The Sun.
London, England, 1839-10-31 00:00:00

THE MAD

OPENING 0

TH

NCHESTER
ATHENIEUM.

The new and handsome edifice, erected from a de-
sign of Charles Barry, Esq. (the architect of the new
Houses of Parliament ; of the fine Free School of
King Edward VI. in Birmingham ; and in this town, of
the Royal Institution, and the Unitarian Chapel, Upper
Brook-street), was formally opened on Monday evening
last, with a dessert, in the large news and reading room
of the institution, in the first (a mezzanine) floor of
the building. This large room, which is 80 feet long
by 50 wide, but which, owing to the recesses, &c, has
an area of 376 square yards, its height 17i ft., is formed
into three divisions by a screen of columns on either hand
of the centre one.

In the absence of James Heywood, Esq., the es-
teemed President of the Institution, Hugh Hornby
Birley, Esq., one of the Vice-Presidents, filled the
Chair, supported on his right by Thomas Potter,
Esq., Mayor of Manchester, and on his left by John
Brooks, Esq., boroughreeve of Manchester. On the
Chairman's right hand at the same table, were Colonel
Sir Michael Creagh, Daniel Maude, Esq., Charles
Barry, Esq., and other gentlemen. On his left were
Colonel Wemyss, Colonel Custance, Dr. Dalton, Mr.
Peter Clare, and other gentlemen. At the lower cross
table, we noticed Mr. Alderman Burd, Mr. Alderman
Kershaw, Mr. Alderman Cobden, Mr. Alderman
Callender, Mr. Alderman Tootal, Charles Hindley,
Esq., M.P., the Rev. Dr. Lang (from New South
Wales), Mr. Dircks (of the Liverpool Literary and
Philosophical Society), Messrs. J. A. Turner, Daniel
Lee, Richard Birley, Wm. M'Connel, S. D. Darbi-
shire, George Hadfield, Joseph Heron, T. W. Win-
stanley, W. B. Worthington, Edward Worthington,
Curtis, and other gentlemen. The Vice-Presidents
were Messrs. J. S. Grafton, J. F. Barbour, Robert
Phillips, jun., and John Potter.
Apologies for inability to attend were read from Mr.
Heywood (the President), the Bishop of Norwich, Lord
F. Egerton, Mr. Sergeant Talfourd, Mr. Wyse, Mr.
Dickens, and Dr. Birkbeck.
The meeting terminated, about half-past ten o'clock,
after a very pleasant social evening, marred by none of
those untoward occurrences which sometimes break in
upon the most agreeable occasions of festive celebra-
tion. The guests departed, apparently much gratified
with the edifice, and the promise of future edification
and enjoyment within its walls.—Manchester Guardian,

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

111ANS10N-HOUSE.

INFORMATIONS AGAINST A PAwNsaoicEs..—Mr.
Spink, of No. 2, Graceehurch-street, was charged by
Birch, the informer, with having taken more than the
lawful rate of interest.
Anne Owen, of 14, Gostell-street, Chelsea, deposed
that a few days ago, she went to the shop of the defen-
dant to redeem a ring belonging to Mr. Birch, which
had been pledged for 4s. The interest charged was
three halfpence.
Birch said the charge was a farthing too much. The
interest taken was '25 per cent., which ought only to
have been 20.

Owen, in answer to a question by Mr. Humphries,
who attended on behalf of the defand int, said, I may
have redeemed a dozen articles for Mr. Birch within
the last 12 months. I took a copy of the duplicate, I

presume, in orc'er to lay an infotm
Birch—Oh, I'll admit all that.—(Laughter.)
Cross-examination continued—l am to have three
shillings for giving evidence to-day. Mr. Birch al-
ways gives me that. My occupation is a joint one, that
of washerwoman and witness. I have not been paid yet.
Mr. HUMPHRIES submitted that his Lordship ought
not to convinct on the evidence of an interested witness
who was to be paid for her testimony after the decision
was given. She was as much interested in the success
of the information as Birch himself. During the great
number of years which Mr. Spink had been in busi-
ness no charge had ever before been preferred against
him, and there was, consequently, respectability on his
side. What was the inducement on the part of the in-
former? The prospect of recovering two thousand
times the amount of the excess of interest taken. This
was not the case in Middlesex, where the Magistrates
had the power of mitigating to the lowest amount. That
had been done at Bow-street.
Birch—lt was done in error. I have taken an opi-
nion on the subject since.
Mr. HUMPHRIES said there was no such power of
mitigation in the Act, and that was the reason why a
great number of informations had been laid. He looked
more to the respectability of his client than the amount
of the penalty.
The LORD MAYOR—The poor man looks to the re-
spectability of a house, thinking he will not be imposed
on there. _ _ _ _

After some further conversation, the Lord Mayor
convicted the defendant in the lowest penalty, 40s.

HATTON-GARDEN.

GAMBLING IN Pußuc—HousEs.--Mr. John Brown
a licensed victualler, who keeps the Three Jolly But-
ches, in Brook's Market, was charged with suffering
gaming in his house, on the evening of the 22d inst.
Inspector Penny stated that in consequence of in-
formation he had received, he visited the defendant's
house on the evening in question, and in an upstairs
room he found ten persons seated playing at cards. He
brought one of the cards away with him. They were
all Italians.
The defendant said that he kept no servant, and had
placed these persons in an upper, room because the
lower room was crowded. He was ignorant that they
were playing at cards.
Mr. GREENWOOD said that his defence proved he
must have known it. He kept no servant, and there-
_

...-- -
fore must have served them himself, and could:scarcely
be supposed to be ignorant of what was going on. He
should inflict a fine of twenty shillings on him, and
should he be convicted a second time, he would render
himself liable to a penalty of ten pounds.
Thomas Williams, a miserably squalid looking man,
was charged with stealing a baker's basket, containing
thirteen quartern loaves.
The charge having been fully proved, the prisoner in
his defence said he was very hungry and badly off.
Mr. GREENWOOD—The baker would have been
badly off if you had escaped with his basket ; and, as to
hunger, you must have a capacious swallow if you can
eat thirteen loaves.
The prisoner was then fully committed.

OPENING OF THE MANCHESTER AND SAL-
FORD JUNCTION CANAL.—As we announced on Sa-
turday, this important link in the chain of water com-
munication, was mule available to the public on Monday
last. Our avocations elsewhere prevented our being
present, and we have not been favoured with any ac-
count of the proceedings. We believe all passed off
satisfactorily. By means of this canal, which connects
the Rochdale Canal with the Mersey and Irwell Navi-
gation, near the Old Quay, all the navigations of York-
shire, Derbyshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, &c. &c., will
have a direct communication with the Bolton and Bury
Canal, with the additional advantage of using the Mer-
sey and Irwell Navigation (which is deeper, wider, and
several miles shorter than any other line) to Warring-
ton, St. Helens, Runcorn, Liverpool, &c. &c. The
Junction Canal has the advantage of double locks, which
will considerably facilitate the passing of vessels from
the Rochdale Canal, thereby avoiding an inconvenience
which has hitherto caused serious delay. The
tunnel, which is short, is well lighted with gas Every 20
yards:; there is also a towing path the whole length,
and for the convenience of vessels using this line, men
will be in readiness, if required, for the purpose of haul-
ing them, and assisting them through the locks, for
which a small charge will be made.—Manchester
Guardian.

On Tuesday morning a man named Scott ex-
pired in the London Hospital under the following cir-
cumstances :—About a fortnight since the deceased,
who was a labourer employed on the line of the Black-
wall Railway, in the course of his work cut his left
wrist with a bricklayer's trowel. Although it caused
him some pain he was not incapacitated from attending
to his customary employment until a few days after,
when his whole frame was seized with a sort of nervous-
ness. A surgeon who had attended the deceased, find-
ing that the case was evidently one of danger, advised
him to go to the London Hospital, where the surgeons
paid him every attention, hut he continued to grow
worse daily, and on Monday last he was attacked with
tetanus, commonly called lock-jaw, which terminated
fatally. _

It has been observed from seeing so many females
enveloped as there are at present in Leghorn bonnets,
that there are a great number' of ladies now in the straw.
RAILWAY TRAFFIC.--The Glasgow, Paisley,
and Ayr Railway has now been open from Ayr to
Irvine (10/ miles) during a period of eleven weeks, and
in that short space of time the number of passengers has
actually exceeded the total number which it was calcu-
lated, and proved before Parliament, had travelled in a
whole year between the two places before the passing
of the Act. It were easy to multiply instances of th,
same marked success, but the case of the Dundee and
Newtyle Railway will suffice. That line is about 10/
miles in length, and previous to its opening, in 1832, the
number of passengers accustomed to traverse the same
route was estimated at 4,000 per annum. For two or
three years the line was worked by horse•power, but
even then the number of passengers averaged 30,000
per annum. When locomotive engines were brought
into use that number was greatly increased, till now
the monthly average is very nearly 5,000, being at the
rate of 60,000 passengers per annum, or a fifteen-fold on the number previous to the construction' of
the railway.—Railway Times.
We understand that the late much lamented
Lord Chief Commissioner Adam, who during his long
and, valuable life, was the kind and constant
friend of
the poor, left the handsome donation of twenty pounds
to the poor of the parish of Beath ' • and that, in terms
of his Lordship's directions, the amount has een placed
by Admiral Sir C. Adam, at the disposal of the mi-
nister of the parish, for supplying the poor with fuel and
clothing during the winter season.—Edinburgh Adver.