Northern Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-09 00:00:00

4 P eets ° doptioit otleo of the 1010 is troll certa l 13'48 0 .f Oile d ; ►tracts. that 1 .ectgels onsib t del in Pith , are i to limited hat the ue ake ' l6 o set" in ell ° deter o rte „, co ssow e Lie v ' hols° ll ' a ddioo 3 erve t° fgoe.. D, COo' I,o° je Go' , s ted nes t t 661 1 : t hat 0' the rs" CHESTER ASSIZES. BRAMHAILL MURDER. TRIAL OF JAMES HENDERSON. FROM OCR OWN REPORTER. CHESTER, TuER) kir 1148 , Morning, James Ferguson Henderson , aged 33, moo' 1 cashier with Messrs. Saunders and Smith, corn lXanchester, was placed in the dock , charge d with 'ilfal murder of his father, Mr. James Henderson, a Cere residing at Hardy's Farm, Bramhall. The charge that on the night of the 3 0 th of Septembe r last, he tomt ell father whilst the deceased was asleep in hi s bed. the respectable position of the deceased and his kie , and the peculiar circumstances of the murder, the ea calmed unusual interest, and the court wa s much - ewe e d . k i e l r o : 4 Weleby, Mr. Bevan, and Mr. Horatio Ll o y d, con- , kthe case for the proemtion ; and Mr. Sergeant taPecially retained), and Mr. Macintyre, appe ared on ;Tr bar , of the prisoner. r!prisoner, whe is rather a small diminutive parson, jfight complexioned, on being placed at tese , ed not guilty. stated the t s i'r• Weisby, in a very lengthened speth, 6,.; oh the part of the prosecution The had jury prisoner at the ' from the officer of the court 6.6 the 6- Was charged with the crene of murder. They or 4 ,4180 heard that he we , char g ed with a murder 1 1 ,„_, 14 e most at r0ci,...1 and unnatural kind —the e‘eeer o f hi s ow , R.‘iner. He therefore need say no more zore er t e e_zeg their most earnest attention to the state ;Tie° ne was about to make to them, and still more , to the %erica by which that statement would be followed, keen which evidence alone they were to found their t e :tet- The case, like most, or all murders, was one of Xetstantial evidence ; that was, a case dependieg upon t 4 e in of circumstances, by which it was songht to bring the , home to the prisoner at the bar, no human eye tag actually seen the crime committed. It was obvious ease s of circumstantial evidence must differ widely in % tee, some of them leading to no certain conclusion, and 'rg in suspicion only ; others, from the completeness t ee coherence of the chain of circumstances, amoun tin g to 7qate and positive demonstration. It will be for you of „ 4 1, when you come to pronounce belongs verdict, to which e e !eese classes of cases this case , and whether, 47 4 you have heard all the circumstances which will be 4 Ailed in evidence, the conclusion to which you must ,L e lstarily arrive is not, I may say, as certain as if you e " a greelves had with your own eyes seen this crime emitted. tekt this point Mr. Sergeant Parry requested that all the eases in the case, with the exception of the medical igtlenta.n, should be ordered out of court, and the request l i'lLat once acceded to.J Cr. Welsby then r esumed : Gentlemen, he said, the tp -48 ,„ ed, James Henderson , w ho was a native of Scotland, ke° a farmer at a farm called Hardy's Fenn , in the town :1) of Bramhall, near Stockport, which he held under t e e_onel Davenport of Bramhall Hall He had occup i e d the ``m since the Christmas of 1853, and he was a farmer, I ILMformed, of considerable skill. He had brought the w• in the course of that time to a state of considerab le C t ivation, and at the time of his death he lad upon it rd, stock, including, amongst other things, about 20 le'tag cows. At the time of his death, on the 3011 ea Ptember last, be was about 60 years of age. His family fie, in all, I think, of eleven persons, himself, his Jean Henderson, the prisoner at the bar, his eldest e - ' 4 „ , Who was employed at a corn factor's at Manchester , b p " name home in tee evening to sleep; another gro en 'on, a younger son named Thomas, an unmarried e e ti ghter Jane, a married daughter, who also lived in the E 1 - e lk) „, essy ar am , a farm servant of the name of Bleage, lei:ler farm servant of the name of Wood, two Irish ttrers, named Dillon and Malocknay ; and a female ;rant, named Nancy Malocknay, I believe the sister of 46 ° .. 0f the Irish labourers. Gentlemen, the model which Ids before me is a correct representation of the farm s Ilee occie by the deceased. It was, as you observe. 'etacheupd farm-hope, havalg in front a girden and k ti wn on the south side of the house -facing to a called Hack-lane leading from Bramh all to beadle. There were on the ground floor a sitting refront and back theis dairy a cellar, which ered fight?l beneath the stairs ; and outside the pantry is a e ethe of r!teps leading thence to a door. within which is r flight of steps leading to the granary, that not four g accessible l a efrom within. On the bed room floor are two to the front and two to the I bk, en with a staircase the landing of which is be we the two back bed rooms. The door of the "_use chiefly used was the back door, the front door being Ny seldom ne e d ; and going in at the ' back &or, you went bee short flight of stairs to the bedroom floor, and then t ? another flight of stairs to the attics. The front room to i s e e right, on ascending the stairs , is the one in wh i ch t he eased, James Henderson, slept. In one of the beck c ame slept the mother and the married daughter, Jessy e it Z l eroand in the other slept the unmarried daughter, t s' e • Then, ascending to the attic storey, there were Ir e beds in ne of the Attlee and in one of them slept the oth er k i e eon, Themes, over the room in which his sister Jane ki r, and in the other bed slept the farm servant Blease ' the boy Wood. In the other attic, in a bed plac id ea ., the floor, slept Nancy Malocknay, the Irish female irant. I n t h e gr a n ary slept the two Irish labourers , th e ir room being to them accessible only from a: outside. On Tuesday night, the 29th of t et reMber all these eleven persons were upon th e aises. James Henderson, the father, went to bed t tn e , ° leen eight and nine o'clock. .About the same time the s o ° Irishmen went to bed in the granary, and also 11; 3I eNvhere about the same time, or perhaps a little earlier , e ase and the boy Wood went to bed. Nancy Malocknay * e q lt shortly after, and then there were left up only Mrs. I,lder son , h er d aug ht er Jane, the prisoner James, and e .`" brother Thomas. Thomas, however, was not Ne e at hom e ; he had left home about seven o'clock in fi l e evening, and did not return until ab ;ut ten o'clock t 4 nas went to bed at half-past eleven, then, therefore an g up the mother, the unmarried daughter, and the Bone r . About twelve o'clock the mother and daughter, Ilenderson and Jane, went to bed, having first th e il l t lY Seen that all the doors were fas t, and particularly la! the back door which was secured not onl y b y a i e out by a largo wodden bar placed across it and going k staple—that that was secure, and that all e Other doors and windows were also secure. The y eat to bed together about twelve 'o'clock, leaving the 1 2soner the only person up, who was writing in the sitting - So, as far as we can tell, matters - remain ed until bout two o'clock in the morning of the 30th, when most els inmates of the house were alarmed y the report of m arm And I believe they all of them agree that a r • a very short interval—some describe it as being Patently abote half a minute—they heard a second dis 0411'0 of fire-arms. They jumped from t'^eir beds; came t ilt ; of their rooms, and at that time the prisoner at the ki ,roshed upon the landing on the floor of his bedroom, tio " Called up the attic stairs to his brother Thomas to get t e for there were robbers in the house. Accordingly, rztas, and Blease. the farm labourer, boils got up, the a light, opened their door, and were going down Btfeirs—Thornas first and the man-servant following e e _When they waited on the stairs while the prisoner akr loading a gun. And Thomas will tell you distinctly a t he heard the prisoner load two barrels just inside the bedroom door, and ramming the charge home. e pe _ 6 prisoner then had a candle - in his hand wh ; ch L i r, e artel as if had been not immediately lighted — it was 11`ging brightly, and the prisoner was in his night dress. t4Proceeded down stairs—Thomas going first with the h h' e, wit im the prisoner, the man Blease, and the gad Nancy, who had then got up and joined the will-bea , 1 th ey observed—and about that I believe there te e inubt—that the door of the deceased's bedroom was th.'r shut a d latched. They went into the kitchen, and l t iii e rst thing they observed was the back door of the len standing partly open—nearly wide open—with ee ete ear which had been placed across it removed , and h eate d up against a shelf almost close to the door, obviously V , : 11 1? been deliberately placed there by somebody. tl h le was no breakage—no injury to the bar — none to le er menr—and the key and the lock were entirely as they it to t .,.tlefore. The prisoner at the bar knocked up the 0, 4 oish 'labourers through the kitchen wall, calling itle,,,,,, t crtthem to get up. They, however, havi n g been to teed were up and dressing, but he told them not ett il jese but to come out at once. They did so. They i th ° into the kitchen, and the prisoner asked them ~t hey had heard anything. They replied tha t t h e y had The and he rejoined, " There are robbers in the house." by 'event towards the cellar, which is approached ) (ea stairs under the landing. and Thomas and t he e r . k eay went into the cellar, but found no ping at all atei ta • The prisoner at the bar then said, " Come up 1 , 1 % 4 and we will try the rooms." They went, and the pri nela4e°,l°,ened the doors of one of the bedrooms, just put lae re quie inside, and came out again, probably because th r , W as nothing to induce him to go in further. Howe toe g t: o 4 o o l o .i nt twenty minutes after the first alarm, he went 'etch e ‘ 4 man's room. They found the door shut and ti ke e i The prisoner was the first to enter. By this 1 44 there of the family had joined them—the mother a ti dot' a nd I believe. The prisoner opened the n of went is a little way. He went towards the S4le bed and was followed by Th , mas and the two t 1161 2. hThey found the old man lying with his head hie . r" . "'W I the bed room quite smooth and ;India. THE NORTHERN TIMES.---LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY, DECEMI3ER 9, 1857. turbed ; his arms folded, after his accustomed manner of lying when asleep, over the bed clothes, but with a wound upon his right cheek which was blackened all over with the powder from the discharge, and entirely dead. The prisoner did not touch him. He locked at the dead man and said, " come on out, my father's killed." They went away and no search was made by any of them in the room to see whether any property had been taken—whether any weapon had been left—or anything by which they could judge from the condition of things in the room, how or by whom this crime had been committed. I was wrong in stating that his mother joined them, for from his father's room he first 'Jena to his mother's bedroom and told her that his father was killed. They went down stairs, and whilst there gave to his brother Thomas the gun which during all this time he had in his own hands, and by the prisoner's directions Thomas went to the back door and fired off both the barrels one after the other, into the air The next thing which the prisoner did was to take the two Irishmen into the sitting room, and to point out to them a small leathern desk lying on the table. He said it was where his money had been, and that £l4 lOs in gold had ' been taken from it by the robbers. Now I am not aware that any of the party up to that moment had been at all in the room. Well, then, the prisoner told the Irishmen ' to go and dress themselves. They did so, and returned. The prisoner then told Dillon and his brother Thomas to go for the police, whilst he and Mal'cknay remained in the house. This would be about half past two to three , o'clock. The prisoner and Malocknay went into the kitchen, where they sat down together. After about five or six minutes, the prisoner said, " Come, Michael, we will go and look at your door." Now, I pray your attention to these minute details, because I believe you will find every one of these material to the consideration of the case. They went accordingly to the granary door, the prisoner taking a light, and leading the way. Malocknay was about to open the door when the prisoner said—" Oh Michael, lock at this bit of wood"—showing him a piece of wood in the shape of a wedge, which was thrust in the latch of the door ; and by whomsoever it had been placed there, it was obviously thrust in there for the purpose of preventing the immediate egress of the parties who were in the room. But it appears that the latch was very hard to get down to the bottom, and that the wedge that had bean fitted in had had no effect. Accordingly, you find that when these men ware summoned they came at once, but no doubt it had been anticipated that they would be detained by a wedge keeping the door fast. Maloeknay replied, " Oh James, what has put this here ?" and the prisoner rejoined, '.That's a piece of wood put in there to keep you in." He left it there. They returned to the kitchen, and there they sat down together. After they had been there a short time, the prisoner said to Malocknay, "Come into the back kitchen, while I go to look about the hedges and ditches in the neighbourhood." The time was about three o'clock in the morning; the moon had gone down a d it was perfectly dark. The prisoner went out alone ; he had no light ; he took no weapon of any kind. Lie was absent nearly half an hour when he came back and desired Malocknay to go up stairs with him. They went into the prisoner's own bed room. The prisoner went to a drawer or box, from which he took out some papers, and put them in his pocket. They went down again to the kitchen to the fire, when the prisoner took out the papers from his pocket and put them into the fire. And, indeed, so determined was he that they should be entirely burnt, that, one piece having fallen out, the prisoner picked it up off the hearth, and thrust it back again into the fire. The prisoner and Malocknay sat there until Thomas Henderson and Dillon returned. And now, then, I must take you to what occurred after the return of Thomas, and after the arrival of the police. Mr. Andrews, the super intendent of the constabulary of the Stockport division of this 'county, got information from Thomas and Dillon, in Stockport, between three and four o'clock in the morning, and he at once proceeded to the house. He saw the prisoner and his brother Thomas the e. The mother and daughters were not seen , by him, for it seems that after room, because a few days previously my father had had a sale of cattle, and the auctioneer said there were many rough characters about, and having given the money which had been taken for the cattle to my father, and it being known in the neighbour hood, the auctioneer thought men might lay siege to the house at night." I believe it will appear in the course of the case that during the sale some vague remarks were made by some one that it was not at all improbable that rough characters might take advantage of the opportunity and r.do the house ; whether that was the case, and persons did upon this occasion rob the house, or whether that suggested to the person who committed this crime the opportunity of trumping up this story, you are to decide. The prisoner said, " I loaded both barrels of my gun, but on Saturday morning, observing a few birds in a tree in the garden, I fired a t t them, and brought one down. After this I put the gun down in the corner of my bedroom, and this morning, about two o'clock, I went to my bedroom door and I saw a light. I observed a man near six feet high, * and immediately I brought my gun to my shoulder and fired. The shot struck him in the lower part of his right cheek, and when he got the shot ho gave a load shriek, and then observed two persons ge down the stairs. They had been in the cellar, and left the top of the ale cask running." Mr. Walker, upon hearing this statement, and for other reasons, was immediately struck with suspicion, and he said, " Now, sir, rest assured this murder will be found out, if man cannot, God will." Mr. Walker then referred to the case of Manning and Rush, and added, "Horrid murders cannot escape " Upon hearing that the psi sener gave a start, and without one word in reply, get up and left the place with his companion. Now r will take you back to the most material and important part in this case, the search made by the Police at the farm house. Mr: Andrews after making a general and cursory examination of the whole interior, left Sergeant Cooper in charge and went to Stockport for the purpose of circulating the report of the supposed robbery and murder, and get placards printed announcing that a tall man had been wounded on the face and neck upon the landing. Mr. Andrews came back about nine o'clock accompanied by Mr. Graham, surgeon, Stockport, and then a minute exa mination was made of the place and also of the body of the deceased. The deceased was found lying upon his back in the bed, his head resting upon the pillow his face a little inclined to the right, the pillow and bolster entirely undisturbed, his arms lying outside the bed clothes, both hands closed and crossed over his breast ; his legs wore straight down, the soles of his feet resting against the foot-board of the bedstead ; over all was a shepherd's plaid, which was undisturbed, and which was, with the clothes, tucked in round the bed ; and from the examination it was perfectly plain that the deceased had been shot while asleep, that he had never awe's?, and that he had been sent, without a struggle, and without a single moment of consciousness, into eternity. From the position of the wound, which went through the mouth, and Lout the shot having lodged in the bones on the other side of the face, it was also quite clear that whoever shot him had stood just outside the foot of the bed, and from that short disetnce—a distance of two or three feet—had poured the discharge into his heal, The surgeon will de-cribs to you more minutely dem it is necessary I should now do, the condition of the belie the injury which had been done, and it will be clear that he had died in a moment, without awakenirg and without manifesting the smallest consciousness. In the substance of the brain Mr. Graham, the surgeon, found eigtt pellets or shot, and in the extreme back of the mouth two other pellets and two teeth which had been loosened by the shot. At a subsequent examination, more carefully made, a g-eat many more pellets were fount in the throat, the cesophagus, and in the muscles of ths cervical verteb to ; and the whole of the shots takenfeom his head and the parts adjacent weighed two drachns and two scruples. The room was examined, and patented a state of order and neatness apparently utterly inconsistent with the circumstances of any ' burglary having been committed, or any attempt made by that alfthese pieces of wadding, and other pieces of paper, which were found in these various places—in and about the body, on the stairs, in the prisoner's bedroom, and under the tree—all formed a portion of four leaves of thio shut, No. 77, of that serial publiaation which he printed, and a considerable quantity of sheets of which was found in the dressing table-drawer of the prisoner's room. Now what possible explanation is to be given on the part of the prisoner on this portion of the evidence ? Is it conceivable—is it possible that robbers, or burglars, or that, any. one, inmates of the house, if even that hypothesis should be put before you, could have put in the prisoner's gun on the Tuesday morning before he fired it off at that bird, or any previous time into the other barrel which he alleged he fired off on the stairs— this wadding, for the express purpose, by inspiration beforehand, of convicting the prisoner of this murder. Can it be doubted that the hand which loaded and dis- . charged the fun—and inasmuch as substantially the same thing forms the wadding of the discharge that killed the deceas,d, and the wadding of the two dis charges which the prisoner admits he fired, and the paper remaining in his chamber pot—can it be for one moment doubted that his was the band to put all the welding into the barrels of the gun, and fired off all the charges which carried with them all these pieces of paper. Bat this is not al'. Mr. Andreas, after suspicion generated in his mind against the prisoner, made a more minute examination of the desk from which the prisoner alleged that £l4 10s in gold had been taken. It was then found —and we have not merely his testimony in corroboration of the fact, bat that of a practical locksmith, who will he here, and come before you—that this hasp, which was lying loose on the table, and which the prisoner said had obviously been forced off--on examination it was found that the desk itself was unlocked. Whoever, therefore, had forced the hasp off had forced it off without hiving observed that the desk was open, or that it was unlocked. And it will be pr aced before you that if the bolt had been in the lock, or the desk had been locked, that in the course of forcing the hasp off of necessity either the bolt of the lock must have been broken, or the hasp must have adhered to the lock. Under no conceivable circumstances could the desk have been forced in the condition in which it was, ex cept it lied been previously unlocked. That wee obviously not done by any burglar for the purpose of stealing mon?y, for the burglar would only have had to open the desk and take the money. Now, was there any money there? Is it, pro bable that the prisoner would have left that ameatat of money there, lying ina desk in the sitting room, or if tie had, he would have left it unlocked ? However that may be, it will be proved that the hasp was forced off the dt-sk while it was in fact open and unlocked. They then made a very careful search about the house and the garden, the hedges, ditches, and woods in the immediate neighbour hood of the house. They found no mark of violence oe any door or window, except the broken pane which the prisoner said his discharge had caused. There was no foot-marks either of persoes going to or coming from the house. There were no foot-prints in the"garden or about the fences, or in the adjoining bolds—nothing whatever to indicate the egress form, or egress to the !loom of burglars, or any other persons. The granary door was examined, and in the latch was found the small piece of word to which I have already referred; and under the bottom was found another small piece of wood which hal fitted to it, it would appear that, if the door had been properly shut, this piece of wool would have been of itself sufficient to keep it closed. But, as you will see, the two Irishmen got out without difficulty. You will bear in mind that the prisoner's first expression to Manlocknay in the kitchen wee, "Come, M chael, let us go and lank at your door." Why did that occur to him at that time ? Was it because he really expected, without any participation of his own is the• matter, that he would find something there? Or, was it that haying himself, or by some other agent, placed the wog d these fir the purpose of preveutiog the egress of these men in case of alaem, he wondered why the thing dil not succeed in accordance with his wishes and ha felt curious—he wondered how it was that his scheme ,hould hr faile d he desired to 7o and see for himself tughters wee. ....m. ____ ~ iet .... .. .ave M .._ Mile l—a.. . gt ~ . „ . the immediate alarm, and Biter the departure of Thomas robbersto commit this crime, still less by robbers amounting 1 why it had failed ? But to procee d . Th e pr i soner and Dillon to fetch the police, they had gone back to bed. to so asny as six o!? seven A small piece of carpet I returned from Manchester about three o'clock in the At that time, having no en picion of any one in the which I t y by the bedside was smooth and undisturbed, i afternoon, and after a consultation with the chief constable house, Andrews addressed the prisoner, saying, and everrhing was entirely in its place. In the pockets lmf the county and some of the authorities, Superintendent "You have had something serious here' Prisoner of the deceased, which lay at the foot of the bed, were l Andrews told him that he should arrest him en the charge replied " Yes." Andrews next asked, " Have they found a billing and a key, which key opened a little of having mar lered his father. The prisoner uttered aOn taken anything ?" The prisoner replied, " They have table in its room, and in that table was found untouched what grounds ? Andrews replied, "On goeinds of broken open my writing case, and taken about an order t pon the Bank of Scotland for £lOO, a bank I strong suspicion,' and told him that he would be detained £l4 103. in gold." The sitting room, in which on the receipt for 4293 10s, £5 in gold, anti about seven shillings ►in ctistody till the matter was further investigated. He table was this writing case, was visited by Andrews, who in silver ant copper—nothing removed, nothing disturbed. replied, "Oh ! very well, I suppose I can speak to my saw there the desk, open, and the papers strewn about on They then aade a minute examination of the bed clothes mother ?" Accordingly, Mr. Andrews accompaniA the table and floor. The prisoner pointed to the corn and of the floor, and immediately opposite the bed and the prisoner into the kitchen, where he told his mother partment from which the money had been taken ; he also partly upon the bed clothes—indeed partly upon the that he had been taken up on a charge of murdering his picked up the piece of brass which fOrmed the hasp of body of the deceased—Mr. Andrews picked up twelve I father. The mother and daughters were at tea. They the desk, and said, " This is the way it has been broken small fragments of paper, which, from their being mere l y linked up, said nothing, but went on with their open." Andrews then locked up the room, and took blackened and singed, had obviously formed part of meal, and the prisoner sat down and joined them. And. away the key. They came out again into the pas- the wadding of the grin or pistol by which the deceased ' gentlemen, I really feel constrained to remark upon the sage, and Mr. Andrews asked him how the entrance hed been killed, and upon which were printed words. 1 erraordinary callousness and indifference manifested had been effected. He replied, " I suppose some These twelve pieces of paper have been carefully preserved Ib y this family both in respect to the mardes of their one of them must have been concealed in the cellar aa d put together in their natural position, or as nearly so ! husband and father, and in respect to the arrest of a son during tae evening, who let the other members a s could le, in separate slips between two pieces of ties, and brother on so serious a charge ; I really do think that 1 of the gang in as soon as we were all in bed. I which will enable you to see both sides of the paper, and i this is one of the most remarkable things 1 have ever was up myself until half-past 12, and the kitchen door the printint on both sides. [The learned counsel here ! beard of. Such, gentlemen, are the circumstances imme was then fast. I thought I heard a shuffling of feet ex hibited tie pieces of paper so arranged ] Upon 1 diately surrounding and following the commission of this in the cellar, and went down a few steps, but returned, one of the pieces—they will all be handed to ! came ; and when circumstances are discovered which, to as I heard nothing, and went to bed." As they went up you—are tie figures 1198, being o bviously the ! say the least, impute a strong suspicion to a man of the lending, the prisoner pointed out a pane of glass in number of he page of the beck from which the , 1 committing a murder, and still more when they impute to the landing window, and stated that the pane had been paper had beer. taken, and there are certain words upon i the eon—the eldest son of a murdered man the commission broken by his firing at a man whom he saw standingupon it. On the othr side are the figures 119, which had evi- lof the crime, then it becomes a natural and a necessary the stairs. "Do you think you hit him ?" said Mr. dently in the wtole been 1197, the third figure being ' subject of inquiry-0 Can any assignable motive be Andrews. " Yes," the prisoner replied, " for he uttered wanting. Upon . search being made upon the stairs and ' found for the commission of the crirna"—not any an (xclamation as if hurt." Mr. Andrews examined the l au ding, whereas prison-r had alleged he fired at a man . " adequate" motive, Er no such motive could exist ; stairs in the prisoner's presence, to see if they could find i w h o w as standing',here, no blood was found, and nothing but such a motive as, acting on an iil-disciplined and an any more traces, but did not succeed. At the prisoner's to indicate any inary to anybody, although the prisoner evil-disposed mind, %meld impel him to the commission bed-room door, which they now reached, upon the next had stated that he fire 1 at him and hit him in the face o f crime': It will be proved to you without doubt tht landing, the prisoner took his gun, which was inside the with the shot, room fa. the purpose of showing Mr. Andrews the position as if i n jured, but he constables picked up between bed terms indeed wa h his father. Indeed, it was the in which he stood when he fired. But I believe Mr. the stairs and the handrail =ether piece of paper remark of the servants in the house that they had not Andrews will tell you that the prisoner was standing at also, containing tinted matter on - both sides, i interchanged a word. Now it app-ars that the old man the moment outside the room, and that he could not by which I now hold a my hands, and which has also hid the farm by a lease from 1853 for nineteen years, any possibility from that position have struck the window been carefully preseoed between two pi eces o f glass I and the prisoner was exceedingly desirous of becoming at all; and that he must have been in his bed room to get Thi s paper, being .Iso blackened and singed, had th a tenant of the, farm in the place of his father ; and the proper inclination for the shot where the shots were obviously formed pare of the wadding of the barrel seine time ego —about a year before the father's death found in the window frame. Mr. Andrew said, " what was o f the gun which the prisoner had undoubtedly fired —the prisoner wro'e a note to Mr. Cook, land agent the very first thing you heard?" He replied, " I heard there, and which he aleged he fired at a man standing jof Colonel Davenport, in which he requested that the report of fire arms in my father's room, upon which I there. In the sheet d printed matter I hold in my Mr. Cook would call on him on the Monday evening jumped out of bed, seized my gun, which stood against the hand, in another portionof the same page of the same following, in order that he might have a little private drawers behind the hod room door, andeeeeing the shadow book of which the 12 Feces found in the bed formed t conversation with him in regard to some small matters of a min, immediately fired at him." He also said, " I a portion, are the same verde as those on the portion relating to the firm. Mr. Cook went oa the nppointed saw a light from my father's room." Now it is quite found upon the stairs. The next place searched evening, and had an intervie e with the prisonea The clear that from within the bedroom in which the prisoner was the prisoner's bad -torn, and in the wash-hand prisoner began by saying that what he was going to tell slept it would have been impossible for him to have seen a bowl were found two plitts or shot, and in the Mr. Cook, was a very hard thing for a son to say against a light in his father's room. He said at the time, a I saw a chamber-root, another piece of paper, also with printing father, but the fact was his father then being absent in light at the moment I fired, but it was extinguished im- on it, but not blackened or sag sd, and it had obviously not i Scotland, he thonglit that a favourable opportunity to mediately, and two men rushed, and I believe two or throe been used as the welding of the gun, and, and I suggest share a little conversation with the agent or the lan :lord of others were waiting for them outside the house." Mr. An- to you, had been thrown awe/ when the gun was being of the farm. He then complained that his father's drews said, "Did you call out before you fired; loaded in that place. That leper has also been preserved. temper was so bad that he could not live with him any it might have been your brother or some other I hold it in my hand ; and it orresponds with that portion longer ; that the old man had had a law suit in Scotland member of the family." He answered, " No, I didn't ; of the page of this book immediately adjoining the that , had nearly ruined, the family ; that when he but as soon as I fired the gun I saw the men rush I portion cerrespenging with he piece found on the was in Scotland he was a great drunkard, and finished past immediately." They went into the de landing. On the room-floes in the neighbou'hood of , off by saying "I don't know whether you are aware of ceased's room, and in the drawer of a table in the room the wash-hand bowl and chamber pot, were found a I it, but I found the greater portion of the money to cease was a Scotch bank note for £lOO undisturbed. Now the quantity of loose shot which tad not been in the gun, on this farm," and he then wished to know whether he prisoner at the bar at that time was entirely unsuspected, and a s p en t cap ; and in thechamber-pot, along with and his brother Thomas might not have the farm and he stated to Mr. Andrews that he was cashier to a t hi s pi ece o f paper was found Rother spent cap. In the ins'add of his father, and he wool 1 see that the rent was firm in Manchester, and that it was important for him to wash-hand table drawer was fond a powder II ask partly paid punctually ,• that after four years the rent should go to Manchester, as he had keys and books which would full of powder, and a shot bat about half full of pellets, be increased ; that his mother and sisters knew of the hinder the business, and accordingly he was told there was two more spent caps—four, theefore, in all—and a box application, and wished the arrangement to be made. nothing to prevent his going, and between eight and nine of unused caps ; and, upon comparison, the pellets Subsequently in the month of March, the prisoner called o'clock in the morning he went. He called a little after found in the body of the deceeed and in the bedroom, on Mr. Cook, at his house, and made a similar applicro nine at the private residence of one of his masters', Mr. and the pellets found in ha different parts of lion. I told you Mr. Walker, the steam-packet agent Smith, and told him that some robbers had broken into the the prisoner's room were found bbe of exactly the same at Manchester, was an old friend of the family. He house, and that his father was shot or killed. " How many s i z e an d weight. Then they seached the dressing table had known the prisoner for twelve or thirteen years, and men were there." ask d Mr. Smith. " Six or seven," drawer, and in it were found atonsiderable numeer of the other members of the family for four or five years. replied the prisoner. Questions were put to the prisoner penny serial publications, the tite of which was " The In the same month of March, the prisoner called at Mr. by Mr. Smith, in reply to which answers were Cottage Girl, or the Marriage Da t " I hold in my hand Walker's °f lee, in Manchester, complaining greatly of his given, and on being asked how it first began, on e of the sheets of that publicaton so found, and this, 1 father's conduct, and using expressions of a very oppro the prisoner replied that he heard steps of some men t h e sheet found in the drawer is the only portion to' briaus character, which you will hear, calling him names about the house, that he immediately jumped out of bed, which I shall direct you attention. It seems to form a which, to say the least, were exceedingly improper to be took a gun and fired it at a man. Upon his being asked part of the whole number 77 of Ilia publication. It used with respect to a father under any circumstances. whether he hit the man, the prisoner replied, "Yes I hit ranges from 1185 to 1200, and, therfore, includes within However, he went on to say they were going to put his him for he gave a loud screech:" Nothing of this kind was it s pages 1197 and 1198, and also the pages 1187 and father into a mad-house, that he was not fit to have heard by any of the other inmates of the house. The 1183 ; and 'these two leaves would be the two outside anything to do with the family. He then gave Mr. prisoner then went on to say that as soon as he fired, some leaves of that sheet. Subsequently, I think upon the Walker a copy of a lease to keep, which he desired him other men rushed out of the room and ran down stairs, Th urs day m orning, a further examintion was made by to keep secret from the family. Mr. Walker refused to that there were about two or three men, but he could not Mr. Andrews under the pear tree .t which prisoner have anything to do with it unless the lease was sealed up, tell exactly. " Why did you not give then the other alleged he had cn the T u e s day mornig shot a sparrow, which was done. Mr, Walker remonstrated with the pri barrel," asked Mr. Smith. In reply, floe prisoner stated and under that tree was found, by Mr /*draws, two other soner, and a long conversation ensued, which that gentle that he had only one barrel left, havi g fired the other pieces of paper, a lso s i nge d an d blackned, and which man would give more iu detail, but with respect to the off on Saturday morning, this being between hid obviously formed part of the waddng cf that die. prisoner's father Mr. Walker said they must not thick of Tuesday and Wednesday, He had fired the other charge which the prisoner alleged he tad made; and putting hint lute a mad-house, as he was quite sane, and barrel off at a few birds which were in a pear you will find upon looking at them that they form a the surgeons would find it out directly. A few days tree in the garden and brought one down. Now it is p a rt of pages 1187 and 1188 of the sane sheet of the after this the prisoner called again on Mr. Walker, quite clear that between the Saturday and. the Tuesday same p e hicetion, and that the portions which have been Ind told him that they could not put up with that old when the crime was committed the prisoner had ample 'torn off from the top of pages 1187 and 188 so c'osely WOW any longer, and I have given him something which opportunity to load both barrels. Shortly after this he corres p on d with the portion torn off frog 1197 and la will take a long time to get over. I have been obliged called at the office of a Mr. Walker, a steam-packet agent, 1198, f ou nd about the body and the bed, as to lead tie his hands and feat. In consequence of that state and an old friend of th e family, and who had known the almost to the inevitable conclusion that both had been melt Mr. Walker went to Bramhali to see the deceased, prisoner for a considerable time. Mr. Walker was not t orn off by the same band, almost at the sane moment. and'ound marks of very considerable violence upon him, then at home, but on calling subsequently he found that With re f e rence to these last pieces of paper it is ma His eves were swollen and blackened; his lips and jaws Mr. Walker had heard of the murder. A conversation duty to state that, although Mr. Andrews found them on also smiler), his arms abrased and black, and his legs in ensued, and the prisoner said it was a sad thing. Mr. the Th ur sday morning, by some mistake or misappre- the sale condition. The next day Mr. Walker received Walker e eked him where his father had been shot, and the hension on his part he did not deem tlrm of the a note torsi the prisoner, desiring to see him at the house prisoner replied, in his cheek. Mr. Walker then asked ma t e riality of vvhica they now appear to be, and he did not of a masied sister of the prisoner's. The prisoner, upon the prisoner with what weapon his father had been killed, men tion them either at the inquest or at the examination meeting ni tro , said, "I want to see you on account of what and he replied, with a gun. Now. it was utterly before the magistrates ; nor was it till Thursday, the the old Vilain owes me." Mr. Welker told the prisoner of impossible, if the prisoner's story about the 26th of November, when Mr. Reddish, the attorney for the ill usag, to which he had found the deceased had been r obbers was correct, that in the short space of the prosecution, was having all these waddimp collected subjected, ‘ad that deceased had told him that be (the time which he alleged he had to see the robber and looked up, that he learned from Mr. Anirews the prisoner) wta the only one who had caused a quarrel in or robbers that he could have discovered whether fact that he had found these papers. However, Mr. the house, to which the prisoner replied, "Itis a lie, and the weapon used was a pistol or a gun. Mr. Walker f Andrews will tell you distinctly that he did find he is an old vaaia." The married sister then rejoined, then asked the prisoner how it took place, and the pri- them there and that they are as certainly true and "He is a bad ad man." Mr. Walker strongly advised soner gave this description :—" About two o'clock this genuine documents as the o thers to w hi c h I h a v e the prironer to the house, as if he (the prisoner) morning I heard a noise, and I took up my gun,"_ and called your attention. Now, the printer of `,his is very still persisted in there . he was afraid murder would here I must remark that there was no other gun but the publication has been discovered, and he is hers, and he be committed. Now, gentlemen, I believe this is a prisoner's in the house. "I took up my gait to my will prove to you beyond doubt, to absolute demonstration, correct outline of Le ievidence which will be laid before you, in this case, on the part of the prosecution. Let ns fora moment examine the theory which was put for- ward by th? prisoner at the time, and which was put forward in his behalf when enquiries were being made into the case, and which I presume will again be put brward to-day as the true state of the case. I wonl,l remind you there were no marks of violence about the hous3 indie;tting an attack, or even an inzress or egres3 of any kind by burglars. The back door, which was kept ba , rtd, was found open, and the bar had been removcd, and Lat obviously must have been done from the inside ; it by robbers, they must have concealed thems !lees some wherebefore the door was fastened. No ransacking of the house had taken pace, nothing removed, nothing tcuched but the priso%ei'6 desk, and that in the manner which I hive described _to you. No disturbance had taken place either in tho deceased's room or near his ,person, and it was evident that he had been killed in a tranquil sleep in one momenf. Now, in the first piace, before I pass to other ma' t,•rs, who ever heard of burglars going into a house with a gun ? I will undertake to say that not one of you ever beard of such a thing. Is it not totally incoaiistent with the ohj , _ct of burglars, that having taken nothing, having examiied nothing, having touched nothing, they should kill a ma❑ in his sleep for the purpose of raising an alarm by the firing of firearms., the necesarri consequence of which would be to raise an alarm to wake all the inmates of the house, and that there- foie those persons whose presumed object would be plunder are supposed deliberately to commit a murder for ►.her ex_ press purp 5) of preventing them from doing whit they inten,',ed, and raising an alarm to lead to their own capture. Then no noise is heard, although the prisoner s ICI two men rushed out of the room--no noise excepting aslight sliuffling of the feet upon fir) stairs, as though the persons' chaos were mufflal, a noisy which might with the greltes:, ease be ma'ie by the prisquer, who wished to present to the inm rtes of the blase the appearance of some other than hiarelf having done it. Well, then, as I have a'ready stated to you, the primer sated , he fired at a mall on the staircise, which struck biln upon the cheek, from which blood must hive fl )wed considerahle quantities ulna the landing and outside the house, which must have boon traced ; no blood was found, no scream was heard by any inmates, who must have been aroused by the first dinharge, between whVI and the second halt a minute intervened ; but besides all this, by the running, of a number of men Out of the house, a very considerable noise must have been made; and %s, ou the alarm being raised, they mast . _ h 393 b.era anxi.a.ti to get away, their footsteps mu ,t have been found somewhere about the totre ; but none are foul,ll. Well again, Via door of the old man's ro an was found shut and latclicd. Is it, probable that the robli:rs would have shut and latched the room door after having been alarmei? That such an 'act was both inconsistent and impossinle, I think you will agree ,Ni la tile; and that it alio disagrees wi!.h the staternant set up on the p i.rt; o the prisoler, arid wide(, I fea-, tend only to show, as is the else, what grievous folly always accomp inks pat. Tlun, aTain, the prisoner slid the tap of the ale caik had b.!en left running. The cellar had been examined, and no traces of any ale having run along the floor were found—a,:thing more that would have resulted from the dropp;ng of en ins , care t;p. There were two or thee matters r,la'ive to the murder which had since transpired, and 'which seemed c with the plea set u? by the prisoner to which I will now call your ;Aviation. SOlll3 days after the murder a broken brace WAS found lying outside the house, and it was at first supp ised that this must lava belonged to ott.o of the robber , , but it had since been identified by one of the servants who left the house a few weeks prior to the murder. Now, gentlemen, I cannot c one lye it possible th it the line of defence adopted upon this occasion will be °the: than that already pursued, hut in the ceurue of t e enquiry you will hive brouy,ht before you every inmate ol the house, who will b sub jected to rigid examinations, and you wits then hays!! an opportunity of forming your own opinions, whether it is possible that any one other than th prisoner at the bar could have been the perpetrator of the murde•. I rejoice exceedingly that the prisoner at the bar, in this his hour of peril, has the advautage of the services of my able and learned friend, lilt. tiserjeant Parry, and when you have bead the evidence which will be produced to prove the case against him, and the remarks of my learned friend upon the evidence, b c suse I take it for granted no evidence will be adduc'ed on the part of the prisoner, and therefore I shall have no opportunity of addressing you again—end when in addition to all thes y - ou will hive hears the sum ming up of my Lord, who will hold the scales of justice precisely even between the public and the prisoner, it will be for you, weighing all the circumstances most delibe rately, to say whether you will, or whether you can, c ime to the reasonab'e conclusion that the facts proved against the prisoner are consistent with his innocence. or are reasonably consistent wiila any other hypothesis than that of his guilt— f you think they are, then you must acquit him ; but if acting as rational men, the facts proved f dnt to no ()clue reason Ne conclusion but his guilt, you must do your duty irres . oe etive of all coasAuences, accorHug to the s leinn oath you have taken, and saAsfy the require ments of that oath, and the wr demands of public jaulic , , by saying that he is guilty. Joseph Axon was the first witness called, and stated that had prepared the model produced of the house of the late Mr. Henderson, Hardy - HAM, Brarnhall an I also •plans and drawings of the gardens which enclosed the hones on three sides. Jane Hendermn was next called, and sad: I Antal single woman residing at Bramhall, and daughter of the deceased. I remember the 29 hof September. On that day our mother, my brothers James and Thome, and my married sister Jessie Earlam, were living the-e. There were also living there two farm servants, the boy, and the female servant. All these slept in the house. There were also two farm labourers who slept in the room adjoining the granary. My father slept in the front bad-room, and my brother James in the other front bad-room. The back bed room, opposite to my brother James's, was occupied by me, and the other bed-room by my mother and married sister. In the attic the two servants and my brother Thomas slept. On the 29. h of September, my father went to teed near upon nine o'clock, the two men servants about half pest, and Dillon, Nancy, and the farmer-labourer, Maclocklin, about the same time. My sister Jessie went to bed before eight o'clock. My brother Thomas went out about seven o'clock at night, and returned at ten o'clock. He went to bed about eleven, My mother and I went to bed together at nearly twelve o'clock. We passed the back door, and we noticed that it was fastened. It was locked, and a wooden bar across it. We left my brother James down stairs writing in the sitting room We had been sitting in the front kitchen. At the top of the stairs my mother went to her room, and I to mine, where I went to bed. and fell asleep. I was'awakened by Hearing footsteps on the stairs. The next thing I heard was my brother J,iMe3 opening his door. He fired a gun, and called out, "Tom, come down immediately, there are robbers in the house, He then called for a light. He opened my bed-room door, and asked for matches to light a candle with. I lighted my candle, and gave it to him. I asked him where the robbers were, and he said they were gone dawn stairs. He was then standing at the top of the stairs. I went into my room and shut the door. A few minutes afterwards the men servants came to the door, and told me to come, as my father was shot I went to my father's room. My brothers James and Thomas were there. I saw my father Bing on his bed, on his back with his hands on his chest. His head was on the pillow. He had been shot in the mouth. I have frequently seen my father in his sleep, and I have seen him lying in that position. My mother and Jessie Earlam came into the room. James said that his writing desk had been broken open, and --CIA 10s. taken from it. I had seen money in his desk, but not shortly previous to this. Cross-examined by Sergeant Parry: I have seen money many times in the desk as much as £l4 and £l5. My father's face was blackened considerably, en one side. I awoke suddenly, as if roused up, atel the first thing I heard was the sound of footsteps. There appeared to me to be more than one person moving rapidly, but I could not tell whether up or down stairs. When James came to the door ho had only on his night shirt. It would be quite ten minutes, if not more, from the time of the outcry to the time the men called me. My father was in the habit of going to bed early and rising early. When we went to bad we nearly always lift my brother James up. In the cross examination of this witness by Mr. Ser geant Parry, he stated that she was sire her brothel's was not the foot which she heard ru-n;ng away at the time she was awoke. She knew her brother's foot sound. He had a "limo" in his foot, and the report she heard on the stairs was that of several parties running rapidly, which her brother was not enabled to do. She would swear distinctly that they wore the foot marks of other parties. Her brother was in the habit of " halting," and could not have run in the rapid manner in which she heard the parties at the time she was awakened. Thomas Henderson, the prisoner's brother, gave almost precisely similar evidence to the previous witness, and, in the course of his cross cvsmilation, he deliberately swore, in answer to Mr. Sergeant Parry, that the footsteps he heard on the stairs at the time he awoke, were not those of his brother James. The other witnesses examined were—John Blake. John Dillon, and Michael Matocknay, farm servants; Georgeo. Andrews, superintendent of Stockport division of police ; Joseph Little, deputy chie f c onstable of Chesh ire ; and P. C's Benjamin Co o p e r and Thomas Hammond. Their evidence appeared in the Nort h er n T i mes when the case come needless s or t e o the coroner irot.ner at Bramhall, and it is, there- There are 38 witnesses on the part of the prosecution, and it is not likely that the case will terminate before to- morrow evening at the soonest, althougu it is understood that no witnesses will be called on the part of the prisoner, but that the speech of Mr. Serjea:it Parry will be solely relied upon. The Court rose at half past six o'clock. The mail steam-packet communication between Fn kong and the Philippine Islands will commence in Mardi next. THE SIKIIS AND THE KILT.--An officer in the 93 Regiment, on his march from Calcutta to Benareq, w r iti ne to his parents in this city, under date lehanabad, October 16A, says, among other things—" A capital story, whicis ought to be published, is told of a Sikh Regiment at Dehree. Burrough's detachment paraded in full dress tee hurt' a piper, and the Sikhs were so delighted with the Highland costume, that after parade they petitioned their cap sins to procure a like dress for them." .51ASTER OF A VESSEL WASIIMD OVERBOARD. —D aoa 'ILIA, SATURDAY, DEC 5.—A. geasral feeling of regret pnzvaded our town this morning, upon learning that M. Denis Dunne, master of the Agnes, of Preston, the pro perty of J. and F Chadwick, Esqrs , of DrOgheda, was washed overboard in the gale last night, while the vessei• was on her way from Preston to this town, tabu with coals Mr. Dunne was a remarkably steaiy pan, exit always gave general satisfaction to his employers. He kw left; a wifa anl a number of small childrea. MELaNcnoLY OCCUREZNCS.—It is with regrat we en- • nounee the death of Mr. Nl•Niece, of Tullyallon, .at. Dungannon, who was accidentally drowned ou his way hitne oa the night of Wednesday, the 26:h ult. liehal been out on profession al business, which detained him to late hoar, aul coming home had to cross by a' foot sick over a large stream, which w e g, , reatly swoileu by the late rains It seemed he had missed his cooing in crossing., mid fell into the water. Y, was not diaeover,d till the follow _ ini'morning. His loss will be datTly felt. —Tyrone Coltsti— t Ittio2l. PIIIPERISM.—A return to the HOll5O of Conning ab.ews that there were 56,892 paupers in the opzichonses of than Irish unions on L%dy day last, and that the amount of "establishment charges" for the year terminating on that; day was £171,000. Besides the above paupers, 828 were in receipt of out relief on Lady-day last. There is work house room in Ireland for 197,839 ptuperEt. The grow total number of paupers relieved in England on the 25th of ;*larch last was 897115, which number refers to & population of 17 : 630,030, and excludes lunatic pair:sm and Yagran's relieved on - , of doors. The total 11 , 1 , 1113er of paupers relieved in Scotland on Lady-day last amennteil to 92,218. FATAL ACCIDENT—LOSS OF Tunes LIVES.—KILKEE, ECEIIBPR 4 —Yesterday afternoon a canoe, csntaining two of the Foot Artillery, from Scattery Island Fort, near the mouth of the Shannon, and a b atman belonging to tic locality. were titre, by a sudden squall in the channel, between the Scattery Island and Kilrush, a large town its the county Clare, on the banks of the Shannon, and distant about a mile and a half from the island. The body of the boatman is said to have been found, those of the soldiery not. These canoes, much used on the west coast of Ireland, are mode of timber frame work, covered wits tarred canvas ; they are mead in the bottom, and their beam being very narrow. they are very to upset if any of the occupants shift about; still, when judiciously inanegerl, they bear a heavy sea better than a ship's boat. though frequently advised to line the upper part on the inside with cork, to cause them to right in the water, ia case of their being upset, still the natives will not adapt this valuable expedient. Proper life-boats are mu& required along the west coast of Ireland, the most dan gerous sea coast in the kingdom, and nearly always fatal to vessels driven ashore. The coast guard's boats are quite unfit for a heavy sea. THE TODMORDENT WILL IMPOSTOR.-John River Burdett Howcroft, collier, aged 63, who was to have been tried at the Salford intermediate sessions on Saturday, has had his bail enlsrged his trial being postponed to the next quarter sessions. It will be remembered that Ho wcroft is charged with obtaining several sums of money at Todmordenaad Walsden, by means of pretended wills. He stead for trial at the last quarter sessions • but there was a postponement., on the application of Mr Wheeler, who had been suddenly and imperfectly instructed for the defence, on the evening of the day preceding the one fixed for the hearing. How croft was liberated upon bail. On Saturday morning;, when he was. called, he did not appear, and his bail was ordered to be estreated ' • and the only other case to be disposed of was called But counsel for the defence was not in court, as Howerof.'n case had been filed to be taken first. Meanwhile Howcroft appeared, arid, ulna explanation, his surrender was accepted. Then Mr. Wheeler asked for a postponement to the next sessions; on the ground that, having travelled to Liverpool the previous evening (after consulting the chairman), he ha only been able to get a promise of an application for a delay of a few hours in the arraignment of a prisoner at the South Lancashire assizes, he (Mr. Wheeler) being; engaged, and most anxious to appear, in the case. tire Iliggin, into whose hands the brief for the prosecution of Howcroft had passed (solely in consequence, we belies-e s of Mr. Ovens being engaged in the assize court), did not object to the postponement, particularly as the solicitor for the prosecution was not in court. So the chairman. after a long consultation with the megistrates upon the - bench, expressed his regret that the sessions and assizes should clash, and consented to the postponement. THE PRINCESS ROYAL AT MIL %V ALL.—The Royal, saeling, good-hutnou•ed, and affable, p ,1d a visit to the Leviathan en Saturday morning. Her royal high, ness, accompanied by the Ouch2ss of A hol, made the difficult navigation of the ship yard, climbed the timbers, and picked her way through the mud to the cradles, the hydraulic rams, and the launching ways, all which - objects were pointed out and their uses explained by the Acialsof ills company. Her royal highness then expressed a great wish to go on board. Being told that she would have to climb the steep and formidable ladders which are reared against the st:ip's side, the young princess at first recoiled from so difficult and unprotected an sseent; but as soon as she was told that Prince Fredir:elt William had a'scended by this ladder last WeAnesday, her royal highness was suchisnle seized eith an ardent desire to mount the same steps and visit the cabins and engine rooms which her royal adm'rer had inspected. The princess heva g whiseered her desire to the duche , e, her grace asked Mr. Yates, the secretary, with some seriousness, Vi hether in his opinion it would be safe and proper for the Princess Royal to go op the ship's side. Mr. Yates replied that, since the re sponsibility was thrown upon him, he could not ven'ure to recommend rear royal highness to make the attemea The ladders are vary slippery, and the lewestiadde', besides being very steep, is unprotected either by a handrail or rope. Mt. Yates was, no doubt, apprehensive that her royal highness might become giddy, and lose her footin;,. Perheps, also, he feared a contretemps such as occurred the other dew during the high wind', when the outer garm eats of a lady ascending the ladder were blown ever her head, and she remained powerless with te.ror, and unable to replac:-. her retie for fear of losing la r hold and her balarc e and being dished to pieces by a tall. This occurrence had so dis tracting an effect upon the workmen, an 1 was so full of danger to the lady, that Mr. Yates determined rot to allow another petticoat to go up the ship's side. The princess born her disappointment very good humouredly ; but it was clear she hid set her heart upon astonishing the prince by an uneepected relation of her courage and daring. -Corres pondsnt of the Manchester Guardian. A .SERMON PREACHED BEFORE ROYALTY.—By hoc Majesty's command a sermon !leach. d before the Coutt in the parish Church of Crathie, on the 11th October, has just been published. The author is Dr. Robert lee, the Professor of Biblical Cr.ti&sin in the University of Edin burgh ; and the subject is—" What Christianity teaches respecting the - Body." Dr. Lec shows that the care of the body is Seenrect in the Bible to be a Christian duty, ant that the manner in which this care is to be bestowed is taught by God in the utdformity and constancy of the laws of N 'cure. 131 violating these laws an enormous amount of misery :tad premature death are occ tsioned. " It is a elsoned," says Dr. Lee, that one hunired thousata persons die annually in Engl,all of preventible diseases. In the same proportion mere than a million and quarter must die annually from the same causes is Europe. . . . Probably not fewer than four hundred thousand men were kided during the late It. , 2siian wan. But during the same period ten times as many died isa. Europe alone from preventible diseases. The slaughter of four millions of persons during three years, in a war deserving the earaest attenion, not only of governors. against the laws of health! So appalling a t i h ae r t ou is gh sur d e i l s : politician', and philanthropists, but of all men who pro fess Christianity, and especially of those who are appointed , are God's c h , e inc e l x u e s e io u n tes c. tartlobtilah o ,sbriiweieot t simst e nsi a iooeg c fiwonfr h moceunarear i p t tsahemetb ; rloreyvtoi ca b :. ssnel z , .1 h ? etc t i r hal s ocn o F:sdulatyi t rec h :t h e gsno iirnv l ldm a ceag : uis , dcslcaitehlinidot taag thecots:t beforeeerfis arip 7: perish, hribli : su o h r t ur eyes, and are then briefly presented. Reference is made to the increased duratiow of human life in this country within the present century„ longevity v s i l t ;ti o s f t i m cs o d o e f rn l i t f i e me insurance te Ti o e t p l a t, ni n es.- - ot to depend upon a capriciousness in the ways of Pcovidenee, but on the community's better acquaintauce with, and observance o', the laws which ci..t 'mine the preservation of the body. Allusion is math; to certain features isU.- e histor j of the last visitation of this country by cholera. Towns and even tenements were exempted in proportion to their compliance with the requirements of the laws aC health. One of the arguments by which Dr. Lee supporW his proposition that the care of the body is a religions duty, is the fact that a great part of the law which Got gave, through Moses, to the people of Israel, was in reakity a sanitary code. The preacher then pursues his argese4 under the Christian dispensation. e reo'i 10 i lia d ia be fot f „ 6 1 g y o f rat e cost' act ioo er tjla lefere tha t ' the P• 04 1 ' riii°s tO d° , te of bil l 4 orge reof v ., 103