The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-05 00:00:00

4 ,41 DECEMBER, 5, 1848.

Woolwich Dockyard on Saturday, and remained some
time on board the Arrogant, 46-gun frigate, examining
the machinery, fitted by the Messrs. Penn in that vessel,
for working her auxiliary screw propeller. She is now
taking her guns and stores of various kinds on board,
and will shortly have her sea-going speed fairly tested.
The Sampson steam-frigate, Captain T. Henderson,
arrived at Woolwich on Saturday afternoon, to be paid
off, and commenced taking down her top-gallants and
rigging to-day.

TIIE MURDERS AT STANFIELD
HALL.

NORWICH, MONDAY EVENING.—The examination of
James Thornfield Rush. charged with the murder of Mr.
Jermy, the late Recorder of Norwich, and his son, was
resumed this morning in the Castle at Norwich, before
Mr. W. R. Cann and the Hon. and Rev. R. Wilson.
An application was made, on behalf of the reporters of
the press, to be admitted to take notes of the proceed-
ings, but Mr. Cann informed them that the Bench did
not consider it expedient to grant this request. He
stated, however, that on the order for the final com-
mittal of the prisoner being made, no objection would
exist to the reporters being permitted to see the depo-
sitions. The most important evidence adduced against
the prisoner is that of his housekeeper, Mrs. James, who
positively deposes to the fact of having seen Rush enter
the house on the night of the murders, with a mask or
disguise over his face, and wearing a cloak such as is
described by the servants at Stanfield-hall. During
yesterday one of the inspectors visited the Potash-farm,
to seo whether Mrs. James, from the room in which
she sat, could - see the prisoner on his way
to his , bed-room, to which ho repaired in a state
of great heat and tremor on the night of the murder.
Mrs. Jamei also confesses that she saw the prisoner
allialerinvkaafingaai,vithfigt thee w eit
a pair of pistols and wore a cloak. He uttered an im-
precatiou against poachers, giving her to understand that
he was going out in search of them.
The magistrates have this morning examined Mr.
Nichols, surgeon, of Norwich, who repeated the evidence
already given before the Coroner, touching the injuries
sustained by the deceased, and the cause of their death.
Evidence of some importance has been given this
morning by a lad named Smith in the prisoner's employ,
and policeman ,Futter. It appears that a quantity of
straw or litter had been, about a month since, laid down
upon a footpath leading by the most direct route from
Rush's house to Stanfield-hall, and that about twelve
o'clock on Tuesday, the day of the murders, the
prisoner directed the boy Smith to lay down fresh
litter on a portion of this footpath. He also gave
orders to another bey, so late as four o'clock on Tues-
day afternoon, to lay down litter on the other portion of
this footpath, the presumption being that the litter was
laid down to conceal the prisoner's footmarks on his
way home fromithe scene of the murder. Footmarks
were traced in the direct path between Stanfield-hall and
the prisoner's residence on the morning after the mur-
der, but a great deal of rain had fallen in the night,
which had obliterated to a considerable extent the im-
pressions left by the feet of the man who bad passed
over the ground. Rush's boots were compared with the
marks thus left, and were found to correspond there-
with, so far as they went, although the footprints
were deficient in the impression of the heel, as if, on
account of the slippery state of the ground, or from
some other cause, the man had walked upon his toes
or the forepart of his foot. The distance between
the Potash -farm, where the prisoner slept on the night
of the murders, and Stanfield-hall is about seven fur-
longs. _

Mr. Bacon, sheriff's officer, who executed the distress
on the prisoner's farm, at the suit of Mr. Jermy, about
twelve months ago, has also been examined, and states
that on that occasion the prisoner threatened " to do for
Mr. Jermy."

We understand that the Potash-farm was put up to
auction about ten years ago, at which time Mr. Jermy
being anxious to purchase the property, commissioned
Rush to look over the farm with another person and to
value it. They estimated the value of the farm at
3.5001., and Mr. Jermy desired the prisoner to attend
the sale and bid that sum. His last expression to Rush
as the latter took leave of him to attend the sale was
" Mind you buy it for me." Rush attended the sale and
bid 3,500/. for Mr. Jermy and 3,6001. forhimself, atwhich
price the Potash-farm was knocked down to him. Mr.
Jermy was highly indignant at this piece of what he
considered sharp practice on the part of the prisoner, but
contented himself with the belief that as Rush was
without capital to pay for his purchase, the farm would
come into his (Mr. Jermy's) hands before long. Rush
had the coolness to apply to Mr. Jermy to advance him
the purchase money of the estate on mortgage for seven
years, which Mr. Jermy, partly from a friendly feeling
and partly perhaps from motives to which we have al-
ready alluded, consented to do. The sum thus ad
vaneed was increased subsequently, with the interest, to
5.500/.. and the time for paying the principal and in-
terest expired on anutbdity 3..4 two day. attcr the
murder.
Mr. Jermy, who has stated in private conversation
that ho would do anything to get rid of Rush, bad given
instructions to his solicitor, Mr. Clarke, to foreclose the
mortgage. The prisoner had in vain attempted to shake
Mr. Jermy's resolution upon this point, and hence con-
siderable irritation is supposed to have existed in the
mind of the prisoner against Mr. Jermy and Es son, the
latter of whom had by no means
,so good an opinion as
his father of Rush's character.

The examination was proceeding when this report
loft. Rush's manner is reported to have been uniformly
cool and collected throughout. The public interest in
the progress of the inquiry continues unabated.

FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.
Yesterday morning, shortly before eleven o'clock, an
accident, attended with the loss of two lives, occurred
upon a portion of the East and West India Dock and
Birmingham Junction Railway, now in course of con-
struction.

Tho melancholy occurrence resulted from the falling
in of three of the arches of a viaduct recently erected.
The place where the accident occurred is known as
Burgess's-fields. It is almost the very centre of the
line, and lies between Bridge-street, Hackney, and
Shepherd's-lane. The country here, and for a short
distance on each side, is low, and the soil swampy, so that
it became) necessary, in order to preserve the level of the
railway, either to construct an embankment some twenty
feet high, or to carry the rails along upon arches. A
viaduct, which was the plan adopted, was accordingly
formed fur about half a mile in length, and it was three
of the arches near the dock end of this viaduct which
unfortunately gave way, burying the deceased persons
in their ruins. They were each' thirty feet span, the arc
starting from the springing—that is, leaving the per-
pendicular piers at a height of ten feet, and forming the
segment of a circle.

It appears that, shortly before eleven o'clock yester-
day morning, without the slightest warning, or any
symptom of yielding, the three arches suddenly fell in,
burying two men who were engaged in screening gravel,
and two horses, in the debris. The arches were sup-
ported upon solid brickwork piers, four feet in width,
and were stated by the employs of the contractors and
engineer to have seen built about two months. The
same persons also state that the wooden centering had
been struck about three weeks. Persons in the neigh-
bourhood, on the contrary, assert that the centering had
been struck much more recently.
It is calculated roughly that the total mass that fell
must have weighed at least 100 tons, and masses of
brick-work, some three or four tons in weight, are still
to be found.
The names of the sufferers are George Breed, better
known as George Ward, aged 19 (killed); Joseph
Langston, aged 22 (killed); and John Garratt, aged 22,
severely injured.
Immediately on the accident becoming known, Mr.
Attwood and Mr. Potts were on the ground with a staff
of between 70 and 80 men, and vigorous measures were
at once adopted to extricate the sufferers. The unfor-
tunate men were extricated in about an hour after the
occurrence, and were immediately attended by Mr.
Crocum, f High-street, Homerton, and Mr. Garrett,
surgeon to the police-station. Ward and Langston were
pronounced to be quite dead, and were removed to the
Woolpack Inn, Bridge-street. Garrett was severely
wounded, and was removed to his lodgings. Hopes are
entertained of his recovery.

- -
EXTENSIVE CIRCULATION OF FORGED BANK
NoTEs.--The following description has been circulated
by the police of a man who, a few days since, purchased
a leg of mutton at the shop of Mr. Peachy, a butcher, at
Brixton, and paid him with a forged Si. note, purporting
to be a note upon the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Branch
Bank. On the same day he uttered to Mr. Matthews, a
butcher in the same neighbourhood, a forged 51. note of
the Manchester Branch Bank. Both the notes.were en-
dorsed Penfold, Railway Hotel Brighton. He appeared
to be about forty years of age, five feet four inches high,
rather stout, and of fair complexion, and was well
dressed. A forged 51. note, purporting to be of the Man-
chester Bank, was uttered to Mr. Tucker, a woollen-
draper, in Sun-street, Bishopsgate, by a man who gave
the name of Rose, about the same age and height as the
other fellow, but of dark complexion, and assuming the
character of a sailor. He had also two lads with him,
16 or 17 years of age, dressed as sailors; and it has been
ascertained that immediately after passing the forged
note there they rode in a cab from Shoreditch to St.
Giles's. A description has also been received of one
Joseph Wright, alias Reynolds, a native of Ludlow, who
had absconded after issuing several forged 51. notes simi-
lar to' those above mentioned. He is a tall middle-aged
man, with very fresh colour, and dark brown hair, and
has latterly been dealing in cattle, sheep, and pigs.
THE LATE FATAL FIRE IN GRAY'S INN-LANE.—
Yesterday afternoon an inquest was held
a
li ats
welltliePahsme-hbis
Carey. street, before Mr. Bedford, on the body of Jan'
Thackery, aged 22, a shoemaker, who,
wile, lost his life at the fire in Gray's Inn-lane on Thurs-
day night last. After hearing some evidence, the Co-
roner said it was importanti to know the exact cause
of death, and adjourned
.the
.nquest until Thursday next
for a post mortem examination. It was stat‘ d that a
11 iptlo is b.-I,lg raised in the neighbourhood, for
the benefit of the: lodgers whose property was burned;
also to reward the fire-escape man and a female who
rescued four young persons from the fire.

[PRIG, SD.

AMERICAN NEWS.

LIVERPOOL, MONDAY AFTERNOON.--The royal
mail steam-ship America, Captain Judkins, has
arrived, bringing dates from New York to the 22d,
and Halifax to the 25th ult. The America arrived
off this port at four o'clock this morning ; but not
being able to obtain a pilot she did not reach the
Mersey until two o'clock this:afternoon.
The steam-ship Acadia arrived at Boston on the
19th ult., with letters hence of the 4th ult.
The steam-ship Cambria, with letters of the 11 th,
arrived at Halifax on the 22d ult., and prcceeded on
to New York.

The screw steam-ship Sarah Sands, Captain Itsley,
left New York for this port on the morning of the
18th ult., and the steam-ship Washington for South-
ampton and Bremen on the 20th, with twenty-four
passengers and 85,000 dolls. in specie.
The excitement consequent upon the Presidential
election having subsided, political matters had as-
sumed a state of more than ordinary quietude. The
triumph of General Taylor was assured by returns all
but official. The New York Herald, speaking of the
composition of the new Congress, so far as deter-
mined, gives the Whigs a majority of twenty-three
votes. It also says, that indications are apparent
that the Wilmot proviso will again become an im-
portant topic at the approaching session of Congress,
and that there is a strong intention existing among
the masses of the people throughout the country to
settle this knotty business in relation to slavery in
the new territories as soon as possible, so as to leave
the administration of General. Taylor free from any
,_trouble or an nAvango on_ that-vexed auestion. _To
is course of policy, however, there is a strong oppo-
sition springing up among the free-soilers of the
north, and among certain others who profess to have
aided in electing General Taylor.
From Mexico we have late intelligence. The new
Minister from that Republic had arrived at New
Orleans. Mr. Clifford, the United States' Minister
at Mexico, was about to return on leave.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
NEW YORK, Nov. 22.
There was a reaction in the Stock market to-day, and
nearly every fancy in the list fell off a fraction. It was
our impression that the improvement of last week could
not be sustained, as there was no basis for it, and the
right kind of operators were not in the market. At the
first board, Harlem declined s per cent.; Canton Com-
pany, ; Farmers' Loan, f; Norwich and Worcester, 1;
Erie Railroad, *; Reading Railroad, i; New Haven, *;
Ohio 6's advanced f. Government securities closed at
prices current yesterday. At the second board, Long
Island fell off f per cent.; Morris Canal, f; Reading
Railroad, I; Erie Railroad, I; Norwich and Worcester,*.
The demand for exchange for remittance by the
packetleaving this port to-morrow for Liverpool has
as yet not been very active. The best bills on London
we quote at 8i to 82 per cent. premium; on Paris, sf.
25e. to sf. 22ic.; Amsterdam, 40 to 404; Hamburgh,
34 to 35k; Bremen, 78f to 79.
The Boston Money-market is represented as having
materially improved during the past week, and the out-
door rates are daily lessening. The banks were dis-
counting more freely, and there was more activity in
business.

The amount of tolls collected at Oswego from the re-
sumption of navigation to the 15th of November, this
year, was 208,000 dolls. against 222,233 dolls. for the
corresponding period last year, showing a decrease of
14,233 dolls.

Little or no coin goes out now. Occasional small
sums are sent to the continent of Europe, but not so
much as in the possession of emigrants is constantly
dropping in. Our banks consequently feel more at ease,
and discount more freely. At this season, moreover,
mercantile engagements are small. Good paper is
scarce, and money can be had,:on it at a slight advance
over the ordinary rate of interest. On call money is
freely lent at 6 per cent., which, though a high rate, as
compared even with the ordinary prices of money in the
London market—and double the rate ruling there at last
advices, is yet moderate interest here, and 1 per cent.
below the rate established by law.
The only apprehension which weighs now upon the
market arises from the possibility of large importations
of manufactured products from Europe, without a cor-
responding increase of our exports, thus rendering a
resort to the transmission of coin indispensable.