The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-02 00:00:00

11-1 E NAVY.

The Royal Sovereign, shield ship, being con-
verted at Portsmouth, is making rather more satis-
factory progress now than a short time since. The
massive timber beds on which the towers, guns,
and shields will revolve are very forward,
the foremost bed, in fact, being finished, and
the manner in which it has been put together
reflects the highest credit on the shipwright depart-
ment of the yard. The circular rims of these beds
are formed of bent strips of American white oak.
The central iron cylinders, each one of which will be
fixed in the centre of each bed, as a supporting pivot
for the guns and shields, will be commenced in the
smithery, but each cylinder will take some weeks
in its manufacture, owing to the want of the requi-
site mechanical means for carrying out such unusu-
ally heavy and peculiar work. In building up each
cylinder two plates are first forged, each plate
being 7ft. bin. in length, 3ft. Tin. in width, and tin. 1
in thickness. They are next bent, each longitudi-
nally
in a semi-circle. After this last operation has
been completed under the Nasmyth hammer, they
are conveyed to the steam factory to have their
edges bevilled for welding, which is carried out in
the smithery with binding iron. The rough cylin-
der thus completed is afterwards turned inside and
out in the lathes of the steam factory. No. 1 cylin-
der of the Royal Sovereign has gone through about
one-half of this process. 210 hands are now em-
ployed upon the ship, chiefly on the beds for the
guns and shields, fixing the iron beams for the
upper deck in readiness for receiving the plating
and planking, and the fitting of the main deck. The
external planking round the stern is now completed,
and a gang of men are employed, under the direc-
t tion of the officer who has charge of the ship's con-
version, working overtime to get out the moulds for
her after armour plates as quickly as possible. The
machinery for bending the plates is not yet in
working order, but it has now reached such a stage
1 that hopes are entertained of its being available in
about ten days or a fortnight. The building which
contains the hydraulic machinery and the annealing
furnaces for preparing the plates has been built at
the north end of the yard, near the shed under
which the Roy al Alfred is being converted from
a 90 gun line-of-battle ship to a 40 gun iron
plated frigate. Workmen are now employed in
preparing the launching ways and cradle for
the launch of this ship, which is ordered
for January next. Upwards of 200 hands are em-
ployed upon her, but great delay has taken place
owing to the non-delivery of her iron beams and up-
per deck plating by the contractors. It is almost
needless to say that as yet she has none of her ar-
mour plating attached to her sides.
The Sutlej screw frigate, Capt. M. Connolly,
bearing the flag of the future Commander-in-Chief
on the Pacific station (Rear-Admiral of the White
J. Kiogcombe), went out of Portsmouth harbour
yesterday to Spithoad on the completion of her out-
fit, and will sail for her destination about Thursday
next if her trial at the measured mile, which is ap-
pointed to take place to-morrow, should prove to be
perfectly satisfactory. A large party of ladies and
gentlemen, guests of the Admiral and officers of the
ship, went out of the harbour in the frigate, and
afterwards returned to the shore in one of the steam

tenders.
The Alegcora screw troopship, Commander Hen-
derson, will sail from Portsmouth to-day for Queens-
town.
The Arrogant screw frigate, Commodore IV. Ed-
monstone, has gone into Portsmouth harbour from
Spithead after inspection and discharging ammuni-
tion, and has been berthed alongside the dockyard
to dismantle and clear out for p-,ying out of corn-

mission.
The Algiers screw line-of-battle ship, Capt. E. B.
Rice, was yesterday inspected at Spithead by Rear-
Admiral Hon. George Grey, and, after discharging
powder and shell, &c., will steam into Portsmouth
harbour to prepare for paying out of commission.
The screw steam corvette Pelorus, 21, flag of Com-
modore F. B. P. Seymour, C. 8., just returned from
the Australian station, having discharged her shot
zruale:htFeh es:t:
and shell, got up steam on Saturday morning and
proceeded from Plymouth Sound into Flamoaze,
where she was inspected by Port Admiral Sir H.
Stewart, preparatory to her being dismantled and
paid off. She will be placed in the third division
of the steam reserve at Devonport.
Orders have been received at Devon port to pre-
pare
tit
egamfr.steamship Princess Royal, 73, Mr.
pen-
nant by
Apairtiris,nnelxats.tor, for the reception of the pen-
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emi g atthee
aEmerald,hepe e the Channel
Captain
been to relic.©d the homeward bound,
arrived in Plymouth Sound on Friday,
orders
to dutsp-ecial
to Saturdayresume'Probably
tabolyn
The Lily, 4 guns, screwy' steam gn vesael, 702
tons, 200-horse power, Commander Henrya H
which has recently been fitted at Sheerness foarriseeyr:

Mrs. Cooke was yesterday brought up for re-exa-
mination before the Lord Mayor at Guildhall, when
an immense number attended to hear the case. The
prisoner was again defended by Mr. H. Breary.
The witness Ann Clancy was recalled, and in ad-
dition to her former evidence about Mrs. Cooke (the
prisoner) offering to give her £5 if she would put
something in the flour bin in the prosecutor's house,
she now deposed that she remembered the prisoner
had at the time the conversation referred to took
place asked her to go out and fetch some packets of
rat powder, observing also that if she could get
" shut" of the old gentleman, Mr. Edwin (her hus-
band) would soon die of grief. She also added that
they were a bad. family. Soon after this the witness
was discharged from Mrs. Cooke's service.
Mr. Cooke, sen., was also called, and after depos-
ing to some unimportant facts, he was cross-exa-
mired relative to some domestic pecuniary matters.
From this evidence it would seem that the
prisoner possessed some money, the whole, or
most part of which had been invested in the
purchase of the prisoner's husband's business
in Coney-street. Money matters therefore it seems
has partaken largely in the family differences of the
Cookes. He also stated that in consequence of the
former attempts to poison he had, for the sake of
precaution, ordered the servants to procure flour in
small quantities of a dealer in the neighbourhood,
thus preventing the possibility of too large a quan-
tity of poisoned flour being made at once. The re-
mainder of the witnesses, 12 in number, were then
called, from whose evidence it appeared the prisoner
on a recent visit to her father-in-law's house was
left alone with the servant, when she took the op-
portunity to ask several questions relative to the
fastenings of toe back and office doors, between
which places the flour bin is said to have been
placed. Mr_ Wm. Proctor, M.D., of York, had re-
ceived a quantity of flour, bread, and mince pies,
which had been taken possession of by the police
immediately after the last poisoning took place.
He subjected those articles to chemical analysis. In
the bread loaf he detected a very considerable quan-
tity of arsenic; in the flour, however, there was a
very large quantity of that poison very unequally
diffused, just as the appearance would be presented
if a person had placed a quantity of arsenic it. it,
and then the portions of flour had been taken out
from time t o time. In the mince pie he discovered
221 grains of pure arsenic; and from the piece of
mince pie he obtained about 12 grains. He consi-
dered that between 3 and 4 grains was a fatal dose.
He had attended the family when they were ill, and
he was of opinion that they were suffering from
poisoning by some mineral poison. The result of
the case was not known when our parcel left.

A GENTLE iWAN KILLED IN FENCING
WI? H KNIVES.

Yesterday a little before 5 o'clock Hugh Morris,
porter at Danes-inn, was brought before Mr, Corrie,
at Bow. street, charged with causing the death of
Mr. Edward Leigh, a gentleman.
John Thos. Ford, waiter at the Somerset Hotel,
Strand, deposed—On Thursday, November 30, be-
tween half-past 7 and 8 o'clock, Mr. Leigh and the
prisoner came to our coffee-room and ordered dinner.
Mr. Corrie•—ls Mr. Leigh the man who is dead ?
Witness—Yes.
Mr. Currie—What was he ?
Witness—A gentleman, sir. They ordered dinner
for themselves.

rttinis
time
snes e—hr
,eYwwe
hso,oks
woke
re
Mr.. Corrie—Were they going to dine together?
up, Msa
ner
ea. Leighfiantd
tihn
ewg etman
table.
outet.e andt
After
re
af
ast
shorttheWr ptrisoner,
gone, he went in search of him. Mr. Leigh came
in, and, finding the prisoner wus gone, went out to
look for him, acrd they returned together. They
dined together, and, after dinner, began to play
with the cheese•knives, Morris showing Mr. Leigh
the difference between " carte" and "tierce," Morris
not being able to show it to his satisfaction sitting
down. And then with the knives Morris showed
the way they should protect themselves. Mr. Leigh
held the knife in that way, and Morris held his
under, so. (Ti e witness explained his meaning by
gestures, which may be described thus :—Leigh
holding the knife with his thumb on the end of the
handle, and the blade protruding from under the
little finger; and Morris with the end of the handle
under the little finger, and the blade protruding
from between the fore-finger and the thumb.) Both
struck together, Leigh over Morris's shoulder,
Morris at Leigh's belly, just a little above the groin,
on the right side. Mr. Leigh put his band to the
place, and sat down. I asked him if anything was
the matter—if he was hurt ? He said "No."
' Morris immediately said, "My God! I am sure I

This was an action brought by Mr. Bramston
Bateman, a livery-stable keeper and jobmaster, re-
siding at Radnor -mews, Paddington, against the
defendant, :Mr. William Frederick Windham, late
of Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk, to recover a sum of £9
165., for hire of broughams and horses, under cir-
cumstances detailed in the subjoined evidence. The
defendant paid 30s. into court, and as to the rest
pleaded never indebted.
Mr. Huddleston, Q.C., and Mr. Lloyd were coun-
sel for the plaintiff; and Mr. Karslake, Q.C., and
Mr. D. Keane for the defendant.
Mr. Huddleston, in opening the case, said the
sum sought to be recovered was for broughams used
by Mrs. Windham from Jan. 31 to Feb. 8 in the
present year, and during the time the investigation
was going on at Westminster into the sanity of Mr.
Windham, her husband, whose history was so well
known to the public. The carriages were supplied
while Mrs. Windham was living with her husband
at 34, Clarendon-gardens, Paddington. She some-
times went in them shopping, sometimes to her
solicitor's, and on other occasions to 'Westminster
Hall, to hear how the inquiry was going on. On
the Bth Feb. she was driven about town all day,
and then to the Eastern Counties Railway Station,
for the purpose of going to Felbrigg Hall. The
learned counsel said he should be able to prove an
expressed or implied contract on the part of defen-
dant, and ths.t he had himself promised to pay the
plaintiff.
Mr. Bramston Bateman, the plaintiff, said he
knew the defendant, Mr. Windham, but not his
wife. In January last a servant, who said he was
Mr. Windham's pad groom, called and ordered a
carriage to go to 34, Clarendon-gardens. That was
on the 31st. He sent the brougham with a single
horse and the coachman. It was away five hours
and a quarter, and the charge was lls. 6d. for the
carriage and 3s. 6d. for the coachman ; from the 2d
to the Bth he sent a carriage and pair each day. His
whole charges were reasonable. He sent his bill, by
order, to Clarendon-gardens. Afterwards he re-
ceived a letter from Mr. Windham's solicitors re-
questing him to send another account, and he did
so. On Feb. 28 he met Mr. Windham in Clifton-
gardens and asked him to pay his bill, and he said
if he would send it next day to 10, Clifton-gardens,
where he was then living, he would pay it if it
were £lOO, adding, "thank God I am not broken
yet." He sent him the bill but he never got the
money.
Cross-examined—l had seen Mr. Windham be-
fore. I met him in Clifton-gardens. 1 had met him
four years before at Hampton races. He was with
a friend of mine. Ido not know who else was with
him. He was getting into a Hansom cab. When
I met him in Clifton-gardens he was coming out of
a public-house.
J. Lucy, a coachman of the plaintiff's, said he
drove the brougham on the 31st of January, and
also from the 3d to the 7th of February. He drove
Mrs. Windham and, he believed, her sister.
Sometimes he had two, sometimes three, and
sometimes four inside. Sometimes he drove her to
her solicitor's, Clifton-street, Bond-street, and to
various shops. Once there was a gentleman in the
brougham, but he could not say whether it was
Mr. Windham, as he did not know him.
Cross-examined—l do not know whether he was
a foreigner. He was a dark gentleman, and came
from Clarendon-gardens.
William Wright, another coachman, said that on
the Bth of February he drove Mrs. Windham to
several paces about town, and finally set her down
at the E astern Counties Railway. There was a gen-
tleman inside with her. Mrs. Windham told him
to send in the bill on Monday, and it should be
paid. The pad groom went in a cab with her lug-
gage, and came with him on the box of the
brougham. He told witness that Mrs. Windham
was going by the train.
Cross-examined—I did not know who the gentle-
man was inside. He was not, I think, a foreigner.
I brought him back, and I put him down in South-
ampton-street, Fitzroy-square.
George C. Bateman, the son of the plaintiff, said
he took the bill to No. 10, Clifton-gardens, and
gave it to the footman. He said Mr. Windham was
at home, and went into a back room on the gronnd
floor. Witness heard some one say, "Ifit is cor-
rect, I will send a cheque in the morning." Sup-
posed it was Mr. Windham, but did not know. The
footman came and told him what he had heard.
John Smith, a builder, said he knew the plain-
tiff, and while working at a house in Clifton-road,
on the 28th of February last, he saw him talking to
a gentleman. The gentleman, whom he did not
know at the time, was getting into a cab, and he
heard him say to the plaintiff, "If she does not
pay I will."
Cross-examined—I was in the balcony of a house.
George Aplin, a cheesemonger and poulterer,
Chichester-street,Westbourne-terrace, said he knew
Mr. Windham, and the person they called Mrs.
Windham. (Laughter.) He supplied them with
goods at 10,Clifton-gardens, but he never saw them
there. They afterwards took a house at 3, West-
bourne-terrace, and he saw them there several
times. When he stood at his shop door he could
see all that was going on at their door, and he could
also see into the dining-room. He had seen them
dining together. He took proceedings in the county
court for his bill against Mr. Windham. Before
that he saw him, and he said he was going to his
solicitor's, and if he (witness) called next morning
he shoald be paid. He went next morning and saw
a lady who answered, he supposed, for Mrs. Wind-
ham, but he did not know her. He did not get his
money on that occasion, but it was paid before the
case came to trial in the county court. He received
a cheque, but he could not say whose.
By Mr. Baron Martin—At this time were they
living together?
Witness—Yes. I saw them walking together,
reading together, and in the carriage together, fre-
quently.
Mr. Angell, an attorney, proved having sued Mr.
Windham for debts contracted with several trades-
men who supplied goods to the house at Clarendon-
gardens, and that all these debts had been paid.
This being the evidence for the plaintiff,
Mr. Karslake, in opening the case on the part of
the defence, said that though the sum claimed in
this action was trifling, it was only one of a series
of claims against Mr. Windham, and therefore in-
volved an important principle. He would not go
through the history of the early connection of
Mr. and Mrs. Windham. They were all aware
who Mrs. Windham was, and what her life
was before Mr, Windham became infatuated with
her and married her, and the only question
was whether Mr. Windham was liable for this and
the other debts which she had contracted under

similar circumstances. He contended that he was
not liable. Mrs. Windl-am was a lady living under
the protection of a gentleman or gentlemen when he
became attracted by her beauty ; and when he mar-
ried her in August, 1861, he was a minor or a ward
in the Court of Chancery, or had only just escaped
from that court. For what purpose that marriage
was brought about was not material to the present
inquiry ; but there could be no doubt that it was
with the view of getting the extravagant settle-
ment made on that event. In addition to other be-
nefits she derived under such settlement an annuity
of £BOO a year settled on her until 1869, and after
that period she was to receive £1,500 a year,
charged on the Felbrigg and other estates in
Norfolk. Almost up to the moment of her mar-
riage she was living with some other gentle-
man, but she accompanied her husband abroad
and remained with him a week in Paris. From
the moment he married her he had no control over
her of any sort or kind. She did what she liked,