The Press.
London, England, 1856-09-20 00:00:00

Stollantr.

THE ANNUAL BRAEMAR GATHERING took place
last week, when upwards of a hundred members of
the society were present. Her Majesty the Queen,
accompanied by Prince Albert and the Royal children
and visitors at Balmoral, attended the meeting, which
went off with the greatest eclat. The games were
contested with the greatest spirit, and, through the
liberality of the visitors, handsome prizes were
awarded to the successful competitors in Highland
dan.ing, " putting " thu stone and hammer, tossing
the caber, running, &c. The amusements of the day
were followed up by a ball in the evening at the
Castle.

LORD PANMTIRE'S tenantry in Brechin have resolved
upon entertaining the noble lord at a public dinner.
THE MARQUIS OF DALHOUSIE arrived at Stirling on
Monday evening from Balloch. His lordship's health
is still very indifferent. He left Stirling for Edin-
, urgh on Tuesday.
['he TOWN COUNCIL ea EDINBURGH have elected
Z. Donaldson to till the post of Master of the High
School, vacated by the death of Dr. Boyd.
THE FREEDOM OF THE BURGH OF CUPAR has been
presented to Viscount Balgonie, whose health has
been indifferent since his return from the Crimea
last winter. His lordship is about to proceed to
Egypt•

CAPTAIN SIR WILLIAM GORDON OF EARLSTOUN,
BART., 17TH LANCERS, has been presented with the
freedom of Kirkcudbright, in honour of his gallant
services in the Crimea. A subscription is now on
foot in his native parish of Borgne and neighbour-
hood, for the purpose of presenting some testimonial
to the gallant baronet.

SATURDAY,

MILL Ross BONHEUR was on the tryst-ground at
Falkirk last week, purchasing subjects of study. On
Monday she bought two black-faced ewes and two
wethers of the same stock, and on Tuesday she se-
lected several cattle.

at an Volta.

THE TEN SHIPWRIGHTS out on strike from Messrs.
Young's yard, and charged with unlawfully conspir-
ing to prevent and intimidate other workmen front
entering into the employment of Messrs. Young, were
tried for misdemeanour at the Old Bailey, on Thurs-
day, before Mr. Baron Bramwell. The question, one
of great importance as affecting the relations between
employer and employed, was whetheremployers should
have aright to dictate the terms upon which they would
give employment, and the employed be permitted to
reject or accept those terms, or whether it was corn.
patent for a body of persons belonging to any par•
titular trade calling themselves a union, to deter-
mine and dictate to their employers the terms upon
which alone they would enter their service, and be
permitted to exercise power and intimidation over
other persons belonging to the same calling, and
prevent them from accepting employment unless
upon terms which they themselves had dictated.
The Attorney-General stated the case, the details of
which have already anpeared, and after evidence in
support of the charge had been given, Mr. Edsin
James, Q.C., who appeared in defence, consulted
the prisoners, and they consented to withdraw their
plea of " not guilty," and to plead " guilty." Mr.
Baron Bramwell, upon this, consulted with Mr. Justice
Williams, add after animadverting severely upon the
illegal conduct of the prisoners, on the recommend-
ation for mercy by the prosecutor, discharged them
upon their entering into recognisances to appear and
receive judgment if they should be required to do so.
M. Micliet., charged with a felonious assault upon
one Ellen Lyons, was tried on Thursday, at the Old
Bailey, and unanimously declared "Not guilty " by
the jury.

TllO-31A8 NUTTER, tailor, a becoming and respect-
able character, was tried on Wednesday b.tfore Mr.
Prendergast, Q.C., at the Old Bailey, for stealing two
hams. The circumstances of the case were, that
the prosecutor an the sth of September found his
shop had been entered in the night and a quantity
of property stolen, amongst it two Irish hams,
which he could swear to in consequence of the pecu-
liarly short knuckles they had. Upon that morning,
about the time the burglary was said to have been
effected, the prisoner was met near the spot in a par-
tial state of intoxication carrying two hams, which
the prosecutor now swore to as having been
stolen from him. The prisoner gave two different
accounts of his possession of them, but beyond
that there was nothing to connect the prisoner
with the commission of the offence. For the
defence it was contended that the property, the most
bulky and least valuable of that which had been
stolen, might have been thrown away, and picked
up by the prisoner, added to which the identity of
the property was not very clear, and the drunken-
ness of the prisoner would account for his giving two
different versions of his possession of the hams.
Mr. Prendergast, in summing up, dwelt very strongly
upon the false account given by the prisoner. Atter
the summing-up the jury were for some time discuss-
ing the evidence, when Mr. Prendergast several
times addressed them, commenting upon the evi-
dence as it bore against the prisoner. Mr. M'Enteer,
counsel for the detence, with much warmth, said that
he did not think it at all just to the prisoner that the
jury should be subjected to such continual interrup-
tions from the bench. If the jury wanted to discuss
the evidence they ought to retire. Mr. Prendergast
said certainly they could, and again dwelt upon the
false statement made by the prisoner, adding that,
" under the old law, the prisoner would have been
" liable to execution, taken as he was, carrying the
" property from the very place of robbery" :

Mr. WENTEER : Then I am sure he would have been
acquitted ; no jury would run the risk of such a result
upon such very doubtful evidence; therefore they ought
to act so in this case, and not consider the result, added
to which prisoner was entitled to the benefits of a doubt,
and so the judge ought to tell them.
Mr. PRENDERGAST : Yes, gentleman ; a reasonable doubt.
The jury decided they had a doubt about the burglary.
Mr. PRENDERGAST: Then you may find him guilty of a
larceny.

After some discussion the jury returned a verdict to
that effect. Mr. Prendergast sentenced him to
twelve months' imprisonment., and he was removed
from the bar protesting his entire innocence.
~.

MR. SAMUEL SPEED homeEsjately practising as a
surgeon dentist, committed suicide at his house in
Seymour•street, Euston-square, last Sunday night.
The medical evidence went clearly to show that de-
ceased died from the effect of prussic acid, and that
his brain was so diseased as to render him unaccount-
able for his acts. The jury, notwithstanding the op-
position of one of their muliber, who insisted that the