The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-02 00:00:00

THAMES.

SAVAGE ASSAULT ON A POLIOE CONSTAELE.—Isaac
Oakley, a convicted thitif, better known by the name of
" Captain," was brought before Mr. Paget, charged with
violently assaulting Alfred Herbert, a police-constable,
210 H.

The complainant stated that the prisoners and others were

turned out of the Yorkshire Grey publichouse this morning
at half-past two o'clock. The prisoner was making a dis-
turbance, and, on being requested to leave, he made use of
very foul language, and said, " I shall not go for you, you
—." He touched the prisoner and said, "Now
move on, and don't get yourself into trouble." The pri-
soner made several blows at him, and at last got him down
and kicked him on the belly. Some of the prisoner's cam •
panions pulled him away, and when he got up he went
after him and seized him. The prisoner got away from him
and fell against the shutters of a house and hurt himself.
The prisoner—Hurt myself, why you beat me black and
blue with your staff. My ribs are dreadfully hurt.
Herbert said he did not touch the prisoner with his staff.
There was not a mark of violence on the prisoner, who
aimed kicks at a vital part and they alighted on his belly.
He had been in great pain all night.
George Walters, 12S 11, saw Herbert and the prisoner
engaged in a violent struggle, and assisted in taking Oak-
ley into custody.
Mr. Paget asked if the prisoner was known, to which
Police-Sergeant Barnes, 10 H, replied that he was a well-
known thief, and had been convicted twice or three times.
The prisoner was again tried at the last sessions and
acquitted.

Mr. Paget said the prisoner had committed a very savag
assault on the constable, and sentenced him to be imprisoned
for two months and kept to hard labour.

A PRACTICAL JOKE.

The following is taken from All the Year Round :—The
most astonishing horn-player known is Vivier, who, by
some inexplicable means, by a multiple pressure of the lips,
no doubt, has succeeded in producing nourishes on his in-
strument with several parts sounding at once. If M.
Comettant had not himself heard the artist, in the intimacy
of a private tete-a-tete, he would have refused to believe so
extraordinary a fact. Vivier (an exception to the usual
type of cornists) is no less eccentric as a man than as a
musician. His life is a long succession of jokes. He was
once crossing the Belgian frontier on his return to
France. Whoever has done the same, will have a re-
collection of the French douaniers (customs officers)
probably more lively than agreeable. His luggage con-
sisted of a couple of trunks, one of which he appeared to
attempt to conceal from their prying eyes. Instantly
hands were laid on that trunk and the key demanded.
" Monsieur," said Vivier, whispering in the douanier's
ear and casting an anxious glance around, "do let me
pass this trunk without opening it. I assure you it
contains nothing subject to duty. " The key," snarled
the douanier, "or 1 force the lock." " Monsieur, I
entreat you." " Enough, monsieur. The key, I say."
" No, not enough. If necessary, I will go down on my
knees." " Useless, monsieur. The key ! The key I "
"In the flame of Heaven, monsieur I In the name
of your beloved wife and your darling children,

I conjure you not to open the trunk I For—l
swear it on the ashes of my departed aunt—there is nothing
in it liable to duty." Of course the look was forced. A
dozen douaniers' hands lifted the lid ; and the dozen hands
abstained from touching what was inside. For twenty
snakes, of various hues and sizes, raised their flat heads and
tried to escape. " I told you," said Vivier blandly, " that
there was nothing liable to duty. Snakes, thank Heaven,
enter France duty free." And after caressing his imported
reptiles (he was as fond of serpents as of dogs and cats), he
closed the lid of the box, muttering, "These douaniers
on the Belgian frontier will never believe what a tra-
veller tells them. One of these days they will be de-
voured by wild beasts. That's a matter of certainty." But
the most astounding of Vivier's jokes (because it required,
to carry it out, months of patience and personal sacrifice)
is the trick he played the proprietor of a house in which he
occupied apartments. This "proprietaire,'' who would
suffer no animals to lodge in his property, had given
notice to the cornist that he must get rid of a dog, a cat, and
a raven, which happened to be his pets for the time being.
Vivier appeared to yield. He bade good by, with con-
siderable regret, to both his furred and his feathered
favourites. Some time afterwards several of the tenants
complained to the porter and the landlord of being awak-
ened in the night and at break of day by a strange sort of
moaning which seemed to proceed from Vivier's rooms.
This sound, of which no one could give an exact descrip-
tion, sometimes surprised them by day. An American,
who came to the house, told the landlord the noise was
like the lowing of buffaloes. "I amperfectly ac•
quainted with the buffalo's voice," he said, " having
hunted buffaloes in the Rocky
Mountains ; and I assure
tou you have a buffalo amongst your tenants." " A buf-
falo in my house, up four flights of stairs ! you are dream-
ing," replied the landlord. " The noise is simply
the curious sounds which Vivier amuses himself
with drawing from his horn." Six months elapsed.
At, last the voice of the buffalo, according to some,
the sound of the horn, according to others, be •
came intolerable; and the landlord determined
to see with his own eyes what really was the truth of the
case. He rang at Vivier's door, and was requested by
his tenant to walk into the dining room. After the usual
compliments, the proprietaire was approaching the
mysterious subject, when a protracted and terrible
bellowing was heard in the next room, " Mon
L Dieu!" said the landlord, " what have you got there ?"
6, In my drawing-room?" asked Vivier, carelessly. " Cer-
tainly, monsieur ; in your drawing-room. It is a young cow,
monsieur." " A young cow in my house ! Infamous ! I
give you warning to quit, monsieur ; and,you will send
away the filthy creature immediately." " Gently, mon-
sieur ; that's not so easy."
thegrown
wt
nt
do
oo
w bigw itt
ho w
consalk ddeor we
bnl
es tdaiiffir Tse,
nhaleat'
ya s. heifer,removed
hh
ai which had
throughneverhad
trusted a soul with his long-cherished secret. Ho had
carried the calf to his room, in the dead of the night,
when it was only a few days old ; and he had carefully
tended it up to the day when his landlord, who would per-
mit no dog or cat, discovered that his house was inhabited
by horned cattle.

The Belgian Moniteur announces that the rati-
fications of the treaty relative to the redemption of the
Scheldt dues wero exchanged on the 27th ult. between the
Xing of the Belgians and the Sultan.