The Express.
London, England, 1846-10-22 00:00:00

hated two days. At the close of the first day's poll, there
were only 24 for the rate, and 31 against it ; and at the
end of the second day, 40 for the rate, and 44 fur the
adjournment.
SUFFOLK.
CRCELTY IN THE RISIMIDGEUNIONT.—HAVRIIIIILL.—Our
yesterday's notice left the Assistant-Commissioner, accompa-
nied by some of the guardians, in the infirmary of the union
examining the inmates as to the treatment they hail recently
received from the hands of the officers. The Assistant-
Commissioner examined several witnesses, who deposed to
the cruelties practised by Slater, the nurse. Amongst
others, Edmund Basham, of Haverhill, hbourer, deposed
that be had been an inmate of the infirmary 18 weeks, and
of the union-house 32 weeks. A man by the name of Tur-
ner was in at the time, to whom Slater was very cruel.—
Assistant-Commissioner: In what way ?—Witness : He used
to bump Turner upon the stool in the room. Turner often
cried in consequence of such treatment. Witness frequently
said to him, " If I was you, I would not stand such ill-
usage. I would complain to the governor, and, if he took
no notice of the matter, tell the gentlemen when they come
round on Friday." Slater often swore, and witness would
nut like a relation of his undo r such a nurse as Slater, nor
even a mad dog, if he (Basham) had one.—Charles Honey-
ball deposed to several acts of violence by Slater. When
witness was in the union as an inmate, ho saw Slater take
up a pauper named Smith, of Stoke, and throw him on the
bed, saying, " Lie there, son old —!" Another time he
said, " Alt, daddy, you want a little of my Blow physic;
that will carry you off gently." Mr. Law was gover-
nor then. If he had told the governor these remarks,
he feared he should have had his dialler stopped,
which was generally the case if any one did anything to dis-
please the master. John Forge stated that when he was in
the union, a pauper, by the name of Reynolds, died there.
At the time of his death, Webb sat by the lire, and on Slater
coming in, he said, " 1/ you, if I can but once get Tou to
bed, I'll soon do for you." (Sensation.) Slater did not
treat witness ill, because he dared not do so. It was as
much as ever the poor old man (Webb) could do to get
across the room at that time. He was very childish.
Thomas Brett, an inmate of the Union. said ho knew the
nurse Slater. A poor old man named Poulter was in the
workhouse with a bad cough. Slater on one occasion threw
the out man on the floor, and then upon the bed ; it cured
his cough, because he died two days afterwards. Ile knew
Pouher never coughed again, as witness would have heard
him, as there was only a thin wall between them. Could
not say that the character of Slater was at all good. Once
witness was ill, and Slater was his nurse. Rice was ordered
him, but Slater took out the rice, and gave him the water.
The last witness was Sarah Basham. She deposed to the
fact that the deceased had been injured by a rope being
drawn round his wrists, from the effects of which the blood
proceeded. She told Mrs. Arnup, the matron, at the time
of the circumstance, and she told witness to mind h. r own
busine-s, and not meddle with the affairs of Slater.
The Learned Commissioner observed, that as the whole of
the evidence had been gone through, he believed the inquiry
was closed. He should, without delay, report the facts as
deposed to by the witneece, to the poor-law commissioners,
who would, no doubt, offer him counsel and advice in the
matter, and instruct him how to proceed in the ease. Be-
fore quitting the bench, however he ( the coromissionrr) withed
to know whether the board of guardians hail acted in the mat-
ter with reference to the case of Slater.—Mr. Jardine: The
have not sir. The commissi iner: Then I shall communicate with
the board, and inform them that the guardians are the pro-
per parties to proceed in the prosecution of Slater; but if the
board should refuse to do so, I shall have no hesitation in
telling them that I shall do so myself, under the 50tli Geo.
111., cap. 137, which gives the power of iullieting 11 gave
imprisonment on any person ill-using a pauper. Mr.
Smoothy, one of the guardians, then observed, that its the
board at the present moment had neither a chairman or
vice-chairman, and there appearing a difficulty in the caw,
would he (the commissioner), undertake to indict Slater.—The
commissioner observed, that he could notice any difficulty in
the matter. The board of guardians is a corporation that
can never die, and is quite competent to elect any
gentleman amongst them as chairman for the time being.
Mr. Jardine : Sir John, the chairman has not resigned. I
have received no notitivation to that effect. Mr. Smoothy : But
he will not act. The Commissioner : You have the remedy in
your own hinds, and I hope you will on Friday next decide
upon proceeding against Slater before the magistrates. The
investigation then closed.
New Die:; se to APPLES.—A peculiar affection of the
apple crop, which has not been hitherto observed, has made
its appearance in the neighbourhood of Bury. Some months
ago, on cutting into the fruit, the flesh hail in several in-
stances been observed to he transparent in the centre of the
apple, genii this appearance was evidently spreading. Since
the fruit were gat/lend it has extended to the surface, and
the whole crop of one tree (Kentish Fillbasket) has been
completely destroyed, the apples retaining nearly their ori-
ginal colour, but having the appearance of being frost-bitten,
and being unfit either for eating fresh or for smoking. We
observe in the last Gardeners' Chronicle, a notice of a simi-
lar appearance in the potato from Mr. Edwin J. Quekett.
" They are very different," he says, " from the ordinary
diseased ones, as they appear of a healthy aspect, yet exhi-
biting such a degree of transparency when held before a
lamp as a sperm candle would do under the same
eireumstanee. These potatoes are equally in feeted
with the disease as the other kinds. On dividing such
examples with a knife, the exterior of the re talon
presents much of the usual appearance of healthy
potatoes, but a short distance from tho margin the trans-
parent portion commences, and is separated from the more
opaque by a distinct boundary, in which arc many dark
paints. When such potatoes arc boiled, the external parts
become mealy as usual. but the internal remain wry hard,
and when eaten resemble very much the half-dressed portion
of the stein which belongs to every head of broccoli. When
sections are sulimated to the microscope, those Luken from
the circumference exhibit the cells full of starch grains, as
in ordinary potatoes; but those taken from the eerier, appear
to rnntain scarcely any grains, the contents being chiefly
limpid."
ItEi'EAL or THE MALT Tax.—A meeting of the Harks-
ton Farmers' Club was held at the Swan Inn, Ilarleston,
on Monday last, for the purpose of hearing from a deputa-
tion from the Total Repeal Malt Tax Association an expla-
nation of the obii eta of the Society. The deputation eon-
si.ted of Mr. Smith, Mr. Lattimore, Mr. Selmes, and Mr.
Northbouse.