The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-08 00:00:00

THE SUB, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 8, 1865.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

10.---

BLACKHEATH AND WOOLWICH MEETING.
TUESDAY.

After one postponement this metropolitan gathering was
commenced yesterday. A miserably wet morning, how-
ever, was anything but tempting to intending visitors, and
at noon the rain poured down in torrents. The ground
was found to be in a fearful state of mud and slush, but
notwithstanding these drawbacks there was an immense
concourse of spectators, composed principally of the worst
class of " London society." Tho stand (a very insecure
one) was thronged. Bookmakers were very numerous,
and the several events produced some lively speculation.
Many of the competitors for the different races, however,
sadly disappointed their backers by not even being able to
compass the' distance, such was the "holding" nature of
the ground. A full description of the day's running is
appended.

The Tradesmen's Plato of 20 sovs., added to a Sweep
stakes of 1 sov. each ; 10st 71b each. Five furlongs.

Mr. Jex's Duke of Cambridge, by Prime Minister—
Shunting , (J. Steggles) 1
Mr. Jones's Penelope (Capt. Markham) 2
Mr. Markham's Madcap (Rose) 3
- - - -

Betting opened at even on Penelope, but finished at 6 to
4 on the Duke of Cambridge, who got off in front, and
making all the running, won, hard held, by three lengths ;
Madcap, beaten off, was a bad third. Sinite, who stalled
and passed the judge's box third, not having been weighed
for by Mr. Marshall, was disqualified.
The Blackheath Plate of 40 sovs., for three-yr-olds and
upwards ; entrance, 2 sovs. each. About three-quarters
of a mile.

Mr. Somers's Chicot the Jester, 4 yrs, 7st Glb ...(Smith) 1
Captain Vibart's Llangollen, 4 yrs, 7st 111 b ...(Jackson) 2
Mr. G. Fonwick's Queen Bee, 4 yrs, 7st (Roscoe) 3
The following also ran :—Rapture, Confusion, Land of
the West, Rosina, Triumpher, Sister Mary, and Hurrah.
Betting-6 to 4 agst Rosina, 3to 1 agst Land of the
West, 6 to 1 agst Chicot the Jester.

After one false start they were got off, and upon settling
into their places Land of the West showed slightlyin front,
attended by Chicot the Jester, with Rapture, Confusion,
Queen Bee, and Rosina in immediate attendance. After
rounding the turn on breasting the hill, Chicot the Jester
deprived Land of the West of the lead, and was in turn
passed by Rosina, but the latter soon died away and gave
place to Queen Bee and Llangollen, who raced together,
but never got up, and Chicot the Jester won easily by three
lengths; Llangollen, who was second, defeated Queen Bee
by a head; Land of the West was fourth, Rosina fifth, Con-
fusion sixth, and Sister Mary seventh, the last three being
Triumpher, Hurrah, and Rapture.
The Open Hunters' Steeplechase of 3 sovs each, with 20
added, for horses which have been regularly hunted; 12st
each ; winners extra ; selling allowances. About three
miles.

Mr. Elphick's Laurie Martin, 12st (Knott) 1
Mr. Grey's Duchess (£5O), list 71b (Brazier) 2
White Stockings, Meerschaum, and Irish also ran.
Betting-6 to 4 agst White Stockings, 2to 1 agst Laurie
Martin, 5 to 1 agst Meerschaum.

White Stockings made play for the first half mile,
Duchess going on second, followed by Meerschaum and
Laurie Martin. After passing the Stand the first time they
all refused, and Laurie Martin was the first got over, fol-
lowed by Duchess. White Stockings soon afterwards re-
fused, and was not persevered with, and Meerschaum be-
came tailed off a long distance. Laurie Martin was never
afterwards approached, and won by 12 lengths. Meer-
schaum walked in with the crowd. Irish Lass showed tem-
per at the starting post, bolted into the crowd, and took no
part in the contest. The winner was not sold.
A Selling Handicap Steeplechase of 3 sovs each, with 20
added ; the winner to be sold for 40 sovs. About two
miles and a half.

Mr. B. Land's The Don, aged, list 71b (Owner) 1
Mr. Fitz's Irish Boy, lOst 71b (Mr. Fitzgerald) 2
The Idea and Donkey also ran.

Betting-5 to 4on The Don, 3to 1 agst The Donkey, 5
to 1 agst Irish Boy.
Irish Boy held a slight lead passing the Stand, the Don
following, closely attended by The Donkey and the Idea at
a slight interval. The latter blundered at the first fence
and unshipped Mr. Shaw, who remounted. After clearing
the next fence (at which The Idea again refused and was
walked back to the enclosure) Irish Boy increased his lead,
but The Donkey again overhauling him, the two led alter-
nately. The Don, in waiting, lay off till crossing the wheat
field behind the stand, where ho deprived The Donkey of
second place ; but upon landing over the next fence he fell
from distress and threw Ben Land, who, however, re-
mounted and gave chase. He overhauled the pair coming
up the hill into the straight, and defeated Irish Boy by
three lengths. The Donkey, who was beaten a long way,
walked in with the crowd.
The winner was not claimed.
The Innkeepers' Steeplechase Plate (Handicap) of 40 sovs ;
entrance 2 sovs each to the fund ; winners 71b extra.

__
About two miles and a half. _
Mr. Rose Price's Simpleton aged, list (Horigan) 1
Mr. Shaw's Deception (h b), list 71b (Capt. Shaw) 2
Bravo, The Duster, Star of Brunswick, and Foreteller
_

also ran.

Betting-2 to 1 agst Deception, 3to 1 agst Foreteller (at
first evens), 4 to 1 agst Duster, 8 to 1 any other.
Bravo made play with Simpleton in attendance passing
the stand, the others well up. All refused at the first fence
with the exception of the two leaders, who went on with a
long lead. Simpleton, however, soon passed Bravo, the
others at long intervals in pursuit. Simpleton, who in-
creased his lead to the end, won by 30 lengths.

Acceptances for the Spring Handicaps.

at CUP.

'mg being Bst I.olb, it has been
hers in proportion.

Age st lb
Nuneaton 4 6 10
Wanderer ... 6 6 10
Harcourt ... 4 6 8
Daniel O'Rourke 4 6 8
Agatha ... 4 6 8
Chocolate ... ... 4 6 6
Handley Cross ... 4 6 6
Spring Gun 3 6 6
Wild Boy ... 3 6 4
Lion ... 3 6 4
Farce ... 5 6 2
The Brewer ... a 6 2
Industry (late Tar-
latan) ... 4 6 2
East Lynn ... 3 6 2
Vintage ... 3 6 2
Benan oar ... 3 6 0
Swcrdsman ... 3 6 0
Helen ... ... 4 6 0
Commodore ... 3 6 0
Receiver ... 3 6 0
Mcestissima filly 3 6 0
Indigestion 3 5 12
Macbeth ... ... 4 5 12
Barbadoes ... 6 5 12
Terror ... 3 51`'
Watchbox... ... 3 5 12
Hanstead ... 3 5 12
Sidewind ... 3 5 12
The Grinder ... 3 5 12
Black-eyed Susan f 3 5 12
Lady Wildair c ... 3 5 12
Miss Sellon c. ... 3 511
Treachery c. ... 3 5 9
Hecate ... ... 3 5 9
Ceres ... ... 3 5 9
Purity ... 3 5 9
Anonyma ... 3 5 9
Lord Waldegrave ... 3 5 9
Cacula ... 3 5 9
Sympathy.... ... 3 5 9
Irritation ... ... 3 5 9
Moor Game 3 5 9

The Prison Ministers' Act and the Middlesex

Magistrates.

(From the Tablet.)
In seconding the motion of Mr. Swift, late M.P.,
on the conduct of the Chairman of the Sessions, Sir
John Scott Lillie expressed his regret that it had
been made the arena for the introduction of religi-
ous and political discussions at various meetings on
the Prison Ministers' Bill, when the only question
that ought, properly speaking, to have been con-
sidered was prison discipline, and endeavours for the
reformation of prisoners by moral religious instruc-
tion, as contemplated by the act passed for that
purpose. Instead of this, some over-zealous
religious sectarians thought proper to vituperate
and abuse the Catholic clergy as improper
characters for such duties. He considered it, there-
fore, his duty to attend on this occasion in order to
disclaim any participation in such indikriminate
abuse, which was inconsistent with the duty of. those
to whose care prisoners had been confided, but more
especially the magistracy of that county, which
contained a greater number of Catholic prisoners
than any other county in the kingdom, whose re-
formation from the paths of vice could not be ex-
pected without moral and religious precepts. As
the senior magistrate, he believed, on that bench,
he felt it his duty to protest against deviations
of public duty. Such confusion and dis-
order existed amongst his brother magistrates as
he had never before witnessed for upwards of forty
years that he had been in the habit of at-
tending that court, and he regretted above all see-
ing the chairman showing such an example of par-
tisanship as that adverted to in the motion before
the court, of having printed and circulated anony-
mous pamphlets to influence the decisions of the
bench in support of his views ; but he hoped an
amended bill would be brought before Parliament
in the ensuing Session to make it imperative on
those entrusted with the care of prisoners to have
them attended by clergymen of the religious per-
suasions of such prisoners. Sir J. Scott Lillie then
proceeded to read extracts from the Saturday Re-
view and other publications reprobating in the
strongest terms some of the language used at a for-
mer meeting of magistrates. The following are
the opinions which were expressed by the Saturday
Review on the discussions which took place at the
last October Sessions on the Prison Ministers' Act :

" The Legislature has recently passed an act to
provide for the spiritual instruction of Roman Ca-
tholic prisoners. The intention of that Act was
quite plain. Its object was to do the prisoners
good in the only way in which religious good can be
presented to them, by giving them the full benefit
of their own religion. Whether that religion is
a good one or a bad one the Legislature did
not say. Parliament merely recognised the fact
that there are Roman Catholic prisoners ; and
also accepting the fact that there is such a
thing as the' Roman Catholic religion, it put
the two facts together, and concluded that the
Roman Catholic religion should be presented whole
and entire to the Roman Catholic prisoners. Un-
fortunately the act is permissive. It gives to the
county magistrates powers, vague and undefined,
of deciding on many points material to the fair and
honest working of the law. It leaves it to the good
sense or good feeling of the magistrates whether
they shall appoint a paid chaplain ; and as it seems,
it also leaves it to the same good sense and good
feeling whether the chaplain so appointed shall or
shall not be allowed to have religious teaching and
religious consolation and the means of spiritual im-
provement in the only way in which, according to
the religion which chaplain and prisoners profess,
they can be offered. The consequence is, that in
every county of England this act has called out all
the latent bigotry and intolerance of the English
character, especially of those very conscientious
people who feel it to be their bounden duty to thwart
and insult the Roman Catholics and their religion and
its professors, to place every obstacle in the way of
the Act of Parliament being carried out, and to re-
duce it to a dead letter. But it has been left to the
ingenious malice of Mr. Sergeant Payne to employ
the Prison Ministers' Act most cleverly in the sacred
interests of bigotry and intolerance, and the dear
delight of insulting your neighbour. The act pro-
vides that no prisoner shall be visited against his
will, and gives to the visiting magistrates power
to impose such restrictions as may guard
against the introduction of improper persons, and
prevent improper communications." Have these
provisions, inquires Mr. Sergeant Payne, been car-
ried out ? Improper persons ; there are a great
many improper persons. How are we to know that
every Roman Catholic priest is not an improper
person ? There is the priest who seduced 30 young
women in the Confessional. There is the priest who
wrote that filthy letter to a boy, &c.,—who, by the
way, was not a priest or a Roman Catholic at all.
4 There is abundant reason why the visiting justices
should look to the moral character of those who
come to the prison to give religious instruction.'
And then Mr. Sergeant Payne smacks his lips, and
of course did not mean to say a single word about
the particular priest who at present visits at the pri-
son. He confined himself, of course, to the general
and notorious character of Roman Catholic clergy-
men as a class ; and, having delivered himself of the
sweeping doctrine that all priests are suspicious per-
sons, there was no occasion to slander any one
priest in particular. And then, as to the duty im-
posed on the magistrates of preventing improper
communications, was that provision carried out ?
Did the magistrates take care that the priest
should not teach the duty of exterminating Protes-
tants ? Did the magistrates take care that all
Roman Catholic teaching should be given in public?
He moved that the visiting magistrates should
be instructed to attend to these points ; and the
whole Bench unanimously accepted the resolution.
That is, the Middlesex magistrates (only they had
not the courage to say so) are agreed that the
Roman Catholic religion is idolatrous, and that it is
their duty to discourage it ; and they are resolved,
as far as in them lies, not only to oppose the inten-
tions of the Legislature, but to make the Prison
Ministers' Act either wholly inoperative, or a means
of insulting and vilifying the Roman Catholics and
their clergy. We hear a good deal about non-
natural interpretations and the wickedness of
casuistry ; but all the doctors of ambiguity and
teachers of amphibology might be defied to invent
such a comment upon plain words as that which
tells us, with Sergeant Payne, that restrictions
against improper persons meant to give the magis-
trates the right to consider and treat every priest as
an iinmoralman, and that restrictions against impro-
per communications meant that the visiting justices
might prohibit the Mass, Auricular Confession, and
every doctrine inconsistent with the Confession of
Faith sanctioned by Messrs. Pownall and Payne."
If a bench of magistrates follow in the paths of
the gentlemen thus named by the Saturday Review,
we cannot consider them to have great reason to be
proud of their leaders,

THE PRICE OF A TOE.—What would the reader
think is the money value of a toe ? The conserva-
tors were the defendants in an action " to recover damages
for an injury to the toe of Jane Miller, by the negligent
shifting of the landing-board on a steamboat by a pierman
in the defendant's employ, on their floating-pier at London-
bridge." The injury to Jane Miller's toe was settled by a
jury as equivalent to fifteen pounds sterling ; Jane Miller's
law expenses were thirty-seven pounds, and those of the
conservators forty-nine ; so the Kings of the Thames had
to pay about one hundred pounds altogether for a single
toe.--Diekens's " All the Year Round."

THE NEW FRENCH TURF CONFEDERACY.—The
dissolution of the confederacy between Count La-
grange and Baron Niviere has been announced, and Count
Lagrange has received into partnership Mr. Charles Lafitte,
the well-known Paris banker, and a steward of the French
Jockey Club. His assumed name on the turf is Major Frido-
lin, in which name Gentille-Dame is entered for the Criterion
Stakes at Newmarket, and Fleur :de Bois and Stilton
for the Althorp Park Stakes at. Northampton. M.
Charles Lafitte was formerly an owner of racehorses in
France, but withdrew from the Turf some years back.
His return to it was in the spring of 1864, when he pur-
chased of Count Lagrange the French Derby horse Torti-
mils, by Royal-Quand-Meme, out of Defiance. Torticolis
was not placed in the Derby, but started several times sincei,
.
his only win being the Prix de la Societe, at Amiens, afte
a dead heat with Royal Navarre. He was purchased re-
Cently for the Government breeding studs for £2BO. Major
Fridolin's colours are light blue jacket and black cap.—
Sporting

LAW INTELLIGENCE—(This Day).

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
(Before Registrar Winslow.)
Ec RE -TOIL' LOCH.-FAILURE OF A LATE POLICE-COURT

MAGISTRATE.

In this matter the bankrupt was described as a barrister
and was lately one of the magistrates at the Worship-street
Police-court, but resigned in consequence of his failure
To-day was appointed for the order of discharge, and the
accounts show—Debtor to unsecured creditors, £33,417
13s. 114. ; secured do., £423 10s. ; total, £33,841 3s. 11d.
Cr.—By property with assignees, £936 12s. 4d. ; do. in
hands of assignees, £223 10s. ; deficiency, £32,681 ls. 7d.
The creditors are chiefly stockbrokers, to whom the bank-
rupt owes large sums of money upon transactions.
Mr. Reed appeared for the assignees ; Mr. Sargood op-
posed; and Mr. Linklater supported.
Mr. Linklater asked that the banlaupt might receive his
order of discharge.

Mr. Reed, on behalf of the assignees, said that the
conduct of the bankrupt was open to censure, both
from the creditors and the court. Considering the position
of the bankrupt at the time he speculated so largely in the
Stock Exchange, he had acted very unjustifiably, and he
had been compelled to surrender his post as a Metropolitan
Police magistrate. The assignee was not going to offer
any opposition to the order of discharge, but would leave
the matter in the hands of the court and those who did
oppose.
His Honour—ls there any case against the bankrupt
beyond contracting debts ?

kr. Griffiths said there was.

Mr. Linklater said there were extenuating circumstances
in the case.

Mr. Griffiths called Mr. Thomas Beard, the well-known
solicitor, who said he knew the bankrupt in 1863. Bank-
rupt solicited an interview, and asked witness if he could
obtain an advance of £3OO for an emergency until his
next quarter's salary was due. Witness introduced him to
Mr. Cole, the opposing creditor, and bankrupt said he re-
quired £3OO till his next quarter's salary was due. Finally
Mr. Cole gave him a cheque for £275. Mr. Leigh never
said he was in debt or that his salary was encumbered, or
that he had made any assignment for the benefit of his
creditors.

Mr. Cole said—He was an auctioneer and estate agent,
and in consequence of what Mr. Beard said he went to the
Worship-street Police-court, where he was taken into the
bankrupt's private room. Bankrupt said he wanted £3OO,
which he would repay out of his next quarter's salary. Had
witness known that he owed £32,000 he would never have
lent the money, but he thought, from his position as metro-
politan police-court magistrate, that he was safe for any
amount. The bill became due, was dishonoured, and pro-
cess was taken, shortly after which the bankrupt presented
his petition. It was upon the faith of his paying witness
out of his first quarter's salary that the money was ad-
vanced.

Cross-examined—What I have stated is perfectly correc

Mr. Griffiths then called the bankrupt.

Mr. Leigh said—He remembered the month of November,
1863, and a conversation he had at that time with Mr.
Beard. He (witness) had executed a deed of arrangement
with his creditors in 1862 to pay £BOO per annum out of
his salary of £1,200. When Cole made the advance there
was a very large Stock Exchange speculation, and witness
thought Coles would have been paid out of that. The
debts without the speculative account were not large. In
November, 1863, I have not much doubt that my debts
were £33,000.

His Honour—The debts do not appear to be materially
increased between the date of the deed in 1862 and the date
of the entry. _ _

Mr. Sargood—Practically they are not, though they do
by the figures.

Mr. Leigh—l cannot say that I borrowed from any one
after Cole. I was anxious to make myself safe in case of
any fall in the Mexican Consols. I borrowed money of
Mr. Cook, but cannot say if that was before Cole's loan.
By Mr. Sargood—l first became a Metropolitan Police
magistrate in November, 1860. I was removed from Staf-
ford here at my own application. My salary in the country
was £l,OOO per annum. My salary has never been larger
than £1,200. When I left the country, where I was a sti-
pendary magistrate, I owed money, but I cannot say how
much. I owed as much as £25,000 when I came up to London,
including the losses I sustained by the failure of a joint-
stock bank and other liabilities. I have a doubt as to this,
though. This is quite a new question. I would say a very
large sum when I came to London, over £25,000. Ido not
think I had any Stock Exchange accounts open when I
came to London. I had lost a considerable sum of money
on the Stock Exchange before I came to London—l should
say £5,000.

Mr. Sargood then proceeded to question the bankrupt as
to his various speculations.

The case was going on when this report left, and is likely
to last the whole day.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE, This Day.

WESTMINSTER.

AN IMPUDENT YOUNG THIEF.--JOhn Mocroft, an impu-
dent-looking little urchin, about 12 years of age, was
charged with stealing a bird trap, value ls.
William Purchase, 255, Kings-road, wire worker, said
his shop was regularly besieged in his absence by a lot of
boys, who carried off everything they could lay their hands
on. About 8 o'clock last night he saw the bird trap safe
outside his shop, and about a quarter-past eight it was gone
His brother came in and gave him information, and the pri-
soner was taken outside the shop. He believed he had
caught him before and given him a good hiding.
John James Purchase, brother to last witness, said he
was in his shop, four doors off, when his attention was
called to the prisoner, who had the bird trap in his hand.
Upon seeing witness he threw the trap over into Oakley-
square and ran away, pursued by witness. He had a cane
in his hand, and finding witness closing up to him, he re-
peatedly struck him in the face with this cane, until wit-
ness secured him and took him back to the shop. The
trap he afterwards found in the square.
Prisoner had nothing to say, and Mr. Arnold remanded
him for a week.