The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-14 00:00:00

ATTEMPTED MURDER IN SUFFOLK•

Yesterday a case of a serious character came before the
magistrates at Beccles, a man named Stephen RS.VONa wood-
cutter being charged with the attempted murder of It young
woman named Mary Ann Smith, the daughter of a labourer
with whom he had lodged at Worlingham, Suffolk. The
young woman is the mother of a child, now two Yore
old, by Raven, who appears latterly to have been in
a sullen and unsettled state of mind, the result, to some
extent, of drinking habits. On the 3d instant he
went to Smith's cottage at Worlingham. He sat
the cottage nearly an hour, and then asked for "
Htaring that she was at work in a field close to the cottage
he went to her and began to use her rather roughly, and Pr°-
duced a bill-hook, with the remark that she had not another
minute to live. The young woman begged for permission
to kiss her child, but Raven at once struck her on the
head. A struggle ensued between Raven and his intended
victim, and the young woman succeeded in wrenching the
bill-hook from Raven and throw it over a fence. Raven
then produced a razor, She had a hood bonnet on, and this
broke the force of a cut made at her by Raven with the.
razor, and assistance being obtained, she was rescued, and
her assailant was taken into custody.
The prisoner was committed for trial.

The Bishop of "Winchester presided yesterday at a
meeting of the Surrey Church Association. He made owe
remarks on the state of the working classes of South Lou"
clop, and advocated the dissemination of religious truths
among the poor.

ROYAL DRAMATIC COLLEGE.—The special Vr-
fortnances in aid of the Royal Dramatic College take place
to-day at Drury-lane Theatre. They consist of Mr. Buck"
stone's three act comedy of " Married Life," and of
School for Scandal." • They are given under the palronage
of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and under the manage"
ment of Mr. Sothern. The doors will be opened at twelle
o'clock, and the curtain raised at 12.30.
The Melbourne Argus tells us that on the news of
Sir Charles Darling's death reaching Melbourne, the GU"
vernment, in accordanco with the popular wish, prolie"
provision of £l,OOO a- year for Lady Darling,
ment of £5,000 on her four sons. The bill was passed 11
general assent through both Houses, only one dissentieDt
being found. The Governor has given the Royal Assentto
the bill. and a settle

REPRESENTATION OF INORWICH.—The Liberal
party will hold a meeting next week to definitively selecii,
candidate to whom the party may, if possible, extend unite".
support. Three Liberal candidates are now mentioned--
Mr. Tillett, Sir T. Buxton, and Mr. E. Warner.
WEIGHT OF SIR JAMES SIMPSON'S BRAIN.— Tbe
weight of Sir James's brain, including the cerebellum, was
54 ounces. Whilst, as is well known, the ratio between
intellect and size of brain is by no means close, yet there
can be no doubt that it is very important. Most of eur%
great men have had large crania The male brain rang°
chiefly between 46 and 53 ounces, its average being 491
(Quain and Sharpey). That of envier is stated to 11°3
weighed 64 ounces, and that of the late Pr. Abercrombie
63 ounces, but it is possible that some error may have crept
in through the use of weights of differing standards. If note
Sir James's brain, whilst much above the average, did no
nearly reach those of the celebrated men we have men-
tioned; but, at the same time, the convolutions were remark
ably numerous; they were, says a correspondent, " twisting
and twining round on each other as if they could not find
room within the head. The island of Reil was very won-
derful."—British Medical Journal.

A STRANGE STORY.--The Cork Examiner says
11A Correspondent who sands us the account of the deatn
by drowning of two fishermen off Darryn we, makes tl'e
following curious addendum to his narrative. The casualty
occurred by the striking of their boat upon a sun-ken
Iv
rock, and out of eleven men who composed the ere
two were lost. The rescued men say that when embark'
ing they were called on by some unseen person t°
return. Not heeding the warning, they rowed on, when
they heard a horn sounded, to which also they paid 110 3t'.
tendon. A few moments before the boat upset they sel
they beard laughter and other sounds quite close to them,
but the darkness rendered every object invisible. Vier')
is, we believe, no doubt of the good faith in which these
statements are made, or that the men themselves are fully
n
convinced that they heard the noises they describe.
question is whether their fancies at—, according to the
thedry of a celebrated historian, the result of the infilleeca
of the natural phenomena by which they aro surrounded--
giant rocks and 'melancholy Ocean ;' or whether there is je
acoustics any manifestation analogous to the mirage
could produce a reflex of sounds at an almost inconceiVali'o
distance."

METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.--At the nieetivg
of the Board yesterday, Sir J. Thwaites in the chair, 3
communication was received from the Corporation f
City of London, requesting rermissiou to put up, at td
expense of the Corporation, erections i i Queen Victo
street, similar to those proposed to be placed there by
the Metropolitan District Railway Company. The °I)-
ject is to show how the new at eat will be injured /
the (railway he made there. An unanimous assent sve:
given. A resolution of the Strand District Board cui
Works, objecting to the station of the Metropol tan Distil°
Railway at the bottom of Norfolk-street, Strand, was cow"
municated to the Board, and referred to the Works and
General Purposes Committee.
THE MIDDLESEX MAGISTRACY. —A preliminary
meeting of about 100 gentlemen in the commission of taro
peace for the county of Middlesex, convened by circular,
has been held this week at the Sessions House, Clerkee"
well—Viscount Enfield, M.P. presiding, for the rirPc'se
of considering the selection of a fitting person to
fill the
office of chairman, in succession to Mr Pownall, Who 18
about retiring from this important position. The names
of the undermentioned magistrates were proposed to ale
meeting with the following results :—For Mr Senisheae,
38 votes; Mr Nortball Laurie, 8; Mr Turner, 9 ;
Glossop, 4; and Mr Wyatt, 20. Mr Kemshead has bee,
chaff man of the committee of accounts for many years Pas,
and is highly respected. The meeting stands adjourned
until e
until Tuesday, the 24th instant, at three o'clock, to reuei%!
Mr. Kemshead's relpy, which, it is stated, will announce his
acceptance of the positi n conferred upon him by his brothe
magistrates.

FADVERTISEMENT.J—HoIIoway's- Pills.— It is the duty of
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and no one does this more effectually than he who enables
the community to withstand disease. Holloway's
exert this preservative power with the most striking su
cess, when their aid has been sought before the malady 11!16
become deeply grafted upon the system. They keep ut?
blood pure and the bodily functions regular, even and
those varying influences of our climate. They protect the
body against the deleterious agenoies of changeable tem-
peratures, keen winds, excessive atmospheric moisture.
Holloway's medicine invariably exerts a neutralising or
expulsive power highly salutary to persons exposed to ma-
laria, and those dangerous infections which are constantly
present in some localities to the imminent risk of human life