The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-27 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-THIS DAY.

REFRACTORY PAUPERS. —A batch of six paupers, named
John White, 41 years ; Henry Jones, 32 ; William Lee,
21; Charles White, 21; James Crane, 24 ; and John
Dawson, pl 9, were brought before Mr. Paget, at the
Thames Police-court, charged with refusing to 'pick two
pounds of oakum each, in the casual ward of St. George's-
in-the-East, to which they were admitted as inmates last
night. Four of them picked 11b. each, another 14 ounces,
and the last 12 ounces only. They all then expressed
their inability to pick any more. The labour master
said other casual paupers picked the full quantity of 21bs.
each supplied to them, the same quantity of oakum that
was served out to the prisoners to pick. Mr. Paget
believed the prisoners could have done more if they had
tried. He sentenced them to 14 days' imprisonment, with
hard labour.

James Campbell was sentenced to two months' im-
prisonment for tearing up his clothes, and neglecting to
perform the task of work allotted to him in the SL
George's Workhouse. Upwards of 100 casual paupers
have been committed to prison during the present month
by the magistrates of this Court from Poplar, Rateliff,
Mile-end Old Town, and St. George's-in-the-East Work-
houses.

WAREHOUSE ROBBERY.— George Jones, aged 17 years,
and described as a lighterman, was brought up at the
above court, charged with stealing 3} cwt. of tallow from
a cask in the warehouse of Messrs. Richardson and Co., in
Wapping. In consequence of information, Mr. Nutter, in
the service of the prosecutors, and another, searched the
warehouse filled with casks of tallow this morning, at
three o'clock, and wedged between two casks found the
prisoner concealed with a dark lantern in his hand. One
cask had been broached near a loophole, and 3} cwt.
abstracted. Some fat had been dropped on the floor of
the warehouse, near the loophole. The prisoner is sus-
pected of having accomplices. He was remanded for a
week.

THE MAGISTRATE ON RECKLESS DRlVlNG.—Richard
Prince, cab-driver, badge 12,882, was charged before Air.
Knox, at the Marlborough-street Police-court, charged
with being drunk and recklessly driving, to the common
danger of passengers. Sergeant Watson, 4C, stated that
shortly after 12 o'clock he was going along Denman-
street with a female, who was going to the station to claim
a necklace she had lost, when the prisoner, who was driving
a cab, nearlyran over him. He shouted to the prisoner, but
he still drove on and ran against the female, knocked her
down, and the wheel of the cab went over her leg and
foot, but he succeeded in stopping the cab before it went
over her body. Ho considered the act of the prisoner,
who was drunk, and had four persons in the cab, was a
wilful one. In reply to Mr. Knox the sergeant said he
took the female to the hospital when it was ascertained
that no bones were broken, but that her leg and foot were
much swollen. Mr. Knox said that he would remand
the prisoner for seven days, to ascertain how the
female :went on, and he would then send him for trial.
The practice of reckless driving had attained such a
height that it must be stopped. At the present time they
had to deplore:an accident of the kind which had occurred
to the senior magistrate of that court, which was one of
the last they had heard of. For the protection of the
public he would not simply impose a trifling fine, or deal
with the case summarily, but send it before a jury. The
prisoner was remanded.

MARRIAGE OF LADY FLORENCE COLE.-A mar-
riage has been arranged between Lady Florence Cole,
second daughter of the Earl of Enniskillen, and Vis-
count Urichton, M.P., eldest son of the Earl of Erne,
K.P.

NEW RIFLES.—The Marquis of Blandford has
written to the Times on the subject of our breechloaders.
He says :—" The new rifle which Mr. Henry is about to
place before the authorities of the War Office combines all
the so-called advantages of the Soper or Martini move-
ments, and has only one spring in it,—viz., a main-
spring. Both this rifle and the Soper are by far
superior to the Martini, inasmuch as the action of
both these depends upon a mainspring, w hereas
the Martini rifle combines with a complicated
movement the most vicious application of the spiral
spring, to say nothing of the other disadvantages, such
as fouling of the locks by continual firing, &c.
Now, the difference of rapidity in loading between Mr.
Henry's original rifle, as placed before the Special Com-
mittee, and the Martini and other rifles, is exceedingly
small; and whereas, on the one hand, the Henry rifle is
extremely simple, the Martini is more or less complicated.
Hence, it would seem that the Henry rifle in its original
form, unadulterated with the Martini breech, is the best
weapon for our army ; for we must consider this fact, that
though great rapidity of fire may be an advantage with
picked men skirmishing, it is a great question whether the
advantage is the same when a body of men are in line, and
when blinded with their own smoke they will not only fire
wildly, but will be inclined to fire away their ammunition
with much too great rapidity,