The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-15 00:00:00

this 24 miles of junctions. The Lords' Committee
have recommended this plan in order to prevent the
entry of main lines into the metropolis ; yet by Act
of Parliament every line is entitled to right of way
over a line which joins it on payment of certain tolls
fixed by the Act, and in virtue of this law the Great
Northern and London and North-We'tern might,
in fact, bring their terminus into one or two points
of the inner circle which would pay them best.
With such a provision we certainly fail to see how
the great main lines are kept out of the metropolis
by this inner and outer circle, the only claim
of which to be made at all is that they bring
them all in. On the question, too, of estimate,
►this outer circle appears even more strange than
the inner, in the low figures at which its cost
is placed. Take the high level bridge at Lime-
house, for instance. It is certainly not an average
specimen of the estimates; on the contrary, to
say fairly, it is the worst example of under-estima-
ting to be found in the outer circle. Still, when it
is a work of the most stupendous magnitude, and
one likely, it carried out, to attract the attention of
engineers throughout the world, the cost of it, as at
present estimated, may be justly referred to by any
who look to the outlay which is likely to b© neces-
sary to complete the plans. This bridge, as we have
said, crosses the Thames at Limehouse, and at that
part of the river it must be carried at such a height
as, like the Britannia-bridge,will admit of the pas-
sage under it of vessels of every size. It is to be
laid for four lines of rail, is to be 140 ft. above high
water, is to be built in a single span of 700 ft., and
to be built in place, and the estimate is £380,000 !
To the general reader it is only necessary to say a
few words to explain why engineers regard a bridge
of this kind for such a sum as impossible. The Bri-
tannia-bridge cost very nearly £1,000,000, and its
greatest span is not over 600 ft., and it was built on
the shore, and raised to its present level-100ft.
above the water—in single spans. The high-level
bridge of Mr. Fowler is to be an imitation of Mr.
Brunel's great bridge at Saltash, but, instead of
spans similar to that structure, Mr. Fowler pro-
poses of 700 feet,—that is to say, very nearly the
length of the water-way of Westminster-bridge,
without any support except from its two ends. The
bridge is, in fact, to be one girder, 130 feet deep by
700 feet long, and to be built in its place,—that is
to say, from side to aide, until it meets in the mid-
dle, and all for £380,000. If Mr. Fowler seriously
proposes to keep within his estimate he has under-
taken a far more difficult task than the bridge itself.

THE TOWNLEY CASE,

The following are copies of papers relating to the
case of George Victor Townley :

NO. 1.
MR. WADDINGTON TO THE SECRETARY TO THE CO3INI7S.

SIONERS IN LUNACY.

Whitehall, Dec. 23, 1863.

Sir,—l am directed by Secretary Sir Geo. Grey
to request that you will lay before the Commissioners
in Lunacy the enclosed pipers in the case of George
Victor Townley, now under sentence of death for
murder.

Sir George Grey is of opinion that the verdict of
the jury, in which Mr. Baron Martin, who presided
at the trial, concurs, and which appears to Sir
Gorge Grey from the evidence to have been right,
decides the question as to the sanity of the prisoner
at the time when the crime was committed. The
only question therefore on which any doubt exists,
and upon which in the opinion of the judge there
ought to be further inquiry, is, whether the prisoner
is now insane.

It is to be regretted that this question was not
raised before the trial, when it could have been sub•
mitted to a jury, but, under the actual circum-
stances, Sir George Grey requests that the Commis-
sioners in Lunacy will be so good as to undertake
the inquiry recommended by Mr. Baron Martin,
and report to me their opinion, for his information,
whethkr or not the prisoner is at the present time
of unsound mind.

The papers sent herewith comprise two letters
from the learned Judge, with Sir George Grey's
reply to the former of them, the notes of evidence
taken at the trial, including the evidence of Dr.
Forbes Winslow and Dr. Gisborne, and a series of
applications from various persons to whom the pri-
soner is known, and who are able to speak as to the
state of his mind before or since the commission of
the murder.
I am to add that the prisoner's execution is fixed
for the 31st of I),:xcmber inst.—l am, &c.,
H. WADDINGTON.

Enclosure 1 in No. 1.
Mi BARON MARTIN TO SIR G. GREY.

Nottingham, Dec. 13, 1863.

Sir,—George Victor Townley was convicted yes-
terday before me at Derby of murder, and sentenced
to be executed. I htive directed a copy of my notes
to be made for you, should you desire to have it ;
but there is a full report of the trial in the news-
papers. The conviction was, in my opinion, right ;
but Mr. Forbes Winslow and Dr. Gisborne were
examined at the trial, and both deposed i❑ the
strongest manner that the prisoner is now of
diseased mind and absolutely insane. I think it
right to call your attention at once to the subject,
with a -fiew to a correct opinion being formed as to
the propriety of his execution.—l have, 5:2.,

SAMUEL MARTIN.

Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
MR. BRUCE TO MR. BARON MARTIN.

Whitehall, Dec. 17, 1863.

Sir,—l am directed by Secretary Sir George Grey
to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the
13th inst., in the case of George Victor Townley,
convicted before you of murder; and I am to re-
quest that you will be so good as to inform Sir
George Grey whether the impression produced on
your mind by the evidence of tho two medical
men examined at the trial, coupled with the de-
meanour of the prisoner, was such as to induce you
to believe that the prisoner is now insane, or that
there is so much reason to believe him so as to call
for further inquiry, as the report of the evidence in
the Times to which you refer :n your letter does not
appear to Sir George Grey to be by any means con-
clusive.—l am, &c., 11. A. BRUCE.

Enclosure 3 in No. 1:
31n, BARON MARTIN TO MR. BRUCE, M,P.
Noryi'lcb, Dee. 18, 1863.

have received your letter of the 17th inst.,
requesting me to inform Sir George Grey whether
the impression produced on my mind by the evi-
dence of the two medical witnesses on the trial of
George Victor Townley, coupled with the demean-
our of the prisoner, was such as to induce me to
believe that the prisoner is now insane, or that there
is such reason to believe him so as to call for further
inquiry. I cannot say that I have formed any de-
cided opinion upon the point. The demeanour of
the prisoner afforded me no means of arriving at one.
He sat during the trial with his head depressed; I
scarcely once saw his countenance ; and he never
spoke. I would not be justified in saying that the
evidence of Mr. Forbes Winslow and Dr. Gisborne
is not correct, but I certainly think, and have
thought ever since the trial, that there ought to be
further inquiry.
I enclose a copy of my notes of evidence. You
will find that of Dr. Winslow end Dr. Gisborne at
page 25 and following pages.—l. am, &c.,
SAMUEL MARTIN.

N0.•42,
ExponT OF THE COMMISSIONERS IN LUNACY.

Derby, Dec. 28, 1863

We, the undersigned Commissioners in Lunacy,
report for the information of SecriAary Sir George
Grey,— _ _

rinat in compliance with the request cont6ned in
Mr. Wadding,ton's letter of the 231 of December,
we have undertaken the inquiry recommended by
Mr. Baron Mar'Lin as to whether George Victor
Townley, now under sentence of death at Derby f9r
murder, is or is not at the present time of unsound
mind.

We proceeded to Derby on the morning of the
26th, and have sinco had lengthened interviews, on
two separate occasions, with the prisoner, We have
also examined the governor of the prison, Mr. Sims;
tho surgeon, Mr. Gisburne ; tho chaplain, Mr.
Moore ; th© father and mother of the prisoner, the
chief warder of the gao!, and Vac four warders who,