The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-24 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

The Coroner for Central Middlesex and the
Parish Authorities of St, Pancras.

ETHNO:

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

-- ---
The disputed question arising out of the dismissal
of the coroner's summoning officer by the St. Pan-
cras vestry, was resumed yesterday at the ordinary
vestry meeting.
The CHAIRMAN, Mr. Churchwarden Taylor,
pointed out the position in which the matter stood
at the present time. There were before the meeting
a resolution, to the effect that the report of the com-
mittee presented last week should be adopted, and
that the vestry should proceed to the appcintment
of a beadle in the room of Murray, and nave him
duly sworn in by the magistrates to discharge the
duties in reference to inquests ; and ar amendment,
to the effect that the question of the legality or
otherwise of Murray's dismissal, he not having been
allowed to be heard, should be referred to the

OMNIBUS ROBBERY.—Henry Walker, a well-dressed
young man, who described himself as' a carver, of High-
street, Reading, was charged before Mr. Knox, with steal-
ing a purse containing two rings and some money from the
pocket of Mrs. Susannah Moore, a lady residing at 8,
Brewer-sttreet, Pimlico, while in an omnibus in Park-lane,
Mrs. Moore said—Yesterday afternoon about five o'clock,
I was in an omnibus at the bottom of Park-lane, near the
Marble-arch, the prisoner sitting next to me. After get-
ting about half-way down Park-lane, I having my hands
in nay muff, I was induced to look at the prisoner in con-
sequence ot his touehing me. I observed that the prisoner
was looking me hard in the face, and that his hands were
under my cloak. I thought it very su picious, the more so
as the prisoner got up and left the omnibus in a hurried
manner, and on putting my hand into my pocket I found
my purse and contents were gone.
Mr. Knox—On which side of you did the prisoner sit?
Mrs. Moore—On the right hand side of me, on the side
where my pocket was. Directly I discovered my loss I
spoke to the conductor, the prisoner making off just at the
time, and the conductor and a gentleman caugh the pri-
soner and brought him back. While the prisoner was
away I searched the omnibus with a lady who was in it,
bat could find nothing of the purse. The prisoner pro-
tested his innocence, but after being placed in the omnibus
by the conductor the purse was found at his feet.
Edward West, conductor of one of the Royal Oak omni-
buses, said—The prisoner got in at the top of the Edgware-
road, and on going down Pack lane got out in a hurried
manner without giving me notice, and was going away,
not having paid me my fare. In consequence of what the
lady said I seized the prisoner, and he fell. On getting up
he made off, but, accompanied by a gentleman, I pursued
him down Chapel-street into Mount-street, where we
stopped him, and the only remark he made was, "He is
gone ; I'll come back with you." We then took the pri-
soner back to the omnibus, and not seeing a constable till
we got to the Victoria Station, there gave him into custody
Mr. Knox—Where was the purse found ?
Conductor—On the prisoner being put into the omnibus,
after it had been searched by the ladies, he went to the far
end, and at his feet the purse was found.
Mr. Knox—That was away from where the prosecutrix
had been sitting?
Conductor—lt was, sir.
John Parish, 140 B, said—The prisoner was given into
my custody by the conductor, and the purse and contents
were handed to me. The prisoner gave his address at
Reading. I have ascertained that the prisoner has been
seen in company with men at the Elephant and Castle, and
that he is an associate of thieves.
Mr. Knox (the prisoner asking no questions)—Remanded
him for a week.

solicitor.

Dr. COLLINS said that on a prelims occasion the
coroner had spoken to him with reference to nume-
rous complaints by medical men, to the effect that
they had not received their fees for making pest-
mcrtem examinations, alleging that the St. Pancras
vestry must consequently be very negligent.
was therefore surprised that Dr. Lankester should
be led to come forward now and make an attack
upon a public body like that, and support the re-
instatement of Murray.

Mr. WELLBY said that Murray had been grossly
misrepresented. The beadle was a persecuted man,
against whom unscrupulous means had been used,
and was therefore deserving of the support and
sympathy of the vestry. Dr. Lankester was a gen-
tleman better qualified than any present to form
correct opinions as to the character of the man, and
he had declared that Murray was an excellent officer
and a sober, steady, and honest man ; and if he were
discharged the public in general, and the parish of
St. Pancras in particular, would suffer for it ; and
if they did not rescind the resolution for his dis-
missal, they would everywhere be set down as great
noodles.

A stormy discussion ensued, which resulted in
the amendment being lost by 16 to 22.
Capt. CAMERON moved a second amendment, to
the effect that the question as to whether the resolu-
tion dismissing Murray was legally carried should
be referred to the solicitor. He contended that it
had not been carried, inasmuch as the bye-laws of
the vestry provided that the amendment should be
carried by two-thirds of those who voted,and not by
two-thirds of the vestry; therefore the 27 who voted
for the amendment for rescinding the dismissal of
the officer-40 only voting—must necessarily con-
stitute two-thirds. The chairman declining to vote
ceased to be a vestryman for the time being. There-
fore he considered that the amendment had been

legally carried.
JENKINS concurred in Captain Cameron's
opinion, and seconded the motion.
The amendment being put to the meeting, was
lost by 23 to 13.
The original motion was then put, and carried
by a large majority, and
The proceedings terminated.

MARKETS--This Day.

MARK-LANE.

IMPERIAL WEEKLY AVERAGES.—Wheat, 41s 2d ;
barley, 32s 6d ; oats, 19s Od ; rye, 29s 4d ; beans, 34s 9d ;
and peas, 33s 7d.
THE SIX WEEKS' AVERAGES. Wheat, 40s 6fl;
barley, 33s 5d ; oats, 19s 4d ; rye, 29s 8d ; beans, 35s 6d;
peas, 33s Ild.
ENGLISH GRAIN SOLD LAST WEEK.—Wheat, 112,204;
barley, 113,124 ; oats, 15,301; rye, 30; beans, 5,537; peas,
1,864 quarters.

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 24, 1863.

iCIETY.

At a meeting of this society on Tuesday evening—Mr.
Crawfurd in the chair—a paper was read by Mr. F. Galtom
"On the first steps towards the domestication of animals."
He stated that the object of the paper was to discuss the
character of ancient civilisation as indicated by the domesti-
cation of animals—whether there was a golden age of ad-

vanced enlightenment, or whether extraordinary geniuses
have existed who taught their contemporaries to domesticate
animals; or whether it was possible that the instinct of
saveges, combined with the qualities of the animals domes-
tica`ed, sufficed to originate every instance of established

domestication. The latter view of the question was the one
taken by Mr. Galton, who proceeded to consider the condi-
tions necessary to domestication, and to notice varieties of
instances in which wild animals have been tamed by savages.
The condi lions under which he considered wild animals may
become domesticated, when briefly stated, were—that they
should atound in a wild state, that the natives should be
hunters, that the animals should be hardy, that they should
have an inborn liking for man, that they should be comfort-
loving, that they should be found useful to the savage,'
that they should breed freely, and that they should be gre-
garious. In support of these positions Mr. Galton adduced
the evidence of several travellers, combined with his own
experience, and he mentioned many curious instances of the
taming of animals by savage tribes, either for their use or
for show, or merely as pets. The Indians of North
America were stated, on the authority of Sir John
Richardson, to bring up young bears, the women giving
them milk from their own breasts; and the women in
the interior of South America are said by Mr. Wallace
to suckle and rear young monkeys. Mr. Galton is of
opinion that the gregariousness of all our domestic
species is the primary reason why many of them are extinct
in a wild state. The wild herds, he observed, would inter-
mingle with the tame ones, some would become absorbed,
the others would be killed by hunters, who used the tame
cattle as a shelter to approach the wild, Besides this, com-
fort-loving animals would be less suited to fight the battle
lof life with the rest of the brute creation, and it was there-
fore to be expected that those varieties which are Lest fitted
I
for domestication would be the soonest extinguished in the
wild state. He believed that every animal had its chance

of being domesticated, and these which fulfilled the cond
tions before named were demonstrated long ago. It would
follow, there fore, that the animal creation possesses no more
animals worthy of domestication, at least for such purposes
as savages care for. Tho elephant appeared to be an ex-
ception to the rule that domestication has always been per-
formed by savages. The African elephant is untamed, and
is not even alive; but three of the conditions of domestica-
tion are wantißg in Africa, for the elephants are not there
sufficiently abundant, nor is the character of the country
such as to admit cf their easy capture, and the animal
would be useless to savages, especially in an open country
like Africa. In conclusion, Mr. Galion said ho saw no reason
to suppose that the first domestication of any animal, ex-
cept the elephant, implies a higher civilisation among the
people who established it than that of barbarian hunters.
He could not believe it to have been the result of a precon-
ceived intention, followed by elaborate trials, to administer
to the comfort of man. Neither could he think it arose
from one successful effort made by an individual, who might
thereby justly claim the title of benefactor of his race ; but,
on the contrary, that a vast number of half unconscious at-
tempts had been made throughout the course of ages, and
that ultimately by slow degrees, after many relapses and
continued selection, our several domestic breeds became
firmly established.
Professor OwEN said he agreed generally with Mr. Gal-
ton respecting the conditions required for the domestication
of animals, though there .ere a few exceptions to the rule.
He noticed, in the first place, that the period of the domes-
tication of the turkey and of the guinea-pig in Europe was
distinctly marked, as those animals were introduced into
the Old World from America; and yet, as they were most
probably previously domesticated by the Mexicans, that
fact could not be considered a proof that they were not
originally tamed by man in a savage state of life. The
domestic cat, however, was an exception to the condition
that domesticated animals were in their wild state grega-
rious. There are, he observed, two species of wild cats, one
of which inhabits a district extending from Scotland across
the north of Europe into China and Japan; the other is the
wild cat of Persia ; and it is from the latter stock that the
majority of our domestic cats have sprung. He conceived
that the domestication of the cat indicated an advance in
civilisation greater than was exhibited by savage tribes, for
the use of the cat in destroying rats and mice could not be
experienced until there was an accumulation of grain or
other food to be preserved. With respect to the elephant
he did not agree with Mr. Galion in his explanation of the,
cause why there were no tamed elephants in Africa. It
was well known the Carthaginians employed trained ele-
phants in war, and the abundance of those animals in Cen•
tral Africa was proved by the large quantities of ivory
imported from that continent, which greatly exceeded the
ivory obtained from Asia. Thus, it could neither be owing
to the incapacity of the African elephant for domestication
nor the smallness of their numbers that negroes did not
tame the elephants of Africa.
Mr. PooLE and Mr. GOODWIN considered the question
from an archwological point of view, from which they
were inclined to believe that the domestication of animals,
especially by the Egyptians, was not caused either by their
utility to man or by the other conditions insisted on by
Mr. Galton. Many of the creatures that were tamed and
worshipped were rather hurtful than useful to man.
Mr. Markham, Mr. Wallace, and Mr. Bates, from per-
sonal observation among the savage tribes of South Arne-
rice and in the East, were of opinion that the domestication
of animals was never undertaken by tribes in a perfectly
savage state.
Mr. CRAWFURD expressed the same opinion, and with
regard to the African elephant, he contended that the cause
of its not having been tamed and rendered useful in that
country was to be attributed solely to the stupidity and
want of capacity of the Degrees.
Mr. GALTON briefly replied, and the meeting adjourned.