The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-21 00:00:00

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURN.

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST RAILWAY.—
Traffic return for the week ending March 18,
1854 £10,648 6 9
Corresponding week last year 8,729 8 4
Total of the half-year to this date 1854 106,281 9 9
Total of the half-year to this date; 1853 90,710 13 5
LONDON AND 80IITH-EASTERN RAlLWAY.—Traffic re-
turn for the week ending March 18, 1854 £14,298 3 6
Corresponding week last year 10,921 7 11

In crease in 1854..,

. £3,376 15 7

THE PARIS BOURSE.—The final q u otation s from the Paris
Bourse yesterday evening showed a further fall of nearly
a-half per cent. The letters describe a slight improve-
ment in the rate of exchange on London, and it is be-
lieved that the heavy remittances of gold from this side
will now in a great degree be checked. The amount
taken from the Bank of England was again about
50,0001. The whole of the gold brought by the Sydney
steamer will, of course, be sent, as it gives a slight ad-
vantage over that obtained from the Bank.
[AnvEansEmExT.]—The Earl of Aldborough and
Holloway's Pills.—An astounding cure by this miracu-
lous medicine after every other means had failed. See
extract from his lordship's fetter, dated " Villa Messina,
Leghorn, Feb. 21, 1845. To Professor Holloway.
Sir—l beg to acquaint you that your pills have effected
a cure of a disorder in my liver and stomach, which all
the most eminent of the faculty at home and All over the
Continent had not been able to effect—nay, not even the
waters of Carlsbad or Marienbad. (Signed) Ald-
borough." These wonderful pills will cure any disorders
of the liver or stomach.—Sold (also Holloway's oint-
ment) at Prosessor Holloway's Establishment, 244,
Strand, London, and by 'all medicine-vendors through-
out the world,

MURDKR AND SiTIPIDN AT

BIRM I:‘ Gil A3l.

BIRMINGHAM, Saturday.—Munler and suicide seem
to have become epidemic in this locality. Within the
last few days three persons have been murdered, and the
life of another is placed in imminent peril. Scarcely had
the excitement caused by these occurrences subsided,
when the public were shocked by rumours of a still more
sad and frightful tragedy, which was unfortunately too
well founded.

The scene of this second murder and suicide is in Lis-
ter-square, G; eat Lister-street—a small court of houses
situated near St. Matthew's Church. In one of these
houses resided Mrs. Speak, the widow of a band master,
who died while with his regiment in Gibraltar some time
ago. Her son, Samuel Speak, a youth of little more than
20 years of age, resided with her—both, in fact, living
with her brothers, Messrs. John and Thomas Dodd. It
was this poor woman and her son who were almost in-
stantaneously hurried into eternity yesterday morning.
II t appears that the youth Speak got up very early
and went to his cousin, John Dodd, a pistol finisher,
employed at Mr. Dineley's Whittal-street. While there
he produced a pistol which he had borrowed from a com-
panion on the previous day while they were out shooting
about Aston, and wished to cast some bullets in a mould.
He found, however, that the mould would not fit the
pistol—an ordinary pocket pistol—and thereupon he cut
up some lead into slugs and went away, saying, " Now
I'll go and have a good shot; there is some good waste
ground near our house. Nothing particular was observed
about him then, and shortly afterwards he arrived at
home. There he had breakfast with his mother, one
of his uncles, a niece, and his grandmother, and every-
thing went on as usual. At length Mr. J. Dodd went
to work (Mr. T. Dodd, having a rheumatic affection,
was lying ill in bed in the attic). His grandmother then
went out, after he had assured her he was going to work
immediately, and no one was left in the room but his
utifort mate mother and his cousin, Mary Dodd. That
young person, however, also withdrew into a small pantry
adjoining the sitting-room, leaving the door open, and
the youth Speak standing conversing with his mother.
She had scarcely left the apartment when she heard the
report of a pistol ; instantly the place was full of smoke,
and in a moment after, when she rushed into the room,
she saw her aunt falling from her chair, covered with
blood. The youth Speak was standing close beside her.
"Oh ! Sam," cried the girl, " what are you doing I" but
he made no reply. He merely turned and looked at her
for a moment, and ran up stairs.
The girl on proceeding to her aunt's assistance found
her lying on the floor, with a stream of blood flowing
from a frightful wound in her head. She screamed in
alarm, and her cries having been heard by Mr. G. F.
Dodd, a relative, who re,ides in the house opposite, he
immediately ran to her assistance, when his brother, Mr
Thomas Dodd, descended from the attic, having been
alarmed by the report of the pistol. Before, however,
he got to the bottom of the stairs another report of fire-
arms was heard, and on the bewildered relatives pro-
ceeding to the front bedroom on the second floor, they
found the unhappy youth who had murdered his mother
lying dead by the side of the bed, shot through the head
by his owe hand.

Intelligence of the frightful event spread with amazing
rapidity and in a few minutes Mr. Yellowley, surgeon,
and Mr. Davis, surgeon, had been sent for, and arrived
without delay. Their services, however,were of no avail.
Both the mother and her son were dead. In both cases
death must have been instantaneous. The youth must
have placed the pistol close to the right ear of his un-
fortunate parent, and thus blown out her brains. The
wound is of considerable extent, part of the skull being
blown away and shattered. The pistol he must have
had concealed in his pocket, as no one saw it until after
the fatal deed had been committed. After terminating
the existence of his mother, who never spoke one word,
the youth seems to have proceeded to his bedchamber,
reloaded the weapon, and, sitting down upon the edge
of the bed, put the muzzle of the pistol 'to his right
temple, and, pulling the trigger, lodged several slugs in
his head. He could not have lived for one moment
after. The weapon with which the fatal act was perpe-
trated was found lying by the body on the floor.
The youth Samuel Speak, as we have said, was little
more than 20 years of age. He was a gun engraver,
and had been employed up to Christmas by his uncle,
Mr. G. F. Dodd, Sand-street, and since then by Mr.
Lewis, engraver, Lench-street. He is represented to us
as being a quiet, sober, steady youth, but "never reck-
oned over sharp." There are various rumours as to the
cause of this awful tragedy ; but of course it would be
impossible to attach any importance to them. It is
charitable to infer that such a crime could only be the
result of madness ; and in confirmation of this view of
the subject it is stated that shortness of work lately had
preyed on a mind even at the best of times none of the
strongest ; and that the fear of seeing his mother re-
duced to want had led to its commission. The unfortu-
nate woman was about 50 years of age, and was respect-
ably connected.

REDUCTION OF POSTAGE ON LETTERS
•
, TO CERTAIN COLONIES.

General Post-office, March, 1854.

On and after the 23d inst., the postage upon letters
conveyed, whether by British mail packet or private
ship, between the United Kingdom and the following
British Colonies and Possessions :—Canada, Prince Ed-
ward Island, Bermuda, British West Indies (Barbadoes
and Turk's Island excepted), British Guiana, Bahamas,
Belize, Malta, and Gibraltar, will he reduced to a com-
bined British and Colonial rate of—

Os. 6d. for a letter not exceeding half an ounce in
weight ;
is. Od. for a letter exceeding half an ounce, and not
exceeding one ounce ;
2s. Od. for a letter exceeding one ounce, and not
exceeding two ounces ;
and so on, increasing one shilling for every additional
ounce or fraction of an ounce. The postage upon these
letters may be paid hi advance, or letters may be posted
unpaid, at the option of the sender.
The reduction will not at present extend to the other
provinces of British North A merica,• viz. :—Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick, nor to Barbadoes nor the Turk's
Island, the Governments of those colonies not having yet
signified their acquiescence in the arranct'ement.
To the reduced rate of 6d., a United States' transit
rate of 2d. per half ounce must be added in the case of
all letters forwarded ti Canada by British !nail Rickets,
and not specially marked " via Halifax," making the
total charge upon a letter for Canada, not so marked—
Os. Bd. when not exceeding half an ounce in weight ;
Is. 4d. when exceeding half an ounce, and not exceed-
ing one ounce ;
2s. Bd. when exceeding one ounce, and not exceeding
two ounces ;
and so on ; but when the letter is marked "via Halifax,"
no additional charge will be made.
In like manner a French transit rate of sd. per quar-
ter ounce will be chargeable upon all letters for Malta,
which are not specially marked "via Southampton,"
making the total charge upon a letter for Malta—
Os. 11d. when under a quarter of an ounce in weight ;
ls. 4d. when weighing a quarter of an ounce, and

under hart' an ounce in weight ;
2s. 3d. when weighing half an ounce, and under three
quarters of an ounce in weight, and so on.
Letters for Gibraltar specially directed " via France'
will also be liable to a French transit rate of sd. per
quarter ounce, in addition to the British rite of 6d. per
half ounce. The whole of this combined postage must
be paid in advance.

In the mails made up for Demerara is included the
correspondence for Surinam and Cayenne, and the mails
made up for Belize comprise the correspondence for Hon-
duras and Guatemala. All letters, therefore, addre,sed
to Surinam, Cayenne, the States of Honduras or Gua-
temala, will in future be chargeable in this country,
with a rite of 6d. only per half ounce, which rate must
be paid in adirance.

ft must be observed that the foregoing reduction can-
not be applied to letters conveyed by a mail packet be-
longing to the United States, or by a French mail packet
in the Mediterranean. Letters, therefore, for Canada,
despatched by the United States' mail packets, as well
as letters for Malta sent by the French Mediterranean
packets, will continue liable to the existing rates of post-
age.

On letters conveyed by the Canadian mail packets be-
tween Liverpool and Quebec, the reduced rate of 6d.
only will be chargeable.
The following table shows the conditions under which
letters may be sent to the several places specified for the
reduced rate of sixp :rice the half ounce, viz.:—

If addressed "via Halifax," or
Canada
" by private ship,"

Prince Edward Island
Ber !undo
British West Indies
(Barbadoes & Turks
Island excepted)
British Guiana
Surinam
Cayenne
Bahamas
Belize
Honduras
Guatemala
Malta •

Without any special address, or if
marked " by private ship."

1 If addressed "via Southampton,"
or " by private ship."
j Without any special address, or if
t marked by "private ship."

Gibraltar

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS.
On and from the same dated, the rates of postage now
chargeable upon packets containing printed Votes and
proceedings of the Imperial Parliament, sent through
the post to any of the Colonies above specified will be
repealed, and all such packets will be subject to the
rates of postage which are levied on printed books sent
to the Colonies, viz :
For a packet of Parliamentary Proceeding not exceeding
half a-pound in weight, 6d.
For a packet of Parliamentary Proceedino exceeding
half-a-pound and not exceeding one pouni, ls.
For a packet of Parliamentary Proceedings exceeding
one pound and not exceeding two pounds, 2s.
and so on, increasing one shilling for every pound or
fraction of the pound.
The following conditions, however, must be carefully
observed—

Ist. Every such packet must be sent without a cover,
or in a cover open at the ends or sides.
2d. It must contain a single publication only, the
several sheets or parts thereof, when there are more
than one, being sewed or bound together.
3rd. It must not exceed two feet in length, breadth,
Width, or depth.
4th. It must have no writing or marks upon the
cover, or its contents, except the name and address of
the person to whom it may be sent.
sth. The postage must be prepaid in full, by affixing
outside the packet or its cover, the proper number of
Stamps. _ _

If .any of the above conditions be violated, the packet
must be charged as a letter, and treated as such in all
respects.

To prevent any obstacles to the regular transmission
of letters, any officer of the Post-office may delay the
transmission of any such packet of printed votes and pro-
ceedings for a term not exceeding twenty-four hours,
from the time at which the same would otherwise have
been forwarded by him.