The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-19 00:00:00

Re-examined—During the whole time he was in Ame-
rica he had the character of a well-conducted, moral man.
Dr. Hunter—l am a registered licentiate of medicine and
surgery, and a doctor of medicine. On the 30th October
Merrick came to me about the fees owing. I explained that
we could not continue the visits unless the fees were paid.
Eventually I was to consult with Dr. Melville on the sub-
ject, as we had been to great expense with the case, provid
ing an inhaling machine, &c. On the 2d November, about
2 o'clock, I heard loud talking in an adjoining room, where
my wife and daughter with Dr. Munns were at luncheon.
I opened my room door, but had scarcely done so when I
received blows on the head from a thick stick from Jones.
Merrick was with him, and Jones struck over his head.
I knocked Merrick down, but before I could get to Jones
he was up again and struck me twice in turn. He then
seized me by the throat, and Jones, who had been hitherto
hitting all the time, at length got hold of my ear be
tween his teeth and bit it through. The blood flowed
freely over my coat and waistcoat. Assistance came -the
police took them into custody—and they were committed
that day for trial. On the Saturday night before the trial
1 was taken into custody on a charge of assault upon Mrs.
Merrick. '

Cross-examined—l practise as a physician. I hold a
British colonial diploma, but not an English one. I have
never had any charge brought against me of indecency in
America or anywhere else in all my life. No such charge
or imputation was ever made against me.
This was the case, and Mr. Rigby, in defence, urged that
the extreme provocation the prisoners were under the im-
pression they had received (and they could not even now
accept the verdict of the jury in the assault case to be satis-
factory) was some excuse for their conduct. Merrick com-
mitted no violence till he himself was struck, and Jones
denied biting the ear of prosecutor, which might have been
hurt by the scapula a large knife for mixing ointment.
Verdict, Guilty of common assault only, and of the more
modified assault by Jones. Sentence deferred.

Lecture by Mr. Thomas Hughes, M.P. for

Lambeth.

- -

The usual weekly lecture at the Surrey Chapel
was delivered on Monday (yesterday) evening, by
Mr. Hughes, M.P. for Lambeth, the subject being
" Captain John Brown, the Abolitionist Martyr."
The lecturer said that when the civil war broke out
in the United States, the first object of the people
of the Northern States had been to get a national
anthem which should be appropriate to the contest
upon which they were entering. They tried the
" Star-spangled Banner," " Hail Columbia,"
" Yankee Doodle," &c., but none of these would'do,
so as the Northern troops marched southward they
sang " Old John Brown, his body's mouldering in
the ground, but his soul is marching on, Halle-
lujah." It was this recollection which was at the
bottom of their hearts and which induced them to
leave fathers, mothers, wives, and their pleasant
homesteads, and to march cheerfully and instinc-
tively forward to eradicate an evil which they knew
existed, and which they were determined should
exist no longer ; and in reviewing the history of
John Brown, the great abolitionist, he hoped that
his hearers would be convinced that no selfish mo-
tive induced the Northern men to this fervour, but
a true patriotism, to abolish that pernicious system
of slavery which John Brown had striven to annihi-
late so nobly. Mr. Hughes, after narrating the
birth of Brown in Torrington, Connecticut, his
hardy life in Ohio, his early exl)erience of the hard-
ships endured by the untortunSte slaves, proceeded
to detail the long train of consequences which
ultimately led to the abolitionists' unfortunate pro-
ceedings at Harper's Ferry. During many years, it
appeared, Kansas had been free soil in the United
States ; but the Missourians who dwelt on the
borders, and who were proprietors of slaves, had
organised bands, who had been designated as border
ruffians, and who had caused great devastation and
misery in Kansas. Brown and its family settled in
the south of that district, and from the first he be-
came the determined opponent of these border
ruffians, and his name began to spread great
terror amongst them. At length he became so bold
as actually to release four families of slaves in Mis-
souri. With them he travelled 2,000 miles, and
finally secured them a safe retreat in Canada, but
at the same time a reward of 650 dollars was offered
for his capture. He returned, however, to Ken-
nedy's Farm, and in the Alleghany Mountains con-
ceived the design of liberating all the slaves, of
whom there were 20,000, in Virginia. He then
made his famous raid to Harper's Ferry, and after
having been at first partially successful, was sur-
rounded by irresistible numbers of the enemy, saw
his best and nearest friends fall around him, was
himself captured, and underwent- the ignominious
death to which he was condemned with firmness
and resignation. Such was the history of John
Brown. " But," said the lecturer, " his attempt,
capture, his death on the scaffold, did more, per-
haps, than anything else to arouse the anti-slavery
party, and to place Abraham Lincoln in the Presi-
dential chair ; and they may be looked upon as the
first two martyrs who inaugurated the abolition of
slavery."

The Rev. Newman Hall occupied the chair, and
at the conclusion of the lecture 8 vote of thanks was
given to Mr. Hughes amidst the greatest en-
thusiasm.

The late Fire in Bavoystreet, Strand.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Stn,—Considerable misconception having arisen, from
the reports in the various journals, id the fire at one of our
branch establishments, leading to the inference that it was
our chief establishment, we shall feel greatly obliged by
insertion of the accompanying letter, addressed to our cus-
tomers at the branch in gnostic.; in your valuable jour-
nal, by which it will be seen that our friends and cus-
tomers will sustain no inconvenience, and that their orders
will be executed, in the interim, at our principal works,
Queen-street and Upper Thames-street, where our powers
of production are unlimited.-`-We are, Sir, your most
obedient servants,

JOHN KING and Co.
"Savoy Print'ng Works, Savoy-street,
Strand, Dee. 16, 1865.

" Dear Sirs,—We regret thm a fire of a destructive cha-
racter occurred this morning at' the above printing works,
causing considerable damage. We aro pleased, however,
to be able to inform you that t will not make any differ-
ence in the execution of your (deemed orders, as we have
arranged immediately to tako up and finish all work on
hand, as also all new orders which we may be favoured
with, at our extensive chief works in Queen-street and
Upper Thames-street, until the damage is repaired.
" We beg also to notify that we have taken offices imme-
diately adjacent, No. 1, Savcy-street, where we request
the favour of your forward* your orders as before, which
will have immediate attention.

" Thanking you for past favours, we are, your obedient
servants, " JOILN KING and Co."

MARKETS—TIAtiDay.

HAY

SMITITFIELD.—Moadow hay, £4 4s to £5 ss; clover,
.£5 5s to 16 lOs Od ; and straw, £1 15s to £2 Os per load.
Demand inactive.

CUMBERLAND.—Meadow hay, £4 4s to £slos Od; clover,
£5 lOs to £6 128 6d ; and straw, £1 18s to £2 2s per load.
Trade dull.

WHITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay £4 4s to £5 ss; clover,
£5 5s to £6 10s Od; and straw, £1 16s to £2 Os per load.
Trade slow.

COLONIAL.

TEA.-A fair amount of busixess has been done in the
private market and full rates a* current for superior de-
scriptions. At the public sales to-day about 15,800
packages will be offered, the greater part of which aro
without reserve.

SUGAL—There has been a Moderato demand for West
India, and late rates have been well maintained. Foreign
descriptions have generally retrained inactive. In the re-
fined market good grocery kin have sold readily at fully
late values.

COFFEE.—The demand for both plantation and native
Ceylon has been moderate, and !ully late rates have been
obtained. The stocks in hand, compared with those in
the corresponding period of last year, are slightly in
excess.

RlCE.—Business has remained very quiet, and prices are
nominally unaltered.
TALLOW.—Business generally has been moderately
active, but some slight variations have occurred in prices.
There has been a steady demand from the trade. P.Y.C.,
on the spot, is now quoted 495; all the month, 48s 9d;
and January to March, 49s 3d pei cwt.