The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-08 00:00:00

IRON TRADE.

Mr. Thomas Thorburn, of Glasgow, states in his
Annual Circular that—

" The year 1852 will ever be memorable in the annals
of the iron trade. After four years of unparalleled de-
pression—prices fluctuating, from the beginning of 1848
till the spring of 1852, between 475. 6d. and 365. 6d.—
has followed an unprecedented re-action—a period of
extraordinary activity—a rapid advance of fully one
hundred per cent., and that too, in the face of an in-
creasing production, and accumulating stock. In 1847,
I wrote—' It is to be feared, that if the price advance
above 855., the export of iron, which was considerable
last year, while prices ranged under 755., will receive a
check. An accumulation of stock would thus follow, as
in 1845.'

" The stocks of 270,000 tons in the stores of warehouse-
keepers, and 180,000 tons in the stores• of the iron mas-
ters, are chiefly held by English dealers and speculators,
as was the case in 1845, when purchases then made,
realised within 31 months, at a fall of 31. per ton, entail-
ing a loss, on one house alone, of upwards of 100,0001.
"Though the stock in Scotland is augmented 90, 000 tons,
the aggregate stock throughout the world is considerably
diminished. But the scarcity of tonnage, and the high
rates of freight, which will undoubtedly prevail all this
year, combined with the doubled cost of the article, must
tend to stimulate the production, and enhance the profits
of the iron masters in England, the United States, and
continental Europe. Hence our home consumption and
foreign exports will decline, as in the years wherein the
prices ruled between 70s. and 80s.

" The average value, per week, of the whole make of
pig iron m Scotland was, in 1830, 8,0001.; 1840, 22,0001.;
1845, 36,0d01.; 1850, 25,0001,; 1851,29,5001.; and, at
755. per ton, it is now 56,2501. per week."

STRANGE DISCOVERY IN AN OMNlBUS.—Thursday, Mr.
Baker held an inquest at the Green Man, Shacklewell,
respecting the death of a new-born female infant, which
was found in an omnibus, the property of Messrs. Wellan
and Co., ominibus proprietors, Kingsland. Joshua Zlott,
ostler, in the service of Messrs. Wellan, was on Friday
last at the Lamb Tavern, Kingsland, when an omni-
bus belonging to his employers, which starts from the
Flower Pot, Bishopsgate-street, arrived at the stables.
He proceeded to search the inside of it, when he found
what appeared to him to be a parcel, which was tied
round with a piece of linen. He untied it, and discovered
a cigar box, which was wrapped up in a London Journal
of the 28th February, 1852. He put the box on one
side, thinking that it contained cigars, and that some one
would call for it. On Wednesday, as an unpleasant
smell came from the box, and as no one had called about
it, he forced the lid, when he found that it contained the
body of a female child. He then gave information to
the police. He had since spoken to the conductor to
ascertain whether he had taken notice of any strange
peon who had entered the omnibus. He stated that
he-had not observed any one of whom he had a suspi-
cion. Inspector Darltarl, N division, stated that the
ostler had committed an offence by not delivering up the
box to the police when there was no owner for it. Ho
had made minute inquiries who had entered the omnibus,
but which had not led to the discovery of any suspicious
person who had entered at the Flower Pot. Mr. Killock,
surgeon, Stoke Newington; stated that the deceased was
full grown, and had been dead five or six days. Verdict
—" Found dead."
THE GREENOCK MIIRDER.—On Tuesday James Denny
Scott was tried at Glasgow, before Lord Cockburn, upon
the charge of having assaulted and murdered with a
razor his half-sister, Catherine Scott, aged three months.
The prisoner though his counsel pleaded not guilty, and
further, that he was of unsound mind at the time of the
murder. The evidence was very simple. The prisoner
was a shoemaker, and while his father and stepmother
were absent, he took the child out of the cradle and cut,
its throat. The jury found the prisoner guilty, but re-
commended him to mercy on account of mental imbeci-
lity. Lord Cockburn, addressing the prisoner, said "The
jury have convicted you of the crime of murder, but in
consequence of your mental imbecility, have strongly
eTheCrown,
courtoz
and h as
In o
have powern o
the
to
weiiLtdbedtbyeoeuatsoe—mietrciys .
doubt but the recommendation will have effect. How-
ever, I am not sure of this, and in the meantime the
sentence of the law requires to be pronounced. It had
been too common for prisoners who could persuade a
jury of their insanity to escape, and I am glad that the
fury in this case had the firmness to find a verdict of
guilty,
with the recommendation which the circumstances
warranted." His lordship then in the usual manner,
with the exception of assuming the black cap, sentenced
the prisoner to be hanged in Greenock on Tuesday, the
25th January, between the hours of eight and ten o'clock
in the morning. His lordship further said, that, before
the court closed, he thought it right to state publicly
that this man had been for the whole of his life,
ad par-
ticularly for the last two years, in a state of insanity.
One respectable witness had said that he was afraid his.
place would be set on fire from the conduct of the pri-
soner. He had assaulted his sister and his father, and
hadcom mibetetnedniadvae t
various
tbusae utcatsohorifes,but violence.
noßthie
h d been
done. He did not mean to blame any party, but it was
his intention, for his own sake, to submit the whole facts
of the case to her Majesty's
Advocate. pnrgesenatations
SHREWSBURY AND aBERYSTWITH RAILWAY COMPANY.
—A circular has been issued by the board directors of
this company, from which we take the following pas-
sages :—" The directors of the Shrewsbury and Aberyst-
with Company announce, with regret, that they have
been unable to obtain a
sufficient amount of subdsucririnp
tions to justify them in proceeding in Parliamentbtethis resultg
the present session. The directors attributemainly to the apprehension of an expensive
-the Parliamen-
taryannounce-
contest, excited in the public mind by
ment of a rival line, and by seeing advertised among the
patrons of 'that line the names
of gentlemen connected
with the district proposed to be accommodated by the
of which their names
might naturally
Aberystwith Company, in support
have been expected to appear. The
]
directors regret that the opportunity has thus been lost
of constructing a railway e b tween Newtown, MachYn 1
-
leth, and the sea, and
probably of securing to Montgo-
meryshire the route from Manchester to South Wales and
Milford Haven. Under these circumstances, the direc-
torsresolved to withdraw their line for the present, and
t o
e"'"'' era
p te with the London and North-Western Com-
pany in an effort to obtain a line from Shrewsbury to
Newtown, with a branch joining' the Shrewsbury and
Chester Railway at Oswestry, and for which notices have
been given, and plans deposited,"