The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-16 00:00:00

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.

LONDON, MAT 15. —Wind, E.N.E., light breeze and cloudy.
DEAL, May 14.—Wind E.N.E., very strong.-51d. Claulla, Peele,
Bombay.

OFF SALCOMBE, MAY 12.—Isis, Batavia; Messenger, New York;
Bethel, Mosher, St. John's, New Brunswick.
PLYMOUTH, MAY 14.—Wind E. .E.—Arrd. Emma, Weeks, Bahia.
BRISTOL, MAY 14.—Wind E.—Arrd. Frederick, St. John's, New
Brunswick.

NEWPOILT, ➢fAY 14.—Wind W.S.W.— Std. 13. Lady S. Stewart,
Roper, Quebec.

OFF, HOLYHEAD, MAY IL—Duncan, Calcutta.

SOUTHAMPTON, MAY 13.—Sid. Eagle steamer, West Indies.
CLYDE, M 13. Wind S., fresh.—Sid. Culdee, Campbell, Born•
bay ; Nina, Gillies, Tobago ; Pioneer, Fox, Newfoundland.

CORK, MAY 12.-1-Willa W.S.W., light.LArrd. Sir Henry Parne]
Kerr, Laguna.

LEITICROADS, MAY 12.—Arr1. Douglas, M'Kennell, St. John's,
New Brunswick.

I'ORTS3IOUTH, MAY 14.—The Mary Ann, Cassidy, from Sierra
Leone, arrived to-day with loss of sails, foremast, and foretoprnast
sprung, having experienced a heavy gale last night off Shoreham. Off,
Perseverance.

HettmErooL, MAY 12.—S1d. Tweedside, Kean, Quebec.
HULL, MAY 13.—Sld. Charlotte, Hawkins, Bombay.
NEWPORT, MAY 14.—The schooner Charles Napier, of Southamp-
ton, in dropping up the river this morning ran against the bridge,
and carried away jib-boom and headrails, and is making water.
LIVERPOOL, MAY 14.—The Coromandel, from New Orleans to this
port, which was on the bar of the Mississippi, got off 11th ult., and,
was re-loading. The Emerald, bound to this port, was on the bar of
the Mississippi 1 lth ult. A dismasted vessel, supposed to be a barque,
was seen on shore on the Isle of Pines 10th ult. The George Ansun
has been wrecked at Tobasco.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

OLD COURT.

(Before Mr. Baron ALDEREON and Mr. Justice COLTMAN.
Their Lordships sat at ten o'clock.
THE BATTERSEA. MURDERS.

Eliza Clark, aged 24, was indicted for the wilful murder of
Jane Clark, her own child, by throwing her into the river.
The poor woman, who seemed exceedingly faint, was ac-
commodated with a chair.

Mr. Ryland was for the prosecution; Mr. Clarkson for the
defence.

Mr. RYLAND opened the case in a plain and exceedingly
temperate address, and then called the following witne•ses :
Mary Inwood, widow—Knew the prisoner and her husband.
They lived in the same house with her. They had a famiay
of three children. The eldest was about seven years of age,
the next three years, and the youngest a twelvemonth. The
youngest was named Jane. On Friday, the Ist
of May, she remained with the prisoner till
near midnight, when her husband came home. She
said, " Well, old chap, you are late to-night." He replied.
"Get out you b---r, or I'll kill you." They then went in,
and the door was shut. She (witness) heard words inside,
but could not distinguish what they were. She heard
him say again, " You want to carney me over. Get out you
b--, I hate you." She saw Mrs. Clarke again at six o'clock
on the succeeding morning. She complained that her hus-
band had tried to hit her, and had broken the door by the
blow he aimed at her. Some time alter, she went out, saying
she was going to give the children a walk. She then ap-
peared to be light in her mind. She was a very sober well-
conducted woman to her children. She said, on going out,
" Oh, is not this enough to make any one go and make
away with themselves, to think that he could say 'good
bye' in the morning, and then come home at night and say
I hate you."'
Cross-examined by Mr. CLARKSON—She (the prisoner) did
not appear to have been in beu at all on the Friday night.
Richard Champ, a tailor, lived at 13, Wellington-street,
Chelsea. He knew the prisoner, her husband, and the three
children. The prisoner came to his house on Saturday the
2d of May, about two or three o'clock. She was accompanied
by her three children,and she remained about a quarter of an
hour. He asked her to return, but she said no, as she might
stop where she was going. He asked how Mr. Clark was.
She said she did not know, and did not care, for he had been
beating her bead against the door. She then left, and he
found a paper on his bed.
Mrs. Inwood was recalled—She was aware that the pri-
soner was in a state of great distress. She had pawned on
the Friday her only flannel petticoat, in order to get food for
the children ; and on Saturday morning she had sold the
rags out of the bed for a piece of bread for them.
Richard Champ cross-examined—When the prisoner was
in his house the child commenced to cry. He said, " Poor
thing, its a-dry." She shook it, and, when giving it the
breast, said, "There's nothing there for you." She had
latterly become very negligent. The husband was drunken;
and on the day on which tkis happened be was found drunk.
Mr. Baron ALDERSON—Some say that drunkenness is no
crime. See what it produces.
Mary Ann Hall was on the bridge, and saw a woman
and three children. She set the baby down on
the pavement and told the little girl to play with
it. She took the little boy up and threw him over the
parapet into the river. Then she took up the little baby and
threw that over. She then threw the little girl over. She
cried out, "Almighty God, Almighty God, save my chil-
dren !" She then ran to the other side of the bridge and
tried to throw herself over. A man coming over with a van
ran up and saved her.
Jainee Perryman, potman at the Adam and Eve public-
house, corroborated the evidence given by the last wit.
ness. Several witnesses were examined, who merely re-
capitulated the statements of those who'had gone before.
Dr. Wansbrough, after stating that he had made a post
moitem examination of the body of the infant, said that
he had seen the wretched mother whose mind seemed
highly excited ; her language was of the most inco-
herent character. Her tongue was clammy, the lips dry and
hard, and she was evidently labouring under high nervous
irritation. Her pulse was 180.
Cross-examined by Mr. CLARKSON—There were too very
well-known symptoms of mental aberration to be observed
in the prisoner, namely, a "mooring of the mouth" and
" bridling of the lips." Congestion of the brain would follow
the increased action of the pulse.
Mr. CLARKSON then addressed the jury on behalf of the
prisoner. The Learned Counsel endeavoured to establish that
the prisoner was, at the time she committed this act, in a
state of mental aberration, caused by the brutal conduct of
her husband, and that therefore she could not be held ac-
countable for her actions.

Mr. Baron ALDERSON summed up. His Lordship said,
that however much this case was calculated to excite their
pity and their compassion, they must, before they allowed
these feelings to predominate in their minds, first do an act
of justice. They must throw all milder considerations aside,
and in the spirit of the oath they had taken, return
a verdict upon the strict fact; for they might be
sure, that however pious a perjury it might seem to
sacrifice justice to mercy, God would judge .them for the
deceit practised upon themselves, and the injury done to so-
ciety. There were two questions for them to consider.
They had in the first to be convinced that the death of the
infant had been caused by the prisoner; and again, they had
to consider the state of mind in which the woman was at the
time this act was committed. It would not be enough for them,
that the woman had been rendered desperate by the wicked con-
duct of others. She must be proved to have been unconscious
of what she was doing. Having thus stated what the law
was, he would now direct the attention of the jury to the
evidence in the case. The Learned Judge then briefly re-
capitulated the leading facts, and commented on them in
passing, in the most feeling manner; remarking, in reference
to the brutal conduct of the husband, that they could
scarcely credit that such things could be done in a Christian
country. (The Learned Baron was so affected that at times
he could with difficulty proceed with his charge.)
The jury then retired, and, after an absence of an hour,
returned into Court with a verdict of " Not Guilty, on the
ground that at the time she committed the act she was of
insane mind."—The unfortunate woman then left the bar.