The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-14 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Lords of the Admiralty concluded their an-
nual inspection of Portsmouth Dockyard on Satur-
day, and returned to town in the evening, the Duke
of Somerset having held a ley& at the Naval Col-
lege in the morning. Their Lordships were ex-
pected to return to Portsmouth last evening to
embark on board their yacht Enchantress for
Cherbourg.
The Osborne and Vivid, paddle yachts, returned
to Portsmouth on Saturday from Antwerp, and will
most probably accompany the Lords of the Admi-
ralty to Cherbourg.
The armour-plated screw frigate Agincourt, built
by Messrs. Laird Brothers, of Birkenhead, for the
Government, left the Mersey on Saturday at noon,
under the command of Captain Pay rater, of her
Majesty's ship Donegal, for Plymouth, where she
will be formally handed over to the Admiralty
officials. Among those on board were Mr. Henry
Laird, who represented the builders ; Mr. Field,
who represented Messrs. Maudslay, Sons, and
Field, the makers of her engines ; and Mr. Johnson,
the Government inspector. In passing slowly down
the river she received a salute of twenty-one guns
from the battery attached to Messrs. Laird's works.
Shortly after she had passed Bell-buoy she was
joined by the National Steam Navigation Com-
pany's steamer Queen, built by Messrs. Laird onthe
slip next adjoining the dock in which the Agincourt
was constructed, and launched a month after the
Agincourt. The Queen, which is 3,500 tons burden,
475-horse power, and 400 ft. long over all, accom-
panied the Agincourt for a short distance at full
speed, but it appeared that the Agincourt hail the
advantage. The Queen has, however, been built
for carrying capacity rather than for speed. After
leaving the Bell-buoy the Agincourt, with the tide
in her favour, ran a distance of 55 nautical miles in
4 hours 20 minutes, or at the rate of 12i knots an
hour. Making the usual allowance for the tide, the
actual speed would be at the rate of 111 knots.
This corresponded with the register of the patent log.
The engines are of 1,350 nominal horse-power, and
are on the double piston-rod principle, having return
connecting rods. The cylinders are 101 in. in dia-
meter, and have a stroke of 4ft. Gin. The steam is
supplied by 10 boilers, heated by 40 furnaces, which
will consume on the average 100 torts of coal a day.
The engines made from 48 to 50 revolutions a
minute, with a vacuum of 26in., and a pressure of
191 b. of -steam. There was no inconvenience or
stoppage of any kind, and no indications of heated
bearings. The vibration, too, promises to be very
slight in proportion to her power. She answered
her helm admirably. She anchored in Holyhead
harbour at 6.38 p.m., and would, it was understood,
resume her voyage at 6 o'clock yesterday morning.
Her internal fittings are now completed throughout,
and the only additional work required is the raising
of her masts—her five lower masts are stowed away
on the upper deck—and the addition of her rigging.
This will be done by the Government officials at
Plymouth.

The Himalaya, screw troopship, Capt. T. B.
Lethbridge, arrived at Spithead on Saturday from
Quebec, with the 63d Regiment and detachments of
troops on board, a detailed list of which was given
in Tha Sun of Saturday. The Himalaya left Qiiebec
on the 2d inst. The 63d Regiment will disembark
from the ship this morning and be forwarded on to
Aldershot by special South-Western train via Farn-
borough. The time-expired men and invalids will
disembark at the same time, and be sent on to their
depots and Netley Hospital. The Himalaya is now
ordered to be held in readiness to embark by the
28th inst. detachments from various regimental de-
pots for Canada and return to Spithead with the
Canadian Rifles. The Himalaya continues under
the command of Capt. T. B. Lethbridge (who was
temporarily appointed to the command by the Ad-
miralty Owing to the illness of Capt. Lacy), an officer
highly esteemed by the military authorities for the
energy and discrimination of his character and mea-
sures in the somewhat difficult position of a captain
of one of her Majesty's troop ships.
Major-Gen. Lord George Paget, C. 8., Inspector-
General of Cavalry, has finished an inspection of
the cavalry regiments at Aldershot, these being the
3d (King's Own) Hussars, the 14th (King's) Hus-
sars, and the Bth (Royal Irish) Hussars. The regi-
ments were put through the customary manoeuvres,
which were performed very creditably. The follow-
lowing regimental order was subsequently issued by
Col. Thompson, commanding the 14th Hussars :--
"The commanding- officer has much pleasure in con-
veying to all ranks that the Inspector-General of
Cavalry, Lord George Paget, C. 8., was much
pleased with the soldierlike and very clean appear-
ance of the regiment on parade this day. He also
favourably mentioned the improved condition of the
horses, and expressed himself highly satisfied with
the manoeuvres of the regiment in field this morn-

ing." The commendatory remarks of the Inspector-
General are understood to have equal application to
the 3d and Bth Hussars.

The troops at Aldershot under the command of
Lieut.-Gen. Sir John Pennefather, K.C.8., had a
field day on Wednesday. They were formed up on
Eelmoor-hill, in line of contiguous columns, at 10
o'clock, supplied with ten rounds of blank ammuni-
tion, and shortly afterwards were dispersed in order
of battle. The movements seemed to imply the
advance of an enemy from the north-west. After
preparations had been made to dispute his progress,
his threatened attack was discovered to be a feint,
and the troops were ordered to march past. This
over, the enemy was discovered strongly posted in
Bickley-copse, and a series of manoeuvres took place
to effect his dislodgment. This proved a work of
some difficulty, and for a considerable time the battle
seemed to rage with varying success. At length
the enemy, out-generalled on all sides, was thrown
into confusion, and the cavalry completed the dis-
comfiture by a succession of brilliant charges. The
troops on the field were B and F batteries 9th Bri-
gade, R.A. ; D battery R.U.A. ; 3d, Bth, and 14th
Hussars ; A and B troops Royal Engineer Train,
2d battalion Grenadier Guards, Ist battalion 13th
Regiment, Ist battalion 17th Regiment, Ist batta-
lion 21st Royal Scots Fusileers, 31st, 69th, 74th,
85th, and 92d Regiments.

The 39th (Dorsetshirc) Regiment, under the com-
mand of Col. Munro, C. 8., marched from its quar-
ters at Aldershott on Thursday morning to the
North Camp station of the South-Eastern Railway,
and proceeded thence by special train to Dover.
The A battery B Brigade Royal Horse Artillery
left Aldershott Camp on Tuesday for Dorchester.
The E battery 9th Brigade Royal Artillery left
Aldershott Camp on Thursday for Hilsea.
The prizes to the soldiers for the best kept gar-
dens around their huts have just been awarded. A
silver medal has been given to Sergeant-Major Por-
cher, F Battery 9th Brigade, R.A., for the greatest
variety of vegetables, and a bronze medal to Cor-
poral Price, 85th Regiment, for the most attractive
flower garden.

With reference to the court-martial on Lieut.
Denny, reported in The Sun of the 10th inst., we
are requested to state that Lord Frederick Kerr was
not examined, and that it was not three weeks ago
Lieut. Denny saved a man from drowning at Lul-
worth, but on the 28th of July, the day before the
offence with which he was charged was committed.
The steamer was close to the shore, and he put on
shore the man referred to.

The Double Murder at Ramsgate.

RAMSGATE, Saturday Evening.

To-day, at 11 &lock, Stephen Forwood, who stands
charged with the wilful murder of Mary his wife, and
Emily his daughter, a child eight years old, and who is
also suspected, partly on statements of his own, to have
been concerned in the murder of the three children in
Holborn, was brought up on remand before the district
magistrates sitting at the Town-hall. The magiStrates
present were Mr. Crofton (acting as chairman), General
Sir Wm. Coglan, K.C.8., the Rev. G. W. Sicklemore, Mr.
T. Whitehead, Capt. Wilkie, Mr. B. Sicklemore, and Mr.
G. E. Hannam. They were assisted in the examination
by their clerk Mr. Snowdon, and Mr. Livick, the head-
constable, rendered material aid. The prisoner had been
brought earlier in the morning from Sandwich Gaol, about
seven miles distant, ih the custody of Mr. Hill, the
governor of the prison, in a close fly. Long before
the hour appointed for the examination a crowd had assem-
bled outside the Court-house, and on its being opened the
people rushed tumultuously in. Through the courtesy of
the magistrates the representatives of the press bad been
previously admitted. When the prisoner appeared in dock
ho was wonderfully calm and collected. He is a tall, muscu-
lar man, about 40 years of age, and he had much improved
in appearance since his first examination on Thursday. He
has a pompous manner of speaking. He held in his hand
a statement in writing covering several sheets of foolscap
paper, and which he occupied himself in reading and amend-
ing in the short interval before the examination was re-
sumed. For a moment he winced and blushed as the
crowd rushed into the hall, but he never looked round,
and, recovering his composure, he resumed his writing.
On the magistrates taking their seats, the prisoner, ad-
dressing the Brench, said ho had a request to make before
the examination was re-opened—namely, for legal assist-
ance, and he had to utter a protest against his having been
deprived of such assistance, by which, he said, his power
of proving his innocence had boon greatly reduced.
_ _

The Chairman told him that was his own fault, and that
on the first examination he had strongly urged him to ob-
tain such assistance.

The Prisoner—l ask that a gentleman who is now pre-
sent may ho allowed to act as my legal adviser. Ile has been
sent hero by a poor publican, who is how the only friend I
have in the world, and who has done for me what Zaccheus,
that sublime man, did on a former occasion.
A clerk from the office of Messrs. Gold and Son was then
admitted to act for the prisoner at his request ; and the
Chairman told the prisoner that if he followed the recom-
mendation of his legal adviser he would hold his tongue.
This was said in reference to a written statement the pri-
soner was about to read.

Mr. Robert Hicks was called and examined. He said—l
am a surgeon practising in Ramsgate. I was called to
38, King-street, on Thursday last, at 25 minutes past 9 in
the morning. I went. I first saw the child lying in a
back room, but as it had been moved I went upstairs, and
there found the body of a woman in the front sitting room
lying on the floor on her left side. There were several
people in the room. The loft arm was slightly bent under
her the legs were also a little bent, the right arm lay on
the body, the head was bent, and the face lay in a pool of
blood. There ;its a wound two inches behind the right
ear, circular, and about a quarter of an inch in diameter ;
another about an inch in front of the same ear;
a third, irregular, under the right lower eyelid, the
eyelid itself being very much swollen. The prisoner was
in the room. Some one asked in my hearing and in that
of the prisoner who had done it. The prisoner made no
reply. He mentioned the name of the child. I asked gene-
rally what the pistol was loaded with, and the prisoner,
getting up from a sofa, handed me a ball cartridge, but said
nothing. The cause of death was a gunshot wound. I have
since examined the head of the woman more carefully.
The Chairman—Have you altered your opinion as to the
cause of death:?
Witness—No.

The Chairman—Then wo don't want that.
Witness (resuming)—l afterwards saw the body of the
child. Blood was issuing from the nose and mouth. On
removing the child's hat I saw a gunshot wound, which had
completely traversed the head, and I found a ball, which
had been used, close to the child.
Win. George Tappenden, a porter at the Camden Arms
Tavern, Ramsgate, repeated the evidence ho gave at the
inquest on Friday as to a man, whom ho now identified as
the prisoner, having asked him to take a message to the
deceased woman on Wednesday evening about 8 o'clock that
he wanted to see her ; as to her having written her address
on a piece of paper, and as to his having taken the address
to the prisoner, whom ho found walking backward and for-
ward before the Camden Arms, and who then went away.
At this stage the prisoner, pointing to a photographer's
camera which had been put up in the court and directed
towards him, said with great solemnity of manner, address-
ing the Bench—" I have to protest against my photograph
being taken in this court. lam an innocent man."

Mr. Crofton, the chairman, said his photograph should
not be taken if he objected to it, and ordered the apparatus
to be removed.

Mr. Livid; head-constable of Ramsgate, was the next
witness. He said—On Thursday morning, about half-past
9, I received information that a murder had been committed
at Mr. Ellis's house in king-street, and I went there imme-
diately. I saw a female child lying dead in a back room.
I then went upstairs to the front sitting-room. On the
landing I saw a pool of blood, and on entering the room I
saw the prisoner sitting on a sofa, and a woman lying dead
on the floor. The prisoner was pointed out to me, and I
asked him his name. When he spoke I recognized him by
his voice. He replied Stephen Forwood, and that he had
of late gone by the name of Walter Southey. He said it
was his own lawful married wife. I inquired her name.
He said Mary Ann Jemima Forwood. On my asking the
name of the child he replied Emily Sarah Frances Forwood,
and that the child was eight years old and the mother 35.
I told him I was going to charge him with the wilful mur-
der of them, and that he need not say, anything unless ho
pleased. Addressing me by name, he said if I knew all I
should not think him so bad as he appeared to be. I asked
if he had been searched. He then produced a razor from
his pocket, and before him on the table were lying six
pistol ball cartridges, and two pocket books. He also pro-
duced some papers and keys, half a sovereign, ss. 3d. in
silver, and 3d. in copper. I directed the constable to take
him to the police-station, and while there he asked if I had
received any information respecting the death of the
three children. I said I had not, but I might. He then
said he would make a statement, but was not then suffi-
ciently collected to do so. I left him and returned in about
an hour afterwards. On my return he asked for pen, ink,
and paper. I gave them to him and he wrote the statement
produced, which he wished to be sent to Sir Richard Mayne,
and which he gave to mo in his cell. (The document
appeared at length on Saturday.) I told him he was also
charged with the wilful murder of three children at the
Star Coffeehouse in Holborn, upon which ho asked which
charge he would be tried upon, and whether he could make
his election. That was all that passed.

Police-constable Drayson, whoon Thnrsdaymorning was
also called to the house of Mr. Ellis, gavecorroborative evi-
dence as to the state in which the bodies worn found. Ho
was asked by Mr. Ellis, he said, to take charge of the five-

chambered revolver produced, the pair of false whiskers and
moustache, a pair of green spectacles, with sides, and some
pieces of paper with blood on them. The pistol was then
quite warm, and there was blood on the barrel.
Adelaide Ellis was called—l am a daughter of William
Ellis, dyer at Ramsgate. On the evening before the mur-
der the prisoner and his wife called at our house. They
came together, and they had some conversation, and ho
made an appointment to come next morning. He then went
away. About 20 minutes past 8 next morning he called.
His wife was then taking breakfast with us. The wife and
he sat a few minutes in the parloUr. The child was there,
and I told her to ask the gentleman if he knew who sho
was. He did not know her. I then said they might go
upstairs, and they went. The child, who had left, was sent
for, and it went upstairs also. In a few minutes I heard
two reports, and after the second I heard a heavy fall. I
ran upstairs to see what was the matter. I saw the child
rolling down the stairs, and the prisoner following her with
a pistol in his hand.. I said, " Forwood, what are you
doing ?" and rushed downstairs and called my father. The
prisoner made no reply. My father came and ran upstairs.
I wont after him, and brought the child down. It was quite
dead. I ran upstairs again, after sending for Mr. Curling,
a surgeon. On entering the sitting-room I saw Mrs. For-
wood lying dead.

Cross-examined—When I saw the prisoner following the
child he did not ask her to send for a policeman.
This being the evidence for the prosecution,

Mr. Snowdon, the magistrates' clerk, addressing the pri-
soner, gave him the usual formal caution as to anything he
might say, reminding him that he was not obliged to say
anything, but that whatever he said would be taken down
in writing, and might be used against him on his trial.
The prisoner, through his advisor, said he wished to ask
for a remand.

The Chairman said the prisoner must assign some reason
to justify a remand. The prosecution had no further oTi-
dance.

The adviser explained the reason to be that the prisoner
might be allowed on a future day to produce certain docu-
ments and evidence.

The Chairman refused, telling the prisoner that on the
first examination he had warned him against reading a
statement be had then prepared, thinking it was very in-
judicious for him to do so. As to documents, every docu-
ment that could bear on the inquiry had been seized by
the police when the prisoner was apprehended. Any other
document would be quite unavailing there.

The Prisoner—The documents are not understood by
you, nor their character, nor the ground of my asking for
a remand. The ground is this—that I charge the guilt of
the crime charged upon me against others, and that a per-
son brought to justice is entitled to show the truths which
conscientiously convince him that the guilt with which he
is charged devolves upon others, before being committed
for trial.

The Chairman—You aro now alluding to the London
charge, with which we as magistrates have nothing to do.
Prisoner—No.

The Chairman—This Bench is going to send you to bo
tried by a judge of a superior court and a jury of your
country. We peremptorily refuse to remand you. You
stand committed to Sandwich Gaol, to bo tried at the next
Maidstone Assizes for the murder of your wife and your
daughter. (Addressing the prisoner's legal adviser)—Tho
prisoner applied to me the other day to know whether ho
should be tried in London, alluding to the offence com-
mitted there, or at Maidstone. He had no option in the
matter. The option lies entirely witlithe Government, and
if they wish to try him in London for the crime ho is
alleged to have committed thorn, the mode in which they
would have to proceed would be under the Habeas Corpus
Act.

The prisoner's advisor remarked that ho could be tried
under Palmer's Act in London, oven on ale Ramsgate
charge.

l'he Chairman said he could, adding that the Bench had
communicated with Sir George Grey on the matter, and
that was the answer they had received.
The Prisoner—l should be glad to address the Bench
again. I must act upon my own judgment.
The Chairman—You have had the benefit of a legal
adviser.

The Prisoner—Thank you. My conscience is my own
guide. I wish to address the bench.

Mr. Snowdon, tho magistrates' clerk, ordered prisoner
to be removed, and he was removed accordingly. As ho
was leaving the dock he said ho should not be doing his
duty to himself or to the cause of justice if he did not pro-
test against the committal.

Sunday.

Yesterday, after the prisoner was removed from the
Court-room he was taken to ono of the cells in the base-
ment of the building, and at his own request was visited
by a person who had met him some few years back. They
had nearly half an hour's conversation, Forwood explain-
ing his views very earnestly, especially as to the reasons
why ho committed the crimes for which ho then stood
committed for trial. He said that the contumely and
frowns of the world would only have been showered upon
his wife and child for his misdeeds, and ho considered the
best thing he could do was to put them out of the world
first. He also said that he had carried the revolver about
with him for several days with tho whole of the chambers
loaded,and that he was within a yard or two of Lord -,
morn than once having made up his mind to shoot him.
He appears fully to have made up his mind for the worst,
and oxprosso,l great anxiety to be tried in liondon, as his
defence will be very long on account of the documents ho
had to bring forward, showing the acts of those who had
driven him to ruin. He wants no efforts to be made on
his behalf, as ho does not wish his life to be saved. His
only desire is that ho should be set right with the public.
Ho very earnestly repudiates any notion of his madness, or
that his acts have proceeded from any other eause thantho
great wrong he conceives himself to have suffered.

The following telegram was sent yesterday to a person
with whom ho was formerly acquainted :

"Do not judge. To judge at present is to misjudge. Do
not condemn."

The following are extracts from a long document which
Forwood has prepared, and in which he attempts to justify
his acts :

" Is the national system of social justice in Great Britain
a recognition of the Old and New Testamont, and of those
teachings as a Divine revelation from God to man ? and
what is justice between man and his fellow man and all
mankind ?

"Does the law of Great Britain justify a private citizen
in killing another citizen either in defence of himself or in
defence of law and justice ?

" If a private citizen feels himself conscientiously callod
upon to perform a certain act, not knowing that act to be
wrong in the eye ofthe law, does the law hold it justice to
inflict punishment for such act, in which no wrong was
knowingly done ?
" What is the Exact definition of that which in tho oye of
the law makes one man an accessory before the fact ?

" I ask to see the public papers, so that I may see what
false reports go to the public, and have an opportunity of
refuting, disproying them. Why should it be allowed that
any lie should be propagated and dispersed to the public,
and Ibe denied the opportunity of answering? These
same lies will reach the jury, which is to be taken from
that public, and predispose their minds. Why am I, who,
even in the eye of the law, am yet innocent, whatever my
actions may have been, deprived of all social rights and
those supports and comforts to the mind which aro so ab-
solutely necessary to the retention of power to defend
myself.

"I want nothing for myself from this world. I defy any
pain which it is in the power of man to inflict upon mo ;
but, if accused, if I am to have justice do not lot it be a
mockery : do not break down a mind, destroy physical
power, and so obtain a conviction, and call it justice. Tho
holiest, noblest of men have been accused, have porished.
It is for the sake of the thousands which our so-called civi-
lisation, our rotten laws, will yet convert into degraded,
wretched criminals that I speak for the sake of justice and
truth.

Lord Palmerston says public opinion is often wrong in
action. Our legislators are as supine; personal Interests
engage too much of their time to study and amend this in-
justice. Where, then, is the Minister of Justice, who
ought to be to remedy such things, whose want in our
social system is a disgrace to English judicature, a shame-
ful blot to be looked on by the people of all coming ages ?
I seek to remedy this crime.
" Can I acknowledge the acts and defend myself from the
charge of guilt, imputing the guilt to those whose criminal
neglect of their duty has brought it about ?
"Is there none who can read what must be the formation
of a mind which could under its own strong sense of right
offer up for their and the public gocid the lives of others for
whom he had lived faithfully and struggled through many
years of the bitterest suffering—whose love and right and
deeply-tried affection for them had been the only support
which enabled him to endure and battle for them ?
"How easy, after all, to commit crimes and to evade the
hell ! Weep for the living. One poor dear soul must suffer.
Mine is past.
" What is it to die ? The worthiest have died as igno-
minious a death as I shall, and have lived honoured and
beloved in the hearts and souls of men for hundreds of
years after. If I am unjustly condemned, I shall not be
the first victim of injustice.
"A jury is supposed to be selected from a man's peers—
his equals. What constitutes this equality ? The mind is
the standard of the man, the controller and director of his
actions. The severe trials which I have passed through
in life—the out-of-the-way course my life has taken—have
quickened me and expanded my mind far beyond what
would or could ordinarily be experienced by any one in
the usual way following such mode of life as I have—have
driven mo from much of ordinary belief."
In the other parts of the document the prisoner contrasts
his position with that of Tell, Virginius, and Abraham, and
he calls on the Government to provide the means for his de-
fence, and the press (whose power for good or evil he
strongly urges) to give all his statements entire, and repair
the injustice done him in previous reports.

tion has recently been filed at the Patent Office
secured by somebody
for improvements in boiling eggs. This was shortly after-
wards. followed by a patent for a machine for removing
thede
theW e
above hope
next week to be able to announce that a patent has been
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