The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-09 00:00:00

~z

J

Pr
.r_.......„____.--

f- -

A MAN SHOT AT ANDOVER.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
AxDovErt, FEB. 7.—An extraordinary degree of excite-
ment has been witnessed here this day, whilst the market
was being held, intelligence having been received that a
person named Briefly (employed as timekeeper at Redrice,
the mansion of the Rev. Mr. Best) had been shot by another
person, also employed on the works. From the best inibrma-
tion we could obtain, it appeared that the assailant, Mr. T. M.
Shurmur, who was formerly in business in this town as an
architect, had been engaged by Mr. B4venstock, of Marl-
borough, contractor, for extensive improvements and addi-
tions to the present mansion at Redrice. Shurmar's duty
was to direct the workmen and pay their wages. The indi-
vidual so seriously injured lodged at the house of his as-
sailant, in Andover, and a dispute arose as to a sum of money
missing, and which Mr. Shurmur accused his lodger of
taking, but who denied having done so. On Saturday
morning Shurmur called upon a gunsmith in this town, and
selected a large horse-pistol. This he loaded with powder in
the presence of the gunmaker, and then asked for a bnl'et,
which, having obtained, he placed it in the pistol, and ex-
claimed, "I intend with this to well frighten a fellow." He
then proceeded by the Magnet coach, which goes near the
works, to Redrice, and calling Brierly into the counting-
house, locked the door, placing the key in his pocket. Soon
after, the report of a pistol was heard, and a cry of murder.
'f he other workmen hastened to the spot, and, with a crow-
bar, wrenched open the door, when the unfortunate man fell
into their arms, having received the ball in the cheek,
just below the eye. The ball passed under the un-
fortunate man's ear and came out at the back of his
head. Surgical assistance was immediately obtained,
and we are glad to learn he is at present going on favour-
ably, amid unless lock-jaw or mortification should take place,
it is the opinion of the medical attendant he may recover.
Shurmur was immediately secured, and, the magistrates
being then sitting, was taken before them, and remanded
until Monday next, the 9th inst., at ten o'clock.

PREPARATIONS FOR WAR.—Whaterer may be the
result of the pre=ent aspect of affairs, the standing army is
about to be placed in a most efficient state by the addition of
10,000 men, and the militia will be brought into readiness for
immediate training on the shortest notice. The Ordnance
Corps is to be increased betwixt 1,400 and 1,500 men, one
half of that number to form a battalion of the Royal Regi-
ment of Artillery, consisting of eight companies of Royal
Sappers and Miners, commanded by officers of the Royal
Engineers. There are at present seven troops of Royal Horse
Artillery, three troops C 11, and Rocket troop, at Woolwich;
one troop E, at Newcastle; one troop F, at Leeds; one troop
D, at Dublin ; and one troop Aat Limerick. Each of six of the
troops has four guns, which are to be increased to six, with the
usual number of gunners in proportion. The Royal Marines
are to be increased to the extent of 2,500 men, and the
land forces of the line regiments 6,000 men, but
whether the latter will he added in battalions er
additional regiments is not yet made known. The increase
in the navy will be about 1,000 men, but it is already in a
very efficient state, and steam-vessels of very great power
can be manned by a far le•s number of hands than ships of
war. This is a very great advantage, and a great saving of
life during engagements, as the destruction on board of
crowded vessels is far greater in proportion to the number on
board, as was recently shown by the great loss of life on
board the French vessels at the engagement with Rosas in
the river Plate, the number on board being generally about
one-third more in French vessels than in English of the same
class. A very important addition is about to be made in all
large war steamers of the British navy by the addition of
two or more light six-pounder guns, mounted in every re-
spect in the same manner as the light six-pounder guns of
the Royal Horse Artillery. These guns are to be fitted with
men harness, to be taken on shore when required, and moved
from one place to another, with or without the aid of horses.

FRIGHTFUL OCCURRENCE.—On Sunday morning, at
about ten minutes to three o'clock, police-constable Sullivan,
H, 172 whilst on duty in John-street, St;George's-in-the-

East, saw an object issue from the house No. 13, and ran
up the street blazing away like a tar-barrel. He gave in-
stant pursuit, at the same time springing his rattle, and on
coming up he perceived it was a woman enveloped in flames.
Her shrieks were heartrending. Sullivan at once proceeded
to tear away her flaming garments, in which humane task
he was soon assisted by 120 K, and in a short time they
succeeded in quite denuding her, but not until she had suf-
fered most frightful injuries. Information was instantly con-
veyed to the Denmark-street station-house, when Inspector
Donegan immediately had her conveyed on the police
stretcher to the London Hospital, where she lies in a most
precarious state. The unhappy sufferer is a young woman
named Mari Anne O'Connor, and it is supposed her clothes
ignited whilst she slept before the fire, and she was in a
complete blaze on reaching the street.
REVOLTING OCCURRENCE.—The neighbourhood of
Farringdon-street and its vicinity has been for the last two
days thrown into a state of considerable excitement from a
rumour which gained credence in every quarter, that a
young woman of the name of Taylor had sold her illegitimate
child, a little boy of the tender age of three years, under
circumstances as singular and romantic as they evince a
total want of feeling. It appears that in the course of
. .

Thursday last a lady, bearing all the outward indications of
the highest respectability, drove into Farringdon-street in
her carriage, which was pulled up at the end of Harp-alley.
There she made some inquiries with respect to a child, of

_ .
which she expressed a desire to become possessed. The
lady introduced herself to a female relative of the young
woman Taylor; and on finding that Taylor had a male
child of the age stated, she desired to see it, and for that
purpose returned to, and waited in her carriage while the
female first addressed proceeded to the mother of Taylor, who
with her husband, is in charge of an unoccupied house,_No.

90, Farringdon-street. The mother instantly set out to fetch
her daughter and the child from their domicile in Chandes-
street, at the West-end, and on their return together the
child, a smart, intelligent, and prepossessing little fellow, was
exhibited to the lady, who at once made overtures for his
purchase. The unnatural mother of the child, and her equally
unnatural parent, consented to the sale, and received the
earnest of half a sovereign. The carriage drove off with the
lady and her newly-acquired purchase, but returned in a brief
space of time, and showed the unconscious boy denuded of
the dirty rags with which his limbs had been calmed, but
now superbly clad in new clothes, and bat and feathers of the
most tasteful and expensive kind. They again drove off, the
lady promising to renew her visit on Monday next, and then
to pay any sum, from 21. to 51., they might require. The
grandfather of the child was only made acquainted with the
Friday night, and the poor old man, who
exhibits more of humanity than either his wife or his
daughter, is loud in his denunciations of their conduct, and
in his determination to trace the matter to the bottom. At
present the name of the lady or her abode is matter of the
most perfect mystery.—Sunday Times.
SOUTH DERBYSHIRE AGRICULTURAL PROTECTION
SOCIETY.—DERuT, SATURDAY.—Yesterday afternoon a spe-
cial general meeting of the members of the South Derby-
shire Agricultural Protection Society was held at the King's
Head Inn, Derby, to consider what steps should be taken
in reference to the measures proposed by Sir Robert Peel.
Not more than sixty assembled on the occasion, including
Mr. E. li. Mundy, M.P., Mr. E. S. Chandos Pole, the Hon.
and Rev. Alfred Curzon, Mr. Harrison, Mr. W. Eaton
Mousley (Mayor of Derby), Rev. Reginald Pole, Mr. J. G.
Johnson, Mr. Roper, Mr. Child, &c. The president, Mr.
E. C. S. Pole, was called to the chair. Mr. Mundy, M.P.,
in the course of the proceedings, assured the meeting he bad
given the questicn of protection his most serious considera-
tion, and he had made up his mind to oppose Sir R. Peel's
measures.—(Applause.) lie hoped, as he had hitherto been
consistent, his constituents would deem Lim worthy of their
future confidence. It was agreed that petitions against Sir
Peel's measures should be adopted, and entrusted to Mr.
Mundy and Mr. Colville for presentations to Parliament, and
the meeting then separated.
EXTENSIVE FIREd.—GREAT DESTRUCTION OP PRO-
PERTY.—Yesterday morning, between six and seven o'clock,
a tire, attended with a considerable destruction of valuable
propertv, broke out upon the premises in the occupation of
Mr. J. -Slaney, a cabinet manufacturer, in Skinner-street,
Bishopsgate. The discovery was made by Sergeant Teague,
of the City force. Without loss of time an alarm was spread
in the usual way, and other constables coming np, they en-
deavoured to remove same of the property contained in the
manufactory. In that endeavour they were, however, unsuc-
cessful, for in less than ten minutes after the first discovery
the flames were rushing through the roof and windows, threat-
ening destruction to the premises belonging to Messrs. Flo-
rence, known as the Bishopsgate Distillery, and also to the
adjoining property of Mr. Bateman, timber merchant..Num7
rous engines belonging to the London brigade camiprapid
succession, and a plentiful supply of water was discharged_
oin,ctolockthbeeforbeurnthien
teiso;n
was entirely
it was
ely
extinguished.
By gcoiplfiraemgrias
was consumed, and the building nearlye
By that time the whole of Mr. Slaney sensttocitrtekdi.n
lt,lhieefaocritogriyn
but that was stated to be 6001. or. r
of the tire is unknown. Mr. Sla,.nooyi wbealso,in,stuhreedlosfos.r 5101/0.
damage toy;Seisrt.erßdanytenzonr'neinsgtoe.
bketwiseefonrritivlaerealyn'anosti
xveor7cloecxk-.
p ilcV-ec.onstable H.erring discovered that the premices be-
longing to Mr. Ellems, a baker, No. 56, Brick-lane, Spital-
field, were on fire. Having aroused the inmates, he sent for
engines. Water being quickly procured, the firemen dis-
charged a powerful stream upon the flames, which extin-
guished them in half an hour. Theilamage done, however, was
very considerable, but Mr. Ellems is fortunately insured. On
Saturday afternoon, between the hours of four and five, a fire
broke out on the premises belonging to Mr. Win. Cooper,
dust contractor, in St. Anne-street, lk estminster, a very nar-
row and densely-populated neighbourhood. The flames ori-
ginated in the straw loft, a long building, extending about
fifty feet over the wheelwright's shop and breeze sheds. A
number of the workpeople removed a large quantity of straw
from the lofts to a place of safety, and, owing to the com-
bined exertions of all parties, and the timely arrival of the
fire-engines, the fire was safely extinguished shortly after
six o'clock.
A young man, named Wm. Williams, is in custody at
the Worship-street Police-court, charged, upon his own con-
fession, with stealing eighty sovereigns. It appeared that
prior to the commencement of business the other morning he
addressed, by letter, the office-keeper, and said that he
wished to give himself up, for be had stolen $Ol., and his
conscience would not let him rest. lie proceeded to state
that he was a Bair dresser, and had been in the service of a
Mr. Ball, at Eccles. near Manchester, but one day in
the month of October, a person whom he believed
to be a cattle-dealer, entered the shop to purchase
some tobacco, and went away, leaving his purse
upon the counter. The prisoner said lie could not
resist the temptation, but took the purse unperceived, and
found in it 801. in gold, and he immediately went off with the
money, which he had since dissipated. lie was not aware,
he said, whether any inquiry had been made about the loss.
Upon this statement ofhis, information was forwarded to the
place he mentioned, and an anewer has been received,
from which it appeared that his statement was correct, and
the owner of the money was an Irish cattle dealer. The pri-
soner was remanded for the production of the evidence.
ation,
MARYLEBONE VESTRY.—OR Saturday a
,(:.le,rst,
Peu
composed of Dr. Cox, -- Cochrane, ESQ., and in
pre-
sented a memorial from the working
the casual poor be placed upon the :mine •
of the parish in the mode of relief. ifr. cissfoosetl,nsprgtinhge
pear
of said, Itxt
treated in a moat un-
appeared that the destitute poorwere
aely dry bread and gruel,
feeling manner : they were
alloweda common apartment, upon
and soup, and had to sleep.
ed by the district
long shelf,
• personsit' sheltered, anti lie could not see
aparloinnwteorseepraerlaiatle, their beds. Thou
asylums, and were n!g. yshould not take measures for the
san sands of dweistitutte
casual poor.—Mr. Wilson moved, that
relief of their
better
and not the vestry, administered relief to the
why the
the gnerdians,
and that they were equally attentive to the wants of
poor, parish authorities
their own and the casual poor. This motion was adopted
and read to the deputation, in answer to their memorial. A.
resolution was next proposed and passed for renewing the
contract for wooden pavement for three years, after which the
vestry adjourned.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.w—tTakheen, Government n
Friday,m e tb y c o
Mr:
tract for 100 tons ofsugar as
Rowden, and that for 60 tons of Smyrna raisins by Bits
Witherby, at 121. per ton, on account of an importer, beintS
good old fruit. Contracts were also taken for tobacco, anS
other articles required for the navy. '
NEW ITALIAN OPERA Hotiss.—Covent-garden TheatriF
has been taken for the purpose of playing Italian operas an 4
ballets. An engagement was concluded on the sth of lasts
month, for three years certain, to oyen,ou the lot of &Yew,
be: mat