The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-10 00:00:00

PROFLIGACY, DRINK, AND SUICIDE.

A painful inquiry was held by Mr. Richards, the
deputy-coroner, last night, at the Black Horse Tavern,
High-street, Poplar, touching the suicide of Eli Short,
aged 22 years.
Rachel Stewart said she was the wife of a carman living
in Poplar, and left her husband six months ago
to live with the deceased, who was • stone-mason. After
she went to live with him he took to drinking, and lost
his employment. Lest Saturday afternoon when he had
been drinking rum she was with him near the bridge at
the west end of the south dock of the West India Docks,
and all at once he ran away, crying out, " Go on." Wit-
ness was sober.

John H. Woodland, 1, Upper North.street, Poplar, a
postman, said that the last witness was drunk at the time
in question and tried to drown herself by leaping into the
dock, but he caught hold of her and prevented her doing
so. The deceased rushed to the edge of the dock and
leaped in. He was drowned.
The jury returned a verdict " That the deceased was
drowned in consequence of throwing himself into the
water while suffering from delirium tremens."

Mr. Job Smeeton, a tenant of the Hon. F.
Villiers, who had notice to quit his farm in consequence
of him refusal to pay a church-rate, has rewired an intima-
tion that he may continue to occupy it in consequence of
there having been some irregularity in connexion with the
rate.

The first prize thoroughbred at the recent agri-
cultural show at Dublin has been the, described in a news-
paper :—" He was certainly in the upper story a complete
combination of stamina, strength, and motive power,
though from the knee downwards rather light-looking;
yet this was to a great extent compensated for by his short
shins and the large epiphyses! developn.ent of his
phaLumeal bones!"
PLOUGHING Mann Es. —The first ploughing
match of the season came off at Iticester, in Oxfordshire,
last week. The champion prim was won by a local man,
' H. Jackman, with • Howard's plough, John Goodwin,
another local man, taking the second prize, also with a
Bedford plough. Before the commencement of the plough-
, mg match season Messrs. Howard announced to the various
, agricultural societies their intention not to enter their
own experts at these competitions in future, but to leave
the prizes, so far as their firm is concerned, to local
' ploughmen.
RAILWAY STATION EXTENSIONS AT LIVERPOOL.
—The Lime-street station at the Liverpool terminus of
i the London and North-Western lino is now being greatly
enlarged and improved. A portion of the tunnel is being
opened np for station purposes and sidings, and several
new platforms are being erected which will greatly facili-
tate the working of the passenger traffic. The lonciabire
and Yorkshire Company have also determined upon the
widening of their passenger station at Tithe Barmstreet,
the proposed absorption of some adjacent streets by the
corporation affording • good opportunity for effecting
a change which has long been urgently demanded by the
public.
SEIZURE OF A BASE COIN MANUFACTORY.—A
great seizure of base coin implements and materials, to-
, gether with the apprehension of the smashers, has been
cleverly effected by the Bristol detectives. The chief of
the police gave information at the central station which
caused the despatch of four detectives to the Whestsheaf,
I kept by James Harding. On the officers arriving there
they ascended the stairs to the second story, where they
found a room securely locked and barred inside. Seizing
a ladder, the constable succeeded in battering in the door,
so that it broke away from its hinges sufficiently for one
of the officers to get part of his body inside. He then
found that the door had been " shored " up with a long
piece of quartering, extending from the top of the door to
the wall on the other side of the room ; • smaller piece,
which had been jambed against the panel of the door and
let into the tloorina, was knocked away with the force
which the constables had brought to bear on the door.
Seiziag this piece of quartering, a man named Martin who
was inside the room, thrust it against the consables
mouth, and was about to dash the heavy weapon • second
time in his face, when the latter avoided the blow, and his
companions succeeded in forcing the door. They then ap.
pretended Samuel Martin, a gasfitter, and Charles
Jauncey, a labourer, in the act of melting • quantity of
base coin. Around them were moulds, ladles (quite hot,
and evidently just need), liquids, batteries, and all the
requisites for carrying on an extensive business in coining.
These were seized, and the officers collected two baskets
full of materials. They bad taken nearly ten minutes to
burst in the door, and during this time the men had evi-
dently thrown what base coin they had made into the
metal pot or into the fire. The hot metal was ruining
down into the ashes when the detectives entered the room.
They also found four sheets of kid leather and three ruts
—one coloured black, another drab, and the third drab
and green striped. These are supposed to have been st,den,
together with a valuable silver lever watch, also found in
possession of the prisoners. The police also arrested the
landlady, who interfered with them while they were en-
dcavouriukto force open the door.
THE HARVEST IN THE SOVTII OF ENGLAND.
The weather during the past week has, with some e .cea.
Cons. continued remarkably fine tbroushoet, sod l,aa en.
abled the closing labours of the harvest field to be actively
prosecuted. The harvest may be considered to be, prac-
tically, completed. Some few acres of barley and 04t3
still reumiu to be carried, but as a rule the grain fields
are cleared and the crops are safely housed. N e regret to
add that the accounts received from all quarters in this
district almost invariably speak of the wheat crop as light
and unsatisfactory in the yield, and as from one
fifth to one fourth below a fair average. The anticipa-
tions formed at the commencement of harvest seem to
have been generally disappointed with regard to the
whests, but, fortunately, farmers speak otherwise as re-
spects barley, oats, and other crops. The turnips and
root crops are very promising, and there is in many dis-
tricts more feed than is wanted. This fact, coupled with
the splendid hay harvest, will doubtless make itself
felt in • diminished price of meat during the autumn.
Butchers' meat has loug been at most exorbitant prices,
and the time seems now to have arrived when
a different condition of things ought to prevail.
From the hop districts the reports are fairly satisfactory.
ricking has now become general ; but sufficient progress has
scarcely been made to enable any very reliable opinion to be
yet formed as to the character of the. yield. It Is, however,
without question that an extraordinary change has taken
place since the first week in August, and in many instances
• moderate crop will be picked where, at the date, it was
not expected that a hop would be grown. Fine weather
is now slbimportant in order to give " quality." A wet
" picking" would at this juncture be • very serious
' matter.—Sussr.c Advertiser.