The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-25 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVE NI NO, JULY 25, 18 62._

water, and taken at bedtime." The deceased did not
immediately make use of either of the medicines,
which were put by in a drawer which she always
kept locked. On the 13th of April she received a
letter from Burke, inquiring whether she had used
the medicine and "salts," and next evening, the
14th, feeling unwell, she took part of the contents
of the package, and died in half an hour afterwards,
in the fearful convulsive agony that precedes death
caused by strychnine. The contents of her stomach
were analysed, and found to contain a grain of
strychnine—double the quantity requisite to cause
death. The residue of the package was found
to consist of Epsom salts, magnesia, and
strychnine. The prisoner had access to all parts
of the workhouse, and had been seen in the sur-
gery some short time previous to Easter, with a
paper before him containing a white powder, into
which he appeared to be pouring another white
powder from a bottle. In this surgery the Epsom
salts and magnesia were kept in open drawers, and
strychnine was most culpably kept in an unlocked
press. It was proved by Dr. Fitzpatrick, the phy-
sician to the workhouse, that in the beginning of
March the prisoner had a conversation with him
about poisons, in which the doctor informed him of
the nature and properties of strychnine, and that
half a grain of it would be a fatal dose. The cir-
cumstances of Mrs. Burke's death were proved by
her sister, niece, and servant. Dr. Harrington
identified the bottle of turpentine as having been
sent from his establishment, and proved that the
package of white powder had not been made up by
any medical man, the materials being merely mixed
together instead of being triturated in a mortar.
Dr. Blyth, Professor of Chemistry, in Queen's Col-
lege, York, deposed that he had analysed the con-
tents of the deceased's stomach and the remainder
of the powder. He discovered strychnine in each
—in the latter to the amount of 12 per cent. The
witnesses were closely cross-examined by the pri-
soner's counsel, Messrs. Rolleston and Johnstone,
but their evidence was not shaken. The trial ter-
minated at half-past six o'clock yesterday, when
the jury returned a verdict of guilty, but recom-
mended the prisoner to mercy on account of his
previous good character.
Mr. P. Delany, one of the Kilkenny deputation
to the American delegates who brought over the
supposed bones of M'Manus, was arrested on Tues-
day, charged with swearing in members of the
Phoenix Society,

but throughout the kingdom, as by its junctions with
the lines south of the Thames it will enable pas-
sengers to book through, without changing, from
Edinburgh to Southampton or Dover, and vice versa;
and we all know what an amount of annoyance
and delay is thus saved. It must also tend much to
relieve our overcrowded streets, which are now ab•
solutely congested with traffic.

COMMITTEE FOR PRIVILEGES. •

HOUSE OF LORDS, JULY 24.
Their lordships sat this morning as a committee
for privileges ; Lord Redesdale in the chair.
THE DUNDONALD PEERAGE.
The claimant in this ease is Thomas Barnes Cot:!1-
rane, wbo seeks the title and dignities of Earl Dun-
donald and Baron Cochrane, in the peerage of Scot-

land.
Mr. Fleming and Mr. Kay were counsel for the
petitioner; Mr. Archbold represented Capt. the
Hon. P. L. Cochrane; and the Attorney-General
watched the case on behalf of the Crown.
The claim came before their lordships for the
third time under the following circumstances. In
1647 Sir Wm. Cochrane was created Lord Cochrane
of Dundonald, and in 1669, after the Restoration,
he was created Earl of Dundonald. Archibald, the
9th earl in succession, was the grandfather of the
present claimant, and he died in 1831. The claim-
ant's father was born in Scotland in Dec., 1775,
having entered the navy, in 1793, as Lord Coch-
rane, in which he saw much service. He was
elected member for Westminster in 1812 and in
1814, having been found guilty of conspiracy, he
was sentenced to imprisonment. On the accession
of William IV. he was restored to his rank and ap-
pointed to a naval command in the West Indies,
and subsequently took the command of the Chilian
fleet. In 1831 he succeeded to the Earldom of Dun-

donald,and in 1833 he voted at the election
for Scotch representative peers. After that the pe-
titioner was always called Lord Cochrane, until the
death of his father in 1860, when he assumed the
title of Earl of Dundonald. The petitioner's parents
were married in Scotland in 1812, each signing a
paper, acknowledging themselves to be husband and
wife, which, it was submitted, was sufficient toesta-
biish the legitimacy of the petitioner. There were
subsequently a publie marriage between the parties,
both in Scotland and England, which would, it
was contended, even if the Scotch marriage were
held invalid, render the claimant legitimate. The
case was adjourned on the last occasion for the
attendance of the Countess Dowager Dundonald as
a witness.

Her ladyship now appeared to give evidence
She stated that her maiden name was Catherine
Corbett Barnes, and that her parents died when
she was very young. She was now 64 years of
age. She was brought up by her aunt, Mrs. Jack-
son, who resided at 9, Bryanston-street, Bryan-
ston- square, and was party educated at Great Mar-
low, in Buckinghamshire. Whilst living in Bryan-
ston-street, in 1811, she was introduced to her late
husband, then Lord Cochrane, by his cousin, Capt.
Nathaniel Day Cochrane, who was a friend of her
aunt's. He was then living with his uncle, Mr.
Basil Cochrane, at 20, Portman-square. He made
love to her and offered her marriage, which she at
first refused, but eventually she accepted him. He
asked her to be privately married, and to keep her
marriage a secret, as his uncle had promised him a
large fortune if he married another lac*. She re-
fused, but on his being taken ill, he sent to her beg-
ging her to walk opposite his uncle's house, as he
was dying. She complied with the request, and on
his being lifted to the window, the sight of his
corpse-like form and face softened her heart and she
consented to a private marriage. Here Lady Dun-
donald became much excited, and said she could not
sit there to vindicate the conduct of that great man
who was the hero of a hundred fights. It was, she
said, impossible that he could have done wrong in
the matter, and he was incapable of the deception
which the world—who it was she knew not, she
dare not say her own son—imputed to him, such a
good, such a great man, who could have so ruled
upon the waters ; and, oh ! it was too much that
she, his wife, should have to sit there and vindicate
his honour. She had followed the fortunes of that
great man. She had stood with him on the battle
deck, where she had seen his men fall around him,
and she had herself fired a gun to save the life and
honour of her husband, and was ready to do it
again. He was a glory to the nation to which he
belonged, and there was no member of the family
of Dundonald who should not feel proud of
him. Her ladyship then proceeded to say she
and her late husband went to Scotland in a car-
riage, attended by her maid and his man, and on
their arrival at Annan, on the Bth of Aug., 1812,
they went to the Queensberry Arms Hotel, where
Lord Cochrane wrote out a paper, and •she copied
out another, which they signed. They ran as fol-
lows
" I, Sir Thomas Cochrane, commonly called Lord Coch-
rane, of the kingdom of Scotland, being desirous, for parti
cular reasons, to avoid a public marriage, hereby acknow -
ledge and receive Catherine Corbett Barnes as my lawful
wife. " COCHRANE."
"I, Catherine Corbett Barnes, of the parish of Maryle-
bone, county of Middlesex, do accept and declare Sir
Thomas Cochrane, commonly called Lord Cochrane, to be
my lawful husband, promising faithfully to keep secret this
deed of marriage until I shall be permitted in writing,
under the hand of my accepted husband, to disclose the
same. " CATHERINE CORBETT BARNES."
" Done at Queensberry Arms, in the town and parish of
Annan, in the county cl Dumfries, in the kingdom of Scot-
land, the Bth day of August, 1812.
" ANNE MOXAM. RICHARD CARTER."
Lord Cochrane told Carter that he had come there
to be married. He also told her that the marriage
was legal. He left for London immediately, scarcely
stopping for refreshment. She returned on the 10th,
when she went to her aunt's house, where she re-
mained until the 18th, when she went with Lord
Cochrane to the Isle of Wight, where they stayed
two months, and she lived with him from that time
until his death. They were afterwards married in
England and at Edinburgh.
By the Chancellor—ln signing the deed she and
her husband used the same pen.
By the Attorney-General—She recognised her
own writing, although it was 50 years ago since she
wrote it. It had been in the hands of Lord Dun-
donald's lawyer ever since, as far as she knew, and
she had only seen it once since. That was in 1844,
on the occasion of her son's marriage. She was
aware that Mr. Basil Cochrane, on the 12th of
August, was married four days after her own mar-
riage, Lord Cochrane left her an suddenly in ordex
to be present at his uncle's marriage. Lord
Brougham was consulted on the marriage deed, and
he said it was perfectly binding. Lord Cochrane
had several country houses in England and some
property in Scotland. In consequence of certain
circumstances which occurred in 1814 he sold his
property. After his release from prison she took
him to Dover, and they embarked in an open boat
for Boulogne, standing up throughout a cold night
during their passage. She had discharged her maid
Moxam in 1813, and she heard she had died thirty
years ago. Her cousin was informed of her mar-
riage. She was not introduced to her husband's
family until afterithe English marriage, when they
received her, and behaved in the most kind manner
to her.
Mr. Herd, Sir J H. Maxwell, and Mr. Bevan
proved that Lord Dundonald's family had recognised
the Scotch marriage, and that he himself always
considered it valid.
Mr. Archbold, on behalf of Captain Cochrane,
prayed that Mr. William Jackson, the husband of
Lady Dundonald's aunt, might be examined by com-
mission, as he was bedridden.
Their lordships granted the application, and the
further hearing was adjourned to Monday next.