The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-18 00:00:00

ROYAL INSTITUTION.

No science has undergone so many and such im-
portant changes as chemistry, not only in consequence
of the discoveries of new elementary bodies and the
decomposition of those that were supposed to be ele-
mentary, but in the theoretical views of the nature
of the actions of different elements on each other,
and at the meeting of the members of the Royal In-
stitution on Friday evening another change that has
been recently made in the views of many chemists
was noticed and illustrated by Dr. Odling. Until
within the last 12 years there was no fact in chemi-
cal science that was considered to be more firmly
established than the composition of water. The de-
composition of distilled water by the voltaic battery
shows that it is composed of the two gases hydrogen
and oxygen in the proportions of one volume of oxy-
gen to two of hydrogen ; but as the latter gas is 16
times lighter than the former, the proportions by
weight are eight of oxygen to one of hydrogen.
According to the atomic theory, which regards all
bodies as resolvable into ultimate indivisible atoms,
the molecule of water was considered to consist of
one atom of oxygen and one atom of hydrogen, and
that the weight of the oxygen atom was eight times
greater than that of the hydrogen atom. Nearly all
chemists were agreed on that point, though seine
doubts had been thrown on it by Gay Lussac, Sir
Humphrey Davy, and a few others. Recent con-
siderations of the well known combinations of hydro-
gen and oxygen in other substances have induced
many chemists to alter their opinions, and to con-
sider water to be composed of two atoms of hydregen
and one of oxygen, the weight of the oxygen atom
being thus raised to 16 times the weight of the atom
of hydrogen. Chemists are now nearly equally
divided in opinion respecting this change in the
relative weights of the two atoms; and Dr. Odling,
who is an active propagandist of the new theory,
endeavoured to support it by a variety of examples
and illustrative experiments, many of them exhi
biting remarkable and brilliant effects of chemi-
cal combinations. Two of the combinations
on which he relied for confirming his views were
those of hydrochloric acid gas and of phosphoretted
hydrogen. The latter gas is so inflammable that it
ignites the instant it comes in contact with the air,
and this effect was brilliantly exemplified by pass-
ing bubbles of the gas through water into a jar
containing oxygen. The evidence by which Dr.
Odling supported the new theory was entirely of a
technical character, and he introduced an array of
long terms with their accompanying chemical sym-
bols that was quite overpowering. The difference
between the new and the old theory of the compo-
sition of water, he contended, is not a mere matter
of form, but it,is a matter of fact that serves to ex-
plain many of the previously inexplicable chemical
combinations, and tends to remove those difficulties
of the atomic theory which arise from the necessity
of dividing indivisible atoms. It has been objected
to the new estimate of the weight of the atom of
oxygen that it would unnecessarily alter established
opinions, but that objection Dr. Odling thought
should have no force, for he considered it might be
desirable that nine-tenths of all established opinions
should be changed.

CONVICTION OF THREE DETECTIVES.

At the Southwark Police-court, on Saturday,
Henry Barrett, police-sergeant, 16 L, Wm. Jones,
151 L, and Henry Young, 81 L, well-known detec-
tive officers of many years' standing, were brought
before Mr. Burcham, by order of Sir Richard Mayne,
Chief Commissioner of Police, charged with extort-
ing £9 from Mr. John Murray, a licensed victualler,
formerly keeping the Victoria Tavern, 11, aterloo-
road, under the plea of getting his licence trans-
ferred ; also, with attempting to obtain a further
sum of £5 from him by threats.

Mr. Lewis, jun., of Ely-place, prosecuted; and
Mr. Lilley, instructed by Mr. Detton, from the office
of Mr. Chipperfield, defended the prisoners. Mr.
Webb, the superintendent of the L division, was
present to watch the case on behalf of the Commis-
sioner of Police.

The prosecutor, on being sworn, said that he was
a licensed victualler, and resided at No. 51, Upper-
marsh, Lambeth. He formerly kept the Victoria
Tavern, in the Waterloo-road. On the 23d of
December last he was fined at this court £5 for har-
bouring thieves. Neither of the prisoners was a
witness on that occasion. About a week after that
conviction, between 8 and 9 o'clock in the evening,
the three prisoners came to the Victoria Tavern and
called him on one side. Young told him that they
had been appointed to watch his house by their
superiors, and that upon their report it would de-
pend whether he got his licence renewed or trans-
ferred; This occurred in the lobby. Young then
added, " We are your friends and shall want a bit
of coin, as we know your game is to work the house
up and let it." Tne witness told him he did not wish
to act shabbily towards them, but that such was not
his intention, They then went away. About a week
afterwards Jones and Young called on him about
the same time, and they went into the bar parlour.
Young said, "Governor, we are hard up to-
night, and if you don't raise a bit of coin somehow
we shall have to go along the water-side." Witness
then gave Young half a sovereign, and they went
away grumbling. They stopped about a quarter of an
hour, and had some brandy and water. About 11
the same night Sergeant Barrett came into the
house by himself, and led him to believe that the
two other prisoners were dissatisfied. He accord-
ingly gave him a sovereign, saying, " That will
make a half-sovereign for each of you." About a
fortnight after that all three of them came to the
Victoria Tavern again, when Young said, " Gover-
nor, we are hard up to-night ; we want a bit of coin
to get some supper with." The witness told them
they were too hard with him. He, however, took
out 7s. 6d., from his pocket and handed it to Young,
saying, " Here's all the silver I have got, and I am
not going into my bar to allow my barman to see
that I take money out to give to you." Barrett
replied, " Don't take that paltry sum ; put it on
the stairs and leave it." Jones said, "Never mind,
—come along." The witness told them, if they put
the money on the stairs he should take it up and re-
place it in his pocket, and they should have nothing
at all. Jones took the money then, and they all
went away. About a week or ten days after that
he was standing on the pavement outside his house,
between 8 and 9 in the evening, when the prisoners
came up to him, and Young said, " Good evening,
governor. We are hard up to-night, and must
have a bit of coin somewhere." Witness gave
Young a half sovereign. Young took the half sove-
reign in his hand, and, holding it out, exclaimed,
" Half a sovereign be —; what use is that to three
of us ? Give us another," Witness gave him an-
other half sovereign, and they went away. The
witness let the house on the 23d of February to Mr.
Goldby, and about a week after that, while he hap.
pened to be there, the prisoners came again, when
Jones said, " Mr. Murray, we can be your friends
or your enemies. We don't work for nothing."
The witness said, "I want no further bother with
you, but if things go on right there will be £5 for
yon. Jones said, "All right, we'll stick to you,"
and then they went away. The house was transfer-
red to Mr. Goldby on the 19th of March, but a few
days before that the witness was living at the
Builders' Arms beerhouse, Peckham, and Barrett
and Jones camel to him there in a cab. It was about
7 o'clock in the evening. They said they would
stick to him about his licence, so as to transfer
the Victoria Tavern to Mr. Goldby. On the 21st
of March, after the transfer, all the prisoners
came again to the Builders' Arms, when Jones said
to him, " We are come about the £5 you promised
us." Witness said, " You have received it. Mr.
Goldby hap paid you the £5." Jones replied, "It
cost all that to square one party, and we are not
satisfied, and if you are in town on Monday or
Tuesday go to the Victoria Tavern, and it shall be
returned to you." The witness here informed the
magistrate that prior to that interview he had seen
Mr. Goldby, who told him he paid the prisoners the
£2 10s. of which he paid him back as his share.
The witness had never had his money returned to
him, but, in consequence of the prisoners threaten-
ing to pursue him in his business, he wrote to Sir
Richard Mayne, who directed the present proceed-
ings to be taken, About two weeks ago witness
met the prisoners in front of the Surrey Theatre, in
that .they
theMlackfriara-road, when Jones said