Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-18 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHELN TIMES.

Sir,—Your readers will not have forgotten the
very extraordinary evidence given at the bar of the
House of Lords, in the Talbot Divorce case, by the
Rev. Abram Sargent, Vicar of Derrygarth, and
Prebendary of Cashel.
On the 13th of last month, the Rev. Mr. Sargent
gave himself 1113 to the resident magistrate at Clon-
mel, confessing that he had been guilty of forgery.
He was sent to jail, but has been since handed
over to the care of his friends, on the ground of
his being insane,
Thus it appears that this witness whose testi-
mony the Lord Chancellor considered "extremely
important," and of whom Lord St. Leonards said
that "he was a witness whose truth nobody could
doubt, and upon whose evidence it was impossible
to throw any imputation," is, in fact, either a felon
or a madman.

I trust that a sense of justice to my sister-in-law,
Mrs Talbot, will induce you to admit this letter,
the statements in which I am fully prepared to sub-
stantiate, into your columns.—l am, sir, your
obedient servant, THOMAS TERTIUS PAGET.

Humberstone, nenr Leicester, 15th July, 1857

GLEBE LANDS OF IRELAND -We are glad to see that a
bill has been brought in by the government, to enable
incumbents to grant ninety-nine years' leases of building
ground, mill-sites, &c., at a fair rent, which will improve
the country as well as increase the income of the clergy.
This is a step in the right direction, which ought to be
extended to the owners of waste lands, minerals, and town
lots, many of whom, however willing, are prevented by
entails from granting leases loner than twenty-one years.
There are four millions of improveable waste lands in
Ireland which could thus be brought into cultivation,
forming an independent class of small proprietors there, who,
having an interest in the lauds, would soon reclaim them.
—Mark Lane Express.
LOGIBRAIT —SINGULAR OCCURRENCE.—One day last week
a worthy innkeeper got delivery of a huge puncheon
of whiskey. After safely transferring the liquor into
stock, Bonifaee stood musing at the inn door, .probably
calculating the profits that wonld accrue from a fair and
speedy sale of the mountain dew, when a thought struck
him to shake the puncheon, and thereby ascertain whether
the last dregs had been carefully drained. On doing this
a tinkling noise was heard, seemingly proceeding from the
interior, which led him to fancy that one of his cork
screws had inadvertantly been dropped in. He procured a
lighted candle forthwith to satisfy himself on that head,
and removed the bung, but on applying the light, the pant
up gas was ignited, and the puncheon belched out an
alarming jet of flame. The inn-keeper, with great presence
of mind straddled over the end of the barrel, and
attempted to smother the volcano by forcing in the bung;
on affecting this the puncheon moved under him for a
moment, somewhat like a rocking horse, and then exploded
with a thundering noise! Boniface was thrown several
feet upwards, but save the fright he came down nothing the
worse of his aerial voyage. Fortunately the only sufferer
by this untoward accident was an old cart, which was
rather severely shattered by fragments of the puncheon
having been blown against it with great violence.—Dundee
Courier.

PARTY CONFLICTS IN BELFAST.

We regret to say that serious party conflicts have taken
place since the Orange anniversary of the Twelfth. During
that day, being the Sabbath, things were quiescent, but
since then added fury appears to have been given to both
parties. On Tuesday night, these symptoms assumed an
alarming aspect ; and we regret to state that, on Wednesday
morning, three constaHes, of the local force, received
serious wounds. Their names are Bingham, Cairns, and
Gourley. The two farmer are at present inmates of the
General Hospital, and are not in a state that would admit
of being examined with safety to themselves. At
the police court, yesterday, Mr. Tracy, .R M.,
the presiding magistrate, inqnired from Doctor
Moore, one the hospital staff, who was present,
what was the condition of his patients, and the
doctor replied that they were severely injured, and in a
dangerous state ; and that it would be at least three weeks
before they would be able to give evidence. Bingham, we
hear, has seven very serious wounds on his person ; and
Constable Cairns is little less seriously injured. Gourley
is at his own house, badly hurt. No person has been
arrested for these assaults—a fact which is partly accounted
for by the rioters having taken the precaution of putting
out the gas-lamps.
Shots were fired in abundance during the night, and one
of the inhabitants in the Quadrant, leading from Durham-
street, tothe Falls-road, showed Head Constable Henderson
the window through which a musket ball had been fired from
the direction of Sandy-row, and the ball, passing through
the -window, lodged in the plaister of the partition where
it was found. It was fortunate that there were no persons
in the room at the time.

It was stated, very generally yesterday, that Constable
Bingham was dead; but, from inquiries which we have
made at the hospital, we have ascertained that he still
lives. His recovery ie, however, very doubtful. Cairns,
also, is very much exhausted from loss of blood.
Last night, the party fights were renewed with all the
virulence which characterised the worst description of
riots in this town. At an early hour in the evening,
indications of a renewal of the fights were manifested,
and the magistracy and police authorities a lopted the
necessary measures of precaution. The constabulary, to
to the number of thirty men, under the charge of Sub-
Inspector Bindon, and the whole force of the day and
night municipal police, under the command of Chief Con-
stables Lindsay and Green, were ordered out on duty.
The men were posted at the different points where their
presence was most likely to be of most service in the
preservation of order. The Sandy-row boys, or Pro-
testants, were prevented from crossing certain boundary
lines prescribed, and the Barrack-street and Cal-
lintree-road fellows, or Roman Catbolics, were
shut in within corresponding lines. By these arrange-
ments collisions in the streets were prevented. About
nine o'clock, however, the groups of rioters who had been
thus baffled, and were walking about the streets, or loung-
ing at the corners and back lanes "biding their time,"
mutually, as if by a preconcerted signal„ withdrew from
the streets, and betook themselves to the waste grounds in
the rear of Sandy-row and Cullintree-road. They
arranged themselves in lines, the Protestant party
chiefly extending themselves in a line with Grosvenor-
street, which is in an unfinished state, and the
Roman Catholic party extending themselves in a
directly parallel direction along by the backs of the
houses in Cullintree-road. There was then a large space
of level ground in front of both parties, and this ground
being intersected with ditches and trenches, and some
portions of hedges, offered fine cover to the skirmishers"
from the main bodies. Thus arrayed in order of battle,
they commenced the riots with shouts of defiance from
each side. Strong party expressions were employed, and
then the stone-throwing began. After the stones had
been freely spent, the " skirmishers"• were called in,
and fire-arms were used. Shots from pistols and
guns were fired frequently, and in every case, we
are assured, shot and bullets were in the fire
arms. Mr. Tracy, R.M., and Dr. M‘Gee, who were
then in Durham-street, took council with the chiefs of the
police in the Police Barrack, and resolved on sending
for the military. It was believed that lives would be
lost—and if they be not lost, it is almost miracul
outs—and that nothing short of the presence of
the military could restore order. A mounted
policeman was accordingly despatched to the military
barracks with the magistrates' order. In the meantime,
the firing was continued till about ten o'clock, when
both infantry and cavalry arrived in Durham-street. A.
good deal of time was lost in making the military officers
acquainted with the circumstances of the case, and the
arrangements necessary to be made. At length the
troops were divided and marched to the scene of the
conflict, but their approach seems to have been heralded
by scouts, and the firing ceased before the military had
reached the waste fields. The combatants rapidly dis-
persed in the dark, it being then impossible to see them,
unless within the distance of a few yards, and the riots for
the time ceased.

Whether any person was injured during the conflict we
were unable to learn, as no person was willing to risk his
life in ping to inquire from the parties on either side ;
so that we must wait until to-day to hear what were the
consequences of the " engagement" which we have just
described.

The magistrates subsequently present besides Mr.
Tracy and Dr. M‘Gee were Mr. John F. Ferguson, and
Mr. William Verner. The M%yor was also on the
ground during a portion of the time.—Belfast Mercury of
Thursday.

DETERMINED SUICIDE OF A LICENSED V-CTUAL:ER
A determiird act of suicide was committed on Thursday
morning by Mr. George Jones, proprietor of the Three
Tuns Tavern, Great New-street, Fetter-lane, Fleet-street,
London. The deceased, who was a single man, ha 4 in
his employ two barmaids and a potman. Observing with
surprise their masters non-appearance at his accustomed
time on that morning, a search was made, and the unfor-
tunate man was discovered banging over a tank, quite
dead, and half his body in water. The tank was used to
supply the clos-ets with water ; and being on a level with
the first floor, some difficulty must have been experienced
in reaching it. The deceased was much respected in the
neighbourhood, and his untimely end is a source of much
regret. He was conversing rationally up till nearly
twelve on Wednesday night, and no reasonable motire
suggests its alt' as to the cause of the suicide.
PRESENTATION CF THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF
LONDON TO THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE —lt a Court of
Common Council, on Thursday, Mr. J. Anderton moved
the following resolution, which being seconded, was
carried unanimously :--'• That the freedom of this City be
presented to his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge,
the cousin of our beloved Q Teen, and Commander-in-Chief
of her Majesty's forces, as a testimony of the attachment to
the Queen and Royal Family of the citizens -of London
represented by this court, as a grateful recognition of the
support his Royal Highnefs has given to the various public
charities of the metropolis ; of the undaunted valour dis•
pleyed by him in the late war in the Crimea ; and of the
judicial energy and success with which he has conducted
the military affairs of the empire since he has accepted the
high and responsible office of Commander-in-Chief of the
British army. That the freedom be presented with a
sword, or some other tes'imonial, of the value of two
hundred guineas."
SHOCKING CRUELTY TO A Cann.—At the West Riding
Court, on Thursday, a man named James Booth, a joiner,
and Naomi Brook, one of the unfortunate class, were
charged with consoint cruel treatment to the illegitimate
child of the latter, apparently only one, though in reality
three years old. Booth had been in the 4th West York
Militia, but since his discharge, about two years ago, has
been several times in the Idle workhouse. The female
prisoner was also there with her child, but had been sent
a month to prison for absconding with the workhouse dress
on, and leaving her child behind her. For about two
months this well-matched couple have endeavoured to pass
as husband and wife, and succeeded in renting a small
cottage near the Oddfellows' Hall, Idle. Since then their
broils and quarrellings, even to the effusion of blood, have
been incessant, and their presence in the neighbourhood
a nuisance. Reports at the same time of their ill-usage
to the child were current, and reached the ears of the
authorities. On Sunday morning last they were, as usual,
fighting, and constable Exley went to the house, and
found that a regular bloody pugilistic encounter had taken
place. The more than half-starved, cruelly kicked and
beaten skeleton child, he also found seated, or laid from
weakness, upon some damp straw in a earner. It was
eventually taken to the workhouse, and, from information
received, police-sergeant Slingsby subsequently appre-
hended both prisoners. Co3s`able Exley first gave a
statement of the cruel usage to the child, which was corro-
borated by Ann Cannon and Betty Sutton. The mother
was in the habit of lifting the child be one arm, flogging
it severely, and throwing it upon the floor; she tossed it
from one side of the house to the other, when her paramour
would again kick it like a football to another part, and,
leaving it upon the cold flags, tell it to lie there until it
could come to him. One night he tossed it half naked
from the bed, and it was compelled to remain upon the
cold, damp flag until morning. By this ill treatment,
continued for two months, the tiny, infant-like body of
the three-year-old girl was one mass of bruises, and though
greatly improved when in the court on Thursday, after
five days of good treatment and proper food, marks of
violence were still visible upon it. The unnatural mother
and her reprobate paramour conducted themselves im-
pudently in the dock, and being unable to deny the charge,
she was committed for ten weeks, and he for three mClighs,
to the House of Correction. with hard labour.

MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL.

LftERPOOL, Friday Evening.

The sales of Cotton to-day are estimated at 8,000
bales, including 2,000 on speculation and for export,
at a partial sd, advance on last Friday's quotations.
Messrs. Wright, Junior, and Co., in their circular
issued for the Europa, make the following remarks
respecting the movements in the trade dthing the
week :

Confirming the tenor of our last circular advices, dated
10th inst., we have again to report extensive daily sales
in our Cotton Market at gradually hardening pricas, not.
33 perceptib'e when referring to quotations as to the
qualities which they are supposed to represent, classifica-
tion being less rigid as the offering stock diminishes.
Speculators and exporters have participated moderately in
the business; and the former would doubtless increase
their action but for the pro rata additional cost for charges,
attending operations at the ruling currency, which circum-
stance alone has enabled Spinners to obtain their late
large supplies without having to pay materially enhanced
rates. The India advices are still menacing, but are not
so adverse as was expected by some, and even more
favourable than anticipated by others ; and, whilst their
Influence tends to check the exports of our Manu-
factures to the East, it is less felt from the cur-
tailed production of that class of goods, and more
than counterpoised by the prospect of a good continental
and home trade, which the continued promise of a splendid
harvest all over Europe, holds oat the most encouraging
hopes for. Large specie arrivals finding their way into the
chambers of the Bank has considerably relieved money
matters, and induced the Directors to lower the rates for
discounts to 51 per cent.; this also imparts confidence,
and we close the week with great firmness, at a partial ed.
advance on last Friday's quotations. The total sales of the
week amount to 78,990 bales, of which 47,950 are
American. Speculators have taken 10,000, and Exporters
5,240, leaving 63,750 bales of all kinds to the Trade. The
Import for same time is 24,100 bales, of which 13,648 are
American. The quantity known to be at sea from American
ports is about 46,000 bales.