The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-17 00:00:00

THAMES.

EXTRAORDINARY ATTEMPT AT SUICIDE.—James
Macdonald, a man about 48 years of age, who appeared to
be halt starved and very ill, was brought before Mr, Wool-
rych charged with attempting to commit self-destruction.
A police•constable named Meades, 488 A, stated that at
two o'clock this morning he was both alarmed and surprised
at the discovery of a man hanging to the railings in front
of a house in Hardwick-place, Commercial-road. He cut
him down immediately, removed him to the station-house,
and obtained medical assistance, The man was nearly suffo-
cated, and in a few minutes would have been dead it he had
not discovered him.

Mr. Woolrych—How did the prisoner hang himself ?
Meades—He made his handkerchief fast to the railings,
and made a slip noose for his neck, which tightened when
he threw himself down. He was quite black in the face
when I came up. The constable then produced the old
cotton handkerchief which the prisoner had used. He added,
the prisoner said he "was tired of his life, and in great
poverty and distress."
Mr. Woolrych (to prisoner)—How came you to do this
rash and wicked act?

The prisoner feebly replied that what the policeman said
was true, and that he was in great distress, and in want of
food.

Mr. Woolrych'remanded the prisoner to the Clerkenwel
House of Detention for a week.

A SCAMP.— Richard Stollard, a lighterman, was brought
before Mr. Woolrych charged with deserting hia wife and
six young children, and leaving them ch.rgeable to the
parish of St. G eorge- in • the -East.
Mr. 'William Rolston, a relieving officer of St. George,
said he was desired by the Board of Guardians to prosecute
this case, which was a very bad one indeed. The prisoner
was in the receipt of good wages, and had abandoned his
lawful wife, the mother of his children, and been living with
a loose woman who knew he was married. The parikhhad
been allowing six shillings per week for the support of the
wife and five children. The sixth was maintained by a
relative. The prisoner was before the Board of
Guardians on the 30th of January. He then promised

to maintain his family, but that promise had
never been realised. Yesterday (Monday) morning he
visited Mrs. Stollard and her five children in a miserable
room, No. 84, Old Gravel-lane, Rateliff highway. There
was no furniture in the room, the children were in a state of
nudity, the wife cold and insufficiently clad. It was a scene
of desolati ,n such as he had never before witnessed. " The
place," continued the witness, stunk so dreadfully that I
was compelled to run into the street to recover myself in
the fresh air—l shall never forget it.
Mr. Woolrych—What has the parish expended for the
relief of Mrs. Stollard and her children ?
Mr. Rolston-425., I believe, sir; the prisoner promised
to pay that, but he has not done so.
The prisoner, in defence, said his wife neglected his
home and children, and was a very dissipated and drunken
woman. When he allowed her £2 per week she expended
nearly the whole of it in strong drinks. He found 65 dupli-
cates in her possession for property she had pawned. He
was in one situation for 13 years. He obtained others, snd
his wife came to the residence of his employers and made a
disturbance, and he was thrown out of employ several times
by her bad conduct. He gave his wife 6s. on Saturday.
Mr. Woolrych said the English vocabulary was insuffi-
cient to express his detestation of the conduct of the prisoner,
Who left his wife and family to the cold charity of the parish
while he was carrying on an adulterous intercourse with
another woman. He sentenced the prisoner to one month's
imprisonment and hard labour, and he (Mr. Woolrych)
would repeat that sentence every time prisoner was brought
before him, if ho did not properly support his wife and
children.
Mr. Rolston—The wife
into the workhouse.
Mr. Woolryen—
I am very glad to hear it, and family will now be taken

Bureau des Longitudes," up to Dec. 31,
POPULATION OP ALGlERS.—According to the
a European population of 205,888 souls, which shows an
increase of 11,183 heads within the last three years, com-
pared with the census of 1858 of the same date. In the
course of the year 1861, 1,885 marriages, 8,227 births, and
5,850 deaths took place in Algiers. Among the births were
7,072 legitimate, 671 recognised, and 419 illegttimate born.
1861, Algiers had
The proportion of deaths was 1,603 men, 881 women, and
3,366 children. Compared with the statistics of Pari-,
Algiers has less marriages, the number of births is larger
and that of deaths swelter than in the 20 arrondissements
of the capital.