The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-17 00:00:00

issue before them was whether the attorey had
been guilty of the negligence alleged, aad that
they bad nothing to do with Captain Hua'a pro-
spects, or providing him with "a new start in life."
In vain the CHIEF Juwrics solemnly adjured
them to adhere to the verdict which, after several
hours' consideration, "they had deliberately
" adopted and deliberately returned." After a
very few minutes' delay the very same men who
had just returned a verdict for the defendant re-
turned the verdict for the plaintiff. One moment
they found that Mr. FINNEY had not given negli-
gent advice ; another moment they found that Mr.
FINNEY had given negligent advice. And as if to
crown their inconsistency, they gave Captain
a farthing damages. They said, We wish to give
you a new start in life, and therefore we reckon
the loss which your character has sustained at the
sum of one farthing.' It will be curious to ascer-
tain how the War-office and the Captain's brother
officers regard the moral vindication of a man
whose character and proper place in society are
assessed at a farthing. If this trial had taken
place in Ireland the proverbial explanation would
have been at hand; but as the scene was at
Guildhall it is more probable that after a nine
days' sitting, and with the prospect of being shut
up for the night, the majority of sensible jury-
men permitted themselves to be overruled by an
obstinate minority. The days of the Stoics are
past, and if judges and suitors desire reasonable
verdicts they must adopt the Scotch system, and
allow the majority on a jury to dictate the verdict.

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.
(THIS DAY.)

alma resist Prussia, Lad the aid gi Francs on width she
UPI 110 rely, would wet her mita more than the dl egrace
mina may attach to another sale ef liberated brothel;
The Targraidi pictures the Prussian King as sot* in the
hands of Bismarck, whose contempt for the ruler of the '
Prussian people, it thinks, ie greater, probably, then that
of anybody out of Prussia. The speech on Monday is a
careful and prolonged insult to the deputies who maintain
the myth that Prussia is a constitutional kingdom. Still,
a trivial incident may upset a large design ; the tactics of
the Prime Minister at this moment are too bold fur any
one to pull the strings but himself ; and not only is Bis-
marck not immortal, but Austria in her tern is coquetting
cleverly with France and Frankfort, and throwing for a
splendid stake at Pesth.

:ti"Z

WEST INTELLIGENCE.

ITALY.

Count do Becdelievre, having offered his services
in the Papal army, received the subjoined from the
Pontifical Minister of Arnie :

Rome, Jan. 4.

Monsieur le Comte,—The Holy Father, to whom I pre-
sented your offer of service has received it with great favour.
His Holiness has charged me to let yen know how sensible
he is of the devotedness of which the step you have taken is
a certain proof. Unfortunately the actual state of the Paps,
army does not allow of any augmentation in the number
of its officers, as no new regiment is to be formed, and as the
old ones are sufficiently provided—l may even say over-
charged—with officers reedy for service, and only waiting
for the moment to resume their duty. There is, however,
a very useful way of serving this cause which you have
already personally and so nobly defended. We have need
of finding in France devoted men ready to place them-
selves at the mortice of the Holy Father. Yon, sir, more
than any other, are in a position to send us sure and tried
men capable of hemming good moldiest. Repeating the
expression of my thanks, I am, Sce., Kamm

The Italian journals recently announced that the
religious corporations of Italy had applied to the
Emperor Napoleon soliciting his intervention in
their favour with the government of Florence. • The
Unita Gait°nut publishes a reply from the Chevalier
Nigra, Minister of Italy in Paris, sent to the
Prioress of an Italian convent, and thus worded :

I have the honour to inform you that the Secretary of
the Emperor of the French has just returned me the peti-
tion which you have addressed to his sovereign. The said
official desires me to note particularly that the Emperor
Napoleon cannot sande to your request in a question which
the government of our own august sovereign is alone com-
petent to settle.

(1111:1113e8 TZLZGRA.IOI.)
THE MILITARY REVOLT IN SPAIN.
MADRID, Jui. 16,

Official intelligence announces that the insurgents
under Prim forced the Guadiana, near Villanueva
Serena, yesterday evening at six o'clock, and arrived
at (Villanueva at seven o'clock. They left that
place at eight o'clock, marching hastily towards the
Portuguese frontier.

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY ETENIXG, JANUARY 17, 1866.

MURDER IN PADDINGTON.

LNQUEST.-(THIS DAY.)

This morning Dr. Lankeater, and a local jury,
resented an investigation of the circumstances attending
the death of Grans Ringwood, who was stabbed in the neck
with a knife, while drinking at • beerhouse, by hex
husband, George Ringwood, on the night of Tues-
day, the 9th instant. The inquest was held at
the Hall Arms, Old Ohureh-street, Paddingtini-
geeen, and the accused, • respectable looking man, wearing
moustache, was present during the inquiry, having been
brought from the House of Detention, under the authority
of au order from the Home Secretary. Mr. Wilding, soli-
citor, attended on his behalf, and at his request the evi-
deuce taken at the previous sitting giving an account of the
scene at the beershop was read. The deceased and amused
had been drinking at the Greyhound in Green-street, Pad-
diogton, and quarrelled over the accused talking of his work
of • sub-contractor. In his exasperation Ringwood stabbed
his wife with a table knife, and she died almost immediately
afterwards.

Anne Jima, the landlady of the beer•house, was re-
called and cross-examines!. She repeated that up to the

occurrence the deceased and &Caused were on good
term', joining in • song together, and it wan
her opinion that until the blow was struck the sactwed
could hare hal no idea of injuring his wife. Taking up the
knife was an instantaneous act, done on the spur of the
moment.

Louis bilarckt, a lodger in the beer-honse, confirmed the
landlady that the deceased bad been very much given
to Brick, while the accused wee a sober industrious
man. He also witnessed the quarrel, and saw the deceased
throw a shwa bottle at her husband before the latter gave
the fatal stab. She applied vile epithets to tie accused,
and he was dreadfully exasperated when he took up the
knife in the heat of his passion. It appeared to the witness
that the act of taking up the knife and giving the blow was
done in self-defence.

Inspector Steer, of the X division' deposed that he was
called into the beerhouse after the deceased was stabbed.
The accused said he had inflicted the injury in a moment
of passion, and begged him for God's sake to go for
a doctor. lie appeared to be greatly distressed at
what had occurred, and witness seeing at a
glance the real state of the case hurried off for
a doctor. At a previous hour the same evening
be had seen both the man and the woman. The
man was quite sober and appeared greatly elated, as he
understood, on account of • favourable contract which he
had obtained, but the woman was very much the worse for
drink. He had known the accused for some time as a
steady, sober, and industrious man.
Tao medical gentlemen who, in conjunction, had made
• post mortom examination of the deceased, described the
nature of the wound in the neck, which, in their opinion,
wee of such a nature as to account for immediate death.
The liver of the deceased was, however, in an unhealthy
state, and presented all the appearances which usually
accompany that organ in a person who is addicted to habits
of intemperance.
Mr. Wilding, the legal adviser of the accused, said he
did not think it his duty to produce any evidence at this
stage, bat he should like to offer some testimony as to
the general character of the deceased and her drunken
habits.

George PouWon. 28, New Chureh-street, plumber, spoke
to the character of the accused an being always good.
Several other witnesses were examined and gave similar
evidence, especially as to the sober habits of the accused,
and his kindness to his wife and family.
Impactor Steers, X division, said that the deceased bad
been charged four times with drunkenneu, and asaaulta
ow two occasions, her husband bailing her out.
The Coroner summed up, and the jury remarked that the
accused had acted under great provocation.
The jury, after ten minutes deliberation, returned a ver-
dict of " Manslaughter " against the accused, stating their
opinion that the blow was struck in a moment of passion,
and ender great provocation.

SHOCAINO ACCIDENT.

TWO MEN KILLED.

Yesterday an inquest was held at Brad way, Derby-
shire, on the bodies of two men, named William Wakefield
Kettle, tunnel miser, aged 25, sod Samuel Jones, journey-
man bricklayer, aged 42, who died on Sunday last, from
injuries received on the previous day. The deceased
men were employed sinking a shaft for the tunnel which is
to be on the Chesterfield and Sheffield Railway, now
in course of construction. On Saturday they were at work
bricking the abaft at • depth of 100; feet from the surface,
when, without any warning, a pick fell down the shaft, and
struck both the deceased men on the head with such vio-
lence that blood and brains mingled were bespattered
around. The jury closely inquired into the cause of the
neglect by which the pick fell ddwn the shaft, but could
not elicit any information beyond the suggest:on that
Kettle had left it in the way of the " lorry," which
is used at the top of the pit to wheel bricks, &c., to the
shaft. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death."
On the same day another inquest was held at l' ye Bridge,
near Chesterfield, on view of the body of a Idid6ed Rail-
way guard named William Dolmas, aged 24, who was
killed under shocking circumstances. The deceased was
engaged shunting a luggage train at the Ridding* siding.,
and attempted to jump on to a truck whilst the train was
in motion. He fell between the buffers, with his neck
across the line and his body in the sisloot, and before he
could recover himself the whole train passed over him,
severing his bead from his body. A verdict of "Accidental
death" was returned.

The Bishop of Oxford, writing to the Rural Dean
of Caddeadon, says :—" 1 am decidedly opposed to any
attempt at legislation concerning the ritual of the church
of England. Any such legislation must, I conceive, fix a
new and definite limit to matter left at present much at
large. lam not prepared to limit on say side our present
liberty ; nothing short of greet, immediate, and wide-spread
evil would, in my judgment, justify any such attempt.
But, while 1 my this, I rejoice to think that no complaints
have reached me of startling changes in our ordinary
rituals from any part of our own diocese. I entirely disap-
prove such changes being introduced when their introduc-
tion shocks the feelings of the lay members of our church.
I reet my advice purposely on the ground of charitable
consideration for others."

Osnonitr, JAN. 12.—This day had audience of
her Majesty, the Count de Lannoy, on • special mission
from the King of the Belgians, to deliver letters from his
Sovereign. announcing the death of the late King, and his
own accession ; and Monsieur Van de Weyer, to deliver his
new credentials as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pleni-
potentiary from the Kling of the Belgians ; to which
audiences they were respectively introduced by the Earl of
Clarendon, K.G., her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State
for Foreign Affair..—Grw.dh.
THE PRINCE OF WALLS'. BIRTHDAY IN SOUTH
ArSTRALIA.—The birthday of his Royal Highness the
Ps:ace of Wales, England's future King, is a favourite one
in South Australia, It comes at • pleasant season of the
year, just as the spring is melting into summer. The
weather, as a rule, is not too hot for enjoyment ; the
flowers have not all passed aw►y. The country, though
beginning to look rather brow, and burnt up, still retains
some refreshing green spots, fall of beauty. The Priories
birthday this year has been no exception to these of former
yearn. The weather was everything that could be desired,
except that it was rather too hot. Some pleasure-seekers
spent the day in boating and fishing, some in wandering
by the sea-shore, breathing the invigorating breezes, small
as they were, which swept across the ocean. Our
German fellow-colonists, as usual, threw their whole souls
into their lite, which went off most successfully. Alto-
gather, we believe, the day was thoroughly enjoyed,
aotwithetanding the beat, which was felt about noon and
in the early part of the afternoon. Indeed it would be
streoge if in a land like this, where the climate is so fine,
sad the scenery all around so beautiful, the people could
not manage to make • holiday. Let them have • little
money in their perkets and a considerable amount of cheer.
fulness in their hearts, and a fine day overhead, and they
will manage to get a large amount of enjoyment out of it.
Strangers often remark, during their first year's residence in
the colony, that we have an unusual number of holidays
compared with the mother country. We do not know that
this ought tobe matter of complaint. When they do work the
people Isere work hard, sod the climate, it is admitted, is
somewhat exhausting. An occasional holiday, therefore,
while it makes nobody the poorer, comes in very oppor-
tunely and acceptably. There are not many "dull boys"
amongst us, and one reason for this may be the fact that
we play as well as work. Happily, the amusement, and
enjoyments of Thursday passed away without any acci-
dents. The Pleasure-waken, we hope, were both "me
►nd wise." We believe, from all we heard, that with
perhaps • few exceptions John Barleycorn was kept in his
proper place, which is not always easy to do on holiday
occ-uions. Happily, holidays, like other things, corns to an
end, and this morning we return to the active duties of
life, none the worse for having for • few hours thrown care
■nd business to the winds.—Sout4 Australian Register,
Nov. 27, 1865.
DEATH OF DR. DAUGLISH.—We regret to an.
seance the death, on Sunday last, at Great Malvern, of Dr.
Dsuglish, whose name is identified with the manufacture of
aerated bread. Dr. Daugliati bad for some years been in
failing health, and his death is understood to have been
accelerated by the labour of perfecting his most meat in•..
provements.
SENDING THREATENING LETTERS. SOIDe time
since the Rev. James Edgar was inducted as the minister
of Dunbog, in Fifeehire, by the General Assembly, in
opposition to some loc.l popular feeling on the question,
Soon attar commencing his ministrations he received
several scurrilous andlprotane anoeymoos letters, filled with
threats. A farmer, named John Ballingall, at the same
time received several similarl► threateniag communiesiioas.
Considerable excitement was created by the offence, and a
farmer named John Bell was arrested and charged with the
crime. He called as • witness for some point of his define,
a girl named Elizabeth Edmiston. who to the surprise of
everyone in court suddenly confessed that she bad written
the letters in question. Bell was "equated, and the rah
deponent subsequently arrested on the charge. On Monday
eke was brought before the High Court of Justiciary at
Edinburgh, and was sentonoed to five yearn' penal servitude. I