The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-16 00:00:00

THAMES.

How SAILORS ARE TREATED IN BLUEGATE-FLELDS.—
Christian Anderson, a Norwegian seaman, was brought
before Mr. Paget charged with being drunk and incapable
of taking care of himself in that horrible place Bluegate-
fields, Shadwell, where numerous sailors have been plun-
dered and ill used.

A police constable, No. 158 K, said that he found the
prisoner on Saturday night lying on the ground in the
street called Bluegato-fields, Shadwell. The unfortunate
man was drunk and speechless, and was without his hat,
coat, neckerchief, waistcoat, and boots.
Mr. Paget—Stripped in a brothel, and turned out into
the street.

Witness—Yes, sir ; very common there. The prisoner
was robbed of his money and all his clothes, except his
trousers, and bundled into the street.
Mr. Paget—Have you been able to discover who robbed
this poor fellow ?

Witness—No, sir.
Mr. Paget—Nor the infamous brothel where he has been
robbed ?
Witness—No, sir.
Mr. Paget said the improvidence and indiscretion of
sailors was proverbial. He was very sorry the prisoner
had been plundered of his hard earnings and his clothes,
and hoped it would be a warning to him to keep out of the
way of the harpies in future. He discharged the prisoner,
who had been provided with clothes by his landlord.

At the rent audit of Lady Molesworth, held at
Tetcot last week, a sacrifice of some 2,5001. was made as a
Christmas present to the tenants.
CONVOCATION OF CANTERBURY.—On Saturday
the convocation of the prelates and clergy of the
province of Canterbury was prorogued by Royal writ until
Wednesday, the Bth of February, when the bishops and
proctors will assemble in the Jerusalem Chamber for de-
spatch of business. The question of the constitution of
the final court of appeal on ecclesiastical matters will occupy
the attention of both houses of convocation, with a view
to a representation on the subject being made to Parlia-
ment. Various notices of motion have been given in the
lower house on important questions affecting the interests
of the Church.

SINGULAR BIGAMY CASE.—At the Preston Police-
court on Friday was heard a bigamy case, present-
ing some most extraordinary features. The offender was a
man named Henry Greenwood, an engine tenter. Eighteen
years ago he was married at Penwortham, near Preston, to
a woman, named Sarah Newsham, who had four children
to him ; five years since he left her, but had seen her more
or less every week since, somewhere in the town ; and on
the 4th instant he married another woman named Grace
Coward, who had had one child to him during a previous
cohabitation. He is also the father of 15 other children—
all illegitimate. ' When apprehended on Wednesday he
said he was tired with a second wife. The charge was
preferred by the first wife, and it was stated that when he
married on Wednesday his second wife knew quite well
that there was another rival in the field. He was com-
mitted to Lancaster Assizes for trial.
NEWSPAPER PRESS PARCELS.—At the Southwark
County Court, on Thursday, an action was tried,
Welldon v. South-Eastern Railway Company, in which
the plaintiff, a contributor to the metropolitan press,
sought to recover from the defendants compensation for
the loss he had sustained by the non-delivery of certain
parcels entrusted by him to the officers of the company,
for transmission to London. The plaintiff stated that on
the 16th of August he had engaged to forward reports of
the regattas to be held at Deal, Dover, and Folkestone, to
the Morning Star, to the Standard, and to the Sporting Life,
at the rate of 2/. 2s. as remuneration from each paper ; the
copy of the report to be delivered by 12 o'clock on the night
of the races. The plaintiff's report of the Folkestone regatta
on Aug. 22 was duly received the same night as arranged ;
the Deal regatta was postponed ; and the plaintiff went on
to Dover on the 25th, and, having written his report, took
it to the booking-office of the defendants in Dover at a quar-
ter past 5, and was promised that it should be forwarded by
the next train to London. On this promise he paid the
booking fee and went away. A messenger was to be in
waiting at the London terminus. He_had telegraphed in-
structions to his messenger to be sure and meet the Parcel
with the Dover regatta report ; but the instructions not
being received, through the neglect of the defendants, the
parcel was not met, and the consequence was that the
parties in town would not have given, as the plaintiff said,
five farthings for it ; inasmuch as the paper he had con-
tracted for had been enabled to take the report from
the Daily Telegraph. The parcels he found lying in the
company's office at London-bridge on his arrival in town
on Monday. The result was that he had been paid only
10s. 6d. by the Star, 10s. by the Standard, and by the Sport-
ing Life nothing ; and the plaintiff now sought to recover
the difference between these two sums and the amount of
his contract, viz., W. ss. 6d., and also 11.1 s. for messenger's
fees. Mr. Stevens, for the defendants, raised several legal
objections to the claim, and contended that the articles
enclosed for transit in this instance were valueless ex-
cept as regards the sheets of paper on which they were
written ; and also that no notice had been given of the
importance of prompt delivery. After a long legal argu-
ment per contra by Mr. Chipperfield, the case, which had
been opened on a former day, was decided by the learned
judge (Mr. Whitmore, Q.C.), who gave judgment in favour
of the plaintiff, for the difference between what he actually
got and what he would have got but for the delay in the
transmission, viz., 5/. ss. 6d., with costs ; but the charge of
1/. ls. for the messenger's fees, the judge said, could not
he sustained.