The Express.
London, England, 1864-01-30 00:00:00

IVICE'S DIAMONDS.

Our Paris correspondent writes :—" The assize
court was crowded on Wednesday by a fashionable audience to
witness the trial of the Duke of Brunswick's valet far steel.
in; his master's diamonds. The great attraction; however,
upon which the ladies bad especially celoulated was left
out of the performance. It bad been supposed that thole
famous diamonds would have been laid upon the table in
court, as pi saes de emeriction, and that the duke himself,
with his painted face and black silk wig, would appear in
the witoesrbox. Bitter was the disappointment when it
became known that neither theduke nor the diamonds would
show. His serene highness had been snbpcenaed, but sent
a note to the presiding judge to say that he wee
indisposed and could not appear. It will be
remembered that the diamonds in queetion, which
are said to be worth the enormous sum of from
2.000,000 fr. to 3,000,C30fr., were stolen in December last
from the *meg safe in which the duke kept them at has
residence, No. 21, Rue de Beaujon. By an extraordinary
demgation from his usual h►bits, be had loft the outer
door of the safe open all night. His valet observing this,
at once conceived the project of forcing open the inner door,
which he did without difficulty. Taking only the most
minable diamonds, and dropping several about the room,
he decamped with his booty while the duke was asleep.
The telegraph was set working in all directions, and two
dtyi afterwards the robber was arrested at Boulogne, just
a, he was stepping on board a Folkestone boat. Almost all
the diamonds were found upon him ; those missing are
r,lued at about 100,C3Clfr. He admits having given
one worth 1,400 fr. to a girl with whom he puled a night
Mt whose name he refuels to discover. As to the rest
he gives no account, except that he must have dropped them
in the girl's room, and did not think it worth while to
stop to pick them up. The prisoner, on being interro-
gated, gave his name as Henry Shaw, 26 years old, and
LA he was born at Newoutle-on-Tyne. The judge, bow.
ever, said that Shaw was not his real name, because moms
letters addressed to him by his father had been found
which bore the signature of dherck. The piaster ap-
pears to have led a wandering life, and to have followed
various vocations in various countries. A fellow servant
deposed to having heard him confess that he had
robbed an uncle at Warsaw of 14,000(r., and that
his uncle had told him to go away and get him-
self hung elsewhere '—an observation which when
repeated in court caused great laughter. Shaw did not
attempt to deny the robbery, and hie demeanour was cool
and impudent in the extreme. He said he did it from
motives of vengeance, but as the duke had not chosen to
come to the court be should not give anyexplanation or make
any defence. M. Lachaud, who appeared for the prisouer,
said that his client had, in spite of his pressing and
reiterated advice, positively interdicted him from making
any defence, and therefore his mouth was closed. The
learned counsel, however, proceeded to insinuate mysterious
reasons for the duke declining to appear es a witness, but
was stopped by the judge, who said that under the pretext
that hie tongue was tied he was saying a great deal too
much. Shaw, being found guilty without extenuating cir-
cumstances, was minteuoed to twenty years imprisonment
with hard labour."

VISIT OP THE QUEEN TO THE ROYAL

VICTORIA HOSPITAL.

It will be remembered that one of the first visits
paid by her Majesty atter her bereavement was to the
large military hospital at Netley, which was opened for in-
valids last spring. She has again shown her care for the
army and for this hospital, in which the late Prince Consort
tmk a warm interest, by paying it a second **it. She
steamed up from t oborne on Thursday, and landed at the
hospital about 12 o'cicck. Prince Leopold accompanied her,
and she wan attended by the Marchioness of Ely, Coantess
Blucher. the Hon. Mrs. Barnes, Sir Charles Phipps., Sir T.
M. ltiddulpb, Colonel Yomonlay, and Dr. Hohmann, the
tutor to Prime Leopold. It was happil► a splendidly bright
day, with a fresh bruise from the north-west. Every one
was delighted to observe that the Queen looked decidedly
in Letter health than last May, although her face still gives
evidence of her severe trial. She proved at once that abs
had not forgotten any of the incidents of her former visit by
desiring to see first the women's quarters, with which she
was not pleased on that occasion. She found the rooms
looking much more comfortable, and she subsequently in-
spectol some rows of cottager which are now being built in
the rear of the hospital for the special accommodation of
the wives and children of the sick men under treatment in the
hospitaL She was satiated with these arrangements. She
then visited the wards, a less laborious leak than lad year
as these are very few patients in the hospital ; the
from the home stations baying now ceased
to come, and the ships with the tropical invalids
not arriving till a mouth or two later. She said a few kind
words to the men in bed, sad then made particular inquiries
of Dr. Anderson, the inspector-general, as to the health of
the limo to whom she had spoken last year. That officer was
no little surprised to tied that the Queen bad a distinct re-
collection of several came, although her notice of them must
have been almost momentary. She also entered the dining-
hall, where the men who are able to leave their beds were
at dinner, and carefully inspected the arrangements
there. She then left the hospital and went to the medical
officers' mess-room—a hue large room, which has just been
completed, and in which are placed her own portrait
and that of the Prince Consort. presented by herself. She
expressed her approval of everything, and desired that
she be informed when the invalids from the foreign
stations would arrive, so that it is hoped Nattily will be
honoured by another visit. She inquired particularly whe-
ther there bad been any effluvia from the mud during the
Comm.,. and when told there had been no annoyance of the
kind, said she had sever anticipated that there would be.
She also made particular inquiries about the ventilation of
the hospital. During her visit she was attended by the
retire military and medial staff, including Colonel Wil-
braham, C the Commandant, Dr. Anderson, Inspector-
General ; Deputy-Inspectors Loogruore and Maclean. Major
kielinm. the Professors of the Army Medical Scheol, Mr.
Tucker, the Rev. Mr. Crozier, and Staff-Surgeons Moor-
head, F; is, Smith, Davidson, km

"FIDDLES" AND " FIDDLIERR."The colloquial
terns " fiddle" and "fiddler" seem to have been in very
eativ use, being met with in the old poets, even before I Count D'Alton has left the Cavendish Hotel,
(hatoer ; sod an the " fiddle" sou formerly the chief is- je.emynetrest, for Flaws.
Nutmeat of itinerant performers at merry•makiage, and
"fiddlers" were frequently included among the bumble Con OF COCSBII. TOR TOWNLL'Y'S DEFENCE.—
retainers of the great and wealthy. the term was very It ia gated, on good authority, that the fees paid to the
frequently need as a reproach, implying low habits and ! counsel for defending Towelly were as follows : Mr.
servitude. Thus in the Taming of the Shrew Hortemio is Macaulay, Q.C., received 150 uses ; Mr. SerjeantO'Brier,
made to complain of being called " rascal fiddler." and 1 75
_guineas ; and Mr. F. 25 snipes..
"twangling Jack," with twenty such vile terms. Even to I PLY3IOOTH, FRIDAT.—The Norfolk, Captaiu B.
the present day " fiddle" and " fiddler" are almost on- Tonkie, beiveging to Marrs. Money Wigram, from London,
consciously associated with something trifling and small, ' sailed yesterday for Melbourne. This 111 the ship which
and convey as impression rather of street minstrelsy than conveys the extensive and valuable assortment of salmon
of that refinement and importance which properly attach and trout ova collected by Mr. Youl. With the ice it
to tie violin and its modern cultivation. To apply the occupies a space of nearly 60 measurement tons, and is
term •• fiddler," therefore e (as is still sometimes dove) to stowed in the lower hold near the mainmast and pump welL
• skilful and intelligent performer on the violin is a The principal portion of the ova will, if possible be con-
solecism hi taste and marinera—Losid,,n Rerien. 'eyed ultimately to Tasmania for deposit in the Derwent, a
NORTH BARTERN RAILWAT.—The directors of this river which is considered to be especially well qualified for
company propose to declare the following dividends for the the propagation of these fish. The Norfolk takes a fall
balf.year ending the 31st of December last :—On the Bee- general cargo of British merchaadise, with 35, nation sad
wick 'tack at the nits of 54 per mat. per annum, on the 60 Named Mid third (shin Fewellere•
York stork at the rat* of 5 perms& per annum, on the A lettet from Tilsit, m Prussia, mentions that a
Leeds stock at the rate of 3 per cent. per annum, ou the dwarf named Lirke, aged 34, and only two feet high. had
Carlisle steel' at the rate of 74 per cent. per annum, sad just been married to a young woman aged 18. The bride
On the Dailingtoe at the rate of 8 per cent. per annum. was of ordinary stature.
•