The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-22 00:00:00

CAPE OP GOOD HOPE,

PLYMOUTH, THURSDAY.
The Union Royal Mail Shipping Company's
steamship Saxon, Commander Coxwell, from Table
Bay, June 20; St Helena, June 28; and Ascension,
July 2, arrived in the Sound this afternoon.
The Cape Advertiser of June 18 states that Sir
W. Currie reports to the Governor that the difficul-
ties in the Transkei are increasing. He recom-
mends the 10th Regiment to be retained on the
frontier. The Valorous, which conveyed the 11th
Regiment to Natal, left the 6th Fusiliers at East
London, and has returned to Simon's Bay. A
trader who had passed through Krelis country, and
had arrived recently at King William's Town,
found the tribe peaceable.

The Commander of the Forces announced in
Graham's Town, at the Mayor's dinner on 15th June,
thatihe did not apprehend a Kaffir war at present.
The Parliament is still sitting in Graham's Town.
Several Government measures have been thrown out,
among others the bill for establi,ling a Deeds' Re-
gistry Ofan in Graham's Town, and that for the
creation of a Supreme Court in one of the eastern
divisions.

The High Commissioner, Sir Philip IVodehouse,
has announced his intention of annexing the terri-
tory becween the Kei and the Banshee to British
Kuffraria, and of giving out the laud to settlers on
military tenure.

The Bishop of Cape Town is still at Natal, whence
he will probably return in about a month. Bishop
Tozer, of the late Central African Mission, is in
Cape Town. Dr. Duff, the venerab:e Indian mis.
sionary, is a passenger to England by the present
mail steamer.

The weather has been very seasonable for farmers,
and a great breadth of land has been placed under
cultivation. The pries of colonial produce, par-

tioularly grain, are the increase. Trade is dull,
and the rates of interest are on the decline. It is
estimated that no importations of foreign wheat
will be required during the present year.
Coals are selling in Cape Town at from 655. to 70s.
per ton. Freight to England for wool ld. per lb.,
dead weight 30s. per ton. Exchange, at 30 days'
sight, 1 per cent. discount.
The following have been the arrivals in Table
B ty from England since the departure of the Royal
IVlail steamer Cambrian :—May 24, the Avoca,
bark from London ; 26, the Glendower schooner.
from London; the Francis, bark, from Swansea;
27th, the Hugh Ballment, bark, from Swansea; the
Meiron's Bride, brig from London ; 28th, the Simon
brig, from Liverpool ; 30th, the Eliza Sharp, from
the Downs, bound for Melbourne ; 31st, the Dum-
barton screw steamer, from Greenock, bound for
China ; June 10, the Athens Royal Mail steamer,
from Plymouth ; 12th, the Ahuriri sere** steamer,
from Glasgow, bound for New Zealand.—Simon',.
Bay.—June 27, the Prince of the Seas, bark,
from London ; the Wallibe schooner, from
Glasgow, bound for Sydney; 28th, the Her.
melin, bark, from the Clyde. And in A'goa
Bay—May 22, the Eastern Province, screw steamer
from Falmouth ; 28th, the Regina bark from Lon.
den; the Milton ship, from Liverpool, bound for
Hongkong; the Noor Jehan bark, from London ;
30th, the Granton bark, from London; the Oribe
bark, from London ; June 2, the Herman and Oscar,

from Cardiff.
The flagship Princess Royal, with Admiral King,
left June 16, for Trincomalee and Bombay. The
Penguin was to follow. The Orestes was appointed
to leave on the sth of July for the Mozambique
Channel. The Ariel was expected in the Cape on
the 28th of June, after which she would leave for
England. The Confederate war steamship Tusca•
loose continues in Simon's Bay.
The Diamond steamer Eastern Province, of Lon-
don, made the run out to Algoa Bay in 321 days.
She had unusually fine weathers with fair winds,
and was appointed to leave Algoa Bay on the
20th of June and Table Bay on the 23d for Eng.
land, and may be expected home in about ten days.
The screw steamer Narcissus, 39, with Rear• Ad.
miral Sir Baldwin Walker, which touched at St.
Helena Jane 6, arrived at Ascension on the 14th,
and left on the 17th for England.
The following vessels have anchored at the island
of Ascension—Jane 2, the English bark Leading
Star, 94 days from the Cape, short of water, and
left the same day for London ; 6th, the ship Old
England, 52 days from London, for Ascension, with
stores; H.M.S. Encounter, from China, for Ports-
mouth, called far invalids, and left on the 81 h ; 15th,
the ship Chinera, 99 days from Currachee, for Lon.
don ; 16th, the ship Confidence, 85 days from Bom-
bay for Liverpool, and the bark Deane, 21 days
'
from Algoa Bay, for Ascension ; 19th, the schooner
Olympus, 25 days from Algoa Bay for New York;
20th, ship Highland Chief, 100 days from Akyab,
for Falmouth; 22d, American ship Agaitz, 88 days
from Rangoon, for Falmouth; 20th, her Majesty's
ship Industry,from Rio Janeiro for Ascension; 25th,
Eogtish bark Thomas Dry den, from Akyab for Fal-
mouth. The following have passed :—June 7, the
ship Hornet, from Madras for England; the bark
Constitution, from Calcutta for London; and the
Dutch bark Maria Catharine, 87 days from Same-
(rang for Amsterdam; 13. h, Brennen ship Bremen,
86 days, from Oimanug for Falmoqtb ; 141 h, Bre-

PRI CV 4d.
STPt-M.PED sd.

me❑ ship Ptgasu., 83 days, from Boat hay for .I.,!tetr-
pool ; 16th, the French ship Lr, 806 umanier, 43
drys, from Bourbon Isle, for Hants; 18th, the Eng-
lish ship Beaufort, 24 days, from 14 Eg oa Bay, for
Boston; 10th, the ship Cleadon, 69 days, from
Colombo for London, and the ship P. S.• R. G., 90
days from Bombay for Portsmouth ; 20th, the ship
Minnehaha, from Moulmein for Portsmouth; and
29th, the bark Vintory, 102 arm; from ltang►)on•

The Kea rsage and the Alabama.

WASHINGTON, July 8.

Secretary Welles has sent to Ciptain Winsiove of
the Kearsage the following recognition of his ser-
vices in the destruction of the pirate Alabama :-
6 Naval Department, July 6.

" Sir,—Your very brief despatches of the 19th
and 20th ult., informing the department that the
piratical craft Alabama, or 290,' had been sunk on
the 19th of June, near meridian, by the Kearsage,
under your command, were this day received. I
congratulate you on your good fortune in meeting
this vessel, which had so long avoided the fastest
ships and some of the most vigilant:and intelligent
officers of the service, and for the ability displayed
in this combat you have the thanks of the depart-
ment. You will please express to the officers and
crew Of the Kearsage the satisfaction of the Govern-
ment at the victory over a vessel superior in tonnage,
superior in number of guns, and superior in the
number of her crew. The battle was eo brief, the
victory so decisive, and the comparative results FO
striking, that the country will be reminded of the
brilliant actions of our infant navy, which have been
repeated and illustrated in this engagement.
The Alabama represented the best maritime
effort of the most skilled English workshops. Her
battery was composed of the well-tried 32-pounders
of 57 cwt., of the famous 6S-pounder of the British
navy, and of the only successful rifled 100-pounder,
yet produced in England. The crew were generally
recruited in Great Britain, and many of them re-
ceived superior training on board her Majesty's
gunnery ship Excellent.
" The Kearsage is one of the first gunboats built
at our navy yards at the commencement of the re-
bellion, and lacks the improvements of vessels now
under construction. Tee principal guns composi❑g
her battery had never been previously tried in an
exclusively naval engagement ; yet in one hour you
succeeded in sinking your antagonist, thus fitly
ending her predatory career, and killing many of
her crew, without injury to the Kearsage or the loss
of a single life on your vessel. Our countrymen
have reason to be satisfied that in this, as in every
naval action of this unhappy war, neither the ships,
the guns, nor the crews have been deteriorated, but
that they maintain the ability and continue the re-
nown which ever adorned our naval annals.
The President has signified his intention to re-
commend that you'receive a vote of thanks in order
that you may be advanced to the grade of Commo-
dore. Lieutenant. Commander James A. Thornton,
the executive officer of the Kearsage, will be recom-
mended to the Senate for advancement ten numbers
in his grade, and you will report to the department
the names of any others of the officers or crew
whose good conduct on the occasion entitles them
to especial attention.—Very respectfully,
" GIDEON WELLES, Secretary of the Navy.
" Captain John A. Winslow, U.S. Navy,
Commanding U.S. steamer Kearsage,
Cherbourg, France."

The Murderer of Mr Briggs.

To allay the excitement which prevails in regard
to the pursuit of the supposed murderer, Francis
Muller, it may be stated, that it is exceedingly pro-
bable that no news will be received for a month or
five weeks. The Victoria was last seen off St.
Katharine's Point, Lie of Wight, on Saturday
afternoon. The wind was then favourable for her.
She carried out about 80 passengers. The City of
Washington, having the detectives and some of the
witnesses as to Muller's identity on board, will, it
is thought, pass her at sea; but it is net considered
at all likely that the Victoria will be boarded. Tile
officers will proceed on to New York, where they
will await the arrival of the ship.
In case of any mishap occurring to the City of
Weshington, the Government have determined upon
sending out duplicates of the warrants by another
steamer, which leaves Liverpool on Saturday, and
which it is considered possible may reach New York
before the Victoria.

The average time occupied in a run from the
Thames to New York is nineteen or twenty days.
If the Victoria takes that time, the arrest and the
return voyage will occupy twelve days more; and,
therefore, Muller cannot be brought back to England
before the end of August.
Muller's conduct while he has been in England
has been ascertained to have been that of a well-
conducted man. His manners are ciulTribed as being
good and even gentlemanly. Mr. Hodgkinson, of
Threadneedle-street, for whom be worked for two
months, speaks favourably of him, and Mr. and
Mrs. Blyth, with whom he lodged, never conceived
ne could have been the perpetrator of so ferocious a
crime. He was never known to be in liquor; he
generally returned home straight from his work;
and it is said that he never frequented public
houses. He quitted Mr. Hodgkinson's service on
-he Saturday previous to the murder of his own
action, on account of some slight difference
45 to time. He used to work all day on the
shop-board at the back of the premises in Thread-
needle-street, along with another workman, a Ger-
man like himself, named Htffa. Whether he got
any other employ during the week which elapsed
between the time of his discharging himself and the
day of the murder does not appear.

On the night of the murder he let himself into the
house in Old Ford-road, Bonner's-fields, by means
of a latch-key, at about eleven o'clock. Mr Blyth,
being in bad health, had already gone to bed, as
had the rest of the family likewise. Muller lighted
a candle, and went up stairs to bed. Nothing was
heard either that night or subsequently to excite a
suspicion that anything was wrong. He came down
to breakfast as usual on the Sunday morning, and
the family observed nothing the matter with his
clothes which led them to think that they had been
washed or that he had been in a struggle or row.
He had previously intimated to Mrs Blyth his in-
tention to try to get to New York or to Canada,
where he said he hed some friends; and he had
introduced to her his shopmate Heffa to succeed him
as a lodger in the room which he occupied. On the
Monday after the murder Heffa came to the house,
and slept there that night. It was on the Monday
afternoon that Mr and Mrs Blyth saw Muller had
got a new watehchain, and she jocularly remarked,
"Some people get on in the world. Ido not know
how they do it." Muller made no reply to the
remark, but said that he had bought the chain. She
saw that he had a watch, but she had no opportu-
nity of looking at it closely. From that time until
the Thursday when he left the country she observed
no alteration in his manners. She had no recollec-
tion of the subject of the murder having been alluded
to by him. He complained of a sprain in his leg,
and he were a slipper, in which he walked into
town ; but he had the sprain, and be were the
slipper before the day of the murder. She is posi-
tive upon this point, and Muller's shop
corroborates her in the matter. mate Heffa
At no time was he ever known to have in his
possession such a thing as a life preserver. The
police searched the place carefully. but foiled no
life preserver, which he
.
weapon belonging to hut. Mr Miller, who locged
in the same house, had a
possessed mself of this, and replaced
kept hanging up in his room. The accused man
could have hi
it. It has, therefore, been subjected
to close ex-
amination, but no traces of blood or hair have becn
detected upon its surface. It is supposed that what-
ever weapon Was used in the commission of the

=

ust h

~.t_°~a.

-
\,:'

murder ,ave been thrown into titan DuelreVe
Canal or tl.'e reservoir which is adjacent do the glit!,•o
where the murder was perpetrated.
The time at whiz-211 the murder wes -conaMittedS
,
IVeBe aunt five nr..nutes past 10, and he got home
and let himself into his lodgings at 11. lie must,
no doubt, have stepped hem the train on to the siz_
foot way when it was slackening its speed to go
into the Hackrey4wick Station. He mutt have
passed down the embankment and got into White..
post-lane, and then on his way to his lodgings in
Park-terrace he would piss along -Wick-lane, in
close proximity to the Mitford Castle, into which the
body of his victim was removed by the part'es who
found the wounded gentleman on the railway.

The Relief of the Casual and Vagant Poor.

At a meeting of the elected vestry at the parish
of St. Mary, Lambeth, held last evening at th,a
Vestry Hall, Kennington-greet:, presided over b 5,
Mr Rohert Taylor,

Mr F. calk(' the attention of

ves!ry to a measure recently introduced in'.o the
House of Commons by the President of the Poor-
law Board, the object of which was to threw upon
the Metropolitan Board of Works the payment of
the expenses connected with a certain class of poor
relieved by the metropolitan parishes. The bill
provided that each parish should keep an account
of the amount of relief afforded by it to the casual
or vagant poor between the hours of eight o'clock
in the evening and eight o'clock in the morning,
and that on their presenting a certified account,
of the same to the Metropolitan Board of Works,
the latter should pay the same out of the Gener LA
Purposes Fund connected with it. He had nothing
to say against the principle of the measure, wh,ch
he considered good, as it was the first stop towards
their obtaining an equalisation of the pcor rates
over all the parishes, which he was sure they all so
much desired. (Hear, hear.) But at the same time
there was a peculiarity attached to the measures
which was this—the only fund for general purpos,e
which the Metropolitan Board had the power
raising was what was called the sewers rate, wh
was a tax upon the owners of property, so that by
placing upon that fund this additional burden, Teey
would be placing upon the owners of property 'that
which was at present paid by the occupiers. He
did not mean to cavil about any great add-r tional
burden it would be upon the sewers rate, br.f.; what
he hesitated at was the changing of the pri') ciple of
texation from occupiers to owners. It was, he 't) elieved,
the intention of the Metropolitan Board to apply to
Parliament next session, by means of a nc.i v bill, or
a clause introduced into an aid one, for 'power to
levy a rate for the p-tyment of their expel tees other
than that of the sewers rate, and the charge he bad
referred to would come legitimately upon that fund.
In the meantime, however, he had corside red it
proper to bring the matter before the vestry; and to
ascertain their opinion respecting it.

Mr. FOWLER moved, " That the vestry reques't
their representatives in the House of Commons to
give the measure their support."
Mr. SWEET having seconded the motion,
Mr. RHODES expressed his approval of the mer. 4
sure.

Mr. GILES cmplained of being asked to give

their assent to the measure without having seefl it.
He understood that at a meeting of the MAryleb Jae
Vestry it had been strongly objected to, and he
thought, therefore, they should have time to con•
sider the matter.

The CHAIRMAN proposed that the matter should
wait for further consideration.

After some conversation the Chairman's suggess
tion was adopted, Mr. Fowler's motion having been
withdrawn, and the matter dropped.
The CHAIRMAN, in reference to the inspection of

the main drainage works on Monday and Tuesday
next by the different metropolitan vestries, under
tho superintendence of the Board of Works, said
that ample arrangements had been made for con-,
veying the parties to the works by steamers whiea
would take up at the different piers, from Hun ge r...
ford downwards. It was expected that about 2,000
gentlemen would join in the in:Teotion, fAnd arm
rangements had also been Tn.:de by the refreerment
department for the members o each veetry having a

e3rar2artment for themselves.

The Accident on the Great Eastern Rail.way.

Thursday Evening.

To-day the investigation into the circumstances
of the accident to the Rotterdam train en the
Harwich branch of the Great Eaetern Railway,
in which the engine and carriages were thrown
down the embankment, and the fireman, William
Wright, killed, and several of the passengers more or
less injured, was resumed before Mr W. Codd,
coroner for Essex, in the National School-house,
Bradfield.

Joseph Wright said that ho was guard of the
train to which the accident happened on Wednes-
day, the 13th inst. The train left Harwich for
London at 2.51. The time of starting depended on
that of the arrival of the steamer from Rotterdam.
The train went on steadily at the rate of about 30
miles an hour, until it arrived within three-quarters
of a mi!e of Bradfield, when it suddenly left the
rails, and the engine and carriages tumbled down
the embankment. The speed did not seem to
him to be greater than usual. Captain Farley,
who was driving by at the time, examined the
line to see how the accident had occurred, and wit.
ness saw him pull one of the keys out from between
the rails and the chaira with his fingers. Som© of
them were loose, and one was rotten, but none
were out. But those were towards London, on a
part of the line which the train had not reached.
Witness had not seen the engine 'lamp" off the
rails. He was quite satisfied that it had not jumped.
When the carriage was thrown off the line he was
pitched off his scat.
James Fisher, platelayer, said he had examined
the line on the morning in question, and it was then
in perfect condition. Eight trains passed after the
line was examined before the Rotterdam train.
The Coroner asked whether the line was examined
after the passing of a train.
Mr Robertson said that a railway was kept in
such perfect working order that the passage of one
train over it could make no impression on it, and
therefore it was not necessary to examine it after
every passage.
Witness said that he had three miles of lines to
inspect, and he found it safe in every respect. It
was common to find the keys loose, in consequence
of their being shrank up from the heat of the
weather. _ _

.•
By Col. Yolland—There were seven sleepers to 18
feet. In April all the sleepers were not renewed, only
those that were decayed. The old Bleepers that
were suffered to remain were fastened where they
needed it with iron spikes, and not with trenails as
before. The new chairs were also sacured by means
last of iron spikes. For three or four years past it had
been found necessary to replace trenails of
Wood by
iron spikes.
The witness, in answer to Colonel Yolland, said
linethat
dtuhreintrgaffit
the
had
81: ranonths, and i greatly increased on the
e
p n consequence
new sleepers bad been put down,
srn tente
be
and instead of one
man per mile being employed, there were
2 or
twelve.
Colonel Yolland said that the speed ec
spoken of as excessive.
that,
The Coroner said assuming the sp-cd to
have been even forty miles
an hour, the rate could
not be called exe • - •
CSSIVe, for it it were so, no one could
travel safely b
y an express at nearly double the
pace.

C)Ionel Yoqand said that everything depended
on •_he state of the line,
Mr 1-I,)bi::rtson said that the actual distance from
iiirwich to the place of the accident was only 7
miles, and seventeen minutes were occupied in
getting over the ground. The rate was remarkabiy
moderate.

Atter other evidence,
The Coroner said that Cel.Yolland had La' as
yet had sufficient time to take all the circuraz.tances
of the occurrence into coneidG.tation before making
hia report as to the elms° of the accident. The court
would therefore now adjourn•

The proceedings were adjourned cecordingly.