The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-02 00:00:00

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THE PRESS.

but when it has to be cooked it is just put for about half
an hour into warm water. It then recovers nearly its
original volume, and, when cooked, cannot be distinguished
from fresh meat which has just been supplied by a butcher.
A still more extraordinary discovery is svoken of. It is said
that a gentleman in one of the provincial towns of France
has discovered the means of preserving for several mouths
meat, fruits, (Pc., without in any manner reducing them in
size, flavour, nr appearance. A leg of mutton, or a piece
of beef, at the end of six or eight months or more, it is
asserted, retains its original appearance and all its original
qualities. One of the most eminent scientific men in
Paris stated that he saw and tasted strawberries gathered
two months ago, and that they were just the same iu flavour
and appearance as if they had not been gathered half an
hour.

PRESS RESPONSIBILITIES IN CALIFORNIA.
MR. BATEMAN, the father of the two little actresses,
so well known for the precocity of their talents, and
who were performing some time since in London,
offered a prize of 1,0(0 dols. for a drama to be
enacted by the children. There were twenty-one
competitors, but all their compositions were rejected,
on the ground that they did not suit the children's
talents, and a drama was produced which carried off
the prize. Immediately after the award it was dis-
covered that the successful piece was written by hire.
Bateman, the mother, and she confessed that she
threw it off in an incredibly short time. The editor
of the California Chronicle, an exceedingly well-
conducted paper, in a sharp criticism, easily ac-
counted for the facility and despatch with which the
prize drama was produced by the fact that it was
plagiarised—taken wholesale from a play or farce
written for the stage some time hack, in which the
scene was laid in California. This discovery created
a great sensation, and Mr. Bateman determined to take
his revenge, "according to the manner of the
country." He waited with several of his friends in
the street until the editor came by, when lie at-
tacked him with his fist. This is the proved testi-
mony, as given by the editor :—" A friend parried the
blow. I drew my pistol (he had been warned, and
armed himself on his way to his office), and at the
instant was seized from behind, and my arms
pinioned by a stout man, an accessory to this at-
tempted murder ; and, being thrown upon my knees
in the struggle to retain my weapon, one of Batetnan's
friends held me while Bateman fired at me twice from
behind a cart, where he had shielded himself.' A
general firing hereupon took place, and, as the streets
were crowded and ten shots were fired, it seems a
miracle that. no one was killed. The matter was in-
vestigated before the Recorder (the police magistrate),
and he punished the offence by a fine of 300 dols.
imposed upon Mr. Bateman. Judging from the
Recorder's reasoning, it would appear that, bad the
firing not taken place in the public streets, where the
lives of women and children were put in danger, the
assailant would have been let off scot free. The
editors of California are in continual scrapes, and
several of them have been shot for their writings.

THE CONFESSIONAL IN FRANCE.
A SINGULAR trial has Just, taken place at the Court
of Assizes of the Seine, resulting in some striking
illustrations of the consequences to which the system
of confession too often leads. The proceedings
caused intense excitement in Paris during the two
days occupied in trying the charge, which was that
of murder, a man named Gauvain being the defen-
dant. The circumstances as disclosed by the wit-
nesses examined are as follow :

On the 11th of April last, at seven o'clock in the morn-
ing, the Abbe Gay, filling the distinguished office of trea-
surer of the Imperial Chapter of St. Denis, was, while
reading a placard describing certain clerical arrangements
for the week, near the church of St. Vincent de Paul, shot
with a pistol by a jealous husband, who made no attempt
at escape, and, being seized, was soon known as a respect-
able compositor, for years employed on the Siecle news-
paper, of the name of Henri Gauvain. It appears that
Gauvain, a man of fifty-four years of age, had been mar-
ried to his wife for twenty-five yearitoby whom he has two
children, and with whom he lived on goal terms until the
Abbe Gay introduced himself into the family as her spiritual
director. The acquaintance began in 18-04, but it was not
till 1811 that the husband's suspicions became awakened ;
and, even then, it was only on the 20th of December, It<i3;
that he discovered full proof of the injury inflicted upon
him. On that day, taking advantage of his wife's absence,
he searched her drawers, and found two daguerreotype
portraits of the " gallant (lay," and with notes headed
".lours Henreux." Even this he bore with patience. and
only broke out in reproaches against the reverend author
of his ruin three days afterwards when, on his arrival home,
he found him seated by his wife, who was in tears. What
added to Gauvain's irritation was the discovery that his
wife, who managed a little book-shop, was clandestinely
putting money aside, as he believed, according to the advice
of her worldly as well as spiritual director. Notwithstand-
ing the effect produced on Ganvain's mind, he denied that
he had any settled intention of shooting the offender. and
what gives colouring to the circumstance is that the pistol
which he fired was charged with that sort of very small
shot which is used in cleansing bottles, and, if one bad not
lodged in the brain, the probable object, that of maiming
the offender, might have been achieved. The conduct of
Gauvain on his trial might seem to disprove his own eng-