The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-31 00:00:00

combined fleets now in the Euxine under Admirals
DIINDAS and HAMELIN, and those up the Gulf of
Finland under Admirals NAPIER and DESCHENES,
are, we believe, in strength and general capacity,
altogether without a parallel in the history of
naval warfare. While the military contingents
landed by England at Scutari, and by France at
Gallipoli, and afterwards hastened onward from
the former place to 'Varna, and from the latter to
Adrianople—although they have been surpassed
in numbers repeatedly, have never been equalled
in condition, vigour, and discipline. Neverthe-
less, while England and France united have
thus sent out against the one barbarous
enemy, Russia, such fleets and such armies to aid
a gallant Ally already flushed with repeated vic-
tories—weeks, months, seasons flit by in rapid
succession, and absolutely nothing has been yet
accomplished. Nothing, that is to say, in any
way_ calculated to bring the struggle to a defini-
tive conclusion. A terrible abundance of shells
and shot has been poured into Odessa. Her Ma-
jesty's ship Tiger has been lost. The Sulina mouth
of the Danube has been cleared and its deserted
batteries newly fortified. The vacated strong-
holds along the Asiatic coast of the Black Sea
have been occupied. Steam-frigates have moved
inquisitively about the entrances to the harbours
of Sebastopol. The vicinity of Sweaborg has
been sounded. Cronstadt has been reconnoitred.
There has beeu the roaring of a cannonade
not only at Odessa, but later on also at Bomer-
sund. But the pride of the Cwt has not yet
been laid low by a crushing victory won by the
Allies by sea or by land, in the Black Sea or in
Baltic, on the banks of the Danube or at the
mouth of the Neva hard by the capital of St.
Petersburg. Yet_ artists were sent out with the
fleets and armies to sketch the glorious deeds of
arms that were to be accomplished The photo-
graphic apparatus accompanied the Anglo-French
contingents to secure fac similes of the scenes which
were tobe immortalised by a series of heroic achieve-
ments. As if the hopes of the nation could not be o ther-
wise sufficiently exalted, reviews and banquets were
given both at home and abroad, reviews and banquets
calculated only while delaying the serious opera-
tions of the campaign to inflame to Lhe uttermost
pitch of enthusiasm the already excited ardour of
the population. After all which—spring arrives,
summer elapses, autumn comes, winter approaches
—and now, when at last the press and the people
begin to clamour at the sluggish conduct of the
Allies, it is said that they are ignorantly over-
hasty in their complaints, as they had been pre-
viously unprofessionally precipitate in their antici-
pations. Howbeit, war cannot be made against
Russia all the year round. And again we say
—winter approaches. It was winter that
destroyed the mighty army, and paralysed
the gigantic genius of the Emperor NAPOLEON the
Great. Has the lesson taught to mankind by the
events of 1812, indeed, been taught in vain ? It
would be well to bear this in mind now that we
are really at war with Russia, and now that being
at war with Russia winter is rapidly advancing
upon the allies to impede, and at last wholly to
interrupt, their operations. Above all, those who
were reluctant to enter upon the struggle, having
entered upon it, should prove themselves doubly
prompt, and strenuous, and determined in their
endeavours to bring it as speedily as possible to a
successful termination.

The trial of the men engaged in the poaching
affray in which poor Mr. BAGSHAWZ met hii
death has terminated in an acquittal. Nothing
could be more fair and impartial than the investi-
gation which took place at Detby, on Saturday.
After the verdict, an application was made to ad-

journ the trial of a second indictment, for a felo-
nious assault on a man named SLACK, one of Mr.
BAGSHAWE'S followers, until next assizes ; but
this having been rejected by the Court, no evi-
dence was offered to sustain the charge. A ver-
dict of " Not guilty" was then taken, and the
parties were discharged from custody.
Here, then, is the termination of this truly
melancholy affair, in which a high-minded and
universally esteemed young gentleman was cut off
in the very commencement of a career that pro-
mised to be one of no ordinary prosperity.
But a few short weeks since Mr. BAGSHAWE
occupied a truly enviable position, possessing all
that could render life desirable. He was gifted
with health and strength, a powerful and vigo-
rous constitution, and ample fortune to provide
the means for every rational enjoyment. He had
not long completed his collegiate course when
called upon to occupy the important position of
an English landed proprietor, and justice of the
peace, and deputy-lieutenant. He was an ardent
lover of the different field sports, and as we have
stated was respected and esteemed by all who
knew him. He was just entering on the prime of
life, being in the 26th year of his age. Such was
the condition of this lamented gentleman on Wed-
nesday, the 19th of July. Before noon the fol-
lowing day he was an insensible corpse, and had
his life been spared it is more than probable that
his intellect was irretrievably gone, and that he
would have lingered out the remainder of his
miserable existence as a hopeless, drivelling idiot,
an object of pity to the hard-worked and scantily-
fed labourer.

This deplorable catastrophe was owing to the
rash and headlong impetuosity with which he
endeavoured to vindicate his rights, and to put
down poaching with the strong hand. His late
father, it appeared, possessed a right of fishing in
the river Wye, and his executor and trustee had
authorised Mr. BAGSHA.WE, jun., to use the fishery
and preserve the fish, which, according to the
Learned Judge who presided on the trial, carried
with it an authority to apprehend poachers. A
ruling which, however, might have been seriously
questioned had the case terminated in a con vic-
tion. Possessing, or believing he possessed, this
power, Mr. BAGSHAWE adopted measures for the
purpose of detecting persons whom he believed to
be illegally capturing the fish in which he conceived
himself to have a vested interest. For this purpose
he was in the habit of accompanying his keepers
at night, to watch the river. On Wednesday,
the 19th of July, he found that a numerous body
of poachers had assembled, and although his party
only consisted of five persons in all, he was de-
sirous of making an immediate attack on a
body of more than double their number, who
were probably well armed, and determined to
resist to the uttermost. He was with difficulty
dissuaded from the rash attempt until he could
obtain further assistance. When, however, he
procured a further reinforcement, giving him
seven resolute followers, and a bull-dog, he could
no longer repress his excitement, but giving the
signal, in the rather emphatic words, " Go into
them," dashed forward to the encounter, at the same
time striking right and left with a formidable instru-,
ment, called on some occasions " a life-preserver,'
but more appropriately designated "a skull-
cracker."
to be
cracker." The bull-dog was at the same time let slip
against the poachers, and two shots were fired, which
hoped were directed against the dog, and
n
at any
which almost
of the human assailants. Certain it is
that neither M
took plat©, r. BAGSHAWE nor any of his party
received any gunshot wound. .
w
.d
concerned
conflict
in hnischht
received. more or less inju
rY M
_T. BAGSHAWE s
wounds were the most
severe. His skull was
fractured, and he died within little more than
twelve hours after the affray.
Under these circumstances, the jury could find
no other verdict than that which they
Poor Mr. BIGSHAWE was clearly the
aggressor ;for
without a word of remonstrance, without a single
demand to surrender, he rushed to the encounter,
using a deadly weapon with terrific power.
Had one of the poachers been killed, he, a macisotraetr.
e
specially deputed to preserve the peace of the
district, might have been placed in a very serious
predicament. It was true that the parties were
engaged at the time in an illegal transaction, but
that did not warrant any man, although entitled
to take them into custody, to use such formidable
violence, or to set on a ferocious brute like a bull-
dog. His own conduct, rash and reckless in the
extreme, was just as illegal as that of the men
who were placed upon their trial, and fully justi-
fied them in striking in self-defence. If they had
been arrested they could only have been punished
by a pecuniary fine, not exceeding 51, over and