The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-12 00:00:00

in the abdomen, the knife passing in at one point, and
coming out near the thigh, inflicting a most serious wound.
The prosecutor having given his evidence,
Mr. Justice Talfourd asked him--How could you be so
rash (atter his threat) as to pull the man's nose ?
Witness—l bad no idea, my lord, that any Englishman
would do so cowardly an act.
The Judge—But to it more the act of an Englishman to
pull nosey?
The witness answered that it was a common English
practice, and that he had had his own nose pulled more than
once.
The prisoner was found xoe Guilty.
The business of the assize terminated this afternoon, and
their lordships proceeded to Stafford to open the commission
there to-murrow.
STAFFORD, MARCTI 11.
The commission was opened here this afternoon by Mr.
Justice Matteson and Mr. Justice Talfourd. The commis-
sion having been opened, their lordships attended divine
service at St. Mary's Church.
The calendar contains nearly 120 prisoners, and the
charges are more than usually lean., and include the fol-
lowing : Murder, 10; manslaughter, 8 ; highway robbery,
28 ; burglary, 16 ; perjury, 3 ; bigamy, 4 • rape, i ; cut-
ting and wounding, S. The two courts will open fur busi-
L nee at ten o'clock to morrow (Wednesday) morning.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.--BAusarar, NiARCH 10.
firs FAITS CINILT.-6b1,11 Us. Bans Moans.
NEAT V. HADDINO AND ANOTHER.—EITILAORDINART
CASE.
Mr. Crowder, with whom was Mr. Saunders, stated that
this was an action to recover the sum of 1631. 6s. under the
following singular circumstances : Neat, the
plaintiff, was a man in very humble life, living in great
penury with his mother, Jane Neat, in a small cottage at
Foxholes, near Brcmhill, down to her death in December,
1850. Jane Neat had been in the constant receipt of parish
relief for about forty years up to that time. Shortly before
her death it came to the knowledge of the overseers that a
large sum of money was in the house. The money was
plated in a cupboard near the bed on which the son always
slept. The defendant Harding was a relieving-officer of
the parish, and, with the other defendant (a police-officer),
took forcible possession of the money on the 26th of August,
considering that they were entitled to do so under a recent
act relative to property found on vagrants, &e. ; but which
act he (Mr. Crowder) contended would nut have justified
them in seising upon this money, even Lf it had not be-
longed to the present plaintiff.
Witnessev were then called to prove that the plaintiff,
like his mother, was of a very miserly disposition ; that he
had commenced saving up this money as far back as 30
years, when he was only 16; that • sister (Mrs. Coles) had
assisted him in effecting these savings ; and that she had
deposited at least 40!. of the money in question with the
plaintiff at various times; that in 1826, an uncle had left
plaintiff and his sister legacies of 2001. each in the Three
per Cent. Consols, and that in 1836, the plaintiff sunk his
portion in Long Annuities, the interest of which he had
continued to receive half-yearly up to the present time; that
he maintained himself by the produce of the garden at-
tached to his mother's cottage; that when the money was
left by the uncle, the mother had only 6/. bequeathed to
her for mourning; and the cupboard in which the money
was kept was broken open by the defendants.
Mr. Scrjt. Kinglake addressed the jury for the defend..
ants, and detailed some circumstances which be afterwards
adduced evidence to sustain, and from which it appeared
that when the existence of this money was discovered, the
plaintiff only claimed 41., and subsequently his
portion of it ; that the woman acknowledged that the money
belonged to her; and executed a deed, about three months
before her death (after the money had been forcibly carried
away), by which she consented, upon having the interest I
secured to her during life, to transfer the principal to the
parish officers after her death for the purpose of its being
applied to the relief of the poor. [Jane Neat was an infirm
old woman, aged 84, when this deed was executed.)
The surgeon of the Calne 'Union and one of the board of
guardians deposed that they had heard the old woman say I
she should not leave her money to her children, as they
had not used her well ; and that she readily signed the deed
produced in evidence, upon its being read over and ex-
plained to her.
Most of the witnesses for the defence agreed in describing
the plaintiff us weak both in mind and body, and therefore'
likely to have misunderstood the questions lint to him when
it was said that he claimed the sums of 4/. and 71. only.
The learned judge went carefully through the evidence,
and more than once expressed his opinion that no import-
ance was to be attached to the deed of gift produced on the
part of the defendants.
The jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict
for the plaintiff for 1631.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—YORK, MARCH 10.
Mr. Justice Creswell and Mr. Baron I'latt arrived in
this city on Saturday, and opened the assize' at York Cur,
tle. Ott Monday the city anises commenced, at Guildhall,
before Mr. Justice Creswell, but the business before the
court was unimportant.
The county assizes commenced, at York Castle, on the
same day, before Mr. Baron Platt. In his address to the
grand jury, his lordship directed their attention to the
numerous cases of stabbing and of manslaughter on the
calendar, and strongly recommended them to exert them-
selves to promote the education of the poor, which, in his
opinion, formed the most efficient barrier to the spread of
crime. The cases tried possessed no public interest.

SOUTH WALES ClRCUlT.—HkvimwonnwrAT,

MARCH B.

The wires for the ceiunti;iPembroke commenced at
this town to-day, the commission having been opened yes-
terday evening by Mr. Serjeant Jones, who bad been de-
spatched for that purpose by Mr. Justice Williams, that
learned judge having been detained at Swansea, in conse-
quence of the extreme pressure of business at the Glamor-
ganshire Assiaes.
The calendar contains nineteen prisoners for trial, but
with the exception of a charge of murder, none are im-
portant. The civil business will be comprised in three ur
(our eases.
On Saturday, the grand juries were sworn in, and some
criminal eases were tried afterwards, but they were devoid
of interest.

THE POLICE COURTS
MANSION-HOUSE.
John Henry Whiaaker, a young man in the service of a
surgeon in the neighbourhood of Finsbury-square, was
brought before the Lord Mayor in the custody of Jarvis, the
officer, upon the charge of having stolen a chronometer, the
property of Mr. Webster, cluck manufacturer, of Cornhill.
Mr. Humphreys attended for the prisoner.
William Jarvis said—Yesterday, at a quarter before two
o'clock, in consequence of information which I received, I
weed to the house of the employer of the prisoner, accom-
panied by my brother officer, Filmes. In the surgery I saw
the prisoner and another young man. I asked whether the
principal was at home, and the other young man replied in
the uegutive. I then asked whether there was any young
man of the name of Webster there, and the prisoner said
"'that's me." 1 then said I wanted to speak with him
privately, and I observed to him, " You have left a ho: of
stones with a men in the employment of Mr. Webster,
of Cornhill, to ascertain the value of them. How came you
in possession of them ?" Ile said he found them in
Old-street in the month of August or September, just after
leaving the country. 1 said, " Where in the paper you
found them in?" lie said he had lost it. He then said he
had found them together with some watchmaker's instru-
wenn, which were in his box up stairs. I went, accompa-
nied by Finals, up stairs with him to his bed-room. lie
then tudocked a box, and took out these things which I
produce (portions of a chronometer). They consist of 17
pieces of a chronometer, and were wrapped in paper. I said
to him, " I must take you into custody on sus-
picion of stealing a chrouometer from Mr. Webster's
house." Finals proceeded to search the boxes. Before
leasing the house for the station-house, he took off a frock
coat which he had on, in consequence as he said of its
being out at the elbows, and he put on another
coat. I searched the pockets of the frock coat,
sod in one of them I found five pieces of a chro-
uometer box or case. I conveyed him to the
Biehopsgate-street station-house, and he produced there
another piece of a chronometer with the words " Change-
alley," on it. I also found 'en his possession, besides some
silver, a silver watch and a gold key and seal. I afterwards
went, accompanied by linnis, to the house of Mr. Simi',
of Barbican, and there saw a silver chronometer new,
which was afterwards identified by a workman of Mr.
Web ster's as having belonged to the chronometer which

had been stolen.
Vinnio—l corroborate all that has been stated by Jarvis,
and add that I found in the prisoner's box a portion of the
chronometer box which correspondo with the portion which
he has proluced ; that I then starched the drawers and
found an the pocket of a waistcoat which the prisoner
said was his, three small pieces of a chronometer, as I be-
hese, and iu the same drawer I found a key, which fits the
lock of the chronometer box.
Mr. John Shaw said, I am housekeeper to Mr. Richard
Webster, of 74, Comhill, clock manufacturer. Last Satur-
day evening, at a late hour, the prisoner brought to me
what appeared to be a pill-box containing some jewellery,
to ascertain the value of the contents, or whether they were
worth anything. I asked him to whom they belonged, and
he replied to a young man who was in the same shop with
him, and that he only wanted to know the value. I told
him to bring the box on Monday morning, and I would let
him know. He accordingly came yesterday morning with
' the box and its contents, and I showed them to Mr. Sh'eb-
stair's foreman.
The Lord Mayor—Had you known the prisoner before?
Witness—l have known him these 3 years, and •Iwar
considered him to be a most excellent moral young Rea ia I
I manners and disposition.
' The Lord Mayor—When had you seen him before Satter. '
dor night?
Wituess—He had been in the shop on Friday night, with
my wife and daughter and myself. We reside in the upper
part of the house, and Mr. ht ehster having a new clock ei
remarkable mnstruction for the grand Exhibition, my wih
and daughter went down to the shop to look at it. Oa a
shelf in the rear of the counter in the shop were kept three
small chronometer cases, with chronometers in them, and
several large chronometers were also on the shelf. I was la
the habit of winding the chronometers in these cases every
morning. The chronometers were all there when I went
to wind them before Friday morning. I cannot swear that
they wets all there on Friday, but on Saturday mo=
when I vent to wind them. I missed one of the
chronometers and its box. The box produced in pieces by
Finis, the officer, was the description of box in which the
missing chronometer was kept. I think it is the box.
The Lord Mayor—Dial you keep the key of the chrono-
meter box yourself ?