The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-29 00:00:00

Dr. Grey, the celebrated curator to the British museum.
He confessed he was very much himself in favor of
leaving as many of their coins in circulation as they could,
(hear, hear,) and the two letters which Mr. Brown had
read to them, one from a member of the committee, Lord
Stanley proposed to substitute farthings for mill. Mr.
Howson, the master of the Collegiate Institution, proposed
to retain pounds, shillings, and pence, and substitute
farthings for the mills. (Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Horsfall)
only adduced those different views to show there was a con-
siderable difference of opinion as to carrying out the
details. They were all agreed on the grand principle ; and
at the preliminary meeting, it was decided they should
ask the meeting to assent only to the great principle
that the decimal system was advisable, leaving it
to the legislature ultimately to carry out the
details in the way that would be most applicable and most
acceptable to the country. (Applause.) He (Mr. Horsfall)
joined most cordially in the thanks which had been rendered
to Mr. Brown, not only for his services in the committee of
the chamber of commerce, with reference to their present
meeting, but he knew well the assiduity with which he at-
tended to his duties as chairman of the parliamentary com-
mittee in London ; and if it had not been for Mr. Brown's
practical experience in the committee, he (Mr. Horsfall)
very much questioned whether they should, taken as a whole,
have such an admirable report as they had now before them.
(Applause.) He (Mr. Horsfall) spoke, of course, on the
general principles ; the general system, differing as they all
did, more or less, in the details. For his own part, although
he had what might be called a comparatively limited view
of the whole question—for he certainly had not given the
question the time and attention which Mr. Brown had de-
voted to it—he confessed his own leanings at present were
rather to the views proposed by Mr. Rathbone. He did
not, however, commit himself to those or to any other views.
He stood there very much in favour of the general principle,
and if he could only ascertain, as one of their representa-
tives, what their views were on the details of this question,
he would do his utmost to carry them out. (Applause.) He
had great pleasure in moving the resolution, which will be
found in our advertising columns.
Mr. PICTON seconded the resolution. He said the subject
they were met to consider, was one which they all admitted
was of great importance, not merely to a, great commercial
community, but to every man, woman, and child in the
kingdom. He was glad their attention was rather directed
to the principle of decimal coinage, than to the particular
mode in which it might hereafter be expected to carry it out.
The object which he (Mr. Picton) had in view was, to ren-
der the principle as simple and as intelligible as he possibly
could, because in certain quarters there was a mistrust and
misapprehension of what was proposed by the present plan.
It seemed to be thought by many, that the system of deci-
malising their coinage was one of artificial difficulty and
abstruse character ; and consequently, to those not masters
of figures, and not accustomed to computation, it would be
a work much more difficult than at present. Now, on the
contrary, so far from being artificial, it was the only natural
system of arithmetic in existence : and so far from having
complicated calculations, it would be so simple under the
decimal system, that any person who was now able to add
two figures together, could calculate decimally to the greatest
amount. The system of decimals was simply the art of
computing by tens. Why was it, that after counting ten,they
began again, and counted on to twenty, thirty, and so on ?
Any man who had got ten fingers, and was able
to count them, could furnish an answer. The
system was derived from the digits, as they called
the fingers. They found in every nation the least ad-
vanced in civilisation this system of computing by tens in
full operation. This being so, the next step in the progress
of figures was to write them down. That had been done in
a variety of ways, which, for the purposes of calculation,
were found extremely cumbrous, until, a few centuries ago,
the Arabic numerals were introduced in Europe. Thcse
figures increased ten, from one to another, as they went from
right to left. By adopting this system they carried out the
principle of decimal computation with completion and satis-
faction, and so far as the integers went there was nothing to
be desired. They had the decimal system complete, but un-
fortunately when they attempted to apply it to fractions, they
were met by this difficulty, that the sub-divisions of the in-
teger of their coinage and weights and measures, did not fit
the decimal system. They originated in a rude state of so-
ciety to which they might be very well fitted ; but in the
present day, when quickness of computation was of the
greatest importance, there was the greatest difficulty in
making the systems fit each other, and hence the present
plan. The present movement should not be confined to the
coinage alone, for its advantages would be equally felt when
carried out as regarded weights and measures. They would
hear the advantages to be derived from this system in teach-
ing. Arithmetic was the great bugbear of the school-boy.
They all remembered the school-boy rhymes after getting
past simple arithmetic—
" Addition is not my ambition,
Subtraction drives me to distraction;
Multiplication is my vexation,
And long division drives me mad."
If this system were changed, arithmetic, instead of being
a school boy's dread, would become a recreation' as simple
as learning to read, and could be carried out with the great-
est ease in every department of life they should be, accom-
plishing a great step in regard to the education of their
young persons. There were some questions according to
their present system of computation which could not be
resolved without referring to a round-about cumbrous
system. For instance, if he had £l6 17s. 21d. to pay in
sums of 13s. 7d. each, how was he to do it ? They had no
rule in arithmetic which told him how to do it ; and the
only way to do it was to bring the sums into the lowest de-
nominations, farthings, then divide the one by the other, and
then bring the denomination to shillings and pounds back
By
yeals could
the hagain. If decimals were adopted they had only to divide
yunwt which they
one by the other, and the thing was done without any trou-
ble.
17s.Ag a4inidt.hbeyy hadthe
same
ome ruleamthingg
multiply
could be done without difficulty. Look at the difficulty to
a young person of computing a question of this kind,
165 cwt. 2qrs. and 271b5., at £1 2s. 7d. per cwt. What a
cumbrous difficult question this was. They were obliged to
have recourse to tables which were liable to misprints and
mistakes, when if they had the simple decimal of the pound
they could work the question with the greatest ease and
facility. If instead of 165 cwt. 2qrs. and 271bs. that were
written down with divisions, and £1 : 2 : 7 were multiplied
into it, the simple product was what you exactly required,
and see what an enormous amount of time was saved by the
operation. Such was the simplicity of this system that was
forcing itself into use, that the bank of England had aban-
doned the ordinary method of computing the value of bul-
lion, and had adopted the decimal system, which was also
adopted by the bullion brokers of London. In computing
the interest of the national debt for the purpose of paying
the dividends at the bank of England, if they were to con-
fine themselves to the ordinary denomination of pounds,
shillings, and pence, there would be in using fractions
either a loss by omitting them, or a gain to the creditor, by
taking the next higher denomination, of many thousands a
year, and the consequence was the decimal system had
forced itself into use there, and the result was by that sys-
tem the loss or gain instead of being so many thousands was
reduced to somewhere about £5OO. In land measuring the
decimal system had been in use for a long period,
for it was found impossible to obtain denominations
to compute the area of land without recourse to the decimal
system, and for that purpose a chain of 22 yards, the square
of which formed one-tenth of an acre, had been for many
years in use. Engineers and t con ractors, in the various
business which they had to carry on, availed themselves in
computing for earthworks, &c., in connection with railways,
machinery, the power of steam engines, the proportion of
wheels, and the various matters to which scientific men di-
rected their attention. There was a point to which he wished
to direct the attention of the commercial public. On 'change
there were two methods of computing prices—the one by the
large integer, such as tons, hundreds, &c. ; the other, re-
lating to cotton, and articles in greater value, which were
sold by the lb., in the sales of which they quoted farthings,
one-eighths, and seldom one-sixteenths. Therefore, there
was seldom a break in the prices from one-eighth to one-
sixteenth, or from one-sixteenth to one-eighth; but, as the
one-eighth was the 1,920 part of a pound, every break in
prices corresponded with the amount. If it were rendered
into a thousand parts, under the decimal system, by simply
adding the figures, they obtained ten thousand; therefore
they had a wide range, and prices would adjust and accom-
modate themselves much nearer than by anything at present
in use. So, also, with regard to freights. Freights on cotton
were paid by halfpence, one-eighths, &c., an.' if the decimal
system were adopted, the calculations could be made so as to
meet the slightest shade of difference. He needed not to
say, in time of speculation, and where large transactions
were taking place, what a great advantage this must be both
to buyer and seller ; and whatever tended to facilitate
transactions on change between merchants and brokers, and
brokers and consumers, must in the long run act beneficially
for the public. (Hear, hear.) There was one other point to
which he wished to direct attention. In calculating inte-
rest and discount, the per centage was 4, 44, 41, and some-
times 4 ; but if the decimal system was adopted, the cal-
culations for both could be made with marvellous facility.
(Hear, hear.) This he (Mr. Picton) was glad to see was not
a political movement. They had got there the respected
member for the county, and on the other side they had the
equally respected member for the borough ; for all
felt satisfied of the great improvement that an alteration in
the preeent system would be, all were equally of one mind in
endeavoring to force it on public attention. In conclusion,
he wished to express the obligations under which he consi-
dered Mr. Brown had laid the town, not only with reference
to this, but to other subjects. He had a right to speak on
this subject from the position he held in the commercial
world—from the extent and complication of the mercantile
transactions which were carried on annually in the concern
over which he so worthily presided. (Hear, hear). No man
had a better right to speak from experience as to the advan-
tages of the proposed system. They were quite sure Mr.
Brown was too much of a man of business to advocate any
change of this kind, unless it would promote the interests of
the commercial world in which he ranked so high, as well
as the interests of the whole community. (Hear, hear). Mr.
Brown had a right to speak on this subject, and he thought
his opinion would carry weight in the community, where he
was so well known for the weight of his character. (Cheers).
Mr. Brown made his fortune from commercial transactions,
and what use had he made of the fortune he so made ? Had
he, iii a miserly manner, hoarded it ip in. hll strong box, or

THE NORTHERN DAttY TIMES.

kept it from circulating amongst the people of Liverpool ?
Let recent events answer. They had not yet forgotten the
noble, the generous, the princely he might say, donation of
6,0001., lately given towards the erection of a free public li-
brary for the use of the community. (Applause). When
that building was erected, as he hoped it shortly would be,
he had the authority of Mr. Brown to say it should not be
spoiled for sake of a trifle. (Hear, hear). He hoped a niche
would be left for a statue of Mr. Brown, to be erected during
his life tima, and not after his death, where it might be said
that William Brown was the means not only of the erection
of that magnificent building, freely open to all classes of
this great community, but to him also in a large measure the
public of England were indebted for the' adoption of the de-
cimal system of coinage. (Applause).
The resolution was then unanimously carried.
Mr. J. R. JEFFERY then proposed the next resolution. In
doing so he remarked that if this question were confined to
the merchant, the banker, and the bullion dealer—if it ef-
fected alone their balance sheets at the end of the year,
he apprehended that this meeting would not have
been at present convened. But seeing the interests
of the whole community was involved in it, it became the
duty of those who were impressed with the importance of
its adoption to cause it to be widely spread, as it was in their
power to lay the advantages of the decimal system before the
public, as contrary to that which was at present in use.
However advantageous it might be to the gentlemen to
whom he had mado reference, it was, in its results, of still
greater advantage to those who occupied spheres in society
beneath them. Let him take, for example, a poor boy who
might be placed at school, and the longest time that could
be afforded for his education, with many interruptions, should
not exceed three or four years. His whole time is occupied
in learning enumeration, addition, substraction, multiplica-
tion, and tables—troy, avoirdupois, and apothecaries. Then,
as if to make confusion more confounded, we come into the
compounds—addition, substraction, and so on. Nor did his
troubles end here ; they had practice to contend with, which
is stated in a well-known bit of doggrel, to " make one mad,"
and as though they had not enough, we must add, what, in
his opinion, was the worst of all decimals, or what was very
properly . termed cross-multiplication, feet reduced into
inches give parts, &c. Now this would be swept away by the
adoption ofa decimal system of eninage, and who could doubt
but they should have instead of ignorance, and its frequent
companion crime, in its place education, and its frequent
companion, though not so frequent as they. could wish,
virtue ? In self-defence, as a commercial country,
we must clear away thee° obstacles to education,
and thereby lighten our counting-houses of unnecessary ex-
penses, or other countries adopting the decimal system would
be sure to beat us in the race. He illustrated more clearly
what he meant by saying that he attended, a few nights since,
an admirable lecture delivered at the royal institution by
their talented scientific examiner, under the new seaman's
act, Mr. Towson, on composite circle sailing, when he stated
that a ship, which he would for distinction, and better refer-
ring to it, call A; left Melbourne on a given day; B, another
ship, left the same port 30 days after her, but reached Liver-
pool 65 days before her, both being bound for the same port.
The ship A took 170 days, the other, B, only 75, being a
difference of 95 days. How could this arise, it may be
asked ? He replied that by recent observations, they might
know that at the Cape there were always rotatory gales, which,
if a vessel once got into, she would have nothing but per-
plexity and difficulty, but, by keeping somewhat further
south, she would avoid them altogether, and save herself
time, annoyance, loss, and everything that was desirable to
avoid. What then, those, gales were to the mariner, so was
our complicated system of arithmetic to the schoolboy, the
merchant, shopkeeper, and even the artisans. It serves to
distract and weary, instead of to encourage and cheer on.
He had it from Mr. Towson himself that if a decimal sys-
tem were adopted, he would be enabled to impart to those
whom he was sometimes called upon to instruct, more real
education in six weeks than he could now hope to do in six
months. Let them consider the benefit to the artisan. Our
attention had been lately very much called to the many fail-
ures of sick and burial clubs to answer the objects sought ;
but he would venture to say that loss would not have been
one tenth if they had had a purely decimal system of arith-
metic. He held in his hand a book containing the rules and
tables of an annuitant society, for widows, which were re-
vised in 1849. A competent actuary was sought, but could
not be obtained for less than £250, a sum too much for the
poor mechanics to pay for what they were seeking. The
duties of an actuary were universally admitted to be exceed-
ingly difficult—a man, then, to be an actuary must be a
talented man—there were comparatively few of them, and of
course, like every other scarce commodity, must be well paid
for to be obtained. What, then, made the duties of an actu-
ary so difficult ? Our complicated system of accounts (Hear,
hear). The difficulties were quite as great to reduce our
sterling into decimals, and bring them back again as they
were to make the decimal calculations themselves lose
nothing ; buf establish decimal coinage, and everything
would be comparatively easy. In proof of this he would say
the institution refused to employ no professed actuary, but
Mr. Towson, residing among them at the time, offered his
services, as did Captain Parker, of the royal navy, gratui-
tously, but a great part was done by a lady. The tables
were produced, and he believed, found to work well. The
services of the parties were gratefully acknowledged by to
one, a gold snuff-box,' to another, a silver ink-stand, and so
on. So that they saw to those who well understood the de-
' cimal system of calculations, even "the duties of an actuary
were comparatively easy, and in a few years after its adop-
tion, he would venture to say that the false data upon
which some of the existing sick and burial clubs were based,
would be discovered by some of the more enlightened me-
chanics themselves, and they would cease to exist. (Hear,
hear). Nor in endeavouring to improve our system of arith-
metic were we doing more than our forefathers did. They
used sticks notched, which were called exchequer sticks, and
which we happened to know to our cost, for it was he be.
hayed in the burning of them a few years since that we set
fire to our then houses of parliament. The legislature had
already partially adopted the decimal system. In the year
1853, the commissioners appointed by the government, for
computing tonnage of ships, recommended the decimal sys-
tem for taking their measurements, which the ',legislature
adopted, and made the law of the land. In 1849, the mode
of computing tonnage was again revived, but the decimal
system was again made legal, and the only means to be
adopted. (Hear, hear.) Scarcely was it of less importance,
that our money system should be of a purely decimal cha-
racter, for the same importance in his opinion, which at-
tached to money also attached to weights and measures.
(Hear, hear). Names as well as proportions were also im-
portant for a country like Great Britain and Ireland, and
in making such a mighty change, great care should be taken
to adopt a pure decimal system. (Hear). One of the wit-
nesses examined before the committee, stated, and in his
opinion, very truly, that there was but one purely decimal
system. He had seen several that had proposed with
manifest earnestness that the best should be adopted ; now
he was bound to state that in his opinion, the only pure
decimal system that had yet been proposed was
that by the committte of the House of Com-
mons. (Hear, hear). Alter the name of florin into
dime, and he conceived their propositions to be perfect.
the name of every coin carried with it its own meaning and
the same meaning was applicable to weights and measures
as to coin, and that this would be found necessary he
thought no one who had at all considered the subject would
question. We take our sovereign as our unit in money; say the
ton for weights, and acre and mile for land measures, it may
be pipe for liquid measure, &c., and they might have the
same terms in all cases signifying similar proportions of a
filed quantity. The mind would then be no longer confused,
. as for instance was the case with the mariner. To him, as
to all of us, the word " second" when applied to time, meant
the 60th part of a minute, but not so when applied to space ;
it took 15 seconds of space to be equal to one of time. How
many ships, what a vast amount of property, and who
could say how many hundreds of lives may not have been
lost by this one term having two such different meanings ?
He considered, with our large transactions, three denomina-
tions in accounts was preferrable to two. It was an easier
and more desirable mode of expressing any large amount.
Take our national debt for example. We were frightened
with its magnitude as it is, what would be our feelings if
we had to express it in figures, multiplying by four as would
be the case if dollars were our highest denominations in-
stead of eight hundred millions, we shouid have to say forty
thousand millions. He believed the Americans would ere
long, introduce a higher denomination than that of a dollar.
He had to thank Mr. Theodore Rathbone for a copy of a
pamphlet which he had written and was good enough to
send to him ; but having carefully perused that work, he
had no hesitation in saying his plan was defecti re, and
would lead to serious inconvenience becouse he proposed to
alter the value of the sovereign. The sovereign carried its
own sterling value, and was the basis of all our contracts.
The house of commons' plan simply altered the representa-
tive value of what are now only taken, and only proposed
to do in the United Kingdom what was once done in
Ireland without inconvenience. (Hear, hear.) It was then,
because he considered that the system of decimal coinage
was manifestly beneficial not only as regarded the balance
sheets of the merchants, the bankers, and the dealers in
bullion, but beneficial to the mechanics, the shopkeepers,
the poor emigrant, even the mariner, that he had great plea-
sure in proposing for the adoption of the meeting the reso-
lution which he had previously read. (Mr. Jeffrey then
concluded his address amid loud applause.
Mr. M‘levEnrs, of the Liverpool Mechanics' Institution,
seconded the resolution, and after referring to the high
scientific and practical knowledge of the parties who had
given evidence on the subject of decimal coinage before the
committee of the house of commons, and the unanimous
opinion which had been come to, that it would be attended
with beneficial results and mach convenience to the public,
said, it behoved every intelligent gentleman in the country to
use the influence he possessed to impress on her Majesty's go-
vernment that the time for making the contemplated change
should not be postponed beyond the approaching session of
parliament. He next contrasted their arithmetical system
with their monetary one—the former suggesting order,
propriety, and civilisation ; the latter barbarism and igno-
rance ; and he contended that as the decimal system of
arithmetic, in the abstract, had been adopted, the necessary
result, namely, taking all the consequences, should follow
the adoption of the abstract, which would ensure uniformity
and simplicity. Having referred to the objections which
had been raised against the system, he expressed his belief
that the time had fully arrived for the adoption of the deci-
mal system, and he thought it was mot creatable to the first

commercial nation in the world that it had not ado ted the
improvements of the decimal system. (Hear, hear.
Mr. THORNELY, M.P., fully coincided with all t at had
been said, and expressed a strong desire for the adoption of
the decimal system. He instanced the different values at-
tached to the Spanish dollar, in different parts of the United
States forty or fifty years ago, and traced the impediment
in American currency to the fact that the American govern-
ment refused to receive duties at any custom-house unless
paid in dollars and cents/ If a similar system were adopted
in this country, the decimal system would be at once
established.

The resolution was then put and unanimously carried.
Mr. J. P. HEYWOOD proposed the next resolution, request-
ing his worship, to forward the resolutions adopted to the
premier, Lord John Russell, Lord Palmerston, the president
of the board of trade. In moving the resolution, Mr. Hey-
wood remarked they were all agreed as to the propriety of
adopting the decimal system of coinage ; the difference
existing being as to the mode which would produce the
greater or lesser inconvenience. In early life he had been
in a French counting-house, and had consequently become
conversant with the decimal system ; and when he returned
to England he was perfectly astonished how a great country
like this could go on with the present system. There was
no comparison between the two. In London he was in a
house which did a great business in exchanges, and in conse-
quence of having to turn every thing into decimals, and back
again? he had been often kept there until ono o'clock in the
morning, when, if the decimal system were then in operation,
he might have been home at ten. (Hear, hear.) He hoped
the government would take this in hand, and that on the
Ist of Jan., 1855, they would bring their balances down on
the new system. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. F. CLINT seconded the motion.

Mr. MOORE enumerated a number of works upon the sub-
ject of business calculations, which helstated were not gene-
rally known.
Mr. J. R. JEFFERY observed that Mr. Towson, of the
Sailors'-home, had stated to him that he would be able to
impart as much information to sailors before the mast who
were anxious to become mates, and to mates who were
anxious to become masters, under the decimal system in six
weeks as he could now do in six months. And refereneo
to the assimilating of the weights and measures in connec-
tion with the coinage, the same gentleman stated that it
would be exceedingly important if the terms " seconds in
time and seconds in space," represented the same decimal
quantity. A second of time was equal to fifteen seconds
of space, and more accidents in navigation occurred than
people were aware from the term seconds being of such
different propur tiouo.
The resolution was then put, and uuanimomly adopted.
Mr. W. BaowN, M.P., then moved that the thanks of the
meeting be given to the Mayor, observing that on no occa-
sion, he felt sure, could there have been a more concurrent
sentiment as to the merits of a chairman and his claim to such
a compliment.
Mr. THORNELY, M.P., seconded the resolution, which was
carried by acclamation.
- The MAYOR briefly acknowledged the compliment ; after
which, the meeting separated.

IRELAND.

[FROX OUR OWN CORRESroxprarr.]

DUBLIN, DEC. 28.

THE WINTER GARDEN.—The attraction of the
Dublin winter garden, late the Exhibition build-
ing, continues as great as ever, and indeed it ap-
pears to grow more popular, for on Tuesday last
the numbers that entered were 2000 in excess of
those present at the opening.
There has been a heavy fall of snow in Dublin.
RATHER IRISH.—The guardians of the union of
of Dunshaughiin, county Meath, in Ireland, have
made " a religious question " of a proposition to
dispense with the Protestant chaplain inasmuch
as he has no duties to perform and is not likely to
have. The opposition contend that there may be
Protestants hereafter and that there has been one
who, however is, it is said, about to emigrate.
FATAL EFFECTS OF EXCESSIVE D RIN KING . —On
Wednesday, the 14th instant, John Crothers, a
large farmer, residing at Lissera, near Poyntzpass,
county of Down, returned home from Tandragee
market under the influence of drink. On Thurs-
day he lay in bed drinking. On Friday he was up,
but still under the influence of drink. On Satur-
day he was again in bed. On Sunday he was up
again, but still drinking; and on Monday he was
again in bed, and lay there drinking until Thurs-
day, on the afternoon of which he died.
HOMICIDE AT BALLINASLO E.—The following is
from the Saunders' News Letter of this morning :
Ballinasloe, Monday night.—The town of Ballinasloo was,
on yesterday evening, thrown into a state of painful excitement
by a report that a man had been killed in the streets. On
hastening to the scene of the outrage, I found that the report
was but too true. A man named Michael Carty, a herd of
Mrs. O'Shaughnessy's of Birchgrove, had been in town (as hun-
dreds of the peasantry were, the day being Christmas), and had
been drinking with his friends and acquaintances, both male
and female. It appears that some dispute had arisen about the
payment of a round of punch in Earners public-house • but it
does not appear clear that this was the real cause of the mur-
der. At all events, a party of five or six,including two females,
were on their way out of town at about four o'clock in the
evening, when some words occurred in ill-feeling. The .party
had just crossed the river Suck, and entered the county o•-
common, when three men, named James Kelly, Michael Kelly,
and Michael Bailey, commenced a furious onslaught on Michael
Carty, beating him severely, knocking him down, and then
jumping on his body when down. The police were promptly in
attendance, but the miscreants had decamped, Carthy breathed
slightly, but before he reached the police barrack, to which he
was conveyed, he breathed his last. The town was shortly in
a state of dreadful excitement—dense crowds of the peasantry,
country people, and inhabitants, having congregated in the
streets. A detachment of the constabulary was dispatched to
scour the country, and if possible arrest the offending parties,
but to no purpose. To-day, an inquest was held in the court-
house of this tom before the coroner of the county Roscom-
soon. The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against
James Kelly and Michael Bailey.
The sailors' home atiCork is now full ; amongst
the inmates are nineteen of the crew of two vessels
recently wrecked off the coast of Ireland.

FRIGHTFUL SUICIDE OF LIEUTENANT-
COLONEL LAYARD.

The following is from the Daily Express of this
morning:—

It is with feelings of the deepest regret we have to an-
nounce that Colonel Layard, a gentleman who lately held
the rank of lieut-colonel in the 9th infantry, terminated his
existence shortly after eight o'clock yesterday morning, by
cutting his throat. The unfortunate gentleman, whose resi-
dence is situated near Palmerston, had been for the past
three weeks in a very desponding state of mind, and ap-
peared to imagine that his affairs were in a state of hopeless
embarrassment. He was advised by his medical attendant
to remove into town, and he and his lady took lodgings on
last Wednesday in South Frederick-street, where he com-
mitted the fearful and melancholy act of self-destruction.
The appearance of the body was frightful in the extreme ;
the bed-clothes were saturated with blood, and on his throat
were the marks of seven deep cuts. The severest wound
penetrated into the cavity of the mouth, dividing the eater.
nal jugular veins on each side, and severing several branches
of the external carotid artery. The deceased gentleman re-
presented Carlow for several years, and unsuccessfully con-
tested that borough in 1847, when Mr. John Sadleir was
returned.

John E. llyndman, Rsq., city coroner, held an inquest on
the body yesterday, at half-past one o'clock. A highly re-
spectable jury having been sworn, the following evidence
was given :
The first witness examined was the wife of the deceased
gentleman, Mrs. Elizabeth Layard. It was most affect-
ing to observe that lady whilst she was giving her evidence.
Even during that short time she was several times attacked
with hysterics,and was scarcely able to speak. She said— De-
ceased was my husband, and we have been married about
seventeen years ; for the past three or four weeks I thought
he had been rather strange in his manner ; he was subject
to fits of depression, but I never apprehended that he would
injure himself; last night he was more excited than he has
lately been ; he continued so during the entire evening and
night, until I fell asleep ; I cannot say at what hour I fell
asleep ; in the course of the evening he walked vehemently
up and down the room, and said he would be taken from
me to a lunatic asylum, and asked me not to let him want
for any comfort ; there was nothing in his circumstances
that could have tempted him to destroy himself; we had not
very large means, but he attached undue:importance to a diminu-
tion of income; it preyed too much upon his mind; I cannot say
the e tact hour at which I awoke this morning, but it must have
been eight o'clock, for it was light at the time ; he was
excited at that time ; I left him in bed after me, and went
into a closet to dress ; he called me by my name before that,
and said, " Give me some laudanum, you have got it in your
dressing-box ;" I said, " I have a little, but I will not give
it to you, for Dr. Carroll will be here in a few minutes and
set you all right ; " when I went into the dressing-room I
emptied the bottle of laudanum into the basin ; I did that
before I put on my clothes, because I was nervous ; some
impression was on my mind that he might make me give it
to him; I then returned back to the bed-room for some
articles of dress which I had forgotten, and I saw the clothes
all full of blood ; more than two minutes could not have
elapsed from the time I left the bed until I went back into
the room ; I thought at first he had spit blood, for he had
done such a thing ; then I looked him and saw he was
brandishing a razor; I shrieked out, and rushed at him; I
thought he would kill me, I was so frightened, and I called
out for help ; I was unable to take the razor out of his hand,
and he kept gashing at himself ; the people of the house
then came in, and did all they could to save him ; I saw him
once again before he died; when I had my clothes onti
looked into the room, and he grasped my hand and said,
"God bless you," or something to that effect; he seemed to
know me, but I am fully persuaded he was out of his mind;
he was a man of good disposition, but rather an authorita-
tive self-willed person; he was most affectionate to us all.

Dr. Carroll examined—l live in Leinster-street, and have
known the deceased gentleman for eight years ; I have been
attending on him about three weeks; he was nervous, and
in an uneasy state of mind; I got him into town on last
Wednesday ; he formerly resided at Riversdale, Palmers-
town ; I have seen him twice every day since last Wednes-
day; this day week he and I took these lodgings: I always
considered him a hypocondriac ; he used to complain of
various fanciful diseases; his mind for the past week was
low and desponding about the state of his affairs ; from
what he told me, I believe his means were not so good as
they had been ; he never expressed anything about self-
destruction ; he would frequently, even in the midst of
cheerful conversation, jump up and rush round the room,
and say his mind would surely give way, and that he would
become a lunatic ; I saw him last evening, and he was
speaking cheerfully about six o'clock ; but he still said his
affairs would be the ruin of him; he told me that Mr. Kirk
had tried to mesmerise him ; but was not able to do so ; I
remained with him about twenty minutes ; I saw him this
morning about a quarter before nine ; he was then alive,
but it was after he had cut his throat; he lived aboui thirty
minutes ; I left him in charge of Surgeon Wilmot, and Mr.
Gordon. and went for Mr. Cusack ; the Messrs. Porter came
back with me, and he was alive when I returned ; he was a
man of very temperate habits ; I think he was about forty-
five years of age; he was in the 9th infantry, and sold out
about eight months since ; he was fond tt mesmerism ; it
was in bed he cut his throat; I thought he was the last man
in the world who would commit such a deed. _ _ _

Mr. Daniel Edward Daly examined—l lodge in this
house; on Wednesday last I saw the deceased for the first
time, in the street; after eight o'clock this morning, while I
was still in bed, I heard some woman screaming, and some
person, I think, called out my name ; I got out of bed at
once and ran down stairs ; I met the girl on the stairs, and,
in answer to my inquiry of what was the matter, she said,
" There is a man down stairs cutting his throat ;" I went
into the gentleman's bed-room, and saw him pulling the razor
across his throat; he was sitting up in bed, and had the
razor in his right hand; I went over to take the razor from
him, and he held out his hand and said. " RP nir,"
I oWpped
back and looked in tho rue-place if there was anything with
witieli I could strike the razor out of his hand ; there was
nothing there, and as I turned back I saw him making an-
other dreadful gash at his throat ; I then seized hold of him
by the hand, and pressed the razor down on the bed, and he
then commenced to kick; the razor was then taken out of
his hand by the gentleman of the house, who assisted me in
holding him down ; other persons came in, and I then
went up and dressed myself; he said to me when struggling,
that he had cut himself about twenty times ; one of
said,the oyrsoaffsakierdg, himor
something whatcaused t
to hih
The jury returned the Rano wingtvain.tredffticoetct:d.l,i:,
We andfinhde
that the deceased gentleman died from loss of blood,
caused by his having cut his throat in a moment of tempo-
rary insanity.

OUTRAGEOUS FAMILY SCENE AT CORK.—The following is
from the Cork Examiner of Monday :
CORK, DECEMBER, 26.—An investigation was held on Sa-
turday, at twelve o'clock,. in the magistrate's office, before
his worship the mayor, in which a respectable young man
named Jeremiah Murphy was charged with having 0. fired
either one or two pistol shots in the house of Mr. Denis
Hickie, on Friday night, with intent to do some of the in-
mates grievous bodily harm.
Mr. Denis Hickie, master cooper, living in Blackpool,
sworn and examined, deposed—A few minutes before eleven
o'clock on Friday night a rap was heard at his door, at which.
time he was up stairs in his house, as were also his wife, and
her niece; the servant girl was below and she opened the
door ; it then appeared that Jeremiah Murphy came in, and,
as the cross door at the stairs was locked, he came down'
and asked the servant who was there ; she said it was
Mr. Murphy, and he replied there was no admittance for
him. _ _

The Mayor : Who is Jeremiah Murphy ? Is he any
relative of yours?
Witness : He is married to my wife's niece.
The Mayor : Had you any misunderstanding with him ?
Witness : There was a misunderstandinc, between himself
and his wife ;he turned her out, and misunderstanding went to Mr.
White's, where she stopped for three or four days, but she
was again obliged by him to leave that place, and she then
came to my house.
Examination continued : She was at witness's house at
the time Murphy called, and witness's servant told him he
would not he admitted, immediately. on which he fired a
pistol into the hall; at that time witness was at the other
side of the door, and the door was locked; he was fumbling
at the door, endeavouring to open it, and when he found
he could not open it, he fired the shot ; witness got
greatly terrified, the servant screamed out dreadfully,
and he was certain she was shot; witness's wife called
out to the servant several times but she got no an-
swer, and they became convinced that she had been shot
dead ; his wife then threw up the window and called for
the police; she asked some gentlemen to go for them, but they
paid no attention to what she was saying ; witness hearing
no further noise got a pistol, and went down stairs, and
opened the door ; when he opened the door he saw Murphy
with a pistol in his hand presented at him ; witness then
fired, and his opinion is that, though he heard but one shot,
the pistols went off together ; Murphy flashed the pistol,
and witness immediately fired ; the shot from Murphy's
pistol did not touch him, but Murphy said he was shot.
The Mayor : How do you know that he fired off the pistol
a second time ?
Witness : There were marks in the door.
The Mayor : May not those have been the marks of the
first discharge ?
Witness : I am certain both pistols went off together.
The Mayor : I cannot understand how you escapt
—Pit inpgs : After opening the door I stood behind it,
and only put var-i,..y 1-Ight arm; when he presented la.,e
pistol I was in terror of my IA for .tuire,"
was under the impression that the serval.. aad been shot,
inasmuch as she did not answer the call that was made
to her.

The servant of Mr. Hickie corroborated the foregoing
evidence and deposed that Murphy had a pistol on the
present before Hickie came down. She also stated that he
was tipsy.
The Mayor said he would issue a warrant on the evidence
that had been sworn to, the warrant not to be enforced
until the defendant was capable of being removed. But, in
the meantime, in order to prevent any further violence, he
would immediately take measures to have Mr. Murphy
bound to keep the peace, and if necessary he would visit him
at his house for that purpose.
The defendant is, we understand, a respectable young
man, living on Patrick's-hill, and doing business as a pawn-
broker and publican; and Mr. Hiskie is in a very respectable
position, as a master cooper.
Morgan Singer, Esq., R.N., third son of the Lord Bishop
of Meath, has been awarded the Lieutenant's commission
given by the Admiralty to the best answerer among the
students at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth.