The Daily Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-26 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL POLICE COURT.--YESTERDAY (Before Mr. RAFFLES.) THE POOR BOX. His Worship acknowledged the receipt of 30s. from "A Friend" for the poor box. CHARGE AGAINST A MARINE STORE DEALER. Denis Lynn, a marine-store dealet and stetedore, living at No. 12, Stewart-stfeet, was charged by police officer 317 *frith h a tin g abodt 3 . cwt. of hale-ropes in his . cellar ; for the possession of which he could not account:—The offiCer said he went into the prisOner l s shop and enquired if he hod aiir store except the shop, and he di first said not; biit after he adrnitted that he had 0 Cellar at the fere Of the house; and do searehifig, it he the ropes here, aiid tin asking him where he got &di die Could not tell, and, therefore, he arrested hini Oil a charge of not being able to account for the. possession of the property, which was worth about £l. Mr. Cobb (for the prisoner) : What authority had you to enter and search his premises ?—The authority of a police-officer.—Mr. Ra i es said the police had a right to enter and search places where they suspected stolen property to be.—Mr. Cobb said there was no proof of stealing in this case.—Mr. Raffles said the present was a case of not accounting.—Mr. Cobb proceeded to show that the marine-store business was carried on ,by the prisoner's wife in his absence, and that the prisoner was a man of good character. He said the ropes were pur chased in small pieces from time to time, and thrown into the cellar, and in this way there was no entry of the purchase in the books. He offered to call persons to give the prisoner a good character, but Mr. Raffles said he would give him the benefit of the doubt, and dis charge him. AN OMNIBUS A Well-dreSibd toinale maned Mary James, alias bdtc beg s who is well known to the police as an omnibus thief, was charged with having stolen a purse containing 2 14s. 6d., belonging to Mrs. Moss, a lady living in Breck-road. A young married lady named Mrs. Goal borne stated that on Thursday week about dusk she was in Busby's waiting office, bale-street, when the Prisoner entered and at didSe beside her, piffling her dress over that Of *anus iii d *ery stispleimis Tay. Witiiess hinted away from her, when the prisoner went to an opposite seat, and sat beside Mrs. Moss. Witness watched her closely for some time, and sa* het take a Purse thin Mrs. Matii'f . figeliet; Elil . d off With it. Itr. geede; gentieman (a merchant), who lives at Cabbage-hall, and who was in the office at the time, followed the prisoner into Tithebarn-street, where he caught her and she gave him up the purse and its con tents. She was rescued from him by a mob of ruffians, but on Thursday evening last Mrs. Goulborne saw her in Clayton-square s and goo het into custody. Mr. Cobb appeared fat the pristhier, arid cross-examined the witnesses, but the case was tdd cleat, and his worship sent the prisoner for trial. • (Before Me rs., II TblHSclrfi and Uiioi4lin,) CASES. Barbara Logan, King-street, was summoned for doing business and having drunken persons at illegal hours. The defence in this cue was, that the men were militia men, and were not drunk. Dismissed. John Marshall, 22, Mersey-street, was charged by Inspector Southwell, for giving out whiskey at half past two on Sunday morning. The defence was that it was for a sick person the spirits Was given, Fined ss. and costs: - BEtRFIOUSE CASES: Edward Eji - vataa; Ardviri-sireet, was summoned for ddifig liiisiness on Sunday, at prohibited hours. No sale proved. Dismissed. Sylvester Cooper, Providence-street, Park, was charged for selling ale at illegal hours. Fined ss. and costs. William Pendleton, Bond4treet, Was elated for doing liiisiitegs at ii d'eldelt dti SiindaY morning last. The case was adrilitted: ilifeti iBs. dad Costs. . John dbadwiolc, bryden-street, was summoned for selling ale at 11 o'clock on Sunday morning. Case not proved. Dismissed. Peter Follis, Rose-place, was charged for Sunday trading. Dismissed. ASSAULTING THE POLICE. Mr. Edward James Rose, dentist, Mount-pleasant, was summoned by police , offieet IA for having assaulted him. The story of the officer, which was corroborated by constable 100, was to this effect the night of the 16th, he was on duty at the doot 6f the Theatre Royal, when the defendant eatrie (lift with a boy and put him into d car, asking witness to take care of him Until he returned with another child. When he came out he asked witness to open the door of the car, which he did, when the boy fell out of the door. The defen dant then cried out "You d- scoundrel you have killed my bay," and struck him a violent blow, which stunned hin t for a short time, The defendant, in awcf to the charge, said the policeman eery stupidly opened the doot, arid let his boy fall but, and the lad was eat ariete4 4iri the head: lie did, ha the excite ment of the moment, push tim out of the way, saying he was a stupid ass, and that was all. The magistrates thought the case not only proved, but that it was a gross assault, and fined the defendant £2 and costs, which he at once paid. ATROCIOUS ROBBERY AND MURDER AT MILAN. sin gular case, involving circumstances of peculiar atrocity, is now undergoing investigation before the Criminal Court of Milan. On the 80th of October last one Gioja, a person of independent fortune, residing at liotengh in the neighbourhood of Milan, bad been recognised at his aoctistotned haunts by many of his familiar acquaintance, in whose society he remained until an advanced hour of the night. Ott the following morning he was missing. An active search was instituted for several days in the adjactiit Villages, and even in Milan itself hilt *About success. In the meanwhile bittntiistances were elicited tending to throw suspicion on a certain Carrozzi, whose house Gioja had been seen to approach on the night in question, after having taken leave of his friends. Carrozzi's house was surrounded by a picket of the National Guard, and the attention of the authorities having been arrested by the loose and fresh appearance of the soil in a garden attached to the dwelling, further investigations were made, resulting in discovery of the body of the missing man, who had been assassinated, and hastily buried at a distance of scarcely two feet from the surface of the ground. Carrozzi and all his family were instantly secured and conveyed to prison. In the course of the trial the accused volunteered a confession, of which the following is a summary. Carrozzi, being in pressing want of money, in order to complete the necessary preparations for his approaching marriage, and being under heavy pecuniary obligations to the deceased, came to the conclusion that, in order to retrieve his embarrassed financial position, it was, in the first place, necessary to liberate himself from the pres',.nee of so troublesome a credit, whose importunate image threw a gloomy shadow upon the bright connubial prospect that lay before him. His plans were communicated to his bosom friend and lodger, Lewis Gatti, who appears to have given his concurrence to the project through a natural taste for homicide; for he modestly fixed as the price of his co-operation, the release of a small balance of rent, amounting to 40 Milanese liras, and the pay ment of a ten-franc piece in cash. He might as well have laid claim to the credit of entire disinterestedness. But, perhaps, he thought that his complicity in the crime might prove a more lucrative investment in the long run. However this may be, the affair was promptly concerted. Gioja was decoyed to the h ouse by the ppromise • of payment of an account of 30 .Napoleons, owed to him by Carrozzi. As soon as the victim was safely housed, the mask was thrown off. The con federates, presenting each a pistol at the head of the unhappy creditor, easily succeeded in obtaining a receipt for the 30 Napoleons, and afterwards the release of a bill of exchange for 30,000 f., of which he was the holder and which had still some time to run. As soon as the required signatures had been obtained, the signal of sleuth was given. In an instant Carrozzi had felled the poor wretch to the ground; a gag was forced into his mouth, and a hurried gash in the throat from Gatti's knife completed the business. The corpse was flung into the garden and covered with leaves. After mid night, when all was hushed, it was to be carried away to sonic distant spot. But these miscreants furnished an additional illustration of the familiar proverb, " The devil is an ass," or as the Italians wittily phrase it, " The devil makes the pot, but forgets to put a lid to it." Whether from fear or from overweening confidence, the murderers contented themselves with digging a hole about two feet deep, and stowing the body therein, dressed as it was, and easily recognisable. The case, as far as regards Carrozzi, is virtually at an end ; but the alleged complicity of Gatti, who loudly protests his innocence, still occupies the attention of the tribunal. THE LIVERPOOL HOUSE. LONDON BANKRUPTCY COURT—THuRsDAY. (Before Mr. Commissioner Holroyd.) TN RE DAiIItENCE, ietORTDtiORE, AND SeHD.ADER, Mr. Lawrence—No, he effected no insurance on Mr. Nicholson's life; hut Mr. NichOlson being largely indebted to the arm, and being unable VI pay, he sugz gested that Nicholson should effect an insuraae on his life and give the policy to him (Schrader) as a security. Mr. Linklater continued—Yes, he had suggested it. That did notrnuch alter the facts of the case, and in no way qualified the observations he was about to make upon them. Mr. Schrader in some way obtained .policies of insurance on Mr. Nicholson's life, and in 1858, when he consulted with Mr. Tyrer upon the settlement' he was about to make upon his wife and family, be said nothing to that gentleman about these circumstances, but took credit biniself for the amount of those policies as actual assets of the firm, aiitl pfodceded Upon that cal culation in the statement he: made to Mr. Tyrer of the sum he considered himself as a partner in the firm entitled him to, in consideration of his share of the profits. The amount. of the insurance was £10,000.. Mr. Schrader was doubtless well aware of the habits of life of Mr. Nicholson when he pressed bim to effect that insurance. It so happened that, Mr. Nicholson dying in 1850, that amount was realised to the firm. But Mr. Schrader had no right in 1858 to calculate this event as a certainty. If Mr. Nicholson had adopted the tempefate Mode of life as Mr. Mortimore pursued, and dined with that gentleman for Is. a day, the insurance office might now have been receiving their premiums, Mr. Nicholson might have been enjoying ejistence, and then what would have become . of the £lO,OOO, upon which partly that settlement had proceeded? As to the correspondence between Mr. Schrader and his solicitor telling in his favour, the Court would doubtless come to the conclusion that it only proved that. Mr. Schrader, instead of making proper disclosures, had kept back that which was most material for consideration in effecting the settlement in question. Ile said, therefofe, it vas impossible to come to any other conclusion than that the settlement of 1858 was made for the purpose of withdrawing from the creditors property to which they were justly entitled. He need not trouble his honour with the history of Schradei through the years 1858, 1859, and 1860. It appeared that he lent himself to all the contri vances suggested by Laurence, but he did not appear to have been a willing party to these transactions. He appeared to have been made a fool of by Streatfeild and Co. There was one occasion specially of which he, on behalf of his clients, had to complain of Mr. Schrader, as the manager of the Liverpool house—be meant in respect to his dealings with Gibson, because there he did a gross injustice to the creditors of the house. But when he made a representation to • Laurence and Mortimore, he was met with "remonstrate not, but obey." . This, however, was no justification of Hr. Schrader's con duct, though there might be some palliation for it in that court, and he was bound to state his con viction nevertheless that it ought to have weight. Mr. Schrader had been guilty of transactions which were of the worst character. His transacactions with Leyland and Bullins were very large, it was said, and that they had had the advantage of interest and commission to the extent of £30,000. He (Mr. Linklater) had no doubt the transactions were large ; but he ventured to say they might have employed their money with equal success elsewhere. They had not to thank Streatfield and Co. for anything. .Was Schrader justified in meet ing Laurence's suggestion to re-open their account with Leyland and Bullins, looking to the actual position of his house ? Before August, 1858, Messrs. Leyland and Bullins requested Schrader to close the discount account. All the bills were run off by August, 1858. Then the request was made that the Liverpool house should dis count elsewhere, and accordingly the account was closed of Laurence, Mortimore & Co. Lanrence managed that all bills should be paid; and he looked to restored confidence from that fact; and the account was re-opened for a season. This was the period when loaurence was anti cipating a large loss from Smith, Patient, and Smith, and others. This was sufficient to show that Laurence should have told Schrader not to go to Leyland and Bullins again. The Liverpool house had drawn on Munday, T. 11. Mortimore, Gibson, Waring, Schrader, Messrs. Clarke, and one or two more }reuses. Schrader said he thought the bills discounted by Leyland an d Bullins were d rawn f or goods, though when he saw Mr. Arkle he must have known they were nothing but accomm o d a ti on bills of which the Liverpool house had received the benefit. This was an accommo dation to the Liverpool house, which Schrader availed himself. So with regard Lafone, Essery, and others, thers was no difference is adopting a certain course between Laurence and Schrader These bills were not drawn for any bona, ide transactions. The bills drawn by Schrader, to the amount of tens of thousands of pounds, were really fabulous. The learned gentleman here alluded to certain transactions with Smith, Patient, could and Smith. H ow , after that, Mr. Schrader reasonably ask the court to believe that he thought S m ith, and Patient, and Co. were solvent men, able to pay their debt ? Why, h e a d m i tted that he knew they we re largely indebted to th e L on d on house, and that he could not get any money from them ; but that case w sample of the others. L e t th em see, however,as o 'f nly a Schrader really considered th a t t h e Liverpool house s l e Mr. carrying on a fair and legitimat e t ra d e, and that it Nvasi w n as a solvent state up to the last m omen t . T he London house e stopped on the 2nd of July, a n d th e Li verpool followed suit on the 3rd. The brother of Mr. Arkle, of the Liverpool Bank, had an interview with. Mr. Schrader that day, and at once and readily Mr. Schrader handed to him a list—and a pretty long one it was—of the various houses that were quite sure to tumble down by the failure of Streatfeild, Laurence, and Co. What did that mean ? Why, that without communicating with Mr. Laurence, Mr. Schrader knew that all those houses had been kept up by Streatfeild ' and Co. Unfortunately his (Mr. Linklater's) clients considered that Mr. Schrader was the person through whose agency they had been made sufferers. Messrs. Leyland and Bullins held bills of Barton for £6,000, of Essery for £1,700, and of Lafone for £1,200; and of course they complained of Mr. Schrader that he should have allowed the London house to get so largely in the debt of the Liverpool house. They complained that there appear in the books of the Liverpool house a gradually increasing debt from the London house—a debt which had gone on augmenting from the end of 1858 until the Liverpool firm was liable for, or in other words Streatfeild and Co. had abstracted from the Liverpool firm, upwards of £30,000 which ought to have ranked as the assets of the Liverpool house, and been available as dividend to creditors. With regard to the private expenditure of the bank rupts, • Mr. Mortimore had represented himself as frugally dining for a shilling a day, and as possessed LIVERPOOL' ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SOCIAL SCIENCE.—The third meeting of the Liverpool Association for the Promotion of Social Science was held last night in the lecture-room of the Free Library, William Brown street, William Brown, Esq., in the chair. There was a large attendance of members, in cluding several ladies; and amongst th)se present we noticed Messrs. W. H. Jones, Kirkley, Edwards, Hig ginson, Steinthal, Hugh Shimmin, Wilson, Wylie, Mason, H. Booth, Rawlins, S. Jones, Gillis, &c., &c. Dr. Stephens delivered a most interesting and able lec ture on " The Infant Poor, their Dangers and Diseases," which was listened to with profound attention by the audience. Tut REFUSAL OF AN INFIDEL'S EVIDENCE AT ROCHDALE.—The Rochdale County Court was occupied during a great part of Wednesday with the case Maden v. Catnack, which recently attracted a good deal of at tention in consequence of the judge (C. Temple, Esq., Q 9.) refusing to take the evidence of the plaintiff's wife, after she had consented to take the usual oath, be causenot believe she avowed herself a secularist, and said she did in a God or in future rewards and punish ments,°.° which his honour termed an outrage on public t pi ion. On Wednesday, Mr. Craufurd, M.P., barris ter, appeared for Mr. Maden, and asked for a new trial. elearned counsel spoke about two hours, quoting the opinions of some of the most eminent English, Scotch, and Afnerican jurists, on the question. His Honour refused the application, observing, that was bound to interpret the law as laiddosenYlie that Parliament havingthe statutes, believing made exceptions in favour of the Quakers and Moraviais, would also have made them in cases like the present, if it had intended the courts to act in that spirt, , _ THE GREAT FAILURE IN THE LEATHER of considerable property; just the sort of person, indeed, TRADE. Ito obtain credit and confidence in the world. Of Mr. Laurence the same could not be said, for according to his private ledger, it appeared that whereas during the years 1847, 1848, 1849, and 1850, his expenses did riot exceed £1,500 a year; in 1854 (between which and 1850 there wag a blank); his expenses were £1,893 ; in 1855, £2,400; in 1856, £2,430; in 16 1 7, Wh'edi danger Was certainly abroad, £2,510; in 1559, :E ,474; and in the first half-year of 1860, £2,354, or at the rate of £4,600 a year. Without charging Mr. LaurenCe with any extravagance in his expenditure he (Mr. Link later) could not help nointing attention to the' fact that his private expenses did not deerea4 ; but actually incrern as his troubles seemed to thicken Upon him. As to the statement of assets, the amount was of *nine materially reduced by the fact that the doubtful debts and bias receivable were put down at an estimated sum ; but the fearful disproportion between the assets and the liabilities clearly led to the conclusion that it was not the result of a day, but, on the contrary, was progressive, and that it must have been thoroughly known to Mr. Laurence and Mr. Mor timore, The learned gentleman then subjected the pri vate balance-sheets of the bankrupts to a minute and severe driticism, and pointed out that in several respects the statements contained in them were of a fallacious character, and altogether unjustified by the actual posi tion of their affairs. Then came the question, how should the mid deal with this ease? With fespeet to Mr. Laurence, it was utterly impossible to conceiVe' how he .could in any way be entitled . to a certificate. It must, he thought, be admitted, Clearly and beyond all doubt, that Mr. Laurence had been giiilty of so much intentional deception, actual misrepresentation, and gross fraid, that a certificate was out of the question. It would ; as a matter of course; hereafter become a question whether proteedoh &Odd be granted. No suggestion upon this point had emanated either from the assignees er the other opposing creditors. But he (Mr. Linklater) was instructed by his clients, Messrs. Leyland and Bullins, to say, that while acting upon their undoubted right to institute the searching investi gation upon which they had insisted, not only with respect to each of the bankrupts, Laurence, Mortimore, and Shrader, but with respect to all the rest of the trade implicated with them in the objectionable transactions Which had: been so folly detailed, although they had >leen adtuated by no tindictite feeling, they felt they Would be stultifying the judgment which they prayed the court to pronounce ; if they eou seated to any protection whatever being granted, Messrs. Leyland and Bullins considered that every creditor was entitled to exercise the right which a refusal of a bankrupt's protection gave him, to make use of the "B. A." certificate for the purpose of inflicting that term of imprisonment, limited to twelve months, which he considered the bankrupt deserved. Of course no one could help feeling a certain amount of regret that such men should have placed themselves, by their conduct, in such a position. BUt in sash a case as this it was im possible to consult private feeling, and it was too late to ask the Court to consider it, in pronouncing judgment upon such offences as those which had been disclosed ME. Linklater, in resuming his address on behalf of Messrs. Leyland and Bti bankerS, Of Liverpool, said it was to be regretted that a house Carrying on a large trade eotild hate resorted td such tricks. The end was that at the tithe of stoppage the house of Streatfield and Co. tfas under liabilities to the amount of 11,074,000, of which £604,000 was on bills which were now admitted to be had ; while the assets were only £218,000. It was upon a statement of affairs like this that Laurence had asked for assistance to the amount of £300,000, to enable the firm to go on. (A laugh.) As to the ques tion of capital, what with the transfers to the bad debt fund and the private drawings, this had long since been dissipated, and the figures of the various accounts showed that from 1857 to 1860 the bankrupts had actu ally not earned one shilling of profit. He was aware that profits appeared in their books, but they were merely profits on paper, not profits in fact. Then with respect to the capital of the Liverpool house, he was compelled to address observations to the 3outt of a Character which he would rather have been spared the duty of uttering. From the manner in which Mr. Schrader had behaved throughout,. it was painful to him to be obliged to pass the strictures upon his con duct which his clients (Messrs. Leyland and Sullins) required him to pronounce. But the capital having been exhausted by the same process as that pursued in the LOndba hjuse—a transference fo pie bad-debt fund, and the private drawings Of the partners -=the panie of 1857 occurred. It was admitted that this had given a shock to the Liverpool firm, and they had been com pelled to seek the assistance of the London House, who being able to place paper of the Liverpool firm in London, was able to give the assistance required. Yet, notwithstanding the disturbance naturally prededing that parrientstWithstanding the imminent datiget edgy &it Of a great lieetiiiidry etisis t the state of things being such that Government aid was found requisite, they found Mr. Schrader at that time taking time by the forelock,, and putting by property to the value of £7,000 or A8;000. in that yeat o i 837; he had drawn' out ki,otio, and then, in Maid, iBB, he had settled the whole upon his wife and family, who were in the possession of it at that moment. Mr. Tyrer, the solicitor of Mr. Schrader, •had very properly pointed out to him the necessity of ascertaining his true position ; but had Mr. Schrader done so ? He could not help thinking the court would come to the conclusion that Schrader, who had raised himself by his integrity, honesty, and industry, from the position he occupied as an errand boy at Os. a-week, to the proud position he occupied before the failttre; hcid fOr a time lost sight of those principles by which he had gained that position, and had been imprudent enough to yield to suggestions which, though natural to man, should ever be repu diated when the interests of others, but especially of creditors, were involved. Ile had drawn an unusually large sum from the concern during the year 1857, and in March, 1858, had placed it in safe custody. Had he done this after properly investigating his position in accordance with the advice given him by Mr. Tyrcr ? Had he properly considered the account of Nichol Son, for instance, who owed the firm £30,000 Had •he told Mr. Tyner of that and other debts of a similar character due to the firm Not a word appeared in the letters which had been brought forward in so-trium phant a manner by Mr: Lewis. , But• he had effected insurances on the life of Mr. Nicholson by the evidence. The consequences of those offences must be suffered. Then, with regard to Mr. Morti more, it seemed impossible to come to any other conclu sion than that he was as much implicated in all that had been done as Mr. Laurence. Mr. Mortimore must have known, and evidently did know, from the beginning to the end, for what purpose all the bills were fabricated, and the circumstmees under which they were discounted. Those circumstiflees were of an absolutely fraudulent character, and ti is Court, as a commercial tribunal, was bound to visit on Mr. Mortimore the consequences of his acts. Mr. Mortimore could not be allowed to shield himself by IrN asserted ignorance of the books and accounts of his firm. It would, indeed, be a strange thirig if in the Court of Bankruptcy it were now, for the first time, to be considered that a man who had for years slit his eyes (but this was disproved by the evidence) to the coarse of proceeding pursued by his own firm should be excused from the result of his so doing. With respect to Mr. Schrader, he could not help feeling that that gentleman had been to a great extent a mere tool in the hands of his part ners, but he was not permitted by his clients to deal with that gentleman as he confessed he should have felt inclined to do. They felt they had been wronged through the instrumentality of Mr. Schrader, who stood confes sedly a guilty participator in the acts of which they had complained. They consequently refused to draw any distinction between Mr, Schrader and Mr. Mortimore or Mr. Laurence, and, therefole i called for the same jugdment against him. There was deception prac tised in a manner not only calculated to conceal a fact, but actually to suggest an untruth. He would, however, refer the court to the case "Ex parte Dod son, in re Strong," 25th Law Journal, where the Lords Justices refused the certificate entirely. He considered that be had fully established the wilful falsehood and fraud which had been practised by the three bankrupts, and that his honour would say that neither of them was entitled to a certifi cate. He had no doubt that it would be brought under his honours notice that as solicitor for the assignees under the bankruptcy of Gibson, of Godal ming, he had recommended the court to grant a second-class certificate ; and it might be attempted to raise some argument upon that in favour of the bank rupts. But why had he made that recommendation ? For the same reasons that in this case he had expressed his personal commiseration in behalf of Schrader. Gibson. had told the truth throughout; he had relied on the wealth of Laurence and Mortimore; even down to the latest moment they had written letters which could leave no doubt upon his mind as to not only their sol vency, but their undoubted wealth. Mr. Gibson had, therefore, been deceived by these appearances, and was entitled to the certificate he had obtained. In conclu sion, be would add that the question involved in this inquiry was not considered by Messrs. Leyland and Bullins as one of personal loss, but as one of prin ciple. They felt that the interests of society at large were staked upon the result of this investigation, and it was upon that ground they had proceeded in the course they had pursued against these bankrupts. In short, it was their opinion that commercial offenders should receive the punishment they deserved, in order that others, warned by the example of the punishment, might not learn to imitate the example of the crime. The court • is densely crowded throughout the latter portion of Mr..Linklater's address, and his observations were listened to with silent and marked attention, but when he had concluded, the gratification felt by his auditory at the sentiments he had uttered was loudly expressed by strong manifestations of applause. An adjournment was agreed to until Saturday, at eleven a.m., when Mr. Lawrance will commence his address on behalf of the bankrupt Laurence. FALL FROM THE ST. VINCENT'S ROCKS, BRISTOL. A painful state of excitement was produced at Bristol on Thursday afternoon, in consequence of its becoming known that a middle-aged man had been found at the foot of the Lion's Head Cliff, the loftiest of the chain of gigantic rocks which skirt the northern side of the River Avon, at a little below the Clifton Hot well Baths, and which are popularly kuown as the St. Vincent's Cliffs or Rocks. Upon inquiries being made on the spot, it was found that as two boys were walking along by the side of the river they came upon the mutilated body of a man, of which they gave notice to the police, and Police-constables 115 and 121 hastened to the spot. They found that the unfor tunate man's head had been beaten to pieces by dashing, in its descent, against the different points of the rocks. His clothes were so much soiled and torn that it was difficult to decide with certainty even the probable position in life which the deceased had occupied in life, and the only thing that in any way points to his identity was the name "Pompbrey," which was found written on the lining of his hat. One of his boots, which was off, was found lodged half way up the rock. The constables removed the body to the General Draper Tavern, near Rownham, and are at present engaged in endeavouring to ascertain who the deceased was, with a view to the body being identified at the coroner's inquest. ELOPEMENT OF A CLERGYMAN WITH A YOUNG LADY TEACHER. Considerable excitement has taken place in the borough of Ashton-under-Lyne during the week, in con sequence of authenticated statements having been exten sively circulated that a well-known minister of the Church of England, in Ashton-under-Lyne, whose name for the present we withhold, had eloped with a young lady, the teacher of a young ladies' school, in the same borough. Our correspondent is informed that the rev. gentleman had long been suspected of having an impro per intimacy with the woman in question, and that on his being watched, it was found he visited the back of her house, and that a card or a piece of paper was often in the window containing a few hints, such as " Man chester at such and a such a time." A solicitor in the borough was consulted, and he set a Manchester detec tive on the scent ; and the other day the detective took his railmy fare in the same train as the reverend gentleman and his amatory companion, and ultimately the three found themselves in Worcester. The worthy couple put up at an hotel, and the detective opposite, and the next morning he ascertaiaed that they had passed the night together. At first the worthy hostess was determined to make them pack off, bag and baggage ; but, at the urgent request of the detective, she consented to let him have ocular demonstration of the man's infi delity. Accordingly, about twelve o'clock the next night the chambermaid knocked at the bedroom door of the excellent couple, and told his reverence that a gentle man wanted him. The detectivk was thereupon asked into the bedroom, and he held an interesting conversa tion with both of them. This disgrace to the Church is a married man, with a family ; but has long been estranged from his wife. He is at least forty years of age, whilst the lady is only about 21. It is understood that a divorce will be sought for by the wife, and that full evidence of the facts of the case have already been l•• , • • laid before the Bishop. RAILWAY ACCIDENTS AND ATMOS. • PHERIC INFLUENCES. A correspondent observes .on this subject, as to con traction :—The greatest variation of temperature in the atmosphere of this country, say between that of a hot summer's day to that of a cold winter's day, will not affect the length of malleable iron more than about one inch in Rid feet. This in a tire nine feet long would be lesS than one-tenth of an inch; and, as the strain requi site to stretch malleable lion one: tenth of ton inch in nine feet does not exceed five tons to the square inch, it follows that the fore() exerted by contraction alone is also *rider fide tons per square inch. But the breaking strain of ordinary malleable iron is knoWn to be over 15 tons per square WI; and that of kobd tire and axle iron over 25 tons ; contraction alone is there.: fore not the cause of fractured tires in frosty weather. It is a known fact that tire iron of the very best quality. has failed recently ; also that a bar of good iron, which in an atincisfihere of ordinary temperature would bend up like leather, has hrolfett short off with a single blow of a hammer on a frosty night: I therefore conclude that frost exercises a subtle influence on the Vality of iron, reducing its tensile strength, and that the 'ree'ent breakages were the result of this loss of cohesive power, and not from excessive contraction. ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN LINE. On Wednesday night an accident occurred on the Liverpool branch of the London and North-Western Railway, which resulted in injury to the two guards. As the mail train which leaves Liverpool at eleven o'clock was ascending at steep incline between Huyton and Rainhill it ran into a goods train which was being propelled up before it. The collision was of a some what violent nature, and the company's guard, named Evans, and the mail guard, were both injured. The engine behind the goods train was also damaged, as was that which ran into it; but fortunately no passen gers are ever conveyed by this train, and the results were consequently far less serious than they might have otherwise been. Both the guards were brought to Manchester, and taken to their homes, where they were attended to by Dr. Harrison, the medical officer of the company. SINGULAR RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT MANCHESTER. Au accident of a most unusual character occurred late on Tuesday evening in Fairfield-street, Manchester. It will be remembered that the rails of the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Company are carried along Fairfield-street on a series of arches, the various streets being spanned by iron girder bridges. Along a portion of Fairfield-street, with their back yards approaching to within a yard or two of the wall of the railway viaduct, stand a number of small houses and shops. The roofs of the houses are several feet below the level of the viaduct, and this fact will enable our readers the better to understand the peculiarity of the accident. The back yards of these houses are not much wider than an ordinary passage, and .the yard is separated from the wall of the viaduct by a brick wall edged with coping stones, and about 5 feet high; between this wall and the wall of the viaduct there is a space of about a yard. The viaduct wall rises to a height of about 5 feet above the railway level, and is edged with heavy coping stones. Between ten and eleven on Tuesday evening, some trucks were being 'shunted on the viaduct, when an empty one belonging to the South Western Railway Company, weighing about three tons, jumped off the rails, struck the wall on the edge of the viaduct, knock ing it down, and precipitating the bricks and coping stones against the houses and into the yards below. After knocking the wall down along the length of about 20 yards, the truck was precipitated end-ways over the viaduct, and fell upon the yard wall of a house occu pied by Mr. Hobson, a tailor. The space between the house and the wall of the viaduct was so narrow, and the truck fell with such violence on the wall of the yard, that it still remains as it first tumbled, with two wheels and one end on the wall, and the other wheels resting half-way up the wall of the viaduct. A mass of bricks and coping-stones were flung against the house, some of which fell on the roof, which they broke through, and the whole landed in a bedroom where an infant was lying asleep in a bed. The floor of this room was broken in two places with the weight of what fell. One stone taken from the room weighed 2/cwt. The back door in the yard was carried away, the shutters of more than one house shattered, the window-frame in one house broken, and parts of the walls of several houses were driven'partly in. The shock was so great as to shake out a pane of glass in the shop front of Mr. Hobson. The room in which the infant lay was filled with rubbish, and Mrs. Hobson was nearly suffocated when she entered it, almost frantic, fearing the child had been killed. Workmen were busily engaged on Thursday repairing the damage done; but how to raise the truck up the wall, which measured about 18 feet in height, seems a very difficult problem. SERIOUS RAILWAY COLLISION. TWO MEN KILLED AND ONE INJURED. On Wednesday, an inquest was held at Ince, near Wigan, before Mr. , '.:Driffield, district coroner, on the bodies of Isaac Hill, engine driver, and Sandeford Andrews, fireman, who were killed under the following circumstances :—The casualty occurred at tke siding running from the Springs branch line of the London and North Western Railway to the furnaces of the Kirkless Hall Coal and Iron Company, in Ince, near Wigan, and it seems that about a quarter past four o'clock in the afternoon, a train of wagons containing iron ore arrived at the siding of the company. The train was backed up the Springs branch, which at this point is a steep incline, to about fifty or sixty yards above the shunts, two engines coupled together being employed. When the wagons reached a sufficient dis tance above the shunt, it is the practice of the engines to reverse and run down the incline to below the shunt, the wagons then following by their own weight, and being received by the pointsman are by him turned on to the siding. At the proper time, the customary signal for the engines to move forward was given, and it was seen and acted upon by the driver of the first engine, but not by Hill, who was in charge of the second, and who was new to the work. Robinson, the driver of the first engine, ran forward, and even then all would have been well had not the coupling chain between the engines broken, and Hill, not having seen or not under standing the signal, was left behind. Robinson turned round and signalled to Hill to come on, but without avail, and in the delay which ensued occurred the acci dent. The heavily-laden wagons began to descend the incline, and speedily caught Hill's stationary engine, which was swept onward below the points, which the pointsman under the circumstances did not move. Hill then put full steam on, but he was now too late, as the wagons forced his engine at full speed against Robin son's, which was moving slowly. The second engine was by this collision thrown on the line upside down, carrying with it the unfortunate driver and fireman, and the wagons were pitched in all directions, Samuel Cook, a breaksman on the first portion of the train, being also thrown to the ground. Hill was found under his engine, much hurt and scalded, with Andrews beneath him, quite dead, his remains being fearfully mangled. Hill's injuries were so severe that he died the following night, but Cook is now in a favourable way of recovery. The jury, after hearing the evidence, returned a verdict of " Accidental death." It was alleged that the two engines were coupled together, because of a difficulty in reversing that driven by Hill. CONVICTION OR A VOLUNTEER MESS MASTER UNDER THE EXCISE LAWS. Mr. Charles Frederick Biglin, the mess master of the South Middlesex Rifle Volunteers, appeared on Thurs day, before Mr. Dayman, at the Hammersmith Police court, to answer an information at the instance of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue for selling beer and spirits by' retail without a license, whereby he had incurred penalties amounting to £l2O. Mr, Dwelly appeared in, support of the information, and Mr. J. Bird attended for the defendant. . Mr. Dwelly said the information contained three counts—one for retailing beer, for which the defendant was liable to a penalty of £2O, and for selling wine and spirits, the penalty being £5O in each case. The de fendant resided at Beaufort House, North-end, Fulham, which was the head-quarters of the South Middlesex Volunteers, and in consequence of complaints from persons in the district of wines, spirits, &c., being retailed there without a license, an officer was sent to Beaufort House for the purpose of ascertaining the fact. Mr. Henry Best, an officer of Excise, stated that on the Bth of November last he went to Beaufort House. There was a concert on behalf of an institution in the neighbourhood. He had previously purchased a ticket in Hammersmith, and with it he was admitted. There was a great number of persons, and people were turned away. In the course of the evening he went into a lower room, where refreshments were being served. He Purchased a pint of ale, which was served by a waiter, and he paid 4d. He after wards had some sherry, for which he paid Bd., and it was served by the defendant. He also had a glass of brandy, and he paid 3d. for it. In cross-eyamination by Mr. Bird, the witness said he was not asked upon entering if he was a member of the volunteers. A volunteer was standing there. He •did not observe any notice inside that none but mem bers of the corps would be served with liquors. The defendant was sitting behind the bar. Mr. W. Jones, the'supervisor of excise for Hammer smith, was called to prove that Beaufort House was not licenied. He also stated that Mr. Best went to the .cdncert by his directions, and a day or two afterwards he (witness) called at Beaufort House and told the defendant that he had been retailing wines, spirits, and beer, and he once admitted that he had. The defendant further told him that be came into Beaufort House with the express understanding that he should have a -- , --a=~ THE DAILY TIMES, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1861. license, and that he had both spent and lost money on the place. Mr. Bird, in defence, stated that the South Middlesex folunteers had formed a club at Beaufort House, and directions were giVen not to serve any persons who were not members. The defendant . had no' recollection of serving the witness, therefote he Inuit submit to be fined, and he would have to make a representation to the board for mitigation. Mr. Dayman inquired the position of the case if the witness had been a member of the rifle company. Mr. Bird said in that case the excise could not have laid the inf3rmation. Mr. Dwelly diAred with the . learned gentleman. Mr. Bird contended that as the defendant was only tile servant of the club, therefore the information could not have been laid. Mr. Dwelly said the defendant was the seller, and kept the profits. Therefore he Was liable. Mr. Bird said he could proiie he was appointed the mess master at the regular salary, and did not partici pate in the profits. Mr. Dwelly said he believed he did. • Mr. Dayman observed that the question in dispute could be got over before another information was laid. If the defetdant Mood in the same position as the steward to a alit,. then h►e would not be liable for serving a member. Mr. Bird said the entire Ploftt' Wet to pay the expenses. He was sorry to say there ha'd been' a loss. ::Mr. Dayman then convicted the defendant, Miti gated the penalties to one-fourth--namely, £5 for the beer, and £l2 10s. on each of the other counts. Mr. Bird said the defendant would memorialise the commissioners for a further mitigation. The parties then retired, the case having appeared to excite considerable interest. MANNING THE NAVY. The following letter on this subject, which has a special relation to that of merchant shipping, has been addressed to the Times by Mr. G. F. Young, who, it will be noticed, in dealing with the question makes particular allusion to the evi dence given by his Worship, the present Mayor of Liverpool, when chairman of the Local Marine Board and of the Ship Association of Liverpool, as well as to the opinions expressed on this mat ter by several other gentlemen : Your interesting article on Saturday last on manning the navy invites information and opinions on a subject of universally admitted national importance. You con fess yourself puzzled to account for the undeniable fact "that the great body of seamen entered for the public ser vice during the last two or three years has been inferior in stamp to the standard of ten years since," and you say that what you want to get is some explanation of the fact. Sir, the explanation is simple and conclusive. Yee. are entirely in error in assuming that private ship owners can have a sufficient supply of good sailors, though the States cannot, and that " the merchant navy has not experienced similar straits" with those com plained of in the mercantile marine. If you will turn to the evidence taken by the "Select Committee on Merchant Shipping" during the last session of Parlia ment, you will find a cloud of witnesses bearing testi mony to the generally depreciated quality of seamen, and the extreme difficulty of obtaining an adequate supply of well-trained and able British sailors. It is unnecessary to occupy your space by my own state ments; I would refer you to the reply given by Captain B. Sproule, formerly a shipmaster, and now a ship owner and chairman of the Mercantile Marine Associ ation of Liverpool, to a question submitted to him on this very subject, and recorded in No. 3,006 of the Minutes of Evidence. Captain Sproule says,— " I am sorry to say that our seamen have deteriorated to such a degree that almost any foreign sailors are better paid than ours. They have fallen off dreadfully. We have no sailors now to speak of in the merchant service." And Mr. Samuel Graves, an extensive shipowner and chairman of the Local Marine Board and of the Shipping Association of Liverpool, goes so far as to say,— " In fact we do not possess one-half the able seamen we should, looking at the country, the commerce, and the colonies we have to protect." These sentiments will be found to he fully corrobor ated by reference to Questions Nos. 499 et seq., 812, 1,481, 2,298, 4,208, and a host of others, under the authority of such nanies as Dunbar, Marshall, Phillipps, and Beazley, of Liverpool ; Gilmour, of Glasgow ; Whitwell, of Bristol ; and Holman, of forming a body of evidence unimpeachable to the state of the melan choly and humiliating fact that able and trustworthy -British sailors are totally inadequate in number to the requirements of the Royal Navy and the merchant marine, and affording an ample explanation of the best quality of the men, generally speaking, who have during the last two or three years been engaged for the public service. The plain truth is, that good men are obtainable in sufficient numbers—they do not exist ; and until this difficulty be surmounted, vain will be the inquiries of the Royal Commissioners or Parliamentary Committees. They cannot call into existence trained and good seamen. But this, lam of course aware, explains but half the difficulty. Why is it, you pertinently ask, that ships commissioned lately should be, in such a very different position from ships commissioned formerly? I should hesitate to answer this query on the authority of my own opinion, because my reply would unhesitatingly be that it is because formerly the Navigation Laws compelled the almost exclusive employment of British seamen in the mer chant service, and the efficient training of these sea men by a system of regular apprenticeship, and the repeal of those laws has naturally both diminished the number and deteriorated the quality of British seamen. But as I know that my views as to the reckless, unjust, and dangerous character of the repeal are still regarded with distrust and suspicion, as tainted with the unpopular heresy of protection, I con sider it fortunate that I am enabled to establish the truth I desire to elucidate on authority that can scarcely be questioned—that of the evidence adduced before the Parliamentary Committee to which I have already re ferred. Before, however, appealing to testimony, let me invite a moment's consideration of the unquestioned facts of the case, as in themselves furnishing, if cause and effect are admitted to have any relation to each other, a conclusive answer to your questions. During the continuance of the Navigation Laws every British registered ship was required to be navigated by a crew of which the master and at least three-fourths of the seamen must have been British subjects. Practically, this compulsion led to the almost exclusive employment of British seamen, and thus the supply of such seamen necessarily kept pace with the growing expansion of maritime commerce, and the mercantile marine consti tuted in consequence an inexhaustible source whence the navy was recruited. But with the repeal of the Navigation Laws this compulsion was necessarily abolished. The unlimited competition of foreigners compelled the British shipowner, as a measure of eco nomy, to navigate his ship with the smallest possible number of sailors; and his release from the obligation to employ British seamen led to the substitution of a considerable proportion of foreigners in his crews. • By this double operation has the number of British seamen, compared with the extent our marine, been greatly diminished, and from this cause it is that ships now commissioned find a difficulty in procuring men, unknown at the time when the available sources of supply were kept up by the operation of laws now abrogated. Passing now to the quality of the men, the solution of the enigma you submit is equally simple. Under the Navigation Laws every British ship was com pelled to carry a number of apprentices, bound for at least four years, proportioned to the registered tonnage. Thus the stream of sailors available for the merchant service, and consequently for the navy, was continually kept up by an influx of youths trained and disciplined by a regular apprent c iceship, and constituting the genuine type of the old British tar. But with the repeal of the Navigation Laws all this necessarily ceased. The compulsory perpetual maintenance of the boys was felt by the shipowner, when exposed to unlimited foreign competition, to be an unjust and intolerable burden ; and, released from it, the practice has extensively grown up of either dis pensing altogether with the services of boys or engaging them for the voyage, at the expiration of which they are turned adrift, without care or supervision of their condition, physical and moral ; destitute of home or connection, or of any of that influence or control which can operate as a safeguard for character or con duct. It is from such material that the wants of our marine, commercial and national, are now supplied. Can you wonder, sir, that " the navy is now manned by an inferior class of men," who, as you say, "have of late been perpetually bringing scandal on the service by insubordination and misconduct ?" If these explanations be true, the " curious puzzle" of which you complain may be considered as cleared up. But I have disclaimed resting them on my own authority, and, appealing to that of the evidence taken by the Parliamentary Committee on Merchant Shipping, I would refer for corroboration of my statements to the published testimony of the intelligent and experienced witnesses whose names I have cited, and of many others whose evidence will be found particularised in pages 795 and 867 of the "Minutes," under the heads of " Apprentices," and " Supply and Character of Seamen." Many of these I would especially quote, but I have already trespassed, I fear, too unreasonably on your columns. They well deserve, however, the attention I invite, and I am convinced they will be found un answerable. It is painful to have thus to depict the dangerous results of mistaken legislation. But it is satisfactory that, having from the first foreseen, predicted, and pub licly warned my countrymen against them, a sense of the threatening perils they have produced is awakening a spirit of which, stimulated by your powerful pen, I would fain hope may lead to the dispelling of the fatal delusion under which the present system of British navigation is erroneously, illogically, and absurdly associated with the principles of what is termed " free trade."—l am, sir, your faithful and obedient servant, GEORGE FREDERICK YOUNG. Oakfield-lodge, Reigate, Jan. 21, EXTRAORDINARY CASE. COURT OP PRORATE AND DIVORCE—LkNti...ny 24. , BEVAN (FALSELY CALLED I'eMAHON) v. 31 4 istAttorr. The petitioner, Margaret Lea Bevan, prayed for a declaration that a marriage which was, in fact, celebrated between her and J'arnes IM' Mahon, the respondent, on the 23rd of July, 1'848; was null and void, by reason of the fraudulent concealment of the proper names and residences Of the parties in the affidavit upon which the license was granted. The respondent had entered an appearance, bat filed no answer. Mr. Collier, Q.C., and Mr. W. Brandt appeared for the petitioner. Mr. Collier stated that the petitioner was the daughter of a surgeon in extensive practice, who live& at Clayton lodge, in the parish of Childwall, near Liverpool. He was now deceased. He was possessed of private pro perty; he lived in some style, and was well known and respected. The resTonient was the conductor of an omnibus, which plied in the neighbourhood of Liverpool, and in which Miss Bevan occasionally rode. She formed au acquaintance with him in dune, 1858, and after a few interviews agreed to marry him. She made, however, two conditions ; one wt2s that the marriage should be clandestine, and the second Chat he should not claim to live with her as her husband for two years. She after wards said that she never intended to live xvftt him at any time. The marriage accordingly took place in July, 1858. He was unable to explain the motives which had induced the young lady to commit this rash act, of which she had since bitterly repented. Her mind was at that time in a morbid state. She was brooding over some injury of Wrong she had sustained at the hands of another person. The npr'etet injuria former sometimes aroused very strong feelings, and, without entering into a painful inquiry, he would simply state that she was in one of those moods in which reckless and desperate actions were very often committed. It was agreed accordingly between her and M'Mahon that the marriage should be kept secret. She was then 23 years of age. The learned counsel proceeded to state the steps taken by 31‘11fahon to procure a license, as they were afterwards stated in the evidence, and his representation to the surrogate, who lived at Everton, four or five miles from Clayton-lodge, that the lady was Margaret Bevan, of Whitfield-street, Toxteth-park, in the parish of Wal ton-on-the-Hill, and that he was a bookkeeper. The name of Lea was suppressed, because the lady's family was well known in Cheshire ; her mother belonged to the Lea family, she was always called Lea Bevan, and it was supposed that if the name of Lea Bevan had been communicated to the surrogate the license would not have been granted by him without further inquiry. It was ageed that, in addition to the suppression of her name, she should be described as residing in a small street in a district called Toxteth-park, in the parish of Walton-on-the-Hill. The address given by M'Mahon was also false. He made an affidavit containing these false statements, in which he also swore that the lady had been residing in the parish of Walton-on-the-Hill for the last fortnight. On the day appointed Miss Bevan met M'Mahon at Liverpool, drove to the church, and they were there married, the lady signing the register as Margaret Bevan. She immediately returned to her home, and M'Mahon went to his work. She had one or two short interviews with him in the course of the next week or two, and about a month after the celebration of the marriage it was discovered by her father. The family was in great consternation, and Miss Bevan herself, then fully awakened to the conse quences of the act she had done, bitterly repented of her conduct, saw M'Mahon, and told him she would never live with him, and that she regarded him with abhor rence. The suit was originally instituted by Miss Bevan's father, but he died, and Miss Bevan then pro ceeded with it. Edwin Ayres, the sexton of St. George's Church, Everton, produced the license and register. The parties were therein described as James M'Mahon, bachelor, over 21 years of age, bookkeeper, of Yates-street, Tox teth-park, and Margaret Bevan, spinster, over 21 years of age, of Whitfield-street, Toxteth-park, in the parish of Walton-on-the-Hill. The marriage was solemnised by the curate on the 23rd of July, 1858. On the Ist of July, M'Mahon went to him with a friend named Smith, and inquired how he could get married by license. He referred him to the Rev. Mr. Marlen, the surrogate. He afterwards came and appointed a day for the mar riage. He said he had been disappointed by the lady who was to have been bridesmaid, and he asked the witness's wife to act in that capacity. The particulars in the entry in the register were given by M'Mahon. He asked the profession of the lady's father. M'Mahon said he did not know what to call him. He replied that a person who was not in business was usually called a gentleman. M'Mahon said that if he described the father as a gentleman he would not be far wrong. The Rev. Henry Marlen, incumbent of All Saints, Liverpool, and surrogate for granting licenses in the diocese of Chester, said that he lived at Everton. On the Ist July, 1858, M'Mahon called on him with a person named Smith,. and said he wanted to obtain a licence. In answer to the usual questions, M'Mahon stated that he resided in Yates-street, Toxteth-park, in the parish of 'Walton-on-the-Hill, and that he was a book-keeper. He also stated that the lady's name was Margaret Bevan, and she lived at Whitfield-street, Toxteth-park. He read over these statements in an affidavit, and asked whether they were correct. M'Mahon said they were. M'Mahon then attached his name to the affidavit, and swore to the truth of the contents. (The affidavit was given in evidence.) He forwarded the affidavit to Chester in the usual course, duly received the licence, and gave it to M'Mahon. M'Mahon was dressed not like a gentleman, but like what he described himself—a book-keeper. Mr. Bridgeman, the petitioner's attorney, produced some letters written by Miss Bevan to his daughter, who had been one of her schoolfellows, in which she signed herself "M. Lea Bevan." He also produced a copy of an entry in the register of a church at Liverpool, show ing that she was baptised as Margaret Lea Bevan, born on the 24th of January, 1837. Mrs. Bevan—l am the mother of the petitioner. My mother was a member of the Cheshire family of Lea. My children are all called Lea Bevan. My family is well known in Chester. About a month after the mar riage it was found out by my husband. M'Mahon afterwards came to the house and saw my daughter. Margaret Lea Bevan, the petitioner, said—ln the summer of 1858 I was living with my father at Clayton lodge. I became acquainted with M'Mahon in June through the cook. I had from time to time ridden in the omnibus of which he was conductor. I had one or two interviews with him in June at my father's house. I agreed to marry him. At first I refused, but after he had asked me several times we agreed to obtain the license clandestinely. We agreed to sink the name of Lea, and to state false residences in order to deceive my parents and the surrogate. I was well known by the name of Lea. I told him not to claim me for two years. I had fully made up my mind not to live with him. He agreed not to claim me for two years. I was then suffering from a disappointment. I made this agreement with McMahon a few days before he got the license. It was ar ranged that he should get it. M'Mahon afterwards told me he had got the license. I asked him if he had omitted the name of Lea. He said he had, and also that he had stated wrong residences. We were married upon the 23rd of July. I met him in a cab at Liverpool. He showed me the license, and told me to he particular to sign the name "Margaret Bevan." We went from the church in a cab. 'We then separated, and I went home. My father found out the marriage about a month afterwards. M'Mahon came to my father's, and I saw him in the presence of my aunt. I said I never would live with him, and I hoped I should never be obliged to. He tried to persuade me. I said I would never agree to it, and I hoped I should never see him again. He went away. I have only seen him once since, as I was coming from church ; but I had no interview with him. There were never any familiarities between us. John Thomas Smith—l am a friend of M'Mahon, and I went with him to get the license. He had told me that he had had an interview with Miss Bevan, and he wished to know how to get a license. He said he was going to omit " Lea " in the name, and to say that she lived in Toxteth-park. She knew of it. He said it was to be done in order that her friends might not find it out, and that the Surrogate might not know lien He was not to claim her for two years. Mr. Collier, Q.C., and Mr. W. Brandt were then heard in support of the proposition that the fraud com mitted in obtaining the license to which both the peti tioner and the respondent were parties vitiated the marriage. It is unnecessary at present to report the argument in consequence of the course taken by the Court. The Judge Ordinary said that the questions involved in the case were of such immense importance that the Court would exercise the power conferred on it by recent statute, and direct the Queen's Proctor to instruct council to argue them on the other side upon a future day. Without saying a word one way or the other as to the difficulties of the case, he thought it ought to be argued on the other side. lie was in the habit of trying to look upon a gentleman who argued before him as an antagonist, and he could not help sometimes forming an opinion contrary to that of the gentleman who was arguing. Without any disrespect to any argument lie might hear on the other side, it was possible that after he had heard it he might take a more favourable view of the petitioner's case. The - case stood over for argument accordingly. DEATH OF SIR HUGH LTON PLAYFAIR.—The severe and protracted illness of Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair ter minated fatally at hiS residence, St. Leonard's, at a quarter-past eleven o'clock on the morning of Monday last, and has cast a deep gloom over the whole commu nity of St. Andrew's. He was elected Provost of St. Andrew's in 1842, and from the hour of his appointment he devoted himself with great and appreciated energy to the improvement, physical, social, and intellectual, of his native city. For his varied services Her Majesty the Queen was pleased to confer on the late Provost the honour of knighthood in 1856, in which year th_. 13. the Uni versity also conferred on him the degree of LL.II n 0 his death and that of Sheriff Monteith there are two vacancies in the trusteeship of the Madras College. LATEST NEWS. (BY BRIT'S/I AND IRISH MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.) CHINA. FOREIGN OFFICE, Jan. 25. The following telegram has been received at the Foreign Office, from her Majesty's Consul at Marseilles, dated January 24th, 10.30 p.m. : Great part of the expeditionary forces had arrived at Hong Kong on December 24th. The l'e,no was completely frozen up. 2,500 English, under General Stavely, and a quota of French, have been left at Tien-tsin, comfortably housed, with plenty of warm cloth ing and fuel. Lord Elgin reached Shanghai December 4th, and was about to start for Japan with Sir Hope Grant. Sir Robert Napier had left Hong Kong for Calcutta. The Jangtse was much infested with pirates. Baron Gros and Mr. Ward had been at Canton. The site of Yeles yamun has been selected by the French for a Roman Catholic cathedral, under permission. A steamer has been up the inland waters, near Canton, with perfect safety. (Signed) EDWARD MARK, British Consul. FRANCE. PARIS, Jan. 25. The Paine gives a denial to the report that the troops are preparing to leaving Rome. A private telegram from Constantinople, dated yesterday, states that Vely Pacha has been appointed Ambassador at Paris. General Lamoriciere, in his letter declining a sword of honour, says that such a distinction is conferred only for battles won, towers taken or signally defended. The General adds : Now, it is only too well known that I have done nothing Of the kind. The provinces I defended have been conquered, the towns taken, the war materiel lost, and the whole army led into captivity. THE FRENCH FUNDS. PARIS, Jan. 25, 3.30 p.m. The Bourse was firm, but inanimate. Rentes closed at 67f. 50c., or 5 centimes lower than yes terday. THE PAPACY. The Independance says a pamphlet is about to appear in Paris, under very high patronage, con tending for the establishment of the Papacy at Jerusalem. AUSTRIA. VIENNA, Jan. 25. The return of M. de Balabine, from St. Peters burg to Vienna, has again been delayed, on account of the instructions which he has to receive from Prince Gortschakoff in reference to the reported revolutionary intrigues in Poland, the Principalities, and Montenegro. The Vienna Cabinet has again put into vigoir the decree prohibiting the export of arms to the Danubian Principalities. PRUSSIA. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, in reply to a despatch from Lord John Russell, says it is not the question of Schleswig which is now under consideration, but tat of Holstein and Laven burg, which belong t. German Confederation. ROME. The Herald's Paris correspondent has reason to believe that negotiations are going on between Paris and Turin to replace the French troops at Rome by Victor Emmanuel's soldiers. ROME (via Marseilles), Jan. 22. Riotous demonstrations of a most serious cha racter have taken place in the Appolo Theatre. The performance of "Il Trovatore " has been prohibited. Some students has been expelled from the University for having distributed tri coloured cockades. THE SIEGE OP GAETA. MOLA DI GAETA, Jan. 23. The fire of the Sardinians is vigorously con tinued, and is slowly replied to by the batteries of Gaeta. The Paris papers publish a telegram dated 22nd instant, according to which orders had been given for the trial of some Neapolitan naval officers before a court martial for having refused to take part in the siege of Gaeta. The same telegram states that two Neapolitan war vessels only are employed at the siege of Gaeta. SARDINIA. FLORENCE, Jan. 24. The Royal Princes have arrived here. Fetes are taking place in their honour. DENMARK. COPENHAGEN, Jan. 26. The Berlinyske Tidende of to-day says the Minister of Finance has authorised the Ministers of War and Marine to already apply during the current year a portion of the funds voted by their departments during the financial year. HUNGARY. yf PESTII, Jan. 25. The Court Chancellor, Baron Vay, has informed the Prince Primate of Gran that the recalling of the refugees is prevented at present by the ques tion arising from the sequestration of their pro perty. The Emperor has statbd that after the settlement of that question, which has been ordered to take place at as early a period as possible, a general amnesty shall be proclaimed. The Express of this evening publishes in extenso the Imperial manifesto addressed by the Emperor of Austria to the municipal bodies of Hungary. It bears out the reactionary character attributed to it in the telegraphic summary a few days ago. The Comitat of Pesth has resolved to firmly maintain the laws of 1848. The Comitat of Honth not only demands that a responsible and independent Hungarian ministry should be ap pointed before the opening of the Diet, but also requests the annexation of the provinces formerly belonging to Hungary. and the earliest possible convocation of the Diet at Pesth. NAPLES. NAPLES, Jan. 24. Prince Carignan held a review of the National Guard, by - .; 9 )0m he was received with enthusiasm. The batteries of Gaeta slackened their fire yesterday. This morning a powder magazine exploded in the Sardinian camp killing twenty persons. General Sonnaz has defeated the insurrec tionary bands at Tagliacozzo and Cusamare. The victory was complete. Prince Carignan will proceed to :Zola di Gaeta. The confidence in the Government is increasing. CALCUTTA AND CHINA MAILS. The Valetta, with the above mails, arrived at Marseilles at 9 o'clock on Thursday night. The mails were to leave for London at 10.30 p.m. The Pera, with the heavy portion of the mails, left Malta on the 21st, and may be expected at Southampton on the 30th. CAPE OF GOOD lIOPE MAIL. The mail steamer Cambria arrived at Plymouth yesterday morning. She left the Cape December 22nd; St. Helena, December 31st; and Ascen sion, January 4th. OUTWARD AMERICAN MAIL. LONDONDERRY,- Jan. 25. The Canadian screw-steamer Anglo-Saxon arrived at Moville this morning. The mails, passengers, and latest telegrams were received on board about six o'clock and she proceeded immediately afterwards for Portland. All well. LOSS OF THE FLORENCE GRAHAM. (Front the Kerry Post.) 'TRALEE, San. 25. The Florence Graham, of and for Liverpool, with palm oil from Rio Vqrsto, is wrecked on Inch Bar, Dingle Bay. Master, mate, and ten seamen lost; five saved. Cargo coming ashore. TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF CONTRACT PACKET SERVICE BETWEEN GALWAY AND AMERICA. A post-office notice, issued yesterday, says that the Atlantic Mail Company being unable to pro vide vessels at present, the Postmaster-General has consented to a suspension of the contract till March 25th, on the understanding that the com pany will then be ready to carry on the fort nightly service iu an efficient manner. CABINET COUNCIL. A Cabinet Council was held yesterday after noon at Lord Palmerston's official residence. The weather has become much milder, and in London yesterday it was reported very fine, with wind from S.W., but the b arome t er h a d fallen considerably. The Premier has issued the usual circular to the Liberal metpliers of the House of Commons, inviting their at i sndance on the day of opening the Parliament. The Rev. Mark Pattison has this day been elected Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford. The list of Cambridge honours has been issued to-day —Aldis, of Trinity, is senior wra ngler Bone, Magdalen, second; and Hudson, of John's, third wrangler. Anderson, the fugitive slave, is not expected to be brought to England before May, as the ice does not break up before April, and he cannot be taken through the Northern States. The following appeared in our later editions of yesterday : FRENCH ARMAMENTS. The French correspondent of the Times states on authority of a private letter from Toulon that immense activity prevails in the French arsenals and military ports. At Toulon particularly ship building is going on as rapidly as if the Govern ment was going to send three or four fleets to sea tog ether, with twenty steel-plated frigates. The ling of all the troops of the new levy lately called out is going on most actively. The generals have received orders to have it completed by the Ist of March. The camp of Chalons, it is said, is to be formed early in the spring, and is to consist of 60,000 men, to be commanded by Marshal M'Mahon. BRITISH INVESTMENTS AT NEW YORK. The Daily News says it is computed that the total amount of securities purchased at New York on English account during the recent crisis has not exceeded half-a-million sterling at the out side. In many instances the orders sent out could not be executed, the New York market hay ing rapidly risen much beyond the limits fixed. THE GREEK INTEREST. .The Daily News says there is a report that the Greek interest at Constantinople intend to sustain certain houses there compromised by the failures of Francis Ede, Son, and Co. They are also showing their strength by remitting gold to France and England. THE NEW INDIAN LOAN. The new Indian loan of £3,000,000 is expected to be announced on Monday. This sum is about to be raised, under the authority' granted by Par liament last session, for the express purpose of meeting any deficiency in the funds obtained by the Indian railway companies in England. The death of Mr. Vyner, father of the Countess de Grey, creates a vacancy in the representation of Ripon. The Emigration Commissioners have chartered the Eutopia, of 949 tons, belonging to Barned and Co., of Liverpool, to sail from Birkenhead for Melbourne, Victoria, at £l5 17s 6d per statute adult. The Liverpool mail was not delivered yesterday until between two and three o'clock, instead of early in the morning, owing to a report of railway accident. sgortinff trttiligract. • Saturday, Jan HUNTING FIXTURES. The Vale Royal Monday, January 28, a t Warmintham Village Wednesday, January 30, a t 7C2H6,EaStHIRE HOUNDS meet on Norton Priori Each day at half-past ten. MANCHESTER RACES.—The Manchester Steeple-chase, Flat, and Hurdle Races will take place on Saturday next, the 2nd February. The entries stand as before, and the stewards are :—The Hon. J. Drummond, Capt. Tempest, and P. P. Moseley, Esq., 11th Hussars. PIGEON SHOOTING. —The match for £lOO aside, between Mr. Joseph Donald, of Huddersfield, and Mr. Thomas Forster, of Aldwark, came off on Thursday, at the York cricket ground. Mr. Donald proved the win ner, having killed 54 out of 48 double rises, and Mr. Forster 46 out of 47. CORONER'S INQUESTS.—Yesterday the coroner hell the following inquests :—On the body of George Mar tin, 41 years old, a labourer, who w oi e ine s eo e gf m o ployed at "—On th Messrs. Horsfall's on the 4th instant. hishifis hand hurt at the foundry, and subsequently was amputated. Lock jaw supervened, and thisfi ngers Hugh Gibson, 30 years of age, a carter, who lv b ed u caused diynoaf death. Verdict, "Accidental death. court off Scotland-road. On the 19th that he was caught b e tween his own cart and a wall, and itappeared there was no blame to any one. He died in consequence of the injuries. Verdict accordingly. I NTENDE D SLAVE INSURRECTION Ire VIR G IN IA : aout e y ery Great fear of an insurrection of slaves is felt i n th e n pl e a ig n li ta b t o i u on rin w g er V e i e rg sta in b ia lis c h o e u d. ntieTs,wtyfiv a e lp,trolu b Twenty-five kegs of pow der were found secreted in various places. THREE MEN BURIED IN A MINE FOR THREE DAlr —Great consternation was created at Calve' sebg.' near Bakewell, Derbyshire , on Tuesday last, by the fear that three men, named Thomas Edeson, and Josep h and John Burch' (two brothers), had been killed iti a mine. The most arduous and anxious exertions were made to dig them out, and on Wednesday mornin they were reached. Two were fou nd ali ve , viz. , JosepS and John Burch, though greatly exhausted. They were at once removed, and, being c aref ul l y treated, are - in a fair way of recovery. Not so Thomas Edeson • h e was found dead, his head being frightfully c rus h e d . The survivors heard Edeson's shot fired, when they were instantly hemmed in by a large mass of ea r th displaced by the shot. These men bad remained in the mine from Monday, having bad no food. A GAMEKEEPER SIIOT.—A few nights since a milder ons attempt was made upon a gamekeeper named Nutt, in the employ of Lady Emily . Foley, of Stoke Edith Park, Herefordshire, by a navvie, known to his compa nions by the soubriquet of "Lank." Nutt saw that a poacher had a gun. and was watching the operations of the dog, and he therefore advanced towards him without attempting to warn him off, but the fellow called upo n him to "stand back," or he would blow his brains otat. The keeper was about to close with his antagonist, wnen the fellow raised the piece to his shoulder, and deliberately shot him. Providentially the man partially' avoided the charge by a dexterous movement of the. body, but several of the shots struck him in the face,. and one of his eyes is injured and discoloured, thouglx it is thought he will not lose his sight. Nutt made another attempt to capture the fellow, who had in the meantime taken the precaution to re-load his gun, a n d . who swore that he would either shoot him dead or beat his brains out with the stock, before he would allow himself to be made a prisoner. The keeper then hastened home to have his injuries attended to, and to inform the bead keeper of the formidable opponent h e had met with. The fellow, too, at once decamped, and, although the police have been very active in endeavour ing to effect a capture, they have not succeeded in their objet. THE RECENT OUTRAGE BY THE CONVICTs ivr , CHATHAM.—From the result of the investigation i nsti _ tuted by Captain Gambier it has been ascertai ne d beyond doubt that the recent outbreaks were led by a few most ruffianly characters, on account of the failure of the plot which had been concocted to enable a number of them to effect their escap. The convict Peters, wh o was at the head of the affair, was intrusted with the skeleton key for releasing the others from their cells. It was expected that Captain Gambier would have ordered a severe example to be made of several of the ringleaders, by directing them to be flogged i n the* presence of the con victs at Chatham, but for certain reasons this course has not been adopted. The leader s yesterd ay convict named h o wever, will not be allo wed to esca p e con dign punish ment, 12 more ha vin g been selected to be s ent to Mil bank, where, on their arrival, they will doubtl ess h e fl o gged, and also reduced to the lowest class. Th e num ber ordered to be reduced to this class, and a ll m itigation of their punishment forfeited, is believed to com mittedmear ly b 3o y . a A n murderousnumber of convicts sssau on l t wa s a Harold, while at work on St. Mary's Island, adj oining Chatham Dockyard. Harold was believed to have given implicated. ces, s ome information respecting the recent disturbances, whereby several of his fellow-convicts weree a party of implicat ed. This deeply incensed them, and convicts, headed by two men named Youn g siin tia past rold was and seizedjohn son, and guard, a heavy uar reached stone h each,te place all wherer n at work, and commenced a murderous atta ck the upon warders t him. Harold was soon overpowered, and th ere is if not killed, not several doubt would have been seriously injured, several of the warders hastened to to his assistance and rescued him, seizing the leaders in the outrage. The same day a savage assault was made in the pr i son bi g convict d ae h en a rl d oys sjtuutsrotn another l e e d ft o t n he th b pe a a w t r, h t a - or r df o c o rm, the,k e a : n ot il ib w il convict, a mulatto, on a warder, named De/lbws'''. U and kicking and otherwise attacking him in a m ost sav age manner. The cries of D en b ow brought some n i sa a s mh b ei ngie ta n t , d when o uu w n n one to his assistance, when it was found that he was a° seriously injured as to necessitate his removal to the prison infirmary. EMBEZZLEMENT AND SUICIDE. PAINFUL CASE.— • the death of Helen Martha Webb, aged On Thursday afternoon, the City Coroner held a painful inquiry in the board-room of Eridewell HesPitalf into was mr. gathered. Bird, a tiiough : who committed suicide under the following circum stanceseighteen years, nessess, the subjoined history of the unfortunate girl h --- um Fr b o le m p t e h o e pl e e v , id a e u n d ce ba o d f a . great numher of wit „of lie ia the service of dairyman, w o a f s T t u h rn e _ ln da ibeu ng e h n .te: .. s ue It Clerkenwell, for about nine years, and had ahoy,/ bad . greatest trust and confidence reposed in her. Amongst h,zr other duties she had to deliver bills at her mistefa enston:,era and collect the money, and not the slightest suspicion was attached t o h er un til Monday evening hot, when Mrs. Bird called on a customer for a small accottnt of Bs. 4d., and the lady said she had p aid the deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Bird taxed deceased with having received the money, but she denied it, and eventually the lady and the deceased were brought face to and said she face, when the girl burst into tears , hoped she would he forgiven. his. which asked licr which she had if there were any other moneys received and not accounted for, but she . .did not answer, and he said if he found any other ca_se_s_he lira send for a policeman. She went to be and Mrs. Ho e om said she was very mother,•who slept in the same ro tO a n d to f orgive her restless all night long, and called• ast five an dressed In the morning she got up at half- P ki the hurriedly; after which, instead of to ng out milk, she ran away, and it is supposed that she must have , into the river, gone to Blackfliaes-bridge and jumpe d for nothing more was seen o f her till half - past three in the afternoon, when the attention o City . constable Robinson, 365, was drawn to a barge lying in the mud hich a human foot near the bridge, and from under w hich of the Ci ty Gas Works, was projecting. Mr. Mau " , and others, rendered every assistance; but it was not till the tide floated the barge, at a quarter past six, that the body could be extricated from an d its fearful position had Dr. Hutchinson saw the body, said that life been extinct some hours. Mr. Bird, in answer to the coroner, said that he had since ascertained defalcations to the extent of £ l5 . Verdict—" Temporary insanity." IRISH REBELS THE FENEIDS OF SLAVERY.—The Charleston Mercury (U.S.) enjoys the privilege of a Paris correspondence from John Mitchel, the Irish rebel and pro-slavery writer. In a letter in the Mercury of the 4th, to which the editor proudly invites attention, Mitchel says :—" On the whole, I believe the Southern States need have no apprehension in this present crisis. Whatever course may be deemed most suitable, most dignified and independent by themselves, boldly and proudly vindicating their own institutions, that cou rse The men will be sanctioned by the ci v ilised world. of _ white neckcloths in England, the old St. Simonians and disciples of Anacharsis Clootz in France, may turn up their stupid eyes, but the commercial exigencies of the world will, at least in this one can, sustain the conclu sions of plain good sense, as w e l l as of the most genuine philanthropy, and slavery will be recognised as the only rational basis o f a ll communities in countries se happily situated that they can establish themselves.Ort so admirable a foundation. As for those countries which are too far north or too far south for so excellent a system, they must do the best they can, and I trust t hey may be abl e t o li ve i n some to l era ble manner, provi they mind their own business, and not give themselves up to a too envious malignity against more fortunate lands." Mr. r, at win- Mr. hell Mar- td at hand agers rased dy of in a tught that ten ce LA.- 11 the every pow- 'ugh, the Ps .ePb in a were nin seph Cher , are ; he they art the der- Tuft, :dith ape- (at a as of hout tpo si ord. and ially the. face r ni g h wade t the and beat how then rdto tt h e and, our- thei r wr tined • lure nber who the have ' the the' rtain ders, nish- Mil- Is he The d all ed to com- amed ining Tiven aloes, ated. r of rohn- t the I was him. lonbt d not E., and The by a The con- when own, most some assn ) the 11E.— • infal into ears, ;urn- wit- girl table of well, atest ether Viers °ion 'hen it of 18ed. to she her had not Add td'a rery her. ssed tilk, rave ver, e in tble nud foot rks, • not that ion. bad the ions ty." The If a rish wry ion, tern isis. nost and urse to of and up the tclu- nine the s so Oil lich st a hey cled [yes rate . .