The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-25 00:00:00

REAARKS,

The winds are chiefly between south-east and south.west, and
appear likely to freshen on the southeni and western roasts,
hamrnetrie pressure having increased over the Rey of Biseay,
while It is diminishing slightly In the noiSh and west. Tempera-
tures are rather high, and nearly uniform.

A MAGISTRATE CONVICT/M.—At the petty Reli-
gions held for the borough of Bury St. Edmund's, on
Thursday, Mr. J. S. Phillips, a county magistrate, and
chairman of one of the union committees appointed to
carry out the regulations made by the local authority (the
Court of Quarter Sessions), was charged with having re-
moved five top sheep upon a certain highway a greater dis-
tance than 500 yards, contrary to the provisions of the
orders of the Privy Council, whereby he had incurred a
penalty not exceeding 51. for each of the said animal,.
It appeared that the sheep in question were purchased
at Cambridge on Saturday and removed to the Bury
station on Monday with a proper license, but on reach-
ing Bury it was found that, according to the List Order of
Council, they could not be removed to Mr. Phillips's pre-
mises (a distance of about three miles) until they had re-
mained at Bury 2$ days. The defendant admitted that he
had contravened the law, but pleaded in extenuation that
the sheep were valuable animals, that they were likely to
suffer by being detained 2) days at Bury, and he thought
it better to take his chance of detection and penalty rather
than run the risk of losing the sheep through want of
proper care. The magistrates and all concerned expressed
as opinion that the last Order of Council was unnecessarily
stringent, but they had no alternative but to carry out the
law, and they therefore fined the defendant 10/. and costs,
which he at once paid.
EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE FROM PRISON.—An old
man, named Thomas Owen, upwards of 70 years of age,
made his escape from Welnhpool police-station under the
following circumstances. Owen had been confined in his
cell for some time pending his examination before the
magistrates on a criminal charge, and the officer, pitying him
from his great age, let him out into the prison yard for the
purpose of getting a little exercise. On going to look after
his prisoner in the course of an hour the officer found, to
his consternation, that the yard. was tenantless. There
was very little difficulty in tracing the means by which
the old man had effected his escape. The yard is sur-
rounded by a wall 20ft. high, except where the cell stands,
the roof of which is only 14ft. high. Owen, it appeared,
had taken the seat out of the corridor and placed it against
the wall of the cell. He then tore a large nail out of the
lid of the water-closet, and standing on the seat hat
driven the nail into the wall as high as he could reach.
Holding on to this nail, he had next scrambled on to the
ledge of the cell window and thence on to the roof.
Having gained the roof he was seen by a servant girl in
the adjoining house coolly to walk along it to the back,
and drop into her master's garden, the girl giving no alarm
as she thought it was some man employed in repairing the
roof of the cell. Owen got clear away out of the town,
and as yet no clue has been gained to his hiding-place.
Itzezivarce or SroLrm Comm.-1n consequence
of the recent extensive plunder of cotton from warenouses,
in connection with fires, he., in Liverpool detective
officer Lerma and Smith have paid partiatilir attention
to this subject, and have not only succeeded in arresting
the actual plunderers, but also several persons who were
In the habit of receiving the 'toles cotton. A number of
eases have lately come before the Recorder, who deemed
it his duty, where the charges were clearly proved, to sen-
tence the offenders to long terms of penal servitude, and
this circumstance has caused quite a panic amongst tie
receivers of stolen cotton, who, it may be observed, are
somewhat numerous in Liverpool. The result has been
that during the last week no Ism than three or four noto-
rious receivers have abruptly loft Liverpool for America,
and within the part twelve months the officers above-men-
tioned have convicted or banished from the town upwards
' of twenty receivers of stolen property—chiefly cotton. One
of the wealthiest of these deader, left the Mersey on Wed-
nesday last for America, as he had heard that he was
". wanted " by the polios.