The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-30 00:00:00

Perfumes and Flower Farming.

An interesting lecture was delivered yesterday
before the Royal Horticultural Society, on the subs
ject of perfumes, and the methods of obtaining the
odours of plants as practiced in this and other
countries. The lecture was given by Dr. Septimus
Piesse, and was illustrated with a variety of living
plants obtained from the conservatory and grounds
of the Horticultural Society. In commencing his
lecture he divided the plants from which perfumes
were obtained into three classes. In the first the
lecturer placed the odoriferous gum resins which
exude naturally from the plants, such as benzine,
myrrh, frankincense, and camphor—of which, he
said, not less than 5,000 cwt. were annually im•
ported into this country. These odorous bodies, he
said were principally consumed in religious cere-
monies, and from the early custom of burning as
incense upon the altars are derived their name per-
jamas. A number of very interesting specimens of
art workmanship were referred to, as illustrating
the numerous contrivances for burning incence. In
the second class of perfumes mention was made of
those which are procured by distillation, end which
are known as the various ottos. Sage, mint, thyme,
rosebud, sandal-wood, and other fragrant-bearing
substances, yield by distillation an otto peculiar to
each ; thus is procured otto of patchouly from the
leaves of the patchouly plant. Pogostemon patchouly
a native of Burmah ; otto of caraway, from the
caraway seed; otto of geranium, from the leaves of
the Geranium rosa ; otto of lemon, from lemon peel,
and many other varieties. All the various ottos
are very slightly soluble in water, so that in
the process of distillation the water which comes
over is always fragrant. Thus, elder water, rose
water, orange water, dill water, are, as it were, the
residue of the distillation for obtaining the several
ottos. The process of distillation is very simple.
The fragrant part of the plant is put into the
still and covered with water—and when the
water is made to boil, the ottos rise along with the
steam, are condensed with it in the pipe, and re•
main floating on the water, from which they are
easily separated by decanting. In this way 1001 b
of orange, lemon, or bergamot fruit peel will yield
about 10oz of the fragrant otto ; 1001 b on cedar
wood will yield about 15oz of otto of cedar ; 1001 b
of nutmeg will yield 60oz to 70ez of otto of nut-
meg ; 1001 h of geranium leaves will yield 2oz of
otto. Every fragrant substance varies in yield of
essential oil. In variety the ottos are as numerous
as fragrant plants ; but there are certain relatione
ship among odours as among tints. The lemonelike
odours are the most numerous, such as verbena,
lemon, bergamot, orange, citron, citronella ; then
the almond-like odours, such as heliotrope, vanilla,
violet ; then spice odours, cloves, cinnamon, cassia.
The whole may be classified into 12 well-defined
groups. All these ottos are very soluble in alcohol,
in fat, butter, and fixed oils. They also mix with
soap, snuff, starch, sugar, chalk, and other bodies,
to which they impart their fragrance. And it is
thus that we are enabled to transfer the odorous
principle from the plant that produces it to an in-
odorous body, wanting fragrance alone to make it
of commercial value. Thosgh snuff is by no means
so popular an article in the reign of Victoria as it
was in Anne's time, yet the increased population,
and still more increased exports to colonies, cause
a positive increased production in scented snuff
now than 50 years ago; snuff perfumed with her.
gamot is especially in demand in the fur countries
of Northern Canada. More than 200,0001 b of
various ottos were imported into Britain in 1860,
and valued at over £180,000; to this must be
added at least one-third as much again distilled
in England. Of oils of lemon and bergamot,
from the Two Sicilies, we received 128,8091 b,
valued at £57,054. The third class of per-
fumes were what he described as perfumes
proper, such as are used for perfuming handker-
chiefs. Contrary to the general belief, nearly all
perfumes derived from flowers are not made by dis-
tillation, but by the process of enfeurays or in-
flowering and by maceration or infusion. The
odours of flowers do not, as a general rule, exist in
them as a store or in a gland, but they are developed
as an exhalation. While the flower breathes it
yields fragrance, but kill the flower and fragrance
ceases. The blossoms, though separated from the
parent stem, do not die for some time, but live and
exhale odour; which is absorbed by the fat. The
process of obtaining the perfume was then described
at some length. The flower farmers of the Var culti-
vate acres of jasmine, of tuberose, of violets, and the
other flowers named; and the air is laden with fra.
grance when the flower harvest is at hand. Women
and children gather the blossoms, which they place
in little panniers like fishermen's baskets hung over
the shoulders. They are then carried to the labora-
tory of flowers and weighed. In the laboratory the
harvest of flowers has been anticipated. During
the previous winter great quantities of grease, lard,
and beef-suet have been collected, melted, washed,
and clarified. The great success of this process de-
pends on the absolute purity of the grease employed,
arid no pains arr spared to this end. In each labors.
tory there are several thousand chassis (sashes), or
framed glasses, upon which the grease to be scented
is spread, and upon this grease the blossoms are
sprinkled or laid. The chasse en verre is, in fact, a
frame with a glass in it as near as possible like a
window sash, only that the frame is two inches
thicker, so that when one chasse is placed on another,
there is a spice of four inches between every two

glasses, thus allowing room for blossoms. The flower

blossoms are charged every day. Tho same grease,
ho wever, remains in the chasse so long as the particu-
lar plant being used yields blossoms. The grease being
it, flowered in this way for three weeks or more—in
fact, so long as the plants produce blossoms—is at
last scraped off the chusse, melted, strained, and
poured into tin canisters, and in this state was fit for
exportation. In every moderate-sized flower labo-
ratory there were employed from 2,000 to 3,000
sashes. Fat or oil is also perfumed with these same
flowers by the process of maceratioc—that is infu-
sion of the flowers in oil or melted fat. In order to
obtain the perfume of these flowers in the form
used for scenting handkerchiefs, the scented fat or
oil—made by any of the above methods—is infused
with strong alcohol. The lecturer next referred to

the remarkable fact that these flowers yield per•
fames, which either separate or mixed in various

proportions, are the types of nearly all flower
odours. Thus when jasmine and orange flowers
are blended the scent produced is like sweet pea—
when jasmine and tuberose are mixed the perfume
is that of the hyacinth. The commercial import•
ante of this branch of perfumes was indicated by
the quantity of flowers annually grown in the dis-
trict of Cannes. ;Flower harvest : orange blossoms,
1,475,0001 b ; roses, 530,0001 b; jasmine, 100,0001 b ;
-violets, 75,0001 b ; acacia, 45,0001 b ; geranium,
30,0001 b ; tuberose, 24,0001 b ; jonquil, 5,000 lb;
with violets and orange there are more, but with
cassie less than here stated. In growing flowers
for perfumery nothing can be simpler or more pri-
mitive than the farming operations. For roses the
field is first scantily manured—especially with the
refuse matter left after the distillation of various
plants ; it is then ploughed with oxen at the yoke ;
young plants of roses procured from layers in the
usual way by tongueing and laying at a joint, are
then planted, and nature does the rest. The cab-
bage provence rode is the kind cultivated. A plan-
tation of roses wall tended will last from six to
eight years ; but for this the land must be well
drained. It requires about 7,000 rose plants to cover
an acre, and this acre will produce in an average
season 50001 b weight of roses of the value of ld
to lld per lb—yielding ay _
£3O an acre. For
cassie the land is prepared in a similar way.
The young plants are raised from seed, which
is sown in beds. Tho best plants are left, the
doubtful ones removed. In the third year they have
generally a height of 21t. or 3ft., and are then
planted out in fields, each tree requiring about 12ft.
t quire. After the third year the tree Produces
flowers, growing at the same time till they attain
maturity, when they reach a height of loft. or 12ft.,
with branches 6ft. long, and a stem as thick as a
man's wrist. Each full-grown tree will produce
about 21b weight of flowers, value from 3d to 4d per
lbs, say £3O to £4O per acre. The jasmine is culti-
vated, by slips of the wild jasmine, grafted at the
end of two years with the Spanish jasmine. This
produces a blossom the size of a shilling, of intense

fragrance. It requires about 8,000 plants to stock
an acre; and they are not in full bearing till the
second year after grafting ; but when mature every=
1,000 plants yield about 601 b weight of flowers an.
nually. They are planted in rows, horizontal poles
being thrust between them for euppo -t, the branches
being woven in and out, somewhat as the raspberry
canes are arranged by the Chiswick gardeners. The
tuberose needs" more care than any other flower of
the farm. It is the most difficult to rear, but the
best worth rearing ; a good plantation on a good
soil will last for seven or eight years. It is a bulbous
plant, and throws out a stem like a hyacinth, covered
with fleshy flowers. Orange trees are cultivated from
seeds ; at the third year they are grafted either with
the sweet Portugal or the bitter Bigaradier. A tree
requires 15 years to reach maturity, but will pro.
duce both flowers and fruit in four or five years.
When in full vigour each tree yields an average of
251 b. weight of blossoms annually. Many planta-
tions of orange trees atNice are more than 100 years
old. At Nice there is a public market for orange
blossoms during the season. The bitter orange
flowers fetch 3d per lb, the sweet about 2d, With
us the violet grows any where, but the terrible sun
of Nice during July and August is bat ill borne by
the violet. Consequently, on the farms they are
planted under the green shade of the orange and
lemon trees, or close to walls and houses. A surface
of land equalling an acre of planting yields 1801 b.
to 2001 b. weight of flowers, valued as an average at
2fr. the lb. Oak or rose.leaf geraniums are grown
for the sake of the rose-like odour extracted by die.
tillation from the leaves. A ton of leaves will yield
about a kilogramme, or rather less, of otto. The
geranium is propagated by cuttings made in Sep.
tember, which are planted out in the spring. Rose-
mary, lavender, and thyme are also grown to a vast
extent. One can hardly say cultivated, since they
grow like brooms and heaths on the wild wolds of
Yorkshire. Any quantity may be found on the high
regions of the maritime Alps. Those persons who
seek for the ottos of these plants carry the distilling
apparatus up the hills on the backs of mules, while
they encamp themselves in tents near to some snow
stream. England has always been famous for the
production of lavender, and farms of it exist at
Carshalton and Mitcham, in Surrey; also at Hitchin
in Hertfordshire. It requires about 3,500 plants to
an acre, and wren the plant is in full bearing we
can procure from this quantity about 6 to 7 quarts.
of otto, which, at the present price of 545. per lb.,
a good average price of 10 years, yield £32 per acre.
The lecturer concluded by stating that in France,
where this kind of commerce has risen to the value
of £3,000,000, there are no published accounts or
statistics relating to flower.farming ; and he ex.
pressed an earnest hope that the object of the council
of the Horticultural Society in bringing the subject
of the odours of plants before the fellows would be
obtained, and that young gardeners emigrating to
some of the warm British colonies might eventually
lay there the foundation of a flower-farm and per.
fame laboratory, such as can only now be seen on
the banks of the Var. The thanks of the society
were given to Dr. Piesse for his lecture, which, it
was announced, would be repeated on Saturday next.

The Unity Bank.

-- -,s. ---

Yesterday, at the Justice•room of the Mansion .house,
before the Lord Mayor, Joseph Wakefield Terry and Thos.
Burch, the manager and secretary of the late Unity Bank,
surrendered to their bail upon a charge of having falsified
the balance-sheet of the 30th of June, 18E2, with intent to
deceive and defraud the shareholders.

Mr Lewis, jun., appeared, as before, to conduct the prose-
cution on the part of the committee of liquidators : Mr
Sleigh, barri,ter, defended Terry; and Mr Metcalfe, bar-
rister, defended Burch.

Mr Geo. Lewis Phipps Eyre, solicitor, of Bedford-row,
and a director of the Unity Bulk, who had been examined
upon the last occasion, was now recalled, and had his evi-
dence and cross-examination by Mr Sleigh, in which he
made various verbal corrections, read over to him by Mr
Oke, the chief clerk.
He was then cross-examined by Mr Meicalfe as follows :
—I do not think I looked at any books of the bank at all.
The question is one difficult to answer,but I have seen some
of the books from time to time. I have had the customers'
ledgers brought in on epecial occasions. That was when I
was anxious about customers,ancl when the manager wished
to confer with directors about them. Whenever the directors
felt any particular anxiety respecting the customers we
sometimes looked into the accounts in the books, I am
aware Mr Alderman Mechi has said that we were particu-
larly anxious about Lowenthal's and Sternc's accounts,
but, to my recollection, personally I never examined their
accounts myself. Mr Alderman Mechi used to be constantly
at the bank, and was in the habit of speaking to us as if he
had made particular inquiries into the accounts of those per-
sons. Sometimes we looked at the customers' accounts, and
Mr Alderman Mechi constantly made them a matter of
conversation, but I cannot swear th tt he said he had made
particular inquiries into them himself. I have no recollec-
tion of seeing Lowenthal's account in the books as late as
June, 1862, but I should be inclined to say I did not see it
then. I did not examine the general ledger at all, I
am not an accountant, I am a solictor, I should say, if you
show me the :general ledger, whether I looked into it or
not. (General ledger handed to witness.) I can now swear
upon my oath that I never looked into it, although that
book might have shown me the whole summary of the
bank's proceedings. I knew, of course, that there must
have been a general ledger kept, and I was aware that from
that ledger I should see the whole proceedings of the bank.
I mean to swear this—that, notwithstanding the anxiety
about the bills and the critical position of the bank, I never
looked into it. I relied upon the honesty and credibility of
Mr Burch. Both the defendants had described to me the
probability of the shares being worth £3O in July, 1862,
and Mr Alderman Mechi then described the same :thing.
It was so stated by Terry at the public :meeting in Sept.,
1862. Somebody said at the meeting that the shares would
not fetch £3O, whereupon Mr Alderman Mechi said, in
reply, that they were worth from £27 to £3O a share, and I
believe he calculated that amount at the time the bank was
transferred to the London and Middlesex. It was subse-
quently that we pressed Alderman Mechi for the payment
of his debt, and I think he proposed to liquidate it upon the
basis of £3O a share. The 17th of June is the date of the
last weekly account of the bank we have. I cannot re-
member what became of the statement of the bank for the
week ending the 21th of June. I have two statements of
the bank for June, but they are not here. I shall give
them into the hands of Mr Howell, the accountant. They
were here on the last occasion, but I took them away in
order to prepare myself for this cross.examination. The
list to which I referred on the last occasion I shall also give
to Mr Howell. I have no other documents belonging to
the bank except these. Mr Alderman Mechi was present
at the time when a conversation took place with Mr Terry
in the board-room, and after that I went to the meeting of
the bank, and was present at it. When I went to that meet-
ing I did not know the whole affairs of the bank, but I knew
about the affairs of Sterne and Lowenthal. Before that I
had been informed of the forged bills being placed among
the past due bills, and I knew that Lowenthal and Sterne's
had been kept back. I believe I heard Alderman Mechi say
at the meeting that the directors knew of no irregularity on
the part of their staff. I cannot recollect his exact words,
but it is jast possible he may have said so. I have an im-
pression on my mind that he said something I did not agree
to, but I did not get up and say so. I intimated my dime
greement by informing one of the directors of the London
and Middlesex Bank of ray dissent. I made it no secret or
confidential matter, but I do not wish to mention the name
of that director. I do not know that Alderman Mechi exactly
said that he knew of no irregularity on the part of the staff,
and I certainly on that occasion did not disabuse the share-
holders at the meeting of the impression ho had conveyed.
Mr Burch was kept in the bank after that, and I was one of
the directors who kept him there. He was kept several
months after that in the same situation. Dr Cook is the
chairman of the liquidators. He was auditor of the London
and Middlesex Bank during the whole time that concern
lasted. During that time, though it lost £75,0.0, as stated
by other witnesses, ho was the auditor,
Re-examined by Mr Lewis—There was only one audit of
the London and Middlesex, for that bank only lasted about
12 months, having lost the whole of their capital.
Mr Lewis—Were these acceptances of the London and
Middlesex Bank given by the defendants ?
Witness—l shall go into that if we are to enter upon the
affairs of the London and Middlesex.

The Lord *Mayor Lit:mated that it was unnecessary to
enter into these affairs.

Re-examination continued—Burch was kept in the bank
for several months after the time I have referred to, but
certainly not with my sanction. There were eight or nine
directors. I did not make any statement to the meeting of
shareholders, but I told one of the directors of the London
and Middlesex that Sterne and Lowenthal were debtors.
They were debtors also to the London and Middlesex, and
when my statement became known to the directoro of the
London and Middlesex the dismissal of Terry was the con-
sequence. The general ledger contains the totals, not the
details, of the affairs of the bank. It is very easy for
managers and secretaries to deceive directors in banking
matters. If the regulations adopted in this case for the
government of the manager and secretary had been carried
out the one would have been a clfeek upon the other.
Mr Benjamin Bower examined by Mr Lewia—l reside
at Edmonton, and ;An in business as a fruiterer in Lower
Thames-street. I am a wholesale merchant, I am deputy of
the ward of Billingsgate, and was one of the directors of the
bank. I joined it 11 months after it was opened. I suppose
that was after the losses occurred under the management of

Mr Chambers, but I would not have joined it had I known
such losses were made by him. I held ten shares at first.
Then I bought another ten to qualify myself as a director,
and after that I bought five more. Before I became a direc-
tor I was a shareholder. I joined the board in April, 1857,
and I remained a director until the last, when the Unity
went over to the London and Middlesex, and then I became
a director also of the London and Middlesex, Irrespective
of my interest in the Unity, I transferred all my shares to
the London and Middlesex, and I took 100 shares besides
in the latter. Those shares were taken in my son's name,
but they belonged to me. I generally attended the halfa
yearly meetings of the Unity, when the balance-sheets were
submitted to the shareholders. I remember the balance•
sheet of the 30th of June, 1862, which was passed in Sep-
tember, and I was present when it was agreed upon at the
board meeting. I had no idea that forged and dishonoured
bills irrecoverably gone years and years before were put into
the credit aide of that balance-sheet. It certainly was never
done with my sanction in any shape or way. I purchased the
five shares in the year 1861, after the meeting. I am not quite
sure of the date, but I think it was the 6th of August, 1861.
I bought them at £l6 per share. Before I purchased those
shares the defendants made no statement to me, but at the
time we were about passing over to the London and Middle-
sex, in August, 1862, they did make a statement to me, I
then asked Burch if he would give me particulars of the
assets of the bank and their value. He gave me a paper in
his own figures, which I now produce, and there are some
figures of mine attached to it, so as to make a calculation of
what they would produce, and on the other side I made a
memorandum to the effect that the assets would produce £3O
a share.

The Lord Mayor—Was that made out from the informa-

tion Burch gave you ?
Witness—lt was. It represents that £270,000 were the
assets of the bank, and upon that calculation made by my-
self it produces £3O a share. There are the words, 0 confi-
dent of £80,000" inserted in the memorandum, and these
were taken also from Burch's statement. With reference to
the management of the bank, I remember the rules and re-
gulations put in force by Mr Eyre, and the Board sanc-
tioned them, and resolved that they should form the mode
of proceeding. I attended at the Board and committee
meetings almost always. The committee meetings rotated,
and it is unnecessary, therefore, for all of us to be present
at them, but there were very few which I did not attend.
Beyond that, whenever I had an opportunity, I used to call
in at the bank and give an opinion, and if I knew any bills
to be bad I recommended them not to be discounted. When
I attended there I paid attention to all the things which the
defendants brought to my notice. I did not prepare the
balance sheet, nor had I anything to do with it:. It was
brought before us. I had nothing to do with its preparation,
except to sanction it when it was laid before us, When the
original document was laid before us we had no doubt about
its correctness, and so we sanctioned it, and afterwards it
was printed. I did not authorise the release of Bunyard's
debt of £2,500, or any of the other debts. If such a release
had been granted there must have been a resolution by the
directors passed. I was 77 years of age about 10 days ago.
Cross-examined by Mr Sleigh—When the balance-sheet
of the original document was brought before the board there
was, perhaps, a discussion about it, but there was no doubt
thrown upon it. It was adopted about June 24, Whenever
it was submitted it was made the subject of discussion as
to whether it disappointed us as to its results.
Mr Sleigh—Yes, but it showed a profit, and therefore you
could not find fault with that ?-We had no reason to doubt

Was it not presented on three several occasions to the
board before it was finally adopted ?—I believe not. It may
have been so, but I do not recollect it.

I ask you distinctly, was not the balance-sheet placed be-
fore the board three several days previously to its being
passed F—lf the minutes say so no doubt it was.

Will you abide by the minutes ?—I will.

I believe, sir, you paid the same attention to the bank up
to the very last day that you did at the commencement F--
Certainly I did.
In point cf fact, Mr Deputy, were yutt not the Cerberus
of the whole establishment ? (Laughter.)—The what ?
(Great laughter.) It I could understand you, I would an-
swer your question.

Well, leaving out of view all ~..11usion to the classics, did
you not say this at the public meeting--" We examine
everything; there can ba no retrogression and no advance
without our helping to promote it." Without adopting any
classical allusion, I ask you, was that so ? Was that the
statement you made—that you examined everything, and
took care of everything, and that that was your practice?—
Yes; the same as I would in my own establishment; but I
presume, in either case I might be deceived.
Yes, but, Mr Deputy, you went very much further, and
boasted, very properly, that although your staff might be
very honest and industrious, you would keep a sharp look-
out after them ? I did all I could, but it appears to have
been of very little use.
Did you tell the board on one occasion that there was no
necessity to have more frequent audits because you were an
auditor yourself ?—I tuld the shareholders that at the general
meeting, and I think so still, that there was no necessity for
the auditors to be there once a week.
Did you tell them that because you were the body and
soul of the concern—because you looked so minutely into
all the matters ?—Yes.

And because some were not quite so active as yourself ?

Then, what made you go to the bank every day, seeing
that the books would not come regularly before you excpt
on the Tuesdays and Fridays ?—We went into the board-
room every day to do business if the manager and secretary
wanted us.

But, as a matter of fact, did not you go into the accounts
yourself without being asked t) do so ? —No.
I mean you yourself sad your brother directors P—We did
not go into the offices, below or above, to examine the books,
but all that was brought before us we examined to the best
of our judgment.
Did you not examine everything—not at the meeting, but
when you went into the bank ? Did you not look at the
bills, and those which were not nice did you nat pass be
tween the finger and thumb, and throw them on one side ?
If you ask me any particular question I will answer you.
I shall press you to tell the Lord Mayor whether you did
not inform the shareholders that there was no occasion for
an audit of the accounts every week, because you yourself
were an auditor.—Whenever these things were brought
before us we did it.
Did you audit the accounts every week ?—No.
Cross-examined by Mr Metcalfe—l never examined any
books but those which were brought before me at the board,
I did not examine the cash article book every day. I pre-
sume that I looked at the past. due bill book if it were laid
on the table. The each article book was read by Mr Burch,
and I dare say it was left on the table. I cannot say whether
the directors looked into it.
Mr Metcalfe—What was it left on the table for, if it was
not for the directors to look into it ?—lf we had any doubt
we should have looked into it.
Did you ever look into the general lodger ?—No ; I do not
think I should have understood it if I did.
But you are a bootmaker ? (Great laughter.)—A what ?
(Renewed laughter.) No; I am a fruit merchant.
I beg your pardon, I thought you said a bootmaker.
You keep books and a ledger 2—Yes ; and I write a great
deal in it.
And you examine it ?—I do.
You say you used as much vigilance in the affairs of the
bank as you do in your own business ?—Yes, but still I do
not think I should have understood the bank ledger.
Did you ever examine it P—l do not think I did. I have
known it to be cent for by some of the directors, but I can-
not tell which of them—probably by Mr Eyre. I think it
is very possible that several of us looked at it when any
particular account was mentioned.
Re-examined by Mr Lewis—The directors; ordered a
weekly report of the affairs of the bank to be prepared by
Mr Burch and brought before them, and that was invari-
ably placed on the table of the board of directors. The
ledger sent for by the board was a very large ledger, I
believe it was the customers' ledger, and not the E;eneral
ledger. When I said I audited the accounts once a week
I presumed everything was brought before us, and that we
were all doing our duty to the best of our ability. The
weekly report was brought before us according to order, and
that, I expected, contained the balance. A quantity of bills
were brought before us day by day, and if we did not parti-
cularlyknow them we asked for information. The cast-article
book was read. I don't think the discount-book was also
brought before us. We were very anxious, because a great
number of Lowenthal's bills passed before us, and we in-
quired whether he was a good man. Both defendants replied
that he was a provision merchant, that he supplied little shops
round about London, that the bills were drawn upon these
little men, but they seldom paid on the day, but that they
brought their money and that Lowenthal took up the bills,
and that statement was made to the London and Middlesex
Bank. I had not the slightest doubt of the honour of both
the defendants during the whole of these transactions, and
never doubted their word for a moment,
Mr Thomas Carlisle Hayward, examined Mr Lewis—My
place of business is at 93, Minories. I am a merchant, and
joined the Unity Bank as a director in 1853. I was induced
to join it at the solicitation of Mr Baylis and Mr Knight. I
took my qualification at that time, but subsequently I in-
creases.: my 20 shares by 61, making 81 in all. I remained
a director until the bank transferred its business to the
London and Middlesex. I went over to the London and
Middlesex Bank as a director, and at that time my interest
in the Unity was about £5,000, calculating the shares at
the amount I paid for them. I paid £4,200 for my shares,
which money I lost. From the Unity assets I received £2
or £3 a share. I attended 'from time to time my duties as
director. I think we were all much alike in point of activity
at the Board. We attended on Tuesdays and Fridays, but
perhaps Mr Alderman Mechi was the most active member.
I bought my last shares at Christmas, 1861, at £2O or £22,
upon the faith of our manager that they would produce
£3O. I thought I might safely give that money for them.
The defendants from time to time brought the matters be-
fore the directors, which appear upon the minute books, as
to the bills, the cash-article book, &c. 1 had nothing what-
ever to do with the preparation of the balance-sheet of June
1862. I had no knowledge that forged bills and irrecover-
able debts of years and years' standing were inserted in the
assets. Had I known that I would have wound up the bank
at once. I was not aware that dishonoured checks and past..
due bills were inserted as cash in hand, I generally attended

the meetings of shareholders, but I was not one of those who
spoke at them. I did not give Terry authority to release a debt
of Bunyard. I was present in Feb., 1864, at a meeting, when
Mr Eyre, looking at a book that was produced to Mr Mechi,
noticed that the names of Lowenthal and Sterne there were
indebted to the Unity Bank, and the defendants were
spoken to on the subject. Burch was asked a question
about the irregularity of the circumstance, and he said
he would rather that Terry should answer the question
for himself. Terry then came in, and said, " I admit it's
wrong," adding that ho had been working Lowenthal' s
account in order to reduce the debt to the London and
Middlesex Bank. Ile did work it, with a loss of £I,OOO
to the London and Middlesex.
This witness was not cross-examined.

Mr Lewis said that this was all the evidence he pro-,
posed to produce on the part of the prosecution, with the
exception of some little formal testimony respecting pro.
ceedings in bankruptcy; but this he could do at the trial,
and due notice of its nature would be given to the defend-
ants.

Mr Sleigh said ho could not help feeling that, after this
protracted investigation, it was the:intention of the Lord
Mayor to send the case for trial before another tribunal.
if he thought that anything he could say on behalf of
Terry would have an effect upon his lordship's mind he
would address himself at once to the merits of the case.

The Lord Mayor said it was his intention to commit the
prisoners for trial. _ _

Mr Sleigh hoped that, under these circumstances, the
public would suspend their judgment in regard to Terry
until the verdict of the jury should have been pronounced
—a verdict which Terry anticipated without tear. The
learned counsel then tendered his thanks to the Lord Mayor
for the great patience, care, and courtesy he had mani-
fested throughout the inquiry—an inquiry the importance
of which could not be overrated in a commercial commu-
nity.

Mr Metcalfe observed that Burch was entirely innocent
of the charge, and that at the proper time he would tho-
roughly substantiate his innocence.

It was then agreed that the whole of the depositions
should be read over and signed, and the formal evidence
taken, on that day fortnight, and that the prisoners, who
were now again liberated on bail in the sum of 18,000,
should be tried at the Old Bailey Sessions,which commence
on lklonday, Jan. 30.

The Accident in the Blackheath Railway

Tunnel.

Yesterday afternoon Mr Carttar, coroner for West Kent,
resumed the inquiry at the Railway Tavern, Lee, into the
circumstances attending the deaths of the six unfortunate
men who were killed by the fearful coll sion which took
place in the Blackheath tunnel of the North Kent Railway
on the evening of Friday, the 16th inst.
Mr Freeland, solicitor, Mr Eborall, general manager, and
Mr Knight, traffic superintendent to the South-Eastern
Company, appeared to watch the proceedings on the part of
the directers of the company; and Mr Woollett attended on
behalf of Jones, the signalman at Blackheath station.
At the commencement of the proceedings,
Mr Freeland said he had observed, from letters inserted
in the newspapers, that an opinion appeared to prevail that
the ballast train in the tunnel was uncoupled before the up
passenger train ran into it. He wished to state that the
evidence previously taken proved the contrary to be the
case.

The Coroner said Mr Freeland was correct, so far as the
evidence had gone at present.
The witness Lancaster, guard to tho ballast train on the
night in question, was recalled, and in reply to the Coroner
stated that the ballast train left Chaelton at 4.14. It took
about four minutes to go from Charlton station to the mouth
of the tunnel. The train a few minutes afterwards came to
a standstill in the tunnel. He got off the engine, and al-
most immediately afterwards the collision took place, He
was certain the collision took place before the carriages were
uncoupled. Witness uncoupled the carriages, and sent the
front portion through the tunnel to Blackheath. His own
foot slipped, and he was left in the tunnel with the rear part
of the train. His instructions are not to depend on signals
only, but to go back when a train came to a dead stop.
By Mr Woollett—He did not know that the stoker had
got down to throw sand on the rails. He might easily have
done so just before the train came to a standstill. He did
not ask the driver why he was going so slow. He was guard
and breaksman; but iu this case there was no man at one of
the breaks. He could, however, have got to the break easily
had he wished to do so. There were two breaks to this bal-
last train, but they were not both worked. lie would persist
in saying that on this occasion his proper place was on the
engine. to give directions to the driver as to setting down
and taking up men.
Joseph Wells, of Lewisham, a platelayer in the service of
the company, said on the night in question ho was in the
ballast train. He was in the same compartment with Wade,
Seeley, Jones, and Pledge. About three-parts through the
tunnel the train, after proceeding very slow, came to a
standstill. Lancaster came back and asked witn NM if he had
any matches, and almost immediately after the collision
took place, and witness was injured and remembered nothing
more. He was in the last carriage of the ballast train, and
that carriage ought to have had a light on behind. He did
not know whether such a light was on or nor, He gave
Lancaster a match and he lit a lamp, and then went and
conversed with the under-guard, Randall. The collision
then took place, and witness afterwards managed to crawl
out from under one of the carriages.
By Mr Woolktt—They made two or three attempts to
get on before they came to a stands, ill.
Richard Pledge, a bricklayer, residing at Cooper's-cot-
tages, Old Kent-road, said on the night in question he was
in the second compartment from the break, with 'Wells,
Jones, Seeley, and Wade. The train went very slow and
nearly stopped, and ono or two attempts were made to get it
on its way again. When the train stopped he heard some
one ask Wells for a light, and a lamp was lighted. At that
time the train had come to a stop, and it did not move on
again. After the collision witness found himself lying on
the up line, and managed to crawl out. From the time he
entered the tunnel until he left it was about ten minutes.
Joseph Squires, of 8, Phoenix-place, Bermondsey, said he
was head guard of the up passenger train which left Maid•
stone at 2.49 on the afternoon of the 16th inst. The train
arrived at Charlton station at 4.20, and left at 4.34. The
train, without any previous warning, ran right into the
ballast train. Witness was thrown from one and of his care
rine to the other. Ile immediately flew to his break. He
was quite certain that his train was not off the line. The
train remained at Charleton about 14 minutes. Whilst re.
mauling at Charlton some of the passengers complained of
the delay, as the train had previously arrived at the Dock-
yard
station in such good time. The station-master at
Charlton told witness that the delay was caused in conse-
quence of a ballast train having just gone up. Witness's
break was smashed and broken, and after the collision he
found himself lying on the permanent way. The result of
the collision was to throw a portion of the passenger train
across the six foot way,or the result must have been much
more fearful. The tunnel was at the time very dark.
Whilst witness was lying on the ground he was accosted
by Mr Ware, travelling inspector, in the employ of the
company,and as soon as
in
informationwas sent of the
accident to Blackheath, order to stop all the up and down
traffic.

In reply to questions, the witness stated that the under-
guard acted under hisinstructions, although the under-
guard knew the duties he had to perform as contained in
the printed regulations and rules of the company. IV fit-
ness had been in the service of the company upwards of ] 2
years, and well knew his duties. He had never before
come into collision with a ballast train.
The witness Lancaster was then recalled, and strongly
denied the statements of previous witnesses—that just pre-
viously to the collision he had asked for and obtained a light
from Wells, or that he went to the rear of the train and
spoke to Randall. He would net say that the witnesses had
sworn falsely, but he supposed they were so frightened that
they scarcely know what took place.
The witness Wells was recalled, and confronted with Lan-
caster. He persevered in his previous statement as to
giving Lancaster a light. Ho knew Lancaster intimately,
and could not have been mistaken.
Lancaster, re-examined by the Coroner—He lighted his
lamp a considerable distance down the line, somewhat near
Belvedere.
Dowsett, the driver of the train in question, was recalled,
and stated that after the train stopped Lancaster got off the
engine with a light, and returned with the same lamp. It
was the gauge lamp belonging 10 the engine. That lamp
had been burning from the time that the train left Dartford.
Lancaster did not light a lamp lower down the line than
Charlton. There were tail lights at the end of the break.
By Mr Woollett—When Lancaster got off the engine he
said, " I will go and see what the breaksman is doing, and
take some fog-signals.,
Henry Malcolm Ramsey, of Paddington, said he is a
builder, and was a passenger by the train which left Maid-
stone at 2 40 on the afternoon in question. Shortly after
entering the Blackheath tunnel witness felt a sudden and
severe jerk, and immediately found that the train was in
collision and had left the line of rails. He felt a great con-
cussion, and was thrown severely across the carriage and
out of the window. He distinctly felt that the wheels of the
carriage were grinding over the ballast, and believed from
this that the train had left the rails, and that was before
the collision took place. Witness, after the collision, pro-
ceeded along the up-line to the Blackheath station, in order
to give information of the accident, Whilst doing so the
witness Lancaster came up to him. Ho had a lamp in his
hand.. Witness put a question to him, but he scarcely an-
swered. Witness saw the Blackheath station-master, and
told him of the accident,
By the Coroner— Ho was still of opinion that the pas-
senger train went off the rails before it ran into the ballast
train. He felt certain it must be so from the position of the
carriages. They were on the six-foot way and travelled on
that way off the rails before the collision tcok place, The
collision was not so violent a 3 it would have been had not
the passenger train previously got off the rails. He be-
lieved the passenger train travelled a quarter of a mile off
the rails before it struck the ballast trucks.
The Coroner—l dont think that could be the case. The
guard of the train, who has had many years' experience, has
given evidence entirely contradictory to that opinion.
The head guard of the passenger train, Joseph Squires,
was then recalled, and in reply to the Coroner said he was

quite certain that the passenger train had not left the line
before the collision took place. There were in fact two
shocks of the collision. The first sent the break and a por-
tion of the carriages across the line and the six-foot way,
and thus rendered the catastrophe less dreadful than it
would otherwise have been. In fact, had not this been the
case, the break and the carriages attached to it must have
been completely smashed up, and tho passengers in those
carriages killed.,
Mr Woollett called attention to the 405th regulation of
the company, which is as follows :—" The under guard must
act under the direction of the head guard in all matters not
inconsistent with the duties laid down in these rules. They
will be expected to mutually co-operate with each other to
ensure proper disposal of business and prevent delay at
stations. At the same time they will be jointly responsible
for the observance of these rules.

William Ware, of Edward-street, New-ct oss, said he is in
the employ of the South• Eastern Railway Company as tra-
velling inspector. On the 16th inst. he was at Woolwich,
and entered the passenger train from Maidstone at the
Dockyard station. The train arrived at the Dockyard punc-
tually at the proper time. He usually rode in the break,
but on this occasion he fortunately entered a compartment
of a second-class carriage. The train on arriving at the
Charlton station was delayed for some time, and witness in
the performance of his duties got out and entered the sta-
tion, but did not see the station master. He remained at
the station until the signal was received of "All clear up,"
and then entered a second-class carriage and proceeded on
with the train. He sat facing the engine, and when about
throe parts through the tunnel the collision took place. He
was very much shaken, but not otherwise injured. As soon
as possible he got out of the carriage to render what assist-
ance he could. He saw the head guard, Squires, lying on
the ground, and asked him if he was so much injured as to
be unable to go through the tunnel to Blackheath and in,.
form the station master of the accident, in order to stop all
traffic up and down. Squires replied that he was too much
hurt to do so, and witness and others then went up the line
to the station,

The witness then gave corroborative evidence as to the
removal of the witnesses from the tunnel, and stated that
the break carriage of the ballast train had lights, as the
lamps had been found since the accident.
The Coroner—There appears to be no question with re-
gard to that point, as the signal man at Angerstein junction
stated that he saw the tail lamps on the break of the ballast
train when that train passed his signal box.
Mr Eborall, general manager of the South Eastern Rail-
way Company, said the engine attached to the ballast train
was up to the time of the accident in an efficient state. Its
weight was 27i tons, and it had six wheels. The total
weight of the train, including engine, tender, trucks, fuel,
&c., was 240 tons. The engine could be worked to a pres-
sure of 1201bs to the inch,

Mr Cudworth, superintendent and manager of the South
Eastern Railway Company's engineering works and loco-
motive factory at Ashford, was then re-examined, and stated
that the engine was of the most efficient description and in
good order. It was quite capable of propelling a load of 300
tons.

The witness was cross-examined by Mr Woollett and the
jury without any material result.
Some conversation then took place with reference to the
head guard of the ballast train, Lancaster, riding on the en.
gine instead of being in the break during the transit of the
train from Charlton to the spot where the collision occurred,
and the jury considered it desirable that some information
should be given as to the regulations of the company on this
point.

Mr Knight, traffic superintendent to the company, said—
It was in accordance with the regulations that the head
guard of a ballast train should have the train under his
control and give:directions to others. Whenever a hoed
guard went for duty on the engine another man was put
into the break to supply his place.
By the Cororer—The guard of the ballast train therefore
acted not only as the head guard, but as an inspector of the
train.
Some of the witnesses were recalled, and replied to clues.
tions from the coroner an I jury, the result being chiefly cor-
roberative of the evidence previously given. It may be
observed, however that one of the most noticable features of
the present inquiry was the marked difference and flit con-
tradiction between the evidence of the head guard of the
ballast train, Lancaster, and the witnesses who were in the
carriage next to the break at the time of the accident.
The Coroner, after referring to his notes, also alluded to
the variation between some of the statements he made on
the present occasion, and the evidence he had previously
given.

In reply to a question, Lancaster said he could only ac-
count for the difference between his statement and those of
the witnesses who were in the ballast train, by the supposi-
tion that they were in such a state of alarm as to be un-
able to show what precisely took place.
In reply to the Coroner, it was stated by Mr Freeland
that the fireman Randall was still in a very bad state, and
would not be able to attend for at least several days.
The Coroner and Jury having retired for about half an
hour, returned into court, when the Coroner said that all
the evidence at present available had been received, and the
jury and himself, after deliberation, were of opinion that a
satisfactory conclusion could not be arrived at without
hearing the evidence of Randall and that of Captain Tj ler,
R.E., the Government inspector of railways, as to the re-
sult of his inspection of the line. It wou'd 131 wise to ad-
journ the inquiry for some time, so that it might be con-
cluded on the next occasion. He therefore proposed to ad-
journ the inquest until that day fortnight, and after all the
additional evidence had been taken the Court would then be
ready to receive any statement that Jones, the signalman
at the Blackheath station (who forwarded a wrong signal to
Charlton), might think proper to make.
Mr Woollett said, on behalf of Jones, that he was quite
ready to meet the case, and he (Ur Woollen) had then in
his possession a written statement by Jones, which he was
prepared to submit to the Court.
The Coroner said he could not receive such a statement
at present, and it was possible that Jones might daring
the next fortnight alter his mind.
The inquiry was then adjourned until this day fortnight,
at three o'clock.