The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-26 00:00:00

CHARGE OF ARSON AGAINST A

YOUNG LADY.

BRISTOL, FEB. 24.—At our Police Court to-day a young
and handsome lady, named Sarah Outeridge, who is said to
be well connected, was placed at the bar upon suspicion of
having set fire to five rooms at Langley's boarding-house,
Cumberland-street, St. Paul's. It appeared from the evi-
dence of the numerous witnesses examined, that .\;iss
Outeridge is the :ister of a lady named Meredith, who, with
her husband and child and Mr. Meredith's mother, had come
about a week since from Lancashire to take up their resi-
dence in Bristol, and had taken apartments for a time in
Mr. Langley's house. On Tuesday evening Mr. and Mrs.
Meredith went out, and Miss Outeridge remained at home
in charge of their young child. At about twenty minutes
past seven o'clock some persons who were passing
along
Cumberland-street observed that one of the bed-moms over-
looking the street was on fire. They immediately gave the
alarm, and when the family went up stairs they found that
the furniture and bedding in the room occupied by Aliss
Outeridge and Mrs. Meredith, senior, were in flames. With
the assistance of some neighbours, the fire was extinguished.
In about three-quarters of an hour after this, Mr. Langley
observed that Lis bed-room was on fire. He gave an alarm,
and with some difficulty the flames were extinguished, and it
was hoped that all was over. Half an hour after this an
alarm of fire was again heard, and it was found that a third
bed• room on the same story was in flames. The hangings
of the bed and bedding were in flames, but they were extin-
guished. Scarcely had this been fully accomplished, when
tire was observed in the small drawing-room, on the first-
floor, the curtains and window blinds of this apartment being
also wrapped in flames. The burning materials were pulled
down and the fire was soon extinguished. A minute exa-
mination of the premises was now made, and it was con-
cluded that all danger was completely over, when
another alarm was given that the front parlour was on
fire. On entering the apartment, the window hangings
and blinds, which, as in the previous cases, were far
removed from the fireplace, were found to be iu flames.
A policeman and several other persons exerted them-
selves and saved the remainder of the furniture, and upon
a close examination being made, the police found that
there was a blister mark on the painted wall against
which the bottom of the curtains hung, as if a candle
had been placed there for the purpose of setting fire to
them. The evidence, which failed to show any motive,
was of a merely circumstantial character. It was proved
that the prisoner was seen in c.ne of the bedrooms
shortly before it caught fire, and also that she was in
the parlour a few minutes before that was seen in
flames; but a servant was with her for the whole time,
or within a few moments of the whole time. It was
likewise shown that Misa Outeridge had been told that
she was last up stairs, and must have set the room on
fire, and she said she supposed she must, but her
brother would pay the damage. The examination was
proceeding when our account left.

A memoir was read on Saturday before the Academy
of Moral and Political Sciences of Paris, by Mr. Wheaton,
late American Minister at the Court of Berlin, and corres-
ponding member of the Academy, upon the question of the
right of succession to the different states, comprising the
Danish monarchy, in the event of the failure of direct heirs
male, of the present reigning.house of Oldenburg. The author
of this memoir traced the history of the royal succession in
Denmark up to the earliest times, and showed that the rule
of sucer asion formerly existing in that kingdom had preferred
the male line of all the royal descendants to the female, and
that the latter had never been resorted to unless on the total
ofa Inldolstein quite
failure of the former. A different rule bad been introduced,
together with the absolute monarchy, by the famous revolu-
tion of 1660, by which the succession of the Crown was
limited to the descendants of the then reigning sovereign,
tfthepueb), Schleswig,, Frederick 111., both male and female, to the exclusion of col-
laterals. Such was the present law of succession existing in
the kiogdom of Denmark; but it was questionable how far it
might
tn be applicable
couldi cab e
notto t
hh
ep le
ap Duchyied o of
where the Salic law bad always prevailed as in the other'
German states; so that the Danish monarchy was threatened
with dismemberment in case of the ultimate failure of direct
ctehaatpipt
male heirs to the present reigning how-e. The 1
cm.y certain
means of preventing this catastrophe, without the inter-
ference
of the great European Powers, and without the
danger of war on account of the conflicting claims to the
duchies, appeared to be the abolition of the lex .e
7 a•z ,
and the restoration of the ancient Danish law, by which
the succession was open to all the descendants of the
regal house with a preference of the male to the female '
lilies. 'lle eow.equence ,f such a change Nyonl,i
that the rule of succession would he the same -.' be,i
kingdom as in the duchies; and, consequently, thein la'
01 the Danish monarchy, which was one of- the
unity
till elements of the balance of European power, ° cssieth'•
preserved against the dangers by which it was threatened.wo"-e
If this change were at the same time coupled with
of a representative constitution for the united the grant
would be an effectual means of reconciling the monarchy, it
e rival '•
the Danish and Teutonic races, of which it was claims of
was true that the lex reg;a had been declared by composed. It
to be immutable; but as it was introduced by as 0; its author as
between the sovereign, and his people, there "ln
compact
why it might not be altered iu the sant was no reason
mutual consent. —Ca/igen/Li. e mariner by their

The House of Commons, as at present constituted,
consists of 656 '_Members, the two vacant seats for Sudbury
being still in abeyance, making the total number 655. Of
these there are 44 Members between the eges of .21 and 30;
159 between 31 and 40; 213 between 41 and 50 ; 155 between
51 and 60; 67 between 60 and 70 ; and 15 above 70. The
oltio4 Memb 7. • 7r. WO, !t, vi„nib" for
`L• GI Ur*ovenor,
Member for Chester, aged 22. The average age of the entire
House is 50 years.--Jersey Times.