The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-04 00:00:00

ATTEMPT AT MURDER.

The town of St. Alban's was this morning the scene
of another of those frightful crimes, which have of
late followed each other in quick succession. A sol-
dier, named Jabez Kirk, belonging to the 34th regi-
ment, a party of which has been stationed in the town
on the recruiting service for several months, had
passed the night with a girl named Pearce, at the Boot
public-house. Between six and seven the people in the
house were alarmed by screams proceeding from the
room in which the soldier and the girl were ; and, on
proceeding to it, for the purpose of ascertaining the cause,
discovered the young_woman lying on the bed, covered
with wounds, and bleeding copiously from the throat.
Medical attendance was immediately procured, and
the police sent for, by whqm the soldier was removed in
custody, and lodged in the station-house. On the sur-
geon proceeding to examine the victim of his brutal
violence, he discovered that the windpipe was severed,
and that the smaller vessels were also lacerated, but that
the main artery, by a slight diversion of the razor with
which the deed was committed. had escaped, and thus
immediate death was prevented. Part of the right ear
was cut off, and the hands of the poor creature, which
she had raised to ward off the attack of her intended
murderer, were covered with gashes. Such is the state of
exhaustion in which the poor creature lies, that not the
slight 7st hope is entertained of her rallying. One of
the borough Magistrates attended to take her deposi-
tion, but she could only answer by signs to the few
questions which were put to her. The perpetrator
of the horrid deed at once admitted to the police
that he had inflicted the wounds on the girl,
and that he intended to murder her ; and in the
rock-up conducted himself with heartless disregard o:
the consequences likely to result both to himself and his
victim. The girl's parents reside in the town, and tha
soldier is, we understand, from the neighbourhood of
o entry or Warwick, where he has a wife and family.
The examination of the prisoner will take place at
twelve o'clock, but merely for the purpose of taking suf-
ficient eviclences on which to remand him, until the fate
of the girl is known.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
There havinm been but twenty-four Members present
at Four o'clock°, the House adjourned till to-morrow.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

---
Thu LORD CHANCELLOR. took his seat ou the Wool-
sack at Five o'Clock.
Earl of MINTO said he was anxious to say a
few words in reference to a motion which had recently
been made in the House of Commons. and which he
thought Etna
be injurious to the character of the late
Government as regarded the administration of naval affairs.
The motion in question was for a return of the promotions
beenthe late Beard of Admirals .
which had made agreed ito—first, became it could jot
It was not result ; and secondly, because the
lead to any beneficial_
was
already before the public—
information required
understood the Noble Lord) was
but the object (as
-which he bad made against the
Complaints had been
to re-asaert the chawrgets
Lords of the
made of the large
Admiralty.
number of promotions which
before the had taken place shortly
Naval promotion
resigna-
tion of the late Government.
was of three kinds. There was first,thdeeitot, an offie
ordinary case,
in which, on a vacancy occurrinon.
Was promoted to fill the vacant rank. by
The second kind
of promotion was that which occurred underflag
t-oxffiucnertse.
There was a third kind of promotion by special
of the Board, in consideration of circumstancen iwhi .
in the judgment of the Board, required such a
expres-
sion of their approbation. Now, with respect to the
first kind of promotion, to which he had referred,
be was not at all responsible for the, amount,
although he was so for the distribution. With respect
to the second he was neither rear onsible for the amount
nor for the distribution. With revect to the third kind,
he acknowledged hiinaeif responsible both fbr the
amount and for the distribution. It was perfectly true
that there had been of late an unusual amount
of promotion.._. Cries of " Hear.") He was sure that
their Lordships would not wish him to enter into
the details of each particular case. He thought that
would be to establish a had precedent. He would only
say, as regards that portion of the promotion, for the
amount of which he was not responsible, that he
was sure it was justified by the conduct and
character of those officers on whom it was conferred.
With regard to the persons who were promoted from
mates to lieutenants, he would say without going
through their names, that twenty-five persons were ad-
vanced to the rank of lieutenants, who had been in
the service from seventeen to nine years. He was
anxious to state this to show that there was
NE ano dispb#o4n on the Part of the Admiralty
to promote-young men, to the exclusion of the old, who
had Served fox many years. With r?gard to special
*motions, 1 may be thought necessary that he
: *motions,
mot.e into detail. There were four
Tim"beerfs- p6motcd from the rank of captains to
st. s