The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-10 00:00:00

(Before the Common Serjeant.)

John Green and Alexander Simpkins, two fashionably
attired men, were indicted for feloniously stealing seven
watches of the valueof tio/. from the dwelling house of Mr.
George Skelton, a watch and clock maker, living at 43, St.
Martin's-lane.

Mr. Warner Sleigh conducted the prosecution, and Mr.
Pater defended the prisoners.
It appeared that on the afternoon of the 9th March last
the prosecutor went out about 4 o'clock. leaving only his
housekeeper, an elderly female named Fox, alone on the
premises. Soon after he was gone a cab stopped at the
door, and the driver desired the housekeeper, Mrs. Fox. to
step to the vehicle to speak to some gentlemen in the
cab. In the meantime two of the men had alighted,
and while Mrs. Fox had gone to the carriage the
two men evidently bad entered the shop and
themselves of the property mentioned in the indictment.ale
On turning her head she saw one of the men, whom she
swore was Simpkins, standing in the passage, apparently
coming out of the shop, and she at once seized him, sus-
pecting that something was wrong. The prisoner Simp-
kins said he had not taken anything, and threw her with
great violence to the beck part of the shop. He then
made his escape, and with the second man, who she
believed to be the prisoner Green, ran away as fast as
they could. The two prisoners were sworn to by Mr.
Willey, a salesman living opposite, and by another wit-
ness, as having been seen with the third man loitering
about the premises of the prosecutor for two hours prior to
the robbery, and both these witnesses swore most pool.
tively t.,their identity.
The defence set up was an alibi as respected both the
prisoners.
The Common Serjeant most carefully reviewed the evi-
dence, and told the jury that the question was entirely
for them.

The jury, after a deliberation of a few minutes in their
box, returned a verdict of Guilty against both the pri-
soners, whose antecedents were spoken to by Inspector
Pallor, of the G division, and by Sergeant Gordon, of the C
division of the metropolit►n police, against whom the
prisoners levelled the foulest abuse.
The Common Serjeant sentenced the two prisoners to be
kept in penal servitude for the term of ten years.

Tin FENIAN TRIALS. - DUBLIN, THURSDAY
Nicarr.--Sereral persona of a very humble clam were con.
vieted to-day under the Whiteboy AM. They bad taken
part in the Tallaght riming. One was sentenced to
three to 12, and one to 3 months' imprisonment.
_ _

THE TAILORS' STRIKE.—We are requested to
state that the report that at • meeting of the Masters'
Association " a number of small masters urged that the
claims of the men should be conceded" is erroneous.
There was not ► shadow of difference of opinion amongst
the masters. All the masters, large or email, were unani-
mous in their determination to resist the present attempt
at coercion, and equally unanimous and equally resolute
for the employment of none but non-union men for the
future.

PROTESTANT ALLlANCE.—Yesterday morning the
members and supporters of this society met at a breakfast
held at St. Jamees-hall, Piccadilly ; Mr. R. C. L Bevan,
presided. Mr. J. Macgregor, the honorary secretary, read
the report, whisk stated that the progrees of Romanian) in
England, so far as could be estimated by the number of
priests in England, had been greatly promoted since 1829,
when Roman catholic@ were admitted into parliament, and
a still greater impetus since the tractarian movement
and the efforts of the ritualists to conform as much as
possible to Romish doctrines and ceremonies which could
be shown by the number of priests in England at the fol-
lowing periods:—ln 1829 there were 477; in 1841 there
were 522 ; and in 1866 the number had increased
to 1,415, During the twelve years from 1829 to
1841 the average increase was rather more than
six per annum. During the twenty-five years from
1841 to 1866 the average increase had risen to upwards
of 34 priests per annum. At the commencement of
the year the committee issued 11,000 circulars to the ma-
gistrates throughout the kingdom respecting prison chap-
lains, and other matters especially important to them. A
friend in Gloucester had given 150/. towards the education
of young Englishmen and Englishwomen in protestant
truth, which sum, with others, hail been distributed in prizes
from 507. downwards to nineteen candidates. The report
also went very fully into the subject of hospital nurses,
and the introduction of Romish nurses into those institu-
tions, and the steps taken to prevent it, which, to a great
extent, proved successful. An account was given of the
proceedings in parliament relating to the work of the so-
ciety, and also of the lectures given on behalf of the asso-
ciation ; also a list of publications directed against Popish
aggression. The cash statement showed—Receipts, 1,821/.
10s. ld. ; expenditure, 1,5531. Bs. Ild. ; balance, 267/.
11s. 2d., with a liability of 150/., which would leave a net
balance of nearly 140/. Mr. Newdegate, the Rev. Dr.
Chalmers, the Rev. Dr. Jobson, the Rev. Dr. Bea, and
others, addressed the meeting. The report was then
adopted, and the proceedings concluded with • vote of
thanks to the chairman.

The Poor-law Board have appointed Mr. William
Peel, son of the Right Hon. Lieutenant-General Peel
M.P., to be s poor•law inspector, in the room of Mr. N
Edward Hurst, who has resigned.