The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-13 00:00:00

FRANCE.

BOURSE, July 12.--The markets to-day have
exhibited less activity, and quotations have slightly
declined. French Three per Cents. have with diffi-
culty realised 67f. 40c., and Mobilier shares, show
a reduction of 15f., the present quotation being
680 f. Italian Fives have also receded, and are now
at 64f. 80c. The market closed as follows :
iti- per Cents 9G 50 Ditto Threes —
Do. end month — New Mexican
3 per Cents. 67 45 Do. Bonds 320
Do. end month 67 45 Russian 9l
Credit Mobilier ... 690 Austrian
Do. end month ... 685 -- Spanish Threes
Bank Shares 3600 Home Debt —
Credit Foncier 1250 Deferred
Italian Loan 64 90 Roman 74
Do. end mouth 64 85
RAILI

'AYS.

. Cash. Acct.
Orleans
Northern lO4O ... 1038 75
Lyons and Mediterranean 846 25 ... 843 75
Southern 560 ... 560
Western 538 75 ... 535
Eastern
Sardinian . 268 75 ... 267 50
Austrian
Lombard 485 ... 486 25
North of Spain 162 50 ... 158 75
Saragossa
Dittu to Barcelona — „. --

Confession of Dr. Pritchard.

On Tuesday the convict Pritchard made a writ-

ten confession of the murder of his wife. The pri-
soner confessed his guilt to Mr. Oldham, Episco-
palian clergyman, in a private manner, but Mr.
Oldham requested that Pritchard should write the
confession, and he did so. The confession states
that Mary M'Leod, the servant girl, was aware that
he was poisoning his wife, and that on the evening
of his wife's death, when he administered a dose of
chloroform, M'Leod was present. Prisoner gives
as a motive for poisoning his wife his improper in-
timacy with M'Leod ; and denies that he poisoned
his mother-in-law, Mrs. Taylor, who, he says, died
from an overdose of Battley's solution. He con-
fessed to having drugged the solution found in her
pocket after death, but denies that it was poisoned
before she expired. It is said that when his brother,
sister, and daughter were present with him on Mon-
day, the latter had kneeled- in the cell and prayed
him, if he had poisoned her mamma to confess, and
it is alleged that he then acknowledged his guilt.
The following is a copy of the confession :---
"I, Edward William Pritchard, M.D., M.R.C.S.E., and
L.A.S., &c., hereby make in writing, in the presence of the
Rev. R. S. Oldham, ALA., the following confession, for
transmission by him to the proper authorities :

"It was when my wife was at Ardentinny,* in the
summer of 1863, that I first became intimate with the girl
Mary M'Leod, sleeping with her in my house at 22, Royal-
crescent. This continued at intervals up to the time of
our removal to 131, Sanchiohall-street. She became preg-
nant in May last [year], and with her own consent I
produced a miscarriage. I have reason to believe that Mrs.
Pritchard was quite aware of this, and rather sought to
cover my wickedness and folly. My mother-in-law, Mrs.
Taylor, came last February to our house, and caught Mary
M'Leod and myself in the consulting-room ; and the day
before her death, having apparently watched us, she said
to me in the same room, You have locked her into the
cupboard,' which was true ; but nothing more passed. I
declare Mrs. Taylor to have died in the manner I have
stated, and I now believe her death to have been caused by
an overdose of Battley's solution of opium. The aconite
found in that bottle was put in by me after her death, and
designedly left there in order to prove death by misadven-
ture in case any inquiry should take place. Mrs. Prit-
chard was much better immediately after her mother's
death, but subsequently became exhausted from want of
sleep. I accounted for this by the shock produced by her
mother's death ; and, hardly knowing how to act, at her
own earnest request I gave her choloroform. It was about
midnight. Mary M'Leod was' tt the room, and in an evil
moment (being besides somewhat excited by whisky) I
yielded to the temptation to 'give her sufficient to causo
death—which I did.

" I therefore declare before God, as a dying man, and
in the presence of my spiritual adviser, that I am innocent
of the crime of murder, so far as Mrs. Taylor is concerned,
but acknowledge myself guilty of the adultery with Mary
M‘Leod and the murder of my wife.
"I feel now as though I had been living in a species of
madness since my connection with Mary M‘Leod ; and I
declare my solemn repentance of my crime, earnestly pray-
ing that I may obtain Divine forgiveness before I suffer the
penalty of the

(Signed) "EDWARD WILLIAM PRITCHARD."
John Stirling, Governor, Witness.
R. S. Oldham, Witness.
John Mutrie, Witness.
North Prison, Glasgow, July 11, 1865.

* The convict afterwards desired this name to be altered
Kilmun.

Mn. LAYARD AND THE ROMAN CATII9LICS.—The
right hon. gentleman in returning thanks yesterday.
for his re-election for Southwark, in the course of his re-
marks paid the following tribute to Dr. Grant, the Bishop
of Southwark. He said the Catholic Oath Bill was a measure
to extend to our Roman Catholic fellow-subjects the same
privileges—no, he disliked the word -privilege—the same
rights which were enjoyed by Churchmen and Dissenters.
It was brought in by a Roman Catholic member, Mr. Mon-
sel ; it had the entire support of the Government; it was
opposed right and left by the Conservative party ; it passed,
the House of Commons by a large majority, and when it
reached the House of Lords it was thrown out. Was there
no difference between those who desired to promote reli
gious liberty and those who impeded it ? In that borough
there were many Roman Catholics ; they were headed by
one of the most distinguished Roman Catholic prelates in
the country, Dr. Grant. At the last election they opposed
him to a man, under the wrong impression that the Govern-
ment was endeavouring to overthrow the power of the
Pope. That was a mistake. If the Roman Catholics
would turn to the history of the country they would find

that no measure was ever brought forward for their relief
but it emanated from the. Liberal party, and was opposed
by the Conservative party. Therefore the Liberal party
had a claim on the support of the ROnian Catholics.