The Northern Daily Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-05-24 00:00:00

RU GELEY PO I SONINGS Tp T '-AL OF PALMER AT THE CENTRAL CRIMINAL* COURT (FROM OUR OWN REPORTER NINTH DAY. Th e LONDON, FRIDAY NIGHT. t'Ci o I.Proceedings were resumed this morning at ten ero w e d ° ),long before which hour the court was very much b es i e e e ,a in every part, and the various approaches were to "by holders of tickets, who in vain endeavoured coa u rt t l i s rl acimissio n . The sual prin ed notice, " the past full" was posted at the doors as early as half opiniart o'clock. Without wishing to express any ther e " On the defence, so far as it has yet proceeded. TV id eil e an be no doubt, whatever, that the medical liqhti n e F given yesterday, has unmistakeably added to the ';,lnterest manifested in this unprecedented case ; 'evid e W e anxiety shown to bear the further medical c otaifi ce t 'da, was shared in by hundreds of spectators 'th e 'he (soon, who remained in the Old Bailey during meal'° at,le of th e d ay, eagerly enquiring the nature of the t e • Thy stirnony as it proceeded. ease,; counsel. attornies, and all actively engaged in the nzil;eent much fatigued and worn out, with the great in ore of time to whi c h t h e enqu i ry h as b een p ro t rac t e d, lasted, es time the Attorney• General, who, it was e cort. 'lB Very unw e ll to-day when he came rote the In its trar y e course of the forenoon it was also said, con hat last night, that the case will, in all th ßt • l itY, be h roueht to a close to morrow night, and 111 inerG or der to f ac ili tate t hi s , t h e j u d ges have deter ° sit to the latest possible hour. W ell's e t he judges on tb , . bench 11gton Sir John , s rri o "n „ r John PE rrit m ' the Rev. Prebendary Th e of Other gentle Men. Witness called to-day was, cous e . Ross examined by Mr: Grove, Q.C: lam a recent l ee eat s crgeo n to the London . Hospital. I recollect a tca of tetanus It was brought on the 22nd of in it ., I to the hospital ;bout balf-past scven in the even- Llad a par as a male, aged about 37, and the patient had be c i,xYsra in the 'eeceiving room before I saw him. lab bad rapid 'cut feeble pulse, his breathing was :"itv Th "" javvs closed and fixed, and an expressive " 11 obe t i at .lnut the countenance. His featurcs were ,hear A ' . sild he was unable to swallow. The muscles of .'l',ch'e'runien and back were somewhat tense. He had Shen h Par "Ysm which lasted about a minute. He 4 , 1) 4 t haa no and died, having been in the ho . spital cod ri i an hour. There was no inquest held on the t e is Y o ', 1 1 ," a Post m.o . rtem examination took place, but no er e n thr :s found. I attribute death to tetanus. There Niit h ) e Wounds in the body—two on t . he back of the „ th e ler, n „w, each about the size of a shilling, and one on Th about the size of a sixpence. The man told hee e " ao th e wounds from twelve to sixteen years. 'Aiiii n 7ere old chronic indurated ulcers, circular in d txiti i a tithe edges thickened round them, and c . overe Cannote sa y white coating, without any graduation. I 0, what was the origin of the wounds. I have I ,oe nti Otto Ilk syphilitic wounds like those I have just e, but they were on the legs of the body. /ve unds were the only thing that would account ere the Duke of M.P., Mr. Murray, and a large kinr, , ton, Bart . " „tetara ls , Cross ad re' e mined by the Attorney-General : Poultices l kfar e ce is nt l xa Y been a ppli e d to th e woun d s a d a y or two the m ap t'lie a n was brought to the hospital, and the by the atio n of a particular poultice had been objected to *er e t Patient. It was made of linseel meal. The jaws 80 it mIY clos e d w h en h e was b roug h t to t h e hospi tal, 4 lettil i -as i mpossible to administer anything by the 'titter The man said he had been so taken at his 4 lth ou b at eleven o'clock; Tetanic patients can speak, „, I ° , ll B th eY cannot open the jaw. There were symp he to , ri gidity about the abdominal and lumbar muscl es. .. mother did not say how long he had felt the rigidity. before e.r medical man, I believe, had seen the case that % It ~was brought to the hospital. I have no doubt disease had been coming on the whole of the t tail • ff- They were ugly sores, of a chronic character, !Ige n - tlt.ite,gament connected the two, and they were con -41e4„ rbere were no signs-of healing, and they bad I leat v , k k atance of being old neglected sores. They were s .e t arop i . '„ e ,n l ria nerve. It is a sensitive one, near what i I,ThrliY called the funny bone. I believe the man came a' Paroxysms the whole of the afternoon before he B eg s 0 the hospital. There was no convulsion of the th al ,d arms. The particular tetanic symptoms were 4 eit B ,,7": 3 elijaw, the muscles of the abdomen and back r igid,toe and pains in the stomach. I'did not hear \1 34 rn i l l•mns of Cook's case described. t ..,va t% Q °e °ve : Was not strychnine suspected in this case ? Ve - r; 41111 n ation continued : The nerves of the tongue are Yegte 'Mica.te. I heard the case of tetanus described . t et d 4, 1'1 9 '. an am of opinion . that it was idiopathic b• lr); arising from cold. Lit% 'Mantel examined by Mr. Gray :I am one of the 1 711 4 t• ngeons ' at - the London Hospital, and the case tir I; l° C,,, e ',hy Mr. Ross, was seen by me during the time 11 ," 4,, - , 11 ,.'• was in hosp , ital. I heard Mr. Ross describe ar which are correct. I heard him describe ,-,411g• uy 1 ?„ -44 ` 43 en the arms. lam of opinion that the man tetanus. In my judgment the tetanus was 'b at it : 0 )- t he wounds on the arms. The man told me Mr intneneed at breakfast. i.\‘',.ks ~'r an eis W r i g h tman, exam i ne d by]Mr. KoneallV : Liebig, and am a teacher of chemistry at 15 upil 4 ,Ye 84 1 4 .111 Birmingham. In m . y chemical pursuits I pi, 130 4, e , the nature and acquired the knowledge of itylecl i n nave been engaged for the Crown, and etil liis a Se to detect poison. 1 have made experi tth, —ll various poisons, and amongst the rest 41. Ilk ‘'‘llti e . 'LerleallY : Have you found any extraordinary diffi dioars In deteetin. strychnia ? I have b ,Y thY, dittculties.' It is a poison that may be detected v to tiN - ° : 4l4l 'Y tests. I have discovered strychnia in with i h -Dat:tila'e,r, and also discovered it when . m 1,, Y i a , acter, after decomposition had d s e e t t ee in te . d - , ,i, ti Plire, corrupted matter. I have . litmineana I ti l i l „!e ll t r o e rn Lbile an bilious matter, putrifyiig can be in . blood. I 'ell, P' my attention as to whethe e r a s n t . ryc l hnia ttryeh I .'ed in the tissues, and I say it , discovered by the viscera of a cat,. and in the blood of a dog Yit .3' it • also in the urine of another dog poisoned lo r . , • 1 hay • propounded by a R . e heard the theory Dr. •;Tay °in th a t he decomposition of strychnia, a . nd . lam of boi 4 it d undergo such li 1, ordoes not . decomposition in the Ily s enterin. into the circulation. li ar Ileh oh an ,,,, , 5 possible e en tn t s() ° vet i t . ne, I should say it would . not lf b i n t ins in the tissues. It might possibly turn into ii,,,„,e11b5t.,-, In n rain - - , L a i -...ce, but could still be detected. I have extremely 0 qo - , e(l . ,by experiments that be discovered. I aye ntities of strychnia can R4l" 111"1" "ed two or three cases. The d l o g se ave l °TiR ,•,. 11 the first o the dog was two grains. it 141%410144 :18,the case to dose, in which I detectedin the i t , eat, but a grain was attempted to be administered to . ti rz th at a , a c onsiderable portion_ of ait andwas lost, Assum his stomach i v • l Dow rnan poisoned by strychnia , ith I°ll Of his tissues sent for analytical av e e xa n m o in d a o t u io b n t whateverht or nine days of his death, I „liyl v ithat it could'generally be discovered. rlia 1 geant Shee.. 'ItY ' r. 8" - - • If have v man e e expected t beene IvitZss.exas...npuld certainly a - d tepoisonedfind it. b y toi .e de s , "fled by the Attorney -General it theabsorbed into the systeGmeneral : Suppose the I shoul S d n e p rpe s ' 411,11, q ,b l°_cd• It passes from the blood into' the solid it It nes s 7 I e ,PP. „,, ot i i ii ~... tim v --. me to explain. I should ratherthi r n n k . ,' ll , l-c 'as t o m w u ., left in the solid parts of the body. In its p b " 4 1 the rd s its final destination to that part where it . . a '''es i destruction of life I cannot tell at what point it it The Attlrlthe blood into the . solid parts of th e b say that tli"oivholo'ney-General : Will you undertake to with bed and passed . A". s e lret l i at i °i the dose was absorbed, li hd ' bee, °I ; You could expect to fiLl .et i s t . ? . I Wi e t h n n e u ss id . 0 41 - Ilse I believe it still exi . I bl ,,e_e. YTit,hat portion which remained .. in a particular hype not Whole had been elimin9l i e t. d from the system,. Supposing it to tl l 4hee n a?f. curse , expect to find . t h Isgiie ,usorbed into the circulation, and thence into 4 t t , 188 11:8 ‘ . 4 4hould search for it in the blood, and also in 11 4 4 e -e xam.; /11 'ta nia -Tied killed r. Sergeant S dministered to 01 den h o 4 to be by strycli . ma, h . ee: Supposing you In teet.llr.and a-half before he died, can that nt e it er w ta e i n n l l d y . is' liel l '' lo th estomach ? ln my judgment .4( ) ,,, a. eas ,, Af r ver, I t.i.,.!. would not all be absorbed. If it were, en t h Sero a `"K we should find it . in the blood. d ° se c oats nt ghee : Do you think it . might b n e nw dlt n e g c t te h d e b, l e I s of the stomach? Witness . Notk tt.le4etl. erleeeeht., lay. I should . think it probable that it t of the man having l ifte- us icler a l,7"ot form any opinion as to whether . it died 14, on e ~,te nose from the fact Thi of th e ,• ' ' " ion v'r°zYsna and in an hour and a half from the 1,, a3 s eioseA .toison. I,, a 'bout to ' r t, e e xamination of the witness, and as he ~i , rd ea_ ,eLurn, to ' th e b`uPbell said: I cannot allow this gentleman to 144 " in , wi'hout ex ressin. my satisfaction at the k t ,"Y Ni - inlet), he h g p * n 11* - is evidence. ' I 'til t'. -aron Alderson tv • e l cannot tell how the poison k r. p o it is mon . tie. • Part.... t a k en. It first passes into the blo?d. rac. 1 „- 4 3 k ,'l"ge, examined by Mr. Grove: I am 11PCol -4,l:iti T_ ,i i s - "arvgeeohneand professor of anatomy . at King's i n 4 °Ms o r cook d he evid th en e c p e es i t n m t o h rt i e s m c e a x se am i n t a o tin th n e , 4D ine InR that Po a t t il e ii vrleo ' hli ;%l,, __ we o? relativet? think it examination of the e jth"oPuild bile is, it very proper that 1 2 , 1 1 1 4 i l e ttl e am tl in a e t d. I heard the. statemen nu t le a s s granules that were found. Such . ra hiv e h 9 ve ry likely to cause inflammation. g lf there nid h ate bee'oriaaarl,,Y,len.flamniation in the spinal cord, it co I t, " v bee n , s e e ted after death, but , I do not think it could o ti 'tree x„Csleenovered after so lon., a_ _period as nine weeks. co‘, Se rd that such a case myself, but such cases are N at . alsions. such inflammation has produced tetanic p 1 . 41 01 .4 of the I rah eni t r a an se es is o_ alled meiningitis (indai.n ..dis:. f c the brain). That t i e h lv, e h1):::?1,;e0e.,s convulsion and . death. From . vihat tr i k e l i e " 41 '4 of Cook's case form any opinion as variety of contraction it * ti 4l l 4 ro e r n e ar t t r t. dea i ea th th : and e n a o . y . t n o g nelusion can solely be p ki then mergly to the ir)114,: BYibptoms I w h as ave heard described in this case. er, I found the head thrown back in the way described, I should infer that death occurred from that form of tetanic convulsion which produces contraction of the muscles of the bank. Every variety of contraction is shown in a death from natural causes. The contraction of the hands and fingers in the mode described is not uncommon after death from natural causeis. The feet are generally pointed, and the degree of arcrffng of the feet in this case seems to me to have been rather more than usual. Cross-examined by the Attorney-General : I understood the granules to be in the outer or fibrous membrane of the spinal cord ? These granules are not common, but they exist sometimes. They may exist consistently with health. The disease producing convulsions has not come person ally under my notice; it is a rare thing. The cases have varied in duration, but they have generally extended over dap. If the patient lives, the disease is accompanied by paralysis. It produces an effect upon the brain. It is called arachnitis. The size of the granules has varied. SuppoSing in examination after death, at a longer period than in the prevent case, and there had been no examina tion of the spinal cord, 'f4 ay for nine months, it was im possible for the spinal cord to have remained in its integrity. This examination was made by four medical men, and they would be more competent to form an opinion than I could, as to whether decomposition had commenced. _ _ _ The AttOrney-General : Did you ever read of a case in which the patient died after a single convulsion of this nature ? Witness : Yes. There are no concomitant „and a man could not have 24 hours of comple'e There would be great pain and spasms—they are concomitant symptons. _ symptom' repose The Attorney-General: I am taking the disease and following its natural course ; would the patient be affected in any other respect than by convulsions ? The Witness : THE NORTHERN I am not The Attorney-General : In the interval between the convulsions, what would you expect to find his state ? The Witness : Suffering pain and uneasiness, according to the power with which the muscle's were convulsed. Pain in the back—that is usual. The Attorney-General! You would not expect complete repose and freedom, both from convulsions and pain for 24 hours ? The Witness : No. The Attorney-General : You have heard the symptoms stated, I presume, of his state from midnight on Monday to Tuesday night. Now, I ask you, as a medical man, whether you believe under the circumstance.; that he died from tetanus ? Witness : I should think not, my lord. The Attorney General There are one or two symptoms in Cooke's case which might be common to other forms of death,. such as clenching of the hands. Did you ever know, in a case of tetanus, of the hands being completely closed after death ? Witness No. The Attorney-General Have you ever known it even of a case of idiopathic or traumatic tetanus; have you ever known the hands and feet to be clenched, so that the fingers are pressed down into the hollow of the hand ? Witness ; I have seen the hand clenched—completely clenched in the case of traumatic tetanus. KiThe Attorney-General (tightly clenching his hand) As mine is now ? Witness : Not so much as that'; but they (the fingers) often require a good deal of force to open them. _ . V Yl - )e Attorney-General: You say the arching of the feet invariably takes place, in death; did you ever see them so distorted as to appear like a club foot ? Witness : Never 1. The Attorney-General : You have heard the description given by Mr. Jones that, when this man died, the bo:ly was so bowed that, if it had been turned over on the back, it would have rested on its head and feet ; have you any doubt that that indicates death by tetanus? Witness : No, I have not, and I should , not expect it in ordinary tetanus. The Attorney-General: Nowyou acknowledge to having heard and attended to the description given by Mr. Jones from the moment the paroxysms set in up to the time that Cook died; is it clear to you that those symptoms are not those of death bystrychnii. ? Witness : Some are consis tent, others are inconsistent with ordinary tetanus. The Attorney-General : The question I ask you is this, whether the symptoms—describing them—whether these symptoms are not in accordance with what you know of death by strychnia. ? Witness : Decidedly. (Sensation.) The Attorney-General : You have known, of your own experience, cases of traumatic tetanus ? Do you not know that the symptoms are progressive and gradual, and never wholly terminate until death ? Witness : I do. Traumatic tetanns•doei not produce death for three or 'four days. If death resulted in two hours, I should consider it probable that there hasrbeen premonitory symptoms. I have never witnessed a'cleith from strychnine, - In all my experience I have never known such symptoms, as Cook's are described to have been; arise from natural causes. The Attorney-General : 'Before I sit down I will ask you whether . you have ever known such a disease as that. described (in Cook's case) to have proceeded from natural causes ? Witness : Never. Re examined by Mr. Grove : Several of those symptoms, such as sitting up in bed, and beating the bed, are, in my opinion, inconsistent with death by strychnia, as are also the sudden cessation of the convulsions and apparent sudden recovery In the mole in which the attack come in, there was apparently an absence of the usual nervous and.muscular agitation as premonitory symptoms. The curving of the foot might indicate tetanic convulsions, caused either by poison or arising without poison. I only know by reading iptoms of tetanic convulsions arising from injury to vtry in their character—in their degrees of violence, in the periods of their intermission, and in the muscles attacked. Intermission of the convulsions I knosi occurs in traumatic tetanus, but it is not frequent. I cannot recollect whether death after forty eight hours is' a common occurrence. Granules in the Tine are more un— usual in young people than in old, 'but I don't know that they are more indicative of disease. Ido not know that the spine would preserve its integuity so long as nine weeks after death, so as to afford means for a proper examination. I would not feel myself justified in interring that there was no disease by examining it after that space of time and finding no traces of disease. Decomposition sets in at various periods, from two hours to two days, accord ing to the temperature. Ido not think it in the least probable that the spine could remain for nine weeks unde- Composed. At the suggestion of the Attorney-General, Lord Camp bell asked the witness : Supposing the stomach were not acted on by other causes, would sickness be inconsistent with tetanus ? Witness I think not Mr. John Gay, examined by Mr. Gray : I am a fellow of the Royal. College of Surgeons. I have been for 17 or 18 years hospital surgeon to the 'Royal Free Hospital; had a case of traumatic tetanus in a boy under my observation in 1843. He was brought in to the hospital during the time of his illness—on the 29th July, and died on the 2nd of August, The accident from which it arose occurred about a week before he was brought in. During the first three days after I saw him, he had the usual paroxysms with un usual severity. He could not open his month when he was brought in, and had great pain and stiffness about the neck. During the first night, he started up and was convulsed. During the following night he appeared con vulsed at times. The abdominal muscles, as well as those of the neck and back, had become rigid cluing the night. The muscles of the face were also in a state of great contraction. On the following morning—the third—the muscles remained in the same state. At two o'clock I found there was much less rigidity of the muscles, especially those of the abdo men and the back. The following morning the muscular rigidity had gone. He opened his mouth as wide as usual, and talked and appeared thoroughly relieved. He asked his nurse to change his linen, and while she was about to do so, violent convulsions of the arms and face came on, and he died in a few minutes. About thirty hours had elapsed between the convulsions, of which be immediately died, and the convulsions that had preceded them. The rigidity bad been completely relaxed before that, but con vulsion came on. I had given the patient a small dose of tartar emetic on the second day, in order to produce vomiting.. It produced no effect, and on the following tlay I gave him a larger dose, but did not again repeat it. Cross-examined by the Attorney-General : The accident which caused the tetanus in this case was the falling of a large stone on the little toe of the left foot, which com pletely smashed it. The wound had become very unhealthy. I amputated the toe. When I saw him the mouth was almost closed up. His jaw was closed when I administered the tartar emetic to him, but I managed to get the emetic in. The convulsions appears to have ceased during the day, with the exception of rigidity of the muscle§. The muscles of the abdomen, chest, back, and neck, were all rigid, and continued so during the two days on which I administered the tartar emetic. The rigidity of the muscles of the chest and stomach would, I believe, go far to - prevent vomiting. I suppose the 'tartar emetic would have produced its ordi nary result bat for the rigidity of these muscles. The rigidity began to subside on the Ist August, and bad en tirely gone off by the time the last convulsion occurred. The nurse set him up in bed in order to change his linen. I do not think that in that operation the injured toe was brought into contact with anything to cause the recarrence of the convulsions. It might be so ; but I think there must be some action set spin the spinal cord from the nerves of the original seat of the injury, which action con tinues and causes the recurrence of the convulsions. I have no doubt that the laceration of the toe was the first cause of the disease. Re-examined by Mr. G r ay : The cause of that irritation of the spinal cord. of which I have spoken mar, I. think, be very various. I think it wo u ld b e ex t reme ly difficult, if not impossible, without some other evidence than the appearance' of the symptoms, to decide the caus e of t e t an ic convulsions, fuither than they arise from some irritation of the spinal cord. ;Dr. Wanald was next called, and examined by Mr. Seneally : I am a licentiate 'of the Royal College of Sur geons of Edinburgh. I have been in practice for a numb e r of years, and have bad cases of trumatic and idiopathic tetanus. I have seen two cases of idiopathic. I have also Made experiments. Tetanus will proceed from slight causes. Any internal alterations of the secretions will produce it. Exposure to cold would produce it. Mental excitement will also cause tetanic convulsions. Sensual excitement will produce tetanus. : Granules in any part of the body con nected with the n ervous struc t ure might produce it. Tetanic e produced by means yet undiscoverable by human science. There' is some obscurity about the disease. Many post mortem exami na ti ons have taken place in cases of death by tetanus, and no cause of disease has been discovered. Strychnia is ea sily discoverable. In the case of Catherine Watson I was fo r tunate to cure her, and she i s at present in court. [The witness here read the causes ar TIMES.---LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY. minutes of the case which he had made at the time.] In that case there was a lock-jaw ; it occurred about the middle of the attack, but she was able to speak. In acute idiopathic cases' it is a la'e symptom. I have had a patient, named Copeland, who had been attacked with idiopathic tetanus under my care ; there was an external cause. Death took place in somewhat less than half an hour. I have made a lumber of experiments on animals with respect to strychnia td have found the post mortem examinations ery generally to concur. The membranes of the brain are highly congested, the sinus gorged with blood, and in one case I had hemorrhage from the nostril. I have cut through the substance of the brain and found nu melons red spots; these are the general results. The lungs of those animals had been either collapsed or con gested, the heart invariably filled on the right side and very often on the left. The liver has been congested and the kidneys normal ; the spleen in a natural condition. The vessels of the stomach I have also found congested on the outside surface. On the mucous or inner side I found them filled with blood, the vessels of the membrane of the spinal cord congested, also with sometimes red points cutting into the spinal cord. The appearances of post mortem exa minations are always a true test of the cause of death. I have experimentalised in a great many cases of strych nia. If you kill an animal with a grain of strychnia you may discover traces of it that is evidence of its presence. -1000th part of a grain will kill, and that can be poisons, The 50 f id if in the body. I ha - ve actually experimented so as to discover that quantity. The theory of the decomposition of strychnia, as propounded by Dr. A. Taylor, is quite new. The first time I ever heard of it was in the ciurt. There is no well founded reason, in my opinion, for such a theory. I have proved it by numerous experiments. I have taken the blood of an animal poisoned with two grains of strychnia, about the least quantity that would desiroy it, and have injected it into the abdominal cavities of smaller animals, and have destroyed them with all the symptoms, and post mortem appearances of deaths by strychnia. It would make no difference, I should think, in fin ing strychnia, how it was administered. If the pills containing it were bard, and not easily dissolved, it would be easier to find. I differ from Dr. A. Taylor relative to his colour tests. I believe them to be reliable tests for finding strychnia. I have found it invariably in urine that has been ejected by the animals that have taken it, part of it is thrown off by the watery ekecretions. Strychnine cannot be confounded with salacine or anthyne. An increased flow of saliva is a very marked symptom, so is susceptibility of touch in all caves. A slight touch, or a sharp word will produce violent convulsions. They are recognised as chronic convulsions, :a stiffening of the ' arms. A man who had taken strychnine, having his neck rubbed before the paroxysms came on, would be likely to be thrown into convulsions if the first symptoms of poisoning had commenced. It would not give him any' relief. I think it very improbable that a man under the influence of strychnia could pull a bell violently. I agree with Dr. Herapath that strychnia could be found. I have heard the symptoms in Cook's case described, but do not attach much importance to them, as I have seen symptoms developed from other causes. A dose strong enough to destroy life at one paroxysm would not take an hour and a half to manifest itself. In my opinion death arose from epileptic convulsions with tetanic complications. The post modem appearances in Cook's case being so different from those which I have observed in cases of strychnine poisoning, that I do not suppose that a dose sufficient to destroy life in one paroxysm could not, so far as I am aware, require even an hour to manifest its effects. The interval of repose from Monday to Tuesday was, in his opinion, important as to the epileptic nature of the convulsions, as in epilepsy the recurrence of the fit generally comes on about the same hour. Any of the causes which - I have here heard described,. such as cold, the excitement upon the race course, and the vomiting, might have produced the symptoms and death which has been described in Cook's case. The Court hera adjourned. On the return of the judges, ' The Attorney-General proceeded with the cross exami nation of the witness. He had [spoken of the causes of tetanus, but he had only seen two eases. What he had told them about mental and sensual excitement and such things had not come under his own observation. The patient, Catherine Watson, had gone about her duties until within a short time of her attack. He was applied to in this (Cook's) case in January. Witness communicated to Mr. Smith, Palmer's solici tor, this .case of Catherine Watson. He had been in the court since the commencement of the trial, and had been at consultations in the evening. He began a series of ex periments for this case in January, and made a report nine or ten days ago. He had experimented on dogs, cats, and fowls. He administered three-quarters of a grain to two grains. He had tried to destroy a dog with half a grain of strychnine, but it did not answer. He had had two cases of traumatic tetanus In his own prac tice, and others in hospitals. They lasted six or seven days. So far as he could judge Cook's death was caused by epileptic convulsions with tetanic complications. Noboby could tell what epilepsy proceeded from, and he had no theory upon ;the subject. He had known of only one death from epilepsy. He did not know of any person who had died from epilepsy being conscious st the time of death. Lord Campbell: Is death from epileptic convulsions with tetanic complications a disease known to medical men ? Witness : To all medical men. It may be found in Copland's Medical Dictionary. Cross-examined : Mental excitement might have caused Cook's convulsive attacks. That was in the range of probability. He had never known sensual excitement produce epilepsy. The Attorney-General subjected the witness to a rigid cross-examination upon this point, and the singular and not altogether intelligible answers of the witness con vulsed the court with laughter, in wh:ch the judges, and even the prisoner (Palmer) himself, _could not help joining. Mr. Baron Alderson : I heard clapping in the court. When a man is on trial for his life, it is a frightful thing. Re-examined by Mr. Sergeant Shee : He knew from an extensive reading, that ;epilepsy frequently occurred without destroying the consciousness of th) patient The attack frequently come on in bed, and was accorn panied with tetanic convulsions. It very often happened that a person might have an attack of epilepsy at night, and yet be quite well all the next day. It was very usual, when an adult was seized with epilepsy for the first time, for him to have a succession of attacks. He should infix from the fact that Cook woke up in middle of the night and said he had been mad for two hours, that he had been seized with some sud den spasms. If there were no such spasms he should infer that he was labouring under some nervous disorder, some disturbance of the brain. Dr. J. Bainbridge, examined by Mr. Grove, said he was medical officer at St. Martin's Workhouse. He had had much experince in convulsive disorders, which admitted of great variety in the symptoms. Some of these convulsive attacks came on at regular periods, and it was impossible in the most experienced medical men to say where ordinary convulsions ended and tetanic con vulsions began. Epileptic convulsions were often accom panied with tetanic convulsions. - Mr. E. Austen Steady, a surgeon of Chatham, said that in 1854 he attended a woman named Taylor, for trismus and opisthotomos pleurusthotomos. The attack continued for a fortnight, when she appeared to get better and walked about. In twelve months after wards she was seized again. She recovered and was still alive. It appeared that the patient had some quarrel with her husband, and the attack was caused by excite ment. Cross-examined by Mr. James, Q.C. : He learned that during the quarrel she had a blow on her side. There were no external appearance of that blow. Dr. Robinson was next called, and said he was a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, and Physician to the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospital. He had practised as a physicians ten years. Be had heard the whole of the evidence in this case. From the symptoms described he believed that Jook died from tetanic con vulsions or, rather, from convulsions resembling te. tames. The convulsions of epilepsy sometimes assumed a tetanic form. There was no department of pathology which was more obscure than that of convulsive disorders, and it was frequently impossible to trace their causes. Gritty granules in the spinal cord would tend to produce convulsive disease?. These convulsions might resemble those in Cook's case. He had turned his attention to strychnine. He had witnessed some experiments, and had performed a few. Cross-examined by the Attorney General : He had seen twenty cases of epilepsy which had assumed a tetanic form. Ho had never seen rigidity from epilepsy so strong that the body would rest upon its head and heels, if placed with the face upwards. He thought that any exciting cause might bring on the attack. He had never known any case of epilepsy produce snoh results as those described in the case of Cook. The sudden paryoxsms of the body, the stiffened body, and other symptoms described in Cook's case, were consistent with po i son by strychnine, but they were common to other diseases. Some of the symptoms were also inconsistent with epilepsy. By Mr. Sergeant Slice : Assuming that it was epilepsy, he should say th) last attack was when Mr. Cook sat up in bed. - Dr. Richardson was called, and examined by Mr. Sergeant Shre : He said he was a physician, practising in London. He had never seen a case of tetanus, properly so called, but he had seen a considerable number of deaths by convulsions. He had seen those convulsions assume a tetanic form, without • being strictly speaking tetanus. In those cases he had seen the muscles fixed, and the arms stiffened out, the hands firmly and closely clenched until death, a sense of suffocation in the pa'ient. He had seen contortions of the feet in some of these convulsions. Ho had known persons die of angina pectoris. The symptoms of that disease when it proved fatal resembled very closely those that attended the death of Cook. In November, 1850, a girl, ten years of age, was under his • care. He supposed that she had had a slight attack of scarlet fever. She re covered so far that his visits ceased on the 26th of No vember. Ho left her in the morning amused and merry. At half-past ten in the evening lie was called in to see her. He found her dying. She was supported upright by her sister. She was pale; the muscles of the face rigid, the eyes staring, the respiratory muscles fixed and rigid ; and with all this was combined au intense agony and restlessness sueh as he had never witnessed. There was perfect conscious- T 'he child knew witness, and eagerly took from his hand some brandy and water. He went out for the purpose of obtaining chloroform, and on returning in a few minutes her head was drawn back, and he could detect no respiration. The eyes were fixed open, and the body resembled a statue. She was dead. On the follow• ing day he made a post mortem examination. The brain was slightly congested. The upper part of the spinal cord seemed healthy. The lungs had collapsed. The heart was in such a state of firm spasmodic contraction, and was so perfectly free from blood, and be remarked it might have been washed out. He could not account for death except by a slight serum in some of the cavities. The account received from the parent was that the child had leaped into bed quite merrily, then jumped up again, and exclaimed, " I am going to die." By the Attorney-General : He believed that was a case of angina pectoris, and he was supported by the best autho rities. It was quite an open question amongst medical men bow angina pectoris arose. Some had attributed it to a disease of the coronary arteries, to a disease of the valves of the heart, and there had been many cases lately where there had been no discovered cause. It was called angina pectoris (anguish of the breast) because persons labouring under it, felt as though their chests were placed in a vice. The symptoms of angina pectoris and of strychnine were so aiike, that it would hill the most carefnl observer to distinguish the one from the other. As regards symptoms he knew no difference. When he had a case in which he could not refer the result to one cause more than another, he would go upon the chemical analysis. There were no premonitory symptoms, and as a general rule he had never seen more than one paroxysm in angina. By Mr. Sergeant Shee : He had seen a patient appear to recover frona an attack of angina pectoris, and then have another attack in 24 hours. He should say that the symptoms like angina pectoris than poison in Cook's can were more by strychnine, Dr. Wrightson was recalled, and said that iu his opinion, when the strychnine poison was wholly absorbed, it was diffused cqua'ly throughout the entire system. The diffusion would depend upon the rapidity with which death took place after the absorptio By the Attorney General : The absorption would be more likely to be complete in the event of a tong interval elapsing between taking the poison and death. If the minimum dose which would estroy life were taken, the less the chance would be of finding it in the stomach, Mr. Baron Alderson : I suppose he would look for it else where ? Witness : Yes. in the spleen, the Ever, and the blood Catherine Watson, examined by Mr. Grove, said : She lived at Garnkirk, in Scotland, and was there last October, She had no wound on her body, and had taken no poison. Cross-examined:by the Attorney-General : She was at eleven o'clock at night. She had felt herself heavy all day Her illness came on with pain in the stomach. Then she had cramps in her arm. Then she became so ill that she was was insensible. She had not felt any pain since. The only thing she remembered was being bled. As there was no other witness ready, the court at six o'clock adjourned until to-morrow. It is expected that the case for the defence will close about three o'clock to-morrow (this day) that, the Attorney General will then reply, and that Lord Campbell will defer his summing up until Monday. ,t tacked As soon as the court was closed it was re-opened, and, on the application of the Attorney General, William Saunders, the trainer, was called upon by subpzena, and a telegraphic message was directed to be sent to him. POLICE COURT .-YESTERDAY, .-_ESTERDAY, (BEFORE MR. SANDS.) GAROTTE ROBBERY.---A fellow named Edward Whitehead, was charged with having robbed a stranger named Henry Ward, of a gold ring and gold guard chain. The prisoner, with two other persons got the prosecutor into a passage in Thurlow street, " garotted" him, and took a gold ring from off his neck tie, and his guard from off his neck. The other two persons got away, but the prisoner was captured and the guard found in his possession. Remanded. FALSE DECLAUATION.—A young sailor, named Thomas Lapelley, was sent for trial for having made a false declaration in the following respect. He bad a watch pledged and he sold the ticket to a woman, and then made a deelaration that be lost the ticket with the view of getting out the watch, but the imposition was discovered, and the prisoner was given into cus tody. AN AFFECTIONATE WIFE.--John Addison, late in the employment of Messrs. Lawrence and Daniels, the engine works, Boundary street, was charged with having stolen tools belonging to his employers. It appeared that before Good Friday last, the prisoner was discharged from the service, and on Thursday a woman called an officer and gave him a "cold chisel," which she said her husband (the prisoner) had stolen from his employ ers; it had the name of the firm marked on it. Mr, Bluck. for the prisoner, elicited the fact, that the woman who gave the information was the wife of the prisoner, but that sho had been separated for a long time. Mr. Bluck submitted that the woman had done the thing out of spite. The prisoner was discharged. (DEFORR TER. MANSFIELD.) SPORT f—A young gentleman, who gave his name as Duncan Gibb, was charged by police-officer No. 141 for being disorderly. In reply to Mr. Mansfield, the constable said he saw the pi isoner, with some other persons, leaving a house of ill-repute, in Finch street, the previous night. T!iey were very disorderly, and created a row;_ they knocked at doors, and had the street in an uproar. He advised them to go away, and the others did so ; but the psi -oner refused, and he was then taken into custody. He was drunk at the time. Mr. Mansfield would not offer any observation on the conduct of the prisoner, but fined him 5s and costs, which he at once paid. COURT OF BANKRUPTCY-YESTERDAY (BTFORE MR. C)MMISSIONER STEPHENSON In re' HENRY J. GUMMON.—In this case the bankrupt had been a builder at Wrexham, and came up for his certificate hearing. Mr. Evans supported, and Mr. Aspinall opposed the granting of the certificate.. After some arguments on both sides, the case was further adjourned to Wednesday next. In re J. V. BLEAKE.—In this case the meeting was for certificate The bankrupt was a general agent. his Honour, after hearing the arguments, suspended the ortificate for six months, and then to be of a second class. THE CRIMEA The Times correspondent, writing May 8, says—The appearance of scurvy in some regiments—notwithstand ing that there is more fresh meat supplied than salt, and vegetables are abundant—is considered very extraordi nary. Colonel M'Murdo has found at Trebizonde a market for his best horses and mules. The Russians have established a rigid quarantine in the Sea of AzofT. The general orders received by the mail this morning are chiefly filled with regulations concerning the re embarkation of the army. The Bth Hussars and 7th Lancers have embarked for England • the 3rd regiment was to embark in the Adelaide. The leaves of absence are numerous. Regulations are at length given for the distribution of the military medals, given by the Emperor of the French, for non-commissioned officers and privetes of the English army. The Post sees no political objection to the alliance between the young Prince of Prussia and the Princess Royal. The Prince is not answerable for the errors of the Prussian Court. He and his father are alike adverse to the party which has recently possessed court influence at Berlin. Prussia is the first and most considerable country with which it is in the power of our royal family to connect itself; and it is a good thing to step forth from that eternal circle of small powers which have long been rendered ridiculous. The Ddly News, in reference to the debate on the maritime law, last night, is glad to announce that com mon sense and common humanity triumphed. Accord ing to the opposition, robbery of the defenceless. and plunder of the unarmed is not cruel, cowardly, or un christianlike, provided it be perpetrated out of sight of land. Because their ancestors of Norman blood were thorough-going pirates it is honourable, and, indeed, rather a proof of high breeding, to encourage wholesale larceny on the high seas. The Daily News attributes the ministerial majority partly to Lord Clarendon having shown that the principle adopted at the Paris Congress had been acted on repeatedly and in a great majority of instances. THE SUSPECTED CASE OF POISONING AT ASHTON.—The adjourned inquest on Emma Stott was resumed on Thursday afternoon, before Mr. Rutter, county coroner. The coroner having called over thq names of the jury, said to the chief constable: Mr. Buckley, have you been enabled to discover any additional evidence ? Mr. Buckley: I have not, sir. The coroner then turned to the foreman of the jury, and said that he could not see that they could, under the cir cumstances, come to any other conclusion than that which he recommended at the , previous enquiry, namely, that they should return an open verdict, that the deceased Emma Stott died from the effect of poison, but how, when, or by whom administered, there was no evidence to show. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the suggestion of the coroner, and the prisoner was taken away in the custody of the police, to meet the charge of attempting to poison her husband. CORONERS INQUESTS. —Yesterday the coroner held the following inquests :—On the body of George Lewis, a boy, aged 8 years, who was killed on the railway, near Sandhills bridge. The affair was purely one of accident, and the jury ~found accordingly.—On the body of Samuel Gaskin, aged 43 years, a hair-dresser, who resided at No. 21, Mansfield- street, and who died suddenly. The deceased had been addicted to drink, and it seemed that death followed a fit, which took -place after a "heavy bout of drinking." The jury found a verdict of "died of excessive drinking".—On the body of Hugh Hughes, aged 18 years (an apprentice to a ship builder), who was attacked by scarletina last Sunday. It was supposed that the deceased caught the infect'on from a child who died of the same disorder. The inquest was adjourned to this day in order to have the evidence of a medical gentleman in the case. GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY, Some time since we published some extracts from the Canadian papers in reference to this railway, which rather 1 reflect-d upon the contractors, whom, it was alleged, had 1 broken faith with the Provincial Government. We subjoin a letter from Mr. Brassey, from the Toronto Leader, which throws a different light upon the affair, and in lefereeee to which the Leader makes the following remarks : " It is proper that in this p'ace we should draw attention to the explicit statement Mr. Brassey has given of the relation which his firm has sustained towards the province from the period when they became contractors for the line from Toronto to Montreal. As capitalists, Messrs. Brassey and Co. undertook to furnish means towards the completion of that work to the extent of £1,965,000; and that there has been no failure in this part of their agreement, Mr. Brassey nial:es apparent by drawing attention to the fact—which should certainly constitute in itself an answer to every word which has been uttered against the contractors—that under the new covenants, extending the Grand Trunk line, ho and his partners raised no less a sum than £4,950,900, of which they hold themselves in shares and second class bonds of £794,000. The extent of the provincial guarantee under the present contract, Mr. Brassey also brings into notice ; and we do think that no one who examines his figures can fail to see how unjustly the contracting capitalists have been charged with speculating on the credit of the province. While the entire amount of the province guarantee to the Grand Trunk is £3,111,500 ; £117,500 was voted to works with the con struction of which the present contractor: had nothing what ever to do ; and the additional sum of £900,000 voted last year merely constituted an (quivalcnt for expenditures incurred on the St. Lawrence and Atlantic road, and provided for out of appropriations to other works. By the act which disturbed the provincial guarantee over the whole of the company's works, a still further sum of £291,000 was deducted from the part of the line contracted for by Messrs. Brassey and Co. So that the actual guarantee, upon the strength of which the contracting capitalists were enabled to raise means in England for the Grand Trunk, was only £1.203,000—an amount little in excess of that which they now hold in the shape of shares and second class company's bonds. Let us here draw attention likewise to the distinct announcement of Mr. Brassey, that he and his partners seek no relief from the covenants under which they are bound. Although from the ex , raordinary pressure to which the company has been subjected in England, during the last two years, it has often been unable to meet its engage ments with the contractors—and although the amount which has thus been overdue was sometimes nearly half a million— a sum which would have sunk half a dozen of the wealthiest contracting firtns on this continent—yet the works have in no case been delayed, There has not even been a temporary suspension. But Messrs. Brassey & Co. bid fair to have their contract completed at least twelve months in advance of the period to which their covenant hinds them. It is characteristic of an English community to treat honesty and fair-dealing like this with churlishness and abuse ? We put the question to the sober and intelligent people of the country. We appeal not to mere political gamblers, to charac terless ministers, nor eager expectants of office. But recog nising the truth of the dramatist's reflection, that the great soul of the world is just—we appeal to those who have made this country what it is, in spite of social intrigues and official i misrule. By their verdict we are prepared to abide." The following is a copy of Mr. Brassey's letter . Toronto, 25th April, 1856. THE HONOURABLE JOHN ROSS. Sir,—The circumstances in which, on our arrival in this country, we find the Grand Trunk Railway Company, and the very important results that must flow from the decision to be arrived at by the public and the government in regard to this undertaking within the next few weeks, warrant us in address ing to you, for the purpose of publicity, certain statements bearing upon our first connection with Canada, and upon our present position and responsibilities implied and expressed towards the province, and to the company over which you preside. We do not desire to occupy your attention with any unneces sary recital of facts—but in support of our own position, and as evidence of our uniform and unwavering efforts to fulfil our engagements, we must briefly sketch out the circumstances which led to our connection with this province. In the spring of 1852, whe❑ the Hon. Mr. Hincks was i❑ London on a mission connected with the proposed Inter national Railway from Quebec to Halifax. our firm was in communication with the Directors of the Quebec and Rich mond Railway. Mr. Ilineks was thus brought into contact with us, and subsequently when that gentleman believed that no adequate support was to he given to the proposed national work by the Imperial Government, he sought our aid with the view of undertaking those works of international communica tion in Canada, required, in his opinion, to develope the grow. ing wealth and resources of the province. We thus placed ourselves in communication with the Premier and Finance Minister of Canada, believing that further knowledge in England of the increasing prosperity of the province was only required to secure for its undertakings at least an equal support to that given to American enterprises. We take no credit to ourselves for an appreciation of Canadf, which was probably first induced by a regard to our own interests ; but we may fairly say, that whatever our original cause of interest in this province, we ought not to be blamed it we have sought to find here that which we could, without a doubt, have secured on the Continent of Europe or from any of the Western Ameri can States. And if we may not be entitled to consideration, we feel that it should not be charged against us that we selected Canada, with any other view than that of thriving ourselves by the prosperity of the province. Our intercourse with Mr. Hincks resulted in our undertak ing to make an inspection of the line from Montreal to Toronto, and, if satisfactoty, an offer to construct the same. This was done, and, without troublingyou with details, it resulted in as offer on our part to construct the road from Montreal to Toronto, conditional on our receiving provincial aid to tbo amount of £3,100 sterling per mile. Our proposal encountered much opposition, and our partner, Mr. Jackson, finally I;ft this country without any specific settlement of the disputes of the contending parties. On Mr. Jackson's departure, the difficulty of overcoming the legal objections to the course proposed, and the belief of the parties interested that the time had arrived for such a com bination of existing railway interests in Canada, as would afford this country the advantages of one uniform railway system, and an avoidance of the evils of general competition, induced Mr. Hincks to agree to accept a relinquishment of the previous charters, and to contemplate the construction of a railway bridge at Montreal, with an amalgamation of the line from Toronto to Montreal with the line from thence towards Portland, which had already received provincial aid to the amount of nearly half a million sterling. You, sir, had then proceeded to England to complete the arrangements with our firm, and advices were soon received from Mr. Hincks of the nature of the misunderstanding come to in Canada, and of his wish that we should consent to modify our terms in conformity. This we bad no other hesi tation in doing, than in the fact, that we had partial engage ments to the Quebec and Richmond Company ; and, as we had stated, to the Line from Montreal to Toronto, which together involved as large ergagemonts as we wished to under take. We also doubted the propriety of undertaking a work so expensive as the Victoria Bridge upon an extent of mileage no greater than the Toronto Road ; while we felt that to give the scheme an acceptable character with the public, it must hear, first, the assurance of being a complete work, connecting the fertile and prolific regions of the West with the Ocean ; and secondly, such a relatio❑ to the general interests of the Provinces as would justify us in associating its prospects with the growing prosperity and advance of the Country, and also with the political connections of Canada with the Lower Provinces. We do not state these matters as subjects weighing on our own minds, hut as facts known to you, when representing the province in the arrangements referred to ; and we wish to recall to your attention, that in considering the propriety of the general amalgamation, your design was, at least, so much to serve great public objects, as to place the project in a favoura ble light before the English public. You will, therefore, remember that, at this period, the negociations broken off by Mr. Hincks, were renewed by you with the colonial secretary, and that we had every reason to believe that the British government would furnish such aid as would complete, not merely the line from Trois Pistoles to Frederick'on, but also place the whole line to Halifax on a perfect footing, with such arrangements with the Cunard mail service, as would have ensured certain results to the more eastern section of the streat Grand Trunk scheme, which, from Quebec to Trois Pistoles, would not otherwise have bee❑ undertaken. The negociations to which we refer were conducted by you, and we think that you will hear out our statement that both you and we had reason to believe the Imperial government would adopt your views. We will only add that, while a conviction of the necessity of immediate action, caused the anticipation of their decision, by the issue of the Grand Trunk prospectus, still nothing but the prospect of war prevented the completion of the intention then held by the government of Great Britain. Under the view we have stated, of the importlnce attached by Mr. Hincks to one uniform railway system throughout the province, you are aware the promoters of the company con sented, in March, 1853, to accept the Toronto and Sarnia line, as giving the Grand Trunk company a western connection ; hut in the construction of this section we have never had any interest whatever. By these statements we bring down the position we held towards the province to this—that our difinitive promise was to raise means for completing the line from Toronto to Mon treal, on receiving aid to the amount of £3,000 per mile, and that the other engneements entered into were not solely fraught with profit to us, nor properly included in our original propo , ,i. tions. Taking the cost of the road from Toronto to Montreal as undcr our contract Lots provincial aid .43,000,000 .. 1,082,000 We engage to raise In ono form or another to fulfil our engagements. L 1,965,000 We wish this point to be clearly understood, because, the difficulties of the company are generally attributed to failure on our part, rather than, as is really the case, to the introduction of other schemes of importance to the province, hut yielding us no positive advantage beyond that which we always regarded as very great, of having the whole work looked upon as a national undertaking. We shall now proceed to show what we have ourselves done in comp t .etion of our engagements, and how far we have shared with the province in the efforts necesslry to carry through an undertaking with which we had identified ourselves. As we have already shown, the amount of private capital required for the original scheme was £1,965,000, the amount raised has been £4,930,900, of which we now retain no less than £794,000. If, therefore, the province have increased their a d by £900,000, or less than one half their original we, with the other shareholders, have raised nearly thr?e times the Omani. we originally contemplated. Under our original plan we were to build 345 miles of railway. By the realised plan—there are contemplated, or will be this year, 40 miles below Quebec, and 445 miles, froru Montreal to Stratford, with a large expeudi!ure upon the Vic toria Bridge, as well as an outlay of £900,000 upon the line fir:au Montreal to Portl an d. S o . far, therefore, from there being any just charge against us of having failed to fulfil our promises to the province, we nr , y fairly take credit foe very much more having been done than was originally intended, and if disappointment have ensued, we, at least, equally share in it. We wish, now, to refer more particulary to our present rela tions with the Company under our contracts. We seek no relief from those contracts; but we think, all things consid ered, justice requires that we should not be charged with a failure in our engagements, either implied or express, towards the Province of the Company, unless it can be clearly shown. In entering upon this branch of the subject, we wish to recall to the attention of the Public, that of the amount of Pro vncial aid given to the Grand Trunk Railway, amounting in all to The following amounts had been granted previously to our connection with the Government through Mr Hincks, viz £3,111,500 St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad.. £467,500 Quebec and Richmond And the amount of aid gtanted last Session, was not for works in whicli we were in the sligh'est degree interesteil, hut to replace capital originally intena.4 for our works,and abstracted to complete necessary outlays on the line from Mon treal to Portland By the Act distributing the Provincial aid over the entire expenditure of the Company (passed in November, 1834), the guarantee originally granted for our line to Trois Pistoles, was transferred to the line from Toronto to Stratford, in which we had no interest whatever. Thus making a further diversion of Provincial aid from our works of £3,000 per mile, on 97 miles, or „ 250,000 900,000 291,000 1,903,500 Thus leaving only of the entire aid provided by the province, which has really been applicable to the following works embraced in our con tracts and which entitled the province to expect from us the completion of forty miles below Quebec, and the line frnti Montreal to Toronto. Of this amount of £1,203,000 no leig than £546,000 was still in the hands of the province at lsi April instant. Thus showing that while we had completed the forty miles from Quebec to St. Thomas—expended about, £320,000 on the Victoria Bridge, and so far corriplke4 the Montreal and Toronto line that only about £300,000, of work remained to be done, the entire amount of provincial aid which had been paid to the G,and Trunk Company, in respect of these works, was only £657,000. So ely under these circumstances we may boldly Mk nt the hands of the Canadian public consideration and candid discussion We claim, so far as the province of Canada is coneertiedi to have much more than fulfilled all ive ever iindertofilt towards it, and if reference be had to the great change in money matters in England, consequent on the war, as well as to the enormous advance in the price of labour, Materials; and every necessary of life in Canada, the public may form some idea of the extent of the sacrifices we have made, 4 preserve intact our reputation for an honest fulfilment of our engagements: Our relations to the Grand Trunk Railway Company are subjects with which, in reality, the Province has no direct ooncern, co long as we cart show that they have in no respect caused a failure on our part towards the province, but at these relations are very greatly migtinderstciod, we desire in all candour, to state the real position. There can he no question that, with money worth only twq per cent. in England, the parties representing the province arid ourselves, foreseeing no outbreak of war, did not hesitate to enter into mutual engagements which a different state of things has made extremely onerous to all. We shared the confidence expressed by yourself, Mr. Hincics, and the legislature of Canada, in the future of this country. We thought it a fair field for investment. And we consider it no subject for blame, that we should have sought a fair and reasonable return for services we believed it in our power to render. We did not therefore hesitate at assuming responsibilities of a magnitude we might have shrunk from, had we known the future ; and we consented to the views of the agents of the province in the terms of the original prospectus,' to an extent that has been from that hour both injurious to us and very damaging to the company. We allude to the engagements in the prospectus of the Grand Trunk Company, whereby we undertook to pay the interest upon the capital employed in our works, and also to permit one-half the entire capital to be withheld from public disposal, with a liability on our part to assume it at the end of twelve months. We desire to state distinctly, as a fact within our own knowledge, that so far from our desiring the reteriticni of this large amount of capital (L 3,623,000) it was expressly required by Messrs. Glynn and Baring, from their belief that the whole amount could not be successfully floated,.and that we hesitated for days in assuming this future liability. The public may therefore ju ige how far this obligation has pressed upon us, when, within the twelve months stipulated, war was declared, and money rose from two to six and even eight per cent. The altered state of affairs so far affected even the stock already issued to the public, that without any particular respect of our wishes the London directors, with our concurrence, determined to suspend a portion of the Grand Trunk works, in order to relieve the shareholders. And finding the works on the Montreal and Portland section had absorbed £900,000 of the money intended for our works, the board applied to yottr legislature for aid, which as before stated was obtained, to the extent of £900,000, not as an additional loan to us, but solely to enable the shareholders to fulfil their own engagements. The company was then largely our debtors, and we might have suspended our works, and thus relieved ourselves from much embarrassment, had not other motives actuated us. The effect of the terms of the act, granting additional aid, passed in May, 1855, required a modification of our contracts with the company, and this took place in Londsn in July last, with the approval and aid of the inspector general, who was then in England, with other members of the Canadian cabinet. By this agreement, we pledged ourselves to proceed with and complete the Montreal and Toronto, and Quebec and St. Thomas sections, in all 335 miles, receiving a payment one half in cash, expected to be provided from the provincial guarantee, one quarter in B. bonds of the company, and one quarter in B. shares. Under the supplementary contract we have pushed forward the works nearly to completion, but we desire the public dis tinctly to know that since that date the company have never been able promptly to meet their engagements with us, and, from whatever cause arising, very large sums have constantly been due to us even from the half which was promised to us in cash. _ It is, we find, generally supposed that our firm had engaged to provide the interest on the Province Bonds, and bad failed to do so. This impression we desire to correct. Our engage ment was solely to the company, and consisted in our pledge to pay six per cent. interest on all the capital expended on out works, reserving to the company the right of retaining this interest from the amounts due to us for works done. As the company has generally been in arrears to us, it must be.mani fest that we are in no way responsible for any difficult ies on this head. We have never, as contractors, received from the province one single bond, our payments are promised to us by the company, in money, and in their own securities. We are also perfectly aware that it has been, and will be, said that our firm is, in fact, the Company, and that we caisnot therefore free ourselves from any censure that may fairly attach to it. But on this point we earnestly entreat the public to become disabused. We have never, from the day the prospectus was issue d, had an y control over the affairs o f e th x e pe C n o d m itu p i re nY had — itspolicy had not been directed by us-- it s b een great on works in which we had no interest, and except in the extent of our engagements, as respects the future acceptance of Shares and Bonds, we had no other interest in the Company than Messrs Growski and Co. in Canada. To those who know the character and position of the gentlemen forming the London Direction, it is needless to say that we could exert no improper influence upon the Company; but to strangers it may be necessary to offer this assurance. Our present stake in the Company, owing to the arrangements of July last, is necessarily large and daily increasing, and in this respect we cannot but share the anxiety of the other Stockholders in wishing the Province to afford the . Company the r e li e f necessary f or carr ying out the entire scheme in its integrity. Our relative interest in the undertaking may be best shown by the statement that of the amount of private capital brought in .... • ********* • • We hold now, even under the operation of the July agreement . 794,000 Held by general shareholders £4,156,900 The Canadian people will thus clearly see that though our interest is enormous in amount, and fully indicates our own confidence, still by far the larger amount has been provided by the British public generally. We do not know what more we can say to dispel what we feel to be misconceptions most seriously injurious both to our selves and the company ; but, while we hope this statement m'y suffice, we shall, sir, at all times, hold ourselves ready to afford you and the public any further information in our power. I have the honour to be, Your most obedient Servant, For self and Parinent, THOMAS BBASSEY.