The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-07 00:00:00

SUSPECTED MURDER.

-
BIRKENHEAD, SATURDAY.—The diSt•,,lVery of a most
atrocious murder within the last twenty-frier hours has
thrown this place into the vreat(st excitement. Last
evening an inquest was held at the Dock Hotel, on the
body of the unfortunate being who perished, and the
following facts were disclosed. His name was James
Friniingham, a quiet young man, aged nineteen; and it
appears on the night of the 24th ult. he had been par-
ticipating in the annual festival of some club. He did
not return home, and nothing was heard of him until
yesterday morning, when his body was found in the Mor-
peth Dock, bearing such appearances as to show that he
had been murdered. A black silk handkerchief was
stuffed in his mouth, the left side of his face was lace-
rated, and the left hand trousers pocket was turned
inside out.

The police being apprised of the discovery, they were
instructed to apprehend a stonemason of the name of
Edward Silk, on suspicion of being concerned in the
death of the unfortunate young man, he having given
wry contradictory accounts as to where he left him on
the preceding evening. It also appears that this party
when he reached his lodgings o❑ the night in question,
was seen to have blood on his hands and pocket hand-
kerchief. Silk was then intoxicated, and on being asked
where he had left the deceased, he replied that he had
been drinking with him, and that he left him at the
corner of Bridge-street. He added that the deceased
had severely cut himself under the eye by falling, and
that he (Silk) had wiped the blood off his face with hie
pocket-handkerchief.

Mr. Vaughan, a surgeon, who examined the body,
said that the handkerchief was firmly wedged down the
deceased's throat to the extent of ten and a half inches.
Suffocation was the cause of death, produced by the
handkerchief being stuffed in the throat. Deceased
could not have placed the handkerchief in his throat
himself.
The CORONER here intimated that he would adjourn
the inquiry, so as to enable the police to collect more
witnesses respecting the murder.

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.
OXFORD, JUNE 4.—The University prizes have been
awarded to the following gentlemen:—
Chancellor's Prize—English Essay. The Political and
Social Benefits of the Reformation in England. Goldwin
Smith, 8.A., Stowell Law Fellow of University.
Chancellor's Prize—Latin Essay. Quatenus Rei-
publicm intersit, ut. jurisprudentia Romanorum inter lit-
teras fere humamores colenda proponatur. Edwin
Palmer, 8.A., Fellow of Balliol.
Chancellor's Prize—Latin Verse. Turris Londinensia.
Jchn Conington, 8.A., Fellow of University.
Sir Roger Newdigate's Prize—English Verse. Prince
Charles Edward atter the Battle of Culloden. John
Adams, Commoner of Magdalen-hall.
Mr. G. Smith, while Demy of Magdalen College, watt
the successful competitor for the Latin Poem in 18451
and for the Latin Essay in 1846. Mr. E. Palmer gained
the Latin Poem in 1844.

THE WEATHER AND CROPS.—The beneficial change
in the weather which has recently taken place, not only ie
this country but over the Continent of Europe, and its
bountiful effects in bringing forth the fruits of the earth,
promising a speedy return of plenty and cheapness, are
already noticed in the columns of this day's paper. Here we
only propose to note the great rise of temperature expert..
enced in our own locality within these last few days. For
the last three of these the thermometer, in the shade, in a
northern exposure, and in spite of easterly winds, has stood
in the shade at 70 degrees and upwards of Fahrenheit., an...
companied with brilliant and almost burning sunshine. 014
friends in London and Paris, we perceive, have been labour.
ing under a heat of about ten degrees higher.— Ca?edortiee
Mercury.

ANNIVERSARY MEETING OF THE CHARITY CHlL-
DRitx.—Thursday being the anniversare meeting of the
charity children at the Cathedral of St. Paul's, the parochial
schools from the various parishes, with the exception of these
of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields and Shadwell, at twelve o'clock
assembled at the sacred edifice, accompanied by their re-
spective clergymen, &c. A sermon was preached by the
Bishop of Chichester. The service commenced by the chil-
dren singing the " Hundreth Psalm," after the first lesson.
" Te Deum" was chaunted by the gentlemen of the choir,
and " Jubilate Dee" after the second lesson. The Duke of
Cambridge honoured the interesting ceremony with his pre.
sence, and at which were also the Lord Mayor and Sheri f*
Aldermen Sir J. Duke, H. Hughes, Sidney, &c., and a most
respectable congregation.
Posr-OFFICE NOTICES. The following notices
Leone, to be conveyed by her Majesty's steamer Growler.
were issued on Saturday last at the General Posit
To
fortnightlyill h
ee e,.niS t St.
Martin's-le-Grand :—"
forwarded for Sierra Leone will be
The postage on letters so
Mails will be made up for Sierra
at the rate of ls. the hall ounce, and so on ; and no postage
newspapers. All Abellslpeetctiearls,ly&accidrmeasteedtnded,
):11..;
, steamer Growler.' The Growler is expected
For*Gibraltar, Malta,
to sail from Plymouth about the 12th inst."
hbweeirlflobriwea
jacerdhstaffsebdyotnhisnev7ssep
for the Mediterranean, Egypt, Aden, Ceylon, India, song.
Kong, and China, will be made ap on the evening of the 7th
inst. (this evening), to be forwarded by the
, on the evening
closed overland mails, rid Marseilles.
of the 19th inst., ritl Southampton, Cornuni,.
Greece, the lonian Islands, Egypt, India, ikc
Vigo, Oporto,
- 01 Gibraltar, on the
Lisbon, Madeira, rid Lisbon, Cadiz
to be forwarded by
morning of the 7th inst. (this morning:4),
tfohreeilgbnerciaoisetne:ms eirafrtohme Slsoyuetsht a
Indies'
Madrid steamer, on the 14th ipnsotn ' next.packet.due, the
New Grenada, Chili, alid
dties.B(except Mexico, Hon.
, Madeira, British and
icaragua,
duras, and Havannala), Venezuela,nßermuda San
ue
mJuoarnv, de
of the 17th inst., to be forwarded by the Severn steamer
f_rom Southampton ; next packet due, the Medway, .on the
ith inst. (this day). British North America, Bermuda, and
the Lnited States, on the evening of the 18th inst., by the
Caledonian steamer, eel Liverpool, Halifax, and Boston;
next packet due, the Britannia,
FALMOUTH, JUNE s.—Heron the 15th
pist." Majesty s brig Frolic,
Commander Hamilton, arrived off this port yesterday morn.
ing, from the Pacific, having sailed from San Bias December
15, Valparaiso February 11, Port Famine (in the Straits of
Magellan) March 22, and from Rio de Janeiro.
.April 18, She
has on freight
'about 2 000 000 dollars; in addition to which.
' 'of the wreck of
also 18,000 dollars taken out
ning, which vessel took fire and sank iu December last, in
Port Famine, on her voyage from Islay for London, laden
with wool, saltpetre, and 30,000 dollars on freight. The fire
is supposed. to have arisen from spontaneous combustion.
and.threeof the crew were unfortunately drowned at the
' time. The Frolic left at Rio her Majesiy's ships Curscoa,
the Firebrand steamer, the Griffon (from the River Plate),,,
and the Crane packet, arrived from Falmouth on the 17th of
April.. The Swift packet sailed two or three days before the
Frolic for the northern ports and Falmouth ; she spoke, on
the 2d inst., in lat, 48 55 N., and long. 10 12 W., the ship
Tudor, with the 50th
Regiment
of Foot on board, from Clal-
cutte 11:7 London.

toz7
Cla IlatittOti

SUN OFFICE, Seven o' (;loch

RA I L WAY COMMITTEES.

(THIS DAY.)

iiOUSE OF COMMONS.
GROUP iv.

The Committee were engaged all day passing clauses in the
LONDOLT AND BLII.CHWALL IMPROVE-
MENT,
and afterwards adjourned at four o'clock.

GROUP VI.

WX LTS, SOMEUSET, AND 'WEYMOUTH (NO.

IL) AND EX.ETEN GazAT WESTERN.
The cross •examination of Mr. Saunders was resumed this
morning by Mr. Cocanenx.

GROUP VIII.

The Committee on this group re-assembled this morning
in Room 8 ; Mr. Young in the chair.
LISKEARD AND LAUNCESTON BRANCH.
This Bill was withdrawn this morning, the promoters
having declined to proceed for this session.
TAW VALE RAILWAY AND DOCK.
A considerable time was spent in discussing whether the
Committee should proceed with this Bill, and it was even-
tually agreed that it be referred to the Committee in Room
No. 6, where the Bristol and Exeter Railway Bill was under
consideration, as it was considered to have a relation to the
lines in that group.
The Committee then adjourned till to-morrow, having
arranged to proceed then with the South Devon (Extension
and Amendment) Bill.

GROUP X.
HARWICH AND EASTERN COUNTIES
UNION.

The Committee met this morning—Lord Clivein the chair—
when Mr. PiWreck was called to show the inconvenience of
the number of crossings at a level.
It should be observed that the two opposing lines are the
Eastern Union, from Manningtree to Harwich, and the Eastern
Counties Junction, from Ardleigh to Harwich ; the latter laid
out, fora single line, at an outlay of 200,000/. ; and the former,
by Mr. Braithwaite, for a double line, at a cost of 180,0001.
The Eastern Union line crosses no public roads on a level,
while the Eastern Counties line crosses sixteen.

Mr. Bryan, a land surveyor and valuer, who has had con-
siderable experience in his profession, stated that he valued
the land, severance, and all consequential damage, at
40,1201. for the Eastern Counties line, on which there would
be little residential property interfered with. His estimate
for the land for the Eastern Union line was 31,4001., includ-
ing, he believed, every expense.
Mr. Bruff, the engineer, stated that the lice was of a very
ordinary character. The cost would be 200,0001., but 30,0001.
of that amount was to be spent in the construction of a pier
and docks at Harwich, for which proposals bad been sub-
mitted to the Admiralty, under whose superintendence they
were to be made.

GROUP XVIIL