The Express.
London, England, 1866-12-07 00:00:00

:isPr- d
upon it. He went out to the street, and was
1i • poem by that the gentleman who had just
- oat of Use shop had run down the next street. lie
=i puma, and presently overtook the prisoner, and
p 7, him in en.wdy. He gars the rug up to the
A young man who was pawing at the time said he saw
the nnnonar pap out of the shop with the rug. In answer
to dr. Abrams he said the prisoner was not running.
sr Abrams said the prisoner was a most respectable
man and incapable of • dishonest act. He had taken the
rug in mistake for his own,which he thought he had placed
na the spat.
The witness Baskin said that no rug belonging to the
'Niigata' was left in the shop.
Abrams said no doubt the prisoner was in error.
probably he had left it somewhere else. Such accidents
won of frequent occurrence.
The prisoner was remanded.

--- •
WORSHIP-STREET.
BTLALING GAA.
John Asher, a young man of repeatable sppearance,
orrying on business as a baker in Shepperton-oot*m
New North-road, was :02ht up on a warrant granted
C. Allison, Esq., eh vrith stealing 6,700 feet of pa,
property of the " Independent Gas-light and Coke

I;3oxxia•
Kr. Metcalfe, the barrister, instructed by Mr. Vann, at-
tended to prosecute, and the prisoner was defended by an
attorney, whose name did not transpire.
The principal witness is a man named Thomas
who stated that he entered the prisoner's service
eioetly after Christmas last and left previous to April;
that in the interim of such periods he had frequently seen
the sus metre, which was situated beneath the shop floor,
sad that at times • piece of gutta peroha tubing was
affixed from the service and other pipes, and that such
tubing conveyed the gas direct to the burners. He had
known this to be the case for several days together, and
had called attention to it, but prisoner's only reply was
that the whole thing required repair, and that the com-
pany must send a man to attend to it. At other times
Ili tubing was away, and prisoner used to send him for
white lead, which) was applied to some portion of the

jdt ges-examined—Witness gave information of the mat-
ter in consequence of having been turned out of doors by
his master in the middle of the night because the sponge.
for the bread was not ready, as it ought to have been. His
raster used to send him to turn on the gas.
Mr. George Armitage, one of the company's inspectors,
deposed to having seen the prisoner et his shop on the
16th of April last, when he admitted being, respon-
sible for the gas. Witness expressed an intention
to examine the metre, and turned to the spot
where it had been placed, but prisoner said, "It is not
there—it is here behind the counter." Witness went to
that spot, but could not find it, and on rising saw the pri-
mer getting up from the very spot where he bad asserted
the meter was not ; an examination proved that it had been
tampered with, and he told prisoner so, adding, " The gas
will be cut off, and you must come to the office and ex-
plain." The following day the gas was cut off, but prisoner
never went to the office, and a warrant was obtained for
his apprehension.
Ity Mr. Metcalf—l told him that information had been
given of his having dealt unfairly with the gas, and he said
that the meter was out of repair, and that ho had em-
ployed a man whom he did not know to repair it. I found
the joints of the service and other pipes loose. The effect
of the tubing being attached as described would prevent
the quantity of gas so burned being registered in the
meter. In the quarter ending Lady-day, 1865, there was
a register of 18,s 00 cubic feet of gas burned, in the same
quarter of 1866 there was a less quantity, by 6,700 feet, at
varying prices.
Watts, a constable of the N Division, proved having ap-
prehended prisoner at Liverpool on a warrant, which, on
reading he asked " Can't pm put it off until to-morrow, as
I want to square the matter r
Prisoner was fully committed for trial, but admitted to
bail on two sureties of 501. each.
THAMES.
EITRAORDINART CHARGE OF ARSON.
Frederick Bicknell, aged 28 years, was brought before
Mr. Partridge, charged with unlawfully and maliciously
setting fire to his shop and premises ; and secondly, with
the same offence with intent to defraud the London and
Liverpool and Globe Insurance-office.
Mr. Charles Young conducted the prosecution ; Mr.
Stoddart defended the prisoner.
This is • moat extraordinary case. The prisoner is a
foreman cooper in the St. Katharine Dock, where he hes
been employed 15 years, having entered the service of
the company as an apprentice. He has also for some
time kept a shop for the sale of crinolines, stays,
busts, and other articles in Queen's-terrace, Commercial'
road, near to the Stepney railway-station. He effected
an insurance for 4110/. with the London and Liverpool and
Globe Insurance-office on the 23rd of October, and it is
exactly a month since he received the policy. A fire
broke oat on the premises while all the inmates were from
home on Wednesday night, and there can be no doubt the
place was wilfully set on fire. The stock on the premises
was not worth M.
Mr. James Griffin, inspector of the K division of Metro-
politan police, said—On Wednesday night at 12 o'clock
Iwu called to a fire at No. 3, Queen's-terrace, Coin-
ntercial-roml. I found a police-constable keeping the
door. I entered the house with the firemen, and
saw taken from the shop window-board and floor
those things I now produce, all saturated
with naphtha or paraffin. The inspector then spread
before him three crinoline petticoats, a waistband,
some glazed calico, and two hoope—all saturated as he had
described. He went on to state that a fire was at that time
burning under the end of the counter, the farthest from
street-door. There were a lot of old rags, old um-
brellas, and papers under the counter, which
was formed of deal wood, with light mahogany
top. The counter was on fire, and it was trampled out
by the firemen, and also kicked out. There was also a
fire burning in the ceiling, where the gas pendant was
fixed, and two bedsteads, bedding, and mattress, stuffed
with shavings, were on fire on the first-floor front room.
He went into the room, in which was a chandelier. The
fire was below it. He saw the firemen bring
up a bottle containing a pint cf paraffin oil. He also saw
a policy of insurance for 460/. On his third visit to the
house he could not find the policy, and believed the pri-
soner or his wife had removed it. On a second visit to the
house he discovered that one of the boards of the floor in
the back bedroom had been raised. It was saturated with
naphtha. Dust, shavings, and rubbish under the board
had also been saturated with the same inflammable sub-
stance. There was a large patch of oil or grease on the
ceiling underneath. The inspector then produced some of
the ceiling, and by order of the magistrate ignited it. The
piaster burnt well, and in every position in which he
placed it.
In answer to questions by Mr. Partridge, the inspec-
tor said if the fire had not Veen discovered at an early
period and quickly subdued the house would have been
Consumed. He apprehended the prisoner in the St.
Katharine Dock, and asked him if he intended to ask the
insurance office for compensation, and he replied, " Of course
I must."
Other evidence was Riven, the case wan proceeding when
our report left. Mr. Charles Young said he should ask
for a remand to complete the case against the prisoner.

WEATHER REPORT.-(THIS DAY.

FranAT, DtczYBIA 7, 8 A.M.

B. :T.l W.

Naha !•28 47 40 N.E.
Aberdeen ,_7:474 40 N.N.W.
letth 2BTh 45! W.
Azdzoesen •24.64 N.W.
ereenaistle i
alibe Clear
Liverpool ..... 29.37 47' W.S.W.
Holyhead 47; 5.9. W.
Penzance._ 1.10. G 6 47 W.
Brest 29 76 43' S.W.
Latent . 40 W.
locbefort... 29.92 43 S.s.w,
Pty nsonth N. 04 XV W.
I.o4ezmith 49 W.
oath.. II e 2 50 S.W.
Load4o .... 29.7,1 49 S.W.
Yarmouth... 29.43 no S.W.
Scarborough. ..n.l•, 47 W.S.W.
Shields 21..03 47 S.W.
Helder —

5 1 7 W.
2 : 1 S.S.W.
6 6 S.
b 10 .I
S.W.
_ _

5 ;
10 10 . B.S.W.
3 10 S.W.
' 6 9
• 2 6 B.S.W.
3 2 . R.
8 10 • W.S.W.
8 10 W.S.W.
4 10 S.S.W.
0 10 S.W.
5 10 • 8.8. W.
3 10 S.W.
9 2 S.W.
'- - -

fi 4414
or 0.4 4
1 2
ro 0.10 8
to 0.10 6
ro 0.101 4
ro 0.1 , -
ro 040 3
o 0.08, 5
or 0.501 4

REMARKS.

Yesterday and last night On the Engllih and Trish coasts there
Were hence Youth westerl) gales, and the winds generally are
4111 strowz front the westward. In the north of England and
in Scotland barometric. prewire lan decreased considerably,
teem seven to ,doe-truths of an inch, while in the south of Eng-
land it hat only decreased from two In three-tenths of an inch.
Heavy rain ha. fallen on our eastern and western coasts.

We read in a Toulon letter :—'

•" For the last

two or three days great activity prevails in the dockyards
• and on board the vessels of the fleet, to complete the
crews of the ships of the reserve intended for Mexico and
Chita Vecchia, finally commissioned on the Ist inst.
Everything has been put in ;notion, even down to the men
of the small boats. Since the Crimean and Italian expe-
ditions, nothing has been witnessed resembling this busy
scene. In order to prevent inevitable collisions where so
many ships of war are Crowded together, the appoint-
ment of a superior officer, to take the chief oomraand of a
fleet, has been seriously thought of. Vice-Admiral Four-
vithon has even been spoken of for that post."
DEATH OF DR. 3 EAFFRESON. —The announcement
of the decease of Dr. Jeiffreson will be received with
. .

feeluigc of the deepest regret by the profession of
which he was so distinguished a member, and by the
public at large. Dr. Jeaffreson died yesterday
.__F.rh,b3l morning, at his residence, No. 8,
'„!ulieurT-squAre, shortly before 9 o'clock, the
disease to which he succumbed being typhus fever,
and his recovery from which was hoped for up to the day
Preceding his death. Dr. J. R. Bennett and Dr. Burrows
were in attendance.—City Prat.

Sea,
1 W. IL 1946
or
0.30
/
r 0.24 6
ro 0.407
- -
I ob .0.30 3
•, 0 i 0.42, S
o .0.231 5