The Sun. — London, England, 1844-09-09 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 5 1 1844 L EDUCATION IN IRELAND. The following is the tenth report of the Commis sioners of National Education in Ireland; for 1843 : SPIRY( fs;:•' the PUBLIC JOURNALS. FROM TEE EIT.S/NG PAPERI3 OF SATURDAY. STANDARD.-e-The more we reflec on the late unconstitutional abandonment, by the Hoase of Lords, of its jest nod important functions as a fi ,a 1 court of appeal in criminal cases, the more extraordinary and indefensible does it appear. It was a course neither Justified by precedent nor warranted by expe diency, and one, the adoption of which (the re suit being certain), has rendered the whole of the We proceedings before the highest tribunal of the • country not merely nugatory, but absolutely pre -- yosterous. Ilitherto the restriction of the decision • - of a case of appeal to the law Lords, has never •'' been suggested; and cases have not been of unfre quent ,occurrence in which there would have been ' no law Lords present to decide them. Now as no provision is made by law for their special attend : .. • ahce on such occasions, it may fairly be presumed, that however desirable their presence may have • been considered, it' has not bsen regarded as' indispensable ; still less has it been deemed • thecessary to confine the decision of such ap peals exclusively to them. Were it otherwise, why invite for them the opinions of judges of in ' tenor rank, and then set those opinions entirely at • defiance ? The pretext alleged for the non-inter ference of the lay Lords in the late decision, that • they had not heard the whole of the evidence, would apply with equal force to every instance of appeal that has ever come before their Lordships. They were not called upon to try the case anew, but merely to record their opinion, strengthened, or rather founded upon that of the most eminent judges of the land, who had been invited to assist them. They had heard the arguments in support of the writ of error, were well acquainted with the nature of the appeal, and as competent, so instructed, to decide upon it as upon any other appeal ever sub mitted to their judgment. Eleven judges out of floors, awl lAvo of the most eminent law Members of the House of Lords, wee decidedly of opinion that the judgment ought to be affirmed (a simple majority its ordinary oases of appeal is usually considered deci sive, and has consigned many a less criminal and mis chievous offender than Mr. O'Connell to :he gallows). Two judges and three law Lords, however, were in favour of the reversal of the judgment; and whilst the lay members in the House of Peers were virtually prohibited from giving force to the opinions of this large majority, the small minority of the law Lords were permitted to decide the question. It has been suggested, and with good reason, that many lay members of that House are as well ac queinted with the practice of criminal law as Lord Cottenham, whose experience has never extended beyond a court of equity ; and that even Lord Campbell, whose failnres in that line have been so conspicuous,. might have found his equals in knowledge on such subjects among them. We say nothing of Lord Denman's casting vote, because, although we entertain the. highest respect for his Lordship's motives and character, we cannot over look the fact, th a t hi s c hi e f ground for the reversal of the judgment was an opinion wholly at variance with that of all the other Judges! But supposing these noble persons to have been in possession of all the wisdom attributed to them by their party, what possible right could they have had to control the deliberate opinions of eleven other judges, no one of whom is inferior in legal knowledge or expe rience to the best informed of the triumvirate. A case has been suggested by the Morning Herald as possible, even in these •days ; namely, that there may be no law Lords in the : Upper House, or that if there are, they may (in the absence of any means of compelling their attendance) happen to be away. " The Crown," it is added, "is under no constitu tional necessity for creating law Lords, and law Lords are under no official necessity of attending Parliament." In what predicament, therefore, in such an event, would the appellant be placed ? Would the House declare its incompetency to• legislate in his case ? We know that it would not, because we have several pre cedents in which lay Lords, unassisted by the paramount power new sought to be erected, de cided, and decide i wisely too, on such occasions. If, however, the authority of the lay Lords is to be wholly set aside for the future, the only alternative would appear to be a competent legal tribunal drafted into the Upper House, from the most eminent lawyers of the age—a tribunal whose number should be sufficient to prevent a court of three from controlling the judgments, not only of two members of their own House, but of an overwhelming majority of the most eminent and experienced lawyers of the country. As, how ever, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a sufficient number of lawyers in the lower courts qualified for the peerage, our only resource is to fall back upon the.practice which has now been abandoned, of allowing to the lay Lords the jurisdic tion to which their rank, intelligence, and privileges entitle them; especially. when their opinions are in harmony with those of a majority of the most dis tinuished lawyers of the age. (,LOBE.--The Ministerial journals continue to indicate the bitter disappointment which the reversal of the judgment of the Irish Court of Queen's Bench against. O'Connell, and the rest of the Repeal leaders, has inflicted on the Government, and on the entire Tory party. As when an army is defeated in the field, amid the confusion which ensues, mutual recri mination adds bitterness to discomfiture ; so, from the depths of humiliation - and bewilderment into which the failure of the prosecution against O'Connell has plunged them, we hear not ing from the Tory jour nals but reproaches and denunciations. The means which they affirm ought to have been taken to avert the event they agree to deplore, are such as plainly show that defeat has • deprived them of reason. To secure a party triumph, they would not merely depart from - the established principles and invariable practice of the House of Lords, when sitting as a court of appeal , they would risk the consequences of a subversion of all constituted rule for a temporary triumph. They would reverse the maxim, Fiat justitia, ruat ccelum. Instead of exclaiming, " Though ruin ensue, jus tice must be done;" their cry is, " The judg ment against O'Connell ought to have been sus tained, in opposition to law and justice, even though ruin had ensued !" The reversal of the judgment against O'Connell and his co-defend ants is impugned -and denounced by the Post, be cause the decision of the House of Lords on the writ of error was lithited to the votes of law Lords, instead of being decided, as the Post con tends it ought to have been, by the votes of the Peers who were present when, the vote was taken. Lord Wharncliffe, the President of the Council, is es pecially the object of our Contemporary's wrath, for having suggested that—in this important case, which had excited so much public interest, and in deliver ing the final judgment , ' upon which the pr ocee di ngs o f the House would lse viewed with jealousy and scrutinized with severity—there should be no depar ture from their Lordships' practice in ordinary appeals from the judgments of inferior Courts. In such cases, the law -Lords, who have heard the arguments in the cause, -deliver judgment. The questions raised are questions of law—the errors assigned are upon the face of the record—laymen, though Peers, are not presumed to have the re quired knowledge to render them competent to decide amid the intricacies of litigation, even though they had attended the sittings of the House, and heard the arguments of counsel, pro. and con., in the cause. They, therefore, very properly leave the deci sion with those whose'education and experience qua ky them for the work. The Post complains, in most bitter terms, that this practice, though consecrated by time, was not departed from on Wednesday. When, from the opinions delivered by the five -law Lords who were present, it became obvious than the judg inent of the Court below would be reversed by the votes of three to tass, a movement among the lay Lords whom curiosity had stimulated to be present on the occasion, showed that political feeling was about to operate against established practice. to prevent a result which, as partisans, they thought their votes might avert. They had not attended the House during the arguments. Had the") , done so, they would not, pro bably, have understood them. Their object was, eleePly, to secure the full infliction of the sentence up onO'Connell and his. defend an t s ; an d th us pre ven t the political defeat which the threatened reversal of the indgment would occasion. Lord Wharncliffe ga w thi*: and he saw also thei calamitous conse quences to the administration of the justice of the country which such' a procedure would occa sion. The mo ment was cri t ical. Though the failure of the prosecution was fraught with mortification and embarrassment to the GoVermnent an d Lord Wharn cliffe, as a member t h e Government, and ,embarrassment.—hi ship participated in in that mortification ship had discernment , enough to see that theses were .of comparatively trifling moment, an d of merely temporary inconvenience ;- while the course which men less cautious would plunge into would create • perils and involve results, the effects of which would be calamitous and permanent. . GAME..LAWS.—As a proof of the injury the tenant farmer sustains by these iniquitous laws, we may men ' tion tho case of a tenant on the estate of a wealthy .. .Baronet; near Ipswich, who, within the last three 'years, has lost 7001. from the ravages made upon his crops by his landlord's hares. The redress he has Obtained is leave to quit the occupation a year before his .' lease expires, which was gladly accepted, and he now Waits anxiously for the day when he can escape from the boasted " protection" under which he, with others of his brother farmers, have been so sadly fleeced.—SuP/k Chronicle, o, # The whole of the branch railway from Brighton to Lewes has been set out; and its line is marked by flags. Considerable inconvenience having been occasioned by the mischievous removal of these land-marks, which necessitated a second survey, the directors have offered a reward for th e a pp re h ens i on o f any suc h o ff en d ers, whom they. ems proceed again s t un d er th e i r A c t f or a ~pe may o 20/ —Brigl ton H • Id • o•a . _ . I. We stated in our last report that, unless the annual grant were raised, we could not undertake to contribute to the building, or even to the support, of additional schools, although many were wanted and applied for; nor could we take those steps which we deemed essential for giving due efficacy to our system of local superintendence. 'We added, that the num ber of schools under us had about doubled since the present number of local superintendence was fixed ; that unless it were augmented, the duty of inspec tion could not be adequately performed, and that we must consider this a ver v serious evil. As the grant has no f since been augmented, we have been unable to meet the increasing desire of the public to establish schools in connexion with us ; and many applications which have been made to us for aid now stand over. We have also reason to believe that the number of applications made to us falls short of what it would have been, had not the country been aware of the exhausted state of the funds • that many who have schools conducted upon principles different from those of the national system would prefer it, and embrace it, if they did not fear that by doing so they might lose some of the contributions which they now re ceive from individuals, without being compensated by assistance from us ; and that the people of those dis tricts from which aid is withheld feel deeply aggrieved at finding that they are excluded from the benefits of a boon which is professedly intended for the whole of Ireland, but from the advantages of which they are practically excluded. It has also been matter of regret and disappoint ment to us that we have not had it in our power to provide for that strict and frequent inspection of the schools which we have already adverted to as so es sential to their efficiency. We have, therefore, learned with the greatest satisfaction that her Majesty's Ministers intend pro posing such an addition to the funds confided to us as may enable us to increase the number of our schools, and of our superintendents. To leave the great unaugmented would in effect be, not to leave matters to go on as heretofore, but sud denly to stop the spread of a great good at a certain point, and thus to snake it the means of producing discontent instead of satisfaction through the nation. We say a great good, because the tendency of the system is to produce peace, and that knowledge of men's true interests, the want of which is so likely to lead to disaffection and crime. We have shown this in former reports, particularly in our last, and we have the gratification of observ ing, that those unfounded impressions upon the sub ject, which we have on former occasions had to notice, are at length rapidly dying away. 11. We have now to state our progress during the last year. At the close of 1842 we had 2,721 schools in ope ration, which were attended by 319,792 children. At the close of 1843, we had 2,912 schools, which were attended by 355,320 children. The increase in the number of schools in operation, therefore, amounted within the year to 191 ; and the increase in the at tendance of children to 35,528. Your Excellency will thus perceive, by compari son of the foregoing numbers, that the increase in the number of children educated is more than propor tionate to the increase in the number of schools, by above 13,000. To most of the new schools we have been able to afford aid only by grants of books ; but we have undertaken to give them further assistance, should we be enabled by an augmentation of our funds to do so. 111. We trained during the last year 195 teachers, of whom 134 were males, and 61 were females. Al though we give a training of abont twenty weeks only to the teachers we bring up from the country (to which time we limit it, that we may the more rapidly extend its advantages to the whole), yet we find, short as it is, that it effects a very great im provement in those who receive it; and the reports subsequently received of them are, in general, highly satisfactory. We propose, should our means be ade quate to the purpose, to have in future a certain number of paid monitors in some of our best schools, and that they should be educated for the office of teaching. We intend that they should be selected by the local superintendent, and when of a suitable age, that they should be received at our training esta blishment, from which they might be sent to under take schools as opportunities offer. We hope in this way, without any considerable increase of expense, to provide gradually a supply of teachers of a superior description, and thus to add most materially to the benefits which the national schools are already con ferring upon the country. IV. The receipts from the sale of our school books continue to increase, although we have been enabled, by a reduction in the cost of printing and - binding, to make large corresponding reduction in their price. It appears, from returns had from the patrons of the national schools, pursuant to an order made by the House of Commons the last session, the Scriptures were read in 944 of the national schools, and that the Scripture extracts which we have published were read in 1,307. We have to add that the school books which we have published were read in all, and of these we beg leave to repeat what we said in our last report : —" The books we have published for the use of the national schools, and which, though not forced, are adopted universally in them, contain several lessons, upon the subject of religion. They give an epitome of sacred history; they dwell on the original sin of our first parents, and on the promise then made that in time one would come by whom sin should be over come ; they show how that promise was renewed, par ticularly in the covenant with Abraham ; and they point out the fulfilment of it in the coming and suf fering of our Lord;- they dwell also on the giving of the law to Moses ; they state that it is commonly di vided into three parts, the moral, the civil, and the ceremonial, and that the moral is of perpetual obliga tion, because the duties which the creatures of God owe to him and to one another can never have an end.' The duty of Christian charity is set forth as enjoined by the precepts and example of our Lord himself; and a lesson which is thus inculcated is hung up in every national school?' RICHARD DUBLIN. D. MURRAY. FRANC. SADLIER. A. R. BLAKE. POOLEY SHOULDIIAM HENRY, D.D. ALEX. MACDONNELL. JOAN RIC RD. CORRAL LIS. KIM) tRE. ROBERT lIOLNIES. RICIID. W. GRBENR. Dublin, Marc 21, 1844. - - -•-- REPRESENTATIO N OF NORTH L ANC AS lIIRE.—On reference to our latest intelligence it will be seen that on Thursday evening a motion was made for a new writ for North Lancashire, in the room of Lord Stanley, who has been called up to the House of Peers in the life time of his father, the venerable and venerated Earl of Derby, by a patent of creation. From the explanation given by Sir Robert Peel, it appears that his Lordship will continue at the head of the Colonial Department. It is understood that Talbot Clifton, Esq., will be the Tory candidate. The Liberal candidate is not yet named, but that the Reformers of North Lancashire will promptly select a good man and true" to oppose the monopolist, admits of no question. In the meantime, we earnestly exhort the free-traders to buckle on their armour, and prepare for the contest.—Lancaster Guardian. FALMOUTH AND PENRYN FLOATING HARBOUR.— The projected conversion of Penryn Creek into a that ing harbour has baen, this day (Thursday), submitted to, and unanimously approved by a large and highly re spectable meeting at Falmouth, Sir Charles 1.1,1n..11, Bart., M.P., presiding. Capt. Holland, the projector, laid before the meeting a long and able statement of his plans and estimates, and of the anticipated advantages to be devised from the completion of the project ; the t; hole of which was received with marked attention and satisfaction. The first resolution, affirming the propriety of undertaking the work, was moved by E. W. W. Pendarves ' Esq., M.P., and . seconded by the mayor of Falmouth, S. Brougham, Esq. It was carried unanimously, as were also the other resolutions for taking immediate steps to ascertain the feasibility o f t h e measure, for the appointment of an engineer, and of a provisional committee. A subscription towards the expenses of the proposed . preliminary measures was at once opened, Sir Charles Lemon and Mr. Pendarves giving 20/. each.- 7 - West Briton. THE EXCURSION TRIPS ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.—A writer in Keene's Bath Journal complains that the Directors of the Great Western Railway have allowed only one clear day to such of the citizens of Bath as may wish to avail themselves of the facilities of a cheap run to London ; whereas they have allowed the Londoner a week to enjoy the pleasures of the country. The editor of the Journal, too, expresses a hope, that in future the trips will be so timed as to allow of an in. spection of the British Museum (now closed) and other public exhibitions ; and that Sunday will be " included in the term allowed between going and returning, in which case one-day of such excursion will occasion no loss of wages." We have no doubt that the Directors and officers of the Company are anxious to give the greatest possible amount of accomodation, and that they will be glad to attend to any reasonable suggestions.— Railway Record. THE MONTGOMERYSHIRE BOROUGHS...—.The Li beral party of Montgomeryshire are preparing with more than customary activity and vigilance for the ap proaching registration courts. We understand that ob- Jeetions have—bee&nade at their instance on all the improper entries on the register of each of the adverse c b iy utarie s • and every available means will be taken tr tri rr purify :list of voters. The Conservative party o a r f e N a e l s w o t o o w n n t ha alert, sixty-eight objections e o c n n e . n a division ave ofb been ne made borou borough o Liberal electors, and it is reported that in the parish of Newtown a much greater number of notices have been served on parties, but owing to some irregularity, no official list has been published. The general unpopu larity of the sitting Member, even in those of the con- tributaries who are decidedly f avoura b le to his politics, renders it almost .a matter of certainty that he would not again be returned in the event of an election.— Shrewsbury Chronicle. His Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar left London on Saturday morning for Ostend, by the General Steam Navigation Company's steam-ship Venezuela. SUPERSTITION among SAVAGES. In Dunn 's " History of the, Oregon TerritOry," we find the following fearful description of the supersti tions some of the savage tribes of North America : The chief, who is supposed to p)ssess the " right di vine" of governing, ant to be the intermediate agent between the great solar spirit—the Creator and Su preme Ruler—and his creatures here below, retires at times, whenever he fancies himself summoned by the Divine call, from the tribe, without giving them any previous intimation of his mission, and takes up his abode in the lonely woods and moun tains, taking clandestinely with him a small stock of dried salmon for sustenance. :When he is missed by his family, the report is spread abroad, and then it is known that he has gone to hold familiar converse with the Great Spirit, who will, within a short time, descend to give him an interview. Intelligence has then been procured from the Indian who saw him last on that day as to his route, and the district of the woods and hills to which he is likely to confine his wanderings ; and a sacred boundary line is drawn round this district, within which it is a crime of pro fanation to pass on hunting or fishing excursions, on pain of death. Should any unlucky Indian even meet this compound of chief and priest in his excursions, he is sure to be put to death, either by the chief himself— for he must be perfectly passive in the infuriated chief's hands ; or, should the chief in his abstracted mood not attack him, he must, on his return to the tribe acknowledge the guilt, and resign himself a voluntary victim. Should he conceal the fact of his meeting the chief, and should the chief on his return charge him with the fact, then he would undergo the most shocking torture. The duration of the chief's ab hence on this mission is irregular—at least it is long enough to exhaust his small stock of food, even with the utmost economy. It is often three weeks. When hunger pinches him (and he generally selects the most desert and dreary region, des titute of esculent fruits or roots), his imagination becomes inflamed, and what was before religion or superstition becomes now frenzy—during which the fancied interview with the Great Spirit occurs. He returns at last to the village the most hideous object in nature, with matted hair, shrunken cheeks, blood shot eyes, and parched lips, his blanket, which is his sole covering, all hanging in shreds about him, torn by boughs and brambles, his face all begrimmed with filth ; animated with all the unnatural ferocity of a demoniac. His return is by night, and as uncertain as his departure. He does not first arrive, generally, at his own house, but rushes to some other, according to the blind caprice of his wildness; and, instead of entering it by the door, he ascends the roof, tears off one of the cedar board coverings, and plunges down into the centre of the family circle ; he then springs on one of the full grown inmates like a famished wolf, wrenches with his teeth a mouthful of his flesh from his limbs or body, which he convulsively bolts down without any process of mastication, but barely chopping the lump once or twice for the purpose of easier deglutition. No resistance is made ; for the sufferer thinks that he has been ordered by the Great Spirit to yield up a part of his flesh and blood as a sort of peace or sin offering to the priest. The chief then rushes to an other house in the same way, and makes the same hurried repast. He continues this process along other houses, until, in a few hours, he becomes exhausted from the quantity of human living flesh that he has devoured. He is then taken home in a state of torpor, and thus remains, like an overgorged beast of prey, for a couple of days. After his resuscitation he is languid and sickly ; and, as he must not partake of his usual food for a certain time after he has got his fill of the hu man sacrifice, he goes on but slowly to convalescence. I have been more than once in close connexion with one of these chiefs after his restoration, and his breath was like an exhalation from a grave. The wounds in flicted by his bite, though held as sacred trophies, often proved mortal. Their mode of cure is this :—They ap ply eagle down as a stiptic to check the haemorrhage, and then apply a plaster made of pine tree gum. Several of the wounded and consecrated persons, after we established our fort, finding their own mode of treatment ineffectual, came to our surgeon (apply ing to me first as interpreter) to have their rankling sores healed. They used to present a most hideous appearance, being jagged and torn, and often showing the clear indentations of the human teeth ; and besides, the fetor issuing from them was most obnoxious. The daughter of one of the chiefs (who practised this abomination), the wife of one of our men, told me that her father, on his return to the village, after his sojourn in the woods and mountains, met an Indian, on whom he flew, and whose side he continued to bite and devour until his bowels protruded. The Indian made no resistance ; and when the chief ran off, he crawled to the village; and though every effort was made to heal his wounds, they were found to be too mortal for human remedy. He died soon after, in their idea a consecrated person. So much importance and pride do these Indians attach to these lacerations, that the youngsters who have not had the good fortune to be thus scarred, apply lighted gunpowder to their limbs, and use other means to produce a holy gash." TIIE NEW STREET AT WHITLICHAPEL.—Wednesday twelve houses, besides two spacious warehouses, situ2ted in Dock-street, on the east side, adjoining the London Docks, were sold by auction, to be taken down for the new street leading from Spitalfields Church to this spot, there being now only three houses in that neighbourhood to be disposed of in order to make the entire line of road from the sacred edifice. In pursuance of instruc tions from the Commissioners of Woods and Forests a sewer is now in course of formation from High -street, Whitechapel, to the north, along which formerly stood Essex-street. From the excavations now made, it ap pears that the ground around the spot has been raised above twenty feet, as the whole •f the soil is what is called made earth, being composed in a great part of broken bricks, mortar, &c. Several foundation walls of great extent have been dug up at from ten to twelve feet below the surface. A considerable length has been dug for the formation of the vaults of the houses to be erected. A new church for the parish of St. Mary, Whitechapel, is to be built to the south of Wentworth-street. ALMOST A VERY TERRIBLE DUEL.—A good deal of excitement was produced, on Friday last, amongst the eminent tragedians of the minor theatres, the ballet girls of Niblo's, and the litterateurs of the Park-row taverns, by the intelligence which was whispered about that a duel was to be fought between two very distin guished young gentlemen well known on the steps of the hotels and ihthe lobbies of the theatre. The subject of the quarrel was, of course, a lady—in fact, one of the most especial favourites of the fashionable and crowded houses at the little Olympic. Whether a remark re• fleeting on the colour of the lady's eyebrows, or the perfect adaptation of her flesh-coloured continuations, originated the serious difficulty, we are not prepared to say. But the quarrel did take place, and bood alone could wash out the stain which the fair fame of the 'avourite, the especial favourite of the "brilliant, fashionable, select, awl overflowing houses" at the Olympic, had sustained. A field immediately adjoining Greenwood Cemetery was the place selected for the hostile meeting, the second 3, with remarkable foresight and sagacity, having made that choice for the very sensible purpose of saving the time and trouble otherwise necessary in tran sporting the carcases of the combatants to that very elegant, recherche, poetical, and charming place of in terment, as it is expressed in the hand-bills and reports of the highly enterprising, company which manages the affairs of that Necropolis. At the appointed time one of the parties, his second, a surgeon, a friend, and a large bottle of brandy, were on the ground. The antagonist of the punctual gentleman was, however, not forth coming. He had, in fact, mysteriously eloped from the care of his anxious relatives that very morning, and has not since been heard of. After waiting for half an hour the other parties left the ground, after emptying the bottle of brandy ; and it was remarked that on his re• turn to the city the " gentleman," who had really ap geared on the ground, was not afflietc.d with the ague which had been so annoying en his journey to the vicinity of the cemetery.—New York !Jerald. The rector of a parish in the north part of the county has been committing the most daring and sacri legious outrage on his church. Not content with bring ing all the pews, as he would wish to bring the con sciences of his congregation, to the same level, he has also pulled down two very spacious galleries, which were not long ago erected at a very great expense to the parish, and sold the materials by auction to the public ; so that what was the d .or of Mr. A.'s pew, is now the door of Mr. P,'s pig-sty. The flooring of the gallery is being laid down in Mr. B.'s tap-room, and some part, in deed, has already been applied to a morn degraded pur pose, whilst the handsome columns which formerly sup ported it, are propping up the back wall of Molly Gum mow's Mumpers' Inn. Some people are foolish enough to say that the rector has driven away all his congre gation, and, therefore, has no need of a gallery. Slan der ! West Briton. LEICESTER STATE OP TRADE.—The demand is brisk for all kinds of goods, and the price of wools and yarns remains firm. The value of wide frames, which make the lower• kinds of goods, has materially increased, indeed they were never known to be higher than they arc now; they may safely be estimated now as 50 per cent. higher in value that they were eighteen months ago.—Leicestershire Mercury. NAUTICAL ADVENTURE.—As E. Watson Lloyd, Esq., was returning to l'arkgato from a cruise in the yawl Horatio, on Tuesday last, on falling in with the Fairy, John Lloyd Jones, Esq., a salute was fired from the Horatio, when, unfortunately, one of the brass can nons burst into splinters with a tremendous explosion. The sails were much cut by the fragments. but although nine persons were standing by when the gun was fired, we are happy to state that no one received the slightest injury. Partridge shooting commenced on Monday, and many parties left this city before daylight, to get to the scene of their exciting sports. Some delayed their return till dark, having but a beggarly account of empty bags to show as the result of the day's labours. How ever, many crack sportsmen bagged a great deal of game, birds being plentiful. The heat of the day furnished a providential excuse for the unsuccessful; because it pre vented their. dogs from being up to the wonted scent. — Western Times. . The hop picking commenced at Orchard Port man, near Tauton, on Tuesday. The crop is not abun dant, but rather favourable than otherwise. The quality will be excellent. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. GUILDHALL. On Saturday Mr. I?ubinson, of the ts,rse Repo sitory in Little Britain, attended before \lr. Alder man Gibbs and Mr. Alderman Johnson, to answer the complaint of Mr. Sims, a coachmaker, in Great Queen-street, Lincoln's Inn-fields, and show why he should not give up a gig, the property of Mr. Sims, lawfully obtained from him by one B. Shoesmith, and unlawfully pledged with Mr. Robinson. Mr. L. Norton, on behalf of the defendant, first objected that the power to cause restitution was created by the Police Courts Act, and was limited to the learned magistrates appointed by the Secretary of State to those Courts. Mr. Wire, for the complainant, referred him to a subsequent statute, 3 and 4 Victoria, c. 84, by which two justices of the City are invested with all the powers conferred on one magistrate sitting in a police court by the statute Mr. Norton referred to. Mr. Sims then deposed that, on the 7th of August, Shoesmith applied to him for the hire of a cab for five or six la eeks. He presented his card, describing himself as a farrier and veterinary surgeon in Hanover street, Long-acre, and said he wanted the gig for a customer, whose horses he always shoed. An agree ment was made for 365. per week for six weeks cer tain, but before delivery, Mr. Sims ascertained that Mr. Shoesmith was occupying premises let to him at 1001. a year. He required no further reference or security. Shoesmith brought . a well-dressed person, wham he re[rsented to be the customer, and who examined and approved the gig. Mr. Sims, senior, stated, that in consequence of in formation that his gig had been pledged at Robinson's Repository, he went there on the 27th of August, and found it was placed out for sale that day, though it did not figure in the catalogue. Mr. Robinson stated that the chaise was brought to him on the 7th of August, by Shoesmith, who had an advance of 201. on it. Mr. Robinson showed him an entry in a book of the payment, with a condition that if not re paid the gig might be sold on the 26th of September. Mr. Robinson said he had had some transactions with Shoesmith before, and the clerk said he had known him for. several years. Mr. Robinson admitted ho had made an advance on another carriage brought by Shoesmith, the sale of which had been forbidden by the owner. Was sure that, though the entry respect ing the gig was that it was not to be sold tilt the 26th of September, it was actually about to be sold on the 27th of August. Mr. Robinson offered to give it up on payment of 101. Mr. Norton cross-examined the witness—There was no disguise about the gig being there. Mr. Ro binson said he wished to avoid litigation, and would lose half the sum he had advanced. Mr. Wire put in the catalogue of sale. It con cluded with an intimation that advances were made on horses, carriages, and harness. Mr. Norton apprehended the magistracy were not authorised to sit there and try causes which properly belonged to the courts above. The 27th and 40th clauses of the Police Courts Act were to be construed together, so as to limit the jurisdiction to cases where the value of property was not more than 151. It was not intended that they should decide respecting pro perty of any amount. Here the value of the gig was stated to be 501. Mr. Wire said the cases to which the two clauses referred were obviously distinct. Where there was a detention of property not exceeding 151. under a colour of right, the Magistrate was to decide sum marily, but where there was crime—where property was unlawfully obtained or unlawfully disposed of, the Magistrate was to order restitution without limi tation of amount, upon such terms as he deemed just. The object was to avoid litigation. Mr. Alderman Grans and Mr. Alderman JourssoN consulted, and decided that the clauses were not to be construed together. Mr. Norton said this was a most important ques tion to persons in business. If Messrs. Sims had been negligent they were not entitled to recover their property without paying at least a portion of the sum advanced by Mr. Robinson. Shoesmith represented that he was an L - nporter of cigars, residing in Mary lebone-lane, and gave his card. He might therefore be supposed to be the owner of the gig. There was no evidence that Mr. Robinson knew it was borrowed. Mr. Alderman GIBBS said the magistrates were clearly of opinion that they had jurisdiction, and they ordered the gig to be restored, or that Mr. Robinson should pay 401. as the value. Mr. Robinson was then called upon to answer a like complaint made by Messrs. Hale and Pope, coach builders, Margaret-street, Cavendish-square. Mr. Wire conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Norton defended Mr. Robinson. In this case Shoesmith borrowed a phaeton for a week, paying the hire in advance, on the 15th of August. He took it to the Repository the same day, and obtained an advance of 17/. upon it. Mr. Robin son offered to restore it on repayment of half the sum lent, but Mr. Hale preferred appealing to the magis trate, conceiving that Mr. Robinson ought not to make an immediate advance on property brought to him for sale. The Alderman ordered the phaeton to be restored, or 501. to be paid as its value. Mr. Norton thought due weight had not been allowed to his observations, and gave notice that he should appeal against both convictions. BOW-STREET. On Saturday the " gentleman living upon his for tune" who figured at this office the previous day, and who was committed to Bridewell on declining to give his name or to produce bail for his appearance at the next sessions, to answer the charge of having inde cently exposed himself to a girl of fifteen, in St. James's Park, at mid-day, was discharged from cus tody, on furnishing the required security. He gave the name of Charles TVilulhant, and stated that he was an officer in the army. He entered into his own recognizances of 1001., and Messrs. Cater and Son, the army accoutrement makers, of Pall-mall, were his bail in 401. each. James Carruthers, a young man presenting an ap pearance of the " shabby genteel," was brought be fore Mr. Jardine, charged with attempting, by means of false, pretences, to obtain 1001. from Messrs. Coutts and Co., the bankers. Mr. Humphreys, the solicitor for the prosecution, detailed the circumstances of the case which were shortly as follows :—Towards the end of August Messrs. Coutts were favoured with a letter from some good-natured friend, apprising them of the existence of a terrible gang of swindlers who were conspiring together with the determination of robbing them to an inconceiveable extent, by a deeply-concerted plan only too sure to effect its object whenever carried into execution. The writer, in an " unguarded mo ment," suffered himself to become a party to this de sign, and, upon his oath, solemnly promised never to disclose either the nature of the proposed robbery, or the names of those by whom it had been contrived. Subsequent reflection, however, caused him (the writer) to lament most bitterly the engagement he had entered into; and feeling how seriously it would involve the respectable and unoffending parties .upon whom the attack was about to be made, he went and entreated his unworthy colleagues to adan don their design. They refused, of course, to enter tain such an idea, except on one condition ' • namely, that he (the writer) should procure for and give to them the conspirators) the sum of 1001. The rest may be told in the space of a nutshell. The object of the letter was to obtain the 1001. not for the benefit of the philanthropic writer, who would scorn compen sation for such a service, but to " avert the dreadful blow" which had been levelled at Coutts and Co. The writer would not stop to contemplate anything so unreasonable as the refusal of this demand, at such a critical moment; and therefore proposed t:t once that Messrs. Coutts should immediately indicate their anxiety so to purchase a speedy deliverance from the hands of their unknown enemies by inserting the fol. lowing advertisement in the Times newspaper : " C. U. informs T. T. that his requEst has been fully complied with." 'I he writer of the lette.• further pro posed that Messrs. Coutts should station a boy at:the base of the Monument, at half-past nine o'clock P.M. on the .day in which the advertisement appeared, with the 100/. " in solid gold," wrapped up in brown paper, at the same time causing no other party to be present. Accordin g l y , M essrs. Coutts inserted the notice in the Times of the 30th ult., and in the evening of that day sent a sharp little boy to the Monument with a quantity of lead rolled up like so many sovereigns, and neatly enclosed in brown paper—a marked half crown having been also placed inside. Two police officers were also stationed within sight, and at the appointed hour the prisoner at the bar appeared at the his constablespost, a nd fr g o r n e teedd h i i y r , ans not t t e d theany brownpurpose, paper o parcel, with w hi c h he was about to make off, when how ever, as by some unaccountable bungling he was suf fered to escape. A few mornings afterwards Messrs. Coutts were actuality again addressed by th e same party, who , atter infortnine• them of th e paltry contents of the parcel,oe l it r i l t i i , T uat:eidlhoiwl to e s willingness firm essto , b elieve that one of their had freak upon hint. He exhorted them tobepalt"ed this in mind i that the present was not the time for trifling, and as he was still willing to afford them another opportu nity of saving themselves from the inevitable destruc tion that would be the result of inattention to the proposal which had been made to them, he named an other place and time for the re-enaction of the farce of the little boy, the policemen,and the brown paper parcel. Precisely similar proceedings were taken on this occasion by the Messrs. Coutts, with the same result, except that the constables were more " wide awake," and the man, who proved to be the prisoner, was taken into custody. Evidence having been given of the foregoing facts, Mr. JARDINE, previous to remanding the prisoner, asked him if he wished to say anything. The prisoner, who spoke well, said :—" I would rather answer the evidence when presented to your worship in a collective forrii, as it would be difficult to sever - my statements from - trahsactions which will, no doubt, be deposed to hereafte - i, and which I must na turally anticipate. Ido not deny the truth of the substance of the evidence, so far as it has gone ; but I must beg to repeat what I stated to the policeman, when taken into custody, that I was not the original instigator of this affair, but acted merely under the direction of another person, known by the name of Thomas Thornley." The prisaner was then remanded. MARLBOROUGH-STREET. • On Saturday Ayrecl Walker was brought before Mr. Maltby for further examination, charged with having stolen nearly 500/. in money, and also a quan tity of jewellery, the property of Mrs. Elizabeth Tar box, from the residence of the Earl of llarrovvby, in Grosvenor- square. Some of the servants having been examined and nothing material elicited, Inspector Pearce said, he had other evidence to offer, but he could not produce it until F r id a y, t o which day he wished a remand. Mr. Crouch, for the prisoner, protested against any further remand, as the evidence now tendered, in• stead of strengthening suspicion against the prisoner, rather went to diminish it. Mr. MALTBY said, taking all the circumstances into consideration, he was bound to comply with the application of the police, and therefore the prisoner must stand remanded till Friday. MARYLEBUNR. Mr. G. Gilbert, a livery-stab!e-keeper in Frederick mews, near Albany-street, Regent's-park, was on Saturday summoned by Mr. E. "winter, 342, Strand, under circumstances which from the subjoined evi dence may have the effect of pu , ting the nobility, gentry, and others on their guard with resi.ect to purchases of vehicles. It appeared from what transpired, that a man named M'Carthy was employed by Mr. Painter to look out fur a carriage of a particular description, and after going to several places he at length went to defendant's stable, where he looked at a phaeton, and a man in attendance asked thirty • five guineas for it. Mr. Painter subsequently offered 301. for the carriage, and that amount was ultimately paid. The phaeton was sent home, and it was then discovered, that the axle-trees were of a quality and make much inferior to those upon which the earriega rested when the purchase was made. Defendant, in answer to the charge, said that he never intended to sell the carriage for 301., with the axle-trees which were in the first instance attached to it, but he ha I no objection now to take the vehicle back again and return the money rather than have any more dispute about it. Mr. Painter signified that he was not at all desirous of settling the matter in that way. Mr. RAwLINSON .said he could come to no other conclusion from what hail been sworn to than that a gross fraud had been committed, and he regretted that he was not empowered by law to adjudicate in the case, but advised. Mr. Painter to bring an action against Mr. Gilbert. Mr. Painter expressed his intention of doing so. WORSHIP-STREET. On Saturday a respectably-dressed German, named George Oberhausen was placed at the bar before Mr. Broughton for re-examination, charged with stealing a great quantity of choice and expensive colours and inks, and numerous brass taps and copper bolts, forming parts of machinery, the property of his em ployers, Messrs. De la Rue, Fry, and Co., the exten sive cardtnakers and fancy stationers in Bunhill-row. It appeared from the evidence of Mr. De la Rue and his son, Mr. W. De la Rue, that they have suc ceeded in bringing to a high state of perfection cer tain colours, two of which are a rich carmine and a peculiarly delicate Chinese blue, the latter being generally used for stamping the finer descriptions of Irish linen and other such purposes. To manufac ture these, engines of 30-horse power and very ex pensive machinery are requisite, and portions of the machinery are dismounted and replaced by others, as occasion may require • and part of the articles above spoken of as having been stolen by the prisoner were some of these dismounted pieces. The prisoner had been in the service of the firm for a long period as a colour-maker, and, from his being an excellent work man and a very intelligent man, the greatest confidence was placed in him until Monday morning last, when a man who had been formerly in Messrs. De la Rue's service, but is now in that of a rival manufacturer, entered their counting-house and anxiously inquired for the senior partner. Mr. De la Rue, sen., was sent for, as the man refused imparting his business to any one else, and on his arrival the workman told him the names of several parties to whom he had discovered that the prisoner had been for a long time past selling their colours and Government envelopes, Messrs. De la Rue having a contract with the Government for a certain descrip tion of envelopes, for every one of which they are obliged to account, or make good its value. As there could be no doubt of the truth of this man's informa tion, a searching inquiry was thereupon instituted, and the result was the discovering of a most exten sive and organised system of plunder, carried on by the prisoner and other workmen and work women, of whom the prosecutors have more than 200 in their employment. Communication was instantly made to Inspector Shackell, and by his directions Sergeant Brannan went to the house of the prisoner, in Nor man's-buildings, St. Luke's, at a time when the prisoner was at home, and, on being admitted by him, searched the place. The prisoner hesitated as to hav ing anything belonging to his employers, but at length acknowledged that he had a little blue in the lower part of the house, and on going there the ser geant discovered in the back kitchen a barrel contain ing half a hundred weight of Chinese blue, besides a great quantity of large brass taps, copper bolts, and other articles, the whole filling a large truck. These, of course, were taken possession of, and the prisoner forthwith placed in custody and examined at this court on Monday. The prisoner then, in defence, said he was carrying on a small manufact ure of colours on his own ac count, that he had purchased part of the taps pro duced, and that the others and portions of machinery he had borrowed from his employers without their knowledge, to enable him to manufacture fur himself, and intended to restore them, but unfortunately, having conducted the affair at his own house in secret, he had no witness to 'produce to prove that he did so. Both the Messrs. De la Rue positively identified all the articles produced. The brass taps were worth 14s. each, and then actually had their colour in them. The cask of Chinese blue was intrinsically worth Is. 61 per pound, but in reality a great deal more, from its scarcity and the difficulty of its manufac ture. The copper bolts, as farming parts of their ma chinery, had an adscititious value scarcely estimable, but still considerable ; and as to the prisoner's state ment, of manufacturing for himself, any workman so doing, as the prisoner well knew, would be in stantly discharged upon its being discovered. The prisoner was then remanded till Saturday last, when Mr. De la Rue, senior, again attended and pro duced a large bundle of letters which had been de livered to him by another wcrkan who was in fear of being apprehended, and gave them up on the promise of not being prosecuted. These letters had passed between the prisoner and other workmen in different houses engaged in the same business, and their con tents, which were highly critninatory, disclosed an organised and widely spread system of robbery in al most everything the; prosecutors manufactured, and showed that, where • this could not be effected, mate rials manufactured elsewhere had been brought to the prosecutors' premises to be glazed and coloured by their machinery, so as exactly to resemble their goods. Some other evidence having been offered, and .Ser geant Brannan produced another cask of Chinese blue and a quantity of carmine, which were identified by the prosecutors, Mr. De la Rue stated, that from the information he had received, he had reason to believe, that what had been as yet stated was only a portion of what he should hereafter be able to prove; and, as be was de termined, .if possible, to put a complete check upon this ruinous and wholsale system of robbery, against which no fair profits in trade could possibly stand, he trusted the magistrate would again remand the prisoner, to enable him to trace out its ramifications. • Mr. BROUGHTON said he should most certainly do so, and remanded the. prisoner for a week ; but con sented to take substantial bail for his future appear• ante, if he could obtain it. The prisoner, who still protested his innacence, said he could find the bail, and was then removed. LAMBETH -STREET. On Saturday the Hon. G. C. NORTON requested the reporters pfesent to acknowledge the receipt of the following sums for the poor woman whose child had been so cruelly ill-used, as detailed in the police report of this day week :—Post. office order, No. 1,412, 11.; James Singleton, Esq., U. ; E. E., ss. ; Post office order, anonymous, 1/. 103.; a lady, 1/. ; J. Bateman, 35.; and Mrs. C. H. S., los. THAMES POLICE. On Saturday Henry John Burhett, a little withered and wrinkled old man, who keeps a general shop in Salmon's-lane, Limehouse was charged with assault ing an interesting and intelligent -looking child named Harriet Collenbourne, not more than ten years and a half old. The prisoner was brought up to this Court on a similar charge no later than Tuesday last, on which loccasion Mr. Broderip held him to b a il, hi mse lf i n 1001., and t wo sureties in 50/. each. Though the case was nat reported at the time the circumstance got circulated in the neighbourhood, and on Wednesday the fither of the present complainant mentioned it to his wife. Alarmed lest her own child might have been tampered with (for they served the ' prisoner with milk, and the little one h a d f requen tl y been th e messenger), Mrs. Collenbourne said to her daughter, " I hope, Harriet, Mr. Burkett has offered no insult to you," to which the child replied, " Yes, , mother, he has ;" but as her fathei and sisters were present she refused to detail the circumstances. When they were gone she stated particulars too gross and filthy to be particularised, adding that the prisoner had behaved to her in the same manner four or five times, The last assaUlt was committed on Thursday week. Mr. Pelham, who defended the prisoner on both occasions, cross-examined the girl, with a view to show that the present charge was suggested by the previous one, and that the whole was, as he had been instructed, a foul and abominable conspiracy to de stroy the reputation of a man who for twenty-seven years had sustained a most unimpeachable character in the neighbourhood. The little girl, however, with an- open artlessness adhered steadily to the statement which she made in the first instance to her mother and afterwards to the Magistrate. Mr. BALLANTINE observed that the girl's state ment, notwithstanding some discrepancies — in her cross-examination, was perfectly consisten*. The worthy Magistrate then examined Mrs. Collenbourne, for- the purpose of ascertaining whether there was any private pique, or- any difference about money matters, between her and the prisoner, but no such motive appeared. She was not in his debt, nor did he owe her more than a few pence for milk ; and, so far from attaining any object by the charge, the com plaining party had every likelihood of losing a cus tomer. Mr. Pelham—But we heard nothing of this matter until the former charge was made. Mr. BALLANTEcE—ExactIy so ; and, but for that charge the matter might have never come to light. But the girl's mother, hearing of that charge, and knowing that her daughter had gone occasionally to th- prisoner's house, became naturally alarmed; and, on questioning her daughter, the matter was revealed. The child said that, since the last assault, the pri soner beckoned to her to come across to his shop, but, remembering how he had treated her she refused to do so. Her mother tore up a b oo k which the prisoner gave her. Mrs. Collenbourne, who scetne'l a respectable woman, said she destroyed it, not wishing that her child should preserve any memorial of the indecency which had been practised upon her. Mr. SALLANTINE said she had done perfectly right. He would send the case for trial, but, as the prisoner had entered into two sureties of 501. each to answer a similar charge in another place, he would take his own recognisance of 1001. to appear and take his trial for the present one. The recogni-ances were then enterel into, an 1 tr e parties bound over to prosecute. UNION-HALL. Peter M Walter, the young Irishman with the car pet-bag, who stands charged with robbing several taverns and public-houses in the metropolis, was brought up, on Saturday, for re-examination. Mr. COTTINGHAM said that he had received a letter from Lieutenant Ward, of the llth Hussars, quar tered in Dublin, stating that, having read an account of the prisoner's examination in the weekly news papers of last Sunday, he had no doubt, from the description, that his name was Waters, and that he was the same person who was living as his (the writer's) servant in Portobello barracks, and who robbed him of a large sum of money, with which he absconded. The Magistrate then proceeded to ask the prisoner some questions on the subject, in reply to which he said that he was a native of Dublin—that he was never in the army, nor had he lived in the service of Lieutenant Ward—that he did not know where Portobello barracks were situated—and that he never passed by the name of Waters, either in Dublin or elsewhere. A gentleman stood forward and stated that a short time since he was staying at the Steam-packet Hotel, in Thames-street, and that amoiigs other property stolen from him, there were two silk handkerchiefs, several linen collars, and also a walking .stick. The latter articles were now produced and identified by the complainant, a policeman stating that he f oun d th em in the prisoner's possession when he was taken into custody. Mr. COTTINGIIAM said that the prisoner was already committed on three different charges of robberies at taverns, but that if Lieutenant Ward was pres2nt and identified him, instead of sending him for trial here he should send him over to Dublin, where that offence was committed. The Magistrate then directed that inquiries should be made at the Horse Guards, to ascertain if the pri soner was known there as belonging to the army, and he was again ordered to be taken back to gaol. Edward Wheeler, a young man in the employ of Mr. Cox, livery stable-keeper, in Stamford-street, was charged with stealing 580 farthings, the property of John Underwood, of Brunswick-street, Black friars. The prisoner lodged at the house of the com plainant, an aged man, who from his infancy, it was described, was in the habit of collecting farthings, 1,000 of which coin he kept in a bag, which was de positel in a box in the room where the prisoner slept. Some of the farthings were on a recent occasion missed out of the box, and, with a view of discovery, as another man occupied the same room with the pri soner, the complainant's daughter bored a hole in the partition that separated her room from that of the prisoner. On the preceding day, while the prisoner was home, the witness looked through the aperture, and caught him in the very act of ransacking her father's box, containing his treasure of farthings. When the farthings were subsequently counted, 580 out of the 1,000 were missing, and it was also ascertained that the prisoner had been for some time in the habit of using a coffee-shop, where he usually paid for his re freshments in farthings, some of which were those of former reigns, and formed a portion of those collected by the complainant in the early party of his life. Ariother charge of robbery was also preferred against the. prisoner, that of stealing a pair of boots out of his employer's counting-house, and he was com mitted to the sessions on both charges. Richard Edwards, a well-dressed young man, was charged on suspicion of stealing a valuable gold watch. The prisoner was remanded until Wednesday next. RAILWAY NEWS. An article in the WestrZster Review on railway ad ministration attracts some notice in the City, on account of the mode in which it advocates the principle that pas sengers may be carried at infinitely less sums than they now pay, and that very low fares will prove in the end the best source of profit to the proprietors. From the evidence given by Mr. Hudson before the Railways Com mittee, the writer draws the statement, that on the North and York Midland Railway coals are carried at the rate of three farthings per ton per mile, and that that price is a remunerative one. Estimating that thirteen passen gers would go to a ton, he finds that a regulation load of passengers on the London and Birmingham Railway, that is, three tons and a half, or 4G passengers, who standing up would only occupy a waggon of the common size, might be conveyed at Mr. Hudson's remunerative price for IL 12s. Bd., or Bid. per passenger. Why, then, he asks should passengers, who eau load and unload them Selves, and, moreover, are not liable to be lost or stolen, be charged higher than goods ? This is, of course, going to a violent extreme ; but it is a useful line of argument as showing that the fares are capable of being very con siderably reduced, leaving a profit which wankd very much increase from the additional numbers conveyed. At the Dublin and Drogheda meeting it was an nounced that the works of the line are in substantial and excellent condition, and that the railway %ill be com pleted throughout for 14,0001. per mile. The contr.,c tor's accounts have all been balanced and the majority Settled, and the chief works remaining unfinished are the terminal buildings and the permanent and intermediate stations. It is asserted that the traffic, from what has already passed over the railway, is good, and must im prove ; while it appears the receipts from the 24th May (the date of opening) to the 30th June, have amounted to 4,2531. 6s. 2d. The fares • are regulated at lid. per mile for first-class passengers ; Id. per mile for second class passengers ; end three-fifths of 1.1. per mile for third-class passengers. According to the Manchester and 'Birmingham Rail way Report the balance of profits applicable to dividends this year was 34,000/, of which 30,0001. are appro priated t► a payment of 1/. per share, or five per cent. The increase of receipts on the half-year is 2,7004 and a further augmentation of traffic is expected from the late arrangements made with the Birmingham and Gloucester and. Bristol Railways. The Macclesfield branch has been contracted for under most favourabh circumstances, and the Trent Valley line is to be im mediately carried out. It is understood that a proposal is afloat to connect the Manchester and Birmingham and the Sheffield Companies with the Liverpool and Man chester Companies. At the Manchester and Leeds meeting it was stated that there had been a weekly increase on this year's traffic of 1,4501. ; and the dividend declared was at the rate of 7 per cent. per annum. An encouraging opinion was expressed of the Sheffield and Gainsborough and London and York direct lines. The meeting of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway was; for the purpose of issuing 30,0001. debentures at 4 per cent. to pay off the loan received from the Co►nmis sioners of Public Works on• account of the Da'key branch, which loan bears interest at the rate of 5 p-r cent. It was stated on this occasion that the receipts from the Ist of March to the 27th of August were th's year 28,662/., or 4,0001. in excess of the amount re- ceived at the same period last year. The revenue of the line steadily increases, and the Dalkey branch, which is remunerative, is regarded as an important feeder to the general line. it was suggested in the course of the proceedings to extend the Dalkey line to Bray, every confidence being expressed in the econorni cal working and good order of the atmospheric prin ciple. The Brighton and Chichester Proprietors have agreed to allow the Brighton Company to take the unappro priated shares of their undertaking,' on the option t f leasing the line when it is completed, at 4:1- per cent. The Directors have experienced great opposition from the landowners on the road, and in the case of the Duke of Norfolk compensation to the amount of 42,000/. is to be paid. The special meeting of the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway Company had reference to the amalgamation with the Norwich and Brandon Company, and resolu tions confirming it were passed. The capital of the joint lines, it appears, is now 795,000/., and each portion is to be considered of equal value. The Yarmouth Com "(9 pany is working successfully, a n d s i nce th e opei'" 92,000 passengers have been carried. The Croydon Railway Company have declared a di vi i ; dend of ss. per sh are , an d . th e accounts, compare d with the results of the corresponding period of last Ye 3 ' show an increase in receipts of 2,5001, while in toll' there has been an increase of - 1,5001, payable br t o : Brighton Company, and an increase of 2,300/. pa) - ' 5 ,,i by the South-East: rn Company. The opposition ruin hr the 'South-Western Company to the Croydon Epsom line has not damped the ardour of the Croy' shareholders, who have authorised their Directors , °l O participate in the Portsmouth Junction scheme, so as i4 connect it with Chatham, and thus increase the. gen e traffic of the road. The atmospheric principle, it oor detstood,7will be introduced on this line. At the meeting of the West London Railway Shir e holders, it was stated th a t the Mrectors are endear ollr ing to enter into arrange men t s w i t h t h e Bi rm ingl7 o d. and Great. Western B oar d s , f or t h e purpose o f f o rws ing the interest o f th e C om p any , an d co i nmun icatios 2 d having already ben made on the subject, it was deem e f advisable to adj elm for a few weeks till the result 11 , those ne.gotiations are known. It was a d m it te d that line of itslf would not attract traffic, but with the as sts tance of these gr,-at Companies it se e ms t o b e c onsider ej that success will be attained. On the sth of October th e G overnment la djudientl on the two lines of railkvay, from Orleans to - Hordes a ' and Orleans to Vierzon will take place. The Bordea u " line,, which appars to 1:a of the more considerable i°toi portance, islcomp_ted for by a company votnposed e several Pec•rs, and large conve y ance contracto r s , a t 011; head stands the nam e of th e C ount D'Authouard.l Company, from its lliniiterial relations and:comale rei- consideration, is stated to possess the preference 0 Pc% sent. It has been said that the shares of a corni* tl 7, company have be?u already in circulation on the BOP; If such be the fact, by tlie law of the `)6th of July 149 ,' they will be incapacitated from obtaining the connect' DUTCH MAIL. of LUXEMBURG, AUG. 31.--Hi s M a j es t y th e King the Netherlands, Gr a nd D u k e o f Luxemburg', b 1 resolution of the 18 t h o f thi s mont h, h av ing c°'" „- , sidered the sentences •:;_ssed in the month of Fehru ar). ' 1833, by the Court of A.size of the Giand Duchy °- , several persons at that time holding public otile es c i who had left the Government of the Netherlands an gone over to that of Beliitim, has granted to all r e persons full and entire amnes ty i n respect to t u°s sentences, which are declared to be null and void. to BERLIN, AUG. 30. —From th e l a t es t accou nts fr% St. Petersburgh, it seems doubtf u l w h e ther Emperor Nicholas and Empress will coin.. to Be r l i ; this year, as was expected, singe the Imperial fat' , means to pass a strict seclusion during the three i nenty 3 a deep.mourning for the Grand Duchess Alexandria, ° n after the expiration of th a t ti me , th e b a d Wes t ,,er which generally sets in at that season will not au „e the Empress, whose health is not strong, to under° so long a journey. THE HAGUE, SEPT s.—His Majesty the King re' turned from Weimar yesterday. 0' SEPT. 6. Our readers will recollect by the re r g ys iation of the Ameri can t ar iff i n 1842, while tbe coffee can bz , imported wholly free from duty int ° ,. oo United States, when brought in American ships', / ,' i 3 Java direct, coffee imported from the Netherlanusn, charged with a duty of 20 per . cent. Our Gov er ea t ment has succeeded in obtaining the rehnburseto4l, of the duty paid since the 31st of August, 1 , 1 , 8 0 , with an order that coffee imported from the Nel"' ei . lands in Netherland ships, shall enjoy the sign: o 4l emption from duty as was given by the tariff to American ships exclusively coming from tidrw of production. Of The day before yesterday there was a m eet..-$l, Spanish bondholders at Amsterdam, at whic h ; 0 0, Lipman, advocate, presided. After so me disele 3s ,„ - it. the following gentlemen were chosen for the nn"".,.. tee for attending to the interests of the h o lders 'I, Messrs. A. B. Roothuan, Louis Drucker, S. ae o n. Teinera de Mattos, J.We s th e i m , an d J. M. Kirkiw M. Drucker read a l e tt er f rom M. M augu in, - a l e he ber of the French Chamber of Deputies, in whi c f e w announces that he will come to Amsterdam in s ‘ ,ll D days to communicate with th e h o ld ers of 1 3 , 5 , k 1 e 0 bonds, and to determine on th e measures to be for their interest. THE MYSTERIOUS CSE r 5 ORCHARD-STREET. 1 , the The suspicious circumstance s connec ted w' t " f id death of Alfred Dark, a p erson os t ens ibly es t Nal on business at Pentonville as a coal-mercha n " c or well known to the public as a person in close as flexion with that clique of d es p era t e thi ev es linovifup the Westminster gang, have been partially eleareuoto by the agency of Inspector Moran, who has beg, Berkshire to make inquiries i n t o th e authenticalol4 the Coroner's certificate for the burial of Alfre d P e te which was produced by one of the persons who t he taken into custody last week. The substance , O ' c ipal Coroner's depositions is t o thi s e ff ec t : —The pr Lt) witness is one Buddington, a man who has custody scores of times for various offences, an d xii is particularly well known at fairs and races. le (0 account is that he was with D ar k an d his ' s + .l aLi female with whom D ar k co h a bi te d) i n a O r " :14 that they were all going t o E xe t er on b us i n ess. P ts io took with him a gun in a case, as he intended too, out a Torting license as soon as he got to Poet' Dark, however, took the gun out of the case The about Slough, and began shooting small bird!' the party proceeded, and when just below Reaaloi gun went off and shot Dark i n th e a rm. par b, removed to an adjoining hous e , a nd attende d that surgeon. The wound was, however, so seve re ' Chet he died at eleven o'clo c k th e same n i g ht. A -11 3 ot ) witness said he heard the report of a gun, 1°3 00t; going up to the place, he saw Dart with his er, r ibe e ci tered. The surgen w h o a tt en d e d Dark Thiar the nature of the i n j ur y, an d s t a t e d t h a t 1 34 57 0 9 self attributed his woun d t o an acc id e nt- . O ' c s re' evidence a verdi c t o f " A cc id enta l D ea th t he turned, and an order i ssue d f or th e burial ° body. nt P r° o i The only way to account for the subsequ e t oo ceedings—the removal of the body, the the furniture from the house in Pentonville, %pre' prevarications as to the identity of the body, is , be oot' sume that a determination existed of keeping t oe s 5 ter a secret as long as possible, in order to se c ar tier much of the property of the deceased as then could. We understand that Inspector 31of . s sa o re abstrae aOO ha g made his report to Mr. Burrell, the Queen t° re magistrate, and that here the matter is likely HURSTPIERPOINT 7 SEPT. 4. --MARRIAGE IN Ff r"_ e. LlPS.—This morning, at eleven o'clock, the Ve sc t . rick Vincent, rector of Slingford, in this collo 410 0 married to the lovely and accomplished 3 !i 5 „, 5 e d Copley Young. Dr. S amue l H o ll an d •p e rtorP: ig tio.; marriage ceremony in the presence of a full tong r%d be amongst: whom were Lords Howard andErskinezrigido principal families in the neighbourhood. T u ja ge ' f o i c party occupied seven carriages, but a s the niar r h i o to of a private characte r , no public demonstra" tel place.—rioht H on erald. e lre; PUSEYI B SM IN IRELAND.—At a churchC.lu net oh with a large pa r i s h an d congregat i on i n the . disuse orw. land, and where the clergyman persisted in the to to the gown, &c , not one s i ng l e person reinaT e bbe JP rnunicate at the last pr o ff ere d ce l e bration 01 " Supper.—Belfast Chronicle. . h o* BIRTHS. , Mic- o f , On the 4th inst., at the Rectory House,_,_ Sp ec tor, " , Cornhill, the wife of the Rev. T. W. Wrench , of daughter. On the sth inst., the lady of Gilbert Aw le Y' '-I'' ' • vli e Houghton-hill, Hunts, of a daughter. „. be hi , On the 6th inst., at Dr. Mon o'cßushey El,e r „'; t De r '' ' of the Rev. Charles L. Cornish, r of 'Great Longet°—' of e shire, of a son. T a ylor, On the 7th inst., Lady Ch ar l o tte Watson a re, daughter. On the 7th inst., at Cumberland-street, Py rt;ll4ll-se the lady of the Rev. G. T. Palmer, of a daught er S' thorn, At er„ 0 tFhi et O z n rloa t ) : e t e i 1 2 Co t a l 1 Captain t n ear s io t t . le , s Joseph s et S po ' t 3 h cil l A l l R i a ne r n i d y: Le l o Magdalene , us i ,i ) sai I, no.o youngest s ;y - i d o o d e f it ° En_ol D 1 :,.,, r; pane's service. s'-' eP On the 4th inst., at Lit t l e Sh e lf or d, Cambridge, yoita6 Alfred Tarrant, of Great Q ueen - s t ree t. to 111arYit an ' 00 0 daughter of Mr. Henry Hall, late of Cambridge' genii' e i, On the sth inst., at St. Pancras New Church, to pes ts , e o id G es e t o d rg a e ty ‘ gitte r t s • of li a t i h ri e so la n Zeta' el f. .l 4. l a n n nn d' as cic , i fi :h si((l:l'utf' Cl'lPbli a l li r il lis ie rise, Surrey. s c. On the sth inst , at St. Matthew's, Brixton, Lewinh Lash. Moncrief, Esq., to . Sarah, daughter of the late Je se r & lai n q of Grsat Alie-street! , roa ire , ii enol i b ir the sth inst., at Llandegui Church, Ca mot ith,, i s of LtOoisniiteot Louisa i'tl Arthur ovAe nilee, I r l , s ' Be y ea a on t i t gi . do F r : t.i s a q u , g o h c e r r roy o • f H j t a m o s t e e , s 3 , 7 l 4 ti - i t , 7: t clu e ori g to tte e ; , : 4 1 : daughter of 05ftlijott.i.oartsoEn,astTeignmuou.Nth.,, Ctho Captain Ol Dennis, Commander, R.N. j o sepy be rl l, On the sth inst., at St. MarylebOne Church, li ra ~,, son, Esq., of Clifford House, near Sheffield, to Ja i l e d f o rd -r , ° o ll eldest daughter of th e l a t e T. Griffith, Esq. , o f Pe .F , V of On the 6th inst , at St. George's, Hanover-square'ooer Beldam, Esq., of Royst on , Herts, to Eliza , eldest 'll3o7ici• John Rankin, Esq , of N ew Y or k, United States, it DIED. 74 Jer i' On the 7th inst ., at Weavering, Kent, aged , o b Baron de Raigersfeld, Rear-Admiral of the Red. l i- iry PC On the 2d inst., Henry John, eldest son of --e l en' Siff ken, of Clapton-squrre, Hackney, aged 16. i i e 0 ry CabSPro On the 2d inst., at Clifton Rectory, the Re v ' ni, cer Markham, Rector of Clifton, near NOtti ll g i l ) ore e ot' Residcntary o York Cathedral, and Vicar o fCon's „ e y, •• On the, 2d inst., Christopher Nevile, Esq., of Thor n arge°ll' tingham, Post Captain in the Royal Navy. s On the 4th inst., at Brighton, William Wall, Ea ( l'' . fW . of Stevenage, aged 54. Edmund Goolden. s AO' "'Co °` On the 4tliinst., at Cookham, Berks, Elizabeth, wife : idoi ,- , ; On the 4th List., at Reigate, Surrey, France , , „ r in of Thomas Jones, formerly a Captain in the na ,, 31 ' 00' the East India Company. On the 6th inst., in Hill-street, Berkeley ....re, t Lady Broke Pechelt. .sqw - for On the 6th just, in South-street, Grosven?r to a l e Very Rev. William Victor Fryer, D.D., Chaplain tuguese Ch p_l in S)u, h-Greet. of _,fir , lo9. t wae.......a.emaa. ----.'--------- ..,,, ~, 7 V `,' -- II" London : Printed awl Thiblished by 81L,8pk,„.,.._ pro._ o f No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sus Ouw"c o ula Strsri.:-1, in rhe Precinct r,f the Savoy, in th. Middlesex : Monday, September 9, 1844. square, the to G~ 413 9 . E rare—p, 81a 0 : 811.11'S RAW AXTV daY, at OStE: ROLL 4. CALA RUI.I SARI RAILS XDIN S ad,. • e. kvell4 fig. RIND lietyr Q BltiG: bOVE To e e , lettarto r aerent-c It Y rt.d Lndi The s 'espies t VILLE ONE The pl Quitles, The t; fromr Pr: "crew, in One Pear 1831 Dented 1 The ac 2 ' oo . 1, A' The et F abled t B Qli cY en tl • 11 T he dig ternber of Till, Ir: (tee tat l ) ; % f it t, nt tn,rina $R] Jo hn Atl Hack' woshu,, atreet, G. Good Pelha C aPt. C. and N ziLltter Moor ItLollard' Ali All ." 41, td E tc `' , Ittni tr , Nto re ' l4ll ti o,,;"er) roil ~t e Theg a pi 'Whi For r ( l'or Fi I R 6009