The Sun.
London, England, 1833-09-19 00:00:00

BIRMINGHAM POLICE.

CASE OF FORTUNE-TELLING...—A man named
David Pop/oval was brought up, charged with be-
ing a fortune-teller, and with having, in that caps
city, imposed upon Mrs. Sarah Hardcastle.
Mrs. Hardcastle deposed that her husband was
in the habit of staying out late at nights, in conse-
' quence of which she had some suspicions of his fide-
lay, and being resolved on knowing the truth of
the case, she went on the 10th of May to the priso-
ner, to see if he could tell her whether or not her
husband kept any lasses in the town. When she
went into his house she asked him if he took the
figures, that being the phrase to be made use of in
such applications, instead of asking him to tell her
fortune. Prisoner said he did not like to do it, but
that he could take a figure as well as any other
person. He could nor, however, do anything that
day, as he would have to make his calculations, and
directed her to call the next day. She did so, and
the prisoner showed her a circle, and having gone
through all the evolutions of the planets, he told
her that her husband had committed adultery ever
since they were married. Having obtained so
much, she was desirous of knowing some particulars,
and asked him to say who the parties were that
had robbed her of his affections. Prisoner then told
her that the person was tall and slender; from this
she could not know who the lady was, and again
asked him to tell her a little more. He did so, and pro-
ceeded to describe her as being fair, tall, wicked,
witty, and rather pale. Witness on hearing this
description was frightened, and told prisoner she
was sure that if she told Hardcastle what he had
said that he would kill him. Prisoner said Mr.
Hardcastle could not deny it, for it was all true.
Her curiosity, however, was not yet satisfied, and
she asked him to let her see the face of the girl in
a glass, as she had been told he had glasses in which
he could show the face. This he declined doing,
saying that he had not then any consecrated glasses
in the house, but that he should consecrate some,
as glasses that were not consecrated by him would
not answer. After some further conversation, he
gave her a glass which was not consecrated.—(Mrs.
Hardcastle handed in the glass.) She did not give
him any money for his information, but she gave
him a waistcoat of her husband's.

Two witnesses for the prisoner proved that, on
a day after the 10th of May, they were called into
the prisoner's house, when Mrs. Hardcastle was
there, and that thty heard her say positively that
the prisoner never told her fortune, and also that
she never gave him money or any thing else for that
purpose.

Tne prisoner was ordered to the House of Cor-
rection, as a rogue and vagabond, for one month.—
Birnzinghani Journal.

LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES.—The other day
one of the engines on the Garnkirk and Glasgow Rail-
way, hauled a train of seventy loaded waggons from Galt-
gill colliery to Glasgow, a distance of eight miles, in one
hour and five minutes. The train extended over a dis-
tance of 270 yards. The gross weight of the waggons
w,s 287 k tons, and of the engine and tender 11 tons
7 cwt., making a total weight of 301 tons 17 cwt. This
was a wonderful exhibition of steam power in drawing
heavy bodies.—Seotsmon.

DIFFUSION OF LIGHT.--The clouds ob-
scure a great part of the sun's light, but they are never so
dense as to obstruct it altogether. The light of the sun,
when it strikes upon the particles of moisture forming the
clouds, is diffused through their whole mass ; therefore
the light we receive on cloudy days, instead of coming in
parallel rays directly from the sun, is diffused among the
vapours in the air, which thus become a great reservoir of
light, and transmit it to the earth in various directions.
Even on the clearest day a great portion of the light
from the sun is diffused by the vapours of the at-
mosphere. It is this diffusion of the light that
produces the bright appearance of the sky. Were
the air to be perfectly transparent, the sky would
appear almost black; because, as the rays of light are in-
visible, excepting when they strike directly upon the eye,
if there were nothing above us that could reflect them, no
light could be perceived, and the sun himself would ap-
pear like a brilliant orb surrounded by the darkness of
night. In a fine dry climate the sky is of a much deeper
blue than we ever behold it in this country ; and at the
tops of high mountains, above the misty exhalations of the
earth, the sky appears of a still deeper colour. It is to
the diffusion of light, by the vapours of the atmosphere,
that we are indebted for the twilight that ushers in the
day, and cheers its departure. In a perfectly transparent
atmosphere we should be left in darkness the instant the
sun was set, but the clouds and vapours reflect the sun's
diffused light long after he is below the horizon, and
during the summer months spread a genial twilight
throughout the night.—Philosophicul Conversations.

INSENSIBILITY TO PAIN.—A strong ro-
bust man, in driving an errand-cart from Guildford, last
week, fell asleep, and dropped off, when the wheel grazed
his head. Notwithstanding the injury he had sustained,
he came on to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, a
distance of twelve miles. On entering the ward, he said
that he had met with the above-mentioned accident, but
he did not complain of any pain. His head being enveloped
in a handkerchief, and from the circumstance of the man
appearing to suffer but little from his wound, no notice
was taken of him, until the surgeon had attended to all
his other patients, but on removing the wrappers from the
head, he was astonished to find a horrible injury ; the
scalp covering the posterior p rt of the right parietal bone,
and the superior portion of the occipital, hung down in a
flip, whilst that which formed the covering to the ante-
rior half of the parietal bone and right temple, extending
from the external canthus of the eye to the loose portio❑
of scalp already mentioned, was entirely torn away. The
temporal muscle was also implicated in the laceration, and
so torn that the injured surface was obliged to be removed
by the knife. To show the dogged resolution of the man,
he made very light of this extensive injury, and even ex-
pressed a wish to walk home after the wound had been
dressed. More than this, however. It was discovered
that the patient had fractured the olecranon process of the
ulna on the right side, and the fracture implicated the
condyles of the humerus, and led into the joint. Lancet.

MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS CO*

AIISSION.

In the Guildhall of the City of LOorl°l!si
Francis Palgrave sits daily, sometimes occuP.'fro,
examining the clerks of the different COP;plie
and sometimes in looking over the charter, a° ,iti
cient records. It is- said that the great 6,""Psti;till
have reason to apprehend that many quest°, en'
be asked relative to the number and cost of Us,
sod
tertainments which took place at their lleir's'aurti
the expenditure arising from the visits of the 'u-ntrff
of Assistants to the estates through the evi, the
and much conversation is going forward ell the
probable interference of the Government O.:a. the
affairs of the kitchen, which has been so 1"00/'
means of checking the stream of charity, bY,t-boo
lowing up, through the instrumentality '',„804
" fat and greasy citizens," the legitimate sn',lpik
of the poor. We may truly say that the 0100
lie are delighted with the prospect of reform oeo
now presents itself. The Companies Pioe
amongst them, according to the computation ric,eatit
of the most active public men in London, "tbel.
350,0001. a-year, and not one farthing hello, or
contributed to civic improvements, or cheritttle`,
education, er police. An idea may be forNeP,
the mode of disposing of the vast profits of
rates of the Companies from the fact theter
them (the Drapers) dined together nearly a To
dred times in the small compass of one year'
talk of the Corporation dinners is ridiculous
comparison. The members of the Committees 'oPt
Corporation sit down to a comfortable dinner, toot
sure, but not until the labours of tile day'
those labours are often extremely oneree"4o
concluded; but the Companies meet day idiff);ti
and confine the labours of the day to the to
" blowing out," after having assembled 01,1111
three times in the early part of it to diviuette
emoluments to which their exertions entitle tp
Never, certainly, were their stronger proofs der
brutalising consequences of an unrestrained
Lion to the table than have been exhibited 'Jai)?
few worthies who monopolise those ellofriloi
masses of wealth in their conduct to their frid' pi
citizens. When the city purse runs low, and jt
are needed to carry into effect some striking it
provement, the Corporation must go iHreol
market like an individual, and, through the ilDntl
of Messrs. Gurney and Overead, or some atj
extensive brokers, obtain the money at the elitl
mart' per tentage. It is in vain that they 11.?
applied to the rich Companies. Not one fart
will they lend to the Corporation, of %Owego
vency they are so well assured, and who are
making such extensive sacrifices for the bee" t'
the citizens. But if, in making improvemenst
Corporation find it necessary to interfere vi't"of
premises which happen to be the propel( t
Company, the last farthing is screwed out °:v
Chamber as a recompense. These abuses cry 06f
for reform, and the present Commission is
up to with great hope.
It is in vain that the Liverymen demand - cis
licit a participation or an explanation; it 15
that the claims of the poor are pleaded. The
panies assert their independence, and dedsr-tlit,
they have no poor, and so completely haverpei
made the whole property to which we have re" 0
their own, the strenuous efforts of Mr. Fisher' i<
father of the corporation, and one of the 11109,tie114
spectable men connected with it, has, for 40 td
ineffectually endeavoured to obtain a seat ro
of
Court of Assistants of the Company we have 110t0
in this article, while some of the most influ'id
men amongst the companies happen to be Pe ti
who have, with the assistance of the Gazette,,4i;
trived to satisfy just demands upon them, sotneji
2s. 6d., and others with 6d. in the pound, ell FC
supported in luxury by virtue of this rariri 0
°'
alone. The citizens call aloud upon the CT' t'
sioners to rake this fatal abuse. The compaP'e,V
terrified at the very thought of being asked Iller;f
" How often do you dine together in the ye
and " What do you pay per head for your gutt'll