The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-17 00:00:00

e GENERAL

,SIA.

the 10th instant, pub-

" ,e, rederick William, by the grace of God, King of
Prussia, &c., have manifested by the law of the 3d of this
month, and the edicts of the same date, our intention to
receive the eight provincial diets of the kingdom in one
assembly, not only when a new levy or augmentation of the
taxes may be required, but. also for other affairs of impor-
tance. The finances of the state, thanks to a long and
happy peace, are in a well ordered condition, but as there
are seine important affairs upon which it is proper to
consult the Diet, and as in these circumstances we feel the
necessity of forming a central and regular re-union of the
states, for the purpose of consulting them upon those affairs,
and upon the periods at which we wish to assemble the faith-
ful states of our monarchy for the future, we have con-
sequently resolved to call together the General Diet in
our capital and residence of Berlin on the 11th of April of
the present year, and to open them in person, and we charge
the Minister of State to cause the convocation to be made
by the Minister of the Interior, and to make the necessary
preparations.
" Given at Berlin, the Bth Feb. 1847.
(Signed) " FREDERICK WILLIAM."

EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

Last evening, when Mr. Elliott had disposed of the business
of the day at Lambeth Police-court, and was about to leave
the bench, a respectable man, accompanied by his wife and
two constables belonging to the V division of police, entered
the court, and applied for the magistrate's advice and assis-
tance to obtain possession of his son, a lad of fifteen years of
age, who was kept from his home under the following extra-
ordinary circumstances :—From the statement of the appli-
cant and his wife, it appeared that their son had a situation
in the office of a merchant in the City, and had unfortunately,
as they said, been taken particular notice of by the widow of
a very distinguished officer, recentlydeceased, when that lady
called to see her nephew, who was employed in the same
office. About three weeks ago the lady in question invited
the lad to spend some days at her house at Clapton, with two
or three Youths from the west end of the town ; and they (his
parents) feeling flattered at the time at what they conceived
to be a great mark of kindness and condescension, gave their
consent to the acceptance of the invitation. His visit to the
lady was prolonged beyond the time originally intended; for,
instead of returning to their (the parents') house at Lea-
bridge, he proceeded to Clapton-hill. There was not the
slightest suspicion of the existence of anything improper,
particularly as the two youths from the west end of the
town continued to remain at the lady's house. On Saturday
last, however, the nephew of the lady had brought them a
letter, which had been received on that day from their son,
anu in which he i`zndered the resignation of his situation,
and stated that he should not again return to his office.
Astonished that her son shotfld have written such a letter,
and give up a situation that was likely to lead to a perma-
nency for life, the mother hurried off to the residence of the
lady before alluded to, where she found her son, and, upon
demanding an explanation of his extraordinary conduct, the
promising youth coolly replied that he was in a fair way of
being made independent for life, or something to that effect.
His tone and manner were, however, such as to leave no
doubt that a more than ordinary and more than proper inti-
macy had taken place between him and his lady patroness.
This being the opinion of the mother, she at once demanded
an interview with the lady, when the latter, who is verg-
ing on sixty years of age, unblushingly admitted the
truth of the mother's suspicions, made the most fervent
avowal of her passionate attachment for the boy, and de-
clared it to be her intention at once to marry him ! The
mother, shocked and disgusted at this disclosure, insisted
upon taking her son home with her, and after much difficulty
she succeeded in getting the lad away. On Sunday the two
boys who were staying with the lady called at the house of
the parents in a cab, and requested that, as the lady was
going out of the country, he ( the son) would pay her the
last visit. This the parents consented to, but accompanied
him themselves to the house, but after the interview he re-
fused to leave. On the following day (Monday) the lady
removed from her residence, N 0.3, Grove, East Clapton, and
took apartments at the Railway Hotel, Nine Elms Station,
intending to start for Guernsey, and there to get married.
Here, however, they (the parents of the youth) had traced
her, and having seen their son they endeavoured to prevail
upon bins to return with them; but he refused to do so, and
they now wished to know how they were to act to get him
away from the woman.
Mr. ELmorr remarked, that the parents had acted very
foolishly, when they got the boy home, not to have kept
him. The only course was to get him away, give him a good
flogging, and keep him at home.
Bent, one of the constables who accompanied the parties,
said, that on the day before the son of the applicants and the
other two lads, one of whom appeared to be eleven and the
other twelve, while out had picked up a little girl, whom they
took home to the lady, and the latter at once engaged her as
a servant. In the morning the lady ordered an expensive
dinner for five, including herself, the three lads, and the ser-
vant last-mentioned; but Mr. Howse, the proprietor of the
hotel, refused to prepare it. The constable also said, that he
ascertained Mrs. Boys had presented the son of the applicant
with the most expensive rings, a splendid gold watch, and a
massive neck chain ; and further, on that morning, she
handed him 131. for pocket money.
The mother of the youth here observed, that these costly
presents from a lady whose hair was perfectly grey and cer-
tainly old enough to be his grandmother, had, she doubted
not, turned the head of her poor boy.
ELuore thought the father would be perfectly justified
in taking away his sou and giving him a good flogging.
The parties left the court, declaring their determination to
have him one way or the other.

THE LATE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND.—The
Duke and Duchess of Athol], the Earl and Countess offowii,
the Earl and Countess of Beverley, the Bishop of Carlisle,
the Hon. C. and Lady Frances Maynard, the Countess Dow-
ager of Ashburnham, the Rev. Mr. and Lady Eleanor Wode-
house, Mr. and Lady Mary Gordon, Lord and Laay Wil-
loughby D'Eresby, Lord and' Lady Louvaine, the Hon. E.
and Lady Margaret Littleton, Sir W. Wynn, and the Earl
and Countess of Clare, are amongst the distinguished indivi-
duals placed in mourning by the demise of the noble head of
the illustrious house of Percy.
deprivedof an important Member by tne aeatn of
Stephen Gair, the resident partner of Messrs. Baring Brothers
and Co., Liverpool branch. This gentleman has been rapidly
carried off by a violent attack of typhus fever, and his loss
has excited much sympathy. His private character was
most estimable, but, being of aNuiet and retired disposition,
lie took no part in any public movements here, and did not
fill that prominent position which his rank in the mercantile
world entitled him to.

PROVISIONS FROM THE UNITED STATES.--The
Frederica, Leonore, Islam, and Edwin, from New York;
Meteor, Arabian, Kilby, Albatross, Lord Seaton, and St.
George, from New Orleans; Hibernia, from Boston, Den-
mark, from Norfolk, and Rhone, from Baltimore, which were
reported at Liverpool on the 15th inst., bring 14,558 barrels
flour, 29,352 sacks and 39,582 bushels Indian corn, and 466
barrels Indian corn meal.

A FEMALE DANIEL LAMBERT. Mrs. Elizabeth
Armitage, a lady of alarmingly large proportions is now
being;exhibitedlat the Cosmorama Rooms, in Regent-greet,
and promises to become an object of extreme interest with
those who relish unnatural freaks of development. Mrs.
Armitage is the first parallel to the renowned Lambert that
the public has witnessed, her dimensions being 85 inches
round the hips, her bust 72, her waist 47, her arm and the
calf of her leg each 22i ! These be noble proportions, and
may well excite astonishment, the more so as the head,
hands, and feet are scarcely a shade bigger than those of
ordinary mortals. This full-blown lady, a sample of the
female sex magnified beyond all belief, with all these rare
burdens• of flesh, walks easily, though the weight of 445
pounds, the aggregate of her personal conditions, is no joke
to carry. Her health is stated to be good, and her bodily
enlargements the mere growth of pure healthy flesh, the
increase of which, it is supposed, is even yet not terminated!
She is a native of Norwich, and is now 29 years of age.
Her manners are polite, and her conversation cheerful and
unaffected.

THREE GIRLS DROWNED.—A melancholy case
occurred at South Stockton o❑ Tuesday. It appears that
soon after five o'clock in the afternoon, just as the cotton
factory had given over working, a number of boys and girls
went to have a slide on a pond formed by what is termed
the " returned water" from the mill. Amongst them were
three girls of the names of Mary Hutchinson, aged 14, Isa-
bella Donkin, 13, and Lydia Moxon, 13, who having ven-
tured too far, the ice gave way, and they were precipitated
into the water. There were several young people of both
sexes near the place at the time, and a lad named Donkin,
brother to Isabella Donkin, threw off his jacket and plunged
into the water to endeavour to save his sister, but his efforts
were unavailing. As more than halt au hour elapsed before
the bodies were recovered, life in each was of course extinct.
—Newcastle Journal.

CONSCIENTIOUSNESS ACTlVE.—Yesterday morning,
a letter, of which the following is a copy, enclosing a half-
sovereign, was sent per post to Mr. A. \arley, hosier, haber-
dasher, &c., 31, Market-street :--"Sir,—about 17 years ago,
or a few Months More, I Stole from your Counter a Packet
of Goods, Value about 5 shillings. 1 Was a Boy at the time,
and I consider it right to Make restitution to you now,
though it be so long ago, five Shillings for the Goods, and
5 Shillings for the Interest for the above time. —Manchester
Examiner.

Yesterday being Shrove Tuesday, nearly 500 four-
pound loaves, of the best wheaten bread, were given at the
church doors to as many poor people residing in the parish of
Wandsworth. . _

FLOODS AT WINDSOR.—In consequence of the
thaw, accompanied by rain, the river Thames,_ both
an in_„
and below Windsor-bridge, has overflowed itsbr
wakitier. I"
directions, thousands of acres being entirely undo
w'. Walton,
day afternoon an inquest was henld. ef y abovera pid
DEATH FROM SUFFOCATION INbEe
oArTeizirmOr..-0
Majesty's Customs.
at the Canteen, in the Tower,.t the
r °in her
aged forty years, a tide-waiter
board the Emerald, a foreign
The deceased was on duty
Oa Friday afternoon last he
body of John Hayes,
board the vessel, when
was eating some beef .
his throat, and before assistance
a piece of the meat hxiged in his
Verdict—"
vessel, lying off the Trhies
Accidental
could be r.dinner, on
THE NORTH OF SCOTLIND.—Since our
death.„ procured he was s
STATE OF
last, we are happy to state that no farther disturbance has
occurred in Inverness. No grain, however, has been shipped;
and the Morayshire sailed on Friday night without having
completed her loading. To be prepared for any emergency
that might occur, the magistrates on Thursday swore in
upwards of 200:special constables, but their services have not
been required. Over the north generally quietness has been
restored. This has been accomplished, in the majority of
instances, by assurances being given to the people that meal
will be placed, in ample quantities, within their reach,
at fair prices. Morayshire.—Order has very generally been
restored in Morayshire, though it had been judged necessary
to procure the presence of military from Edinburgh, in addi-
tion to those from Fort George, 100 of the 76th Regiment
having been brought by steamer and landed at Burghead on
Monday morning. The shipment of grain was then resumed,
and the two vessels, the loading of which had been inter-
rupted, were got under weigh. At Garmouth two or three
of the rioters (women) have been apprehended.—lnverness
Courier.

CHANCELLORSHIP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAM-
BRIDGE. —The following address from members of the
senate of the University of Cambridge to his Royal
Highness Prince Albert is now lying for signature at
St, Catherine's Hall Lodge : " May it please your
Royal Highness The office of Chancellor of the Uni.
versa), of Cambridge having become vacant by the la—
mented death of his Grace the Duke of Northumberland;
we, the undersigned, members of the senate of the Uni—
versity, beg leave most respectfully to prefer our request to
your Royal Highness, that you will graciously permit your
Royal Highness's name to be proposed to the senate for elec—
tion into the vacant office according to the prescribed form
of our academical constitution."