The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-25 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited her
Majesty yesterday afternoon at Buckingham Palace.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester visited
the Duchess of Kent yesterday at Clarence House, St.
James's.
Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess and the Princess
Augusta of Cambridge returned to their residence at
Kew on Tuesday night.
Mr. S. Tillett, of Colchester, transacted business at the
Colonial Department yesterday.
Sir Robert Peel had a dinner party last evening at his
residence in Whitehall-gardens.
Despatches from the Governor of West Australia were
received yesterday at the Colonial-office.
Miss Magdalen Ross had the honour yesterday of
taking the last sitting for the miniature of the Hon.
Miss Anson, by command of h* Majesty, at Bucking-
ham Palace.

THE QUEEN DOWAGER.
The account of her Majesty's health yesterday exhi-
hibited at Marlborough House was as follows:
" The Queen Dowager has passed a • very good night,
and her Majesty feels herself less weak this morning.
" DAVID DAVIES, M.D.
" Sudbury-hall, Nov. 23, 1841."

DARING OUTRAUES IN HERT-

FORDSIIIRE.

A long inquiry took place before the Hon. Captain
Hotham, and a full bench of Magistrates, at the Shire-
hall, Hertford, on Monday, into the circumstances of a
daring assault and robbery, that took Ogee in the neigh-
bourhood of that town on the evening of the 13th inst.
In addition to the offence which was the present subject
of inquiry, the parties in custody were suspected of
being concerned in another outrage of a similar character
upon a gentleman named Ford, belonging to the East
India College at Haileybury, who was stopped by five
men when on his way from Hertford to the College, and
knocked down and ill-treated by them. The proceed-
ings, in consequence, created a good deal of interest,
and the hall was filled by the inhabitants of the town
and neighbourhood during the inquiry.
The prisoners, Frederick Franck, alias Farky, Wll-
- Aylott, alias Naylor, and William, alias Tucker
Smith, were charged with feloniously assaulting and rob-
bing William Edwards upon the Queen's highway.
The prosecutor, who is a veterinary surgeon, residing
at Puckeridge, stated that about a quarter to six o'clock
in the morning of Saturday, the 13th inst., he was riding
on horseback, about a mile and n-half beyond l3enger,
on the road to Little Munden, when he came up to thur
men, and as he passed them he wished them a good
night, and almost at the same instant one of the men
seized his arms, and another dragged him from his
horse and pinioned him to the ground, and one of them
placed his hand over his mouth while the others rifled

his pockets, and took from him some gold and silver
money, and also a silver watch and some other articles.
The men turned his horse loose, and when they had ob-
tained what they wanted they told him to go about
his business, and they then went towards the town of
Hertford. Having secured his horse witness proceeded
back to Benger, and gave information of the occurrence.
In answer to questions from the Bench, the prosecutor
said he was positive that Aylott and Francis were two
of the men who robbed him. He said that they both
assisted to pull him off his horse, and when he was upon
the ground Francis pinioned him while the others took
the money from his pockets. He could not speak posi-
tively to the identity of Smith, but he bad very little
doubt that he was the man who first seized his horse.
William Sheffield, the landlord of the Globe public
house at Benger. proved that on the night of the rob-
bery the prosecutor came to his house, and informed him
of what had happened. He was covered with mud, and his
clothes were very much torn, and his pockets were
turned inside out.
Witnesses were then called, who proved that on the
night the robbery was committed, the prisoners had
been seen going in the direction of the place where it
occurred.
The prosecutor was recalled, and, in answer to a
question from the Bench, he said that, upon being in..
formed by the police that some persons were in custody,
on suspicion of being concerned in the attack upon him,
he went to the police station at Hertford, find he saw au
the parties separately, and he immediately identified
Francis and Aylott.
Mr. Knight, the Superintendent of the Borough Po-
lice, and Inspector Driscoll, of the Hertfordshire Con-
stabulary, having proved the apprehension of the pri-
soners, the Bench were informed that this was all the
evidence that could be produced on the present occasion
in support of the charge.
The prisoners then called some witnesses for the piir •
pose of proving an alibi, but the evidence was not a
satisfactory description, and the Bench ultimately
re-
manded all the prisoners to the county gaol, in order to
afford the police an opportunity to make further incleiries.

THE OLDHAM BRANCH RAILWA's•—We
were in error in stating that the Oldham Branch Rail-
way (copied from a Liverpool paper) would be partially
opened m July or August next. We expect it will be
opened throughout by the Ist of March.

ROYAL MEDICO-BOTANICAL SO-

CIETY.

Last evening this Society held the first general meet-
ing of its twenty-second session, at the Chambers, in
Sackville-street, Piccadilly. If. Cook, Esq., jun., in the
Chair.

The SECRETARY read the minutes of the last meeting,
and informed the members that several valuable. presents
of seeds, exotic plants, and foreign medicinal preparations
had been received from various Correspondents, amongst
whom were conspicuous their Noble President Earl
Stanhope, Mrs. Burnet, and a Professor of the University
of Prague, whose name we did not catch. The thanks
of the Society having been voted with much applause to
the several contributors,
Dr. SIGMOND was called on, as Professor to the Insti-
tution, to offer some observations to the assembled mem-
bers and visitors upon the opening of the new Session.
The Learned Professor thought the occasion would be a
fitting one to take a comprehensive view
.of all that had
been done since the formation of the Institution, that is,
within the last quarter of a century, to add to the magni-
ficent science of which that Society was the cultivator,
and to the noble profession to which he had the honour
to belong. Yet, to go through even a brief account of
all that had been done for the promulgation of light and
the alleviation of disease, would occupy far more time than
the occasion allowed. He would observe, that although
many of the plants which were now laid aside, because
past experience left a doubt upon their utility ; yet a
tune might come when they should be discovered to pos-
sess principles and ingredients of important benefit to
man. Chemistry had done much to bring into use the
beneficial properties of medicines, of which, before, the
value was unknown or uncertain. This was especially
the case in respect to alkalies produced from American.
vegetables ; for instance, the various species of the ge-
nus cinchona. This genus was of peculiar interest to the
botanist, and to the lover of mankind. He could not
dwell upon the difficulties which originally were thrown
in the way of its introduction, both by the medical pro-
fession and the
.public. Even Sydenham encountered
great difficulties in his attempts to apply the remedy to
be derived from cincona in a safe and beneficial form.
Whilst the medicine was efficiently used upon the Conti-
nent, the great Cromwell was allowed to die of inter-
mittent fever, because the mode of administering it was
unknown in tbis country: Sydenham, since that time,
discovered that the interval between the fits was the time
to administer the medicine, when the patient appeared
to require none, whereas its administration during the
fever was dangerous or fatal. When that product of
cinchona called " quina," was first introduced ignorance
of its actual properties produced the new disease to which
the name of " tjuininism" was given. It also produced
painful neuralgic disease and tic doloreux, which quinine
cures.—(Bear). He passed then to " morphia," and
" narcotine," two principles obtained fiorn opium—the
former was the exciting, the latter the sedative, prin-
ciple. The former abounded most in the opium of
the East Indies, the latter in the Turkish opium ;
and this was so well known by the Chinese, that
they always selected the Indian drug. Opium was
a most beneficent medicine when properly used ;
and the old pharmacopwia contained many excellent
preparations of it, which we understood him to prefer
greatly to morphia. The Learned Professor then re-
lated the history, and discussed the properties of prussic
or hydrocyanic acid, which, under the regulations of the
Apothecaries' Hall, requiring that all persons should
sell it of the same strength, was now used with the great-
est advantage. He next came to " strychnia," an alkali
derived from " nux vomica." The nut itself might
be administered in certain forms with benefit,
but the extract was the most ferocious poi-
son known ; and he warned all his friends against
its use. Even Magendie, who recommended strychnia,
acknowledged, that upon the application of the drug ex-
ternally, or rather enderndcally, the patient in one
second dropped dead; so instant was the working of this
terrible poison. Even those who touched a person la-
bouring under the effects of the drug were affected by it,
and felt as it were an electric shock pass through their
bodies. He also disapproved of the use of another new
alkali called " aeonitina," and of another veratrina."
But of Croton oil he spoke in high terms. Dr. S. havinc,
spoken at some length upon the benefits likely to be
conferred upon science by the three new Societies, the
Botanical, Pharmaceutic, and Chemical, concluded an
eloquent address amidst warm and repeated plaudits.

The death of the late esteemed Fellow of this Society,
Er. Hancock, was afterwards communicated to the meet-
ing, amidst general expressions of regret, and promises
of assistance to the family of the gentleman.

After some routine bu-siness, the meeting adjourned
to the Bth of December.

SPAIN.

We have received advices from Barcelona of the 16th
inst., which contain fuller particulars of recent events in
that city. The Constitucionalstates that a general meet-
ing of the authorities and of the Commandants of the
National Guard was held on the 12th, at which it was
decided, in spite of the opposition of some Exaltados,
the enemies of all order and legality, says the Constitu-
clonal, that the orders of the Government should be
obeyed. On the 15th, the constitutional Alcaldes of
Barcelona, following up this decision, issued a proclama-
tion, ordering—First, that no National Guards should
assemble in arms in any part of the capital, unless or-
dered to do so by the competent authorities; secondly,
that every person violating this order should be treated
as a rebel ; and, thirdly, that all persons assembling
under pretext, uttering seditious cries, or making any
demonstration against the legitimate authorities, should
also be treated as rebels. On the same day General
Van Haien issued his proclamation, declaring the city
in a state of siege, and placing all the authorities under
his own immediate control, and also the following pro-
' ' -•