Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-22 00:00:00

ASSAULT BY A CLERK AT THE COUNTY COURT.

At the Police Court, on Saturday, before Messrs. Holme
and Crosthwaite, James Carsen, a clerk in the Treasurer's
department of the County Court, Lime-street, was sum-
moned by Mr. Thomas Bott, watchmaker, St. James-street,
and Chester-street, Birkenhead, for having, on the 3rd of
the present month committed an assault upon him. Mr.
Hirne, solicitor, appeared for the defendant. From the
statement of the complainant, it appeared that he had had
some business at the county court, and had applied for a
fraud summons against a person living at Oswestry in
Wales. He had been compelled to ge very often, from, as
he thought, the conduct of the defendant. On the day
in question, after getting the keige's leave, he
went to the Treasurer's office, about twenty minutes
to four o'clock. When he entered the office
the defendant was there walking about, apparently doing
nothing, and he was kept waiting until nearly four o'clock,
when the defendant took the paper and said " you are too
late," and threw it at the complainant. The complainant
replied, " surely you will not trouble me to come again."
The defendant, in a very authoritative manner, said,
" leave the office, or I wilt turn you out." As
the complainant was leaving the office he called
the defendant an impudent blackguard ; but before he
could gat to the door, the defendant struck him a blow
on the head and kicked him with his foot. The complain
ant was cross-examined at considerable length by Mr.
Hime, with a view of showing that he had used some
aggravating and insulting expressions before the defendant
turned him out of the office. The complainant posi-
tively denied that he had done so. Mrs. Jane
Whitehead fully corroborated the complainant's
statement. Mr. Rime, in addressing the bench for the de-
fendant, stated that the complainant was very much excited
at the time, and had used insulting language to the de-
fendant, and other clerks in the office. That he was
i simply told that it was after four o'clock, and his business
could not be attended to on that day, when he attempted
to strike defendant, and was removed from the office. A
man named Trainer was called to prove this statement.
bat it appeared that at the time of the occurrence he had
told the complainant that he had been most shamefully
used; therefore, but little reliance could b 3 placed on his
present statement. A clerk in the office was also called,
for the purpose of showing that the defendant was engaged
at the time the complainant went into the office. The
magistrates considered the assault was clearly proved, and
I that the conduct of the defendant as a public servant was
exceedingly reprehensible, and fined him 40s. and costs,
I which was immediately paid.

LIVERPOOL COUNTY COURT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TDIRS.

Sir,—Here we are with another adjournment
this week ! On Tuesday last Mr. Conway sat
in the absence of the judge ; but the cases
for the three following days were adjourned until
the 20th and 30th of July next, being a
period of THREE CALENDAR MONTHS from the
days they were entered in the court Is this
right? Is this court a boon to the public,
or is it a nuisance ? " The remedy is obvious,"
says the Daily Post ; " let the Government appoint
an additional judge.'' The remedy is equally ob-
vious, say I ; let the judge appoint a deputy, and
pay him according to the Act of Parliament.
One judge of ordinary stamina is sufficient for the
present business, and therefore the country ought
not to be saddled with the expense of an additional
one. Let the judge, whoever he may be, confine him-
self to his own dutie sin his own court, and not ram-
ble off to the Quarter Sessions four times in the year
to the hindrance of his own suitors. The judge of
this court is, without doubt, a very good judge, and
he has been so much lauded that we can now hardly
bring ourselves to find fault with him. But there is
reason in the roasting of eggs, and our love for the
man must not lead us to forget what is due from him
to us. If the constution of the judge should
unfortunately be so weak and delicate that he can-
not execute the duties of his office, then, in honour,
he ought to resign. But I would fain hope this is
not so, and that his appointment of a deputy would
remedy the inconvenience arising during his severe
illness.—l am, &c., A SUITOR.
20th June, 1857.

The Illoniteur of yesterday published an important ad-
dress from the Prefect of the Seine to the electors. It
commenced by pointing out that the Government, in
frankly adopting universal suffrage, wished that the
Chamber should be the expression of the general will. It
has only reserved to itself the means of influence, viz., to
proclaim aloud to the country the names of the men who
enjoy its confidence, that the people may not be deceived
by false declarations of political opinions.
THE POSTAGE OF NEWSPAPERS.—We understand that
the Lords of the Treasury have sanctioned the proposal
submitted by Mr. John Francis to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer for stamping the co7ers of newspaper agents
with an impressed stamp, having a rim attached, express-
ing the name and address of the sender. Authority has
also, we learn, been given to the board of inland revenue
to matie a new stamp denoting a 3d rate of postage—a
stamp that will prove of special service in respect to the
large number of newspapers now transmitted to India, via
Marseilles,

EXAGG 5 RATION ABOUT CLIMATE .-Of the United States
where hale old age is rarely seen ; where at thirty women
are grey ; where a glance at the children reveals a physi-
cally degenerating race; where, consumption and virulent
periodical fevers are the scourge of regions; where nearly
one. third of the emigrants from Europe die within three
years of their arrival--we are told that the climate is fine,
bright, and dry ! Of Canada, which might be described as
two months an oven and four months an ice-house ; where
in winter rivers become ice-roads, and meat has to be split
up like firewood—of Canada, we are told (in Canadian
"Prize Essays") that the climate is perfection ; that though
it is cold you don't feel it ; and that if you live, you grow
to like it ! Of Nova Scotia, where if the ice be. a foot or
two thinner, the fogs are a foot or two thicker, it has been,
hinted that the climate cannot be bad, because an old settler
once lived to be 103 there without possessing a great
coat ! Of Natal, an African colony lying within 27 degrees
of the line, where sheep don't live, but where lions do ;
where serpents, contipede, scorpion, and divers torrid and
horrid reptiles abound ; where sugar and c)tton are looked
to as staple exports, and where wheat won't grow, we are
told be an emigrant writer—" There can be no hesitation
in characterising it as the healthiest
_region under the
dominion of Great Britain !"—New Zealand, hy Charles
Ifursthouse.

THE COMET THAT DIDN'T STRIKE THE EARTH.—The
" approaching comet" created considerable sensation all
last week, and the feeling was intensified when Saturday,
the veritable day, arrived. A large number of people
expected the monster to visit this town by way of London-
road, through Walton-le-Dale;. but they were agreeabiy
disappointed. A good look-out was kept by several of the
alarmed. We understand that fire-proof safes were in
great requisition, and many parties migrated to Lytham
and Blackpool, under the impression that, although the
comet might strike the earth, it would keep a respectful
distance from " sant wetter." Many ludicrous things
happened ; smogst the number, Smith, a well-known pig
dealer, sold off au extensive stock of the swineocracy, at
"au alarming sacriqce." He was determined to be ready
for the comet. The foolishness of this gentleman accounts
for the fall in the price of pigs on Saturday. On the
other hand, two or three booksellers "made a good thing"
out of a small pennyworth of bosh about " the great
comet." People were "sensible to the last," and eagerly
bought up, the editions. Ultimately these gentlemen,
fearing their occupation would be gone, passed a resolu-
tion to the effect that the comet be respectfully requested
to defer his visit for a fortnight. The result our readers
know--the great comet did not strike the earth.—Pres:ora
Guardian .
TAILED Mnx.—The Rev. Mr. T. 3. Bowen, who spent
several years in the interior of Central Africa, as a mis-
sionary of the Southern Baptist Board, makes the following
reference to the subject in his recently published narrative,
In speaking of Nassamu, the executioner of tlfe.King of
Liorin (an inferior city of at least 70,000 inhabitants), and
ethers with whom he conversed, he says: —The Moors and
Arabs, who had been everywhere, had told them wonderful
stories of still other countries and tribes far off in the east.
Somewhere on the other side of Yakouba is a tribe of
people called Alakere, none of whom are more thin three
feet in height. The chiefs are a little taller than the com-
mon people, The Alakere are very ingenious people,
especially in working iron, and they are so ininetrious that
their towns are surrounded by iron walls. Beyond these
are a tribe called Alabira, who have short inflexible tails.
As the stiffness of their tails prevents the Alabiru from
sitting flat on theground, every man carries a sharp-pointed
stick, with which he drills a hole in the earth to receive his
itraoiln bwhairlse,sitting. They are industrious manufacturers of
which they. sell to surrounding tribes. All the
fine swords in Sudan are male of this iron. The next
tribe in order are the Alabi woe, who have a small goat-like
horn projecting from the middle of their forhead. For all
that they are a nice kind of black people, and quite intelli-
gent. A woman of this tribe is now in slavery at Offa, near
Llorrin. She always wears a handkerehief around her
head, because she is ashamed of her horn. There are other
people in the " Doko" region who have four eyes, and
others who live entirely in subterraneous galleries. These
wonders are attested by inthes and grabs,--'Frets Notes
and Queries.