The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 29, 1862

LAW INTELLIGENCE--This Day.

SHERIFFS' COURT.
(Before Mr. Gibbons,)
THE CUSTOM IN THE SALE OF SALMON.-WINTER V.

SHEFI-lELD.

This was an action to recover is 2d, and, though the
amount is so small, a tremendous posse of the denizens of
Billingsgate attended, under the impression, evidently,
that one of their privileges was about to be invaded,
Mr. Holman, as attorney for the plaintiff, said his client
was a clerk of Cowper's-court, and in the month of August
:ast he went to defendant's stall in Billingsgate and pur-
chased a piece of salmon which was weighed at nine and
a half pounds. When the plaintiff went out of the shop
he had some doubts, and • went to a butcher's shop in
St. Mary-at-Hill, where it was ascertained that the fish
only weighed 71b, Plaintiff went back to the shop, but as
he could get no redress he felt bound on principle to come
to this court.

Ptaint:ff was called, and he deposed to having given 3d.
per lb. for the salmon, There were no entrails in it, but
only a little clotted blood, and the defendant's man merely
popped it in a tub of water, and placed it in the basket.
Defendant—Was the salmon good ?
Plaintiff—Beautiful.

Defendant—lt was bought on the 24th of August for Bd.
per lb., and I ask anybody if people could expect very beau-
tiful salmon on the 24th of August for that money with the
inside out ? (Laughter.) This all arises because the
plaintiff did not like to pay for a basket.
Plaintiff called a witness who saw the fish weighed at
the butcher's shop.

Defendant then urged that by th© custom of Billingsgate-
market the fish, salmon, was always sold with the inside.
A witness, who created considerable amusement, described
having cleaned the piece of salmon. He took out about
lt lbs of entrails. The plaintiff never gave witness a drop
of beer.

Mr. Holman—Now, do you mean to swear that you took
out any inside.
Witness—lndeed I do. There is a great deal of stuff to
clear out of a jowl of salmon. Suppose I was to cut you
in half. (Roars of laughter.)

His Honour—l do not think you will make anything oul
of this witness.
Mr. Holman—l think not.

A lad, named Connor, proved seeing the entrails picked
up and weighed.

His Honour was inclined to think that there had been an
overcharge.

Defendant—Well, look here. I cannot make it out. It
has been the custom at Billingsgate for years to sell salmon
with the inside and clean it afterwards.

His Honour—l think you charged too much.
Voices—No, no. Call me, Mr. Sheffield ; I'll prove the

custom.

His Honour—The fish was sold at 91bs., and really was
only 'albs. I cannot think it can be a supportable custom
to make all that difference. I must find for the plaintiff,
with costs.

Verdict for plaintiff.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

A SCENE AT THE ARGYLE Rooms.—Mr. Edward
Charles Williams, gentleman, Lane's Hotel, St. Albans-
place, and Mr. George Williams, gentleman, 23, Piccadilly,
were charged before Mr. Knox with being drunk and dis-
orderly, in Great Windmill-street, the last-named defend-
ant being further charged with assaulting Police-sergeant
O'Loghlen, 23 A.
Sergeant O'Loghlen, 23 A, said—Last night about 11
o'clock the defendant was turned out of the Argyle Rooms
by one of the waiters, who fell on the steps. The defend-
ant, Edward, fell on the waiter, and struck him. I endea-
voured to get the defendant, Edward, off the waiter, when

the defendant, George, deliberately struck me in the eye.
I then took George into custody, and handed the other de-
fendant over to another officer. The defendants were both
drunk.

David Tungate, a carpenter, and assistant at the
Argyle Rooms, said—Last night, about 11 o'clock. I was
in the saloon in front of the bar, when I heard Mr. Edward
Williams grossly insult a gentleman. The gentleman took
no notice for some time, till the defendant (Edward) called
him a " white livered coward," when ho said that he had
lost his liver in India, where he proved himself no coward.
The defendant then threw a glass of ale in the gentleman's
face, and as there was then a great disturbance the manager
advised the defendants and the gentleman to go into the
office to settle the dispute. They went part of the way to
the office when the defendants rushed back again, and as
the defendants created a great disturbance, I assisted the
waiter in putting the defendants out of the place, when the
defendant Edward seized me by the hair of the head ana
tore my coat.

the defendant Edward Williams—Did I not say that if
a member of the police force came I would go away quietly,
but that I was not going to be illused by a waiter at the
Argyle Rooms ?
The witness—You said that.

Sergeant O'Loghlen—The gentleman who was insulted
is here, sir.

A gentleman got into the witness-box, and when asked
by the chief clerk his name, said—Mr. George Macdonald.
I reside at Canterbury, and am an officer in the army.
Mr. Knox—Let me infirm you, sir, that if you have
not given your right name I cannot take your evidence, as
you are sworn to tell the truth, and if you do not giva your
corre3t name you aro not telling the truth.

The gentleman—l have not given my right name, and
do not wish to do so.

Mr. Knox—Then I cannot hear you. You are not corn
polled to give evidence.
The gentleman then withdrew.

Mr. Abraham Myers, check-raker at the Argyle Rooms,
said—Last night a little after 11 o'clock I was called to the
saloon in consequence of a disturbance. I asked the gentle-
men to come to the office. The defendants went part of the
way and then rushed back. The defendant Edward struck
me two or three times, cutting my chin and bespattering
my shirt front with blood.

Sergeant Gibbs, 3 saw the defendant Edward fall on
--- the waiter, and witnessed the disturbance. On the way to
the station the defendant George refused to go any further,
and we were obliged to have the assistance of several cun-
t stables.

The defendant Edward said—l know I had too much to
drink, and I went to the Argyle Rooms, I believe, and but
for the conduct of the waiter the affair would not have oc-
curred. As regarded the gentleman, I thought he made an
impertinent remark tome.

Mr. Knox—You had drank a good deal, and might pro-
bably have thought the gentleman said something to you.
With regard to the waiter, it was not likely that he would
wish to cause a disturbance, as it was his interest to keep
things quiet, and not to draw the attention of the police to
the place. For the assault on the police I shall fine the
defendant George £5. I shall impose a similar fine on the
other defendant, but ss. of it will go to the witness for the
damage to his coat.

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

A very crowded audience assembled last evening
at this theatre to welcome " Herrmann the Great
Prestidigitateur" on his first appearance in London.
On making his bow, the renowned magician was
received in a right good English manner ; and after
recovering from the warmth of his reception, he, in
a few neatly turned sentences, expressed the plea-
sure he had in performing before them, and that he
would do his best to make the evening pass off
pleasantly. On the stage there was an utter
absence of " mechanical contrivances," and other
paraphernalia peculiar to wizards. The scene re-
presented a room interior, two small coffee tables,
and a few sheets of writing paper being the only
things visible. The first trick introduced was
performed with cards. This was rapidly followed
by another, but to our thinking, one of the mast
clever things of the entertainment was the
following—Six persons each mark down a single
figure on a sheet of paper, unseen by the magician ;
the same number selected six cards, the remainder
of the pack being destroyed, and then M. Hermann
hands a similar pack to one of the audience for exa-
mination. This having been done, and found cor-
rect, a gentleman is asked to "cut" any quantity he
pleases, and immediately after another person is
asked to pronounce the number of cards cut. In
this instance be named twenty-one, and then the
gentleman who held possession of the " cut" cards
counted them out one by one, when it was found he
had cut exactly 21 cards from the pack, that the
six figures placed upon the paper, on casting up,
amounted also to 21, and that the number of pips
on the six cards drawn in the first instance by six
different persons also amounted to a similar number.
Another trick that created the utmost astonishment
was the collecting a quantity of half-crowns, appa-
rently in the air, and passing them into a gentle-
man's hat ; but the chef dceuvre of Herrmann was the
old but pleasing trick of producing globes filled to
the brim with water and gold fish from, in this in-
stance, a pocket handkerchief (not a large table-
cloth). We must say it completely puzzled us,
because the ordinary evening dress of the necro-
mancer was well examined previous to his bringing
forth one of the globes in the very midst of the
audience. The applause that followed the per-
formance was as enthusiastic as it was well de-
served.

The entertainment of AI. Herrmann deserves the
most liberal patronage, because it certainly is the
neatest and best that has ever been given in the

metropolis.

Post•ofce Directory for the Midland

Counties.

The Messrs. Kelly have just issued their Post-
office Directory of Birmingham, Warwickshire,
Staffordshire, and Worcestershire, which will be
found of the utmost value to the commercial com-
munity. The utmost care has evidently been taken
to ensure correctness, and as a book of reference for
the places named it will be invaluable. A splendid
map of Birmingham is affixed to the vcrinme, and
smaller ones of War wickshire, Staffordshire, and
Worcestershire are conveniently arranged at the com-
mencement of each of the four divisions enumerated.
One of the great features of the directory is the
classification of the business of each locality under
distinctive headings, an arrangement that will be
highly appreciated by those living apart from thr-
dealers and traders in the Midland Counties. All
the information contained in the directory has been
obtained from the most reliable and -trustworthy
sources, so the utmost dependence can be placed
upon the answers to all references. The volume
cannot but enhance the great reputation the Messrs.
Kelly have secured, by the publication of perhaps
the most wonderful book of the year, viz., the Lon-
don Post.office Directory.

A REFERENCE SIIAKSPEARE._Mr. Heywood, of
Manchester, has issued a prospectus of a Memorial Edition

of Shakspeare, to be called the "Reference Shakspeare," a
self. interpretative edition, on the plan of the "Reference
Bible." The editor is Mr. John B. Marsh, the author of
" Sayings from Shakspeare."
EXECUTION OF CONFEDERATE PRISONERS.—

Within the last few days ten deserters have died their just
death. If the fact is an indication of a new rule in the Con_
federate army, none need fear for the fate of the country,
for desertion will cease on the day when it becomes known
that desertion is death; the army will fill when it is ascer-
ta►ned that the soldier who remains at home does so to dig
his own grave.—Richmond Inquirer.
CITY THEATRE.—This elegant theatre is closed
for a thorough decoration, and will re-open on
Saturday next, under the entire direction of that well-

known caterer, Mr. Nelson Lee, who is now sole lessee.
He is supported by the aid of all the London managers;
and the talent of the entire metropolis will appear in the
course of the winter season. His grand opening night,
next Saturday, will comments with the great drama of
" Peep o' Day," followed by the "Lakes of Killarney ;',
and concluding with a popular farce. His own pantomime,
numbering. the 215th, will be produced on a most gorgeous
scale of magnificence. His success we have no doubt of.
THE SHAPE OF THE BEAST !—ln the course of the
proceedings at the dinner of the Staffordshire Agri-
cultural Society on Friday last, Str Edwin Landseer
stated that his first effort at drawing was a repre-
sentation of a Devonshire bull, when he was nine or
ten years of age. 'With respect to the animals which he had
seen in the showyard that day, he said they appeared to be
a conglomeration of fat. Breeders and feeders of cattle
seemed to disguise the bones of the animals. He thought
it would be advisable to exhibit some animals in their
original forms as God made them. If men regulated their
own merits by their fat, the greatest prizataker in the king-
dom would have been Daniel Lambert.--Manchester
Guardian.

SHARSPEA.RE CARICATURED —by Nathaniel
Hawthorne, in his abs.ird description of the Poet's
Grave and Bust at Stratford-on-Avon.—The poet and his
family are in possession of what may be considered the
very best burial-places that the church affords. They lie
in a row, right across the breadth of the chancel, the foot
of each gravestone being close to the elevated floor on which
the altar stands. Nearest to the side-wall, beneath Shak-
speare's bust, is a slab bearing a Latin inscription addressed
to his wife, and covering her remains; then his own slab,
with the old anathematizing stanza upon it ; then that of
Thomas Nash, who married his granddaughter; then that
of Dr. Hall, the husband of his daughter Susannah; and,
lastly, Susannah's Own. Shakspeare's is the commonest-
looking slab of all, being just such a flag-stone as Essex-
street in Salem used to be paved with, when I was a boy.
Moreover, unless my eyes or recollection deceive me, there
is a crack across it, as if it had already undergone some
such violence as the inscription deprecates. Unlike the
other monuments of the family, it bears no name, nor am
I acquainted with the grounds or authority on which it is
absolutely determined to be Shakspeare's; although, being
in a range with those of his wife and children, it might
naturally be attributed to him. But, then, why does his
wife, who died afterwards, take precedence of him and
occupy the place next his bust ? And where are the graves
of another daughter and a son, who have a better right in

the family row than Thomas Nash, his grandson-in-law ?
Might not one or both of them have been laid under
the nameless stone. But it is dangerous trifling with
Shakspeare's bust; so I forbear to meddle further
with the grave (though the prohibition makes it
tempting), and shall let whatever bones be in it rest
in peace. Yet I must needs add that the inscription on the
bust seems to imply that Shakspeare's grave was directly
underneath it. The poet's bust is affixed to the northern wall
of the church, the base of it being about a man's height, or
rather more, above the floor of the chancel. The features
of this piece of sculpture are entirely unlike any of the
portraits of Shakspeare that I have ever seen, and com-
pel me to take down the beautiful, lofty-browed, and noble
picture which has hitherto hung in nay mental portrait-
gallery. The bust cannot be said to represent a beautiful
face or an eminently noble head ; but it clutches firmly hold
of one's sense of reality and insists upon your accepting it,
if not as Shakspeare the poet, yet as the wealthy burgher
of Stratford, the friend of John a' Combo, who lies yonder'
in the corner. I know not what the phrenologists say to
the bust. Tho forehead is but moderately developed, and
retreats somewhat, the upper part of the skull rising pyra-
midally ; the eyes are prominent almost beyond the pent-
house of the brow ; the upper lip is so long that it must
have been almost a deformity, unless the sculptor artis •
ticalty exaggerated its length, in consideration that, on the
pedestal, it must be foreshortened by being looked at from
below, On the whole, Shakspeare must have had a sin-
gular rather than a prepossessing face; and its wonderful
how, with this bust before its eyes, the world has persisted
in maintaining an erroneous notion of his appearance,
allowing painters and sculptors to foist their idealized nem-
sense on us all, instead of the genuine man, For my part,
the Shakspeare of my mind's eye is henceforth to be a per-
sonage of a muddy English complexion, with a reasonably
capacious brow, intelligent and quickly-observant eyes, a
nose curved slightly outward, a long, queer upper-lip, with
the mouth a little unclosed beneath it, and cheeks consider-
ably developed in the lower part and beneath the chin.
But, when Shakspeare was himself (for nine-tenths of the
time, according to all appearances, he was but the burgher
of Stratford), he doubtless shone through this dull mask
and tr3nsfignted it into the face of an angel.

THE CHANNEL FLEET.

Notwithstanding the changeable character of the
weather during the afternoon, large numbers of
excursionists proceeded by the ordinary trains to
Kingstown for the purpose of inspecting the fleet,
or such vessels thereof as might be selected for the
purpose by the directors of the different steamers
plying for hire. This, by the way, we consider, a
just cause of complaint on the part of visitors,
who cannot proceed on board any particular ship
they may de3ire to inspect, bilt are compelled
to go wheresoever the steamer or tugboat, in
which they take passage, is directed to leave
them. Of course it may be urged in answer to this
that it is in the power of any person to charter a
boat for his or her special conveyance—and such no
doubt is the case—but, when it is considered that
the fleet lies nearly two miles from shore, and that
Dublin Bay, under the influence of a stiff north
wester, is anything but safe for an open boat, the
impracticability of such a course must be obvious.
Several ogicers of the fleet came to town at intervals
during the day, and visited the different public
buildings and other objects of interest in the city.
—Debt n Freeman.