The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-28 00:00:00

PETITIONS.

Mr. M. CHAMBERS presented a petition from
Greenwich against the opening of the Crystal Palace on
Sundays.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER pre-
sented a petition from Aberdeen in favour of the re-
moval of the disabilities affecting the clergy of Scotland.
Lord D. STUART presented a petition from Bangor,
praying for the extension of the powers of the County
Courts.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from Dr.
Epps, of Great Russell-street, against the present
water monopoly in the metropolis.
Mr. T. BARING presented a petition from mer-
chants, bankers, and others at Ceylon, against the re-
cent rescinding of the Treasury minute, rendering it
illegal to sell a mixture of coffee and chicory, and pray-
in,?; that, if the mixture is allowed to be sold, the duty
may be taken off coffee.
[LEFT SITTING.]

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTH WALES CIRCUIT.-CARNAP.VON, JULY 26.

. _
THE MURDER NEAR CONWAY.—SENTENCE OF DEATH.
John Roberts, aged, 25, labourer, was charged with
the wilful murder of Jesse Roberts, teacher in the Bri-
tish School, Conway.
The murder took place on an isolated part of one of
the mountains near the village of Roe, near Conway, in
May last, and the circumstances will be fresh in the
memory of our readers.
The prisoner pleaded not guilty.
A number of witnesses were examined, and their evi-
dence fully coincided with that given on the inquest.
The prisoner, who during the entire trial had put on
the appearance of a maniac, made his defence in Welsh,
to the same effect as when before the coroner, namely,
that deceased shot himself in the act of falling ; that
he lifted him up, intending to carry him home, but had
not the necessary strength, and so left him on the grass,
with his hat lying beside. He accounted for the posses-
sion of the deceased's watch by saying that he had pre-
viously bought it from him. He said "his heart was
too heavy" to inform deceased's friends of the accident.
The Judge, in summing up, pointed out the discre-
pancies between the prisoner's statements and the facts
incontrovertibly established upon evidence. The wounds
by which deceased met his death were from gun-shot
lodged in the back of his head ; and his hat was per-
forated behind. The body also was not found lying on
the grass, but was hidden, being closely jammed into a
rocky cleft, at the complete back of which his hat had
also been thrust by some long instrument. The de-
ceased was in possession of his watch, and had been seen
to look at it.

Verdict—guilty.
The Judge, in passing sentence of death, held out no
hope of mercy, and said that a more barbarous murder
had never been committed.
This closed the business.

THE STRIKE AMONG THE LABOURERS IN SOUTHWARK.
—The excitement that prevailed on Tuesday in conse-
quence of a strike of about 2,000 labourers employed
by the different wharfingers in Southwark has, we are
glad to say, terminated peaceably, many of the principal
wharfingers, Mr. Scovell, Messrs. Curling, Beresford,
Curtis, &c., who for some time past have felt that the
men had just cause of complaint, having acceded to the
proposition of the men to increase their pay to 4d. an
hour, with the understanding that measures shall be
adopted to increase the time for absence to dinner,
which the present Customs regulations will, it is admit-
ted, enable them to do. The pay of the labourers for
50 years has been, their employers say, 3d. per hour,
including the time occupied in breakfasting and dining,
and two pints of porter per man, the working hours
being from 6 till 8, thus producing Ss. 6d. per day.
They had received this price when provisions were dear
—when bread was ls. 3d. per quartern, meat is. per
pound, and porter 6d. per pot, and they now strike and
require 4cl. per hour, with all the above advantages.
The reason they assign for increasing the demand is,
that the sufferance wharfs having the privilege of landing
foreign goods, the coasting trade has recently been
superseded by the railways. The wharfingers state,
that if they are compelled to pay 4d. per hour, the
labour will be increased 33 per cent. in expense, which
will ultimately fall upon the merchants and consumers.
300 men paraded round the wharves in the course of
Tuesday, and threatened to do desperate mischief to any
labourers who dared to go to work for less than 4d. per
hour. It was said that from 400 to 500 men struck at
Scovell's, from 200 to 250 struck at Humphery's, from
150 to 200 struck at Fenuing's, from 200 to 250 struck
at Allen and Thompson's, from 200 to 250 struck at
Curling's, and that several other strikes, of similar
extent, were made in the course of the day. The whole
of the men in the firms mentioned above have returned
to their work cheerfully ; and, although a few wharfin-
gers (Alderman liumphery, Fennings, &c.) still decline
to accede, perfect quiet exists in the neighbourhood.
A large reserve force of the police, of the M division,
under Mr. Inspector Branford, have been on duty from
an early hour ; and, from the judicious arrangements
made by Mr. Branford, aided by the masters, there is
no fear of the peace of the neighbourhood being dis-
turbed.
STRIKE OF THE JOURNEYMEN CORKCUTTERS.—Yes-
terday between 400 and 500 journeymen corkcutters
turned out for an advance of wages. This strike will
be severely felt by the employers, being the most busy
time of the year. In the afternoon the strike hands
held a meeting at the Hall, Shoemaker-row, Blackfriars,
where they expressed their determination of not re-
turning to work until their demands were complied
with, alleging as a reason the increase in the price of
provision, and that their landlords had raised the rents
of their rooms on that account.
TUE STRIKES IN MANCHESTER.—We are informed
that the all the piecers in the mills in Manche:ter are
again at work this week ; and that there is no concern
which is standing unless it be that of Messrs. Penny
and Wood, with respect to which we could obtain no
precise information last evening. Except in a few
instances, the machinery is fully employed. The dyers'
strike remains in the same position as before. The men
have issued a placard in reply to that published by the
masters last week ; in which they give a qualified denial
to the statement " that the whole of the firms on strike
have for years been paying, at least, from ten to thirty
per cent. higher wages than a very considerable portion
of the trade," asserting that the statement can only
apply "to one or two shops at most." The placard
also states that the resolution of the men is "fixed, nn=
shaken, and stronger now than on the Ist of July,"
when the strike commenced.—Manchester Guardian.
PROTESTANT MISSIONS TO IRELAND.—We announced,
some time ago, that an arrangement had been made fur
sending over to Ireland no fewer than 100 Protestant
missionaries, belonging to the various evangelical de-
nominations, with a view to the conversion of the Irish.
These missionaries, who are to preach whenever the
weather will permit, in the open air, are to start this
morning, and will commence their evangelising labours
on Sunday next. They are to preach in all parts of the
country, and several times every day of the week. All
sectarianism is to be scrupulously kept in abeyance,
and the great theme of the ministrations of the
missionaries is to be salvation by free grace through the
merits and mediation of the Redeemer. They are to
continue their labours for a period of three months,
when other arrangements will be made for carryipg on
the attempt to evangelise Ireland.