The Sun.
London, England, 1847-08-02 00:00:00

CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

Deputy ConNEY Said he doubted whether it was in
the power of the Court Of Common Council to restrain
the magistrates in an expenditure which. from the
nature of their duties, they might be bound to incur.
He believed there was much legal inquiry in-
volved in the matter, and that it would be m, st
advisable that the two Courts should meet on the sub-
ject. He then moved that the report be referred back to
the committee, with instructions to hold a conference
with the Court of Aldermen relative to the question.
dr. R. L JONES had no• objection to such a propo-
sition. He wished•to dorreet an erroneous notion which
confounded the power of the Aldermen as magistrates
with their power as Aldermen. The authority over
funds for the payment of sums incurred under their
sanction as magistrates was like that possessed by ma-
gistrates elsewhere, but it was to the expenditure of
money as Aldermen tbat objection and opposition was
made, and the check was intended to be given.—(Hear.)
Deputy ALLAN agreed to adopt the proposition of
Deputy Corney, and the motion was unanimously
agreed to.

—Mr. BURN brought up the report on the duties of the
offices of Comptroller and Collector of the City's dues
on wines. It suggested a number of alterations calcu-
lated to increase the public convenience, and was unani-
mously agreed to.

TUE NEW CITY PRISON.
TheCmuamAn of the special committee appointed to
co-operate with the Court of Alderman, aed to view
and examine the prisons belonging to the City, and to
report their opinion as to the accommodation afforded
to prisoners, the opportunity for classification and
separate confinement, and whether there exists any
necessity for building a new prison, or enlarging
or altering the existing prisons, with a view to carry
into effect improvements in prison discipline, brought
up 'a report which stated as follows That in ad
dition to our report presented to this Court on the Ist of
July, in which we stated the several proceedings in the
conference which had taken place between your com-
mittee and the special-committee of gaols of the Court
of Aldettnen, in relation to the proposed new House
of Correction, with a recommendation that the same
should be built on the City's ground at Holloway,
we have now to report that at a further conference it
was mutually agreed that the construction of
the new prison should be such as to admit of its
future adaptation to and• mode of discipline that
might hereafter be determined upon, and that the same
should be constructed for not less than 400 prisoners,
arid that fufficient sleeping cells should be constructed.
We jointly referred it to the Clerk of the City Woks to
prepare a plan upon this principle, and to submit the
same to us for consideration. That we have since re-
ceived from him a plan accordingly, classed and arranged
as under :

FOR ADULT MALE PRISONERS.
Four wings, containing 72 each, each wing consist-
ing of three stories, to accommodate 2 t prisoners 283
• • FOR FEMALE PRISONERS
One wing, containing three stories, to accommodate 56

AND FOR JUVENILE PRISONERS.
.A.further re.ilag,o three atones, to accommodate..

Total... . • 400
" The prison to occupy a site of eight acres, and the
small triangular piece of ground on the north thereof
to be retained for any purpose which may hert•atter be
determined upon.

" That both Committees having duly considered the
said plan, and heard the clerk of the works in explanation
thereof, unanimously approve the same, and we recom-
mend it to this Honourable Court for adoption, subject to
such modifications, if any, as may after further conside-
ration be deemed expedient, provided that to steps be
taken until the estimate of the expense of such new
House of Correction be reported to this Court, and their
sanction had thereto."
The report was agreed to without discussion.
Adjourned.

The bust of Mr. R. L. Jones, by Mr. Behnes, which
was a few days ago placed i❑ the Court, opposite to that
of the highly respected Alderman Waithman, attracted
great admiration.

HORRIBLE MURDER IN HULME.
MANCHESTER, SATURDAY A FTERNOON.-A few minutes
after ten o'clock this (Saturday) morning, information
reached our office, that. two children of tender age had
been barbarously murdered by their father, in Lard
street, Hulme. On hastening to the spot immediately
after the receipt of the intelligence, we found the melan-
choly story too true, and learned that the wretched per-
petrator of the sad tragedy had also nearly murdered
his wife, the mother of the two children. It appears
that the murderer is labouring under some dreadful
hallucination of mind, caused by the want of employ-
meut, and his consequent inability to support his wife
and family.... The name_ of the murderer is Joseph
Speed, a man about 34 years old, who is by trade a
stripper in a cotton mill, and who, until a short time
before Christmas, worked at the mill of Messrs. Pooley.
He is stated to have been a sober, steady, and industrious
man, and for aught that appe4rs to the contrary, has
been a good husband and an affectionate father. Ho
has been . out of employment. however, since before
Christmas, and this seems to have induced a lowness
which, there is reason to believe, has turned
fellow's brain. About ten o'clock this
the
e spirits,
poor
morning, or a short time before, his wife, it appears,
left the house to procure a supply of water for her
usual Saturday's cleaning and for domestic purposes,
leaving her, husband at home in charge of the two chil-
dren, who at the time were in bed. Urged, no doubt,
by poignant grief at the prospects before him, the
wretched man seems to have seized this opportunity of
carrying his intentions into effect, for on the wife's re-
turn home, almost immediately, she found her offsprings
lying on the bed with their throats cut, and quite dead.
As soon as she returned he appears to have attacked
her, evidently with the most murderous intention, for,
from all we have been able to glean,. he made a savage
onslaught upon her, armed with a heavy iron hammy-r.
Of the particulars which followed little is at present
known, as the wife, though still alive and sensible, is in
far too dangerous a condition to be questioned. That
he meant to murder her as well as the children is, how-
ever, sufficiently evident, as hestraightway left the house
and went to the police-station in Jackson's-lane, where
he surrendered himself to Sub-inspector Lightfoot, and
stated that he had. just murdered his wife and two chil-
dren.

The house is at the present moment in the charge of
constables 38 and 70 D division of police. The man
himself has been removed to the divisional police-station,
Town Hall, Chorlton-upon-Medlock. His clothes are
poor and ragged, and are spoited with blood in many
places, especially his shirt and trousers. Most likely he
will be brought Uri for examination at the Borough Court
on Monday.—Mititchester Courier.

DETERMINED SUICIDE.—On Saturday evening a
lengtheued inquiry was instituted before Mr, Baker, at
the Yorkshire Grey, High-street, Whitechapel, relative
to the death of James Hughes, aged 42, who blew his
head off with a horse pistol, at his lodgings, No. 2,
George-yard, Whitechapel. It appeared that the de-
ceased was the owner of several houses, and that he had
been in her Majesty's sea-service, in which he lost his
right leg. In the course of the last six months he had
embarked in various house-building speculations, in con-
sequence of which he became involved in pecuniary diffi-
cuities, the effect of which led him to habits of intem-
perance. •On Thursday last, about three o'clock in the
afternoon, a female named Ellen Lyons was talking to
deceased's wife, when they heard the report of a pistol
in the kitchen. She went there, and on her Way met
deceased's daughter, who was covered with blood, and
who exclaimed "Father is dead." On going in the
kitchen she found deceased on a bed, with a horse pistol
which bad been recently discharged, tightly grasped in
his Valid. The upper part of his head was blown away,
the brains and skull being all over the room. Deceased's
daughter saw her father put the'
pistol to his mouth
whiLt he-dijoharged it. Verdict—. Temporary litaanity.

The REMEMBRANCE having announced that the City
Improvement Bill in the line to St. Paul's had passed
through Parliament, it was proposed and agreed to that
the work should not be proceeded with until it be deter
mined from what source the funds required for carrying
the improvements into effect were to be raised.
Upon the motion of Mr. HARRISON, the subject was
referred to the Improvement Committee.

THE TWO COURTS OF THE CORPORATION.
Deputy ALLAN, in calling the attention of the Court
to the report of the Coal and Corn and Finance Com-
mittee on the subject of the Court of Aldermen drawing
upon the Chamber for the payment of pensions and
otherwise, expressed regret that two of the Aldermen,
instead of attending the committee, had preferred the
alternative of complaining of the committee in their own
Court.

Mr. H. L. JONES regretted that the report contained
no suggestion as to the maximum sum to which the
Court of Aldermen might go in voting the money of the
Corporation. He thought, and he had so expressed
himself in the committee, that it was ridiculous to limit
the Aldermen to the power of voting money without the
consent of the Court to the sum of 1001.., but the ma-
jority of the committee entertained a different opinion.
The Aldermen required the curb rein, but cer-
tainly not so stringent a, check as that which tied them
down to the expenditure of 1001.—(Hear, hear, and cries
of " Propose a limit.") lie thought the limit might be
set down at 4001.