The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-14 00:00:00

for thieves in the Mint, and there found the man they
were in search of dancing with some women in one of
the rooms upstairs. The moment the prisoner saw the
police were after him, he made a 11)1t out of the room
down stairs followed by the policeman, but instead of
running out of the house, he stopped short, and concealed
himself in a dark corner on the staircase. The police-
man, aware that the prisoner was still on the premises,
began to .earth about for his man, and when he ap-
proached the spot where he was concealed, the prisoner
made a stab at him with a knife, which fortunately he
avoided by falling back, and having his truncheon out.
he struck his assailant a blow on the arm which disabled
it, and male him drop the weapon. The prisoners was
then secured and taken to the station-house.
The prisoner said that the police were mistaken in his
identity, and that he had not returned from transporta-
tion before the expiration of his sentence.
Sergeant Watkins, however, was called, and he proved
that the prisoner was tried and convicted of highway
robbery at the Old Bailey in 1846, and sentenced to
twenty years transportation.
The prisoner then said that he should decline saying
anything further on the subject of the charge until a
more fitting opportunity.
The MAGISTRATE said that he should commit the pri-
soner for trial.

Til A ES.
Reubm.Avery, police-constable: of the K division, 216,
appeared in his uniform, before Mr. Ballantine, by order
of the Commissioners of Police, to answer a charge of
assaulting Henry Watson.
The complainant, a man of respectable appearance and
aldress, is a shipwright, residing in IS iw•lane, Poplar.
Ho came int.) the Court upon crutches, and the Magis-
trate dircct,ll him to u chair, and he was seated while

giving his evidence.
It appeared from his testimony that he had been ac-
qeainted with the defendant for three years, and that a
female, whom Avery has since married, formerly lodged
in his House, and contracted a debt. Ho had made more
than one application to Avery for the money, and he
refused to pay it, on the ground that the debt was con-
tracted before his marriage. On the night of Saturday,
the 15th of April, about a quarter past nine o'clock,
Watson" met the policeman on his beat, in Robin Hood-
lane, near the East India Dock entrance, and asked him
if he intended to pay the debt of 10s., which had been
so long owing. Avery -said he had nothing to do with
it, and desired the complainant not to trouble him while
he was on duty. Watson, however, repeated his de-
mand, walked alongside the police•constable, and touched
his cape. lie had no sooner done so than he received a
violent blow on the right leg, which felled him to the
ground. lle endeavoured to rise again, but could not,
and found his leg was broken.
Mr.'relham made a defence for the defendant, and
said he was instructed that the complainant had been con-
tinually annoying the police-constable, and on the par-
ticular night in question followed him up and down his
beat and pulled his cape, and on pushing him away Wat-
son fell and injured his leg.
Mr. BALLANTINE said it was clearly made out the
man's leg was broken by the policeman, and the provoca-
tion was so very slight as not to justify the use of the
truncheon at all. He was asked to dispose of the case
summarily, and should do so. He did not know what
effect his decision might have, but if the defendant was a
violent man, using his truncheon in such an unlawful
manner, he ought not to be in the force ono moment
longer. Ile should treat this as a very serious case, and
inflict the full penalty of 5/. fur the assault or two months'

imprisonment.
Watson appealed to the magistrate for some compen•
sation,•and said ho could never work at his trade again,
and his family were helpless. The costs of his witnesses
amounted to 153.
Mr. BALLANTING said if the fine was paid the com-
plainant should have his costs, and that was all he could
do for him. He then altered his sentence, inflicting a
fine of 41. ss. and 15s. costs.

WINDOW GLASS A FREQUENT CAUSE OF FIRE.—
A; farmer in the neighbourhood of Ayr had his farm
steading.improved and additions made to it lately. In
an attic apartment, containing a bed for the servants,
the light ens admitted by thiee or four single panes of
glass in the - roof. One of these panes, for greater
strength,- was selected from the centre of a sheet of
glass, having what is commonly called a knot in it; and
this knot was found,- from its convexity, to act as a
powerful burning lens when the sun was shining on it.
The bed was threctly opposite to this pane, and acci-
dentally placed at such a distance from it that the rays
of the sun passing through it were collected into a focus
sufficiently strong to burn the woollen covering of the
bed. The• smell of burning woollen attracted the family
one day to the bed, when . they found a large
portion of the covering consumed. It was at
once- conjectured that some of the servants might
here accidentally set fire to the covering in
lighting their pipes. Unfortunately for this conjec-
ture there were no smokers among the servants, 'nor
had there been any lights or fire in the room, so that
stone other cause had to be sought after. The farmer,
at length, thinking that the pane of glass might have
something to du in the affair, tested its power as a burn-
ing lens upon a piece of cotton cloth, which was very
quickly consumed. He immediately placedla screen be-
tween the bed and the pane, so as to prevent the collec-
tion of the rays of the sun into a focus, anti this acted as
a safeguard. Lately the'screen was accidently displaced,
and the burning-glais was again allowed its full power.
On this occasion a large portion. of the covering and
blankets was destroyed. Had the textures been of cot-
ton instead of woollen, there can be little doubt that the
destruction of the steading might have taken place on
either of these occasions, and if they had upon the first
occasion, the real origin of the fire would, in all proba-
bility, have remained for ever a mystery.
MYSTERIOUS DEATH AT GLASGOW.—About six
o'clock on Sunday morning two of the carters in the
employment of Mr. M'll wham, contractor for the
General Barbour 'l'errniaus Reilway, proceeded to
the stable in Dolton-street, near Binning House, and
were surpr'sed to find that the private watchman did
not allover to their summons for admission. One of the
into effected an entrance from the back part of the
building, and found the watchman, whose name is
John MeLechlan, lying at the foot of one of the stalls,
quite dead, with a large lacerated wound on the
upper part of his head. At the tete r end of the stable,
for it is a large one, and accommodated 19 horses, the
two carters found a man, named M'Ginty, and his wife,
with their- little boy, lying in a stall asleep, or ap-
parently so; but on being aroused they denied all know-
ledge of the manner in which M'Lachlan met his
death. From subsequent inquiry, it appears that
M•Ginty and M`Lachlan were acquainted, and had
been together on the Saturday night, when a good deal
of drink was going; but at twelve at night, when they
were last seen, M'Lachlan was quite well, and not
drunk, though hearty. Dl`Ginty and his wife were in
the same state.. It is said that the noise of quarrelling
was afterwards heard in the stable or near it, by a person
who lives in the neighbourhood. A good deal of doubt,
therefore, exists as to the cause of the man's death, though
the probability is that having lain dewn io the stable
he was killed by a stroke from a horse. If the
watchman met his heath unfairly plunder could not
have been the object of the aesailants, for when dis-
covered there were 13'. sd. in his pockets. At all
events, Captain Wilson, who has been making an in-
vestigation into the case, has considered his duty to
take M Ginty and his wife . into custody. The
locality being in Renfrewshire, a full report of the
circumstances was by nim transmitted early yesterday
morning to the Procurator Fiscal of Paisley (Mr.
.lodger), and that gentleman, accompanied by Dr.
Macinlay, arrived in Glasgow in the course of the.
forenoon, with the view of carrying out the
investigation.. The locality was minutely examined,
but nothing further was elucidated than what
has been above stated. The fiscal immediately ordered
a post mortem examination of the body, which was per-
formed by Dr. Stewart, of Portland-street, and Dr. Mac-
inlay. The epinicm of the surgeons we understand to be,
that the man a death was occasioned by a fracture of the
skull; produced from a blunt instrument; so that the
ca,Se remains involved in as much mystery as over. In
the Meantime M'Ginty and his wife are still in custody.
—iVcrth British Daily Mail.
CLASSES ExrosED TO INSANITY.—c` It has been
affirmed that the classes from whiCh asylums are
peopled, especially with cases of excitement and per-
version, cau readily be pointed out in society, and that,
with a moderate degree of penetration, the ultimate mental
conditionthe fate of-particular individuals and families
may be foreseeei and foretolth These are tendencies, and
habifs, which pursuits lead directly to mental disturbance
and unsoundness; but -there- are likewise qualities and
dispositions which, of themselves innocuous, are gradually
tteed e
by
yjy ttat othte-
e
developed and exalted, and matured into extravagance,
eccentricity, and disease: there is an education provided
in
r m
so
prevailingu ther
sociala rrangements which promotes and
pmoral
politics, l atmosphere
and oro
ccre:
t
tone th ei
rnea a
religion,
mercial enterprise, which
may act favourably upon those
df strong and stern temperament,
but proves fatal to thefracile or may not act at all,
Her-
cules in frame and iutellig, an
susceptible.. The Her-
fall beneath the blows
of misfortune, or the crasheonfee may
panic;
but imaginative and
excitable minds are affected aandi
thverveec ecit' by the influence
of ordinary circumstances, by
they have been enbieeted eetr...ryb:re.a,;.n,.inog to which
t y pursued,
tee qestiey which they 41'
If the his-
tei-y,,2f the insane traced, cause of
i been or testa I)* iae're will be
' eerier z;ly f' and y o
ed some peculiarity '" "t
- • • or conduct
which has issued in eccentricity; some acute susceP tibi
lite tit' feeling which by indulgence and cultivation, ter-
minates in melancholy; somt infirmity of purpose, which
becomes incapacity; some irritability of temper, which
expands into violence; some vain, but cherished opinion,
which eventually menopeliers the whole mind; some se-
cret,. some hidden spring of hop-, or ambition, or fear,
which may be a foible in youth, but is regarded as
fol:y in an an hood —which may be compatible with
I „ •
ro rity, bet is laid bare, and exntseil as visionary
tad • prenos'erous under misfortune. Is imbecility is
Matte incliceted by such minute irregularities us absence
of mind, rev, vie, ;traction, foreetfu bless of facts or
Persons, so are other forms of animation preceded by
mere gentlenees and feeblenesS of character, by slight in-
con.sistenciss,, or contrarieties of disposition, or even
oddity in dress While it may be held as certain that
physical disease is the cause or contemporaneous condi-
tion in every case of aberration, there are a number of
patients whose previous history presents little for obser-
vation, except some pre-existing or premonishing
pecu-
liarity or perversity."—From No. 111. of Dr. Forbes
inslony's Journal of P.ycholoyieal Medicine.
.have just now glorious weather for the harvest,
and everythie,
looks well and full of promise. Fine
new
potatoes have been sold in the market to -day
- ay at Is.
per scot e.— Western Laminar?
The Antwerp Company's j.
steam-ship Antwerpen,
Captain Jackson, arrived at th S
.To.wer, . yesterday, morning, •at
a veer eeathriarir'sWh2..Ffe,
our, in
passage was made in nineteen hours, tiie.passengers
were numerous.