The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-01 00:00:00

CALEDONIAN (MIDLOTHIAN BRANCH.)

The plans of this railway, (and also of the Leith Junction Branch,)
which bail been stated to have been naislaid, were brought in by a
messeuger, when it was found that the supposed loss had been
occasioned by a mis-statement of the title on the cover.

The proposed addition is a branch to connect the Edinburgh branches
of the Caledonian Railway with Granton Pier. The length will be
three miles and a Italf, and the cost is estimated at 110,0001.
Engineers and agents as in the former Bill.

There -were two petitions against this Bill—that of William
Gatherill and that of James Patterson.
Mr. Webster appeared for both.
Mr. GRAHAM objected to any appearance being made on
the part of Mr. William Gatherill, who he said was not an
interested party, having no property on the line, nor even in any
parish through which it passed. In fact, Mr. Gatherill was a clerk
in Mr. Webster's effice. _

The Committee, without bearing Mr. Webster in reply, over-
ruled the objection.
The CusiameN said, that the petitioner was one of
the public, and the petition contained none but general and public
objections. If the allegations had referred to the book of reference
the petition could not be entertained.

The formal proofs having been given,
Mr. WEBSTER proceeded to call witnesses as to the petition of Mr.
Patterson, which contained but two allegations, both on points as to
the datum line. On looking at the plans, however, Mr. Webster
withdrew both allegations.
The CUAIRKAN asked if there was "anything more in this
petition?"
Mr. WEBiTER—No, nor in any other.—(A laugh.)
The standing orders were declared complied with.

STANDLN Cr ORDERS' COMMITTEES.
ROUSE OF LORDS.
NORTH DEVON CENTRAL RAILWAY.
In consequence of the mettod by which gentlemen are obliged to
obtain their information, arising from the exclusion of the press, we
have inadvertently fallen into a mistake. The North Devon Central
Railway was yesterday thrown out, and not adjourned, as stated
by us.

PRIVY COUNCIL.-(THIS DAY.)
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sat to-day In the
Council Chamber, Whitehall. The Lords present were the Duke of
Buecleuch (Lord President), the Lord Chancellor, the Master of the
Rolls, Lord Cottenham, Lori Campbell, the Judge of the Admiralty
Court, and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Cornwall.
IN THE mArrErt or THE PETITION OF THE INHABITANTS or CA"
BRETON.
inhabitants Thisease
cameoftf nova Seotla, and the
annexa-
tion in 1820 of Cape Breton to the Provh'er" °
h the island
dt hoe; their Lordships
pe Breton, u p ; ur
atyh,si
.4 p
thatet it otnk
eo of ceriti n
the island might be at,-
legislatit e authority of that province over
judged illegal. The petition also prayed
he restored, that a local legis-
lation the Government and
ed under a Lieutenant-Governor, council,
lcaotniosntitUshtioounl,desuetabcliosihwedenin 1784, might
to the grant of King George the Third,
anndd
that
thet laws of Nova Scotia, and the authority of its legislature
might be no longer enforced over the island.
aanbly, conformably
Hr. no
and Mr. Wattani appeared as counsel for the petitioners,

and
The
TheSOLICITOR-GENERAL and Mr. WLDDINGTON opposed the
petition
arguments Deere onthepartoftie
ProceedingCro. when our afternoon edition went
to press.

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY
OLD COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice MALL)

At the sitting of the Court this morning.
William Richardson, aged 49, and described as an " astronomer,
and Anna Maria Richardson, his daughter, aged 22, were placed a,
the bar charged with the murder of Theodore Horatio Richardson,
their infant child.

Mr. BODKIN addressed the Court, and said that la this case the two
prisoners at the bar stood indicted for the crime of wilfal murder.
He had to apply to the Court to postpone the trial of the prisoners to
the next sessisn, upon the ground of the illness of a material witness,
the surgeon who had made a post mortem examination et the body.
The Learned Counsel then put in an affidavit of the fact.
Mr. CLARKsoN, on behalf of the prisoners, said he could not wider
the circumstances, resist the application, which was then granted,
and the prisoners were withdrawn.

. .
Frances Leonard, a married woman, aged 43, was found guilty of
uttering counterfeit coin, well knowing it to be such.
The prisoner appealed to the mercy of the Court, stating
that she had a large family, and that she had never offended but once
before.

Ills Loanatirr, in addressing her, said ho could not believe her
statement, as he found by a document that had been laid before him
that in the space of about seven years she had been repeatedly im-
prisoned for various periods for the same offence. Under those cir-
cutnstances, he lid not think it would be safe to leave her In the
counts y ; the sentence of the Court therefore was that she should be
transported for ten years.
The prisoner appeared horrified at the sentence, and was removed
from the dock imploring mercy.
Mary Anne Smith, deserliped as a married woman, aged 25, Eliza-
beth Nicholson, also a married woman, aged 33, and Eliza Russell, like-
wise married, aged 28, all stood charged with the same offence,
namely, uttering base coin. The first two prisoners had been tried
and convicted for the same offence before.

It appeared by the evidence that these three prisoners were fol-
lowed about from several shops by policemen in plain clothes, who
suspected them, and found that at each shop one or other of them
made some trifling purchaiio, whleh they p*l fvr in ecin that was
diacoTersd to 44 Ccruntatott.

rliS LORDSHIP having briefly summed up, the jury found i 'PM%
of Guilty against all the prisoners, but recommended two of them
to mercy. .

The JUDGE asked them upon what grounds they did so ?
The foreman said the grounds were, that they did not think those
:wo prisoners were the real utterers.
COCAT —lf they are not the real utterers, then you should acquit
hem ; for a prisoner caAnot be fund guilty, according to the law and
the indictment, unle.s they be found really guilty.
The jury then withdrew the it recommendation.

Upon being asked if the prisoners had anything to say before sen-
tence was passed upon them, the prisoner Russell said, "My Lord,
I hope you will have mercy upon the other two prisoners. I ask for
none for myself, for I stand alone In the world, but they have faint.
lies, and deserve mercy. Our Redeemer came on earth to be merci-
ful to us all, and I hope you will do the same."
The prisoner Nicholson said, " I hope, my Lord, you will have
mercy on me, for I have a yoeng family."
Mary Anne Smith remained silent, bat Eliza Russell again Itn.
plored the Court to have mercy, and, addressing his Lordship in a
tone and manner that showed she must have belonged to a better
order of society than that in which she was now placed, exclaimed.
" I dare say, my Lord, the term of oar punishment will be a long
one, but I wish you would visit all the severity of it on me, as they
have families, though I am not guilty of uttering," and here she
shed tears.

His LORDSHIP said lie could not think ofleaving them in the country
after the evidence he had heard ; and the sentence of the Court,
therefore, was, thee they should each be transported for ten years.
Elizabeth Nicholson—Thank you, my Lord. I hope we shall de
better there than we have done here.

COURT—I hope so too.
The prisoners were then removed.

THE GAUGE QUESTION.

The Appendix to the Report of the Gauge Commissioners,
containing the evidence taken before them, will form a thick
folio volume of nearly 400 pages. Forty witnesses were
examined, many of them more than once. This number in-
cluded almost every individual eminent in the railway world,
either as an engineer or a manufacturer of locomotives, a
manager, a secretary, a carrier, or an amalgamator. The fol-
lowing will be found the only correct list yet published, and
will give some idea of the mass of information on which the
Commissioners founded their report. For convenience of com-
parison, the list has been divided into—" In favour of the
narrow gauge, with national uniformity ;" " In favour of the
broad gauge, with break of gauge ;" " In favour of an inter-
mediate gauge."
IN FAVOUR OF NARROW GAUGE AND UNI-
FORMITY.

1. Robert Stephenson, civil engineer and manufacturer of
locomotives (son of George Stephenson, the inventer of rail-
way locomotion).
2. Joseph Locke, civil engineer (who completed the Grand
Junction Itailway).
3. James Edward M'Connell, superintendent of the loco-
motive department on the Birmingham and Gloucester Rail-
Wa3r.
4. J. U. Rastrick, engineer of the Brighton Railway.
5. Albinus Martin, resident engineer and superintendent
of the South-Western Railway.
6. Captain J. M. Laws, general manager of the Leeds and
Manchester Railway.
7. John Braithwaite, chief engineer of the Eastern Coun-
ties (adopted narrow gauge in lieu of 5 feet gauge).
8. Captain William O'Brien, secretary of the South-Eastern
Railway.
9. Thomas Buckton, secretary to the Brighton Railway.
10. Thomas C. Mills, manager of the goods department at
the London and Birmingham Railway.
11. George P. Bidder, civil engineer, on branches of the
London and Birmingham, and a friend of R. Stephenson.
12. George Bodmer, locomotive manufacturer.
13. William Fernihough, superintendent of Eastern Coun-
ties locomotives.
14. Wyndham Harding, late manager of the Bristol and
Gloucester Railway.
15. Captain Mark Huish, general manager of the Grand
Junction and Liverpool and Manchester.
16. Benjamin W. Horne, carrier, and partner with Mr
Chaplin.
17. Evan Jones, agent for Chaplin and Horne, carriers, at
Camden station.

18. Thomas Whitaker, civil engineer.
19. Richard Creed, secretary to the London and Birming-
ham Railway. . _ _

20. Peter 'Clarke, manager of the Brighton Railway.
21. James Brown Head, of Sir Robert Price's iron and coal
works

22. W. James Chaplin, chairman of the South-Western,
and a carrier with Mr. Horne.

23. John Ilawkshaw, engineer of the Manchester and
Leeds.

24. William Bass, agent to Messrs. Pickford.
25. John Ellis, deputy. chairman of the Midland Railway
26. Joseph Maynard, of the firm of Pickfords, carriers.
27. Edward Woods, civil engineer.
28. James P. Budd, manager of copper works and coal
mines, deputy chairman of the Welsh Midland.

29. Nicholas Wood, civil engineer (author of a celebrated
work on the steam-engine).
80. George Hudson, M. director of a thousand miles of
rail way.
OPPOSED TO BREAK, EXPRESSING NO OPINION