Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-20 00:00:00

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.-YESTERDAY

THE QUEEN v. CHARLES FREDERICK LEES-HABEAS
CORPUS. The defendant, Charles Frederick Lees, master
of the ship Senator, was brought up in custody of Mr.
Weatherhead, governor of Newgate, under an habeas
corpus directed some time since to the Sheriff of St.
Helena, where he had been convicted of a felony. The
prisoner .having been called upon, was placed at the bar
by the side of his learned counsel to assign error with
reference to his conviction on the charge of shooting with
intent to do grievous bodily harm. Mr. Flood (prisoners
counsel) then assigned errors in form, Mr. Welsby
said, he appeared on behalf of the Attorney-
General, but he had no objection to take to the
motion. Lord Campbell : Let errors be assigned. Mr.
Flood then asked to be allowed to .move formally to the
return of the habeas corpus, and to reserve his motion
on it till the prisoner came up again, when the two could
be called on at the same time. The court granted the
application. Mr. Flood then moved that the prisoner
should be admitted to bail. Lord Campbell: Do you
oppose the motion, Mr. Welsby ? Mr. Welsby : I have
noinstructions to oppose, and must leave the matter in
your lordship's hands. I would only remind the court
that the prisoner was convicted of shooting with
intent to do grievous bodily harm. Lord Camp-
bell: It is a serious charge, but we think he
may be admitted to bail. Mr. Flood : The prisoner has
served upwards of two years out of his three years'
sentence. Lord Campbell: Can he find sureties. Mr.
Flood : He can if your lordship will permit bail to be
entered into at Liverpool He was in the employ of a
most respectable firm at that place. Lord Campbell : Let
him' be admitted to bail in £l,OOO Ur two surities in
£5OO each, or four in £250 each. On the application of
Mr. Flood the prisoner was sent back to the Queen's
Prison instead of Newgate till the bail be completed.

The fortunate winner of the two great prizes in the
Credit Bank lottery at Vienna, has given about £l,OOO
to different charitable institutions.

Mdlle. Espinasse, a nun, known in religion as Sister
Margaret Mary, has just died at her convent in Toulouse.
She was the sister of the late Minister of the Interior in
France.

THE ANDOVER MURDER.—Emma Banks, who is now
awaiting her trial in the county prison, charged with being
a participator in the murder of Mr. Parsons, was
delivered of a male child on Sunday last.
THE IRISH SECRET SOCIETIES.—A Belfast telegram
says :—The fifteen prisoners in custody in Belfast, on the
charge of being connected with an illegal society, have
been discharged, on security, to appear at the next
assizes. Bail was given, themselves in £lOO, and two
securities in £5O each.

Dr. Evans Reeves and Edward Protheroe, who were
last week arrested in London, on a charge of fraud and
conspiracy, for obtaining a diploma under a false name
from the College of Physicians of Dublin, were, on Tues-
day, at tie College-street Poliee-office, Dublin, committed
for trial upon that charge.
A ArtINIFICENT ENDOWMENT. —The Rev. Dr. Wall,
vice-provost of Dnblin University, has given towards the
formation of five scholarships, of £2O per annum each,
for the encouragement of schemetic learning, and for
promoting the inquiry already instituted into the original
state of the text of the Hebrew Bible, the sum of £2,000.
LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST RAILWAY.
--The directors of this company have decided upon
recommending the payment of a dividend for the half-
year, ending the 31st of December last, of £3 lOs per
cent. on the consolidated stock of the company, making
the total dividend for the year 1858 amount to six per
cent.

THE REV. H. G. GUINNESS. —Dr. Montgomery, the
leader ,of the Arian Presbyterians of Ulster, having
attacked the preaching of Mr. Spurgeon and Mr. Guin-
ness, the Rev. Dr. Cooke, Presbyterian, has delivered
and published a lecture in defence of gospel truth, as
preached by these popular young Independent and
31 a_ptist ministers.
THE LATEST SWINDLE .—lt appears that some swind-
ler has been fleecing people in the country of many
hundreds of pounds under cover of the name of Mr.
Alderman Mechi, by pretending to be collecting for a
testimonial for that gentleman, and thus obtaining from
them a guinea 'each. The -alderman has issued a notifica-
tion that .the whole is a fraud.

Father Ventura, the preacher at the Tuileries, has
published a book called " Un Essai sur le Pouvoir," which
makes some sensation in diplomatic circles. He pro-
poses the settlement of the' Italian question by buying
Austria out of Lombardy' with a very large sum of
-money, and 'then constituting an Italian confederation,
'of which the Pope would be the president.
One of :the most crowded meetings ever held in
'Chathamlook place in that borough on Monday evening
-in favour of a measure of reform. The meeting was
held in the Lecture-hall, which was filled to overflowing,
and hundreds were obliged to leave the doors unable to
obtain adniission. It was calculated that 1,200 persons
were present. The meeting was held under the auspices
of the reform party at•Chatham.
HOUSES FOR THE WORKING CLASSES.—WO mentioned
some time -ago that more than one benevolent individual
had been contemplating the erection of a set of improved
houses for the working classes. There is no reason to
think that they have abandoned the idea ; but, in the
meantime, the movement has been taken up on a broader
basis by a proposal to start a public company for carrying
out the object in view.—Aberdeen Herald.
NATIVE INDIAN ADDRESSES TO THE QUEEN. —SORIS
weeks since, in publishing the accounts of the promulgation
of her Majesty's proclamation in India, we noticed the
fact of separate Hindoo and Mussulman meetings having
been held, .and addresses voted in reply. One of these
addresses we at that time quoted from an Indian news-
paper ; and we now find them all in the London Gazette
of last evening. The spirit is universally loyal, and the
form so little different in any instance, that we do not
consider it necessary to give our readers what would
amount to no more than a mere repetition.—Evening
Star.

INTERPRETERS POE JAPAN. —The government have
not been slow in taking measures to turn to advantage
the treaty concluded by Lord Elgin with the hitherto
-secluded empire of Japan. A corps of officials is being
assembled, and will soon sail for that distant region.
Among the corps are several young men who go out
especially to learn the Japanese language, and studying
the manners and customs of the people, so as to act as
interpreters, and be otherwise useful to British subjects
settling in or trading with that country. Whether by
design or accident, we know not, but it is certain that
one of the interpreters has been brought from the heart
of the Highlands, where the Gaelic language is spoken
in its purity.—Glasgow Herald.

A letter from Vancouver's Island says : —" I have visited
a great many places, great and small, but this is the first
place I remember to have found without a member of the
long robe. Is the privation a blessing or an evil ? Law-
yers are often considered great evils, and I am ready to
admit that the charge is sometimes well-founded ; but I
fear the old saying is true, that they are necessary evils.'
Their want in Victoria is supplied by the courtesy of the
Chief Justice allowing parties, litigants, to have advisers,
who are permitted great latitude in his court by their
taking powers of attorney from their clients to appear for
them. The duty has hitherto been performed by two
American citizens, lawyers from San Francisco, who I
hope are having what is commonly called in the classical
language of the place they come from quite a fine time
of it' "
SUDDEN DEATH OF A SECRETARY AT A BOARD MEET-
lNO.—Considerable excitement was created amongst the
members of the Whittington Life Assurance Society, who
were attending a board meeting on Monday afternoon, at
the offices in Moorgate-street. Mr. Charles Brown, the
secretary, was in attendance during the meeting ; but
about four o'clock he was observed to fall from his chair
suddenly, as if in a fit. Several of the members imme-
diately went to his assistance, amongst whom were Dr.
Pavey, of Guy's Hospital, and Mr. Critchett, surgeon,
who both paid every attention to him. Dr. Pavey tried
to bleed him, but without effect, as life was extinct. The
deceased had previously appeared perfectly well, and had
only occasionally complained of headache. He was very
much respected.
MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT.—On Monday a very melan-
choly occurrence took place off the coast near Pevensey
(a small town on the Brighton and South Coast. Railway,
a dozen miles from Hastings), in consequence of the up-
setting- of a boat, which resulted in the death of four
men by drowning. From the particulars gleaned it
appears that the coastguard boat, containing.. five men,
Dennis Perrin, chief boatman ; Hutchings,
commission boatman ; and William Cook, William
Brickell, and Michael Russell, boatmen, had been off to
the coastguard tender Active, and on their return the
boat was swamped. The chief officer in command of
the station, Lieutenant Mansell, having witnessed the
fearful accident, observed that one man (Russell)
was
floating, supposed by an oar, and although the weather was
extremely cold, and the sea very rough, from a south
west gale, which has been blowing on this coast for some
days, he courageously stripped and entered the water.
By his gallant exertions he succeeded in rescuing this
man with very great difficulty, both being completely
exhausted, as may well be imagined, on coming on shore.
The other four men, as before stated, met a watery
grave. One of the bodies has since been washed ashore.
Perrin, the chief boatman, has left a large family ; Cook
has also five children under 14 years of age, the youngest
being only eight weeks old. Brickell had only entered
the service at the end _
of October. The sad event has
created a very melancholy interest. Information was
immediately forwarded to the coroner, and an inquest
will be shortly held.