The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-25 00:00:00

STOPPING-UP OF FOOTPATHS.

A case of some importa nee, arising on the construc-
tion of the Wilful Tresrrass Act, was during the last
term decided in the Cott-t of Queen's Bench. It ap-
pears that, in the early part of the year 1839, a foot-
path leading across the .land of a Mr. Vaudrey, in the
township of Bredbury, -near Stockport, which had been
used from time immemorial, was arbitrarily closed ;
and, as it was a road ot great public convenience, a
number of persons isssembled, and publicly, in the pre-
sence of Mr. Vaudrey, broke down the fences which he
had erected, and re-opened the road. In consequence
of this proceeding, llr. Vaudrey took out a summons
under the Trespass Act, against a person named
Axon, one of the parties engaged in breaking down
the fence ; and he appeared before R. Simpson, Esq.,
James Newton, Esq., and the Rev. E. T. Leigh.
It was perfectly clear that the alleged trepass had been
committed bona fide, in the assertion of alleged right,
in which case the Magistrates have no jurisdiction un-
der the Trespass Act ; but when a man is brought be-
fore Cheshire squires and clergymen, on a charge pre-
ferred by a landowner, he must not expect that the law
will be at all times very carefully attended to. The
Justices showed their contempt for the Trespass Act
by convicting the defendant, who appealed against the
conviction ; and the appeal came on for trial at the
Knutsford Sessions, on the Ist of July, 1839. Mr.
Brandt, who was Counsel for the defendant, relied upon
the proviso in the 24th section of the Act, exempting
from its operation all proceedings taken in the assertion
of an alleged right ; but the Learned Gentleman's ar-
guments were addressed to another Cheshire squire,
Mr. Trafford Trafford, from whom, perhaps, it would
have been unreasonable to expect any treat deference
for the law in such a case. Mr. Trafford decided at
once against the objection, and the Court affirmed
the conviction. The defendant was consequently com-
pelled to remove the case by certiorari to the Court of
Queen's Bench, where it came on on the 10th inst., we
were going to say for argument, but that would be a
mistake ; for argument the case needed none. When
Mr. Wightman was about to address the Court upon
it, the Judges intimated that the case was so exceed-
ingly clear that he need not trouble himself, and they
quashed the conviction at once. We wonder what the
very ingenious gentlemen who made and affirmed this
conviction will now say for themselves. The proviso
in the Trespass Act is so plain and clear, that a man
who mistakes it must have a most extraordinary head-
piece, and is certainly unfit for the commission of the
peace.—Manchester Guardian.

GOOD EFFECTS OF CHEAP

POSTAGE.

The following is an extract of a letter from a gentle-
man in Ross-shire :

" I have a very respectable man who has wrought in
my garden for two years at 9s. a week, and thought
himself amply paid. The rate of wages was rather
above the average here, which is Is. 6d. in the long and
Is. or Is. 2d. for the short days. I had also two of his
sons hired servants by the half-year on my farm, and a
daughter engaged by the day in spring and autumn.
One of the family went last year to the south of Scot-
land in search of employment at a railway. I believe
since the reduction of postage this lad has been cor-
responding with his father, and the result has been
that the latter told me the other day that he had re-
solved to go south with his family, being assured that
they could all earn double what they were doing here.
For their sakes I was glad to hear it ; and I am sure
they will do well wherever they go, as they are ex-
tremely well-conducted people.
" My other fact relates to a poor widow in this town.
She was the mother of two sons and a daughter. The
latter died some years ago of consumption, after becom-
ing a full grown and very interesting woman. One
of the sons went to London—got into a mercantile
establishment, and was promoted till he had 3001. a
year—then married—went into business for himself,
and was ruined. The remaining son lived with his
mother, and they were both helped by the elder brother
as long as he could ; but ,when this help failed them,
the younger brother, who was a cabinet maker, I be-
lieve, also went south, and the widow was left alone,
and being destitute, for years she has been getting re-
lief from the poor's funds. Mrs. --- sees her occa-
sionally ; and soon after the reform in the Post-office,
the widow came to her to say how inexpressibly over-
joyed she was by receiving a letter from her younger
son, from whom she had not heard for years, and who,
she thought, was dead. The postage, too, and all (as
she said) was paid! It turned out that he had several
times written to her, and never having any reply, had
discontinued addressing her, but thought of doing so
once again under the penny post. The letters, no
doubt, would have come, and gone back to the dead
letter office, and in due time been burned. The widow
says that two fr three years ago she heard there was a
letter for her in the post office, the postage of which was
Is. 3d., which she never for a moment could dream of
paying. The letter which she did receive she said, with
tears in her eyes, gave her more joy than a present of a
peck of gold."

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
(WEDNESDkY.)

SENTENCES UPON THE PRISONERS, AND

SESSIONAL RESULTS.

Sentenced to Death—Francois B,rijamin Courvoisier,
for the wigul murder of Lord Wm. Ruasell.
Transported for Life—Richard Gould, otherwise Arthur
Nicholson, for a burglary in the dwelling-house of the late
Mr. John Templeman, Islington.
For Fifteen Years—Robert Ryan.
For Fourteen Years—John Smith and Alexander
Lounds, alias Roy.
For Ten Years—Mary Woolley, Charles Drake, Wm.
Hughes, W. Hemming, Abraham Barrett, J. Finch, Wm.
Smith, Wm. Jacobs, John Smith, Wm. Thomas, Robert
Lewis, Elizabeth Thompson, John Cox, John Williams,
Charles Watson John Mitchel, John Wilson, W. Hughes.
J. Wilson, Ni.,than Nathan.

For Seven Years.—W. Thompson, Robert Durham,
J. Smith, J. Carey, Thomas Hatton, W. Tuck, C. Ful-
ler, C. Campbell, J. Greenwood, J Coone, Ann Speller,
George Smitb, George Baker, J. Hawkins, Ann Sanders,
James Smith, C. Waterford, G. orge Adams, W. Pil.
luttee, J. Hillyard,. J. W. Germaine, Lewis Staley, W.
Barnett, W. Adams, George Regan. Jane Pinder, Caro-
line %Han, Jane Jenkins, .James Smith.
Imprisoned for Eighteen Months.—J. Moss, R. Palmer.
For One Year.—H. Smith, F. Guyon, Thomas Head-
ing, R. Evendett, Wm. Barnett, J. Hopkinson, W. Cole-
man, liabella Stevens, Ellen Connell, James Hopkins,
J. Anderson, MiChael Doherty.
A great number of prisoners were adjudged to impri-
sonment and bard labour, for periods varying
.from one
week to six months.
Tvrenty-five were discharged by proclamation, twenty
were acquitted, and the judgment of several vas respited
until the July Sessions.
The Court at its rising adjourned to Monday, the 6th of
July, and the presiding Judges will be those who go on
the ersuing Norfolk circuit.

AN OLD MAN (A FACT).-Buried on Sun-
day May 30th, at Lawford, near Mantsingtree, a mariner, of
the name of White, whose age, according to the figures on his
coffin, wt s 407 years. His great age called forth the wonder
and amazement of several old folks—one saving, " I didn't
think he was half so old ;" another, " I did'nt think he was
so old as I;" another, " a wonderful great ag' : he is
certainly the oldest man that ever was buried in Law-
ford." But some of his neighbours began to think
that the undertaker who supplied the furniture for the coffin
had made a little mistake, and so it turned out, for a son of
Crispin, who was present, very quickly discovered it, and in
calling the undertaker to account, he was met with the follow-
ing sapient reply:—" Surely 4 and an 0 stand for forty, there-
fore 40 and 7 must be forty-seven," this being the age of the
deceased." Do you think, Mr. Editor, that the schoolmaster
over resided at Lawford ? Ipswich Express.
" The place of intetinent of the remains of Paga-
nini," says a letter from Nice, " is not yet fixed on, other
towns as well as Genoa being talked of. 'fhe will of the de-
ceased was made at Genoa, in 1837. The testator, after re-
commending his soul to God, desires a great number of masses
may be said for it by the Capuchin friars. He leaves a legacy
o f 60,000 f. to one of his sisters, and 75,000 f. to the other.
To his mother, and to the mother of his son (said to be a
Jewess of Milan), he bequeathes life annuities of 1,200 f. each.
The residue of his fortune, said to amount, after pAymeat of
several other small legacies, to between 3 000,000 f. and
4,000,000 f., is bequeathed to his son, on condition of his form-
ing the domain of Gajona, near Genoa, recently purchased by
Paganini for 1,500,000 f. into a majorat. The Marquis Fab.
lota is appointed guardian to the young Paganini."— Galignani.
ABSTRACTION OF BONAPARTE'S HEART.--
The narration of the following extraordinary occurrence, as
told is Alexander's Description of the Colonies of Western
Africa, cannot fail to prove interesting at the present time,
when the intention of the French Government to remove the
late Emperor's remains from St. Helena attracts se much public
notice. The above-mentioned gentleman says, that a military
gentleman, who was at St. Helena when Napoleon died, told
him a few years ago that he and others believed that the Em-
peror's heart was concealed and removed by some of the suite
in the following manner The young officer on guard in the
room where lay the embalmed body, and the heart in a sepa-
rate case, in readiness to be placed in the coffin with the corpse,
was pressed by the French attendants to go into the dining-
room and partake of a collation. He imprudently did so, and
when he returned to his post the coffin was found screwed
down. He remonstrated, and said that he ought to have been
present when the body and heart were placed in the coffin.
" Don't be under any uneasiness," was the reply ; " we did not
like to disturb you at your meal, and have arranged everything
properly." It may be a subject of curiosity for what purpose
this abstraction of Napoleon's heart could have been made, and
whither it was conveyed. In other respects it can matter little
whether the heart of Napoleon remains at St. Helena or in the
safe keeping of those who are said to have appropriated it.
A THIEVES' SOOTHSAYER IN MANCHESTER.
—The public are not, perhaps, aware how much it is the cus-
tom in Manchester for young delinquents, before committing
any offence, to consult some dealer in fhe black art" as to
the chances of their escape, or detection and punishment. A
striking ins.ance of this practice recently occurred in the
case of a youth who, being apprehended in the act of com-
mitting a felony, declared that it was not his fault, or from
any want of dexterity on his part, that he had been appre-
hended, but that it was his " fate ;" for that Alexander, the
astrologer, had predicted that he (the delinquent) would suc-
ceed in three thefts, and be taken in the fourth attempt, and
that so it bad turned out. Alexander, being immediately ap-
prehended by the police, was found with all the symbols of
the " occult science" upon him ; but he denied any knowledge
of these, and, from some defect in the evidence against him,
he was acquitted. This man, who is held in great reverence
and fear from the young thieves in Manchester) is about sixty
years of ante, and has been for many years one of the greatest
pests in the town.—Neale's Juvenile Delinquencies in Man-
chester,