The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-09 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

ROBBERY AT WESTMINSTER ABRET.—John Donnelly
and James Donnelly, brothers, both under 30 years of age,
said to be two well-known thieves, were charged with steal-
ing two copper-wire guards from the stained-glass windows
at Westminster Abbey, the property of the Dean and Chap-
ter of Westminster, and said to be worth £8 or £9.
Frederick Cooper, watchman at the Cathedral, said that
the wire was fixed over the stained-glass window on the
north side of the sacred edifice. About eight o'clock yes-
terday evening witness's attention was drawn to a noise
outside. He gave the alarm to the constable on duty in
Dean's-yard, and, with a bricklayer, they proceeded to the
part from whence the noise came. The two prisoners were
there found concealed, and, after a smart chase, taken into
custody. _ _ _

Robert White, police constable 100 B, said that he got
the alarm and pursued the prisoners, one of whom he caught,
but being outside and the man inside he failed to hold him
through the railings.

George Hedger, a bricklayer, said that the witness Cooper
called him to assist him. Ho climbed over the railings,
and in pursuing the prisoners fell over the wire, winch was
lying on the ground, at the same instant the two prisoners
jumped from behind a buttress by the window, where the
wire was detached, Witness pursued but failed to catch
the prisoners.
Police-constables Postern, 284 A, and Hayeman, 267 B,
proved that they apprehended the prisoners while endea-
vouring to escape over the Abbey railings. When brought
to the station John Donnelly said, " Yaven't got us this
time, we were only attempting."

.. _, . .
Mr. Humphreys, in inspector of police, said the prisoners
were well-known in Lancashire and Stafford for this same
kind of offence, and Mr. Selfe remanded the prisoners till
Friday next to enable the inspector to make diligent inquiry
respecting them.

MARKETS—This Day.

rARDEN.

our market to-day was very
at higher rates. The fol-

ions :

s. d.
Mulberries,pr pt..o oto 0 0
Cherries, per lb. 0 oto 0 0
Foreign ditto, punt) oto 0 0
Filberts, per lb .. 1 6to 1 9
Walnuts, per 100 1 oto 2 0
Cobnuts, per lb D oto 0 0
Almonds, per bus 0 oto 0 0
Figs, per doz. .• 0 oto 0 0
Peache5.......... D oto 0 0
Currants, per li.sv C oto 0 0
Plums, per do. .. 0 oto 0 0
Greengages, pr do. 0 oto 0 0

.BLEB.
Shallots, per lb .. 0 oto 0 0
Horseradish, pdo 1 oto 2 6
Parsley, per ditto 0 3to 0 4
Celery, per ditto 1 oto 1 9
Beet, per doz. 00to 0 0
Parsnips, per do. 0 oto 0 0
0 Small salad, p. pi, 0 )to 0 o
Mushrooms,p ptl. )to 0 0
Artichokes, each 0 )to 0 0
Cos lett, score .. 0 )to 0 0
Mint and savory..o )to 0 0
Endive, per score 0 )to 0 0
Radishes, dz hnds 0 oto 0 0
Tomatoes, doz... 0 Cto 0 0
Chillies, per ditto 0 oto 0 0
Capsicums, per do 0 oto 0 0
Rhubarb, per bun 0 oto 0 0
Asparagus, pr do. 0 oto 0 6
Seakale, per bun. 1 3to 2 6

FORECASTS OF STORMS.

M. Coulvier-Gravier, like Marshal Vaillant does
not appear to have any faith in the present
system of predicting storms by simultaneous obser-
vations of the barometer at different stations, a
system organised in England by Admiral Fitz-
roy, and now adopted in the Paris Observaiory.
In a note recently published, he says is
imagined by observing barometrical altitudes at a
multitude of stations, gales and hurricanes may be
avoided ; all this being founded on a theory which
becomes more than hypothetical when it is con-
sidered that these terrible meteors occur as well
when the barometer rises as well as with those from
the south. This was the case, for instance, inthe tem-
pests of Oct. 5, 1852, and of May 16, 1853. More-
over, to understand all the defects of the system, we
need only cast a glance at an article of the Journal du
Havre, inserted i❑ the Moniteur of the 21st
and in an article of the 22d of the same month,
showing the extraordinary number of casualties on
the coasts of France which occurred during a decade
of that month when the system was in full opera-
tion. According to this same system, must not the
storm break out somewhere, in order to he able to
warn the neighbouring localities or countries ? What
will then become of the services the country Lea
a right to expect when the tempest comes upon
us directly from the sea, and we are deprived of
electric communication to announce its approach ?
And, lastly, what service does it render to a ship
at sea, which, being deprived of telegraphic corn_
munications, and therefore of warnings, might per-
haps, in less than 48 hours, had she received a warn-
ing, or by observations on board, have escaped the
danger."—We confess we do not see the force of
most of these arguments. That the system is im-
perfect, and cannot perform all that might be
desirable, but might also be impossible, we all
know; but it is not the less a step in the right
direction, and certainly better than nothing.