The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-24 00:00:00

CLERICAL MAGISTRAT.

The following letter has been addressed to Me editor
of the Examiner :

Sir,—You have advanced the cause of the Essex la-
bourers, oppressed by a clerical magistrate ; may I call
your sympathy for a poor woman here!
On the 11th of October inst., Henrietta Prior, who
with her husband lived as servant of Mr. George Ed-
ward Pritchett, an architect at Bishops Stortford, Herts,
summoned her master, Mr. Pritchett, before the magis-
trates at the Petty Sessions here, for assaulting her.
When she applied for the summons to the Rev. Frede-
rick Vander Meulen, the rector of Thorley, who is the
nearest resident magistrate, he advised her and her hus-
band not to proceed, but to go and beg Mr. Pritchett's
pardon, and he would give them both good characters.
The husband, considering his wife (who was enciente)
had been improperly treated, refused to adopt this
course.

The case was heard on the 11th inst., when the Rev.
Thomas Timothy Lane Bayliff, ♦icar of Albury, Herts,
and the Rev. Frederick Vander Muelin, rector of Thor-
ley. Herts, with two other magistrates, were present.
The woman gave her evidence on oath with great pro-
priety to the following effect :—On the 29th September,
at about a Quarter before eleven at night, Mr. Pritchett-
rang his bell, and she went to atterd the summons. As
soon as she got to the door he threw his boots and the
bootjack at her. She believed he intended to hit her
with there, but she stepped back, and they missed her—
they were thrown with great force. He then told ber
to clear away the supper things. She did not give him
an angry word, but she took away the supper things,
and went and told her husband, who was in bed, what
had happened ; he got up, and she beard him tell her
master that they would both leave his service in s
month. Mr. Pritchett then said to her husband, "If
you bad been there I would have served you nine time
worse."
Mr. Pritchett attempted to cross-examine the woman,
but she stated, in answer to his questions, that he first
threw one boot, then the bootjack, and then another
boot at her, and that he aimed them at her.
The Rev. T. T. L. Bayliff then took great pains to
cross-examine the woman, and said she had contradicted
herself, because in her evidence she stated Mr. Prit-
chett threw his boots and the bootjack at her, butrin her
cross-examination she said he first threw a boot, then a
bootjack, and afterwards another boot (a distinction
certainly too subtle for any but a clerical intellect).
Mr. Pritchett, the defendant, who during part of the
time that the case was heard was sitting by the side of
the magistrate's clerk, stated in his defence, which wa-
not on oath, that he merely threw his boots in his usual
manner, and that ho did not throw them at the com-
plainant.
The Rev. T. T. L. Bayliff then stated that the bench
did not consider that the assault was proved, and that
the complainant must pay the costs, 7s. ad., or go to

prison.
The poor woman's husband stated that he had no
money, but rather than she should go to prison he would
pay it in a fortnight.
So that in attempting to obtain redress for an assault
on a pregnant wife her husband has to pay 7s. 6d., be-
sides the costs of the summons.

I attended as attorney for the poor woman, chiefly on
account that I knew Mr. Pritchett, her master, was the
son of a neighbouring clergyman, and also a friend of
the two clerical magistrates on the bench, and in a pray
tic° of upwards of twenty years I never saw an assault
more clearly proved by a single witness.
In this small county there are no less than 37 clerica
magistrates.
Bishops Stortford, Oct. 17, 1855.

J. B. B.

THE PRESS AT CONSTANTINOPLE.

The following is the text of the warning given to the
Journal de Constantinople on the subject of its letters
about Kars :

" By Superior Order,
"The Journal de Constantinople having, in its number
of October 1, published a letter dated Kars, containing
the falsest statements respecting the condition of the
garrison in tbat place, the Imperial Government finds
itself compelled to give to this statement of the Journal
the most formal contradiction, founded on the official
report and the exact information it possesses. The Su-
blime Porte has already found itself called upon to give
to the journals an official warning that they must abstain
from publishing, respecting the military operations, de.
tails capable of compromising their success, or intelli-
gence which might be injurious to them.
"If, notwithstanding this second warning, the Journal
de Constantinople should persist in giving a place in its
columns to similar publications, the Sublime- Porte will
see itself compelled to pronounce its suspension.
" The present warning will be published at the head
of the next number of the Journal de Constantinople.
" The Sublime Porte, Oct. 8, 1855."

PRICE OF GOLD.--The quotation of gold at Paris is
about 6 per mills premium (according to the last tariff),
which, at the English Mint price of 31. 17s. 101,1- Per
ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of 25.29 i ;
and, the exchange at Paris on London at short being
25.35, it follows that gold is about 0.22 per cent. dearer
in London than in Paris. By advices from Hamburg
the price of gold is 426 per mark, which, at the Eng-
lish Mint price of 3/. 17s. 104 d. per ounce for standard
gold, gives an exchange of 13.5,1 ; and, the exchange at
Hamburg on London at short being 13.6 b it follows that
gold is 0,53 per cent. dearer in London than in Ham-
burg. The course of exchange at New York on London
for bills at 60 days' sight is 109 i per cent. ; and, the
par of exchange between England and America being
10i 23-40 per cent., it follows that the exchange is
nominally 0.08 per cent. against England ; and,
after making allowance fur charges of transport and
difference of interest, the present rate leaves no
profit on the transmission of gold from the United States,