The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-05 00:00:00

The Coldstream Murder.

At the Jedburgh Circuit Court on Wednesday, before
Lord Ardmillan and Lord Jerviawoode, Alexander Thom-
son, lately residing in Church-lane, Coldstream, was placed
at the bar charged with the murder of his wife in his own
house on the 4th or sth December last. The prisoner had
given himself into custody on the morning of the sth De-
cember, to the sheriff-officer at Coldstream, who on re-
pairing to the house found the deceased Margaret Dickson
or Thomson barbarously murdered, 11 of her ribs being
fractured and her body showing many frightful injuries.
The panel pleaded " Not Guilty," and a special defence
was put in to the effect that he was insane at the
time the act was committed. The medical witnesses called
for the defence were allowed to sit in court to hear the
evidence. It was proved that the prisoner was usually
a person of very quiet and inoffensive temper, and that
he and his wife usually lived happily together, but that
he took to great fits of drinking, which gave rise to
acts of violence bordering on, if not producing,
insanity. Sometimes he had been chained to the
bed to prevent him getting out of the house to
satisfy his craving for drink, and altogether he ap-
peared to have been a pitiable victim of that propensity.
On the night in question there had evidently been a great
conflict, and the woman, who was spoken of as a very quiet
person, would appear to have used either poker or tongs
in her defence. She had, however, been overpowered by
the husband's fury, and the medical witnesses who exa-
mined the body expressed their opinion that several of the
wounds separately were sufficient to cause death. The
evidence of the murder was quite conclusive, and the con-
test of evidence related rather to the question of the pri-
soner's responsibility as a sane person for the act. The
local medical witnesses deposed that several times he had
suffered from delirium tremens, and on one occasion, at least,
had showed symptoms of acute mania. On the night before
the murder Dr. Turnbull had advised restraint, on account
of old symptoms reappearing, but Mrs. Thomson expressed
confidence in being able to manage him. The doctor, not
quite satisfied, had applied for the use of leg-irons, but the
constable declined to lend them. The professional wit-
nesses examined for the defence thought the prisoner's
violence was attributable to an attack of acute mania,
followed by a gradual return in the morning to con-
sciousness.

After hearing counsel and the Judge's charge, the jury
returned the following verdict :—" Not Guilty, in respect
that at the timo of his committing the act he was tempo-
rarily insane."

There was an influx of £61,000 in bar gold at the
Bank yesterday.
The Anglo-Austrian Bank will be prepared to
pay, on and after May 9,6 s. sd. per share, being a
total payment for interest and dividend at the rate
of sir per cent. per annum for the year 1864.
The committee of the Stock Exchange have ap-
pointed Tuesday, the 9th May, a special settling
day in the shares of the Darjeeling Company
(Limited), which are to be marked in the daily
lists. The committee have also ordered the shares
of Bolckon, Vaughan, and Co. (Limited), and of
the London and Lisbon Cork Wood Company
(Limited), to be officially quoted, the former in the
daily and the latter in the twice a-week lists.
In the Foreign and Colonial Produce Markets
during the last few days there has been a moderate
amount of business entered into. Sugars have fully
sustained former rates, while slightly higher prices
have been paid for superior qualities of coffee.
Rice has been in steady request at full values ;
while in cocoa, fruit, and spices the operations
have been to an average extent, without any ma-
terial change to note in prices. Tallow has been
in rather more request for both present and future
delivery, and quotations tend upwards.

WEDGWOOD'S SCHOOL DAYS.— In the same
school as young Josiah were many of his future
contemporaries, as the Mayers of Newcastle, the lienshalls,
the Taylors of Burslem, the Booths, • the Daniels, and
others. Sprightly and yet grave, the little Josiah was a
general favourite. Among his companions, he was dis-
tinguished for uncommon vivacity and humour. They
were attached to him by his warm and generous temper ;
and his reputed sagacity marked him out as a leaderin their
boyish sports. It is handed down that he thus early be-
trayed his extraordinary eye for construction by his use of
the scissors. Borrowing a pair from his sister or the other
girls, and with paper torn from a copybook, or brought by
the lads for the purpose, he would cut out the most sur-
prising things : as an array at combat, a fleet at sea, a house
and garden, or a whole pot-work, and the shapes of the
ware made in it. These cuttings when wetted were stuck
the whole length of the sloping desks, to the exquisite
delight of the scholars, but often to the great wrath of the
severe pedagogue.-11feteyard's Life of Wedgwood.
By advica from Hamburg the price of gold is 425 per mark
and the short exchange on London is 13.81 per £1 stcrlin,.
Standard gold at the English Mint price is, therefore, about
-10 the per cent. dearer in London than in Hamburg.