The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-03 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

CAPTURE OP EXTENSIVE COINERS.—William Ballard
and Eliza Ballard, man and wife, were placed at the bar
before Mr. Paynter, charged with coining at their residence,
17, St. Anne-street, Westminster. -
At 7 o'clock this morning, Mr. James Brennan, an agent
of the Mint authorities, accompanied by Inspector Rolls,
Inspector Brennan, Inspector Fife, and three subordinate
officers, went to 17, St. Anne-street, and finding the street
door open, proceeded upstairs to a front room on the second
floor, at which they received a check, in consequence of
their being doors peculiarly and ingeniously constructed,
which were double, with several bolts of iron, and barri-
caded and secured by a large oak beam let into the floor.
An attack having been made upon the door with sledge
hammers, it at length gave way, and the police, entering
the house, found the prisoners in bed. Mr. Brennan then,
addressing the prisoners, said that he had received instruc-
tions from the Mint authorities to endeavour to put a
stop to their unlawful dealing in counterfeit coins, and
had visited them accordingly. Some 'of the offi-
cers having secured the prisoners, Mr. Brennan
went to a cupboard aiid there lound a galvanic battery
charged. There was .inarhie' slab with tome plaster of
Paris with the implements for moulds of coin, suitable
materials for colouring, coating, and preparing coin. There
was also some antimony which is used with soft metal to
harden it, and give it what is termed " a ring." There
were other matters and things used in the process of coining.
The doors were produced and created much curiosity.
They were of course much impaired by the process of
breaking them open.

Mr. Rolls, inspector of the B division, produced four
counterfeit half-sovereigns fit for circulation, each wrapped
in a piece of soft paper, which he found in a basin upon the
mantel piece. _ _ _

The male prisoner said "Of course they brought them
with them and put them there—how else should they
come in the basin."

Mr. Paynter—l shall at present remand you till Mon-
day, when you can be further remanded.

THAMES.

MURDEROUS AssKurr.—Thomas Watkins, a powerful
and ruffianly-looking fellow, described as a painter and
house decorator, of No. 14, Frederick-street, Limehouse,
was charged with committing a savage assault on Francis
Green, of No. 2, Devonport-street, Rateliff-highway, mat-
tress maker.

A medical certificate was put in, stating that the prose-
cutor was in the London Hospital with a severe wound of
the scalp, and was not in a fit condition to be removed.
Walker, a police-constable, No. 488, said ho had just
seen the patient, who was in a dangerous condition. He
produced a supple leathern thong, to which a heavy piece
of lead in the shape of a ball had been attached at one
end. The prisoner struck the prosecutor with this
deadly instrument on the hand with such tremendous force
that he dislodged the leaden ball from the thong, and it
was found in the gutter. It appeared that there had been
an old grudge between the parties, and that the prosecutor
was quarrelling last night in Cannon-street-road, St.
George's, with a woman who has been for some time co-
habiting with the prisoner. Green and the woman began
fighting, and were struggling on the ground. The prisoner
came up with his rough life-preserver in his hand, and said
"I'll finish the - dead, and kill him," and then struck
him with all the force he could muster on the head with
the instrument and rendered him senseless. The prisoner
then sneaked away, and concealed himself behind
the mob which had assembled to witness the affray, and
threw away the " life preserver," which one of the wit-
nesses called a life destroyer. It was recovered by a man
and handed over to the police. The prisoner on being
taken into custody said he had never seen the " stick" as
he called the thong and lead.

The case was fully made out against the prisoner. He
was remanded until the complainant, Green, is in a fit condi-
tion to appear against him.

FEDERAL LOSSES AT FREDERICKSBURG.—The
New York correspondent of a contemporary, who
has stood fast by the Federal cause, writing under date
Dec. 20, in the midst of " indignation and despondency,"
increasing in intensity, gives some further information
touching the great blunder on the Rappahannock :—" The
more we know of that tremendous struggle the more excuse
there seems to be for those who are disposed to despair of the
country and the cause. Instead of only 40,000 men having
been engaged, as we were at first led to believe, it now appears
that the whole army took partin the fray; and. instead of only
5,000 men having been killed and wounded, 13,500 are, at the
lowest estimate, the number of the victims of this stu-
pendous folly. It appears that from morn until dark night
division after division was hurled against a steep hill-side
honeycombed with rifle pits, lined with stone walls and re-
doubts, bristling with batteries and crowned with woods,
defended by 100,000 men ; that at sunset Hooker's reserves,
the flower of the army, led by a man whose unconquerable
audacity has procured for him the soubriquet of fighting
Joe Hooker,' went into action maddened and desperate by
looking on all day from the other side of the river at the
slaughter of their comrades. After a brief but tremendous
struggle of about half an hour's duration the night fell,
and they, too, were compelled to retreat, shattered
and broken. On the left, where there were no
stone walls to hit against, although the position
was terribly strong, Jackson was driven on a mile
and his first line forced, but at tremendous cost ; and as
long as the centre was not carried this partial success was
useless. The story, as I have it from eye-witnesses, is un-
paralleled in the annals of military blundering. Every
column that advanced against the centre encountered 500
yards in front of the position which they were directed to
carry with the bayonet the converging fire of upwards of
60 guns, ranged in a semicircle on the heights behind, andthe
close, well-aimed, and ceaseless musketry of 30,000 or
40,000 men, concealed in the woods, in the rifle
pits, behind the stone wall, and in the adjoining
houses. What this meant you may guess from
the fact that French's division, which was the first
to attack, went into action 6,000 strong; it came
out with only 1,500 men untouched. The other divisions
did not suffer quite so severely, but all suffered terribly.
There has been nothing like it in the war, except the
Southern charge upon M'Clellan's position at Halvern Hills
—another piece of butchery as heroic and as useless. This
last one was, however, more terrible, for it united temerity
with courage. The carnage began at daybreak, and divi-
sion after division marched to its fate all day long, each
leaving its mound of dead at the foot of the intrenchments,
and then straggling down the hill into cover under wither-
ing volleys from every crest and knoll within a mile
round."

The French Minister of War has just adopted
a measure which will effect a further reduction of
the troops in active service, and cause a considerable sav-
ing. A decision, dated 19th ult., has been addressed to all
commanders of corps directing that the 7,000 men who re-
ceive six months' leave of absence on the 4th November
last, shall be immediately transferred to the reserve, and
also a certain number of others at present on furlough for
various terms, but more especially those whose services
are wanted for the support of their familes.
The weather being fine yesterday, vast crowds
filled the Boulevards, and on several occasions dur-
ing the day stoppages occurred which for a time barred the
circulation. The petty dealers seemed to drive a thriving
trade, and the general admission was, that the purchases
made were to a greater amount than last year.
STRANGE WEDDING.—A rather curious wedding
was witnessed on Tuesday last, at the Primitive
Methodist chapel, Loughborough. The bridegroom was a
ripe old man of 75, and the bride, a blushing damsel of less
than half those years. The pair came from Hathern ; and,
as many of the natives had subscribed towards the expense
of publishing the banns and celebrating the nuptials, the
style and ceremony was such as is seldom witnessed. A
muck cart, cleansed and garnished, drawn by a steed
(which, although not very light on the heels, had the re-
deeming character of being quiet in harness), trimmed and
covered with a profusion of rustic trappings, was in requi-
sition to convey the lovers to the hymeneal altar. After
the ceremony the old mad led forth his lady to her seat in
the cart, and then took his seat beside her, giving expres-
sion to his love by hugging her in the .tenderest manner.
A large blue flag waved triumphantly over them, whilst
the crowd of persons, numbering several hundreds, who
had been attracted by the sight, filled the air with their
cheers
dress,
r eThess,
abnriddelohoakde
do n t at 0 whiteuse
the bonnet, a
expression bridal
a .
stander) " elarm . -
and decent' and very comfortable." Her
head-dress was a bunch of ivy, and her bouquet a bunch of
holly. The bridegroom
was dressed in a negligee suit. His
coat, instead of being buttoned,
, its ew.,aspreevcieddeendt
the
ee
cart,had the
eought wasthat
string, and his trousers looked so very uncomfortable, that
pair of breeches, and therefore
far. A number of men shoulNeurin
they returned to their home, the line of route being lined
his legs through too
he
dwith a piece, of
t. had to dress in a
procession besoms,b. mop-stalls,
man dressed as a clown, and a brass bande.in
with spectators. The affair made quite
upectia....2vatiorteiinnotalg
being
nhtelai ida fashion
a
village, which presented ii holiday
loornal,