The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-16 00:00:00

STANFIELD-HALL MURDERS.

THE CONVICT Rues.—Soon after Rush's condemna-
tion, the chaplin of the Castle visited him, and offered
his services, which Rush declined, under the plea of his
own sufficiency to conduct his devotions privately, at the
same time civilly assuring the rev. gentleman that his
determination was made out of no disrespect to him.
He bad previously intimated a wish to see the Rev. W.
W. Andrew, incumbent of Hethel, whose church he had
frequented for several years, and who had shown great
kindness to him and his family; but he declined for-
mally requesting his attendance on him. The chaplain,
therefore, wrote to Mr. Andrew, and introduced him to
the prisoner, in company with himself. During this
visit, Rush was much moved, especially at certain con-
nexions and family transactions being brought to his
recollection. The night before this interview he had
become very restless and perturbed, and exhibited
symptoms of uneasiness that induced the governor
to place an additional guard over him. On
the following day ha requested the chaplain to pray
with him, and has continued to do so, thanking
him for his services. He is more tranquil, and ap-
pears to have lost all hope of escaping, or mitigating the
fate that hangs over him. The execution is fixed for
Saturday next, April 21. The eldest daughter (whose
decease was confidently reported on Saturday), had an
interview with her father on Monday. She and the rest
of the famiy are as well as, under these melancholy cir-
cumstances, can to expected.
Miss JERMY AND ELIZA CHESTNEY.—In some of the
papers it has been stated that Mrs. Jermy is entirely
deprive:l of her reason ; we have authority, from her
medical attendants, to state that this is not the case.
Although Mrs. Jermy has been suffering from much
mental excitement, yet those unpleasant symptoms are
fast passing away, and there is every reason to hope
that, ere long, we shall have the satisfaction of being
able to announce her perfect recovery. We need but
say that the wound in the arm has progressed most
favourably. Of Eliza' Chestney we are also happy to
add that she hat not suffered in any way from being
brought to Norwich and her return to Stanfield ; her
present condition is considered most satisfactory; The
subscription for her already amounts to 3361.85.
EMILY SANDFORD.—Subscription lists have been
opened at Norwich and Swaffham, for the purpose of
raising a fund for the relief of Emily Sandford. The
subscribers say—" We the undersigned, participating in
the general feeling of commiseration for the unprotected
and destitute state in which the unfortunate Emily Sand-
ford has been plunged by the crimes of the convict James
Blomfield Rush, have resolved to testify our desire to
alleviate her misfortunes by a private pecuniary sub-
scription, intended to be administered to her necessities
under proper direction and management. We therefore
invite the charitable and humane to contribute to fur-
ther this intention, by benevolently placing their names,
fo this paper, for any amount they may deem proper."
Messrs. Hanbury, Lorebard-street, have also kindly con-
sented
a
to receive any donations not less than 1/h d
.."11.
li,t is headed by Lord Leicester, Lord Hastings,
Buckworth, for 5/. each; the subscriptions amount to
210/. 10s.—Norfolk Chronicle. _
•
EXTENSION OF TDB COUNTY ...OURTh.-4f is under-
stood to be the intention of Government to extend the
powers of the County Courts to ao/. or 501, giving at
the same time an equitable jurisdiction. It
in
nt confer
twhoeuclodurts,to
a benefit in matters of insolvency
Ore a right of appeal to the Insolvent Debtors' Court.
There is a difference of opinion among the Commis-
sioners of that Court with respect to the operation of
the Act transferring the insolvency business to the
County Courts. Two of the Commissioners are of opi-
nion that all matters, including the appointment of
signees, are vested in the judges of the courts,
and a,two-
entertain a contrary opinion. Iu the event of an altera-
tion in the County Courts Act,i iatrwouldbe advisable to
a
allow parties the privilegetheir cases
without going before the courts, ranging
suffering judgment by
default, and also to prevent parties from suing in the
superior courts by an express enactment. At present,
to deprive a plaintiff of his costs, a defendant has to go
a
to the court above and incur n expense. A simple
remedy should be provided.
Lord Eddisbury, Under-Secretary of State for
the Foreign Department, who has been sojourning in
Paris during the Easter holidays, returned to London
on Saturday.
The Right Hon. the Speaker and Mrs. Shaw
Lefevre, and the Misses Lefevre, arrived in Eaton-square
on Saturday, from the family seat in Hampshire.

The Caledonia, 120, Captain Carter, arrived at Naples
on the 4th inst. from Plymouth, having been eighteen
days on the passage. As the Queen, 110, Captain Rich,
was ordered to leave Sir W. Parker on the same day
that the Caledonia left Plymouth, and as the Hibernia,
104, Captain Wise, was ordered to leave for England on
the arrival of the Caledonia, those three-deckers may be
very shortly expected at Devonport to be paid off,
The Arrogant, steam-frigate, 46, Captain Fitzroy; was
taken into the angle dock, at Portsmouth, on Friday, to
have her copper cleaned, and to have an additional pipe
placed to supply the new gaily-distilling apparatus. She
will probably come out of dock on Tuesday, or Monday,
if the alteration be completed. We think, from the great
buoyancy of this fine vessel, that 100 tons of iron ballast,
properly distributed, would be an improvement to her.
She had to receive on board the day she was tried, her
powder and her shells, and the clothes belonging to her
crew; these articles would not bring her down an inch,
and she was at least 10 inches higher out of the water
than she should have been. The Admiralty have ordered
Captain Fitzroy to proceed from Portsmouth on the 17th
instant, with stores and supernumeraries to Cork, and
after remaining there 48 hours, to return to Spithead,
trying the ship during her passage under every circum-
stance of steam and canvass, and in the working of her
powerful armament.
The Hampshire Telegraph says the " Basilisk and
Niger, new steamers, of 4,000 horse-power each, are
commissioned at Woolwich."
It has been the fashion of late to increase the arma-
ment of all the small vessels and steamers that have been
recently commissioned; for instance, the Rifleman, Sharp-
shooter, and it would appear that the Reynard and
Plumper, screw-sloops, are overdone in this respect; their
extreme breadth is 27 feet 6 inches, and when the broad-
side guns are run in on the slides, there is no room on
the deck for the crew to work the ship under canvass,
Some alteration, or reduction will, therefore, be made in
their armament, but whether the number of broadside
guns will be reduced, or guns of a less calibre taken on
board, has not yet been decided on.
The Elfin, Royal steam-yacht tender, fitted at Wool-
wich, has been twice tried down the river, and has been
reported as having attained a speed of 12 knots and
6-10ths, which is said to be equal to nearly " 14i" sta-
tute miles an hour. We say reported, because the re-
ports and realities are not always the same, as we have
often proved with reference to these trials on the Thames
reported from Woolwich. It would have been much
more satisfactory if the figures of time and speed, taken
at the measured mile, had been given; and there could
have been little difficulty in getting them; for it is idle
to suppose that the Elfin went down the river on " trial,"
after a little breathing, the evening before, and did not
run the measured mile, "Fourteen miles and a quarter"
she is reported to have gone, but this is not enough, and
we shall be disappointed if she does not add another
mile to this rate of speed; in fact, we believe there is
very little doubt but that she will make an average of IS
miles. There appears, indeed, to be some little mistake
in the above rendering of nautical miles, for by our
reckoning 12 knots and 6-10ths make 14.49 miles, or
nearly fourteen miles and a half.
The yard masons have :been repairing the arches of
the old basin at Portsmouth for the last week. So aooa
as the Arrogant comes out of dock the water will be
pumped out, and the basin will be thoroughly cleaned.