The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-16 00:00:00

true, in addition to their plea as to the little value of
anonymous representations, pint to the fact that the
" outcry" against them is raised at a moment when isley
are expending at least 650,0001. in the construction of
new vessels " in order to improve Transatlantic commu-
nication;" but the outcry, instead of being limited to
any particular " moment," bas been continued for years,
and the plinile can only deal with the management as
they have found it. As to the '• improvement of Trans-
atlantic C,,CBM'aliCation." it is impossible that a company
enjoying a bounty of 270,0001, per annum should not be
expected to accomplish something. The only question
is, whvther more would not be, done if a protective sys
tem were abolished which threatens in its ramifications
to produce greater evils than the worst of the exploded
monopolies of past days.— s.

_
THE MURDER BY A BOY IN NORFOLK.
OUTRELL, APRIL 14.—The coroner's inquiry into
the death of WillianteDay, a little boy, aged -11 i years,
who was killed by another boy, named Jetres Pearce,
said to be of the sane ago, while crow-keeping in Out-
well Fen, on Saturday last, terminated last eight, having
lasted two days. was. held .at the Rose and Crown
lon, in this parish, before Mr. W. Townley, coroner for
this district ot -the county, and a easpsetable-jury. A
great number of witnesses were examined, the principal
of whom gave evidence as fellows:—
John Day, brother of the deceased, deposed that on
Saturday" evening, with' other members of the family, he
became alarmed by the non appearance of his brother at
the usual time of his returning home, and went, in cern-
pally with a young man named Sangster, to look for
him in the village, and not finding him there, went
on to Pearce's house, which was near the field where
the deceased was known to have been employed during
the day. Saw a sister of the boy Pearce, who Said
sties had seen witness's brother leave the field, in com-
pany with his master, Mr. Reeve, about four o'clock.
Witness afterwards went to the house of Mr.
Reeve, who said that the boy did not leave the field at
the same time with himself, he Navinn given him orders
to stay there, crow-keeping, till dark, and that be bad
not seen him since. Witness then went home, and find-
ing his brother had not yeereturned, went out again
and wandered about in search of him till daylight,
when he resolved to go again to Pearce's cottage. Did
so accordingly, still accompanied by Sangster, and
found that Charles Pearce, about 18 years old, a bro-
ther of the boy James Pearce, was already up. Asked
him why he was up so soon. Pearce replied that he
had been drinking at Nordelph on the Saturday night,
and returned home so late, although quite sober, that he
resolved not to go to bed at all, but to sleep in a chair.
Pearce then agreed to accompany witness and Sangster
to the field _where witness's brother bad been crow-
keeping. They walked about it for a little time when
they came to it spot near the drain, when Pearce said,
" Dig down here—here's some holes down here." They
accordingly commenced digging, and almost imme-
thately turned up a cap which witness .knew had
belonged to his brother. The sods which they dug up
had evidently bern recently turned over, as if to hide
the clots or blood with which .they were covered.
They found nothing more there, and .were going away,
when witness saw something to excite his sus-
picion, a few yards distant, near the drain. Witness
said, "Let's dig here;" but Pearce replied, " Oh, no;
there's nothing there; it's only where the boys have
been digging for .aasusemsnt ". Witness, however, in-
sisted upon digging, and the spade almost immediately
struck upon something which proved to be the body of
his missing brother. The brains were blown out, evi-
dently by the explosion of a gun. The body was buried
about a toot de p, and about twenty yards from the spot
where the cap had been foued, and where he had no
duunt first fallen. The cap and loose sods above it were
partially burnts, and would probably have been entirely
consumed but for the dampness of tne turf. Witness
afterwards went,to the village for a cart to convey home
his brother's remains, and subsequently gave informa-
tion to the police.
Sang,ter corroborated the above evidence, as did also
Charles Pearce, brother of the accused boy James
Pearce, with regard to the finding of te • body. Beyond
that witness knew nothing personally ot toe transaction.
The father, mother, and sister of the accused, were
severally examined, but utterly denied all knowledge of
Day's death until utter the discovery of his body.
Wiliam .Peerce, tea years old, and brother of the. ac-
cused; gave more important testimony. He ,stated that
he went to bed with his brother James Pearce on
Saturday night as usual, when his brother told trim that
he had shot Billy Day. They were sitting in the field
by the fire (wheel boys are accustomed to keep up while
cioeescaring) wilt') they quarrelled, and Day struck
aim a violent blow over the eye (which was blackened
and bruised when he was taken into custody); that he
"then took up the gun and blew Day's brains out. Day
did not die directly, but lay upon the ground bleeding
first-. My brother (continued the witness) said, " did
not know what to du with him. I liked him up, and
held him sitting on the gruuud, and I sp.cke to tarn, but
he could no speak to me. After a few minutes I saw he
was dead, and I dug a hole in the drain, and buried him;
and atter covering him up, I juaaped on him, and jam•
med him down. I did nut like to see the blood on the
sods where he fell, and eo I out them all together, with
his cap, and tried to burn them."
William Goullett, a little boy eight years of age, who
had been at tirst taken into custody on suvicion of having
been concerned in helping to bury the body, gave evidence
in a most satisfactory meaner to the following effect On Saturday afternoon he was at work in a Held adjoin-
ing that in which deceased, and the accused boy, Pearce,
were playing over a fire. Did not go to play with them
himself, because his master had threatened to fl )g him it
he did not gather up the chickweed. They %sere both
standing up when witness saw them shortly before a
gun went eff. Witness looked round. He saw the
smoke of the gun, and Pearce still standing on the same
spot, but could not see Day. There was a little bank
between them, which would prevent him seeing any one
lying on the ground. Witness was about 200 yards
from the spot where tho deceived had made his fire, and
where he was killed. It was about half-past five o'clock,
when the gun went off, which witness aapposed to have
been fired to-frighten the crows. For some time after-
, wards saw Pearce walking and wandering about, but did
not suppose anything was wrong. Knew nothing about
Day's death until Sunday morning.
It was stated by an officer of the Norfolk constabu-
lary force that he had the boy, James Pearce, in his
custody at the police-station at Downing-market, upon
Vie charge of having murdered the' deceased, William
Day. On the previous day the constable went to Out-
well, and on his return to Downham the prisoner asked
him it he had seen his father and mother, to which a
reply was made in the affirmative. The prisoner after-
wards said, " Have yea seen - poor Billy Day ?" The
constable again replied in the affirmative, when the pri-
soner replied, "Poor little- fellow,- Is have told a good
many lies about it, but I will tell you the truth. I did
not shoot him; but I helped to bury him by the drain
side." Afterwards he admitted that he did shoot Day,
who had at first got up, as they were sitting by the fire,
and hit him in the eye.
Other witnesses having been examined, and a medical
gentleman baring deposed to the fact that the death of
the deceased had been caused by the passage of wadding
from a gun through the brain.
The CORONER summed up, pointing out the distinc-
tion between an act ot manslaughter and one of wilful
murder.
The jury requested that the room might be cleared,
which was accordingly done, and after consulting some
time 'they returned a verdict of " Manslaughter against
James Pea: ce."
The CORONER expressed some surprise at the verdict,
which he contended ought clearly to have been one of
" Wilful Murder," and for which offence, • notwithstand-
ing the verdict just, returned, the boy Pearce would, no
doubt, have to take his trial.
Pearce was not produced before the jury, the police
holdiug.hitn in custody for examination before the.magis-
trates of the district.-

Subs quent to the conclusion of the inquest the sister
of the boy Pearce, woo in her examination had denied
all knowledge of the murder until after the discovery of
the body, is said to have admitted to a neighbour that
the whole family knew of the t vent us early as six o'clock
on Saturday night, or within half an hour of its occur-
repo-, as her brother went home at that time tied said
he had shot Bill Day.

ST. ALBANS ARCH2EOLOGICAL SOCIE7Y.
A vaned), ravetitz or this society was held at the
Town-hall, St. Albans, on Wednesday afternoon. In
the absence of the Rid of Veronica, the president (who
was in attendance on her Majesty), the Rev. Dr. Nichol-
son, the .rector of St. Albans, took the chair. The
Secretary reported an interchange of courtesies and
publications with the Kilkenny Arcbxologicsi Society,
and the Reverend Chairman presented a btd'ai....uioifruie,)d-
executed copy, in colours, of a fresco,ariemcietruetlye
y'r6Porfetreaßtiongrnan CathdolinceCelisivarscthi°.
i. n
(evidentlythEi venerable
li n
archbishop)abb e
This print, which is to be obtained in the town, is
awrotr.thAy abupalascewhinicthhehcaodllbeecetinoniboifinadllinlortehrs of.g shebtioeunt
r.
hood of the Abbey, and which bore the
naemneelof Pope
John XXIII.. was the subject of an interesting discus-
sion. It wasdiscovered near seven skeletons, the remains
waphpicebarwloarsmseurlbyoetqouehnatviye belonged to the of persons who had been interred in ground which would
been known at rite "sumptuary ground,"
wherel nmules of travellers were placed. A very sitnagesueatfkele-
monastery, but
desecratcd, and for ages hadt.e
cir-
cumstance was mentioned in connexion t.,
tons. The axis of the abb© itself "nwsindeheareabbloYdivesabrisede
from the due east, but the orientation of
been exactly accurate.
Mr. EVANS produced some
and the same gentle-
cially a sword and some axe
ing part of the county
°fwthiich he had also transmitted
man read some resnarks, Celtic antiquities, espe-
i ~bee e,rat:d:39o,nfoutnhd.,„ isauab. ni
~ecitghobrutuhret-
o the Society of Antiquair,
e introduced a translation
bully above
from Matthew Paris,
in
in which one of the rival
' nof the ingenious . which a curious account was
and Canter-
burygive' satisfied the Archbishops
legates saw
mentione%
~ question of precedoice.
hhishops of York
neon - 11
...a.oopailse.reandoarpe;pieeivreudpothnethhiestLoirtyerao-f
taro of English.
tnedrscitoed a series of poetical epitaphs
England,from the time of
b:e
dwelts
ir i, h:i7hasmuyveyhatadmioiratthiaotn outpDonr.thJe.ohrau!nonly.,
healthy,lling
lin Suiy. Ept ta
I,
theatheeiniaecardiipotgionws,rai
and individual character of most of these tributes to the
dead, Mr. Bro:..ks p.-oct,edill to contrast with them the
vague but prolu,e eulogy, and the verouse, characterless
periods of modern epitaph-writing, which he considered
left no abiding; impression on the mind of a reader. lie
also examined the question of the language in which an
epitaph should be written, and while admitting that
it would be aff-eotion to record merely bouts hold
-lirte:?t; i,,:t . , . , ';lulu
_,
~ , ~.
~
. -...,,..L. (“. tti.tdo,tti.-,,,,j the
..0...i..“ a'. ~. .i.e t,,,,..,.,,,; and pith o .14,...in I..ii,,,;tilige
for memorials to men of science and of European repu-
tation, and ho also reminded bin hearers that Mil in