The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-13 00:00:00

SUPPLY of GAS for the SOUTHERN f VISIT OF SIR R. PEEL TO

DISTRICTS of LONDON.
A meeting of the inhabitants of Latol)eth an:;
Southwark was held on Mnn Ivy ev,ning, thc•
Elephant and Castle, to receive the report of a com-
mittee recently appointed to inquire into the compa-
rative rates (per 1,000 feet) at which gas is furnished
to consumers in different districts of the kingdom.
Mr. BROWN having been called to the chair,
Mr. SAVAGE, a member of the committee, pro-
ceeded to communicate to the meeting the informa-
tion which had been obtained on the - subjeCt. He
stated that the committee, of which he was a member,
had been appointed at a former meeting, held at the
George, Camberwell, to inquire into the cause of the
high prices charged for gas in the southern districts
of the Metropolis. The committee had ascertained
the price of gas throughout the kingdom to be—
Wakefield, 4s. 6d. per 1,000 feet; Manchester, 4s. 6d;
Birmingham 6s. 8d , proportionally less to consumers
of large quantities • Devonport, Brighton, East-end
'of London, and danterbury, 6s. Bd.; Dorchester,
Norwich, Yarmouth, and Hull, 6s. Bd. ; City of
London and West-end, Deptford, Ipswich, Exeter,
Wellington, and Taunton, 7s. • Ramsgate, 7s. 6d.;
London street lamps, ss. ; While in the southern
districts of London, Southwark, Lambeth, Cam-
berwell, &c., the charge is equal to Bs.
per 1,000 cubic feet. The price of coal in
London had been urged in justification of the com-
paratively high price of gas ; but, as the products of
the distilled coal defrayed its first cost, that could not
fairly be adduced as an argument. :Ir. Savage pro-
ceeded to quote an extract from a daily newspaper of
the 27th of September, showing the reformat ion which
had been effected in Manchester in the rateage of gas-
lights. He thought that a deputation should be ap-
pointed to wait on the three companies which supply
the southern districts, to state the facts he had enu-
merated, and to urge upon them the necessity of a
reduction in their prices.
Mr. DOWLING said that one of those companies
charged Bs. in the borough, while down at Greenwich
they only charged 6s.
Mr. WARD said that the Commercial Company sup-
plied their customers at 65., and still were enabled to
• pay a dividend of 51 per cent.
Another GENTLEMAN said that, living close to the
London Company, he paid Bs., while, as he under-
stood, in Leicester-square, the other side of the water,
the same company charged only 7s.
Mr. SAVAGE stated that in North Shields the in-
habitants had saved nearly one-half by esta'olishi.:g
gas works of their own ; and in Canterbury a threat
to do the same had reduced the price from I ls. to Gs.
per 1,000 cubic feet.
A deputation was then appointed to wait on the
companies to urge a reduction to 7s. per 1,000 c,..hic
feet, and the meeting separated.

DREADFUL MURDER BY A
MANIAC.

BRUSSELS, OCT. 10.-Our city has again been the
theatre of a most fearful crime. A bootmaker, of the
name of Dupuis Dubois, living in the Rue de hi
Fourche, had been subject to attacks of mental de-
rangement. He was living very unhappily with his
wife and her sister's child, a little girl seven years of
age. During the night he was seized with one of his
attacks, and while in that state killed both his wife
and his young niece, by striking them on the head
with a hammer, and then cutting their throats, and
then the unhappy man cut his own throat. The tra-
gical scene must have taken place between three and
four in the morning, for at that moment the patrol,
who was passing, heard shrieks in the house. He rang
the bell, but no one opened the door. Thii morning,
when the neighbours entered the chamber, the most
horrible spectacle presented itself to their view.
The woman and the little child were lying on their
beds, which were literally inundated with blood, which
was still flowing from the wounds. The poOr maniac
is still alive, but it is impossible for him to survive
during the day. Whilst this horrible murder was
being committed, a dreadful fire broke out in the
beautiful embroidery magazine at Sablon. The ladies
who were sleeping on the second story, were with
difficulty enabled to make their escape through the
windows by means of ladders. A great deal of
property has been destroyed. Very early this morn-
ing the Procurator of the King, attended by the Chief
of the Police and a medical man, went to the scene of
the assassinations, and also of the fire.

MURDER. OF THE COUNTESS OF GOERLITZ. —The
Count de Goerlitz, who was accused by the German
Spectator, and the Man/Leim Evening Gazette, with
the commission of this terrible crime, has written a
letter to the Francfort Journal, and: several other
papers, saying that in order to reply- to this horrible
imputation, he has accused these two journals of ca
lumny before the Tribunal at Darmstadt,

HORRIBLE MURDER OF A WIFE

BY HER HUSBAND.

BIRMINGHAM, TUESDAY.—About half. past ten
o'clock this morning the inhabitants of Moor-street
were alarmed by cries of murder proceeding from an
eating-house nearly opposite to the Public-office, and
kept by a man named Matthew Davies.
The police, several of whom were near at the time,
immediately ran to the spot, and in the back yard a
frightful spectacle presented itself. 11:-e wife of Davis
lay dead in the gutter with her throat cut from ear to
ear, while her husband stood quite ur:cdncernedly in
the door• way. The circumstances of the case ap
peared to be these :
Davies and his wife, for several months past, have
lived on very unhappy terms, and he was in the habit
of ill-treating her. His conduct 11:4s lately been re-
markably bad, and last week it was so outrageous that
on Friday she was compelled again to seek the pro-
tection of the magistrates. A warrant was accord-
ingly granted against him, and this morning he was
to have appeared before the Court to answer the
charge.
In the course of yesterday Davies, while under the
influence of liquor, upbraided the deceased ; but this
morning, apparently more subdued in manner, he
entreated her to abandon legal proceedings. She
positively refused to do so, when he went into the
brewhouse, where his wife and a Mrs. Yarnold were,
and sharpened a common table-knife, and soon after
Mrs. Yarnold, happening to look up, saw Davit-s
approach his wife, as if for the purpose of kissing
her. He placed his left arm round her neck, and
drew the knife repeatedly across her throat, alrn(
st
severing her head from her body. Mrs. Davi, s
struggled to free herself, drew up her handkerchief
to her throat, and by a desperate effort broke froi»
him and rushed into the yard, when she fell. Two
officers took the murderer into custody, the whole
occurrence occupying not more than three or four
minutes. Three of their children were in the house
at the time. He was led before the magistrates, who
were sitting not twenty yards distant from the spot,
and remanded to await the result of a coroner's in
quest, which takes place on Thursday.

CAUTION to RAILWAY SERVANTS

James Saxby, a point and signal man, on the
London and Brighton Railway, was final:v examined
before Mr. Simeon and two other magistrates, for the
county of Surrey, at Croydon, on a charge of
neglect of duty, and having caused by such negli-
gence a collision between two trains coming in oppo-
site directions.
Mr. Games attended as the solicitor of the accused.
From the evidence of Inspector \Voolnough, and
other servants of the company, it appeared that on
the night of Friday, the Ist inst., at forty-eight
minutes past ten o'clock, when an up and a down
train were due at the Croydon station, the defendant,
instead of being at his points, as his duty directed,
was in his box on.the other side of the line, and the
consequence was that both trains were on the same
line of rails and a collision took place. By the careful
look out and prompt exertion of the engine-drivers on
both trains, and the steam being shut off, the shock
was not very great, and the injury done was of a
comparatively slight nature.
The defence set up was, that the sight of the de-
fendant had been impeded by a number of empty
carriages being placed on the line in such a position
that he could not see the signal from his box.
The defendant received an excellent character from
Mr. Adams, the superintendent, and Mr. %V ool-
nough, the inspector, for the two years he had been
a servant to the company. They both admitted that
he was the most expert point turner on the line, and
up to the present occurrence was considered an ex-
ceedingly careful and steady man.
In reply to a question from one of the magis-
trates, Mr. \Voolnough said that it was quite con-
trary to his orders for the defendant to be in his box
when a train was due; and that had not the accident
happened he should have felt it to be his duty to
have reported him for being absent from the points.
Mr. Games admitted that his client had acted
im-
prudently, but hoped the Bench would take into con-
sideration
uiat
ttei odn ,t
hiant
tfixinghein
vietsst
gp Eairtniitiolnnt No- .w
way
slalyae
sideration his former :good character, and the fact of
;s
hisp(rN ol rpl.eorGs naign
one,el 1
and that the charge was
coloured against the defendant.

The Magistrate, taking- into consideration the
circumstances so forcibly urged by his Learned Ad-
vocate, mitigated the penalty to 10s. and coots.

PIRACY IN SOUTH ANIERICA.—TWO piraticAl boats,
fitted out in Monte Video, have lanly conirnittcd a num-
ber of depredations on coasting craft in this and toe
interior rivers, putting, in one instance at least, the c,•ew
to death. We trust her Britannic Majesty's naval forces
in these waters will not remain indifforont spectators of
such atrocious proceedings, though sactio!,eil by the
proteges of the authorities of his Maji?.ty the King of
the French.—Buenos Ayres Paper, July 31.
In taking up the potatoes in the garden attached
to the Darlington Workhouse the production was at the
rate of 450 bushels per acre. The potatoes are of the
green top kind, and, having been set with salt and ashes,
when taken up the land was quite raoist,—Durham
Advertiser.

v o r,, TuLsi, Av. The " crisis" has been
01,;:-;t tvri en 'Cl)::nge to-day in the excitement
been Gccasioned by a whisper from a well-
inf.n-med circle that Sir R. Peel will arrive here to-
The visit of the Right Hon. Baronet, as it
is rumoured, is partly suggested by a yearning for
amusement., and is in some measure dictated by the
dp!.,ire of eliciting from the merchants and men of
bu.imsi in this locality the real opinions prevailing
in reference to the great Bank Charter Act of 1844,
nod its asserted evil influence upon the present cir-
cunistarces of the commercial world. The people of
Liverpool have not been very generally informed of
the honour which is to be conferred upon them, and
it i 3 not yet accurately known whether Sir R. Peel
hai accepted an invitation or intimated an intention.
It is only certain that Mr. Charles Lawrence, the
father of the Mayor, Mr. G. H. Lawrence, and who
resides at Mosley-hill, five or six miles from the
town, will entertain the ex-Premier during his
stay, and that the Mayor will, on Friday evening,
at the Town hall, give a grand dinner, to which all
the p(incipal gentlemen of the place have been already
summoned.
L'Td Sandon, the late Member for Liverpool, and
Sir T. Birch and Mr. Cardwell, the present Members,
have been request(d to meet Sir Robert Peel, and will
accompany him, with the Mayor, as guides in his
proposed inspection of the docks, and all the other
lions of the neighbourhood. Orders have been issued
north and south, both up and down the Mersey, to
prcp.ire to display all that is worthy of being shown
to tr:e very best advantage. A steamer will be ready
in 'he course of to-morrow to take the party across
the water to Birkenhead, where Sir Robert Peel
will, no doubt, be greatly interested. The sight
there is extraordinary : a model town, laid out ac-
cording to the rules of architects and the aspirations
of sanitary commissioners, in that state of ruin and
lilapidaticu v‘hich results from leaving the work half
done, unfinished, and never likely to be completed;
docks which would be magnificent, if they had been
constructed as projected ; and works, ofevery descrip-
tion, would have been the finest in the world, if
the builders could have only got beyond the founda-
tion story. In a word, that Birkenhead, in whose
" future" was rested so much " faith," is now suffering
the inevitable sorrows which spring from precocious
prosperity and unfounded speculation, and to our dis-
tinguished visitor the spot in ruins without being ye.
ot ruble, will probably be a study.
• . Gil s .o, the celebrated sculptor, will be here
:t1(1 the object of his journey, it is stated, is
to t rd the inaugur,:tion of the statue of Huskisson-
S;r L. feel will preside over the ceremony, and his
presence will give to the eccasion, long expected, great
additional eclat. The statue (one by Gibson, and
presented to the town by the widow of the statesman)
is to be raised in front of the Custom-house; an&
th,•ugh the affair will be got over as quietly as pos-
sible, it is only to be anticipated that the local enthu-
siasm will manifest itself in a manner which wilt
somewhat assimilate to the bustle and confusion at-
tending the recent visit of Prince Albert on laying
the first stone of the Sailors' Home.
The most earnest exertions are being made by the
authorities to get St. George's Hall, a new building,
still in an unfinished condition, of which every in-
habitant of Liverpool is enormously proud, into such
order as would warrant their pointing it out to the
Right lion. Baronet ; and if the interior can be so far
cleared of bricks and dust as to admit of entrance anJ.
exarnin:,Con, it will be one of the first objects to
which his attention will be directed.
So far as we are enabled to learn, Sir R. Peel will
not remain more than two days ; and the programme
as at present drawn up, does not provide occupation
for any longer time. He will be here by an early
trait t morrow, and will leave OA Saturday, and into
the fifty hours as much filing and feasting as possible
will be crowded. This will be the first time he has
ev,tr ,ought public notice in Liverpool ; and as he is
here, perhaps, more popular than in any other corner
of tie kingdom, he will find no cause to regret the
favour he is about to accord to his admirers.

:norr )x.

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS.
LIVERPOOL, OCTOBER 12.
Stocr. EXCBANGE.—The Share Market has been very
much depressed to-day, and prices still continue to have is
downward tendency. The sales are—Birkenhead, Lanca-
shire, and Cheshire, 22/. Shares, 5/4 dis.—East Lancashire.
New Quarters, 2Gs. 3d. dis.—Edinburgh and Glasgow, 48--
Grcat +‘' este rn, Halves, 57—Ditto, Fifths, 21/4—Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire, Fifths, par—Ditto (late Lind. and.
Shed ), dis Liverpool, Chester, and South-
') rt, dis.—London and North-Western, 149—Ditto, Quar-
ters 11 p.—Ditto (L. M. and B), Quarters (A.), 314
hilar.d, 108—Ditto, 40/. Shares, 39%—Ditto, New Halves
dis.—Ditto ( B and D ), 80—North Staffordshire, Adis..
—I)! eston and W)-re, 34—Shrewsbury and Chester (S., o.l*
and C.), 41,2 dis.—South-Eastern and Dover, No. 4, 21. 18a.
—York, Newcastle, and Berwick, Extension, No. 2, 1,4 p.