The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-23 00:00:00

TRADE OF RUSSIA.

A change is about to take place in the Russian tea
trade with China. It is proposed to send the tea
direct from Suez to Odessa in order to avoid the

necessity for English agents. Negotiations have
been entered into with the Odessa Steam Navi-
gation Company, and the Russian merchants
in China have sent agents there. As many as
25,000,0001b5. of tea were sent to Russia last
year, and the merchants expect to derive increased
profits from the non-intervention of English agents.
The trade of Nijni-Novgorod has increased, not-
withstanding the line of steamboats on the Volga,
and the introduction of railways which would, it was
supposed, have interfered with Its profits. Since 1862
the trade of the town has increased in a steady ratio,
and the numerous railways have had no prejudicial
effect upon it. According to statistics lately published
at St. Petersburg, it appears that Russian shipping
is in a backward state. In 1869 there was only an
increase of ten per cent. in the number of ships
which entered the Russian ports, and of 3 per cent.
on those which left them during the last ten years:
One-tenth of these vessels were steamers. The want
of engineers and pilots is supposed to be the cause of
the slow progress which has been made by Russian
shipping.

PIRACY IN THE CHINA SEAS.

The extent to which piracy is stifi carried on in
the China Seas was revealed in a case which Sir R.
Phillimore has had before him in the Admiralty
Court. The officers and crew of her Majesty's ship
Cockchafer claim rewards due to them for services
against the actions of pirate ships off the station where
they were on duty in 1863, 1864, and 1865. It
was necessary that the Admiralty Court should
declare all the vessels captured illegal
craft, in order that the demand for awards
should be substantiated. Hence the case in the
Admiralty Court. It was shown that in the years
mentioned the Cockchafer had been instrumental in

destroying no less than fifty piratical junks, a fact
which proves that the sovereignty of the Viking is
not even in these days a myth. It also supports
the view that of all nations which are yet backward
in the advance of civilisation China is the worst.

eTuirrit . k,

HER

MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, Dec. 22.

Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by her Royal
Highness Princess Beatrice, drove out yesterday after,
noon.

The Queen, accompanied by Princess Louise and Prin
cess Beatrice, walked and drove this morning.
Prince Leopold also went out.
The Hon. Lucy Kerr has arrived at Osborne.

A MILLIONAIRE'S WILL.—The inventory of
personal estate of the late Mr. George Baird, of Stiche—,
has been given up by his executors. The value of his
moveable estates in England and Scotland is £918,457
17s. 9d. This does not, of course, include the value of his
landed estates and funds in America, which are large.
The value of the stamp on which the inventory is,
written is £13,400. By his trust deed, which is dated
the 3rd of December, 1868, and, along with two codicils
dated the 15th of January, 1870, recorded in the books of
Council and Session the 9th of September last,
he conveys to trustees all his heritable and moveable
property, including his estates of Strichen, in Aberdeen-
shire, Haddon, Ka.inflat, and Stonfiela. in Roxburgh and
berwickshires, and Cunninghame in .Dumfriesshire. He
leaves £25,000 at disposal of trustees, to be divided among
such religious, benevolent, and charitable objects and pur-
poses as they may deem most deserving, including contri-
butions or annuities to any poor relatives. His estates of
Strichen and Stichell are to be entailed in favour of his
son, George Alexander Baird, in the first instance. H
leaves £200,000 to each younger son, and £50,000 to eac
daughter. —Scotsman.
BREAKVABT.—EPPS'S 0000 A.--GRATEFUL AND 001
sown:al.—The very agreeable character of this preparation has
rendered it &general favourite. The Civil Service Gazette re
marks :—" By a thorough knowledge of the natural laws which
govern the operations of digestion and nutrition, and by a
careful application of the fine properties of well-selected cocoa.
Mr. Epps has provided our breakfast tables with a delicately
voured beverage which may save us many heavy ,doctors'
bills." Each packet is labelled—JAMES EPPS et; Co., Homoeo-
pathic naemists. London. Also, makers of ratio's Cacaoine, a
vt.ry thin evening beverage. --Ad vt.

STRANGE ACTIONS FOR SLANDER.
lii the Court of Common Pleas the case of " P°ww.-
v. Pownall " has been beard. There were two actions'
Miss
one against Miss Sarah, and the other against 4
Martha Pownall,. sisters of the late Lieutenant-Colon
Pownall, to recover damages for slander, and the coo
• Inv
stances were of a very peculiar character.
Sir J. Karslake, Mr. Philbrick, and Mr. Straight nl/'
reared for the plaintiff ; and Mr. Serjeant Ballantine,
nsr
- .

Bennett, and Mr. H. T. Hunt for the defendants.
Sir J. Karslake, in opening the case, said that
plaintiff, Mrs. Emma Pownall, was the widow of the
late Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Pownall. In ton,
she was living with her mother at Stoke Newingtoo,
and there made_ the acquaintance of the colonel,
more than once proposed to her, and they were roariief
after the lapse of about nine months, on the colonel
August, 1867, at West Hackney Church. The
had lived with his two sisters ; but on his marriage 11
went to reside with the plaintiff and her mother.
been for many years in the Indian army, and during 1,7
mutiny he was for some time in imminent danger. 11
ecepes through which he had passed and the effects
the climate combined to render him an invalid, anclile
retired upon half-pay, which was about £4BO a le7s.
The plaintiff was about fifteen or twenty Yesico
younger than the colonel, and his sisters did not livea
the marriage. The married couple, however, „
happily together. In July,. 1868, they went
Ramsgate, and about that time he began to suffer fr°l3!.a
swelling in his throat. The medical man at Ramsgate yd
not seem quite to understand what was the matter, WI,
the colonel returned to Stoke Newington, and
attended by his own medical man, Mr. Forman. After
wards Sir William Fergusson, Mr. Paget, and
Hilton were called in, and they pronounced the dice
s 4
to be aneurism of the carotid artery. An operation °
spoken of, but it was thought so dangerous that tbe
doctors said that it must be left to the colonel to deter
mine, and he declined to undergo it. The swelling gri.4s'
dually but very largely increased, and the danger `11"-
that by bursting it would cause instant death ; ,
Colonel was under the constant care of Mr. 11°015-
and Mrs. Gosling, an experienced nurse. The plaintig
acted thtoughout like an affectionate and attentive wif:,
and the colonel's sisters had every opportunity of see':
how he was treated and cared for.. Miss Sarah, howesl"
as early as six months before death, told Mr. Fornl
that the plaintiff was slowly poisoning her husboA:s
Mr. Forman bestowed more than ordinary care upon 111
patient, and he was certain that there was no symPtt
which was not to be attributed to the disease, and ",
that only. The slander was still circulated, and fcr,,
time it caused a shade of suspicion in the mind a t'
colonel himself ; but this wore off, and he became Per
fectly satisfied. Miss Sarah whispered suspicions agtiil3,,l
the nurse, and she was sent away, and Mrs. Spores,
afterwards another nurse supplied her place. The Place
tiff herself was so anxious to have the best possible adv'
that she wished to have Mr. Syme up from Edinburt;ll;•
but her advisers thought that this would be a well
expense, and therefore the proposition was not carr'et4
out. The colonel got gradually worse, until in Ana
1869, he died, and was buried in Highgate Cemeterf
The slanders, however, were still circulated, and a dete .
.
c.
tive was employed by the defendants to watch the Pt
tiff. On the 17th May, 1870, the defendants wrote to J.'
Lankester, the coroner, the following letter :
" Sir,—Having a suspicion that our brother (Thorcas
Pownall) died from the efitcts of poison administer.-„
him by his wife, we hereby request that the body may
'-
exhumed, and an inquest held upon it.—We are, sir, „
" MARTHA and SARAH POWNALL'
They sent another letter to Grindlay and Co., arnj„''
agents, who had arranged the colonel's affairs. It was "
these terms :

"10, Vittoria-place, Stoke Newington•_,
" Sir, —We enclose you a copy of the paper which
sent by my sister and myself to the coroner's office,
Great Marlborough-street, last Monday. The case
bo
being investigated, but we thought you were aparty
ought to be communicated with on the subject.—We ar
sir, yours, &c.,
"MARTHA POWNALL, SARAH POWNALL'
The next thing was a kind of circular, which was in
feigned handwriting, and which was distributed to
number of persons. The following was a copy of it .0
" To affectionate wives, alias poisoners, aristocrat'
families, &c.—Post-mortems performed without disUl-1-
lto;
ing 63
. the body. Brain and heart carefully avoided.
strictest secresy observed. Their own undertaker's 11,;
ployed, and credit given. Apply, either personally Or
°„.
letter, to Mrs. Pownall, the principal, 6, Myddlet°4
place, Stoke Newington-road ; Dr. E. B. Forman, `.'„:
Nelson-terrace, Stoke Newington-road ;or to the super,' "e
tendent (Mr. Murray) at the Highgate Cemetery, vOn
full particulars may be obtained. Smoking allowed, 0,4
ladies accommodated with seats during the bolo'.
performance. No admission to dogs, friends, or relative;
of the deceased, representatives, persons of common sees
or right principles."
There was a similar document which was addressed 1
" Affectionate widowers, alias poisoners." It happen °,
that Mrs. Pownall had presented the defendants with'''.
phOtograph, and they had copies of it printed and seat t;
various persons with the circular. After the inquest
th
detective was withdrawn, but it seemed that the &fell:a
dants continued to spread the reports. They also sl'icv
that when the plaintiff married the colonel she had alrea '
a husband living, and that she had great reluctance 1:
be married at Hackney Church because it was there sPi;
married her former husband. The learned counsel
conclusion said that the plaintiff had nothing to gain.°l„-
the death of the colonel, as her pension amounted °ll,'
to £lB7 a year, and the colonel had only £92 at his deatif
whilst his debts, which the plaintiff was still paying °
were £3OO. the
A great many witnesses were examined to prove .0
publication of the slanders and that there was no truth
them.
Dr. Lankester said that he told the defendants that
hoped that they would withdraw their application for Li
inquest, for he had made every possible investigation Oil,
thought that there was no necessity for inquiry. 11/e0
declined to do so. The jury found that death arose fr°4
natural causes, and they expressed a very strong opfol"
that there was no foundation for the accusation.
Miss Martha PoWnall was understood to ask for
adjournment of the case, but this course not heiih'
adopted, she cross-examined the witnesses.
In answer to her, it was said that the heart and b
of the deceased were not examined, because it was_llJ
necessary when poison was searched for. It aPPPS
that the defendants had suspected Mr. Forman, and 1.;1,
on one occasion one of them put her hand upon his shnoi
der and said—" Before you rise from that chair you
sb
confess."
From the cross-examination of this witness it apPelje
that the colonel had at one time a suspicion that his
had given him poison ; but when the aneurism burst, _.‘ffr ij
there was danger of immediate death, Mr. Forman
to the colonel, " Do you think that your wife poiseeej
you now ?" and the reply was " No ; she has been a Give
wife to me, and I have never loved her half enough.
my love to Sarah and Martha." Aeo
Miss Martha Pownall addressed the jury, assuring "",itg
that both she and her sister had acted from an sei
sense of duty, and that her brother had requested thlo,
post-mortem examination should take place. It was 00
possible that they could make any apology when 13,1
was consciousness of having done no wrong. They
never accused the plaintiff of bigamy.
Miss Sarah Pownall, the defendant in the first actilfilvi
then went into the witness-box, and stated, on oath, tio,
what her sister had said was the truth. She also said et,
they were never left a minute alone with their brow
though he earnestly requested it several times.
Sir J. Karslake said that it was plain that the deed
dants still believed, and would as long as they lived
L tinue to circulate, these atrocious slanders ; and be 13°0
• therefore that the jury would show their opinion by
glv
the plaintiff exemplary damages.
• The verdict was for the plaintiff—damages, £2s°
each case. tl)°
As to the count which set out the slander tha;
plaintiff had been charged with bigamy, the verdie"t th
entered for the defendants, his lordship holding tha
words set out had not been proved. '

~.. 11
of
W. AND A. GILBET'S STORES.—The Standard - niiii
Friday, in a long account of Messrs. W. and A Cillbeg 1;
Stores at Camden Town, gives some interesting detal.'; sft;
appears that the Stores in question have a cellarstd;
flo3rage space of upwards of live acres, and were fni-gr4
used as the principal Goods Station of the London an
yi
Western Railway. Connected with these stores by cOolott,
Bonded Cellars covering several acres, in which the
Wines and Spirits as they arrive from Xerxes, f.,iy
Bordeaux, Cognac, &c., are stored under bond. 10.01`0,1 it
°'
300 hands are employed, principally on piecework, isitli,
average of 3,000 dozens, or about 100 tons weight of
~, cl,
and Spirits, is sent out daily, in addition to which, eve', 0,
; ,
from 30,000 to 40,000 bottles are washed by steam. Til:ofe,
ness here carried on, according to the Government 11° 000
amounts to about one-twentieth part of the entire Wine . er,
while from the fact of this firm having agents in alroosc'o 0
0,0,, at
town and village of the United Kingdom, their goods voi
obtained everywhere at the same price, and their p e
the trade affords a guarantee of unform quality and g 007,0,11
1
mercial value. Thus, each one of their ,600 agents, illnietiol
e supplying his customers from some two or three litiwpi
11 bottled and purchased at his own judgment, holds in res V
key to a stock embracing more than 200 varieties: tro
" Standard " points out that the position selected fehoitY,
Stores combines the advantages very difficult to 0....,aj0p
London of road, rail, and water carriage, and concis 9
remarks as follows ;—" Altogether, this Establishment o,oi
worth inspection ; and to visitors to London, with vrholoo /
at the Docks has always represented one of the 5
wo can only say that they will find a visit 011
„ ty
sights,
Stores of perhapg greater interest, as here they will set col)
various processes of bottling, packing, &c., on such ;A'
certainly cannot be seen elsewhere, not even in th
, 16th December, 1870.
producing countries."—Standard