The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-12 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

I do not know whether at the time the man was struck a
flag was up at the firing points.
By a Juror— Firing was going on all around us, at other
butts, when he was struck.
By the Coroner—Cooper could not be seen from the firing
point. I had knows the deceased for 18 months, and the
person who shot him about Bor 9 years. I never heard any
threat used by the person who I understood fired the shot,
or any other person, towards the deceased.
Isaac Wayman, corporal in the is t battalion of Coldstream
Guards, deposed—l knew the deceased Thos. Cooper. On
the 21st of July was on duty at \Vimbldon-common, and
was stationed at Nos. 4,5, and 6 firing points, where the
volunteers were shooting. It was the 500 yards' pool. At
2 o'clock that afternoon the firing was stopped for an hour.
At the expiration of the hour I went back to the point to
attend to my duty, which was to raise or lower the danger
flag, as occasion might require. I held that duty before
dinner, and when we left for dinner the flag was standing
at "danger," to keep people from firing. When I returned
from dinner I saw Lieut, Morrison, the officer in charge of
the firing points, but no one else whom I know by name.
I saw no shot fired, but I heard an explosion near me, and
directly after I saw the rifle in Sergeant Roberts's hand.
There were other persons about there, volunteers and others.
Sergeant John Roberts was on duty at that point keeping a
registry of the shooting, and arrived at the firing point be
fore the signal-gun to "resume firing" fired,and I was there
about 2 minutes before it fired. When it fired I went to the
signal-flag at the point, and lowered it. I lowered it for
firing to commence, and t.o warn the markers to got into
their butts. About 10 or 12 minutes after I had lowered it
I heard the report of a rifle. I was then at No. 5 firing
point, the sound came from the right. There was a screen
between me and No. 6 firing point. I then noticed Sergeant
Roberts wi h a rifle in his hand, but whether he fired it or
not I don't know. Some gentlemen standing by said a man
was shot, and on looking through the telescope I saw Cooper
on the ground. I told Roberts that Cooper was on the
ground, and that I thought he was shot. I started off then
towards the wounded man. I did not afterwards see
Roberts to speak to him. I have not spoken a syllable to
him since: There was no other shot fired near me that I am
aware of. The report I heard must have come from a rifle
within five or six yards of where I was standing. I was told
when I returned from the butts that Sergeant Roberts was
under arrest, but I do not know who placed him under ar-
rest. I have known rifles brought down after dinner to the
firing point loaded to be discharged into the pit, but I have
not known rifles to be left there loaded during the dinner
time. I heard no expression before the shot was fired. It
was the regulation that no one was to fire while the red flag
was up. That applied to both the firing point and the butt.
The signals were up at the iron targets. I know they were
at two of them, but I cannot say whether they were at No.
6. This target was not for volunteers only; it was a sweep-
stake target for any one, and all who choose to join in could
do so. It was confined to the Enfied rifle. lam not certain
as to whether Sergeant Roberts was or was not a competitor.
The Coroner then said that there did not appear to be any
one present who saw the shot fired, and it would therefore
be necessary to adjourn the inquiry.
After some conversation the following additional evidence
was taken :

Mr Chas. Hall, of 2, Warwick-road, Maida-hill, deposed
—I am a member of the Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps,
and was in uniform on Wimbledon-common oa the 21st
July. At about 3 o'clock that day I was at the 500 yard's
pool firing target. The signal gun to commence firing was
fired whi►e I was there, and I was asked to give my opinion
of a glass at the point by spotting a shot on No. 6 target.
One had just been fired. I looked through the glass, and I
said, " Good heavens l no one could have fired at that tar-
get, for the flogs are out." The flags were out of all the six
targets ; at least such is my impression ; but the flag at No.
6 had fallen on the ground in front of the target, and it might
not have been visible with the naked eye. I looked through
the glass again and saw that a man wa•a shot. No one was visi-
ble about the targets even with the glass at the time the shot
was fired. Ido not know who fired the shot, but I know
that the officer and the non-commissioned officer at this
point were placed under arrest. I don't know who gave the
order to do so. The man might have been shot from within
a radius of a hundred yards. The "running deer" firing
point, for instance, could be made to bear upon this No 6
target. A person, however, would fire at the targets in
front. I did not hear a second shot near me at this time.

Henry Cramer Guinness deposed,—l am Staff Assistant-
Surgeon, and I had charge of the detachment of Guards
stationed at Wimbledon during the late meeting. I was on
duty on the afternoon of the 21st of July, and I was sum-
moned to Thomas Cooper in the Volunteer surgeons' tent.
There were several Volunteer surgeons present. I took
charge of him then in conjunction with Dr Westmacott, of
the London Scottish. I found that the man was sufffring
from a gunshot wound in the chest, and was in a complete
state of collapse. The ball had entered behind between the
ninth and tenth ribs, and glanced upwards to the third and
fourth. Lt had entered at the back, at about two inches
from the spine. There was a bruised mark at about an
inch and a half above the nipple. The bullet was in his
body. From that day the man was under my charge, in
conjunction with Surgeon-Major Wyatt, and ho progressed
favourably until last Friday night, when congestion of the
right lung set in. From that time to the time of his death,
which happened on Tuesday morning, he was in an alarming
condition. I made a post mortera, in conjunction with
Surgeon• Major Wyatt, and I found the ball produced.
[The ball was shown. It was the common Enfield, and
was fattened at the point.] It was lying loose against the
dtaphram where the diaphram is attached to the spine. I
traced the wound from the external orifice in.'o the lung.
The ball had passed through the muscles and through the
lower lobe of the lett lung, and had lodged between the
third and fourth riba on the left. The man died from con-
gestion of the right lung, and his death decidedly arose from
the injury he received. The ball is a riffs ball, and it is
flattened by going through three inches of board backing.
As no further evidence was forthcoming, and as Inspector
Brett, who was watching the case for the civil authorities,
expressed his belief that he could collect further evidence by
Monday next, the court was adjourned until that day.
Last evening at 8 o'clock the body was buried with mili-
tary honours, in Brompton Cemetery, in that portion of the
ground allotted to such of the Household troops who die in
the London district. The Rev. Mr Helpine, the chaplain of
the regiment, spoke of the deceased in very high terms,
giving him a good character as a quiet and steady man. As
already stated in the Rev. T. H. Ball's letter, that gentle-
man daily saw Cooper, who constantly expressed his ex•
treme anxiety that nothing should be done to Sergeant
Roberts on account of the accident.

Loss of a Schooner and Rescue of Five of a

Crew,

(From ate Liverpool Mercury,)

Oa Tuesday ever ing this town and neighbourhood were
visited by a sudden and violent gale from the N.W., ac-
companied with heat, y showers of rain, which continued
with more or less violence during the whole night and yes-
terday. As a large number of vessels had been towed out
of the Mersey and were proceeding down the channel dur-
ing the afternoon, considerable anxiety was felt for their
safety, but it is satisfactory to state that, so far as has been
ascertained, only one serious casualty has been reported—
the loss of the schooner Sultan—and that, fortunately, was
without loss of life. The greater portion of the outward
vessels have either returned to the river in safety, or been
left or spoken in positions which leave no doubt as to their
being able successfully to weather the storm.
Yesterday morning the steam tug Emperor fell in with
the schooner .Mary, seal-laden, in a sinking state, near the
north docks. The schooner was taken in tow by the tug,
and safely beached at New Brighton, where the crew were
rescued. The tug, whilst rendering this assistance, unfor-
tunately grounded on the beach, and for the present remains
there.

At an early hour yesterday morning information reached
this port that a vessel was aground on one of the banks
north of the Crosby Lightship. Soon after the receipt of
this intelligence, the Liverpool and National Institution
lifeboats proceeded to the scene of the disaster, with the
view of rendering assistance. As the wreck was ap-
proached by the Liverpool lifeboat, the hull of the
vessel was found to be altogether submerged, and
har crew were observed clinging to the rigging in a very
perilous position. The vessel proved to be the schooner
Sultan, Capt. Murphy, bound from Lough Swilly to this
port, with a cargo of iron ore, and her crew consisted of
Hugh Murphy, mate; and Patrick Boyle, Hugh Murphy,
and John Milian°, seamen. The lifeboat was successful
in saving the lives of the whole of these poor fellows, five in
number, who had passed a very trying time, having been
lashed to the rigging the whole of the night, and were so
benumbed from the effects of the waves dashing over them,
and exposure to the cold, that they had to be carried on
board the lifeboat by her gallant crew. The rescued men,
drenched and shivering, were landed at the Prince's Pier
about 8 o'clock yesterday morning, and speedily conveyed to
the Sailors' Home, where they received that kind attention
which they so much required.

A DOLLAR NOT A DOLLAR.—In Springfield,
Illinois, the other day, a merchant was trying to
sell a pair of boots to a labouring man. He asked the man
5 dollars for the boots, which the would be purchaser de-
clared too much, saying he had bought the same hereto-
fore for 3 dollars. The merchant declared that the boots
before them were the cheapest boots for the price he had
ever sold. The man could not see it. At last the merchant
said, " When you bought those boots you speak of for 3
dollars gold and silver were the currency of the country,
were they not ?" " Yes," said the man, " but Treasury
notes are now the currency, and are legal tender, and a dol-
lar is a dollar you know." " Well," said the merchant,
" do you give me two and a half for the boots in coin, and
take them." " I'll do it,'s said the man, and he pulled out
an old leathern purse with a little coin in it, and took out a
yellow boy. Before delivering it, however, he inquired the
price of gold. " I'wo hundred and seventy," said the mer-
chant. Tho purchaser then went to work to see how much
2 doll 50c in gold would amount to at 270 in greenbacks,
and having ascert,inad the result, he handed over a 5 del
greenback, took the boots, and went off muttering that a
dollar wasn't a dollar. Practical illustrations of this kind
bring the state of affairs home to a rain. "Things is
'-in'."—CAicago Times,

TxarEs.—Rather less than once in five years the
British Government has to go through the process
of appointing a King. Of course, it has occasionally
to assist at the selection of a Monarch who may or
may not be the founder of a line as long as Hugh
Capet's or an empire as wide as that of Augustus.
It has also to fill a great number of small governor-
ships, for which there are generally plenty of ap-
plicants. But there remains two dignities, one
kingly, the other imperial, yet subordinate. The
difficulty in their case is not to select, but even to
find a candidate. It is true there are men of rank
and weal th,and a certain degree of ability who will
go anywhere and take any t-,ffice that promises dis-
tinction and power, and that may afford them the
opportunity of attaining by one great effort a posi-
tion beyond the reach of their character or their
lives. No doubt there were others who would have
liked to find themselves Governor-General of India,
but Sir John Lawrence happened to be the only
man practically on the list. His work is one of im-
perial dimensions. The kingly state we coupled
with it is the Viceroyalty of Ireland. The holder
of that office has to perform the part of a king in a
city which communicates with the Home office by
11 hours' posts and instantaneous telegraphs. Yet
for the time he has to be every inch a king, and so
much is this insisted on that an inch or two mote
or less really enters into the selection. He must
make regal appearances, and be the chief character
in pageants of royalty. He must give banquets to
guests of whom be knows nothing, and for whom
it is difficult, under the circumstances, to get up a
real and intelligent interest, He must preside at
openings and lay foundation stones; he must in-
vest with the lustre of royalty exhibitions and
bazaars; he must exercise a discriminating patron-
age in fat pigs and articles in bog oak ' • he must
wear as many coats, distribute among his friends as
many poplin dresses, take as many pills, and sacri-
fice as many teeth as the State tailor, the State
draper, the State physician, the State dentist may I
consider their due. He must exhibit himself to ad-
miring
strangers in the Viceregal pew, surrounded
by carved cherubim and gentlemen in gorgeous
uniform. He must make an occasional progress for
the purpose of seeing with his own eyes what he
finds it was wholly unnecessary to see, and what
everybody tells him he knows less for the seeing and
had better have taken upon their description. After
a time he is glad to resign the cares of State, and
nobody asks him to stay. " Welcome the coming,
speed the parting guest," is the rale of the country.
If he has spent all his allowance, and no more, he
is fortunate; for he might certainly have done
worse, not only there, but anywhere else. But
thenceforth he forgets Ireland, and Ireland him.
The dynasty of the Viceroys is as a roll of the
Pharaohs. They who know the Peerage by heart
know also the succ, ssive occupants of the Lodge in
Pheeeix Park. But even in Ireland, if you asked
either the people who went in procession in O'Con-
nell's honour the other day, or the savages who
burnt his effigy at Belfast, the names of the Vice
roys he had denounced and abused, not one in a
thousand would be able to reply. No wonder that
the office is more and more difficult to fill. If the
inevitable progress of change now and then upsets
a real throne, how much more its semblance! It is
not only the office and all its circumstances, but the
men who should fill it, and the age too, that are
changing. The taste of the day rejects idle dis-
riuctions, and pomps that are only vanities. Lord
Carlisle has been long enough at Dublin Castle. He
is in bad health, and considers himself entitled to
resign. Who can be got to take his place ? The
Duke of Devonshire and Lord Lansdowne have
been mentioned, but they ate both occupied with
real kingdoms far more important and responsible
in the management of their own estates. Real work,
too, requires the relief of real comfort and rest; and
these are not to be found in a daily course of vhaee
royalty. Lord Bessborough is said to be disin-
clined, and that most perfect of all the great
officers of State, Lord St. Germans, has been once
more thought of. Woat is to be done when nobody
will take the place if he has anything better to do,
and is quite free to choose ? Happily, there is now
and then a good man not placed so entirely to
his liking as to shirk an untried burden. Lord
Wodehouse is an Under-Secretary, and has been
one far too long. He has been Minister in Russia,
and his mission to Denmark, if it was not work, was
not play. From a task that "no fellow" con ld do
to one that any fellow can, if he has common cease
and good manners, may seem a great change; but
from things impossible to be done, and things im-
possible not to be done, there is no such great IV-
terval. Both are mere spectacles. The merit it'
both cases consists in the tone and gesture, the so-
lemnity of the phrase, and the gravity of the de-
meanour ; not in the result, which in both cases is
impalpable. But when the mimic throne is difficult
to fill, or rather, mhen the right people will not fill
it, and when the real work of the Irish-office is all
done by the Chief Secretary, sensible men ask more
and more, " Why keep up the show ?" The Scotch,
whose country and capital are practically quite as
distant, have never asked for a Viceroy, and do not
find their interests suffering from the want of one.
Tne Irish, it is true, want a certain amount of
pageantry, but when we begin to ask what the ems
pire gets in exchange for an institution not only
rather expensive, but quite out of character with
the rest of our customs, we must conclude it to be a
bad bargain. The Irish population do not stick to
Ireland the more for it. Tne Irish factions don't
make up their quarrels the more for it. They don't
worship demagoguee, or burn them the less for it.
The Irish members don't support the present Go-
vernment or any other the better for it; they don't
keep their promises the better for it. The Irish pro-
prietors do not and cannot live in Ireland the more
for it. Indeed, it is impossible to name any substantial
return for a pageantry which has neither reason nor
looks in its favour. It is not only a sham, but to some
extent an imposition. A presen ration at Dublin Castle
is not a presentation at St, James's, and whatever
is done on the Irish stage begins and ends there.
If men of great wealth and consideration in this
country could be induced to reside a few years at
Dublin, and give Ireland the benefit of their money,
their interest, and whatever goes NI h a high per-
sonal position, that would be so tar a benefit to the
island. But there is a growing difficulty in finding
the men, and Ireland has to thank herself for a large
share in the ciifficulty. She does nothing to justify
the wisdom of the institution, and a good deal to
make it ridiculous. The Irish are poor, not very
helpful, and much divided in their religious allegi-
ance, a circumszanee that unfortunately weakens
also the civil tie. They want somebody to do them
good, They must have an idol, but it must be one
that hears their prayers, however unreasonable, or
may be imagined to do so. fhe Viceregal fetish,
much as we may respect it in this country, is a very
dumb idol there, paint it, and gild it, and feed it,
and clothe it as we may. So the natives do not
really respect it. So is it worth keeping up ? and
if it be, for whose sake is it kept up ? A few
Dublin tradesmen may answer as they please; but
we doubt if they will get one Irishman in twenty
to join them.

HERALD.—It is not on account of their intrinsic
importance that the affairs of small duchies, situated
in the north of Europe, have for a long period at
tracted public attention. Deplorable as is the policy
of despoiling Denmark, we might, after having
witnessed previously so many instances in which
the might of the strong has overpowered the right
of the weak, have been disposed to drop the subject
for ever, were no fresh complications likely to arise
from an accession of territory to a powerful military
state. Wnat has happened, we know, might have
been prevented by a prompter and more generous
interchange of sentiment amongst the neutral
Powers; by a display of greater firmness, accom-
panied by an absence of braggadocio, upon the
part of our Foreign Minister ; by a less obvious
manifestation of pique and of contempt for the
English Government upon the side of France; by
an adoption of wiser diplomatic language towards
Russia by both the Western monarchies, and by
a nobler chivalry upon the part of the Swedish
Cabinet. What is to come may be less at the
disposal of these countries. The interest bound
np in the duchies of Schleswig, and Holstein,
which have hitherto monopolised our notice, may
for awhile be dormant ; Lauenburg is likely to
arrest the immediate consideration of Europe. Not
that the cause of the provinces which formed the
original pretext for war is now played out, but that
it will probably receive some temporary aojustment
which for a time may stop the mouth of hostile
csiticism. A Duke of Augustenburg or even of
Oldenburg, may govern the duchies of Schleswig
and Holstein, as the virtual satrap of Prussia,
without provoking the open animosity of the minor
states which profess to listen to the authority of
that mysterious body the Germanic Confederation.
If any German Power has anything in reality to lose
by the setting-up of a new ducal house in strict
vassalage to Prussia, it is Austria. Looking at the
matter dispassionately, it would be almost better
for Austria that her rival should at once annex the
duchies boldly to her growing empire, rather than
rule theta by means of a substitute. As the Court
,t Vienna now stands, it might re isonably demand
some compensation, should Prussia act as in the way
supposed; but if the latter Power be content to
bide her time Austria will behold the substance
though not, the shadow, grasped by the Cabinet of
Berlin, and will be all the poorer, from a claim to
compensation being got rid of be a dexterous delay.
So much has the Austrian Rnpire gained by the
transfer of these duchies from Denmark to the army
at Prussia ; for this in point of fact will be their
ruling body for several v.,ars, Prussi I, Da the other
'laud, is influenced by motives of a different cha-
racter. She has already aroused the watchful

.—y......... _
jealousy of some of the minor Gernart n Princes by
her arbitrary and self-relying course Of action. For
the moment she may not venture to pro ceed turther.
Provided that she can establish her dk latity upon
the throne of Schleswig. Holstein ; th at she can
obtain the real, ahough not the nominal posses-
sion of Kiel at; a port, and other strong places
as fortresses; that she can by a show of moeieration
procure the retirement of the Federal t:roops ; that
she can avert any intimate connection in. process
of formation between the Court of Pe,ris and the
malcontents of Germany, she will gain a substan-
tial victory. The ease of Lauenburg is widely dif'
ferent from that of the other duchies. That little
territory may be appropriated by Prussia without
exciting a similar outcry. There wont d in such an
appropriation be involved no violation of the princie
plea of Legiimacy maintained by th a whole body
of German Sovereigns and by Russia ; no infringe-
ment of the rights claimed by the I Loyal line of
Augustenburg or Glucksbnrg, and the ir rivals, the
ducal house of Holstein-Gottorp. La-nenburg bag
betore this been made a subject of barter. Once
governed by its own dukes, incorporated with
Hanover in 1689, it was detached from that king•
dom in 1815, in exchange for a portion of Pottle.
rania. To take to herself this little duchy would
be consistent wi(h the general policy of Pruasia•
without provoking the interposi'ion of dangerous
enemies. German Legitimists could not say much
upon the subject; probably the Confederation
would murmur, but one of their members, Hanover,
having previously let Lauenburg go to Dennasrk,
with the assent of the rest of Europe, must, we.
should think, confine their dislike of the proceed,•
ing to simple words. Still it was not for nothinfp i
we may be sure, that the cession of the duchies Wild 3
made to Austria and Prussia—that they wer 0
placed at the disposal of the great German Power 0,
and not of the Confederation. Whether Austr is
will assent to a Prussian appropriation of Lane 11;
burg we cannot say, but our hopes can hardly Kr is'
oar apprehensions. A contemporary, the Mors lets
Post, has done his duty in pointing out to his co' 111'
trymen what the effect of this acquisition would be
upon the rest of Germany. The duchy itself .is 5
country of lakes and plains, and naturally
sofa rolethat it has yielded to the Sovereigns of Denm ark a
revenue beyond what might be expected fro ca its
size. Although it contains only 50,000 inhab itatite
its geographical position would render it an ir ciPort'
ant addition to the power of Prussia. It wi told be
as a wedge in the midst of the two Meckler iburget
H mover, Hamburgh, Lubeck, and Hoist' ;in, by
which it is bounded. From this little p rein"'
Prussia could pursue her favourite policy of inter•
Terence with the minor States of Germany, baying
an eye to their subsequent absorption— she could
intimidate the free citizens of Hamburgb, at the
same time that she exercised a pressure up/ in th?
new Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, and could . 11°1u
out to Hanoverians the spectacle of part o f their,
old country, similarly to bilesia and a mo: ,ety n'
Saxony, having become an integral portion
of the
Prussian dominions. We arc far from deer sing a
multiplication of German principalities ess e'otial to
the peace of Europe, or compatible with tile In ail3*
tenance of good police in Germany itself. Batt a
few yean, ago, a poacher, we are aware, co aid CO
mit his depredations with impunity upon the con
AI '
fines of Mecklenburg-Schwerin,
- -eeki,e aborg-
Strelitz, and Prussia, as when chased by th.e police
of oce he could take refuge in either of of her two
States. We are not advocates for these princely
sanctuaries, these constant provocetives to dorneet3
boa.
warfare and foreign ambition. But though. we
•
this opinion, we cannot overlook the fact t hat ther:
is upon the part of Prussia a perpetual roovenien.
against the independence of other German Stete"ii
We are the more concerned that Austria, tbr9l),,,gr
the short-sightedness of her statesmen, forfeits i'!";
legitimate position in the empire. But without am
from Vienna the Confederation will do no good b;ri
extending execution to Lauenburg. This ivv'm
simply bring their follower to the dnoby 'r°
„,...
which they could wish to exclude him ; for 'Arie,e-r
ever a German Federal army can be found I:bit' D,
the Prussian eagle will shortly afterwards wing
his flight.