The Express.
London, England, 1862-09-24 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 24, 1862.

HIGHO ATE.

TWO INCIIIIDIAIIJKS.

This morning as early ;aB7IZZ two respectably-dremed
young men, whose names did not transpire, were brought
before Mr. Miles, the magistrate at the Highgate office,
=by Polies-sergeant Aylett, No. Mot the S or Hemp-
vision, and Sergeant Daniels, No. 38 ot the same di-
vision, with wilfully and feloniously settiog fire to the home-
stead of Mr. Eiumersoo, a dairyman, carrying on au exten-
sive business in Maidendaue, Highgate. The evidence taken
was rather voluminous, but may be thus briefly summarised :
It appeared thet yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, between
three and four o'clock, a rick of hay belouging to Mr. Em-
mersou, coutainiug not Ismail:tan sixty waggon loads, soma dis-
covered to be completely iu flames. The engines of the dif-
ferent parishes were soon iu attendance, billowed by
the brigade from Ferringdon-street, under the command
of Mr. Pogo, the chief officer of the B district, sod
bead engineer Perryer. The parish engines bed pieviously
been set to wort., mid as Perryer was going round the stack
which was still burning, he had his auspicious aroused, and
be spoke to the police, and from certain questions put to the
two men they unhesitatingly admitted that they bad fired
the rick. Upon Engineer Perryer speaking to the men
as they were working the engines that they were
suspected of having fired the rick, they two,
with the greatest sang-fruid imaginable, replied, "We
did it; we had tried to serve the Queen in the army, sod
also in the royal navy, but we were both refused, and rather
than starve we would do that which would compel the
government to keep us, for we would rather be transported
for life than starve in the public streets."
The Magistrate inquired of Mr. Perryer whether he
thought the fire had commenced in only one part of the
rick

P.rryer—My opinion is that it wu ignited in several
places at the same time.

The two prisoners replied—That is the fact. We were deter-
mined to do something so that we might be kept from
starvation.

From other evidence adduced it seemed that there was
another stack of hay, the produce of several acres, standing
close by, which was saved owing to the timely arrival of
the firemen.

The magi■crate said it was a most serious offence, and he
remanded both prisouera uutil Momlsy for the completion
of the depositions, when they will be fully committed for
trial.

--
The fire w►s still burning ►t noon to-day, notwithstanding
the exertions of the firemen. Fortunately the sufferer
wee insured.

A report from Chester states that the city has
been of late so infested with burglars, that many of the
citing, have organised a night watch, either to supersede or
to assist the pollee. One of the gang of thieves was cap-
tured yesterday morel after • protracted struggle, in
which he twice eoocesded in escaping out of custody.
TUX JAIDIII D'AOCLIMATATION —A pupil of the
College Rollin. now at Treport, has just sent a hipporomp.B
breviroeris, or sea-horse, to the Zoulogical.ganieus of the
Bois de Boulogne. This singular fish, which is generally
from six to ten ruches is length, has • heed strongly re-
sembling that of a horse ; the rest of the body is covered
with sealer in longitudinal and transverse ridges, with tuber-
cular points at the eugles of intersection, so as t.. give it
the appearance of a lizard. It mixes it, prey with its tail,
which is very prehensile, and then turns round with great
dexterity to devour it. The ganlen has also received other
objecte of I o tens t. Several conchologists have hitherto denied
the assertion that the whiny., or sea-urchin, • creature
shaped like a bell, and densely covered with thorns or
spines, could perforate the hardest rocks. M. Caillaud,
Director of the Museum at Nantes. has now sent a number
of these 'child to the aquarium of the Jar in W.A.:ebonite-
tioe, together with fragments of granite and quints. Thee
new comers may now be seen firmly attaching themselves to
the rocks with their fleshy tentacles, and then turning round
and round like gimlets, without losing their hold, all the
while grinding the mi.* to powder ; and by this process •
hole is excavated in course of time through the hardest
stone. The creature does not swallow any of the powder,
which is seen accumulating at the bottom as the work
proceeds.