The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-27 00:00:00

NUMEROUS CASES OF CRUELTY.

George Felton, appeared before Mr. Hardwick, in
answer to a summons granted at the instance of Hr.
Middleton, secretary to the Royal Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Animals, charging him with driving
a horse in an unfit condition.

David Watson, one of the society's officers, stated that
on the Ist instant he saw the defendant driving a horse
and cart in Oxford-street. Under the pad of the saddle
was a wound about the size of a crown piece, and a
piece of sacking was adhering to it. Another wound
was on the horse's back ; and altogether the animal was
not in a fit state to work.
Fined ss. and costs.

Jacob Shell was next charged with a similar offenc,!.
Smith, a constable belonging to the society above
alluded to, stated that on the 10th instant he was. in
Crown-street, Soho, when he saw the defendant driving
a horse and cart laden with coals, and on examining the
horse's back he found a wound on it about the size of
his hand. The horse was also in a very poor condition.
Fined 10s. and costs.

John, Southam, was fined ss. and costs for the like
offence.

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, DEC. 26.

The Queen, with the Princess Royal and Princess
Alice, walked in the grounds adjoining the Castle this
morning.

Prince Albert, accompanied by Prince Leopold of
Saxe Cobourg, went out shooting this forenoon, attended
by the Earl of Listowel, Lord Alfred Paget, Col. the
Hon. C. B. Phipps, and Capt. Hon. D. Ros.

The Duke and Duchess of Nemours visited her
Majesty to-day.

The Duke of Newcastle has left town for his seat,
Clumber Park, Notts.

Despatches were received at the Colonial-office yes.
terday from the Governors of Hong Kong, West Aus-
tralia, Malta, and Gibraltar, and also from the Lord
High Commissioner of the lonian Islands.

THE COURT.--The Royal dramatic performances in
the Rubens Room at Windsor Castle will not, we be•
lieve, be resumed until after the expiration of the family
mourning for the late Queen of Portugal, namely, on the
17th proximo, when the first drama played before her
Majesty and the Court circle will be Sir Edward B.
Lytton's drama of Money.
The Duke of Rutland is surrounded by a family circle
at Belvoir Castle, including the Marquis of Granby,
Lord and Lady John Manners, Lord George J. Man-
ners, the Rev. Mr. and Lady Adeliza Norman. His
grace will complete his 76th year on the 4th of the en-
suing month.
The Marquis and Marchioness of Westminster and a
family circle are passing the holidays at Motcombe
House, Dorset.

The Countess of Leicester has left town for Holkham
Hall, after a brief sejour at Brighton.
The Earl and Countess of Rosebery are receiving a
family circle at Dalmeny Park, N.B.
The nuptials of Lord Lymington with one of the ac-
complished Ladies Nevill, daughters of the Earl of
Abergavenny, is understood to be postponed, on account
of the dangerous state of health of his lordship's father,
Lord Portsmouth.

The Austrian Minister to the French Court, the Che-
valier Hubner, has returned to town from Brighton, en
route to resume his diplomatic duties in Paris.
THE LATE COUNTESS OF EGLINTON.—The funeral of
the much lamented Countess of Eglntion and Winton
took place on Friday afternoon, in the family vault at
Kilwining, on which extensive alterations have been
made during the week, it being now 36 years since it
was last opened. In accordance with the wishes of the
deceased lady, the obsequies were conducted with the
strictest privacy.—North, British Mail.

PRINCE ADAM CZARTORYSICI.—The Polish exiles in
London assembled numerously, on the 21st instant, at
Sussex Chambers, Duke-street, St. James's, to read the
speech of Prince Adam Czartoryski, delivered by his
highness at Paris on the 29th ult., and voted to him an
address expressive of confidence, respect, and gratitude,
for the indefatigable manner, ability, and prudence with
which, from his earliest days, and during a long and
unblemished career, that illustrious patriot has been
watching over the future destinies of Poland. That the
general aspect of European politics opens a new field to
Polish patriotism cannot be denied ; and that the worthy
prince is, by his antecedents, his name, and his position,
the national representative in foreign lands of the rights
of his country, is also undeniable, The address was
signed, on the part of the assembled, by Lieutenant
Charles Szulezewski, who occupied the chair on the
occasion, and by Mr. N. F. Zaba.

THE SUSPENSION OF BUSINESS YESTERDAY IN THE
CITY.—The City yesterday, considering the fact of its
being "boxing day," presented an appearance which
may, perhaps, be denominated "unexampled." Not
but that the dense fog which " clothed" the whole of its
ancient boundary "as with a garment," during the
early part of the forenoon, and the " biting frost" which
formed

" The fancied landscape on the window panes"
of the citizens, most faithfully depicted the severity
of the season, but that the hum of the " working
bees" in this vast "hive of industry" was tempo-
rarily hushed by the common consent of the citi-
zens, and that a day of " rest" from bodily toil, and
a day of "recreation" for all parties had been mutually
agreed upon. The shops in the leading thoroughfares
were closed, and the doors of the warehouses as safely
padlocked as they had been the day before, except in
one or two instances, which ought not to be nameless,
but which, perhaps, it is better at this season of the year
that we should make so, seeing that loss, and not profit,
was, in most of the cases, the result of the obstinacy of
the proprietors to the general will, the parties being
compelled eventually to yield, through that mighty
force of circumstances," the absence of even "the ghost"
of a customer. As a consequence of this general closing
—this just tribute of the wealthy " capitalist" to the
"rights of labour"—thousands of merry faces might be
seen—the industrious of both sexes—all of them wending
their way from the "murky city" to the "parks," the
" exhibitions," the "galleries," the "firesides " of their
friends, and though last, not least, to the "theatres,"
there to take in, in the company of "laughter-loving in-
nocence," their fill of "fun and frolic," to remember in
such company the "joyousness of the past," and to
awake with renewed vigour to the performance of the
" duties of the present."
DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO MURDER A FEMALE.
Yesterday considerable excitement was created in the
neighbourhood of Chancery-lane, in consequence of a
most atrocious attempt to murder a married woman,
named M. Willis, aged 59 years, of No. 5, Lee's-build-
ings, Chancery-lane, and from what can be gleaned, very
slight hopes are entertained of the recovery of the per-
petrator of the horrid deed. It appears, that the in-
jured female and her husband, William Willis, aged 61
years, a law-writer, had lived very comfortably toge-
ther ; but from some reason unexplained he, on his re-
turn home in the morning between two and three o'clock
seized a table knife, and rushed to the bedside of his
wife, and endeavoured to cut her throat ; she struggled
violently, when he inflicted a most severe woend in her
head. She jumped out of bed, and rushed to the door
of the room, and called out "Murder ;" the husband
(Willis) immediately seized a razor, and inflicted a fright-
ful gash on his throat, by which the windpipe and
carotid artery were laid bare, but not divided. The
landlord and his son, on coming up stairs, found he had
jumped into bed and covered himself over with the
bed clothes. The police having arrived, he was taken
out of bed and conveyed to Canterbury Ward, King's
College Hospital, where Mr. George Lawson, the house-
surgeon, was in immediate attendance, and rendered
every assistance, but little hopes are entertained of his
recovery. Mrs. Willis has suffered most severe injuries
in protecting herself against the murderous violence of
her husband. There are several rumours as to the real
cause of the melancholy occurrence, but the truth can-
not be ascertained.