doubt ful that at the theatres generally the pantomimes and burlesques of Christmas and Easter brought with them a financial success for which managers would have looked in vain to works of higher pre tensions. The production of "'The Colleen Bawn," however, opened a new era in theatrical his tory. Here was a drama with a new stimulant, and one so powerful that the star of burlesque itself paled before it. That "The Colleen Bawn' was well written, and to some extent a drama of character as well fps of incident, is not to be denied; but it is equally true that to the water-cave scene, including the renowned " header," its marvellots success must chiefly be ascribed. This work, the first formally distinguished by the epithet " sensa tion" was followed by another of the same class from the pen of Mr. Falconer. " Peep o' Day," without possessing the literary merit of its model, was equal to it in spectacular effect and in the con trivance of one of those elaborate situations, during which an audience is held breathless by a struggle for physical life. Mr. Falconer's drama proved a rival in attraction to that Mr. Boucicault, and, aided by the crowds that flocked to the International Exhibition of 1862, achieved the longest run upon record. Almo:it contemporaneously with the success of sensation plays an improvement took plane in the prospects of the higher drama. Mr. Fechter, who passed at a bound from refined melo-drama to Maks peare, appeared in Hamlet, and repeated the charac ter for nearly one hundred nights. As a pendant to this success in tragedy, and coincident with the advanced run of the two sensation pieces, as Hamlet had been with their commencement, came the Lord. Dundreary of Mr. Sothern. Thin extraordinary performance continued to delight the town, if we except an interval of a few weeks, for about a year and a quarter. Into the grounds of its attraction and into those of Mr. Fechter's Hamlet, we may inquire hereafter. It is enough now to state the results of both performances in connexion with the tropes to which they gave rise. As the best expres sion of the latter, we may notice the fact that two commercial companies have beau formed for the erection of as many theatres, one of which has its proposed site in the Haymarket, the other in Hol born, while rumours are afloat that a third company, with a similar object, is in process of estab;ishment. 13 , -t wean the period however, which gave the im puh,e to these undertakings and the present time, h ve eccurred which can hardly be construed ',,vouribly for new speculations. The tide of thea trical success has now evidently declined from high water mark, and it will be well if its ebb do not prove as suoden and extreme as ith rise. COUNTRY MARKETS. G RAN THAM—SATURDAY. To-day wheat came slowly to hand, and trade was dull. —New whit( wheat, 49s to 53s ; red, 45s to 47s per 36st. ; malting barley, —s to —s per qr ; grinding, 29s to 30s; oats, 24s to 26s ; beans, 38s to 40s ; peas, 36s to 38s, YORK- SATURDAY. The weather since last week has been as favourable as , seible. and an abundant harvest may be looked forward to. TheiZ) was a limited ehow of wheat to-day, and the demand was slow, but prices about the same as last week. several years past—and should the weather continue pro- Wheat, red p ..44s to 47s Oats.... 22s to 24t• White do Os to 52s Beans 40: to 428 Barley .29s to 30s Peas ....—s to —s Malt, 62s to 64s per qr.; rye, 33s per qr ; flour, 34e to 35s per sack. NOTTINGHAM-SATURDAY. Our market was sparingly supplied with wheat, and the demand was dull. Barley, oats, and beans were scarce. —White wheat, from 43s to 535; red wheat, 42s to 50s. Barley—malting, 35s to 39s ; grinding, 27s to 295. Oats old, at 25s to 31s Od; new, 22s to 295. Beans sold at 41s to 45s per qr. ; new, 37s to 425. NORTHAMPTON-SATURDAY. Less wheat than usual to-day, with a heavy demand. —White wheat, 445, to 48s ; red, 43s to 46s ; fine, 48s to —s per qr. Barley, 36s to 403—grinding, 29s to 38s; Oats, 24s to 30s per 24 stone. Beans, 37s to 40s. Peas, 36s to 40s per qr. LEICESTER-SATURDAY. Our market was sparingly supplied with wheat, and the demand was full at late terms. Barley and oats a slow sale. —Old white wheat, —s to —s ; new, 45s to 52s per 36 stone. Old red, 44s to 50s per 36 stone. Barley, malting, new, 31s to 38s per qr.; grinding, 27s to 295; &.d oats, —s to --s; new oats, 25s to 29s per 24 stone. Beans, new, 33s to 42s per 38 stone ; flour, 30s to 36s per 20 atone. NORWICH-SATURDAY. There was a limited supply of wheat at market to-day, and prices again ruled nomiWilly the same as the previous week, bat there was little business doing. White wheat. 46s to 49- 1 Red wheat 43s to 488 Malting barley ... 38s to 40s I Chevalier barley 36s to 37s Distilling d 0..... 33s to 35s I Oats.. 24F. to 28a Flour, 32s 6d to 33s Od per sack from the miller. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS DUE. ,it:stralia and Mauritius, via Southampton .. July 19. via Marseilles .... Aug. 13.. etrazii and Cape Verds, by British packet. Aug. 4. ape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena. July 29. Mina, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton. July 19.. via Marseilles ...July 27 e alkland Islands (Abraltar, via Southampton . odia (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton July 19. via Marseilles July 27. udia (Bombay), via Southampton July 26. via Marseilles Portugal.... Aug. 4. :aim, Egypt, and Aden, via Southamptob July 19. via Marseilles July 20. Newfoundland Oporto and Vigo .. U. s. and British N. Amaric a, by Brit. packet.... July 22, by U.S. packet.... by Canadian packet. July 24. W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneritle.. Aug. 10 itahamas, via New York July 30. Aexico Ali parts of West. Indies, including Chili, Peru, 1 July 29. c tdifornia. and British Columbia.. ...... .... THE CIVIL SERVICE—Home office—The Lord- Lieutenancy of Linarksnire has become vacant by the death of the Duke of Hamilton. Colonial-office- -11Ir E. E. Blake has been appointed to a clerkship. Education office—Mr F. C. Hodson has been appointed an examiner, London, Post-office—Mr R. P. Blackwell has been ap pointed a supplementary deck, Manchester. The Audit , office—Mr W. R. M. Bethune has been appointed a junior clerk. General Register-office—A vacancy bas occurred in the Register General's-office, Somerset-house, by the death of Mr. Mann, chief clerk. Register of Seaman's-office—A first class clerkship in the General Register and Record office of Seamen has become vacant by the death of Mr. A. Hardie. The Admiralty—The office of physician and surgeon to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, has become vacant by the retirement of Dr. Maclachlan, Salary £5OO. Cus toms—Mr. E, Crawley has been promoted from the 6th to the sth class of clerks, at the East acid West India Docks, London. Mr J. G. Hughes, from 3d to 2d class, Mr W. Scott from 4th to 3d class, and Mr R. Pemberton from 6th to 4th class of out-door officer, Liverpool ; Mr W. Ryan from 2d to Ist class of out-door offices, Galway; Mr R. S. Arkley from sth to 4th class, and Mr G. M. Halliday from 4th to 3d class of out-door officers, Newcastle. Inland Ret• venue—Excise Branch—Mr J. Curtayne, officer, Montmel lick division, has been appointed to Newry 3d division; 1r W. Ro:ser, officer, Newry 3d division, to Montmellickdivi • sion ; Mr H. R. Fentimen, officer, Pembroke, Ist ride, to Wilton ride; Mr W. Moore, officer, Stafford ride, to Bull ride ; Mr T. Conroy, officer, Leek ride, to S.afford ride ; W. Wilkinson, late officer of Barnsley, second ride, to Leek ride; and Mr A. Prideau, officer, Pontypool, Ist ride, 2d clerk, Taunton. Ireland—Mr T. Taylor has been appointe d to a transcriber Clerkship in the Registry of Deeds-offic e, Dublin.—Civil Service Gazette. [ADVERTISEMENT...I. — HoIIoway ' s Ointment and Paralysis, deep-seated rheumatism, and stiff contracted joints may always be cured by these medicines if they have a fair trial. But such diseases are not cured in a single day. The patient must have a little perseverance and de termination, and then, with these powerful medicines he cannot fail to conquer his disease, .Lowever obstinate it may be. The ointment should be briskly rubbed into the parts affected after they have been fomented with lukewarm. water. The pills, by their action on the blood and th e humours of the body, are an admirable auxiliary to filo ointment, and improve and invigorate the whole systern. Direction. for the use of these medicines accompany each pot and box. [ADVERTISEMENT.]—OOIIBIIIMptIOII, all nervous, bilious , liver, and stomach complaints, id every stage, are only ag" gravate i and accelerated by drugs of every descriptioll , b ut perfec.ly curable by Du Barry's health restoring Revaleu ta ; Arabica Food, as proved by thousands of cases which itn' been considered hopeless. We quote a few. —Cure No. 62,91 4 . Miss Lange, 18 years of age, cured after the medical men had abandoned all hopes of her recovery from the last stage o f pulmonary consumption, with fearful cough, expectorati on. exhaustion, spitting of blood, perspirations, hollow cheeke• emaciated to a skeleton. She is now, thank God, a perfectly healthy, blooming, fleshy girl.—N. Lange, Commissaire de Police. Cure, No. 48,270. Mr. James Roberts, of Frimley , Surrey, of thirty years' diseased lungs, spitting of blood, livet derangement, and partial deafness.—Cure, No. 47,121. MVO Elizabeth Jacobs, of extreme nervousness, indigestion. gatherings, low spirits, and nervous fancies.—Cure, Z llo ' 54,816. Ibe Rev. James 'l'. Campbell, Fakenham, Norfolk' of indigestion and torpidity of the liver, which had resisted all medical treatment. In tins, llb, 2s 9d; 21b, 4s 6d; 51b 11 a ; 121 b, 225; 241 b, 40e. Barry du Barry and Co., No. 7 1 4 R egen t-street, London; also Fortnum and Mason ; and 5.- grocers and chemists in every town of the United ginger Births. ASEITON.—On the 17th inst., at St. Paul's-road, Camden town, the wife of Alfred Ashton, Esq., of a son. BRADY.—On the 16th inst., at 2, Wilton-place, Du b oll ' Mrs. Maziero John Brady, of a son. CAIRNS.—On the 17th inst., at 79, Eaton-place, l ' adl Cairns, of a son. HERVEY. —On the 15th inst., at 17, Chester. square, pa rs ' Henry Hervey, of a son. Marriages. FRASER—WORMALD.—On the 18th inst. •at Christ Church,' Piccadilly, to Mar Highbury, T. H. Fraser, Es of of 2O, Bolton-street' Esq., of flighbury Lodge, -p.nr So HEATHCOTE—GORDON.-011 the 14th inst., at Sr. A -- 1 , 7 Mary, eldest daughter of John NV0113104 Knightsbridge, the Hon. Gilbert Henry Heathcote, Ono, son of Lord veland, to the Lady Evelyn E• Gord m second daughter of the Marquis of Huntly. ANDERSON.—On the 16thD D eaths. B. at . Pirbright Lodge, Wz°' Anderson, Es late of the Madras Civil Sevice, aged 66. q" Counvs.—On the 16th inst., at Ware, Herts, Edward Collins, Esq., late Madras L. Cavalry, aged 55. HODGSON.—On the 16th inst., at Blendon Cottage, Be%" ley, Mary, widow of the late Very Rev. Robt. Hodgsoo, Dean of Carlisle, aged 83. MARSHALL.—On the 14th inst.. at Hastings, Samuel Mar' shall. Esq., late of Woodford Wells, aged 66. PODMORE.—On the 17th inst., at 128, Richmond-road , Dalston, John Podmore, Esq., aged 34. TwysnEN.—On the 12th inst., at Brighton, LadyTwysden , wife of Sir Wra• Tv:n c l:l.__. l, Bart :__._....----..—.+. --- London : Printed and Published by WILLIAM ANDREWS+ of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THE Surf Office. No. 11 2, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the County 0 Dildelleaes.:—Monuay, July 20. 1:863.