The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-10 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

Thames Police-office on Monday may assist us.
Captain Seymour, master of the merchant ship the
Duke of Portland, summoned before Mr. Selfe for
payment of a balance due to one of his seamen on a
voyage from China to Cuba and London, pleaded
that the man was, from disease brought on by his
own indiscretion, unfit for work during the greater
part of the voyage. To this it was replied, that if
there had been proper medicines on board, the sea.
man would have been cured. The magistrate called
for the ship's log, and what followed we give in the
words of the police report:—
Mr. SELFE, on looking over the cfficial log, said he did
not wonder at the doctor not being able to cure the com-
plainant of the disorder he had contracted, for it appeared
that the passengers died off like rotten sheep. There was
an entry every day of the death of one or more of the
Chinese taken on board at Hong Kong. He found it
stated over and over again, " Died of lever," " Died of
exhaustion." He should like to know what this meant?
Captain Seymour said he was very sorry to state that
132 Chinese died on board the Duke of Purl:and between
Hong Kong and the Havannah.

Mr. Young : It is most horrible. Chinamen are brought
from China to work on the plantations, and this is the
result. The English flag is disgraced by such a traffic.
Mr. SELFE : I have heard of the horrors of the middle
passage when the odious slave trade was in existence, but
I never heard of anything like this.
Captain Seymour: Yes, sir; l 8 of them died.
Mr. SEISE : Yes, I see ; " departed this life from ex-
haustion;" those are the daily entries.
Captain Seymour: Yes, sir, I am sorry to say it is so.
I have had as many as 2tX) invalids at one time.
Mr. SELTE : Yes, the poor Chinese died by wholesale,
although it appears they were taken on board in good
health. I hope her Majesty's Government will hear
of this.

Captain Seymour : It is a dreadful traffic, sir, and quite
time it was put an end to. I can assure you that every
Chinaman brought on board underwent two medical
examinations before he was shilped.
Mr. SELFE : Then, how came about this dreadful mor•
tality ?
Captain Seymour: I don't know, sir.
Mr. Young : And I ani given to understand that many
more of the Chinese died when they landed in Cuba.
the Spanish agents hire the poor Chinaman from their
native country to become slaves in Cuba. It is shocking.
The wages were ultimately ordered to be paid.

THE ROYAL. BRITISH BANK threatens to become a
species of Baron-de-Bode case, to terminate only in
the mutual deaths of directors and shareholders. On
Thursday the shareholders comprehended in Class
B—viz., those who took shares in 1855—appealed to
the Court of Bankruptcy for permission to repudiate
those shares, and, instead of being treated as share-
holders involved in the bank's liabilities, to appear as
creditors, and to be allowed to claim the amount paid
for their shares, on the ground that the directors, in
the circular of March, 1655, deliberately misrepre-
sented the assets of the bank, stated to be upwards
of 800,000/. in convertible securities, and a reserve
fund of 10,00r)1., when, in fact, they bad scarcely
sixpence in hand. After hearing an affidavit read
from Mr. Edwin Booth, of Great Queen-street, West-
minster, in which Mr. Booth detailed the induce-
ments held out to him to become a shareholder under
the New Charter Act, the case was adjourned till
Monday, the 19th, in order to bring up, if possible,
Mr. Cameron, Mr. M'Gregor, and other witnesses.

THE CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT SESSIONS were
resumed on Monday. The learned Recorder, in his
address to the grand jury, referring to the cases of
Redpath and Robson, alluded pointedly to the duty
of Stock-Exchange gentlemen exercising some caution
and inquiry in their transactions with persons pre-
viously unknown to them :
It appeared to him that the same caution should be ob-
served in transactions of this kind as would be exercised
by all honourable men who were dealing with any property
or goods belonging to others, and that the same care should
be taken to prevent the chance of being supposed to have
any share in a guilty transaction.

THE BAKERS of the metropolis have been thrown
into consternation by a recent decision of Mr.
Beadon, the sitting magistrate at Marlborough-
street, upon the subject of the Smoke Act. Mr.
Cook, a baker, of Coventry•street, was summoned by
Government officials for not, in accordance with the
regulations of the Smoke Act, having adopted a
certain apparatus to effect the consumption of his
own smoke. On the part of Government it was
maintained that whatever change in his furnace Mr.
Cook had effected it did not answer the purpose of
consuming the smoke of the fire, and that was the
so!e point at issue. On the part of Mr. Cook it was
maintained that his furnace was fitted with the best
invention at present known—having regard to the
words of the act, which stated that " practicable
means " were to be used—to effect the consumption
of smoke. To this, on the part of Government, it
was replied that there were two patents, Von
Rauther's and Davis's. Von Rauther's was the
Utter of the two, which statement competent wit.
nesses corroborated. Mr. Cook used Davis's patent,
and several witnesses were called for the defence
but, after hearing the evidence, Mr. Beadon decided

35

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that as none of these witnesses had seen both in-
ventions at work, he must regard the defence as
futile, and inflict a fine of 51. and costs.
Two CHILDREN, Margaret and Catherine Coch-
rane, about a fortnight since were found apparently
suffocated from a fire breaking out in the room of a
lodging•house in Liverpool. The children were
buried, but the circumstances of the case were
somewhat suspicious. It was remarked that three
former children by the same mother had died violent
deaths, and that a fourth child known to have been
born lately had suddenly disappeared. The mother,
also, was of a notoriously bad character. An inquiry
Was held, the bodies of the two girls exhumed, and a
postmortem examination made of the contents of
the stomach of each, when full traces of oxalic acid
were found. An inquest was at once held, and a ver-
dict of " Wilful murder" returned against Bridget
Cochrane, the mother, who is at present at large.
MRS. BACON, charged with the murder of her two
children in Lambeth, was re-examined on Tuesday
before Mr. Elliott, at the district police-e ourt. No
fresh evidence of any importance was given. TEA
police.constable who arrested her confirmed his pre-
vious statement that nu one could, as Mrs. Bacon said,
have got in at any of the windows of the house and
murdered the children, as the windows were not only
bolted, but the sills of each were covered in long-
standing undisturbed dust. Neither were there any
traces in the garden of footmarks. Mr. Bushell, the
surgeon, stated it as his decided impression that
Mrs. Bacon must have murdered the children herself,
from the arterial blood stains " spirted over" her night
dress. The prisoner still maintains her air of passive
idotic indifference. A rather important statement
was made by the husband to the effect that the
house had certainly been robbed, and 71. in cash,
which he had left at home, were missing. The police
are investigating the affair, and meanwhile the case
was adjourned to a future day.
THE CRIME OF STABBING is almost becoming a na-
tional custom in street quarrels. Several cases have
occurred lately among men and women. The habit
appears to be even naturalising itself among our boys.
On Tuesday a young ruffian, George Hall, a boy of
' thirteen, was brought before the Lord Mayor, charged
with having stabbed another lad, named Moss Wolff,
with a knife. The prosecutor, who appeared in a very
weak state of health, said:—
On Saturday last I was walking down St. James's-place,
with a lad named Moss Lewis, when I saw the prisoner
standing at the horse's head of a van, of which he was in
charge. As we were passing, the prisoner called out to us,
" I had a bit of pork, and I stuck it on a fork, and I gave it
to a Jew thief." I took no notice of him, and passed on ;
but upon his repeating those words. I turned back and
slapped his face. As I was on the point of leaving him, he
plunged a knife into my left side, about twelve inches below
my armpit. When he drew the knife away I felt I was cut.
I did not observe a knife in his hand, nor did I notice what
he was doing. I found that blood was flowing copiously
from the wound, and proceeded home. Dr. Conelatt ex-
amined and dressed the wound. I have been compelled to
keep my bed till to-day. The knife went through my coat,
waistcoat, shirt, and flannel shirt into my side.

Mr. N. J. Conslatt, surgeon, of j4,' Castle-street,
Houndsditch, said !

On Saturday last I examined the person of the prosecutor
and found in his left hide an incised wound about an inch
and a quarter in width. I dressed the wound. The knife
had evidently glanced on the rib, which prevented it from
entering the abdomen, and thus the life of the prosecutor
was in all probability saved. A knife such as that produced
by the officer would cause the wound I have described.
The prisoner, who cried and said he was very sorry
for what he had done, was remanded.

THE PETITION FOR ADJUDICATION IN BANKRUPTCY in
the case of Mr. Humphrey Brown, M.P., was disposed
of at the Bankruptcy Court on Saturday. Mr. Com-
missioner Fane held that the petitioning creditor's
debt (that of the Royal British Bank for about
40,0001.) bad been proved, as also an act of bank-
ruptcy. Adjudication of bankruptcy Witi accordingly
made. The assets available fur the creditors are
said to be of very inconsiderable amount.
THE MISAPPROPRIATION OF I FRIENDLY SOCIETY'S
FUNDS BY A COUNTY MAGISTRATE was proved last week
at a petty sessions at Chepstow, against Mr. William
Hollis, for many years a justice of the peace for tho
county, and who, until witnin the last few year:, took
his seat on the bench, but who now appeared to a
summons charging him with misapplying the funds of
the Shirenewton United Friendly Society, of which ho
was trustee, until lately removed from office. Upon
the information being formally read over, Mr. Hollis
pleaded guilty to the charge contained iu it, and he
was ordered by the magistrates to refund the amount,
561. ss. 4d., together with a penalty of 101., and Bs. 6 d.
costs, and in default of payment to be committed to
the House of Correction at Usk, and there be kept to
hard labour for six weeks.
THE BROMPTON CHEMIST'S ASSISTANT, Burrows,
who last week mixed prussic acid with a dose of
castor oil, and poisoned his neighbour, the tailor
3larcooly. has been committed to take his trial by
the coroner on a charge of manslaughter,