The Express.
London, England, 1853-09-26 00:00:00

IMAGINARY CON VERSA TION.

SCENE. --- Irouse ; Tiaw, Sunday Evening.
Pnuauxu,—British Cibinet Minster, his Lille S;n, and
" Amused Visitor."

B. C. M.—Come here, my love ; what have you been
doing since dinner-time ? Come on my knee.
L. S.—Reading to Manta, Papa.
B. C. M.—And what have you been reading ?
L. B.—From the Acts of the Apostles.
B. C. M.—Good boy. What about ?
L. S.—II aw the wicked Jews sought to kill St. Paul, and
how the Roman Captain was going to scourge him.
B. C. M.—And do you think the Item.in Captain was
right ?
L. S.—He was as bad as the Jews. Had I been a big
strung man, and there, I should have liked to help St.
Paul.

B. C. M.—That's a brass bay. Always think and
act so.

L. S.—l say, Papa; is it true that Mks Cunniagliam his
been ill-treated by a mob in Tuscany fur giving away
Bibles ?
B. C. M.—l fear it is.
L. S.--And that the Dread Duke is going to have her
punished ?
B. C. M.—l fear it is true. _ .

L. S.—And will not the mob and the Grand Duke be
doing to her just what the Jews and the Ituman captain
wished to do to St. Paul ?
B. C. M.—Very like it.
L. S.—Tben you will prevent them.
B. C. M.—Pm afraid I cannot.
L. S.—Did not you tell the gentlemen who came with as
address t'uther day that it was your business to protect all
British subjects ?
B. C. M.—Ah, my dear little fellow, circumstances fito-
dify different cases.
L. S.—What is the meaning of " circumstances modify ?"
B. C. M. (putting the boy down).—Go and te:l yom
mama that Mr. and I will thank her fur a cup of tea.
L. S.—But what do you mean by " circumstances
modify ? "
B. C. M.—You will learn when you grow older.
A. V. (aside) .—No doubt, if you are his teacher.

FATAL ACCIDENT AT DEPTFORD.-OU Battlraq
Mr. W. I'aync held an inquest at St. Thomas's Hospital,
touching the death of John Watch, aged 24 years. The
deceasid war employed at Wheen's soap factory, at Dept.
ford, and on the morning of Friday the 16th, was engaged
in placing some lime into • tank of boiliug soap Km The
task in question is about six feet across, and about tire feet
deep. It is made of three-inch plank, and there is no edge
to the top but the three-inch edge of the wood. The de-
, ceased thinking (as be said in the hospital) that he could
put in the lime in a better manner were he t 3 stand nthe
edge of the tank, did so, and fell into the b ilitg lets. Ili
cries brought some assistance to the spot, when he was Rash
out, and his body was well rubbed in palm oil. He wm
then placed in a cart and brought to the hospital. Mr.
Keele, the surgeon, said that deceased was brought in silt
extensively scalded, and the flesh and skin were hanging th
shreds. lie died on Wednesday night. The jury returned
a verdict of " Accidental Death."
HEAVY PORTION OF THE CHINA AND INDIA
MAILS.—The Oriental Company's steam packet Easise,
Captain Meehan, arrived at Southampton on Saturday, sod
landed her mails under the charge of Lieut. Gardner, ftslt!
Admiralty eat nt. ller dates arc—Alexandria, Sept. 10,
Malta, 14 ; Gibraltar, 19. Amonst her pant rots wen'
Capt. and Mrs. Brooke, Mr. M'Ewgin, 11I%jor Spottiswoodes
Mr. Brewster, Mr. Buckley, Mn. Callow, Mr.Buspeslt,
Mr. W. Barker, Mr. A. Dickson, Dr. T. Mrs. Brodie,
Mrs. Duff, Lieut. Brown, Mr. Margissen, Dr. Smith, Mrs.
Suirt and two children, Captain Ilichstrotr, Mr. Raiff',
R.Bl. Iler cargo consists of—lndian: 788 packsgl
4 do. tortoiseshell, 53 do. sundries; Alt sandriaa : 24 ball
tobacco, 330 do. fl ix, 11l do. wool, 23 packnees elephants
teeth, 35 barrels mother o' pearl, 103 banal: gum, 1 °l°
torttireshell, 43 packages sundries, 18 cams opium, 3 Cabe
tUoutego.-s, 2 haeukcs, &c., I wolf, 1 lr't PM
Malta :343 bales wool, 14 packaee, simdries 40151.47
tar: I bat money. At Alexandria there wa^ :t great weal
of slapping ; freights high, pr duce large we- shipmleat
Sept. 10, her Majesty's ship Firebran,i, at Alnate ris±
from Beyrout, would leave ou the 11th to k in the fleet 111
Iksika Bay ; 14, at Malta, Ceylon, flag ship ; 10, Dtbohar'
her Majesty's steam sloop Vesuvius.

.lAREST OF A BRITISH LADY IN
TUSC A N
. -
TLe correspondent of the Christian Times writes'
km Florence• on the 16th instant :
I Are ►ir, a•i) stated, an my previous letters, that the
klaglok sideots in tuwany would he made amenable to
the pr sicens of the new criminal code ; and I hats now
to inform you tine, within a fortnight of its first coming
taco operation, a yearn Scottish lady bu been arrested,
an.l tenveyed to tho Penitentiary ►t Luna, en the charge
a. di•semmatirg I.rototant tracts in a village near the
path• of Lucca. The 144 in question is Miss Margaret
Cessoughgaw, of Thornton, near Kilmarnock, Ayrshire,
0h.% with her mother and sister, were to have left Tuscany
• 4.,), lvr,hr purpose of continuing their travels towards
li.ue sad N it:es. Mn. Cunningliaine and her other
jaa.ter went to the office of the Delegato, at the
fiatt.s tf Lure., un Monday morning, in order to have
hh,ir passports :4,4, the Delegate, having acquainted
them that th, it per-coal atteod.ince was required.
VA tneir arrival he demanded the reason of the 'Lb-
w, eot Mite Matoret Cunninghamc, and, on heiag
el that the w-s unwell and confined to bed, &eland
as: nun she must, to. he had a communication of import
• deliver. When Miss Margaret Cunningham.
reakliid po:ice t Hire, she was formally charged with the
Silence in quest, 61, wan informed that witnesses were al-
e, summoned to Lucca to prove: the crime, and that, in
ot..h..nce t, higher turd, rs, she must be removed under an
t,cort 4,f genscianues to Lucca, then to await the further
mea.sures which the government might take. She received,
I em informed, this announcement with the most unaffected

earorsure ; hut Vie distraction of her poor mother is per-
fectly heart rending.
Miss Cunningham° was accompanied to Lucca by two
friends of her family, who took every step which friend-
ship or patriotism could suggest in such a trying case.
lent of these gentlemen. a per^on connected with her own
cattily —S.c William Millar, of Barskimming—made
an immediate, but ineffectual, attempt to have the whole
matter quashed, by going directly to the Grand Duke, who
is now staying at the baths of Lucca. His royal highness
would not accord him an interview. Sir W. Millar and
hie friend the Rey. Mr. Garden, after accompanying Miss
Cuanicehanue ti Lucca, and again attempting to mollify
the local authorities, who, however, declared that they
were but instruments of a higher will, pr-ceeded directly
to Florence, and laid all the circumstances of the case before
the Mr. Scailett, now acting as Charge d'Affaires, in
the ti ini.orery abs, nee of Sir Henry Bulwer. Not a mo•
runt we. let by Mr. Scerlett in bringing the case before
the ministers now in Florence.
But the Grand Duke was inexorable. In reply to the
urgent request of Mr. Seerlett to have the matter quashed,
he declared that justice must take its course. The Grand
Mehl se express,. regret fur the situation of Miss Cunning-
brume, but refuses to interfere. Toe individual dispositions
of the members of the ministry are more favourable. M.
Loot, the Minister of Judice, will hurry on the trial as
fast . 4 poeible, and then obtain an immediate exercise of
the Gland Deied clemency. But on what ground he anti-
titan • that h a royal highness is more likely to relent a few
wale hetwe then now, I cannot tell.
Miss Cunningham/ will be tried on the 'charge of having
istrieged the 137th article of the new criminal code. It
declares that whoever shall circulate works hostile to the
Haman es:ludic faith, with the view of seducing any
mu inher Icon that communion, shall be condemned di the
hous• of correction, cud subjeced to hard labour, C 4 a
period not bss thin live, or greater than ten years." Miss
Cunningham is charged with having given to amie pea-
puts en Patina Bente, and an Italian translation of the
ut l'ilarim's Progress.," and both these books fall under the
criminal category.
It is but common justi c to state that the zeal displayed
by Mr. Searlett, from the moment that the case was first
broneht under his notice, deserves the highest praise ; and
I feel unbiased pleasure is adding that the American
charze .l'affayes kis seconded him in the representations
already mole to tee Grand Duke, and in the interviews
which have •akrn place with the individual members act
the ministry, and, I ought to add, with the Archbishop of
Lasca.