The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-18 00:00:00

THE SUN,

the plaintiffs ; and Mr. Cockburn and Mr. noggins
for the defendants.
It appeared that the box, which contained 1,2001.
in gold, and 3001. in silver, was sent, in the month of
January, 1848,1 by Messrs. Ransom, the London
bankers, to the Paddington station, for the purpose of
being transmitted to the plaintiffs. One of Messrs.
Ranscm's clerks had the box booked at the station,
paying the ordinary charge of twopence, and then
saw it placed in a compartment of a passengers'
carriage, which was set aside for parcels and pack-
ages. When the train arrived at Bristol it was
discovered: that the lower panelling dividing the
luggage compartment from the passenger compart-
ment had been cut through, and that the lid of the
box had been taken off and the contents abstracted.
Experiments were afterwards made which showed
clearly that it was impossible for any one on the passen-
ger side to have forced the :panelling underneath
the seat, or to have broken open the box, and suspicion
consequently fell upon a person named Billings, who
was the guard of the train, and who had charge of the
parcels compartment, and he was given into custody,
but there being no direct evidence against him, he
was acquitted, and the company immediately dis-
charged him from their service. The supposition that
Billings committed the robbery was strengthened a
short time afterwards by his buying for 1201. the
lease and goodwill of a public-house, upon which he
spent a considerable sum in repairs. It appeared
that Billings, previous to his being employed by the
company, had been an omnibus conductor and a po-

!iceman.
Several witnesses were called on the part of the
plaintiffs, and they all agreed in thinking that the box
had been opened, and the panelling forced on the
luggage side of the partition.
(The cafe had not concluded wlen we went to
press )

THE LATE EXPLOSION OF FIRE-
WORKS IN BERMONDSEY.—(THIS DAY.)
The adjourned inquest upon the bodies of the four
persons who lost their lives in consequence of an
explosion of fireworks in a private dwelling house
occupied by a person named Barlin, was held this
afternoon at the King John's llead, Abbey-street,
Bermondsey, before Mr. Carter, Coroner for East

Surrey.
It will be recollected that the inquest was adjourned
from the 6th of November last, in order to enable the
persons injured by the explosion to recover, and be
present to give evidence.
Charles Barlin, son:of Wm. Berlin, was called and
examined. He had just been brought from the
hospital, and, notwithstanding the long interval since
the accident, he was still in great suffering, and gave
his evidence with considerable difficulty. He ap-

geared to have suffered great injuries on the head and
hands. He said—l am 19 years of age next January.
My father's name is William Barlin ; I lived with
him on the 12th of October last, at 4, Brook-street,

Bermondsey New-road, and on the evening of that
day I was engaged roiling cases for a description o
fireworks called blue lights, which are sold to children
at 11. and id. each. There were other persons
in the room, and to the best of my recAlection they
were all rolling cases. I don't think my father was
there. The explosion took place at half past eleven,
ai near as I can say, and there were then in the room
my father and mother, my brother William, and
George Barlow. I believe there was a quantity of
firevtoilcs being mule up in parcels of a gross each.
All I can remember is that my mother asked me to
give her a chair in order to sit down to supper. I'Ve
had then cleared away everything. I don't
know whether enything was knocked down, but
a cracker went off. I have no distinct recollection
whether in the act of giving the chair, something fell ;
but a cracker fired off, and a number of others fol-
lowed. I made my escape in the first instance, with-
out injury ; but I returned to the house to fetch out
my brother (the poor" fellow here sobbed bitterly).
I got into the house by the window, by means of a
ladder, because I heard two little children crying in
the fire. I believe that the fire was occasioned by
my striking the lamp as! I lifted up the chair.
I can't exactly say whether there were
any fireworks on the table. I think we had cleared
the table for supper.—(lt was understood that the
witness was to be taken back to the hospital )
The boy Larser, who was examined on the last
occasion, said, in addition to his former evidence, that
he was upstairs at the time of the accident, but from
the position of the table when be left the room he
thought the handing of a chair across the table might
knock down the lamp and ignite some sulphur and
lampblack which was on the table.
Mrs. Berlin, who had also just left the hospital, said
she asked her son for a chair, and as he was handing
it over the table something fell, and immediately
afterwards a cracker went off, and others followed.
If she had not asked for the chair the accident would
not have happened. Her husband had followed the
business of making fireworks for many years, but he
had been out of employment for a considerable
time, and, being in great distress, they had to
work early and late. They had a manufactory in
the Westminster-road, but a simple thing, like blue
lights and crackers they made at home. When the
accident happened they were capping the fireworks,
i. e., putting on the touch paper with a little damp
powder.
The CORONER said it now became the duty of the

jury to consider whether any person was liable for
the consequences of the explosion. There could be
no doubt about the illegality of making fireworks, for
the 9:h of Win. 111., ch. 7, sec. 1, made it so. The
evidence went to show that the parties were finishing
the fireworks; and the question for them to decide
was whether that was a part and parcel of the making.
The other question was as to the cause of the accident;
and that was one of considerable importance. A
person was liable to a criminal indictment, if he was
instrumental in causing the doath of a person by the
illegal manufacture of these commodities, but on the
other hand he was not responsible for an accident
which might have been occasioned by circumstances
over which he had no control. The Recorder of
London had already held that a person was decidedly
answerable for the death of a party, occasioned by an
explosion of fireworks illegally manufactured. It was
entirely, however, a matter for their decision. Should
they think any onus attached to the father they would
return their verdict against him, but if they were of
opinion that the occurrence was purely of an acci-
dental nature he would not be liable for the conse-
quences of it.
The jury then deliberated for some time with
closed doors, and on the public being admitted,
The CORONER directed that Mr. Karlin, the father,
should be brought in, and on his entering the room,
said, that the jury had found a verdict of " Accidental
death," but had thought it right to append the
following to it :—" We, the jury, cannot separate
without expressing our regret that sufficient steps are
nut taken by the police authorities to prevent the
manuftturing and selling of fireworks, whereby lives
and property are greatly endangered."

IRELAND.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
DUBLIN, MONDAY EVENING.-At the meeting of
the Repeal Association to-day, the attendance was
fuller than usual, owing, perhaps, to the Hon. Cecil
Lawless, son of Lord Cloncurry, and M.P. for Clon-
mel, taking part in the proceedings. The amount of
rent was not announced in time for post.
An awfully sudden death occurred this afternoon at
four o'clock, in the shop of Pim, Goodbody, and Co.,
Westmoreland-street. An elderly gentleman named
Ferguson, who, as well as his brother, an eminent
saddler in this city, was remarkable for his portly
person, was at the time mentioned transacting some
business, when he dropped down in a fit of apoplexy,
and immediately expired. As"the deceased was rather
a remarkable man, his death has caused some sen-
sation.

The case of Ffrench v. Ffrench is again adjourned.
Mr. Brewster, for the plaintiff, after speaking for two
hours on Saturday, occupied the Court from ten this
morning till three P.M., when Chief Justice Black-
burne, in mercy to the jury, postponed his charge
till to-morrow morning. Some very heavy bets are
pending on the issue of this extraordinary litigation
between two brothers.

The Evening Packet says it has it from an un-
doubted source, that: the income-tax is to be ex-
tended to Ireland, and a two-shilling rate in aid im-
posed, immediately after the meeting of Parliament.
This does not look as if Government believed all the
statements of ruin which now meet one from the four
quarters of Ireland. In reading over the items of
provincial news one cannot fail to be struck with the
contradictory nature of the reports even from vicinous
districts ; whilst the reports of the fairs, &c., are even
still more discrepant from the unanimous lamentations
of the landed interest.

Mr. Francis Morgan, late law agent to the Dublin
Corporation, but who had to fly to France for the part
he took, or rather was accused of intending to
take, in the ludicrous insurrection of '4B, is, it is said,
about to be reinstated in his office. Mr. Morgan
returned from exile on the expiration of the Habeas
Corpus Suspension Act, and seemed by no means
exteriorly improved by his continental sojourn.
Active preparations are in progress to give all the
assistance in the power of this country to the effec-
tiveness of the great manufacture exhibition of 1851.
A working committee has been appointed in Dublin,
besides the general cne, and corresponding branches
have been formed in Belfast, Derry, Cork, and
Limerick—for the success of whose show of lace
great lccal hopes are entertained.
This was a beautiful day for winter, clear, cold,
but bracing. The thermometer is now falling, and
we shall have a tight of frost.

SUNDERLAND, DEC. 16.—Part of a boat's stern,
nnarked."Lady Gorwataby of Whitby" outside, and part
of the name of Samuel_inside, has been picked up near
here.