The Sun. — London, England, 1844-12-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS. FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY. GLOBE.—Mr. Justice Coleridge, in the course of his charge to the Durham Grand Jury on Monday last, made some strong remarks on the general mode of arranging the jury lists, which will, we trust, lead to an early improvement of the present system. His Lordship alluded to the exemption—by a custom nhich is unsanCtiened by the law—of persons placed on the special jury-lit from serving on common juries. When the heavy pecuniary expenses in curred by a residence of several days in an assize town, at a time when the price of food and lodging is increased by the influx of strangers, joined to the in convenience and loss to which the small farmer or tradesman is subjected by being removed from his avocation, are considered, the injustice of placing this combination of inconvenience and loss on those least able to sustain it, becomes obvious. As if to en hance the unfairness of the system, the special jury man is paid a guinea in every cause he serves on ; while the common juryman receives only eight pence in every civil cause on which he is sworn, and nothing in criminal cases. The distinction is manifestly unfair, and pointedly invidious and ought to be abolished. " The g en t r y," said Mr. Justice Coleridge, " to use a common term, never serve on common juries." To be sure they do not. If, through inadvertence or mistake, the officer of the county has summoned one of the privileged orders on the common jury, he regards it as a per sonal Inclignisr—an affront to his rank and sta tion. We have occasionally witnessed the manifes tation of wounded pride with which one of the " gentry" will address the Court, and plead exemp tion from serving on the common jury, on the ground of his name being en, or his quality giving it a right to be on, the special jury list. the claim has been allowed—rather in compliance with custom than in conformity with law. Mr. Justice Coleridge has openly declared that the custom is " unsanctioned by law." His Lordship has also pointed out the injury inflicted on the administration of public justice by ttie practice, as well as the inequitable distribution of the inconvenience and expense of serving on juries, which it entails :—" If the special juryman," -said Isis Lordship, " had no right to be exempted from serving on cog2mon juries, he was enjoying a privilege at the expense of his poorer neigh bour without the sanction of the law. In addi tion to numerous other reasons, he could not help thinking that it would be desirable, in many cases of an intricate character, that there should be a little more intellect upon the common juries than was at present always to be had; and he thought, therefore, it was absolutely necessary that the common juries should be drawn from the whole jurors' list of the county." If individuals of a certain class be sum moned to serve on a special jury, that service is incl. dental. It is additional to the general obligation which ought to be shared in common by all those whose names are on the jury -list. It is therefore made the subject of special provision. The richer suitors choose to have their cause tried by a jury chosen from a superior class of society ; and he pays for his preference. The special juryman receives his guinea for the special service he has been called upon to give —not to the public justice of the country, so much as to the pre ference of the party who thinks proper to have his cause made " a special jury cause.' Mr. Justice Coleridge also alluded to the frequent lack of intellectual competency in jurymen. "He could not help thinking it would be very desirable, in many cases of an intricate character, that there should be a little more intellect upon common juries than was at present to be had." To obtain this increase of intellect, the Learned Judge " thought it was absolutely necessary that the common jurors should be drawn from the whole jurors' list of the county." It is only necessary to enter a court of justice—whether of civil or criminal juris diction—iu an agricultural district, to induce a cordial concurrence in Mr. Justice Coleridge's remark. The clodpoles who are often to be seen in the jury -box, on whose verdict the property, the character, the liberty, possibly the life, of an individual may depend—but whose vacant stare during the proceedings evinces a lamentable lack of ability to understand the evidence, or their duty with reference to it—exhibit the danger, no less than the indecorum, of the existing system. Trial by jury is valuable because of the protection it affords to the li berty and property of the subject. But, to secure its effi ciency, juries must understand their duties. Ignorance may prove as mischievous as corruption. If the common - jurors were drawn indisceiminately " from the whole jwy-list of the county," there would be an infusion of instructed mind into the constitution of juries, which would give dignity and efficiency to the administration of the law. "The glorious privilege of Englishmen, trial by jury," is often on the lips of men who, most inconsistently, s h r i n k f rom t a ki ng t h e i r fair share of the duties connected with the privilege. To this in consistency may be traced the deplorable incompe tency of the juries in many parts of England, and universally in Wales. Let the " gentry " no longer shun the common jury -box, as a place i n w hi c h i t i s beneath their station to b e found ; and their humbler fellow-citizens will, by their aid, become more com petent for the duties of jurymen. The reproach which is occasionally cast upon the most valuable institution of the country will then cease. STANDARD.—Mr. Thomas Attwood, of Bir mingham, and the Morning Post have clubbed their geniuses to demonstrate a fact which has hitherto, we believe, escaped the observation of all other persons —namely, the fact that there is no such thing as rent in England. The demonstration is somewhat tedious and a little perplexed ; but here is the propositum laid down in the very words of our morning Contem porary :—" We insert in another column a letter from Mr. Thomas Attwood, on the subject of the an nihilation of rent in England—a result which we lately attempted to show has been virtually ef fecttcl by the action of Sir Robert Peel's recent industrial policy, combined with the action of his deadly Currency Bill." As we have said, the de monstration of Messrs. Attwood and the Morning Post is tedious and somewhat perplexed, and therefore we decline the task of replying to it in detail, which ; would involve the previous task of unravelling it and we avoid the labour the more willingly, be cause there is, we think, not only abundance of evi dence patent to all, as well as a vast body of wit nesses easily produceable, to prove that there is still lingering a remnant of rent in this ruined country. If we wanted to convince a stranger upon this point, we should lead him from Leadenhall -street, via Cornhill, Cheapside, Ludgate-street, Ludgate-hill, Fleet-street, Strand, Charing-cross, Haymarket, Piccadilly, Regent-street, and so on to Portland place, a promenade, say, of about two miles, in the course of which he would see exposed for sale by re tail, more goods in value and amount than are in all the cities of all the world beside, and then we should remind him that all this vast amount of property was held out to tempt a class of the community said to be rentless, for as the Leaguers admit that they, as manufactures, are only "summer bi r d s " (h oarse anti-corn Crakes), all the goods exposed for sale on the 18th of December must be intended for some peieons deriving their means of purchase, directly or indirectly, from the land. In the same pro menade the stranger would no doubt see, if the time were between four and six rex. more numerous and more splendid e qu ip ages than all the world could muster, and at least nine out of ten of these equipages would belong to the class said to be rentless, or to some of the classes immediately dependent upon that class. This is patent proof that there still lingers a remnant of rent in England. And let us, by the way, take leave to remark that we have offered precisely this same proof before to the Leaguers, when they pretended, with about as much truth as Mr. Attwood and the Morning Post new advance their paradox, that the retail traders have no interest in supporting the landed interest, as certainly they would have none were rent annihilated. But this proof that rent survives, though as obvious and satisfactory as that of the philosopher who proved the possibility of motion by walking across the floor, is not in direct terms, and therefore we shall call a witness above ex ception—a gentleman known to the whole country, and deservedly respected for talents and integrity by all who know him ; a gentleman, moreover, whose com petency to give evidence upon the point every one must admit. Our witness is George Robins, Esq., who has probably transferred more landed property than any other man ever did. Well, Mr. Robins ; you frequently in a day sell three or four hundred thousand acres—do these acres pay any rent ; and if not, what consideration do you offer for the 301. or 401. per acre that you not unfrequently obtain for the seller? We will abide by the answer of Mr. George Robins. We might produce a scare or more highly respectable gentlemen, extensively engaged in the same line! of business, but one of a class is suffi cient. We next regtest the evidence of the Commis sioners of Property -tax. We would respectfully ask of these gentlemen, from what funds do they suppose the landowners have been able to pay the millions that they have pain within the Net two years ? But next, we hare, indeed, a crowd of witnesses, honest and hearty feflows, but a little boisterous in mirth or anger, dud not likely to be put into the best of humours by offering it as a doubtful question, whether there is any such a thing as rent ? Let the hearer prepare his ears for such a roar as never before greeted them, when the question is put to the farmers, "Is there any such thing as rent ?" That shout is decisive ; but, indeed, we need not go beyond the Morning Post's own article for proof of the ludicrous absurdity of its proposition. " C an lando wners afford to hand over S , to the mort gagee the last acre of their pesseesions " asks our Con temportbry ; but if its proposition that the land affords no rent be true, the question ought to be, can " mortg agees a ff ord to take the land' off the hands of its owners," payin g or sacrificing a loan at the same time. There ,nay he concerns, perhaps the Morning Post knows something of such, that DISCOVERY OF A LONG - CEALED MURDERER. CHESTER, SATURDAY.—A considerable se° was produced here thi s mor n i ng by the arrival °f t ~,h t e police officers, one f rom P arne ll, in Warwi eP e and the other from Alcester, who severally l esti l sented to Mr. Hill, the superintendent of the C7 O O police, that they were i n searc h o f a man named Crowley, of Par ne ll, c h arge d w ith th e w ilful 10 21 . of William Tilsley, also of that place, as far 71 the 25th of December, 1842. In consequenc e formation supplied by the officers in pursuit, Pf; ' sent some of his men t o th e Bl ac k D og public where the party in question had been stayingf er on time. He had, however, removed to a lodging g y Eaton-road, leadi ng t o th e sea t o f the MOL D Y- Westminster; but it was ascertained that his i; 11 ,4 and other moveables had recently bee n hoS 4 to the Castle and Falcon, a small public' in Watergate-street, kept by a person , 0 7 11 iii Mary Jones, at w hi c h p l ace h e on ,0 called for refreshme n t s , an d, on '';', / lef) Mr. Hill was g i ven t o un d ers t an d t h a t he (Cro co o was expected there at about noon to-day. A c co ir ingly two officers from Parnell and Alcester, Sc panied by two of the Chester police, repaired of house at the time s p ec ifi e d, an d t h ere f o und C r o w seated with a gla s s o f a l e b e f ore hi m . It Wo i th e that he was always p rov id e d w ith p i s t o ls, and bits fore due precaution was used in a ppreheadhlg it ad He was seized by eac h arm b e f ore he n't aware of the presence of the officers, who legei formed him of th e na t ure o f th e h eavy c harge against him. nO r " I admit it !" he a t once exc l a i me d ; A opcs quently, as they were placing the handcuffs him, he added, " I am a dead man." sol He was forthwith taken before the ma,' - 50 0' magistrates ; and on being searched, thirty-1, reigns were found upon him, together with a i b to barrelled pistol. The weapon was not loade d ,' of paper, containing a number of balls, and a LP' powder, were found in one of his pockets. It appeared by the statement made before wit? gistrates, that the pri soner h a d f ormer ly resi&u o oo his parents at Parnell ; but, in consequeneL, ,30P IY, violent conduct, hi s f a th er h a d f or bidd e n n°" 6 house, at the same time p rov idi ng f or him lti cottage in the neighbourhood, and allowing ° N per week and a hor se t o r id e on . N o twitb , 0 , 11 0 : 1 this arrangement, h owever , th e f at h er havt reason to dread some fat a l ac t o f v i o l ence on 141 00 Of his son, had one of his farm-servants , , sle for William Tilsley, swor n i n as a spec i a l c onstsu t off his (the father's) protection ; and on Christoss'ios 1842, the family and a party of friends hal on ef i l taken their seats at the di nner t a bl e , the pr's mother suddenly started up, and said to herfloel "For God's sake, go up stairs ; there's 00 0 coming across the field with his gun to ske n ti , of us." The old man accordi ng l y h urr ied tr e ap bf apartment, and the prisoner, who had been 5 1 0 tY his mother through the window advancing,. ° fel way she described, went roun d t o th e back house, and thrust the muzz l e o f hi s double•tati gun through a pane of glass. In the 'S o per' Tilsley went out to ex p os t u l a t e w i t h the 1:'"40: who, on seeing him, r e t rea t e d a f ew pac es, el f e ing, "It's you, is it ?" and at the same instant . . O R' tY the unfortunate man, and shot him dead 11 40 spot. He then shouldered the gun, and v00 . .° 4 ,0 say as he walked away, "I've another eb,s'e„ somebody else." No one ventured to stop 11 , 11 ' .. went home, saddled his horse, rode to TIP; there left his horse at an inn, took the tyrol stopped at the first station, where he bought II 00. ° spectacles to disguise his person, and was he ,be e j more until a few days since. He has, it apps in the United States in the interim, but has 10, ever since March last in Chester. A NOMA whom he has recently cohabited in a fit ofd betrayed him. The prisoner, after h av i ng been duly el l° signed the following declaration:— hog ide° " I have to say I am gu ilt y o f w h a t 1 5 -, 0 (14 again to-morrow. I did shoot the man in or I think I did my d u ty." bel e lid He was ordered to be taken to Warwick, i f will undergo further examination. :SHE SUN, LOND'ON, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 19, 1344. The proceedings commenced by the singing of the miners' hymn. A miners' delegate, of the name of PARKINSON, from the county of Durham, addressed the meeting. He remarked that on the employment of the miners depended the existence of many other trades ; and as to the masters, they were reckless, money-amassing monopolists. He was informed that, in Oldham, the masters had several times advanced the price of coal without giving any advance whatever to the men. Another miners' delegate, of the name of Ent- BLETON, from Newcastle-on-Tyne, next addressed the meeting. He felt convinced the operatives would be crushed if they did not effectually combine to protect the interests of their trade. A miner of the name of lamas, who spoke some time, asserted that the Am e ri can s l aves were b etter treated: than the miners of England; but they were determined, at all risks, to be better paid far their labour than they had hitherto been. He con cluded by moving a resolution to the effect, " That, in the opinion of the meeting, the miners of Oldham had been grossly oppressed by their employers, and that the meeting pledged itself to do all in its power to protect the miners in their struggles to gain their rights." _ A. miner of the name of ROBERT WinTwoRTR se conded the motion. DIXON, of Manchester, then made a lengthy speech, in which he remarked, that such was the in fluence of wealth, such the power of their oppressors, the coal kings, that it was an easy matter to get penny-a-liners to write all manner of hard things against the poor colliers ; the very parties who had preached up the doctrine, that wages were regulated by the principle of supply and demand, were those who turned against the operative the very moment he began to put these principles into practice. The coal proprietors had been induced to advance the price of coals through what the lying press had said, that the miners were united for the purpose of imposing high prices on the public. Other speeches were made, and the proceedings concluded by the appointment of a Committee to effect the purposes of the turn-out. SIIOCEING SUICIDE ON A RAILWAY.—On Sunday night, shortly before the train which leaves Manchester for Birmingham at a quarter past six o'clock, had reached Wilmslow station, it passed over something on the rails, which afterwards proved to be the body of a young woman, about twenty-eight years of age. It ap pears, from inquiries subsequently made, that her name was Elizabeth Frith ; that she had left her home, at Audley, in Staffordshire, a day or two before, and had since been wandering about, apparently uncertain as to her movements. Just before the passing of the train, she had placed herself across the rails, being in a state of insanity ; but nothing was known of it till after the accident took place. An inquest was held on the body at Wilmslow, en Monday night, before Mr. Roscoe, coroner, when the jury returned a verdict to the effect that she had' placed herself across the rails while in a state of insanity, and was then and there killed." She was struck by the buffer, and one of her legs was nearly taken off. She died almost immediately. It was stated that she had had a severe attack of illness the spring before last, and a renewal of it last spring, which is sup posed to have impaired her intellect. EXPLOSION ON BOARD A SEDAM - YESlEL.—Tuesday morning some sensation was created in the vicinity of Old Shades Pier, owing to an explosion having taken place on board the Propeller, plying between the latter place and Sheerness. The above vessel was formerly worked with the Archimedian screw, but about twelve months ago was altered into the •ld sys tem, with paddle-wheels, and has regularly plied be tween London and Sheerness. Yesterday morning, shortly before her time of starting, the engineer, after leaving the engine ready for proceeding on the jour ney, went on deck to speak to the captain ; he had not left the engine-room two minutes before he heard a load explosion from the latter place, followed by an immense body of steam, which prevented him from going below for some time. When the steam had subsided he ascertained that the bottom of the boiler, near the fire-box, had fallen out, owing to some portion of the iron being in a rotten state. The Propeller is built on the new system, with air-tight bulk-heads, which fortunately prevented the steam front entering the cabin and other parts of the vessel. We are requested to state, that a paragraph which appeared in our last paper, copied from the Perthshire Courier, having reference to the sale of the estates of the late Lord Lyndoch in Perthshire, is incorrect in several places. The sales of Lynedoch and Balgowan, to Messrs. Simpson and Thomson, are made by Mr. Graham of Balgowan, not by the trustees of Lord Lyne doch, and are conditional sales, dependent upon Mr. Graham's power to sell, which is disputed by the heirs of entail, and will form a question in the courts of law, —Edinburgh Advertiser. NOYRL IMPORTATION INTO SCOTLAND. - Last week the Helen Scott, of Kincardine, reached the Nith direct from Montreal, laden with Canadian wheat, flour, barley, oatmeal, aad peas—the first arrival of the kind, as far as we know, hitherto reported in Scotland. The cargo on board, with the addition of a lining of boards and staves, has been consigned to Mr. Beveridge, baker, miller, and flour dealer, Maxwell-town, and will be fol lowed by others, should the ♦enture realise the hopes of the exporter. The different articles will pay the altered rate of duties set forth in the Act of last session, viz., 6d. on barley and peas, Is. 2d. per cwt. on oatmeal, and Is 6d. per quarter on oats. The flour, we under stand, is remarkably fine.—Drumfries Courier. REMARK/OMB CIRCUMSTANCE.—BOSTON, Nov. 23. We were informed yesterday by a fisherman, just in from a cruise, that during his absence he had witnessed a most singular phenomenon, the like of which has never been known in this latitude. The smack in which he was had been unsuccessful, very few fish having been taken, and on many of the old fishing-ground* net one could be found. In returning along the south shore of Long Island, their attention was attracted to the beach, which was literally strewed with the bodies of dead fish, just washed up by the sea. Black fish, cun ners, lobsters, and crabs, and many other species which inhabit our shores at this season, lay promis ingly on the sand. On examining the well of the smack it was discovered that the fish which they had taken were also dead. As far as the shore was examined eastward toward Montauk Point, it was found to be covered alike with dead fish. We are also informed that the smack Caroline, on Friday last, while about 15 miles from land, passed through a " rip " of the sea (formed by adverse tides, we suppose), and that as far as could be seen in either direction, the " rip " was filled with dead fish. Soon after this the well of the smack was exa mined, and every fish in it found to be dead. These re markable facts require scientific investigation. Similar phenomena have been observed in the Mediterranean after a volcanic irruption on some neighbouring moun tains ; and it is quite probable, we think, that the de struction to the finny tribe noticed above was caused by a. like irruption at sea near our coast.—Americall Paper. no prudent man would purchase at any price, or even accept as a gift ; and we take it that land affording no rent is one of these concerns. But why should rent be annihilated ? The average price of the quarter of wheat is this day 48s. sd. The average price of the quarter of wheat this day ten years was 415., this day nine years 365.; so that the quarter of wheat is now worth 7s. in money mere than it was ten years ago, 12s. in money more than its prise nine years ago- , —threugh what leak is it, then, that rents have disappeared ? The population has augmented one-seventh within the ten years ; and, as no more foreign corn has been imported, nor are the people much worse fed than ten years ago, rent, instead of disappearing, must have increased in pretty much the same ratio, unless the cost of cultivation has become greater; but every improvement in agriculture, every additional outlay of capital upon land, renders the cost of cultivation much less, and it is notorious that many improve ments have been effected in agriculture since 1834, and that much capital has been laid out upon land. Mast we then not, however reluctant to oppose such high authorities, come to the conclusion that Messrs. Thomas Attwood and the Morning Post are mistaken, and that rents are not yet either actually or virtually annihilated. TURN-OUT of the COAL-MINERS OLDHAM, TUBSDiY.—The miners at nearly all the collieries in Oldham and the neighbourhood absented themselves from their work on Monday morning, having turned out for the purpose of procuring an advance of wages of 3d. in the shilling; for shaft mining, besides the extra allowances of 3d. per cwt. for short quarters, and 4d. per cwt. for long quar ters. Between Saturday evening, when the fortnight's notice expired, and Monday morning, a few of the employers acceded to the terms proposed by the turn outs, namely, Messrs. Brideoake's, of Union Ground colliery, and Mr. Abraham Lees, of Oldham Edge colliery. - Messrs. Alexander Collinge, r. Mills, and a few small colliery proprietors, at and near Sholver and Shore Edge, are said to have come to a satisfac tory understanding with their men on such terms as will yield a fair proportion of advance when Compared with the Oldham prices. The very large number of miners in the employment of Messrs. Lees, Jones, and Co.; Joseph Jones, jun., and Co.; and Barker, Evans, and Co., are out, but they have received intimation that a* answer will be given to-morrow (Wednesday) as to what course these firms will pursue in reference to the demands of the men. The strike has extended to the collieries of Messrs. Jesse Ainsworth, Pit Bank ; Job Lees, North Gate and Moor Field ; and Harry Bentley, Barrowshaw ; but these parties are endeavouring to bring about an arrangement. The miners in the employ of Mr. William Wrigley, of Low Side, have likewise struck work. The entire number of turn-outs, including boys as well as men, will not be far from 1,000. A large meeting of the coal miners and other operatives, "to lay before the public the various grievances existing between them and their employers," had been announced to take place on Monday afternoon, in the open air on Curzon ground, but was ultimately held in the 'Working-men's Hall, Horsedge-road, a spacious, well-arranged build ing, not quite completed. The number of individuals present appeared to be about twelve hundred. A miner, of the name of Benjamin Hawksworth, was called to tile chair. His LORDSHIP, in passing sentence on Brown, said no doubt could exist as to the intent of the prisoner in firing the gun at the prosecutor, and a very few years ago the offence would have met with capital punishment, for no doubt if the man bad died of his wounds the case would have amounted to murder of the most deli berate kind. The motive for this outrage was apparent enough. He and other workmen had thought fit to strike, and it was not the first time, on this circuit, to his own knowledge, in which those strikes had led to similar offences, offences induced by the opinion that they could not succeed in the object of their strike so long as other men were willing to work ; and those men who did not adhere to their party were generally the objects of their malice. The sentence of the Court on him was, that he be transported beyond the seas for the term of fifteen years. John Marley (who bad yesterday pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary), William Plummer (who was acquitted on one of those charges), and Mary Wilkinson, aged 26, were charged with feloniously breaking and entering into the house of James Hay, in the parish of Monkwearmouth, and stealing therefrom various arti cles, his property. Mr. Granger conducted the prosecution ; the prisoners were undefended. In this case it appeared that on the night of the 28th of October the house of the prosecutor was broken open, and part of the articles were found in the house in which the prisoners resided, in the row= respectively occupied by Marley and Wilkinson (who resided with him as hiv rife), and by Plummer and a woman named Hannah Ewing (who passed as the wife of Plummer). A tele scope had been placed in the hands of a publican at Sunderland, for the loan of two shillings ;by Plummer ; and Wilkinson had sold a tea-caddy (in which were afterwards found a silver knife and fork belonging to the prosecutor), to the wife of another publican, living at South Shields, for five shillings. Marley and Plummer Guilty of the principal charge ; Wilkinson Guilty of receiving-. There were th ree mere indictments against the pri soners for similar offences ; but this conviction being ob tained, no further evidence was offered. His LORDSHIP, in passing sentence, observed that the prisoners had been guilty of several other offences ; and it was evident that they had lived on the plunder of others, and that they were pursuing a regular and systematic course of burglary and housebreaking. Such persons could not in justice be permitted to infest any country where the laws held their force, and their sen tence was, therefore, that they each be transported be yond the seas for twenty years. In addition, Marley was sentenced to one month's imprisonment and hard labour for the burglary at Thornely, to which he yester day pleaded guilty. Wilkinson, twelve months' impri sonment and hard labour. Thomas Matthew; aged 21, was found Guilty of forging and uttering a bill of exchange at South Shields, with intent to defraud Robert Simons, but was recom mended to mercy by the jury on account of his youth. Two years' imprisonment and hard labour. True bills have been returned against David Buglass, one against Matthew Watson, and one against the said Matthew Watson, James Watson (his son), and Henry Russell, for a forgery on the Stockton and Durham Bank, and with uttering the same. The trial is fixed for to-morrow. True bills have been returned against all the other prisoners. December 17. The Court was engaged the greater part of the day with the trial of several cases of rape, the particulars of which are unfit for publication. One petty case of robbery from the person was dis posed of. It contained no point of public interest, and terminated in an acquittal. WESTERN CIRCUIT.—Exeter, Dec. 17. The same course has been pursued in this county as n the other counties on the circuit. Mr. Baron Alder son arrived in Exeter late last evening, and opened the circuit. This morning his Lordship attended Divine service in the cathedral, after which the Court was opened and the business of the assize commenced. There are 41 prisoners for trial, as given by the calen dar. The offences of which they are charged are as follow :—Six for arson, three for horse and sheep steal ing, one for bigamy, one for false pretences, four for wounding, with intent, &c.; five for larcenies from the person, one far rape, one for uttering base coin, one for manslaughter, one for administering drugs with an un lawful purpose, and the remainder for simple larcenies. Wiiham Hurford was indicted fur stealing a sheep, the property of John Wise. Mr. Kekewich prosecuted. The prisoner was not de fended by counsel. as Mr. r B . the ,swse hh e ewe v er i e n on c p. In e n ft ah f t rh o emt r eh7ee t ntr h h, eonrloipngi of November h o ni Nnt s g e t c ovo u l aelf t emt i o tobh n lfeie , ra i t i t hBbl etaanhspsrettpinetsnahh,rweeeieacnips hadthathad c li o n u ek nty n , f covered that duri ng . been killed, the head, entrails, and the skin having been loft on the ground. Suspicion fell on the prisoner, and a search warrant was obtained for the purpose of search ing his house, and there, in one of the bed-rooms which the house contained, was found a quantity of mutton salted in a pan, and another quantity fresh in a bucket. The mutton, it was proved, had not been cut u p b y a butcher, from the coarse and clumsy pieces into w hi c h i t was separated. In addition to this, a piece of the neck was found to fit exactly with a piece of flesh which had been left attached to the skin. The constable who searched the house stated that he had heard that the son in-law of the prisoner lived with him, but he could not say, as he had never been In his house before. The prisoner, when called upon for his defence, said that his son-in-law lived with him ; that the mutton was found in his room, and that he (the prisoner) knew no thing aboutt where the matter he stated. be s yo t n ed. dthe fact that the mutton had been found Mr. Baron ALDERSON summed up, telling the jury that, as the evidence on the part of the prosecution had partly raised the difficulty about the son-in-law, the prosecutor was bound to have removed that difficulty if he could, by showing who did live in the house in ques tion. The point in the case was, was the mutton found in the prisoner's possession ? The jury, after a short consultation, Acquitted tho prisoner. I LAW INTELLIGENCE. PRIVY COUNCIL, Dec. 18. THE LIEUTENANT -GOVERNOR OF GUERNSEY. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.; Mr. WADDINGTON having concluded, Mr. BURGE proceeded to reply, but not having con cluded when their Lordships rose, the further considers. tion of the case was adjourned till Friday at ten o'clock. TICE- CHANCELLOI?' 8 COURT, Dec. 18. (Before Sir J. Wiatu.x.) WALTER V. TIIOMPIION. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.) His HONOUR directed that the plaintiff be at liberty to bring an action at law to establish his right as patentee, the motion to stand over till the decision of the cow men-law court should be obtained. The defendant could, of course, apply to the Court in case the plaintiff should not proceed at common law. ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. NORTHERN CIRCUIT.--Durham, Dec. 17. Mr. Justice Coleridge took his seat on the bench this morning at nine o'clock. Robert Brown, aged 25, and George Muckleroyd, aged 23, were severally charged with having, at Waldridge, on the 25th July last, feloniously fired off a gun into the house of John Walker, with intent to do grievous bodily harm to the said John Walker and Isabella, his wife. Mr. Granger, with whom was Mr. Thompson, appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Otter for the prisoners. In this case it appeared that the occurrence complained of originated in the recent strike of the pitmen of Dur ham and Northumberland. The prosecutor was a " black-leg," who refused to enter into the pitmen's union, and never left his work. On the other hand the prisoner Brown was a unionist, and had, shortly before the offence was committed, been ejected from the house which he had held under the colliery he worked at. As to the other prisoner, no evidence was given directly to show in what capacity he was engaged, but in directly ground was laid from which to infer that he also was one of the recusant pitmen. On the morning of the 25th of July, about one o'clock, the prosecutor was awakened by a loud report, and immedi ately after felt himself wounded in the left arm and groin. His wife also was wounded in the left knee. He got out of bed with great difficulty, and summoned assistance, after which he proceeded to the colliery office, about 400 or 500 yards off, when, some time after, four or five shots were taken out of his arm, and four or five more out of his groin. The knee of his wife appeared to have been penetrated by the shots, but the surgeon had not been able to find them. The next door neigh bour of the prosecutor was awakened simultaneously by another explosion, and it was ascertained from the marks outside the houses that the person or persons who had fired the guns had run from the place where the first shot was fired to that whence the second one was dis charged; and in the latter case the charge of the gun had penetrated the window shutters outside the window, broken the panes and window frame, passed through the back room, into which it was fired, and lodged in the front wall of the front room. Luckily none of the inha bitants were injured. To prove the malicious motives of the offenders, it was shown that the prisoner Brown and another person had beea seen, during the previous afternoon, inspecting the premises from the outside, where they would be able to see the position of the bed on which the prosecutor and his wife lay; and that as the ground behind the cottage was an ascent, the parties had knelt down on one knee, in order to take a more delibe rate and certaim aim at the prosecutor. To connect the prisoners with the transaction, it was shown that Brown bad borrowed a double-barrelled gun of another pitman a few days before, holding out an intimation that he would purchase it, that the gun was handed to him ready loaded in both barrels, and that the shot found in the prosecutor's bed, and taken from his person by the surgeon, were of the same size as those with which the gun had been loaded. The previous day and night had been rainy, and a quantity of sand bad been washed down from the hill sides on the foot-path which ran behind the prosecutor's house, whilst the ascent behind had been rendered soft by the same cause. On the rising ground were seen the marks of the man's knee and toes, where he had knelt to fire the two shots, and both there and along the footpath were the distinct marks of two persons' shoes. The two prisoners were apprehended at different hours the same morning, in the tent erected by a pit man , name d Hepplewhite, a unionist pitman, who bad been ejected from his house by the owners of the Edmondsley colliery, about one mile from Waldridge. The clothes and shoes of both were wet, and marked with the peculiar kind of clay which was carried down the rising ground, and the trousers of Brown were daubed with clay on the right knee. The shoes worn by the prisoners were compared with the footprints near the prosecutor's house, Ind found exactly to correspond. The jury found Brown Guilty, aid Acquitted Muckle royd. John Bendle, a miserably-clad and lame man, was charged with having, on the night of the 27th September last, set fire to a rick of oats, the property of John Laud. Mr. Rowe prosecuted ; the prisoner was undefended. It was proved that Mr. Laud was a farmer, residing at 'West Buckland, in this county, where the prisoner also existed as a pauper. Two or three days be fore the fire the prisoner was met by a witness, who asked him if he was going home. (The wit ness stated that at this time the prisoner was living in a linhoy or cowshed, but had before been in the union.) The prisoner replied that he was, on which wit ness said that he ought to go into the union. Prisoner answered that he never would go into the union again ; bat he would do something before Sunday that would prevent that. He had no animosity, be added, against any one in the parish except the prosecutor, and he hated him because he had used him so badly when they lived together at Mrs. Dean's. He then went on to say that before Sunday he would burn down his house or his barton. On the morning of the fire it was proved that the prisoner had bought a box of lucifer matches. On the night of the fire two witnesses were passing near to the place where the oat-rick in question and seven other corn-ricks stood. They perceived the fire, ran to the spot, and succeeded in extinguishing it. The fire had been applied at the lower part of the rick on the out side, and had burnt a good way in. In a few minutes more their efforts would have been ineffectual, and this rick, and in all probability the seven other ricks, would have been consumed. The prisoner, by another witness, was seen, near about the time that the fire took place, within a quarter of a mile of the spot on which the rick stood. On the same evening another witness stated that he saw the prisoner, who told him that he had set fire to Mr. Laud's rick, to do which he had bought a box of matches. He then went on to describe how he had done it. Witness replied that ke did not believe him, as he should have heard of the fire. Prisoner then insisted it was true. " Then," said the witness, " I suppose you will be transported for it." Prisoner replied that he hoped he should, and that he had done it on purpose. A box which contained lucifer matches was found be tween the rick and the gate which led out of the barton. The prisoner, when called upon for his defence, put in a written paper, which was read by Mr. Gurney, and which, we presume, had not been written by the prisoner, from the style in which it was written. In very good language it denied his guilt, and declared that the charge had been made by the prosecutor out of spite to him. After hearing the Learned Judge's summing up, the jury immediately returned a verdict of Guilty. Mr. Baron ALDERSON—You have been convicted, prisoner, by the clearest evidence of this crime of at tempting to burn down Mr. Laud's ricks, since there can be no doubt, had not the fire been discovered when it was, the whole of the seven ricks had been destroyed. You did this for revenge, and you must now suffer the consequences of that revenge. I saw too much of this most detestable crime last summer to feel any doubt as to what my duty is in this case. Those who deal with such crimes with lenity make themselves to a certain degree accountable for the crime wken again com mitted. I will not do so, but will wash my hands of all responsibility by inflicting the heaviest punishment of the law. His Lordship than sentenced him to be tran sported for life. OXFORD ClRCUlT.—Stafford, Dec. 17 - -.- At the sitting of the Court this morning, at nine o'clock, the trial of Downing and Powys, for the murder of Sir Thomas Boughey's gamekeeper, was resumed. Mr. Yardley and Mr. Boughey were counsel for the prosecution ; Mr. Allen and Mr. lluddleston for the prisoners. By the desire of Mr. Justice Coltman, two of the wit nesses who had been examined yesterday were recalled and re-examined, but their testimony did not vary in any respect from that which was yesterday adduced. Several other parties gave evidence of a material na ture, to account for the motives which in all probability induced the murderers of the unfortunate man to take away his life. Downing, it appeared, was a man of notoriously bad character, and had repeatedly been in gaol, sometimes upon charges of poaching, on one or two of which Cooper (the deceased) had appeared as a witness against him. He was proved on more than ono occasion to have threatened, in terms devoid of much ambiguity, to wreak his vengeance upon Cooper as soon as he was liberated. The report of yesterday's proceedings comprises, how ever, all the materi a l evidence against th e pr i soners, which we have given more in detail than ordinary, in consequence of the peculiarity of the circumstances, which scarcely admit of being intelligibly arranged in the form of a narrative. Upon the close of the case for the prosecution, Mr. Allen rose to address the jury on behalf of the prisoners, which he did with much care and ability ; and Mr. Jus tice Coltman thereupon proceeded to sum up. It was three o'clock, P. 31., before the Learned Judge commenced this arduous and responsible duty, which was discharged with the greatest impartiality. His Lord ship detailed in order all the various minute particulars, dwelling carefully upon those which were material, and pointing out a probable solution to difficulties and appa rent inconsistencies, which might arise in the course of the deliberation upon which the jury had to enter, ar ranging, at the same time, with perspicuity and clear ness, all those facts which bore with the greatest weight upon the case, as well as those which in any way tended to exculpate the prisoners. At five o'clock precisely the jury retired to consider their verdict, and in three quarters of an hour returned into court, when they pronounced both the prisoners Guilty. After the 'verdict had been fullylrecorded by the officer of the court, and the jury had again expressed their assent thereto, the foreman (turning to his Lord ship) said, " So far as mercy can belshown 'in a case of murder we would wish it to be extended to the prisoners in the present case I" The Learned Judge thereupon made a note of recom mendation, which cannot but be esteemed a most ex traordinary one, in a case of deliberate and diabolical , murder such as the present, in which it is impossible to: observe one single palliating or ,extenuating circum stance. Mr. Justice COLTMAN, having covered his head with the black cap, thus addressed the culprits :—" You two young men have been found guilty of a most deliberate and cruel murder, committed so doubt from motives of the deepest and most cold-blooded revenge. The jury have thought proper to annex to their finding a recom mendation to mercy ; it will, however, be out of my power to do more than to lay th a t recommen d at i on be fore her Majesty's Ministers. It only remains for me now to pass upon you the last painful sentence of the law, and to entreat you to prepare for that dreadful end which you must so shortly experience. It is not for me to extend to you either mercy or hope ; all that now remains for me is, to direct that for this your offence you, and each of you, be conveyed to the place of con finement from which you were brought here, that you be taken thence to a place of execution, and that you be there hanged by the neck until your bodies be dead, and that after death your bodies be buried within the pre cincts of the gaol, according to the form of the statute." The prisoner Downing, who throughout the trial had conducted himself in an insolent manner , l aug hi ng i n a sarcastic manner at intervals, during the proceedings, here made a loud protestation of his innocence, and on being conveyed from the dock, catching a glimpse of some of the witnesses, looked at them in a menacing manner, and shaking his fist, poured forth a volley of threats and execrations against them. The district from which the prisoners come is de scribed as occupied by the most desperate and lawless set, and has been the scene of more than one fearful tragedy of late. It is, therefore, to he hoped that the awful fate of these crimiaals may operate as a warning to the inhabitants of the district which was the scene of their atrocious crime. MIDLAND ClRCUlT.—.Nottingham, Dec. 17. (Before Mr. JUGtiCe PATTESON.) Thomas Jackson, aged twenty-one, Joseph Bailey, aged twenty-one, and William Harrison, aged twenty-two, were charged on the coroner's inquisition, held at Newark on the 27th of August, the former prisoner with killing and slaying John Toder, and Bailey and Harrison with aiding and abetting in the same. Jackson and Bailey were also arraigned upon an indictment, proceeding from the Court, for the same offence. As against Harrison, the grand jury ignored the bill. Mr. WILLMORE, on the part of the Crown, said that as the bill against Harrisoi had been thrown out he should offer no evidence against him on the inquisition, and he would, consequently, be acquitted. A verdict of not guilty was according taken in favour of Harrison, and the case proceeded against the other two. The prisoners, who were undefended, were mild, inoffensive-looking youths, in circumstances apparently of the better order among the poorer classes. Simon Calla, sworn, examined—ls an ostler living at Newark. On the 26th of August he saw the deceased, John Toder, near the Trent Bridge, and a number of persons following him. Witness understood there was going to be a fight, and he went with them in order to keep them out of a close of his master's. Went into a field with them belonging to Mrs. Cooke. Saw Jackson and Bailey th ere . When in the field the deceased and. Jackson pulled off their clothes, shook hands with each other, and then began to fight. llad previously heard Jackson say he had ss. ; whereupon Toder said he would rather fight him for 108., but as he had only got ss. he would fight him for that. The men fought for an hour and a half. 'Jackson seemed at first to have the best of it, and then Toder, until within the last six rounds. Heard Toder say "He would take the shine out of Jack son," and after that the battle seemed to go against him. Saw Jackson in the last three rounds hit Toder several severe blows on the body. It was a fair fight. When time was called, Toder said he would give over. He was sitting on his second's knee. Jackson went up to him, shook hands with him, and witness then left the field. Saw Bailey " hand" or second Jackson for several rounds, when a man named Elvidge came an took his place, and Bailey did not do any more. William Kirby deposed to having been present during the whole of the fight. Saw Bailey there. Ha acted as second in the early part of the affair. Mr. Justice ParrasoN—Were you present the whole time? Witness—Yes, my Lord. Mr. Justice PArresoN—Do you know you have ren dered yourself liable, and may be indicted for man slaughter ? Witness (with a look of ludicrous astonish ment)—No, my Lord. Mr. Justice P ATTESON—Then you are ; and you had better und erstand that every man who is present at a fight of this description, death ensu i ng , is liable to be indi c t e d for manslau g ht er . Understand that, and recollect the caution I have given you. Mary Hanson, an elderly woman, stated the deceased was brought to her house on the 26th. He was very bad and never stirred or moved. his head was very much swollen and bruised. Washed it over with warm water. The doctor came, bled him, and ordered the ap plication of nine leeches to the head. About three -in the morning Toder threw from him a quantity of dark matter, which she considered to be blood. lie died about seven. The surgeon who was called in (Mr. Dobbs) de scribed the nature of the injuries deceased had received: there were severe bruises on the face and head, such as might be produced from blows. Made a post mortem examination the day following the death. On opening the scalp found a considerable extravasation of blood on the left side of the head. There was a large quantity of blood on the brain. The rupture of the Teasels was the canoe of death. Blows given by the fist would produce injuries of a like nature. Jackson, in his defence, said the deceased had been fighting in the afternoon before he fought with him— he had a black eye, a bruise on the forehead, and his nose was plugged up. Mr. Justice PATTESON —You should not have fought with him if he was in that state. Jackson —My Lord, he would fight with me. Mr. Justice ParrEseN—You know yen fought for a wager. Both prisoners were found Guilty. Tho Learned JUDGE, in passing sentence, said he wished it to be known that, whenever there was a fight and death ensued, the parties concerned in it may be and generally are guilty of manslaughter, even when proceeding from a quarrel and the passions aro aroused, when it may be almost called natural to fight with those weapons nature has provided ; but, if death resulted, it would be manslaughter, though, under such circumstances, it was not customary to ♦isit it with severity. He found Bailey had been in prison since August, and, therefore, had suffered enough; he should, there fore sentence him to pay a fine of is. and be discharged. With reference to Jackson, who had been out on bail for some time, the sentence was that he be confined for two months in the House of Correction, and kept to hard labour. This case finished the business of the assize, which has been ♦ery light. The commissions of the city and county of Lincoln were opened this day (Wednesday). There are four cases only for the city, and about four teen for the county. Of the latter several are charged with the commission of rather serious offences. NORFOLK ClRCUlT.—Norwich, Dee. 17. The commission of assize for the city of Norwich and county of Norfolk was opened this afternoon by Mr. Justice Williams, who afterwards attended Divine ser vice at the cathedral. ______........ The calendar contains the names of forty prisoners; among these are, one for murder, nine for the crime of arson, four for burglary, a nd other serious offences. The business of the circuit commences to-morrow morning at tan o'clock. a letter, the property of the Postmaster-General, under the following singular circumstances:— Mr. Peacock conducted the prosecution ; and Mr. Swan, a solicitor, appeared for the prisoner. Mary Carter, a widow, residing with her brother, at the Cock public-house, March -street, Walthamstow l stated that on Saturday last, about eleven o'clock in the forenoDn, she took to the post-office the letter produced, addressed "John Carter, seaman on board the Samuel Boddington, Captain Knock, master, Calcutta, or else where;" and, having seen the prisoner, she delivered it to hini with ls., which he said was the amount of the postage. He then stamped it " Walthamstow," and after marking with red ink " paid one shilling," he placed it in a drawer under the counter, upon which she left the shop; but a few minutes before twelve o'clock she was called upon by the prisoner's son, and in con sequence of what he told her she gave him 10d. more, which he took away. When she delivered the letter to the prisoner, she told him she wished it to be dispatched by the next mail to India, which would be the lith of the present month, and on the same afternoon, having seen Holmes the letter-carrier, she made a communication to him respecting the letter. In cross-examination, witness said the distance from her house to the post-office was not more than five minutes' walk. There was no money in the letter, and the boy made no observation when she gave him the additional 10d. George Holmes said he recollected having seen the last witness about two o'clock on the afternoon of Sa turday, at the public-house, and i❑ consequence of what she told him respecting a letter addressed to Calcutta, he spoke to the prisoner at the Post-office on the follow ing Monday, saying he had to make inquiries about a foreign letter, at the request of a lady, for the purpose of ascertaining if the postage of Is. 10d. was correct, and if he had sent his son for the extra charge, to which he replied, it was correct, and his son had been-sent by him. Witness said the lady was very anxious about the letter goiig at the proper time, and inquired by what collection it went. The prisoner said he had sent it by him (witness), which he knew was not the case; and hay ing denied he ever had it, the prisoner said he sent it at the right time by Reeves, another carrier. Witness was then about to leave, and the prisoner said, " Please to tell the lady I have added the 10d., or she may think I have been robbing her." Witness's duty was to go to the Walthamstow post-office every day at half past three o'clock, for the purpose of taking the letters to the post-office at Whips-cross, where the bags are made up and put into the London bags, to be forwarded to the chief office ; and previous to his having the con versation with the prisoner, on the 16th, he had collected the letters, and the one produced was not among them. lie had also collected the letters on the 14th, and was positive no such letter was among them. On Saturday, when the prisoner gave him the letters, he also handed him the bill, by which it appeared there were fifteen let ters, the postage of which amounted to ls. 4d.; and on Monday there were twenty-four letters paid, the postage amounting to 25., as appeared by the prisoner's hand writing in the bill. Cross-examined—The postage of the respective letters was not specified, but the entries were made in the gross amount, and he bad collected from the prisoner about two years, the time he kept the receiving -house. When he spoke to him about the lady, he showed him a printed paper on the wall, that had been furnished by the post office in consequence of his having on other occasions charged too little postage. Mr. Sculthorpe, a president of the Twopenny Post office, said that on Tuesday he went to Walthamstow to make inquiries, and the prisoner said he had sent it by the twelve o'clock dispatch ; but on showing the letter - bill, he said he must not have sent it on that day, as bis boy did not return till the post left. He was then asked if he had sent it on the Monday ; and he replied he had delivered it, with the others, to the carrier, which was not the case, as appeared by the bill of that day. The officer Peake was then called in, and on making a search the letter produced was found in a drawer with the pri soner's private letters, which his wife said he must have put there for extra care. Mr. Swan said the prisoner had carried on business as a grocer at Walthamstow for the last thirty years, with an irreproachable character ; and he hoped there would be no objection to accept of bail for his future appear ance, which he could procure to any amount. Mr. JARDINE said, as the prisoner would be brought up again to complete the evidence against him, he could not, at the present stage of the proceedings, consent to accept of the bail.—The prisoner was then removed. WORSHIP-STREET. POLYGAMY.—Thomas Bartholomew Imbert, alias Ste vens, a respectable-looking middle-aged man, described as a colour manufacturer, was charged with having in termarried with a young woman named Abigail Isted, he having no fewer than four other wives then living, but one of whom had since died. It appeared that the prisoner was apprehended in consequence of instructions from Mr. George Wilson, a parochial officer, of Mile-end New Town, the father of the third wife, who had circulated handbills, offering a reward for his apprehension. The prisoner was married to Miss Wilson on the 30th of July, 1838, but he deserted her some time after, and was in consequence apprehended and brought to this Court, when an order was made upon him to allow her a weekly maintenance, which he did for a short period, and then absconded altogether. Searching inquiries were made after him, in the course of which it was ascertained that at the time of his mar riage to the prosecutor's daughter he had two other wives living, the first being the daughter of a person named Grimsdale, and the second a young woman named An drews, residing at Walworth. Information was at length received that the prisoner was living in East street, Kennington, with a fourth wife, whom he had subsequently married, and the officers, Holland and Rowland, proceeded to that address, and took him into custody, while he was engaged in making preparations for starting into the country that night. The officer Rowland produced certificates relating to two of the marriages, the last of which was solemnised at Islington Church, on the 3d of January, 1842 ; and the witness stated that he had also in his possession a mass of amatory epistles, which the prisoner had ad dressed to the unfortunate young woman ho had so heartlessly beguiled. The fourth wife, Abigail Isted, was in the first in stance charged, in conjunction with the prisoner, with robbing their furnished lodgings at Kennington ; but as her evidence was considered essential to establish the more serious charge against him, the magistrate directed her to be removed from the bar, and received as a wit ness. The third wife, a very good looking young woman, was also present, but her evidence was not taken. The prisoner (who declined saying anything) was re manded, to enable the officers to obtain further evidence to substantiate the case. THAMES POLICE. EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE OF ROBBERY.— Thomas Smith, a master shipwright and barge builder, of Mill wall, Poplar, where he has carried on business for many years, and has long been considered a man of good re pute, was brought before Mr. Broderip on a charge of stealing a quantity of deals, the property of Mr. Thomas Fossey, timber-merchant of the same place, and Mr. Snook, a ship-builder. Mr. Pelham attended on behalf of the prisoner. It appeared from the evidence that Mr. Fossey and Mr. Snook had recently missed deals from their pre mises, and the prisoner had been transacting business at both places. On the 2d instant a barge load of pine planking and deals were landed on Mr. Fossey's wharf. On the 7th he missed several. About that time deals were lost from Mr. Snook's premises, and the prisoner, their neighbour, was the last person suspected, until Saturday last, when a remarkable circumstance led to suspicion falling on the prisoner. A person named Phil pot, a manufacturer of patterns and castings for engi neers, sent five pieces of timber to Fossey to be cut up into smaller pieces and planking, and Mr. Fossey immediately identified four of them as his 'own pro perty. One was a pine plank, another a spruce bat ten, and two others Swedish deals, and very black, in consequence of their having been confined when they were green. The other turned out to be one of the deals stolen from Snook's yard. Mr. Fos sey subsequently waited upon the prisoner, who said that a man named Tom Kent picked up the deals and sold them to him, and took the prosecutor to several places under pretence of finding the party, but was un able to do so. The prisoner afterwards informed Mr. Evans, a Thames police-inspector, that he had known Kemp fur two or three years, and that he worked for Gabriel on the Regent's Canal, and that he gave him 12s. for four deals, the price at which he disposed of them to Mr. Philpot. It afterwards transpired that the prisoner had sold eight deals to Mr. Philpot, and he produced a receipt for 125., signed " T. Kemp," for four of the deals. There was a great mass of evidence against the pri soner, and the deals were clearly identified by Mr. Fossey, and by a sawyer in the employ of Mr. Snooks, as having been stolen from their premises. Others found in a boat adjoining the prisoner's wharf, by Inspector Webb, of the Thames police, were also identified by the same parties, while no such person as Tom Kemp could be traced.' In cross-examination by Mr. Pelham, the prosecutor (Fossey) said he had known Mr. Smith for many years, and had hitherto considered him a respectable man, in capable of acting dishonestly. Mr. Pelham said the prisoner would decline saying anything at present. Mr. BRODERIP said he should commit the prisoner for trial, but as some further evidence was required to complete the case, he would stand remanded till Tues day next. THE NORTH BRITISH RAILWAY.--This under taking is advancing rapidly in the neighbourhood of Berwick-on-Tweed. The excavations having been commenced in the Duke of Northumberland's property adjoining the town, should the weather, during the winter, be at all moderate, this section of the cutting is likely to be completed by March or April. In a circular issued from the Directors' office in Edinburgh, on the 6th instant, we observe it stated " that the works on the main line will have ali been let to respectable contractors at prices considerably under the estimate, that they are progressing in a very rapid and satisfactory way, and that they have every reason to think they will be com pleted, and the line opened, within the stipulated period, vis., by Ist May, 1846."—Berwick Advertiser. DEATH OF A CENTENARIAN.—We have this week to announce the death of the oldest inhabitant of Brigh ton. Mr. Edward King, residing at 2, Kensington gardens, died on Friday, in his hundredth year, having about a month previously completed his 99th year. Mr. King was a clerk in the Middle-street Brewery before the time even of the late Mr. William Wigney, and con tinued in the counting-house till he was nearly 86 years old, discharging his duties with accuracy and fidelity. About twenty years ago he retired from Messrs. Wig ney's service on a pension, which Mr. George Wigney paid up to the day of the centenarian's death. Mr. King was a man of great integrity, and enjoyed the esteem of all who bad the opportunity of becoming acquainted with his worth,--Nrighton Guards, NAVAL INTELLIGENC 4 : I cou l j ; PORTSMOUTH, TUESDAT.—A court-mare: g idev j prising Rear-Admiral Hyde Parker, C.131.u r ; „ — .11 , t . Captain Mowbray, of the Victory ; CaP t4. l o , Rowley, of the St. Vincent, Flag Captain oft 0 0, Commander Willcox, of the Excellent; C,e ni . . e this] Smith, of the Syren ; and Mr. George L. ed Deputy-Judge-Advocate of the fleet, assenw 11 6 morning by signal gun, on board the Vi eWr idt S Capt. Mowbray, to t r y Mr. George Bellis, t ips Excellent, at the instance of Captain Sir T.'l o o of that ship, o n a c h arge o f h av i ng l e ft the deck ' O O O his watch (the dog watch), on the evening c o. 7th instant. Captain Sir Thomas Hastings, o' mender Lowe, Lieutenant Moorman, Lieut. , f Mr. Gough, m a t e , an d two private Marines, abotoeti Excellent, appeared for the prosecution, and! # 4 l evidence to prove that the prisoner left tu e o le during his watch on the evening above-mention boll went to smoke in the galley, which was th e substance of the charge I pee Mr. Archibald Low, of Portsea, and ew e reux, of Portsm ou th, a tt orneys, con d uc ted t o t" fence. The ca se f or the prosecution closed 8 : 00 0 . , 16 o'clock, when th e prisoner requested three Pa. boa prepare his defence. Thi s was d emurre d to "" o f too long, when the prisoner, by the advic e botlf_ A counsel, reduced his required time to " ( If (The prison er was on l y i n f ormed on S a turn 0,, he would be brought to trial.) The court w* - 0 00 , cleared, and re - o p ene d at two o ' clock, w he n AI excellent defence was en t ere d i nto b y the Jetlsto. tlemen above-n ame d, w hi c h went to pro" virtf Berns, the priso ner , was no t i n c h arge o f W u. at the time he was declared absent from the d i ec A has generally been supposed that the Exee l ,7 l3 OLP the beau ideal of a well-disciplined line-of-ha o d C F ea, where the strictest order and regularity in frog partment were observed and enforced ; but, nature of a portion of the evidence, we are l e e' 1 7f to believe the E xce ll en t d oes not so we ll dese, a ft . l name as is generally suppose d. Th e colT e ' s, hearing the wh o l e o f th e ev id ence on both oubielfi what the pris oner h a d to a ll ege i n defence (15 witnesses), was o f o pi n i on t h at t h e c h arg e proved, and adjudged him , the said Mr. Gear t he% to be sever e ly reprimanded, and to remain e° bow of mates two years longer than • the usual term . promotion. P, let e l The royal yacht Vi c t or i a an d Alb er t is C O 6 ' all but her ventilati ng a p para t us, which is be f i t ° is ef f under the superintendence of Dr. Reid. o f petted she will leave the dock and make t 1321 speed after her alterations in a few days. in r to The St. Vincent, 120, progresses rapjav ale refit in dock. It i s expec t e d s h e w ill be - leave in about two months. _ 4c bt, The Dwarf, steam-tender to the royal c d rebele alongside the Dryad hulk, having a new No i r f fitted ; she lost h er f ormer one b y runn ing ' t or George, Isle o f Wi g ht an d S out h amp ton 6 lying at the Vi c t or i a - p i er , l as t Wednesday. 40- The Siren, 16, Commander Smith (b), i 5 to be paid o ff on F r id ay . - The works of th e new s t eam -b as i n are rilP. isi telr grossing. The f oun d a ti on - s t one i s expected bt in about a month. tied ri °l The Harlequin and P e li can are h our ly ex P ec 01 Spithead with treasures from Singapore, tate a. from Live r p oo l, as h as b een erroneous ly BIRTHS. A of Car On the 3d in s t., a t H a lif ax , N ova S cot i a, the la 4 ) 01. tain Mellish, Rifle Brigade, of a son. 111 ___„ l l On the 14th i ns t., a t A m h ers t L o d ge, Hamraelp -1 ph Edward Dollman, of a daughter. ijor On the 16th i ns t., th e w if e o f Li eutenant Robe" R.N., of a son. th e if' of On the 16th i ns t., a t T a k e l y Vi carage, E se ez, e the Rev. Charles Clarke, of a son. ISO On the 17th inst., at Lewis-crescent, Brighton , t he Captain Vernon, Coldstream Guards, of a daugh,t er ; o toth On the 17th inst., at Ly nc hfl e ld H ouse , ne ar 111 lady of S. Blyth,Esq., of a son. gi c) On the 18th inst., at Epping, the lady of the Bev' Sale, of a son. t he On the 18th inst., at Duke-street, Westminst er, of J. P. Kay Shuttleworth, Esq., of a son MARRIED. Ri On the 7th inst., at St. George's Church, Lisborho- Tonson Evanson, M.D., to Lady William Montagu ',„shild , of James Du Pre, Esq., of Wilton Park, Bucking Oa the 12th inst., at the Minster, BeverleY , sin rick, Esq., of Hull, to Anne, only daughter of Oil' t , son, Esq., of Beverley. io t 11 01 o f On the 17th inst., at St. Pancras, William Timbrseughttlfb. Esq., of Kentish -town, to Margaret Ann, eldest d ityar eog George Frederick Abraham, Esq., of Great ga r , street. , sc.., h t.- On the 17th inst., at Tottenham Church, Henry. 0W of Southwick, Sussex, to Arabella Marianne, eldo' of the late John Holt, Esq., of Tottenham. On the 11th inst., at Belmont, . 1 On the 13 th _ _i nst., at N ew by-1 ...,ce 94 40. of Boughton House, Cheshire. Bat h, „.,,,, A O J. B. Gordon, Esq. &a ll' On the 13th inst., at Hasti gs,•Jemima the 'Wet rio 4 ' ter of Sir Charles Wager W n Bt. .aae,pop.Tlaohr,nmuspurz, • f Cambridgeshire. atm, Bart., i i of . On the 15th inst. Bath, Dame Catherine, re • et ~ at ;f log late • Sir George Glyn Bart., of Ewell, Currey. On the 16th • ' - ' .... 5 t ur y ; s eP inst., at Brighton, Emma, puns., el, ,t, (laughter of the Rev, W. Walford, of Hatfield Pece r ,„ e of On the 16th inst., Rosins Poland, the only dame' , V• Dru Drury, Esq., of Blackheath. Th os s On the 16th inst., at Wootton, Gloucester, .--° e near Lewis, Esq., aged 60. ,iof SYrattiog youngest t 1413°' On the 16th inst. James Ward Harper, 9°'' es . 4 Adam Yates Bird, Esq.,°r°l" of Kidderminster.i gnaw On the 17th i ns t., in Charlotte-street , Bed Catherine, the wife of Henry Langley, Esq. fi r' JO° Chappell, agedi l ns the 6 On the 17th 8 t., Elizabeth, eldest daught er of west On the 17th inst. a t Ramsgate, Elizabeth, daughter of the late Rev. John Manley Wood. f " r° gi f London : Printed and Published by M1)0 UR 1 1 9 ' No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sus O fteet nitu o • Strand, in the Precinct of the Skyot BUddloan, mow, Demon n, ii 44. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT (Before Mr. Justice WionTwAN and Mr. Baron Roux.) Elizabeth Smith, 21, Catherine Edwards, 20, Wil liam Palmer, 21, and-Sarah Bing., 24, were indicted for robbing George Martin upon the highway, and were also charged with using personal violence to the prosecutor at the time of the commission of the robbery. George Martin, the prosecutor, deposed that, on the evening of the 25th November, he was in the Wa terloo-road, about ten o'clock at night, when he met the prisoner, Smith, who asked him the way to the Elephant and Castle, and he directed her the way to go. While he was speaking to her the prisoner Ed wards came out of the side-door of a public-house close by, and struck him on the eye and knocked him down. He got up and laid hold of Smith, and a struggle ensued, and they fell down together, and while they were upon the ground he felt her hand in his pocket, and when he got up he missed ten and fourpence. He called out that he had been robbed, and had hold of Smith to secure her, when Palmer and Byng came up, and Palmer shoved him on one side, and the women ran away across the Waterloo road, while Palmer ran off in another direction. He afterwards saw the prisoners in custody, and identified them as the persons who had acted towards him in the way he described. The prosecutor, in answer to questions from the Court, admitted that he had been drinking before the occurrence took place, and was not sober, and as there was no corroboration of his testimony, the jury ex pressed their opinion that the charge was not clearly made out, and they therefore acquitted the prisoners. The prisoner, Palmer, was then indicted for felo niously cutting and wounding Daniel Martin, a police-constable. This charge arose out of the former transaction. It appeared that the constable, Daniel Martin, having received information of the robbery, was induced to seek after the prisoner, bat, in his attempting to ap prehend him, he made a violent resistance, and drew a knife, or dagger, and attempted to stab him, inflict ing, in the attempt, a slight wound on his person. The jury returned a verdict of Guilty, and the prisoner was sentenced to be transported for fifteen years. - John Greenhall, 32, was indicted for obtaining goods by a forged order. It appeared that the prosecutor is a shoemaker, named Fribe, and the prisoner went to his shop with a written paper, purporting to come from the Rev. Mr. llall, the Vicar of Hayes, in which the prosecu tor was requested to send six pairs of boots by the prisoner, in order that Mr. Hall might select a pair that would suit him. The boots were given to the prisoner, and the paper was soon afterwards found to be a forgery. The prisoner was convicted, and sentenced to be kept to hard labour for two years. The Court adjourned soon after four o'clock, and it was formally announced i❑ the course of the day that there would not in future be any evening sittings. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. (YESTERDAY.) MANSIO.N-HOUSE. Richard Sargood, the driver of an errand cart, was brought before the Lord Mayor, charged with having been instrumental to the death of a man named Dean, in Threadneedle-street, on the evening of Tuesday. One of the City policemen stated that the cart in which the prisoner had been driving, at a little after five o'clock on Tuesday evening, came in contact with some stones which had been laid in the carriage -way of the street, and turned over upon a poor man who was drawing a truck, and crushed his head in such a manner as to cause his death. A boy, who was in the cart, was thrown out with great violence by the collision, and had been taken to the hospital in a very desperate condition. (X. W. Home, a person employed in the Hall of Commerce, stated that he heard the noise of the collision, and upon going to the spot observed the deceased under the cart. The head of the deceased was completely smashed, and the prisoner was doing all he could to render assistance, and appeared to be greatly excited and agitated by the dreadful occur rence. The deceased was taken on a shutter to the hospital, but after breathing about three times he died. The LORD MAYOR —What stones are these with which it has been said the wheel came in contact ? Witness—The stones with which they are paving the foot-way. The LORD MAYOR—Were they on the foot -way ? Witness—No; they came off the kerb in the car riage-way. The LORD MAYOR —Was the prisoner sober at the time ? Witness—Certainly he was. The LORD MAYOR—Was there room for the pri soner to pass where the accident happened without touching the truck which the deceased was drawing? Witness—There was. The LORD MAYOR—How, in your opinion, did it happen ? Witness—l am of opinion, that in endea vouring to keep clear of the truck, the prisoner came in collision with the stones, which he did not see. The prisoner stated that he was going at the time at no quicker rate than about five or six miles an hour, and not seeing the stones, which were piled up in the carriage -way, he avoided the truck, and came in contact with the stones. Thomas Kyte, one of the labouring men employed by Mr. Chadwick, the surveyor, to repair Thread needle-street, stated that he had placed the stones in the street, and they might have projected into the carriage -way about two feet, but there was a great deal of room for all vehicles. The LORD MAYOR—I do not see that I can allow you to be sworn, as your statement is calculated to affect yourself. Mr. J. K. Gallant, a gentleman connected with a commercial-house in the City, stated that he witnessed the collision. The prisoner's cart was going at the rate of about six miles an hour—a quicker pace than he should wish to travel in the City. lie saw the cart overturned, and thought at first that it was occasioned by the falling off of the wheel. My friend afterwards thought the accident was occasioned by the wheel coming in contact with the stones, about half a yard higher than the pavement, and appeared to him to be sufficient to cause the overturn. The LORD MAYOR—Under the circumstances, I am disposed to take bail for the appearance of the prisoner on a future day ; but I must order Thomas Kyte, Mr. Chadwick's man, into custody, for it apt pears to me that he has been the cause of the death o this poor man. The boy, too, has suffered greaf injury. It was stated to his Lordship that a summons had been issued by the police on the preceding day to the principal engaged in repairing the street, in conse quence of the obstruction, which had since been so fatal. • The LORD MAYOR—Yes, I know that a summons has been issued. Bail was than given for the appearance of Sargood, and Thomas Kyte was taken into custody and re manded till Friday. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE Poolts'-nox.—The Lord Mayor acknowledged the following contributions to the Mansion-house poors'-box :—The Fishmongers' Company, 10/. ; H. S., a lady, per J. Shaw, Esq., 51.; he Mercers' Company, 10/. BOW-STREET. POST- OFFICE ROBBERY. —An elderly man of respect able appearance, named Robert Hobson, who keeps the receiving -house at Walthamstow, was placed at the bar before Mr. Jardine, charged with stealing the postage of „. I .o f , Sr the c boy; 8 ••••,_ L° 1 4 44( 4 4 t i t tip t , ll l , k Ate tb —.l W . vtat 4 a htehl Pro, "Peel to th I ilk t hat not" Adve r 1141Wir AIL' 4 1tar e , 344,,,, % tin 44 1 t ot, ......... N4] k. Att, 4 01 , 4 e il C at Ir t , •