The Express.
London, England, 1851-09-17 00:00:00

OLD COMM. —Boa's ML Jtsucc TALFOURD ADD Maws Mwrity.

PORT•OFFICE ROBBERY.
Joseph Bream, 2s, a post-office letter-carrier, was indicted
for stealing a post letter containing a sovereign and a shil-
ling, the property of the poatniastir.general.
Mr. Clarkson and Mr. Bodkin conducted the prosecution.
The prisoner was defended by Mr. Ba'teatime.
It appeared, front the evidence for the prosecution, that
the prisoner was employed as what is called an auiiliary
letter-carrier in tho Highgate district, and, in consequence
of complaints that reached the Post-office authorities with
regard to the non-delivery of letters in that district, Mr.
Sculthorpe, one of the presidents of the Pat-office, made up
a letter, addressed to Wisbeach, in Cambridgeshire, in
which he placed a sovereign and a shilling, both of which
coins were marked. This letter was posted by Peake, the
Post-office constable, at Highgate, and, upon the Highgate
bag coming to the General lust-offiee, in due course, it was
found that the letter in question was not in it, and therewas
no mention made of such a letter in the bill that aeons
nied the letters. Mr. Sculthorpe immediately proeeedea
to Ifighgate, accompanied by Peake, and the prisoner was
taken into custody, end on being searched the marked coins
were found in his possession. It appeared in the course of
the case that the wages paid to the prisoner wise tkirtaaa'
ebilliop per week, sad ibis was all that bo bad to Watt
epee, with the exception of a sum of three 'aniline per
week, which he earned occasionally fur doing a portion of
the duty of another letter-currier.
Mr. Ballantine' in his address to the jury, said it would
be impassible for him to attempt to deny that the offence
had been established against the prisoner, but at the same
time he said le: must observe that the small amount of sa-
lary he received appeared to hint utterly inadequate to
enable him to support himself in a resreetable manner,
and although he was perfectly aware that this was not
in the least a justification of the offence, he trusted
it would be taken into consideration by the
jury, and that they would give such a recommendation with
their verdict as would enable the court to pass a sentence
that would not be calculated utterly to destroy the unfor-
tunate prisoner.
Several gentlemen residing at Highgate gave the prisoner
an excellent character, and stated that he had always per-
formed hi, duties with regularity and correctne-s.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty, but strongly
recommended the prisoner to the merciful consideration of
the court.

B trun Martin, in passing sentence, said that the offence
of stealing letters was one of very greet magnitude, and the
poorer elutes were the principal sufferer. With regard to
the amount of wages received by the prisoner, lie did not
thiuk it had anything to do with the case. He knew the
salary he wan to r,ceive, and if he chose to undertake the
duty he was bound to perform it faithfully, and
the smallness of his wages did not afford the
least exeuse fur on act of this description. The statute can-
powered him pass a sentence of trimportation for life, but
taking into cuil.ideration the recommendation to mercy of
the jury, he should not go to that extent, but should only
pass upon him a sentence of transportatiou fur ten year.

HEALTH OF LONDON I)UIUNO TILE WEEK

(From the =Mal new rt.)

London is as healthy as is mull at this season of
the year. 1,026 di idle; were registered in the week. The
average number of deaths in the corresponding week of the
ten years 1811-40 was I,ltrl ; ur 1,000 if we correct far in-
crease of population, and exclude 2,864 deaths in the second
week of September 1819, when the cholera was epidemic.
In the last week there was adeath every 10 minutes in
Lon-
don; hut the population is now about 2,1:41,000, and the
niortality is therefore ut the rate of one is 2,3'41 weekly.
The births were 1,429, and exceeded the deaths by 101;
the population is inen.asing partly by immigration at the
rote of 42,00) a year, or 800 weekly.
434 mules and 491 female,. died. The ages of four per-
sons were not cc-permit ; 198 only were of the eve of GI and
upwards, 3 "41 were in the prime of lire, au.l dGi were chit
dress who had not attained the ago of id. Of the 1,026
deaths, i 2. occurred uu the north, 301 on the south side of
the Thames. 72 persons died iu hospitals, 0 in lunatic
asylum., 93 in workhouses. 4 in prisons., 7 in military cud
naval hospitals, anti Bin military and naval asylums. No
persons died in the hospitals for fort igners.
Dian hies, stintmer cholera, and liver are the prevailing
disea,es ; fever is increasing; cholera is slowly, diuretics
rapidly, tbeiStiog. The deaths in the last three weeks
were 28, 17. 17 from cholera, and 174, 192, 101 from
diarrhea. 21 men and women died of that painful disease
—cancer, and 119 of consumption. am! 31 of heart
6 women died in childbirth. 49 violent deaths are re.
portal.
The births of 731 boys and 6941 girls, in all 1,129 c'aildr.m,
were registered in the week. average M six corre-
sponding weeks in 1815-50 was 1,292.
At the Royal Observatory, Orecnwich, the mean reading
of the barometer during the w,c k ending Sate7day, the
13th of September, was 3130'1 in. Tho mean temperature
of the week was 47.1 deg.; the atmosphere was cold fur the
season, and 1.4 deg. less than the avetage of tho same week
in ten years. Ties lowest reading of the th.clautnzter
during the week was 37.6 deg. WI Wednesday, and the
higlteot on Saturday, 72.1, showing a range of about 3
degrees. No rain tell during the week. The mean direc-
tion of the wind was north-east.

Mr. Child, the registrar of Norwood sub-district, states,
that " diarrhicA is prevalent in the dlstriet, more particu-
larly in localities inhabited by the lower classe!, and these
who keep swine in close confined places."

MR. DtsaaEtt is to meet his constituents at :kyles-
bury this afternoon, on the iuvitation of the Royal Buck
Agricultural Society.

DEaTItUCTIVE CONFLAGRATION.—Yeatcrday oven•
ing a tiro of a mo-,t destructive character broke out in the
storehouses of Itlessrs. Ilay, Anderson, and Sangster, nur-
sery and seedsinen of Kennington, and In leis than forty
minutes nearly the whole range of buildings, with their con-
tents, amounting to several thousand pounds in value, wore
utterly destroyed.

TILE FATAL FIRE AT ROTIIERUAR.--The coroner's
inquest on view of the remains of Mrs. Ann Nicholson,
of Rotherham, aged 82, and Jane Taylor, her infant
grand-daughter, whose deaths were caused by the contla-
gration on the premises of the deceased Mrs. Nicholson, the
landlady of the Black Morse Inn, was commenced at the
1 Court-house, Rotherham, on Monday evening, but
the evidence heard failed to throw much light on the origin
of tho fire, and the inquest was adjourned to Thursday
week, to give time for inquiry by the police.
- -

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.—The dimtors having
assumed possession of the Kennet and Avon Canal have
been over it to make the necessary traffic arrangements for
working it in connexion with the railway, to commence on
Monday next.
READING, GUILDFORD, AND REIGATE RAILWAY.
—The direeors, in the report to be submitted to the half-
' yearly general meeting, state that since the last meeting
the bond debt of the company has been reduced to the sum
of 8,0001., by the payment of a debenture of 5,0001., which
became due on the lith of August last. The remaining
bonds will mature on the 16th of October, 18.52, and the
amount is duly provided for. At a meeting held on the
12th March, 1850, the line was leased to the South Eastern
; Company, at a guaranteed dividend of 51 per cent. per
annum, on a share capital of 600,000/., and 4 per cent. on a
loan capital of 200,0001., equal to an annual rent of 41,0001.
The half-yearly rent (20,5001.) due on the 15th inst., has
in due course been paid by the South Eastern Company
into the London end Westminster Bank, the bankers of the
company. The capital account has been closed. It
amounted to 800,0001., all of which has been received, with
the exception of 5371. due on forfeited shares, and this is said
1 to be "obtainable." The revenue socount,which u madcap to
the 15th inst. shows gross receipts for the half-year to the
amount of 20,2941. 7s. 9,1. Of this sum 1911. 12s. is a pre-
vious balance, and 19,902/.ls. Bd. is from the South Eastern
CemPany. 5971 18s. 441. being deducted for income tax from
the 20,5001. The expenditure during the same period has
been 7291. 18s., leaving the sum of 19,564/. 9s. 95. available
for dividend. No specific rate of dividend is recommended
in the report, but th.s balance would afford one of 9s. 9d.
per share, and leave a small balance to be carried to the
next account. This, therefore, is the dividend which will
probably be declared. The accounts ere certified by Mr. J.
F. Bacon, the auditor. The line is 451 miles in length from
a junction with the Great Western at Reading, intersecting
the London and South Western at Farnborough, on to
Guildford, and thence to a junction with the South Eastern
Company at Reigate.
DISTRESSING DEATH.—Yesterday Mr. Carter, the
Surrey coroner, held an inquest at the Jolly Gardeners
Tavern, Lambeth•walk, on the body of Mr.:Henry Applebf,
aged 60, the receiver-general for the Earl of Mornuagton.
On Friday last, Messrs. Amain& and Matthews, the proprie-
tors of the White Hart Brewery, in Wood-street, West-
minster, seat out two men with a dray of beer, part of
which was to be delivered to the Lion Brewery, a bee
in Lambeth-walk. Whilst the men were busily
taking the casks into the cellars, a lad jumped cos to the
back of one of the horses, and in one instant the saings
took fright and roe towards Doughty-street. Thu doesood
rushed forward with the intention of stopping the horses
and saving the life of the boy; instead, how-
cur, of being able to do so, he wee knocked
down by the animals, and the wheels of the heavily
laden vehicle passed over his body sad killed his. —,
The Corsair in sansening up said it wee et tin risen'
importance stun seein charge of say "MAI shewhitoies
every preenntion pneventing rweidanta Tbwyliedlineginistat
go away ham this laosusisahns theyloitypepar poser
care of then. The bey Memel e nudist ulf"Assidantel
i death," eel they het wth the since wadi new leen their
hones in tetra Wine are sus k drip tithes.