The Express.
London, England, 1851-08-23 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

THIS DAY.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
Moms Ma. Oosewnwmaa l'o%sLaNats.
IN RE GRANVILLE.

The bankrupt, Augwitus Boeri Granville, was described
as a boarding and lodging-house keeper, of Wimbling, near
Harrow, but is better known as Dr. A. B. Granville, au-
thor of The Spas of Germow," and other medical works.
This was the meeting for the last examination.
Ile. Lawrence, representing the assignees, said that this
was a case In which the court had been pleased to enlarge
the time for surrender until the Ith of October, on account
of the bankrupt being abroad. As no account had been
filed it was proposed to adjourn the meeting for the last
examination until after Mr. Commissioner Goulburn's re-
turn, in whose court the proceedings had been commenced.
The bankrupt, it appeared, had at first petitioned the
court under the arrangement clauses; but owing to the
difliculties which frequently occur in carrying out these
amngcmcnts, he was made bankrupt in the ordinary way.
The trading consisting of his transactions as the keeper
of an establishment where patients were boarded and
lodgdged. Debts have been proved to the amount of
l,7001.; the assets, which consist principally of household!
furniture, are valued at 3171. ; and property to the amount
of I,ooof. is held by creditors.
The examination was ailiosraed by consent, till the 13th
November.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

THIS DAY.

OLD COVlCT.—Dzanaz Ws. Jrnies Wwerraig.

John SOplieta, a ti•Ape!table-lookine nom, surrendered to
take hi• trial upon an indictment ehnrging him with the
manslaughter of Henry Stewart Devi., by administering
widow• drop to him, and other means mentioned in the
Indictment. _

Mr. nary conducted the preaceation. The prisoner was
defended by Mr. Ballantine and Mr. l'araell.
It appeared frum the evidence that was adduced in sup-
port of the prosecution, that the prisoner carried on the
business of a potato dealer and grocer in Ratcliffe-high-
way, and that he was also • sort of agent for the sale of a
medicine invented by • Dr. Coffin, and which was known
In the neighbourhood as " composition powder," and it
would appear hr sold it pretty extensively to poor
people. The deceased was a child about fourteen
years old, who had been an idled from his birth,
and who, it was pretty evident, had suffered
from a variety of painful disorders from his child-
hood, and that he was almost perpetually suffering from
constipation of the bowels. Ile was taken very ill on the
10th July. and a day or two afterwards the woman who
had charge of him applied to the prisoner, and he advised
her to administer some of thccomposition powder, and she
accordingly purchased a quarter of an ounce, for which
she paid a penny, and she gave the child a small por-
tion of it. This appeared to have had some good effect ;
but the pain subsequently returned, and the woman
again applied to the prison. r, and he advised
the use of an enema, which was composed of an American
herb, called lobelia, a portion of the powder, and another
herb, called valerian. The prisoner applied the enema,
and the child appeared to have died a short time afterwards.
l'poa a pig-modem etuuninatiuu it was discovered that
the stomach and intestines of the deceased were in a dread-
ful state of inflammation, which was undoubtedly the
cause of death, and it was alleged that the powder and
the enema adntinstered by the prisoner were the causes
of that inflammation. According to the medical testinao=
appeared that the powder was composed of herbs
banery, hemlock bark, and ginger, and cayenne peppy;
and it was stated to be highly irritating, and calculated to
cause inflammation of the bowels. The lobelia was also
mated to be a dangerous herb, requiring great cantina
in its use, and that it hail been the occasion of
death in many instances, and that the effect of
the administration of this herb and the powder to dogs
to cause them to pass blood in a few hours. In
the course of the case it appeared that some of the
witnesses hail taken theisowder, and that it had done
them a great deal of and that it was taken very
extensively in the neighbourhood where the prisoner resided
and considered an ezcellent remedy. It also appeared
that the unfortunate deceased was moot dreadfully afflicted,'
and had all his life been in the habit of taking opening
medicines, rand having enemas administered to him, and that
therefore his bowels were very likely to be in a state of

Mr. lhillantine addre.esed the jury at some length oa
behalf of the prisoner, and he contended that the evidence
did nut at all establish any guilty neal,gence or rash-
ness on the part of the prisoner, and that ,it would be
very unjust to convict him of manslaughter because the
child had died, when death, in all probability, must
have taken place. from the state of disease he was iu, under
any eircuinstane. s, and that the medicine administered by
the prisoner had nothing to do with it.
The learned Judge having summed up, the jury down
immediately returned a verdict of .Vut

THE LATE SHOCKING COLLIERY ACCI-
DENTS AT BEDMINSTER, NEAR BRISTOL.

The Secretary of State has deemed it to be hie
duty, in consequence of the series of terrible accidents
wlueb has in the course of the loot month or so occurred in
connexion with the collieries at Bedminster, near Bristol, to
14'011 down an inspector for the purpose of examining and
reporting on the state of the Northside and Malago Vale
pits, at which the accidents referred to took place, and also
to make an inspection of the collieries of the neighbour-
hood generally. Mr. Dickinson, the inspector of collieries
in ralfordishire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Lancashire, and
North Wales, was appointed by Sir George Grey to the
duty, as the regular oispector fur the West of England, has
recently died, and his appointment has nut yet been tilled
up by the government.
Mr. Dickies in upon his arrival at Bedminster, first pro-
eeeded to the Malago Vale pit, at which a most fatal acci-
dent occurred a short time since by the breaking of this rope
and against the agent and bailiff of which colliery the coro-
ner's jury impannellcil to inquire' into the cause of death
returned a verdict of manslaughter. The new rope ordered
for this pit, which is of very great depth, not having beets
completed the inspector was unable to make a descent of
the shaft. and his stay was not of lung duration. Ile made
many inquiries respecting the pit, the mode of working,
• after which he proceeded to the Northside colliery,
in which it will be remembered a number of men were
buried fur a time alive, and two others, more recently,
killed through the falling of portions of the shaft The in-
spector was aware that an accident of a very serious kind
had latterly occurred at the colliery, and that the repairs of
the shaft were still being proceeded with; he contented
himself. therefore', by making a partial descent and inspec-
tion, as it is not yet safe to go below the point where the
giving way upon the former occasion took place. The inspector s report will in the first place be made offi-
cially to the Secretary of State, but sufficient has trans-
pired to warrant the anticipation that it will be in
substance as follows:—At the Northside colliery the
inspector found the plan of timbering adopted to be
of the rudest and most insufficient kind. It had
neither strength to resist the lateral thrusts nor the perpen-
dicular weight. In going clown the shaft, he observed a
number of birch sticks which had been applied for the pur-
pss withstanding the lateral thrusts, but in his opinion
they were not capable of resisting more than the pressure of
• few pounds. The whole timbering of the shalt was of a
rem temporary character, such as he had never yet met
with in any permanently finished shaft, even where timber-
ing was adoptcd in coal mines. The inspector will upon
this point state, we believe, that when he represented what
be observed to the proprietors. they made no objection, and
intimated their readiness to adopt any suggestions which he
might make, and the proprietors of the North side Colliery
further informed him that it was their intention to wall up
the 01:11-t from the top to the bottom. In regard to the I
Malago Vale pit, the inspector will make a particular re-
port. and transmit it to the government; but inasmuch as
two parties are charged with manslaughter, and await
thoutrials for that offence, he deems it inexpedient that
any statement of his pro or eO4 should for the pre-
lim 14 communicated to this public. lie might, however,
nbserse that he had not himself seen anything from which
danger w.es to he apprehended to any individual. The col-
liery was certainly deficient in certain plant of the working,
but he lead represented this to the proprietors, and they ass-
medeately undertook to procure them. In the course of his
inspection of the other collieries in the Bedminster district
be could not fail to observe that sufficient attention was not
paid to those plans, but to all the proprietors he had named
the matter, all of them had given him undertakings to pro-
Isle plane immediately. It was well known, that in tease-
quince in this district ventilation had not assumed that ire-
pulsate which was attached to it among the fiery collieries.
mu. ventilating processes were to a great extent unknown,
sad where a regular plan was adopted, it consisted
simply of a stream of water turned down the downcast
shalt. The conaequenoe was that in sultry weather' like
the present. the current of air was extremely slug-
roi and became tharged with what was called black damp,
`dial. ..although not liable to:coplode, was very pernicious
to the health of the miners, and would not support the I
tonibustimi of a candle. In many small collieries fire,
re 'o kindled at the bottom of the shafts, and this woe
Inurally sufficient to ensure good ventilation. With good
shafts and good ropes there was very little danger in the
descent of oats, and in the judgment of the inspector it Lea
dram every case possible to judge, from the appearance of
• not', whether it is in a fit and proper state: for mere to dos
wend upon it. The introduction of a largo quantity of
tukon IMO a rope mixed in with the hemp might boas the
jadirmi nt era mining agent. but the goodness era rope would
_• generally apparent in working. Differences at opisien
',UM and did exist amongst practical men as to the gtoeire
time at which a colliery rope should be comic hat a
Prudent man would take care if he erred at all, to eft
•Pon the right side, and would remove the rope r seas es
'l'lvetsbecrutic apparent. In reference to the Northaide
.k,.t.?nd with reference to the shaft of that colliery, it
".0 I'd be stated that the timbering there was such as was
Fe -rally mod in the district for temporary purposes, and
a. foundation could be got to build the rolling upon.
:7n:retail found the managers ready to adopt every
tech taggestioe of his, andbelief was that the
, referred to had arisen rather from want a kaow-
fie man hose willishum