The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-28 00:00:00

SPORTING, INTELLIGENCE.

SPORTING NOTES.—No. CCCXCIX.
In addition to the seven flat race meetings for this
week, we also have the Birmingham and Oldham Steeple-
chases to-day, St. Alban's and Beckford to-morrow,
Driffield on Wednesday, Stretford and Tanfield on Thurs-
day, Abergavenny on Friday, and Newton on Saturday
—plenty of work for one week, both for the regulars
and irregulars. -

The meeting at Catterick-bridge to-morrow is, for the
first time for some years, a failure. The couple of stakes
with Ihe greatest number of entries will be most unin-
teresting, as but two, or three at the outside, will be the
utmost that will start for either. The stakes I allude to
are the Early Triennials. The four years old one will, I
believe, have only Songstress and Evadne at the post;
and the three years old, Catspaw, Elspeth, and Ante-
verta.

The remaining stakes are not important enough to
call for a remark.
No movement worth recording transpired yesterday
with respect to the Northampton events.
It seems to be pretty generally understood that
Kingston will not show for the Trial Stakes, and that
Russborough also will be on the missing list.
I shall enter fully into particulars concerning the first
day's racing to-morrow.
THE SPIRIT OF THE TURF.
CHELTENHAM SPR

STEEPLECH.
Weights for the Grand An]

ING MEETING AND
&SES, Anuri 5.

mai Steeplechase Handicap•
Yrs st lb
Talisman
Leporello
Friendless a 9 6
View Halloo a 9 6
Gulnare a 9
Dearest Mae a 9
Little Charley a9 2
Betsey Prig a 9 0
Honest Tom a 8 12
Pontiff 8 12

Yrs st lb
Peter Simple a 11 10
Peter a 11 2
Sir Peter Laurie a 11 1
Vain Hope a 11 0
British Yeoman a 10 10
Miss Mowbray a 10 10
Bourton a 10 8
Oscar a 10 5
Shinrone
Maurice Daley a 9 -10
Charlton
Weights for the Free Handicap Selling Steeplechase.
st lb at lb
Gulnare ll 7 Harriott lO 4
The Rejected ll 7 Anne Laurie lO 4
Legislator ... ... 11 7 Nome de Guerre .... 10 4
The Unknon ll 4 Leporello lO 4
Trust-me-Not
Bullfincher lO 11 Bosworth lO 0
Gipsey Bess lO 11 Stanley lO 0
Tulip, gelding
Telegraph
lodine lO 7 Theodine
Greatheart gelding.. 10 7 Wings 9 10
Acceptances to be signified in writing by the 31st March.

_ - -- -
Weights for the United Hunters' Stakes.

st lb
Melford ll 8
The Miner .. 11 2
Gaylad lO 12
Tom Gurney 10 10
Thurgarton.. lO 10
Maurice Daly lO 8
Tulip gelding lO 8
Justice lO 8
Doctor Husband lO a
Reindeer lO a
Weights for the Free I

st lb
Volunteer lO 6
The Unknown lO 6
Charlton lO 6
Gipsey Bess.. . ..
The Fawn lO 2
Heron fill
Cinderella '
Diana lO 0
Annie Laurie lO 0
Theodine lO 0
[andicap Hurdle Race.
--

st lb,
Half-and-Half ll 4
View Halloo ll 0
Melford. lO 12
Odiham lO 12
The Miner lO 5
Tom Gurney lO 4
Gay Lad lO 2
Unknown
Janus lO 0
Nonsuch 9 10
Acceptances to be signifi(
the 31st of March.

st lb
Bosworth 9 10
Harriott 9 S
Pontiff 9 8
Annie Laurie.... ~ , 9 8
Charlton 9 S
Sir Harry 9 6
1 Landlord 9 6
Gerard 9 6
Theodine
Doctor Husband 9 6
d, in writing, on or before

RAILWAY TRIALS.-CONVICT 1 OXS FOR

NEGLECT OF DUTY:

The High Court of Justiciary met at Edinburgh oii
Thursday last for the trial of the officials of the North
British Railway, implicated in the collision that took
place at Portobello, on the Bth of October last. The.
panels were five in number, of whom three were tried
on Thursday.
John M`Donald, engine-driver, Thomas Wilson, sta-
tion-master, Portobello, and John Ilogarth, porter,
Portobello, were placed at the bar, charged with cul-
pable homicide, as also culpable neglect of duty ; in so
far as on the Bth October last, a goods-train, consisting
of eighteen trucks or waggons, drawn by a locomotive'
engine, in charge of M`Donald, having arrived at r°ll10
bello from Edinburgh station at or about fifty-five
in.'
nutes past five o'clock, or at all events within fifteen
minutes of the expected arrival of the 5.55
train from Edinburgh, Hogarth, in violation of his
duty, neglected to present the fixed station signal at
nal
the west of the station to warn the mail train that
the station was not clear, and Wilson neglected to
see that the said signal was duly presented, and con-
tinued to be presented, while Wilson also neglected
to take proper measures, and to issue the necessary
orders for the clearing of
the line for the passage of the
mail-train ; and M'Donald, aware of the starting of the
said train, neglected his duty to proceed with
his own
train to the first offset or siding, at the station, whichi.
would hold it clear of the main
line ; in consequence of
all which, or part thereof, the mail train came into Tie.
lent
,collision with the goods train, the porter of the
goods train, named Stewart Ogilvie, was killed, and
several of the passengers of the mail train were bruised
and injured.
At the close of the evidence for the prosecution, the
charge against Hogarth was withdrawn, and the evidence
on the subject of the signals being contradictory, the
court directed the jury only to consider the other point.
_
The jury found Wilson guilty of culpable neglect of
duty in not clearing the station, and I,lPonald also
guilty, in not removing his engine and train from the
line, with this extenuation, that he was under the im-
pression that he should attend to the orders of the guard'
Sentence was delayed till next day.
On Friday William Lyall, superintendent of the
goods department, Edinburgh, and Alex. Ranie°3s
foreman porter, and acting as day pilot-guard, were
charged with culpable homicide, or culpable neglest o
duty, in so far as, on the Bth of October, they or
dered or permitted the irregular train to leave the
Edinburgh station at about 5.45 p.m., or, M
least, within 15 minutes of the time advertised for the
starting of the mail train, with the object of depositing
some of the trucks at the Portobello station, and soul:
at Leith junction ; in consequence of which, the WA;
train having started from Edinburgh at or about its usual
time, the collision occurred as above stated.
The charge against Lyall was withdrawn, and he Woe
accordingly acquitted. The jury found the case against
Ramsay not proven.
Wilson and M‘Donald were then placed at the bar for
sentence, and were awarded— Wilson eighteen months',
and M`Donald four months', imprisonment.
Throughout the trials the counsel on both sides, and
especially the court, animadverted strongly at the laxity
on the part of the servants of the company that wascountenanced by their superior officers, and which led t!
such danger to the public. The Lord Justice Clerk r_e_
marked that the disclosures that had been made, made
pretty evident that on a similar case occurring it would
be the manager or the directors, and not the inferior.
ser-
vants of the company, that
.would be held responsible,
should this laxity be allowed to continue.

CAPTAIN JOHNSON AND THE WIDOW.—It will be recol-

[ected that when the soi-disant Captain Johnson was
committed to take his trial at the Old Bailey for robbing
Mrs. Stewart of railway shares and cash to a considera-
ble amount, bail was accepted for his appearance. The
trial was afterwards postponed till the following ses-
sions. As soon as the captain was released from prison
he at once proceeded to the house of his victim,
and, singular to say, on presenting himself before
that aged but infatuated lady, she threw herself
into his arms, and declared that no power on earth
should induce her to prosecute the object of her
admiration. So convinced was Johnson of the weak-
ness of his victim that he had been frequently heard to
say that all he required was to be once more admitted into
her presence to make all right. As the sessions ap-
proached, the prisoner's anxiety to procure bail became
the more urgent, and the price for the requisite sureties
became increased, and ultimately 201. a-piece was known
to be the sum paid to the bail upon which he was libe-
rated. As was anticipated, he did not make his appear'
ante at the ensuing sessions ; and the consequence was,
that his recognisance of 4001., [as well as the recognis-
ances of his two sureties of 2001. each, were estreated,
and a warrant was granted by the judge for his appre-
hension. From what transpired, no doubt remained on
the minds of those acquainted with the circumstances
that a part of the arrangement was, that Captain John-
son should leave the country, and that Mrs. Stewart
should join him ; and the sequel proves the justice of
that opinion. On Wednesday last the whole of the
effects of Mrs. Stewart were sold by auction by Messrs'
Lockwood, on the premises, No. 20, Brunswick-place'
;
Barnsbury-road. The house was stored with furniture
and effects of the most costly and elegant description
mid amongst other things sold were 400 ounces of plate'
wavoersE connvsiiedEer.
PENSlONS.—Theable.Ob.serverGs .
o
a fine-toned harmonicum, and 200 volumes of
bound,
standard works. The sum realised by this sale
ension of p
3001. per
annum "for good and meritorious service," which
lapsed i
patronage by the death of Sr
Thomas Cape], G. 0.8 , has been conferred on Vice-Ad'-
miral Sir George Seymour, 0.11, K.C.H., commanding
the squadron on the West India station. And the pen',_
,ion of 1501. per annum, which reverted to the Admiralty
patronage by the promotion of Captain Boxer to the
rank of Rear-Admiral, has been conferred on Captaw
of her
Michael Seymour, commodore-superintendent
Majesty's dockyard, Devonport.