The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-04 00:00:00

THAMES.

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE,--For a great many years suicides
and attempts at suicide had been committed by drunken
prostitutes in the waters of the London Dock from the seve-
ral bridges in New Gravel lane, Shadwell, and Old Gravel-
lane, St. George-in-the-East, and occasi nally from the
swivel bridge near Wapping Church, and the swivel bridge
which passes over the Hermitage Lcck, Lower East Smith •
field. In almost every case the magistrates have remanded
the women rescued from the waters for a week, and the
spiritual advice and exhortations of the Rev. Mr. Jephson,
the pious and excellent chaplain of the Clerkenwell House
of Detention have met with the happiest effects. A few have,
notwithstanding, relapsed and attempted suicide a second
time. About 30 years ago the late Mr. Ballantine committed
several prostitutes who had attempted self-destruction
in the waters of the London Dock, for trial, and the body
of another woman of the town, who had drowned herself,
was given to the surgeons for dissection, after a verdict of
felo de se was returned. The practice has latterly become
so common that some hing more than mere remands for a
week and a kind lecture (which the frail sisterhood call a
" blowing up") from the magistrates has become nee, scary,
in the way of example to deter others from the commisFion
of a crime contrary to all divine and human laws. On
Friday evening, after Mr. Humphreys and a jury had held
an inquest on the body of a woman named Emma Hammer-
ton, who precipitated herself from the Old Gravel-lane
bridge, and was drowned, the Coroner remarked that if
the Jury were to return a verdict offelo de se, it might be
productive of some good, for it generally happened after
a case of suicide by one prostitute that nearly a score
acted in a similar manner.

This morning Margaret Scott, aged 21, of No. 31, Angel-
court, Shad well, where none but "fallen angels" are to be
found, was charged with attempting self-destruction. She
was observed by a butcher's boy, named Nicholas Horns-
worth to "throw herself over" the Old Gravel-lane
swivel bridge into the water. The boy hallooed out
for the drags. There was some delay in bring-
ing them, and a young man jumped into the dock
and dived after her. He brought her up and she was
saved. The brave fellow did not give his name and ad-
dress, nor did he attend to give evidence of his gallantry in
saving the unfortunate and misguided woman. She stated
in answer to (pima( ns put to her by the magistrate that
she had been a gay woman for 13 months and came
from Clapham. She was very sorry fur what she had done.
She was drunk when she did it.

humanity. He
eatrteemmapntsdeadt Ft3itliiecipdreiswonereer
police
IJCicieeerkonenstwaebille,wi prisonthalt.ot attempting ma pwt iene kg
'self-destruction. "he was
Jl, 10.
quitei
‘alrnsehSN: clafkstlnh B,gaaitdo prostitute,thesehun'
was charged by 0... n .L.:ryan, a
ino a state of intoxication, and shouting and bawling, and
in the midst of her wild delirium she went on the new
Gravel-lane swivel bridge, and said she would drown her •
self. She made a pretence to clirab ON er, and was arrested.
Mr. Selfe committed her to the House of Correction as a
ladisorderly prostitute for 10 days,
and to be kept at hard
suici
Inde the month
th of July there were 17 attempts to commit
from l„. L0nd0.....„_n ko, k swivel bridges.

THE FORDINGBXIDGE MlORDER.—r4,..eorge Gil-
bert, who was couvicted of the atrocious murder of Young
lady at Forduigbridtge, was executed this morning)

GREAT NORTHERN AND WESTERN OF

IRELAND.

HALF-YEARLY MEETING—(THIS DAY).
The ordinary
-half-yearly meeting of this com-
pany was held this day at the offices, Duke-street,
Westminster.
The Earl of Luca'n presided.
The report states.' that the line had earned
£9,600 16s. 10d. during- the
past half year. Since
the opening of the exte.nsion to Claremorris the
receipts to the 30th June last reached £lO 9s. per
mile per week ; this is encouro gin £lO
and must in-
sure the confidence already felt by the directors
of the future prospects of the undertaking. It is
proposed to pay a dividend at the rate of X 5 per i
cent. per annum on the £620 paid up on the prefer-
ence capital, and also a dividend, free of ineonao-taz, i
at the rate of £2 per cent. per annum upon the
called up ordinary capital to the 30th of June last,
which will absorb £3,168 13i. 3d., and leave a ba
lance of £334 ss. 2d. to be carried forward. The
directors will commence the Westport Extension
immediately on completion of the works to Castle-
bar, and are taking the necessary steps for that
purpose. If the importance to the interests of this
extension could ever be doubted, it is now esta-
blished, say the directors, by the obstinate resist-
ance of the Midland Company; by every means in
their power, in defiance of all their obligations,
that company has given this company the most de-
termined opposition on every stage of the bill and
on every opportunity that offered. The referee has
declared the conduct of the Midland Company to
be a violation of the agreement between the two
companies, and the select committee of the House
of Commons refused them a hearing, determined
upon not countenancing such a breach of good
faith.

The report was carried Unanimously.
Thanks having been voted to the chairman, the
proceedings terminated.

MID KENT RAIL IPA

HALF-YEARLY MEETING—(THIS DAY).
The ordinary half•yearly meeting was held at
the offices, 31, Parliament-street.
The chairman presided.
The report of the directors states that the balance
at the credit of the revenue account for the half-
year ending the 30th June is £1.638, which anables
the directors to recommend a dividend for the
half-year of £2 per cent., instead of £1 10s.
per cent., which has been the rate for the corres-
ponding half of the four preceding years, leaving a
balance of £lO2. The Act for the Addiscombe Ex-
tension has been obtained in tilt, present session,
notwithstanding the strenuous opposition of the
Brighton Company in both Houses of Parliament,
on the ground that it was the first step to an exten-
sion of the company's line to Croydon. It was un-
questionably in that view that the project received
such unanimous support from the inhabitants of
that populous town ; and it will be incumbent on
the company, after so decided an expression in
favour of a new line to Croydon, to renew the ap- I
plication made to Parliament some years ago, for
powers to provide the desired accommodation, by
the further extension of the Mid-Kent line to a cen-
tral station in the town, which will give access to
the new London stations of Cannon street and
Charing cross, as well as to the important places on
the North Kent line. The additional capital which
will be required for the construction of the Addis-
combe line will be raised by the creation, under the
powers of the recent Act, of 9,000 shares of £5 each,
bearing a preferential final dividend of 5 per cent.
per annum, secured on the net receipts of the exist-
ing railway and on those which will be derived
from the new line. The directors believe that this
arrangement will be found to be the best for pro-
viding the funds and securing the rapid construction
of the line. The extension is only 31 miles in
length, and will be extremely cheap to construct
kind it is expected that the line will be completed
and open for public traffic in the early pert of nex
summer. The expenditure on capital accoun
amounts to £100,792.
The report was carried unanimously.