The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-10 00:00:00

A WORD AND A BLOW.

(From the Commerce.)
At the conclusion of a breakfast, attended by two
adverse barristers and their clients, one of the latter,
accosting the plaintiff, said---•' You arc wrong to bring
en action." " Sir, you arc a simpleton," replied the
plaintiff. The individual thus qualified requested the
gentleman not to repeat that insulting epithet. " 1
shall repeat it," cried the other, " you are, and always
have been, a fool !" At that instant the hand of the
insulted came in contact with the cheek of the insulter.
The scene took place on the Pont au Change, in the
midst of a numerous assembly, and within a few steps
of the Palais de Justice. The party assaulted pro-
' ceeded to lodge a complaint against his aggressor for
an assault.

The parties in due time made their appearance be-
fore the Police Correctionnelle. The plaintiff loudly
proclaimed that he had received a slap in the face, in-
sisted on the fact, and expressed his determination that
his enemy should pay dearly for it.
President (to the accused.)—Did you you strike the
complainant ?
Accused.—This requires an explanation.
Complainant.—Sir, I never fight—duelling is contrary
to the law and to morality.
Accused.—Nobody asks you to fight ; all I want to
prove is, that you have not received a blow.

Plaintiff.—l beg your pardon, Sir ! you slapped my
Face ; I inkist upon it.
Accused.--I deny the fact,
Plaintiff.-1 assert that you laid your hand upon my
Accused.—l grant you ; but—

all I want.

Accused.—Possibly ; but allow me to explain. Gen-
tlemen, my adversary applied the epithet "fool" to
Inc personally, and in the open street. " Sir," said I,
" I'll trouble you not to say that again." " Sir," he
replied, " you are a fo---" —the word was cut short
by my hand, which fell upon his mouth, but not with
the vehemence of a blow ; I merely laid my hand over
h►s mouth to prevent his pronouncing the incivility.
Plaintiff (astounded)—Oh !
The witnesses were heard : they were unable to as-
sert that a blow had been given, and were generally in-
clined to the version of the accused.

Two other witnesses, porters on the Pont au Change,
deposed to have seen from a distance a hand fall on
the face of the plaintiff, and his hat fall to the ground.
Thus enlightened, he Tribunal pronounced the fol-
lowing sentence :
" Whereas, the accused declares, which is attested by
several witnesses, that no blow was given, but that the
accused merely laid his hand on the mouth of the plain-
tiff to prevent the repetition of an abusive epithet :
" Moreover : whereas, the accused declares that he
never had any intention to strike the plaintiff, he is ac-
quitted, and the plaintiff is to pay the costs."

MODERN TRAVELLING —When we read in
the records of " the olden time" how great an undertaking
a journey to Scotland was thought by our great grandfa-
thers, we have matter enough for astonishment at the
every-day occurrence which such a trip has become in our
own day and generation. The land journeys northward
were in days of yore notoriously difficult, tedious, and pro-
tracted ; while the bold man who undertook to proceed
by sea must be prepared for all the chances of a voyage
of as great duration as it frequently takes now-a-days to
go to America. It was deemed a mighty revolution when
steamers were first laid on between this port and Glas-
gow ; and when the voyage was completed, with something
like certainty, in six and thirty hours, though it not un-
frequently occupied nearly two days. Had any far-seeing
individual predicted at that time that the regular packets
should ere long perform the trip in nineteen hours, in all
weathers, he would have been laughed at as a romancer.
Yet this is a voyage of every-day occurrence. The time
has again been much shortened recently by the institution
of a new line, the passages being performed by water, as
far as Ardrossan, where, by a railway trip across the land,
the distance is considerably abridged. The proprietors
of this line have been fortunate enough to obtain posses-
sion of the swiftest and most beautiful boat that ever was
built ; so that those who take their passage in her are
usually set down in Glasgow about sixteen or seventeen
hours from the time when they leave Liverpool. This is
extraordinary work, my masters, and half a century ago
would not have obtained belief by any possible mNle of
asseveration.—Liverpool Courier.
NORTHING.—Mr. Richardson's fox-hounds
had a novel run on Saturday. Tney threw off at the
kennel, at Findon, and having proceeded to Lambley's
barn, on the downs between this place and Steyning, they
started a fox, which took its course in the direction of this
town. Under the pressure of a close pursuit, Reynard
found his way into the streets, and led the dogs and hun-
ters a pretty dance in the neighbourhood of the gas-
works. The cry of the horsemen and the response of the
hounds, which were scooting first here and then there in
Mr. Elwes's lawn and in the adjoining lane—the former
being obliged to look quietly on—called out many a de-
lighted spectator to view the amusing scene. At length
the fox escaped into Mr. Head's nursery grounds, the dogs
at his heels, having all the fun to themselves, as this was
a rather inconvenient place to ride in. Before long, how-
ever, he was caught ; and thus ended a chase of a very
unusual nature in the history of Mr. Richardson's fox-
hounds.--A public meeting to advocate the cause of
Teetotalism. was held at the Town hall, on Monday even-
ing, when the Rev. Mr. Edwards, of Brighton, and two
or three others, addressed the audience, which was a very
crowded, and at times a very disturbed one—at consider-
able length. It was stated that this system had already
made some progress in the town, a small society having
been formed, and a few habitual drunkards reclaimed.
Brighton Gazette.

I'HE MILLIONS AND THEIR MALADY.—We
hear renewed rumours of discontent, and worse than dis.
content, among the mountain miners of Monmouthshire.
How can it be otherwise ? There is a chaos of ignorance
into which certain men have poured inflammable matter.
Oh, that we could but be made to see that there is some-
thing burning in the midst of our fiddling 1 Here are we
expending, the very vitals of our zeal on a war waged with
the extremity of desperation about forms of faith—a con-
flict of isms—and our whole souls are devoted to it, while
the rapidly growing population (especially where igno-
rance, and vice, and excitement most prevail) is perishing,
and emperilling society for need of light l We do not
give this light, because we have yet to decide which ism
shall dominate in giving light ! Shamo on the cant arid
truculence which has so long harboured the ignorance
which unaninirnity of Christain effort can alone disperse.
There is not half sympathy enough with the English poor ;
if we could only get a little of that beautifully blazoned
charity which goes to Heathens, and figures in advertise-
ments, turned into the pestilential lanes and hovels of the
poor at home ; and if we could but turn a little of that
light, with which we obligingly illuminate the educated,
into the regions where darkness dwells, there would be a
great deal more safety, and certainly no less Christianity,
among us.—Chellenham Examiner.

Lord Segrave returned to Berkeley Castle on
Monday last, from his villa at Cheltenham. His Lord-
ship's hounds are also at the Berkeley kennel, it being
appointed they should hunt that neighbourhood until next
month, when they remove to Cheltenham.
WANT OF SERVANTS IN SYDNEY.—It is
computed that from five to six hundred female servants of
all work would find constant employment in Sydney, at
wages from sixteen to twenty pounds per annum, and
that as many cooks, men servants, and light porters
would find instant employment at from twenty to thirty
pounds per annum, exclusive of rations. In fact, it is
now as common as " good morning, ma'am," to hear
ladies inquiring, " Pray, can you recommend me where to
get a servant ?"—while there is scarcely a shop window in
town but has a bill stuck in it of " Wanted within," ser-
vants of one description or another. The fact is, that the
assigned servants can no longer be kept in order in Syd-
ney, while a large proportion of the emigrant servants are
useless when they arrive.—Sydney Herald.
ANECDOTE OF THE LATE DUKE OF KENT.
—Upon one occasion, when the late Duke of Kent was
going to Windsor, two men rode up, stopped the chaise,
and said, " Your money or your life !" He folded his
arms, and looking hard at the man next him, exclaimed,
" Do you know who I am, Sir? I am one of the Royal
Family !" The man instantly drew back, and the carriage
proceeded. During two or three minutes, when the men
having apparently consulted, galloped back, one to the
driver and the other to the chaise window, saying, " We
won't be trifled with; your money instantly I" " Hardiman,"
said the Duke, "get the pistols I" The Aide-de-Camp im-
mediately took them from the case, and (the man drawing
back) leant out of the window presenting a pistol, on which
both the fellows galloped away. " They're gone," cried
the Aide; "then drive on," replied the Duke. The pos.
tillion heard and drove on at speed, leaving Hardiman's
hat, which had fallen on the ground. There were not any
other words said, nor did the Duke unfold his arms during
the whole affair.

We are glad to learn that there is no truth in
the statement of a fatal accident having occurred on the
Birmingham and Gloucester railroad, and that the autho-
rity on which it was rumoured, was not the guard of one
of the Cheltenham coaches. We cannot too strongly de-
precate the propagation of these rumours at a time when
the public mind is so sensitive on the subject of railway
accidents.

TEST FOR SEED.—Put a small quantity of it
in lukewarm water in a glass, 4or 5 inches deep. Some
seeds, such as those of cabbage, radish, and turnip, will
if good go the bottom at once. Cucumber, melon' let-
tuce, endive, and many others require many minutes,
All the winged seeds require to be worked by your
fingers in a little water, and well wetted before you
put them into the glass; and carrot seed should be rub-
bed so as to get off port of the hairs, The seed of
beet and wurzel are in a case or shell ; therefore the trial
by water is not, as to those two seeds, conclusive,
though if the seed be very good it will sink in the watu
after being in the glass an hour. As it is a me.tter of
such great importance that every seed sliculd grow, since
gaps in a row of beets or mangel-wurzel arc so very in-
jurious, the best way is to ;eject all seeds that will not
sink in an hour.

We tegret to announce the very severe illness of
the Rev. Henry Melville, minister of Camden Chapel,
Camberwell, and Chaplain of the Tower. The Reverend
Gentleman's constitution has sustained so violent a shock
from his excessive pulpit labours, as, in the opinion of his
medical attendants, to render a retirement from public du-
ties for several months absolutoly necessary to preserve his
valuable life.
The Earl and Countess of \Vinchilsea have re-
turned to Eastwell Park, Kent. Her Ladyship has been
slightly indisposed, but is now convalescent.