The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-17 00:00:00

Trial for Murder by Poison in France.

The proceedings commenced on Saturday at the
usual hoar. After the witnesses for the prosecu-
tion had been heard, those for the defence were
called.
Dr. Hebert, head pharmacian at the Clinique,
deposed as follows :--" I intend to combat the re-
port of Drs. Tardicu and Rousain, as s.ts conclusions
are not justified by the facts. In the first place the
report expresses astonishment at the wonderful
preservation of the body after a lapse of 15 days.
It is true that mineral poisons prevent decomposi-
tion, whereas vegetab!o poisons do not. But this

is only a trifling inDeeurvey; and I will therefore

pass on to examine the Physiological experi-
ments with dogs, rabbits, and frogs. As to the
dogs, the report states that the experiments de-
monstrated—ist, The gradual slackening of
the circulation ; and 2d, the contraction
of the ventricles. I maintain that these facts were
sufficient to justify the conclusion that digitalin°
was not present. As to the second experiment, I
assert that the experts were mistaken in attributing
the death of the rabbit to digitaline. That sub•
stance has little or no effect on rabbits and other
herbivorous animals. As to the experiments made
on dogs and rabbits with the substance extracted
from the organs of the deceased, no effect was pro-
duced on the dog, but the rabbit died. I venture to
affirm that digitaline did not cause its death; the
putrid matter was most probably the cause. As
to the frogs, I have no confidence in the results
obtained by the experts. The learned Stannius
says that frogs are very little affected by digita-
line. I have tried it on several myself, and I
could show them to the jury, all alive and well."
A long discussion here ensued between Dr.
Hebert and the experts, which did not seem to
throw much light on the matter, for each of them
firmly adhered to his previously expressed opinions,
and as they had appegled to the authority of Pro-
fessor Claude Bernard, of the College of France, he
was called in and deposed to the following effect :
" I have been occupied in researches on digitaline
and other poisons which act on the heart. Digita-
line has a rapid action on the superior animals by
arresting the circulation. It stops the contraetion
of the heart, and death is the oonsequence. Tne
cadaverous rigidity of the heart rapidly follows
death when caused by digitaline."
Dr. Tardieu, in reply to a question from the Pre-
sident, declared that Professor Bernard's opinion
confirmed his statement that the relaxation of the
heart is the characteristic effect of digitaline.

Dr. Vulpian and Professors Bouley and Rayne],
of the Veterinary School of Alfort, who have all

made experiments on animals with digitaline, were
next heard, and expressed opinions coincident with
those of the experts and Professor Claude Bernard
as to the effects of digitaline.
A number of witnesses were then examined whose
evidence chiefly bore on the habits of the prisoner
and his intimate relations with Mme. Pauw, to whom
some of them represented him to have been very
generous. The porters of the different houses where
he had lived stated that, previously to his marriage,
Mme. Pauw visited him every day.

Several domestics who had bken in the prisoner's
service deposed that ha was a good master, and a
number of his patients spoke highly of his skill as
a physici,n and of his liberality in supplying them
with medicine gratis.
The list of witnesses being exhausted, the Presi-

dent adjourned the pleadings to Monday.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE—(This Day.

lIY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.

GRAVESEND, Tuesday Morning.
Arrived, May 16—Furet and Napoleon, from Gravelines,
Arrived, May 17—Conrad; from Colombo—Esstuco, from
Helsingborg.
Sailed, May 17—Danio, for Adelaide. _

DEAL, Tuesday Morning.
Passed, May 16—Azorian, from London, for Canaries—
Alfred the Great, from London, for Madras.
Passed, May 17—Wilton, from London, for Jamaica—
Legal, of Bilbos, from Havannah, for London—Thomas
Dryden, from Shanghae, for London.
Passed in Tow—Sylph, from Barbadoes, for London—
Majestic, from Jamaica, for London—Carlo, from Trieste,
for London—Frank W., from Marseilles, for Lynn.
t3poke by the French bark Greenvilles, Capt. Lefette,
from Callao for Dunkirk, April 2d, the bark Wensleydale,
from Llanelly for Bombay, 46 days out, lat. 45, long. 38—
the same day, Yarratilda, Capt. Conway, for Panama, 39
days out, lat. 6'25, long. 38,

WHAT A CAPITAL IDEA !—During a residence at
Nice, for the amendment of his health, the Rev. Wil-
liam Blood [horrible name] was shooked by the idolatries of
the Romanists into a conscientious desire (says a writer
in last Saturday's Athenmum) to convert them to a purer
faith. Not " having the Gospel to
give them, the ques-
tion," says Mr. Blood, " arose in my Mind, ' What can I
best do F' " " The response immediately came, Get The
Amazon' translated : it contains the Gospel ; its title will
excite their curiosity [and no wonder] and get for it a read-
ing [otherwise unprocurable]
; the narrative will interest
them, and gain their attention, solemnise their minds, and
prepare them for the reception of the glad tidings of redeem.
loveleg
b ym
rwhich.B l o itd (them ak
levsriktenroiwant.li e Itenhcceu
goes Amazon'
on
is t
o a
' T
inform us), and the fact makes his cool commendation of
its interest and efficacy, as preferable to that of any other
trot
work which could have been selected, significant, to
arty the least of it. " Trenez lnon ours !" is not a phrase of
which we ought to be reminded when topics so grave as
those of this volume are in hand. It was by aid of The
Amazon' (a tale of the well-known sea disaster) that the
great oppression of Italy was to be made to melt away. The
reverend author soon wrought himself to the point of con-
sidering all friends who were less sanguine than himself as
little better than traitors and recreants. Not being
" very well able to afford', the expense of print-
ing that translation when it was executed, he
applied for pecuniary aid to "an intimate friend,
a very rich Christian," and
on the latter de-
clining to entertain the application, Mr Blood has placarded
his refusal as " a specimen of self-deception." Two other
"rich and great Protestants," who refused in a similar
fashion "to stand and deliver," are also introduced with
notes of displeasure. There is something too much of this
confident mendicancy among the clergy of a Church who
are on no abuse more eloquent than on the mischief done
by the begging Romanist friar. Which of us does not know
by heart the slit oard gaping fora guinea, with the envelope
ready directed, and the fluent appeal far alms for some local
clerical object which comes up to town from total strangers
in places as far distant as Merionethshire or Wensleydale
or the Fens ?
THE LATE FIRE IN HAYTI,--We have already
mentioned a terrible fire which broke out at
Gonaives, in Hayti, and did much damage. The following
is taken from a private letter addressed to a gentleman in
Paris, and dated from Gonaives, April 22:—" A dreadful
conflagration has taken place, and more than halt the town
has been burnt down. The fire began thus :—A man who
had a cotton store was smoking, When by some accident the
cotton caught fire, and, instead of crying out for help to ex-
tinguish the flames, he tried to put them out himself.
The consequence was that they communicated to an
apothecary's shop, and, as there was a very strong wind,
several houses, which were all mad e of wood, were soon
reduced to ashes. Not one house is left near the market
place, where all the business is done—so you can fency tha
immense loss that everbody has undergone. The houses
destroyed have not yet been counted, but I think they must
be something like 200, which for a small town like
Gonaives is immense. There was not a single pump ready.
nor did anybody make an effort to put out the fire. The
prison was burnt down, but all the prisoners first got
out, and I need not tell you to what amount they pillaged,
To people who are such thieves, the opportunity was too
good to be lost, They all of them had got arms by some
means, and were ready to assassinate any who attempted to
I on told that the President
prevent them from stealing.
has sent 100,000 gourdo (about 4d. each) for the distressed
inhabitants, and a subscription is being raised at Port-an-
Prince in their behalf. At the theatre of Port-au-Prince
a benefit is to be given for the sufferers. The loss is sup-
posed to be about 30,000,000 gourde, or £500,000.
MR. GLADSTONE AND THE HALFPENNY JOURNAL.
—An endeavour has been made to induce the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer to become one of the staff of a daily
journal—to ascend to the tempting and elevated position of
leader-writer for a halfpenny paper I The proprietor of a
little fly-sheet, called a newspaper, published serneli here in
London, had the cool effrontery to enclose the light hon.
gentleman a cheque for a hundred guineas, with a letter,
stating that the service required for it was the production
of a leading article for the columns of the little rag ; and
with a liberality which cannot be too highly commended,
he informed the Chancellor that in accordance with the
custom prevailing in his editorial department, Mr. Glad-
stone, like the other contributors, should be allowed consi-
derable scope in the statement of his opinions. The Chan-
cellor was to be at liberty, also, to devote the cheque to
charity, should he so think fit. Mr. Gladstone's secretary
returned the money in a note, stating that while the right
hon. gentleman appreciated the object of the proprietor, his
public duties would not permit of his accepting the engage-
ment. Next day monster capitals in the halfpenny sheet
announced an "important special correspondence between
the Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer and this
journal." This was what the individual wanted. It was
the trick of a small Barnum —London Correspondent of the
Liverpool Albion.