The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-14 00:00:00

SHAKSPERE'S HOUSE.

The sale takes place on Thursday next, at the
Auction Mart. The London and Stratford- commit-
tees will bid together for the house, though it is not
their intention to give an exorbitant sum. Lord
Morpeth, the president, thus recommends the sub-
scription in a recent speech at the Sheffield Athe-
naeum :—" I cannot mention Shakspere without just
reminding you that an undertaking has been lately
set on foot to rescue Shakspere's house for the
English nation. A subscription has been established
for this purpose. Ido not mean to say that any
inordinate sum ought ever to be given to rescue
Shakspere's house from the jobbers in the market;
but I believe those who have undertaken it will con-
duct the purchase prudently, so as to secure the place
from being an object of merchandise. Our American
friends have threatened to remove it bodily to their
own country. I think they have a common right to share
in the fame of Shakspere, seeing that he lived before
they had the misfortune to separate from us; but I do
not wish that they should possess his house as goods
and chattels. I say, that the gentlemen who have
undertaken the subscription will manage the
,pur-
chase prudently ; and then, I think, any surplus of
the sum which the English public may raise, in order
to mark its sense of the claims of Shakspere to a na-
tion's admiration, might be very properly expended
on some purpose congenial to the object for which it
was subscribed—possibly to provide good shelter and
comfort for some poor veterans of the
.drama, whether
.uthors or actors, who have done credit to that por-
tion of our literature in which Sbakspere holds the
undisputed first place; and who also resemble Shak-
spere in this particular, that they have not received
from their contemporaries that
full share of credit
and admiration which posterity has in reserve for
them. In pursuit of such an object as this, permit
me to say that I do not see why the members of the
Sheffield Mechanic's Institution, and of every Me.
chanics' Institution in the country, should not
resolve to give some little token—sixpence
per head—to mark their sense of
which ever adorned English literature.gr

JENNT LIND AND SHAILSrEIiS Ho for
fsunhdakns opwerer,asisihnugufsoert the purchase and appropria-
Lind has expressed her willingness to sing for the benefit
otifo nt hoef
provided that the arrange-
merit for her performance be made in some town where
she has not yet been heard.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT SIDMOUTH,_ AND Loss Or
LIFE.—On Wednesday last a most destructive and
alarming fire occurred at Sidmouth, by which eleven
families have been deprived of their homer,roaknde oneout poorma
man, named Holt, lost his life. yhe
stable adjoining a
.house occupied
and was caused by a spark falling from a candle in.
bfiyreJohn Mugford,
eloose
cautiously carried among
unfortunately a supply of water could not be obtained,
although an excellent fire• engine belonging to the West
ig-
niting, soon enveloped the s
whole building in flames, and
o-mho straw, which
fire soon communi-
cated ; the
of England Insurance Company was on the spot, ready
to have afforded its assistance
with the adjoining buildings, and was not extin-
guished until eleven tenements were destroyed, and even
then with great difficulty, as no water could be ob-
tained, the inhabitants being obliged to get on the roofs
of the houses and beat off the fire with boughs. The
most melancholy circumstance connected with the fire
was, however, the death of Holt, who, it appears, in
endeavouring to save his furniture, was unable to extri-
cate himself from the burning pile, and was burned to
death, as his body was found next morning a blackened
mass. He has left a wife, but no children.—Western
Flying Post.

The CHAIRMAN briefly summed up the case, and
the jury found him Guilty.
Goddard, the officer, said that there were other
cases agitinst him; had he been acquitted he should
have apprehended him again on a si.nilar charge.
The CHAIRMAN told the prisoner that it was fortu
nate for him the law was altered, as a few years ago
his life would have been forfeited. There could not
be the least doubt of his guilt, therefore the Court
would sentence him to ten years' transportation.
Henry Boughton, an old man sixty-one years of age,
was indicted for stealing a grey mare, the property
of William Mansfield, a farmer at Hannish, in the
county of Surrey.

The- prosecuto-r said that he had the mare in ques-
tion in November last, and saw nothing of it until
Thursday last, when he was informed that it was in
the possession of a farmer named Beacham, at Epsom.
The latter -aid that he had known the prisoner several
years as a dealer in horses, and purchased the mare of
him in November, for eleven guineas. He had no
,idea at the time that the animal was stolen. He
p roduced a receipt for the sum he paid the prisoner.
Mr. RomNsoN, on behalf of the prisoner, contended
that his client purchased the mare in the regular way,
but it was so long ago that he could not now tell from
whom he purchased it.
The CHAIRMAN, in his address to the jury, said that
it was clearly proved to be a case of recent possession,
and the presumption must be that he had come dis-
bonestly by the animal.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty.
The prisoner was again indicted for stealing a bay
mare, the property of George Ash, a farmer at Ash, in
the county of Surrey.
In the latter he pleaded Guilty.
The circumstances of the case were of a similar na-
ture to the other case, and the Court sentenced him
to ten years' transportation.
Stephen Cranston, 16, was indicted for breaking
into the dwelling house of William Pett, at Ash-
worth, in the county of Surrey, and stealing a watch,
eight half-crowns, and a silk handkerchief.
The prosecutor is a farm labourer, and on the 33
instant was at harvest with his family, leaving the
cottage securely fastened, and all the property safe.
The prisoner was seen lurking about by a lad, and in
the evening the prosecutor discovered that the cottage
had been forcibly entered, and the property men-
tioned in the indictment stolen. On the following
day the prisoner took the watch to a watchmaker's
at Farnham to have it repaired, when he was given
into custody.
In defence the prisoner said that another lad com-
mitted the robbery, and gave him the watch and
handkerchief.

The jury found him Guilty, and the Court sen-
tenced him to ten years' transportation.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL.
A man about 30 years of age named William
Smith was charged with having -un'lawful possesioii
of a pair of boots, the property of Mr. Ager, awh -
sale boot-manufacturer, in Greville-street, Hatton-
garden.
John George, a shopman at Mr. Ager's stated that
a person came in about six o'clock on Saturday even-
ing, and wished to try on some Blucher boots. He
was rather difficult to please, and occupied him fur
some time before he decided on taking a 6s. pair.
While this man was amusing him another person
came in, who put a number of tfitling questions, and
a suspicion arose in his mind that he was a confede
rate with his customer. He therefore took ootiee of
the number of pairs of boots lying about. The second
man soon left the shop. When the first one paid for
the boots witness was obliged to go into a counting-
house for a minute. After he had left the shop wit-
ness missed a pair of boots, and in going to the end of
the street be saw the two men walking together, and
they joined a third (who was the prisoner) at the
corner of Hatton-garden. He saw the man who
bought cne pair of boots hand two pair to his com-
panions. The prisoner had an empty bag, and
dropped the boots into it. He followed them at a
distance as far as Snow-hill, when he saw a policeman.
Upon the approach of the officer they separated, and
ran in different directions. The prisoner only was
secured, he being pursued in preference, as having
the stolen property.
The prisoner said he was accidentally standing at
the corner of Ilatton garden, when he saw a man of
whom he had a very slight knowledge, from having
met with him, come up, recognised him, promised to
treat him with some beer, and said he could make
use of the empty bag prisoner happened to have in
his hand. Prisoner agreed to permit this, and al-
lowed him to put two pair of boots into the bag. He
was surprised when the officer stopped him, for he
had no idea the boots had been stolen.
Mr. Alderman MUSGROVE put a few questions to
him, in reply to which he said he lived in Pearson-
street, Bethnal-green, but he declined telling the
number, because he was afraid the officers would go
there and frighten his mother, who was ill and
nervotlA. -de did not icnom the sign of the beer-
house, nor she name of the street it stood in, but it
was in the broad part of Bethnal-green-road. Nor
did he know the name of his tall friend who fre-
quented thittiaou,p.
Mr. Alderman :.IInF-r:ftovz remanded the prisoner
till Thursday, for ful tiler examination.
Ann Herring, the wife of an Irish labourer, living
in Sun-court, Golden-lane, who appeared to be about
forty years of age, was charged with attempting to
poison herself.
Samuel. Speck, a City policeman, stated that he
was called to her lodging and told sh, had taken five-
pennyworth of laudanum in consequence of having
quarrelled with her husband. The woman admitted
she had bought the lau-danum in a cup. He took her