The Express.
London, England, 1847-11-26 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 26, 1847.

NATIONAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION.—Att in.
noel general meeting of the subscribers to this society,
which was founded in 1812 for granting pensions to
aged tubs," governorate, and ether distressed members of
the middle classes, was held yesterday in Fresraesone-hall,
Great Queen-street ; Mr. 8.8. Cabbell, M.P., presided. I
The report for the present year showed the continued pros.
parity of the society, but pleaded for additional subscriptions
on the account of the decease of many of its most liberal
friends, and the increasing number of applicants for its
I bounty. At Christmas, 1846, the number of persons receiving
pensions of 201. or 301.• year was 238, of whom 16 were males
and 222 females, their average age beinglupwsrda of 72 Team
The total sum disbursed is pensions since the fematton of
the society was upwards of 109,4901. The entire receipts
from September 30, 1846, to September, 1847, including a
balance from the previous year, were 89271. 17s. 7d ; end
the total disbursements 7,8691. lls. 3d.—•natnell, Pensions,
6,2071. lOs; purchase of fended property, 1,8381. lOs. 7d.:
and expenses, 8231. lie. sa. Dr. Vivian, Dr. Bapp, the
Rev. E. J. Smith, and other gentlemen, supported several
complimentary resolutions, thanks to the royal family, to the
various officers of the society, &c. The usual election of
pensioners was then commenced, there beine 24 vacancies to
fill—namely, 15 to be elected by the votes of the day, seven,
who from their first ballot inclusive had polled in the aturro-
pate the highest number of voice, and two whose names had
been for the longest time upon the books of the society.
CHURCII ACCOMMODATION IN ST. PANCRAR—The
directors of the London and North Western Railway have
granted the use of a portion of the "old station," in Pancras.
vale, Camden-town, for the purposes of divine worship. Last
Sunday it was opened with a full service, and was crowded
to excess. In addition, the company have also given Fa-
mine for the purposes of a school until the intended new
church and schools at Haverstocichill are comyleted.
i PRESSURE OF THE EXCIME-LAWS ON LITERATURE.
. .

—;;;;;;pie of the effect of the excise laws in checking the
efforts of those who desire to supply the humbler classes with
cheep and wholesome literature is furnished by the Messrs.
Chambers in the last number of their Edinburglt Journal.
The cheapest of their publications has just been completed,
and they affirm that of 25,7661. spent in paper, 6,4311. was
paid to government for duty. This sum exceeds, they say,
their own profit. On this the Messrs. Chambers proceed to
remark : " We leave the candid part of the public to judge
whether, even taking the work in its lowest aspect as a mer-
cantile enterprise, it be quite right and proper that the
government—for such is tho fact—should reap *greater share
of profit [that the revenue should be benefited in a greater
degree] than those who have undergone the who's of the
risk and toil."

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SALE OF AN ALLEGED AUTOGRAPH OF SHAM-
SPRAWL—Yesterday, at a sale at Mean. Southgate and
Barrett's rooms, in Fleet-street, an autograph, stated, in the
catalogues to be " undoubted," of William Shalopeare,
was sold. The autograph is on the title-page of an old folio
volume, called " Blouut's Hiatorie of the Rights of the King
of Portugall to the Crowne of Castile. Emprynted et Lon-
don by ArnHattield, for Edward Blount. 1600." Blount,
it is well known, was, conjointly with 'laggard, the pub-
lisher of the first edition of Shakspeare's "Comedies, Histo-
ries, and Tragedies," and this book is dedicated to the Earl
of Southampton, Shakspeare's greatest patron. The cata-
logue states " that this undoubtedly original autograph of
the immortal Bard of Avon on the title of the above
volume, came into possession of Mr. Hamilton (of
Islington, the late possessor) many years since, during
which time several eminent collectors have peen it,
who are unanimous in their opinion of its authenticity."
The auctioneer stated that it could be proved to have been in
possession of one party 80 years, which would take it beyond
the period when the clever fabrications of Ireland were done.
He had taken it to the British Museum, and also to Doctors'
Commons, and all who had seen it were of opinion that it
more closely resembled the writing of Shakspeare than any
they had ever seen. The cause of the book being in such a
filthy dirty state was that for sixty years it was kept amongst
a lot of old lumbar, and was sold to Mr. Hamilton with a
quantity of old books as waste paper. It was not until three
years after Mr. Hamilton had it in his possession that he
discovered the name upon the title. The book was handed
round the zoom ; there were no covers to it, and it was so
water-stained, that a strong magnifying glass had to be used
to distinguish the writing. The signature appeared to be in
much smaller characters than the one in the Museum, and
leas formal, but still there was a great similarity. Five
euineu was the first offer, end after a languid bidding it was
knocked dawn for W. to a gentleman named Maxwell.
CONFESSION OP THE MURDER OP MR. NELME BY
HIS GRANDSON.—Yesterday considtrable excitement was
created in the family of Mr. Nelme by the production before
the grand jury at the Old Boil y of a written confession of
the boy Allautt as the murderer of Mr. Nelme, whose was-
terious death has excited a great sensation in the parish of
Hackney for some weeks past. It appears that on Wednesday
morning the prisonerasked his turnkey for pen and paper, and
shortly afterwards addressed a lengthy and somewhat inco-
herent epistle to his mother, fully admitting his guilt of the
heinous crime charged against him. The letter, which filled
two pieces of paper, was, after a perusal by Mr. Cope, detained
and ordered to be placed before the grand jury as evidence.
The document was of a singular character. The substance of
it, obtained from authentic sources, was to the effect, that
after hearing the chaplain of Newgate on Sunday last preach
on the subject of confession, be went to bad; that he dreamed
that two angels were standing by him, who mid, " William,
confess, and your sins will he forgiven." He then awoke,
and found it was &dream, and he was then in a dreadful
fright. After a short sleep, be dreamt again ; he thought be
sae the place that had been represented to him—a place of
punishment and torture. He then awoke, and again it was
but a dream. The epistle proceeds—" Dear mother—had
hou known the state of my mind at that moment, you would
ave felt for me. I again went to sleep, and again I dreamt,
dear mother. I dreamt I saw Ged sitting upon his throne.
In my dream I saw the angels in glory standing around
Him, when He said, ' confess, ant your sins will be for-
given you.' There were large numbers of sinners stand-
ing round him : those on the right hand had confessed, rind
were in heaven ; those on the left hand had not confessed,
and were going to eternal torments. When I awoke, dear
mother, it was light, and I then wrote that which you now
see." Other rambling sentences follow, and then he states—
" I thought then, dear mother, I would warms. On the
22nd of October I saw grandfather go to the bureau where
the arsenic was kept; I sfterwarda took one of the keys, got
sons° of the arsenic, put it in a piece of paper,and afterwards
placed some in the sugar-vase which was in the cupboard,
and I also put a portion of it in a glees. And I now hope,
after confessing, I shall go to heaven, dear mother." Little
else of importance is contained in the letter, of the contents
of which up to a late hour last night the prisoner's profess-
simnel advisers were entirely ignorant.

INQUEST YESTERDAY. DEATH UNDER THE
TREATMENT OF • NON-QUALIFIED MEDICAL PRACTI-
TioNEE.—By Mr. Baker, held at the Rose Tavern, St.
George's-street, St. George's-in-the-East, on the body of
Catherine Watts, two yearn old.—lt appeared that the child
had been labouring ender the measles for some weeks past,
but had not had proper medical attendance. She died sod.
deal, on Sunday evening.—The Coroner Did you have
medical advice for the deceased ? —Witnese : I had
advice from a chemist, sir, but not from a doctor.—The
Coroner I Have you been giving the child any pills ?
Witness : No, sir.—Tke Coroner : Were you not aware that
ehensists are not the proper persons to apply to in such a
I cue, and that they sometimes give things that are very dan-
Igerous 2—Witness (with great 'simplicity): No, sir ; when I
first went to the chemist he told me, after I said deceased
had the measles, to bring her, and I did so, when he pee-
scribed, and gave me medicines accordingly,—By the,lary :
He said he wanted to WO the child, to be certain that it was
a case of measles.—The Coroner : Who M the chemist ?
Witness : Mr. Ambrose, of Charlotte-arrest, in this neigh-
bourhood.—Mr. Gardiner, surgeon, said that he saw de-
ceased on Sunday morning ; she was then sinking rapidly.
Inflammation bed come on.—By the Coroner : Witness was
bound to say that if the deceased kad had proper attendance
from a medical man is life might have been saved.—The
mother was now recalled and severely lectured by the
coroner, who said that the omission on her part to
seek proper medical aid for her child had evidently caused
its death. The matter was avery serious one, and but for
her ignorance in the neglect the case was clearly one of
manslaughter ; but he (the coroner) doubted net the jury
would, under the circumstances, take a liberal view of the
matter, and not charge the witneu with each a crime.—
Verdict, " Natural death."

IRELAND.
DUBLIN, Nov. 24.
The royal speech is now the subject of dis-
cussion in clubs and courts. The relianoe on
the poor law as an adequate remedy for the
distress, even in combination with the Lands Im-
provement Act, will not gratify the landlords,
while the suggestion of repressive measures will be
equally ill-received by the classes for whom the chas-
tisement is intended. Then the favourite appeal for
tenant-right is but slightly regarded in the para-
graph which hints at a solution of the landlord and
tenant difficulty. Taken altogether public opinion
does not, so far as collected, appear to view the royal
message with much favour. Certainly no similar
document has ever been so coolly received in this
country. The usual excitement attending its annual
receipt has subsided into apathy.
There has keen some slight disorder in Rem—the
old county, par excellence, of Irish peace and order—
arising from the extension of distress. The potato
fields were ransacked by troops of tho destitute, and
resistance being offered, violence was received and
returned. In Limerick there have been violent out•
rages, but not of so dangerous a character as those of
the preceding weeks. In Tipperary, something lace
quiet exists. Mr. Gaily appears to be in a very dan-
gerous state. The Limerick Reporter announces his
death, but the Tipperary papers of yesterday only
mention his declining condition.
Public bodies, touched with the distress of the
times, are exercising a wholesome and clipping eco-
nomy in tho public departments. In our city, the
grand jury apply themselves to this salutary necessity
with zeal and prudence. All the old nests are being
searched ont and purified of their extravagance, with-
out any diminution in a fair recompense for honest
services. The whole prison staff, which comes directly
under the control of the city grand jury, subject to the
fiat of the Queen's Bench, have been cat down, and
their salaries proportioned to the actual work they
accomplish. In this economic movement they have