The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-22 00:00:00

;171 ;, .31.11 4, 7 tg?.., s ,r
OCTOBER 22 1852
FRIDAY
) .
v L' 4 7

CAPT. BUISH ON RAILWAY ACCIDEN7'S

(FROM A PAPER READ BEFORE THE INSTITUTION OF

CIVIL ENGINEERS.)

Contrasting the mere numbers transported from one
locality to another, in the present day, by railways, with
those conveyed by coaches during their most active
period, the ratio of safety is indubitably in favour of the
former; while if the difference of speed is imported into
the consideration, the value of the immunity from acci-
dent, in the case of railways, is considerably enhanced.
Even at the present time, when railway travelling has
4upersedcd all other modes of inland communication, it
is doubtful whether the contingencies attending convey.
ance by horses in this kingdom, embracing in that cate-
eory the omnibus traffic, do not annually exceed in
amount the casualties on railways; and it has even been
mesasenratgeedrs in a
apparentlyonsufficient
to pedestrians in a given period would still leave railway
position to point with satisfaction to the
superiority of their system, on the score of safety.
The attention which has latterly been paid to the sta-
tistics of railways, and the periodical publication of the
Government returns, direct public attention very point-
edly to the aggregate of accident in a manner which has
not been attempted in any other department, and tend to
fix a degree of responsibility, and to cast an amount of
odium which have not attached to less prominent, and
perhaps less useful, adaptations of science and discovery.
Were the casualties to steamboats as carefully chronicled,
and the deaths in mining as elaborately tabulated, or
were even the fact of a British vessel being wrecked on
each tide throughout the year, as generally known, the
public would view more justly the occurrence under the
railway system of those contingencies, which, even under
the most perfect management, must ever accompany the
arrangements of fallible man. While, however, it is
pleaded in behalf of one of the greatest inventions of
the nineteenth century, that due regard must be tad to
comparative results, and which it cannot be denied that
out little consideration has been exhibited, either by the
public or the press, and still less sympathy has been
ihown, during the difficulties under which the railways
of Great Britain have struggled into their present posi-
3ion, it is not contended either that the system has yet
attained the degree of perfection and consequent safety
ef which it-is susceptible, or that it has in all cases been
administered in the most judicious manner.
Experience is daily adding to the knowledge of the
dangers which in an infinite variety of occult forms
lecessarily attach to the momentum of high speeds, and
this experience is constantly suggesting fresh precautions
and means of prevention.
A firm, substantial, and well-kept road, is undoubtedly
the basis of all safety in railway travelling, and with the
heavy and increasing traffic now passing over the ken
highways of Great Britain, it requires the most inces-
iant vigilance (especially since the speed of the trains
has been increased) to maintain the way in the condi-
tion which is essential for the safety of the
passengers and the economy of the rolling stock.
As the intervals between the trains become less
frequent, as the speed of travelling is accelerated, and as
the heavy merchandize traffic, which promises to form,
ere long, the most important feature in the receipts co
many lines, increases, the repairs become greater, and at
the same time more difficult to carry on. The experi-
ence of the author leads him to the conclusion that even
more attention than has hitherto been given to this fun-
lamental question must be devoted to it in future. Im-
provements are continually introduced for the purpose of
obtaining a sound continuous road, and there is no doubt
that the recognized evils will eventually point out their
own remedy. Fishing the rails is now a popular, and,
as far as partial experience can determine, an efficient
mode of strengthening a railway for the increased traffic
it has to bear. Other measures, having the same object
in view, are in course of experiment, and stone blocks
are generally being rejected in favour of wooden sleepers.
support
onuffn
wtepegeacpinvsntodspierenetrer rails,
introduced,
moderate
i.whereverul
lwithy shortertsre
relayingani
snisbl bd
terhaaharwitanns gabs:,
eyranormael
di
egg
constructed
oat
nd necessary,sue
tnarlgul
gradually
engines
c beingls nta dot
enerclms,nins
slltectelrolye
locomotives
tat eoxeplardeslisrespteheedcsr. crushing
e
defects of
ivaedetunpleasant
ygnsueteepri
sonl
occurrence; lamination,
ectafarocblsetcumuah akrntseorditsenelemtni deflection,
line,
employed,
oui
tnoyahnho
onneidfel.
w,ddes
,ttrnt
tahrhttnaamerhedva
efuenelsswpl
difficultysplittingtvereryersese years
oscillating
nrtsfrowaaigmeno
main-
taining
tahriat
fractures,
ntae
ar
aaooisi
tnwlpsoienoncagfilreyetsfhriroeneatsfoqcopgfr:
n
which is be and
attributed s od e.
to the same cause. Requiring, as railways do, superior
rails to bear the increased strain now thrown upon them,
it is painful to observe, that instead of keeping pace with
the necessities of the case, the rail-makers have allowed
heir production to deteriorate very greatly ; indeed, the
utmost caution is now required in the purchase of rails.
With every security afforded by name and standing in
he trade, the greatest disappointments are daily arising;
and the result promises to be very serious, unless instant
neasures are adopted, by the principal makers, to re-
rieve their characters in this reap et. Many of the
rails recently supplied have shown symptoms of failure at
eu unusually early period, and are, in many instances in
1 worse condition, after two or three years' wear, thee
old and -much lighter rails, which have been subjected to
precisely the same duty far twelve or sixteen years. So
grave has the aspect of this matter become, and so gene-
ral has been the complaint, that one railway company
has come to the determination of rolling its own rails,
and has given instructions for the erecting works for
the purpose. Under all the disadvantage, however, to
which allusion has been made, it is after all, remarkable ,
how very few accidents have arisen from a defective state
of the road itself. The circumstance of a train running off
the line is very rare, and when such an event
does occur, it may generally be attributed to
some p tlpable neglect of the plate layers, to some de-
fect in the machinery, or to some obstructions design-
edly placed on the line. The latter is unhappily
a very fertile source of danger, and one against which,
where a morbid desire to inflict injury guides the
miscreant hand, it is very difficult indeed to guard. It is
little known how frequent, how ingenious, and how varied
these attempts have become, and although from the vigi-
lance exercised, and from fortunate and providential
causes, the real damage effected has been far less than
could have been supposed, it is lamentable to think, that
in addition to the ordinary risks of rapid locomotion, it
should be necessary to guard continually against so
diabolical a mode of wreaking a petty vengeance, or of
gratifying a mischievous disposition. Numerous in-
stances might be given, which would excite surprise,
from the cunning design exhibited, and the care appar-
ently exercised in selecting a spot likely to be fraught
with the greatest amount of mischief; but the detail
would occupy too much space.
The rapid development of general traffic on all the
main arterial lines in the kingdom, and the transfer to
them of much of the heavy trade which was formerly
carried on by canals, have caused a very great extension
of siding accommodation; and this, by multiplying the
the points and crossings in the main line, has pro tanta
increased the risk attending them. Anything which
breaks the continuity of the rails is necessarrily an evil,
and tends in a certain degree to dovelope danger; and as
these frequent " turns out" cannot be avoided on a line of
heavy traffic, the railway manager is compelled to rely
on regulations and signals, and to that extent is obliged
to incur the additional hazard which attends the em-
ployment
discretion, otfh ffi cmi aolsst,
o
moment arise. On the London and North-Western
ff ar aml cwhose
q u neglectmoary waat n ta
noyf
Railway, the increase of siding during the last few years,
amounts to 53 miles. In laying down these sidings,
one very fertile source of danger has, however, been
considerably reduced. "Facing points" were formerly
common and numerous ; they aro now rarer, and al-
though at the junction of branches, and in some pecu-
liar positions they cannot be altogether abolished, no
railway manager will rest contented, while one of these
points is allowed, unnecessarily, to remain upon this
line.
In connexion with this subject, allusion may be made
to self-acting switches. Usetul as this invention has
proved, it has been attended with concomitant evils of
no trifling magnitude, and many accidents have occurred
from a reliance on them. They require constant vigi-
lance to secure their being kept clean and well oiled,
and it is very difficult to ensure proper attention being
always paid to them. It may indeed be remarked as a
general rule, that so far from machinery being a means
of safety (when used for superseding personal inspec-
tion and manipulation), it is usually a source of in-
creased danger, and the numerous clever contrivances
and complicated arrangements which are so continually
submitted to the examination and opinion of railway
men, though evidencing the ingenuity and industry t f
the projectors, are generally valueless as practical
means of operation. The greatest simplicity in every-
thing connected with the road, and the signals upon it,
will provide the nearest approach to security, and in
proportion as such simplicity is departed from, it is
probable that a practical good will be sacrificed, in
endeavouring to attain a theoretical excellence.
The carriage stock of railway companies is gene-
rally of so superior a kind, both as to design and
construction, that accidents arising from their failure
are very rare. The wheels and axle-boxes are the
most severely tested parts of the vehicle, but if originally
of a proper construction, give very little trouble in their
maintenance and repair. Experience seems to give the
superiority to the wooden wheels of which there are
many kinds in use. A spring come times breaks, and a
tyre occasionally fails, in which case the wheel is in
e has
relieds specially
danger of flying to pieces, but the instances are so in-
frpquent that they are not sources of much anxiety to a
railway manager. Defective workmanship, where
go
either the carriage or the principal parts of it are sup-
plied
mined, by
it contract,
raay be
. wnr e these are sound and the carriage is daily exa•
ml
nfor a veryto
b long
u period.guarded against;
p a r
ing the last four
the very large years only six wheels have failed, in
Company • The stock of the London and North-Western
heating of
of frequent annoyance axles, however, is a source
and
the bearings were increased alarm to passengers. Since
been exorcised, to m*othin size, and more care has
preserve the grease free from° duet,over fit close, and to
this cause of trouble has diminished, when not in use,
in-
troduction of the patent axle-boa, and
the recent
manaeemente will run many hundreds of
under proper
being fed, bids fair to obviate the evil toofamiles without
CXtellt, riot to prevent it altogether;
still,a considerable
hot

summer's day, in a district with sandy ballast; itlis, and
will always be, very difficult to keep the axles of a fast
train cool. The couplings of carriages are seldom bro-
ken even by sudden jerks.
If, however, there is no pail of the railway
machinery from which so little danger may be appre-
hended as the pais,mger carriage, the same cannot
be claimed on the part of the merchandise waggon.
Whether the absence of direct g danger to human
lift-, or an injudicious economy has been the came,
the fact is, that in no portion ?f the system has
so little improvement been exhibited, and in

which, at the present moment, there i; so great a neces-
sity for a complete modification. In this respect Eng-
land is far behind the Continent. The axles of waggo❑

stock have, in many instances, been of the most faulty
model and material. The accidents to the trains, from
the fracture of those parts, have been very numerous,
while the destruction of property hay been sufficient to
have paid for a very superior vehicle. In one recent in-
stance, several hundred axles, of a peculiar form, were
removed from a leading railway, after a short experience
of their working. Axles are now made much stronger
than formerly ; 3i inches used to be the ordinary dia-
meter. 4 inches is considered a minimum, and although
more attention has been bestowed on the form and taper
of the axle itself, still very much remains to be done in
this matter. The fact of the crystallisation of the iron
by the repeated vibrations, and theipzcaliar causes of
incipient fractures, are still debates+ points with en-
gineers and waggon-builders. It is desirable that, by
a thorough examination of the sub, t, these disputed
questions should be disposed of. The wrought-iron
wheels of merchandise waggons do root on the whole
give much trouble. The most defdctive part of the
waggon is, however, the mode of coupling. This
is of the rudest kind, and it is matter of surprise
that a vigorous and combined effort has not been
made by the railway interest to improve it. Very
f'ew merchandise waggons have sprink buffers, and even
those that have them are simply linked together by a

loose chain. Every one must liaiteetitieted the bumping
sound produced in the starting and stopping of a Leer-
chandhe train. Even where the driver is very careful,
the succession of heavy blows in a long train is sufficient
t) injure the stock, and to break any delicate articles
that may be conveyed in the trucks; but when it be-
comes necessary to arrest a train suddenly, the shocks
are very destructive to the framework. This evil, great
as it is, is aggravated by the circumstance of a variety
of waggons being run in the same train; a light and
short waggon is probably found between two long and
heavy ones, and the irregularity of loading, according to
the staple trade of a particular district, still further in-
creases the risk. From the through system of traffic,
the waggons of half a dozen companies may frequently
be found in one train, and as these are not built to any
particular height, or breadth, the ends do not strike
evenly, and on receiving a check, a tendency to mount
(especially if the waggon is unevenly loaded, which must
always be the case with some description of goods) is
apparent. C Tered vans, low timber trucks, and box
waggons, are all run together, in trains of from 30 to 60
vehicles, and at speeds varying from 15miles to 20 miles
an hour. It is, in fact, a wonder that a traffic so con-
ducted is not subject to continual accident, and the cir-
cumstance of the comparative freedom from casualty
is rather an evidence of the extreme safety of tran-
sit over parallel iron bars than any defence of a
system which is no credit to the mechanical skill of the
country. Until every waggon is coupled up to spring
buffers, in the same manner as a passenger carriage, and,
until either by general concert, or by compulsory regu-
lation, the standard central height and central breadth
between the buffers are matter of regulation, the risk of
accident and the certainty of damage must continue.
Allusion has now been made to those points connected
with the road, and the machinery employed upon it,
from which loss of life and injury to person and pro-
perty most generally arise. The whole of these causes,
however, do not produce a tithe of the accidents which
result from inattention to signals, and the neglect of re-
gulations. Of all sources of danger on a railway, these
are the most prolific. Human agency is necessarily im-
perfect, and it cannot be expected that the servants of a
railway company, however carefully selected and dili-
gently tutored, will be exempt from such a general law.
The effects of a momentary forgetfulness, or an instant's
neglect, are frequently fraught with tremendous conse-
quences, and the miscalculation of a few yards may pro-
duce the most lamentable results. There is, therefore,
no part of the system to which the railway manager
looks with more anxiety than to the efficiency of the
signals on the line. If these are either defective, or too
limited in number, the casualty which will probably re-
sult must be attributed to the carelessness which has
permitted it. Reilway stationary signals have within a
few years been greatly improved. The introduction of
the lofty semaphores has left little to be desired in this
respect, while the further use of the auxiliary signal has
competed this most necessary adjunct to safe working.
The distance at which these signals should bo planted must
depend on the nature of the ground, and the character
of the gradient. Generally speaking, with the prevailing
high creeds and he ivy trains, the extended arm of er
auxiliary signal should be seen at a distance of from 800
to 1,500 yars. The space within which a train can be
pulled up varies much, according to the state of the wea-
ther, as well as the tenacity of the breaks, the speed, the
inclination of the road, and the weight ot the load ; but
iur practical purposes, the di•Aence named above will be
f ,und to anAwer, and less than this shoul:i not be accent-
ed, where circumstances permit its being obtained. Not
only is the positive safety of the train secured by such a
signal, but the nerve and steadiness of tee sngieentriver
are supported by the feeling that the means of protection
are provided for him. Care should be taken to fix the
signal so that no distant objects may interfere with the
free sight of it, and as the speed, weight, cud number of
trains on the line increase, opportunity should be taken
periodically to revise the distances, to ascertain that
every doubtful point is covered, and that nothing which
may be provided against by caution is left to contingency.
Some difference has existed among railway managers,
as to the mode of dealing with signals at junctions
with branch lines. It has, however, been generally
ruled, that the safest course is to keep the danger, or
stop-signal, fixed against the branch, so that no train
may be allowed to enter on the main line antil such
signal be removed. Tho safety of the train moving
between stations, and temporarily impeded from any
cause, depends on the attention paid by the guards to
the regulation to proceed back a certain distance with
the hand signal. This distance varies from 500 to 800
yards, according to the rules of different companies.
Probably the latter is too far, unless the distance termi-
nates in a curve, as a haud signal may be seen, under
ordinary circumstances from 300 to 500 yards further.
Nothing is more difficult, however, than to secure atrict
obedience to this rule, and the most particular attention
should attach to any broach of it, Upon it hinges the
safety of the train, and the Net of an accident happening
should not be a bar to the most severe punishment or the
offending party. A careful guard will also be guided by
the stath of the rails and the atmosphere. If the former
aro what is termed " greasy," or the latter is heavy, a
longer distance than ordinary is evidently required to
protect the train. Until recently, no special means
existed of securin a train against collision during a fog.
The detonating signal supplied thie deficiency, and has
become one of the most useful protections which the
railway manager possesses. Its use, therefore, is uni-
versal, as in a humid climate, like that of England, it
was absolutely necessary to complete the code of signals.
During a recent dense fog, which lasted for two days,
and was so thick as to render objects invisible at a dis-
tance of a very few yards, the London and North-
Western Railway was necessarily worked entirely by the
detonating sign le. The experiment was successful ;
and although irregularities were very frequent, no acci•
dent occurred, although nearly 400 trains ran during
that anxious time.
Great weight is generally attached to the question of
regularity in the times of the trains as an essential ele-
ment in their safety, and whenever an accident occur a‘
the press and public opinion, as expressed through a jur3,
seize on this point as the primary cause of the mishap.
The author would by no means undervalue the import-
ance of punctuality, and as rigid an adherence as possible
to the published time-tables, but it may be doubted whe-
ther undue stress has not been attached to it. Under a
well-regulated system of signals, and with a well-disci-
plined staff, the greatest irregularity, whatever inconve-
nience it may produce, ought not to lead to danger. To a
certain extent, the very uncertainty of the passage f
trains produces safety, by the continual vigilan„ it neces-
sitates, and as few accidents occur in the mort busy tho-
roughfare of London, so the most crowded part of a rail-
way exhibits the greatest freedom from casualty.
It is fortunate, indeed, that the public
seinty is not
necessarily linked with punctuality, for the extension of
the system, and the connection with cross lines, by
coaches an ' d steam-boats is daily imparting into the long
trains fresh chances of delay. The mail train of the
London and North-Western Company starts from Dublin
on the west, and Aberdeen on the north ; cluing its pas-
sage it connects with a great number of railways, the
irregularities of each and all of which become multiplied
as the train advances. When, therefore, it reaches the '
London and North-Western line, it has probably missen
its appointed turn, it consequently becomes an exceptional
train during its entire transit, yet none is better protected
or passes along the railway with greater safety. The faci-
lity of working a trunk railway with a heavy traffic under
the variations alluded to, has, however, been greatly pro-
moted by the introduction and OXICR9ife use of the elec-
tric telegraph. Just as the demands on the rail ray
system were beginning to outgrow its existing machinery
for safety, this remarkable power came to its aid, and
extended its capacity in an incalculable degree.
Detective breaks and fractures of coupling on steep
inclines have not unfrequently led to accident, yet the
working of the Lickey incline is evid 'ace of the safety
of the system, if only ordinary care and caution are exer-
cised. More than ono accident has arisen from trees fall-
ing across the rails. Care should therefore be taken to re-
move all that are likely to be affected by storms, or by the
slipping of the ground. Trains have been occasionally
thrown off the rails by cattle jumping out in the transit, and
some narrow escapes have occurred in consequence. Level
crossings are also a fruitful source of danger if they are
not very carefully watched. A sad catalogue of deaths,
at these crossings, will be found in the parliamentary
returns, and their increasing number indicates the ne-
cessity for greater vigilance, or a chang©
Lastly, reference must beof practice.
made to the tendency of Par-
, liament, itl mot sessiotts, to atelid What are tamed

" running powers." It is to be greatly feared, that if
this system is permitted to extend, a new element of
the greatest danger will be introduced, the effect of
which it is at present scarcely possible to calculate.
If, with the whole energies of a concentrated establish-
ment, under well-known rules and discipline, danger
cannot be avoided, what must be expected from strange
and rival executives using the same line of rails, and
unacquainted with its peculiarities?
The regulations of most companies have now st very
general similarity of principle, modified by the circum-
stances of each line. These rules are constantly under- •
going improvement, and any fresh cause of danger is
provided for, as it developer itself. Accidents, however,
very rarely happen from foreseen circumstances. They
are generally of a compound character, and result from
the simultaneous conjunction of several causes. It is
easy to be wise after the event; but so long as machinery
is material, end human nature is fallible, it is to be
feared that although experience and skill may diminish,
they will not prevent, the recurrence of events that
startle sobiety, end cast blame on railway management.
The rapid glance which has been thrown on the more
salient points of danger, show the variety of causes from
which it may at any moment arise. The increasing
nature of the transit renders such casualties possible at
any moment. In the year 1551, during which 7,900,000
• passengers (nearly one-third of the population of Eng-
land), travelled on the London and North- Western Rail-
, way, only one individual met his death—yet this casualty,
from which the author also suffered, was the effect of the
gravest disobedience of orders. The exception proves
the rule, and it is duo to the engine-drivers and guards of
Great Britain to state that there is probably no class of
men to whom such seam duties are intrusted, and who
repay with such fidelity, attention, and skill, the confi-
dence reposed in them, Kind and considerate treatment, '
and good wages, combined with the utmost strictness of
discipline, a readiness to reward merit, and a rigid deter-
mination to punish severely any dereliction of duty, are
the best means of forming good and attentive servants.
Inebriety should never, under any circumstances, be
overlooked, or pardoned, whatever claims the offender
may otherwise possess in regard to general efficiency
or length of service. A system of regular promotion,
wherever it can be applied, is perhaps the greatest
stimulus to good coadact ; and experience has clearly
shown, that, in general, better results have been obtained
by rewarding obedience than by the greatest severity in
punishing misconduct. The habits of order and regu-
larity which are thus generated, extend beyond their
immediate sphere, and react on society at large. As an
instrument for advancing the social position of the
country, the railway system, with all its admitted de-
fects, exercises no light influence; and although the
benefits are net unmixed with evil, the advantages are
purchased ate less cost of personal suffering and sacri-
fice than (looking at the conditions under which they
are obtained) might reasonably be expected.

THE MURDER IN RUE VIVIEIVIVE, PARIS.

(From Galignani's Messenger.)
Great sensation was caused in August last, by the
murder of a young Spanish woman, named Dolores Perez,
in the Rue Vivienne, Paris, and by the subsequent
arrest of the murderer, a young Spaniard, named Valen-
tine Navarro y Perez. The Court of Assizes was on
Thursday and Friday last occupied in trying this man.
He is 28 years of age, and his occupation was that of
assistant to a bookseller at Valencia. His features are
without any striking expression, and nothing in his
manner indicates him to be of violent passions. The
indictment set forth that the accused became acquainted
with the young woman, Doleres Perez, at Valencia, in
1850. She was of remarkable beauty. Intimate rela-
tions soon became established between them. She was
the mother of a child aged three years. At the beginning
of les2,they came to Paris together,and took up their resi-
dence at an hotel, No. 49, rue Vivienne. In the month
of May they paid a second visit to Paris, and went to
reside in a small apartment, No. 19, rue St. Nicolas
d'Antin. On the 27th of June, Navarro left for Spain,
leaving Dolores alone at Paris. She had for some time
been taking lessons as an equestrian performer. She
was glad when Navarro left her, as she was in dread of
his violent character. On the st of August, Navarro
crived from Madrid, and took up his residence in the
hotel in the rue Vivienne. He had left that city in a
great hurry, taking with him only 250 f. His object in
coming was to persuade Dolores to return to Madrid with
him, and he threatened to blow out his brains if she
should refuse to follow him. On hearing of his return
Dolores manifested great emotion, but she saw him as
before, either at her own lodgings or at his. She dined
with him at his hotel on the 4th of August, and she was
accompanied by her child. She recommended him to
return to Spain, and he appeared disposed to comply.
The next morning he caused his portmanteau to be
removed to the house of M. Dottres, Consul-General of
the Requblic of the Equator, rue du Sentier, who knew
his family and had behaved kindly to him. Navarro
al.rvvards hired a room at No. 23, rue St. Nicholas
&Antic, for five days, and paid for it in aiivance. At
about 4 o'clock he returned to the hotel in the rue
Vivienne to meet Dolores, with whom he made an ap-
pointment to dine. She arrived at the hour fixed with
two of her countrywomen—a widow named San Pallaio,
and an unmarried young woman, named Rosa
These two women west away almost directly, leaving
Dolores. Both she and the prisoner were calm, though
the latter expressed regret at having to return to Spain
alone. Shortly after the two women had left, Mai. La-
folie, the keeper of the hotel, fancied she heard a strange
noise, as of a person suffering, in Navarro's room; and
at the same moment Navarro, descending the stairs,
passed before her, calm and tranquil. She sent a servant
to the room. The door, which was fastened was
opened. Dolores was seen lying dead on the ground
just before it, in a pool of blood, as if, after having been
stabbed, she had attempted to grasp hold of it. On
her hand, breast, and head wore 18 wounds; and the
right hand was literally fastened to the shoulder by
a sword cane' sticking through it. This sword had been
plunged with such force that it was difficult to remove
it. One of the stabs in the head had been so violent that
the point of the sword was broken off. Some of the
wounds had been inflicted by a poniard knife. One of
them in the breast reached tho lungs, and must have
caused instant death. The murderer went calmly to the
house of M. Dottres, but that gentleman, seeing blood
on his hand and noticing something strange in his looks,
ordered him away. He then went to the residence of a
fellow countryman named Lima, rue Lamartine, 39.
He told him that he had just arrived from Spain,
washed his hands, and sat down to dinner. At dinner
he made jokes on one of Lima's friends. As Lima was
unable, in compliance with his request, to give him a
bed, he went to the rue de Buffault and hired a chamber
in an hotel. Having passed four days after the murder
in debauchery, he was apprehended on the Bth August.
In answer to the judge, the,prisener said, I could not
leave Paris without some assurance of being again united
LO Dolores. I begged of Mdlle. Rosa Mauri to go to her
and get an assurance from her that we should again live
together. She went, accompanied, by Mde. San Pallaio.
Those two women afterwards came to me at the
hotel, accompanied by Dolores. I ordered dinner.
I passed the morning in looking out of the win-
dow, in breakfasting, and smoking. When I
was left alone with Dolores I reminded her of our
former connexion, and requested her to return to
Spain with me. She replied that everything was at an
end between us; that she had for me the affection
white a sister feels for a brother, but that she did not
love me ; that she never loved me, and had deceived
me. She afterwards asked me to convey a letter for
her to her sister. After she had spoken to me in that
way I felt something warm in me whioh I cannot
explain. I do not know what occurred. I was dis-
tracted. It seems to me that I still hear the words,
" Valentine, I love you." I do not know the direction
of the first blow. She was not seated at the time. I
do not remember the direction of any of the stabs. I
do not know how many I struck. I do not remember
having broken the blade of one of the weapons by a
blow on the skull. I attempted to kill myself.
Witnesses were then called, and their evidence went
to substantiate the charges in the indictment.
M. Saillard, the Advocate-General, addressed the jury,
and called for the application of the law in its greatest
severity.
M. Lachaud and M. Niebel addressed the jury for the
prisoner. The former solicited the jury to give the
prisoner the benefit of a verdict of extenuating circum-
stances.
The President of the Court having summed up, the
jury retired, and in a quarter of an hour returned a
verdict of Guilty, with extenuating circumstanoes. The
prisoner was therefore sentenced to imprisonment for
life with hard labour.
He received his sentence with seeming indifference.

FEES IN CHANCERY AND COMMON LAW—Under
the new Chancery and Common Law Acts about to come
into force, considerable alterations will be made in the
mode of collection and amount of fees to be charged in
law and equity proceedings. At the Judges' chambers
and other law offices it is expected that a great reduc-
tion will take place. By the 10th section of the acts 15
and 16 Victoria, cap. 73, it is stated that it is expedient
that a new table or tables of fees proper to be taken in
the superior courts and their several offices, and at the
Judges' chambers, and by the clerks of assize acting as
associates on the circuit, should bo prepared, " with re-
ference to the various changes and alterations which
have been or may be made in the process, practice, and
proceedings in these courts, and to the diminution of ex-
pense where practicable to the suitor." The Commis-
sioners of the Treasury are required by the act to pre-
pare, or cause to be prepared, tables of fees, specifying
what fees are proper to be demanded in the several
offices and what fees should be abolished, and such tables
are to be laid before the judges, who are to revise and
settle the same, and from time to time add to or reduce,
alter or amend, the same as they may deem necessary or
proper. The Commissioners of the Treasury are to
bdde
courts,a published
low ed
in respect
inrea
sf the
opreec
aforesaid
aiod f London
sah nayl
,dountya Gazette,
noyr
r, be demanded or taken by any officer
"and from and after such publication RO other fees than
causetpo those oeost leeenretckhaet
teowe
fltahi
ot
eeer,
vd
said
on,
service to which such table or tables of fees may relate,
provided that, until the publication under the authority
aforesaid, the fees now lawfully taken by the said offi-
ccra and clerks shall and may continue to be taken."

[PRICE SD.

LET TEI? FROM MR. HUME-PARLIA4IEA
TARY REFORM-THE BALLO7'.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SIIN.

SIR,--I send you copy of a letter this day forwarded
to the Times, that you may, if you please, insert it at
the same time.
I remain your obedient servant,
JOSEPH HUME.
Burnley Hall, Oat. 19, 1852.