The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-04 00:00:00

just her compasses and to complete her coaling up,
she will proceed to Plymouth for the purpose of
being docked for the customary examination of her
bottom and valves before proceeding to sea. It was
originally intended for the Achilles to proceed to
Portsmouth, but in consequence of the it being no
dock at liberty at that port in whieh ehe can enter,
the order has beet received at Chatham for Plymouth
to be the port at which she is to cail. Ffoua the ex.
ceedingly foul state of the bottom of the iron frigate,
from her long stay in Chatham harbour, where the
water appears to have more than an ordinary tact
on iron ships' bottoms, the work of removing the acs
cumulations below her watcr-iine will take some time.
It is stated at Chatham that the Achilles will make
her first cruise to the Mediterranean, locking in at
Lisbon for a short time. No time, however, will be
lost in despatching her to sea, Capt. Vansittart, as
well as the officers generally, being anxious to fall
in with the equinoctial gales in order to severely
test her sailing and steaming qualities, which, it is
confidently predicted, will surpass those of any other
vessel composing the ironclad squadron. The 110.
pounder Armstrong shot and shell were shipped on
board from the Ordnance wharf yesterday.

The steam storeship Supply, having undergone
repairs at Woolwich, is again ready for sea. Her
sides have been payed down with the anti-fouling
composition of Mr Hay, the Admiralty chemist,
who has attended from Portsmouth. This anti-
fouling and anti-corrosive composition, so effective
on the sides of the Warrior, as recently reported on
her arrival at Portsmouth, is now used on the
whole of her Majesty's ships, with the single ex
caption of the Himalaya.
By consent of cot Percy, Commandant of the
camp at Colchester, the First Essex Administrative
Battalion of Volunteers will be brigaded with the
regular troops of the garrison on Thursday, Oct. 27.
It is proposed to entertain the battalion at dinner.
On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Major-Gen.
Rumley, InspectoraGeneral of Infantry, made his
yearly inspection of the 4th, 9th, and 10th depot
bettalions at Colchester. The regimental and coma
panies' books were examined, the troops executed
various -evolutions, the officers and sergeants went
through several exercises, &c.
The 24th company of Royal Engineers has re•
ceived orders to move from headquarters, Chatham,
to Devonport to relieve the Ist company_ It was
originally intended for the Bth company of Royal
Engineers, now on passage from China, to relieve
the Ist company at Davenport, but in coura-quenee
of the strength of the Bth having been very con-
siderably reduced, it was ordered to proceed on its
arrival in England to Chatham, where it will be
augmented to its full complement of 120 men of all
ranks.
The North Somerset Yeomanry Cavalry have been
assembled during the past week at Wells for the
customary eight days' permanent duty. The entire
strength of the regiment is something under 450.
The review took place on Friday, the inspecting
officer being Col. Clarke of the Scots Greys. The
Earl of Cork, Lord• Lieutenant of the County, was
present, and the ground was kept by the Samerton
troop of the West Somerset Yeomanry Cavalry.
We regret to announce a fatal accident on board
Her Majesty's ship Phaeton. Oa the 19th of August,

on the passage from Fortress Monroe to Jamaica,
Lieut. C. Peg,t, third son of Lord W. Paget, was
officer of the first watch, when the maintopsail- tyo
was carried away in making sail, and he was struck
on the head by the fl; block. The blow fractured
his skull and he fell insensible and died in ten
minutes. He was buried next day with the titial
hOnours, deeply deplored_

Dreadful Tragedy at Old Windsor.

O

Tho village of Old Windsor was the scene of a ilreadfal
tragedy oa Sunday, a man, named Lhn Richard Cook,
having poisoned four of his children, cut the throat of the
filth, and inflicted similar violence on himself, terminating
his own life.

It appears that Cook was by trade a barber at Old
Windsor, where he had lived for the past four years.
Seven or eight months ago his wife died, leaving a family
of five young children; and Cook, being in somewhat dis-
tressed circumstances, drew up a petition for assistance,
which he presented to various parties in the locality, who
afforded him relief. From Friday to Sunday last nothing
was seen of the family, and the suspicions of the neighbours
were aroused to such a degree that they communicated the
fact to Police-constable Lovell, of the Berke constabulary,
and at about 2 o'clock on Sunday afternoon that officer
gained access to the house by breaking open one of the
windows. He first entered the parlour, where a sad and
heartrending sight presented itself, Three of Cook's
children, aged respectively 4 years, 21 years, and IS months,
were lying upon a bed placed on the floor, all dead, and it
was clear that a foul deed had been perpetrated. The con-
stable then went upstairs, and found additional horrorr, In
one room Cook's eldest daughter, about 9 years of age, was
lying on a bed, suffering from the effects of poison, and in
another room he discovered another child, about 8 years of
age, with its throat cut. but still alive, and lying on a bed
was Cook himself with his throat cut, but also alive.
The constable at once sent for Inspectorßeece,who quickly
arrived, and medical aid was sought for without delay. In-
spector Reece spoke to Cook, who made no allusion what-
ever to the children, but he admitted he had taken poison
himself, and on a chest of drawers in the room the inspector
found a half-pint bottle, about half full of oil of vitriol. In.
another room was discovered a basin containing tea, with
poison in it, and the eldest girl stated that that was what her
father gave her to drink on Friday. A razor, the blade of
which was fastened to the handle with string, in order to
keep it firm, was found in a room down stairs, and there
was blood upon it ; and a pail nearly full of bleod was close
by, leading to the conclusion that Cook must have cut his
throat downstairs, and afterwards laid himself on the bed
upstairs, and there is reason to believe he must have dressed
the wound in the child's throat, as it was quite clean and
free from blood. On instituting a further search the (Mears
found in a cupboard upstairs the clothes of the child
whose throat had been cut, and they were completely satu-
rated with blood. Drs Pearle and Gooch attended as soon
as possible, and sewed up the wound in the child's throat,
and Inspector Reece subsequently conveyed her in a cab to
the Windsor Infirmary, where she somewhat rallied yester-

day, and the eldest girl also survives. Tho blood had con-
gealed about the wound in Cook's throat, but the medical
men did all they could to save life. He, however, sank
rapidly, and died shortly after 7 o'clock on Sunday evening.
After his death several letters addressed to different persons
were found under his pillow. Their contents stated his
intention to poison his children and destroy himself, and
requested that a post mortem examination should not be
made, and that the burials should not take place at the cost
of the parish. No doubt therefore remains that he poisoned
the children. A post mortcm examination of the bodies will
be made, after which the inquest will take place before the
county coroner.

CURIOUS LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT.--At the Ban-
bury Petty Sessions last week, the district surveyor having
summoned several persons whose cattle ho had impounded,
with a view to recover the penalty of £5 in each case, it was
discovered that the amended act of last session, while enact-
ing that the owner of stray cattle should be liable to fine,
had entirely repealed the only clause in the old act which
gave authority for impounding them, and had omitted to
re-enact it. The cases were consequently dismissed.
THE COLLISION ON TILE EASTERN.---The
damage sustained in the late cotlision on the Great
Eastern Railway, reported in ?he Sun of Wednesday, waff
even more serious than was at first stated. instead of £5OO,
the loss sustained by the company will bo at least £1,0;10.
The engine which ran into the stationary train came ill
contact with the engine, and both the locomotives were a
good deal damaged, while several of the trucks, &c., of the
cattle train were, as already stated, mere or less shatterei.
The driver of the up goods train, which ran into the
other train, states that there was a thick fog at the time
of the accident, which prevented his seeing the danger
signals ; and the driver of the other train it appears was not
aware that the train from Norwich was duo at Thetford,
alterations having been recently made in the slow train time
table. The cattle had been unloaded from the trucks, and
the driver of the stationary, or nearly stationary train was
shunting it when the accident occurred. It will be seen that
the train run into was a down train, and was on the wrong
line, while the up train from Norwich was on the right
line. Several of the trucks shattered contained grain, and
a great quantity was strewn about bath