The Express.
London, England, 1864-04-21 00:00:00

TES ANNUITY TAX DISTURBANCES IN
EDINBURGH.

The &demon and the Caledonian Mercury of
=*nein hill amounts of the riots at Fsdiabargh mie
briefly reported by telegram in yesterday'sEzprem.
Mr. ll'Lano, a temperance hotel keeper, whams good* bad
bees seised, bad, it seems, repeatedly offend to pay the
whole of the claims made upon him for the police rata
proper, but declined to yield to the demand of the collector
far the madders' portion, which he considered unjust and
oppreemint Ilia offer was as usual refused, and the
pending' took place. The total sum claimed for the
several items of the tax was 571. 48. 4d. distributed in
the following proportions rata 241. 15e. ; prism
and registration rates, 31. 7s. 1161-; clergy ran.
10E. 14s. tid.; expeness of permeation, IS/. ee.l Id. Property,
however, to • mach larger amount was poinded. The boor
fixed for the sale of Mr. M`Lerse's effects was 11 o'clock ;
but the crowd began to assemble beg before that time,
and when the authorities arrived at the scene of their
labours they found awaiting them • mar of people which
exteoded from St. Andrewaquare down to Pr ;ices-street,
and completely filled up the large and open space which in-
tervenes. Os a moderate estimate not lees than between
3,C30 and 4,000 pampa were pneeset. Nor were the spec.
tators confined to the dress. Every position where a footing
could be obtained on the opposite side of the street wis oc-
cupied ; every window from the basement to the roof VP
filled with ladies and gentlemen, and the belcouies even
became a somewhat dangerous point of observation for
many.
The officials—including Mr. Kenmore Maitland, the
theriff-elork ; Mr. Whitten, the depute sheriff-clerk; Mr.
Lintoo, the superintendest of police, arrived on the scene
of action amidst immeose groaning and hooting. A path-
way having been cleared for them, and their aouble file of
protectors being oe the alert, they experienced but little
difficulty in obtain* an entrance to Mr. M'Laren's este.
blishoreet. The auctioneer, • person named Cow, then
proceeded, amidst much ooefusios, to the male of the goods,
which onemsted chiefly of furniture. The officials, on
leaving the house after the male, were received with tn.
meadow groans by the multitude in the streets. Some
one then announced from one of Mr. M'Leren's
windows that porters had entered the hotel to carry
off the goods which had been bought by parties other
than Mr. 'Mans, sad the announcement was received with
a shout. Shortly afterwards a servant girl appeared at the
door of the hotel, aarryiag two cushions of the sofa which
had been bought In for the poindieg creditor. These were
flung into the midst at the crowd, who immediately seized
them with the utmost demosetratiose of joy. For some
time they wen used as plaything,, tamed about from one
end of the multitude to the other ; bat speedily getting
Undo( this species of enjoyment, the holders proceeded to
tear them in pieces. In • moment the coverings were de-
stroyed, and the feathers which they enclosed were tamed
out on the street. As they fell I. thick, White muses they
were caught by the wind and by them nearest the scene,
sad again toned up in the sir, falling down on the
shoulders of the crowd like • heavy shower of
meow, and • them es with the flakes of
winter. Another object was, however, speedily pro-
cured for the welshing of their vengeance. The bone
of contention, the sofa itself, appeared at the door bone by
• few porters. Those were speedily relieved of their
harden ; for on their inning out into the street the mob,
having not the fear of the police before them, immediately
tore it from them, and canted it off the pavement into the
middle of the street. There it speedily fell a prey to their
fury. The mattress was removed and taken possession of
by cos group, while another paid attention to the wooden
frame. The matins was torn in pieces, and the hair
extracted sod distributed oolong the oolookers. The
sofa itself ices apparently composed of strong materials and
well bat, for it resisted the utmost efforts of the crowd
for • oressidereble time. The legs first fell before the
assault. They were knocked off and reteind by their
owners es weapons of defence or offence, aooordiog to can
cumatosoes. :Using next the trunk of the dismembered
body, some of them named it aloft in the air, and dashed
it down with the utmost violence on the numeway. The
strongest roustitution could not long bold out against such
injuries, sad at length the sofa pstished—ita timbres sepa-
rated from their concenon and smashed into fragments.
It was not long ere steps were taken for removing
its remains from off the face of the earth. Toe
diejecta mantra were carefully collected into one
beep in the middle of the street, the sepa-
rate materials being scientifically arranged for a good
blaze. The heir of the matinee, which had been tossed
about from one bolder to another, was gathered in to aid
in the coofiagration, and skilfully inserted into the inter-
stices left by the broken framework. A light was without
difficulty obtained, and ices applied to this mass of iodate-
mable materials, and a blase was in a few moments raised
sufficiently to have brilliantly lighted up the street for a
great distance had it taken place at night. It burned away
tnerrili until the whole was reduced to • mass of carbon.
each mace retaining the form which it had previously pos-
sessed. During all these proceedings not the slightest op.
position was offered to the crowd, although • sergeant and
• number of constables were presset.

SHOCKING .VURDER IN SCOTLAND.

(From the Edinburgh Courant.)

Since, our former reports of the atrocious crime
at Itatho. the following circumstances have been ascer-
tained :—lt appears that on Saturday muslin, about 7
o'clock, the prisoner Bryce came into the kitchen of his
father's house, and askrd his mother if she had seen any
of hie nismey. She replied that his father had taken some
out of his pockets the previous night, as we understand
was his custom when his sou was iodolgiog in liquor.
Bryn. mid it war all right, and on leaving told his
mother that be was going to the town (Edinburgh).
He then mat Mr. Tod's gardener coming from Mr.
Tad's home, and inquired about a small wooden building in
the garden of Dr. Fowler's manse. When he entered Mr.
Tod's house the cook supposed that he had come to Übe
some boxes to the railway station, as he wee in the habit cd
doing. He asked for Joule, and on being told that she wen
in the nursery, but that he could not see her, he
immediately rushed into the surgery and savagely
assaulted the unsuspecting girl in the manner al-
ready described. Having been routed by Mrs. Ted
and the cook, who, it is said, was bitten by the
Milan is the struggle, Jessie Seaton fled for protraction
to Mr. Bianis's house, the nearest from Mr. Tod's. Mr.
Bionic was unfortunately from home, and Mrs. Bionic. was
out milking the cows. She heard the shrieks of the poor
girl, and, it is believed, witnessed the awful deed =
ttoted. The inhuman scoundrel sfter cutting her i
is said to have leaped upon her body, and trampled with
his test the dying girl. Mrs. Tod, it is uudentood, wan
not an eye-witness to the tragedy, but coming up
immediately thereafter, and seeing the mangled body
of her poor servant whom she had so recently
ooursgeously rescued, fainted, and wee borne home
uneococious. Meanwhile the murderer had run off, and
was next seen by a farmer, to whom he coolly remarked
that it wee • beautiful morning. He appeared to be quite
sober and cothicted they, but was observed to have his hand
°ono/ailed under his out tail. He afterwards met ea
aequaistasce named Davidson, who bad heard of the
murder by this time, but who pretended not to know
of it. Bryce asked Davidson where he had been.
He replied, "At Newbridge, on the spree all night;'
whereupon the accused remarked that he also bad
been on the spree. He offered to treat Davidson to •
gill at Newbridge, if he would go back with him. Davidson
agreed to do so, but Bryce then observed some nuarrymen
coming up evidently in pursuit of him. He cried out with
an oath that he was dors for, and drew the bloody razor
emus his threat, inflicting (whether from cowardice or
agitation, it I. not knows) only a alight wound. He then
asked Davidson to cot his throat for him, as be could not
do it himself. Davidson took the razor from him and
threw it away ; but Bryce picked it up, and ran
away at great speed in the direction of New.
bridge, followed closely by Davidson and the
quarrymen. His crowed the Edinburgh and Glas-
gow ' way, leaping down a steep and high rock, tad
climbing one ea the other aide, when be unexpe-thdll
cams upon • squad of tevvies working on the Maui. lino of
railway towards Queusferry. On seeing Bryce and hie
pursuers the navvies brought him to • stop. He
threatened to do for any one who would approach him, and
brandished the razor, but was cowed by • bold navviezt
armies himself with two large stones, swore he
knock his brains out if he would not surrender. He was
then secured, and basdniffed by • constable, who conveyed
bins to the police station at Rothe.
On being charged with seriously wounding a young woman
by cutting her threat, be is said to have inquired if the MS
dead. The akar, either not knowing the fact, or conceal-
ing it, said that ohs was not. Whereupon Br. ce remarked
that she deserved what she had got ; it would learn her not
to interfere with her tongue ague.
Oa being shown the corps. of his victim and the ghastly
wound he had made, 210 gave a convulsive shudder, bat
betrayed no other sign of emotion. It was his father's
cousin, not the prisoner's uncle, who was executed in 1844
far murder.

M__ather. melancholy feature to this and tragedy hag. it
Is currently rumoured. been added—the mother of Jeanie
&atom haviog, oe receiving the new. of her daughter's as-
timely sad, received inch a shock that she is said to bars
become insane, and been conveyed to an asylum.

HEALTH OF THE DOKE OF NEWCARTLE. —Lord
Edward (Minos has addressed the following letter, dated
18th inst., to Mr. R. Alto, Provincial Grand Secretary of
the Freemason of Nottingham, who had made au ofsclsl
inquiry respect's( the ha of his Grace the Duke of
Newcastle, the Proviscial Grand Muter of the Masora:
" It gives me great pleasure to be able to say that my
father, the Duke of Newcastle, has a) far recovered from
his last serious attack of nine dors ago, that I was this
day able to read your kind and sympathetic letter to his
it would have been modes' to do so before, as my father
would sot have been able to understood the full niatinag at
it. He wishes ale to express to the Fresaisause of Not-
tingham his heartfelt gratitude for their wishes for die
restoration to health, expressed to snoh a very touching
meaner. I fear that it is useless to shut oar eyes alto-
gether to the withal coeditiou that my father is in, but I
am happy to he able to tell you that a consultation of four
medical men hasjust taken place, and they pronounce hits
rather better than he has been far the last few days. I
think, therefore, that while gradual improvement cootiourr.
we have mare and more hope for the future."