The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-23 00:00:00

THAMES.

William Finch, a mechanic, was brought before Mr.
Ballantine, charged with thrusting a red-hot iron into the
face of a woman named Ann Pitt, by which she was severely
injured.
It appeared from the evidence that the woman resided in
the house of the prisoner in Chambers-street, Whitechapel,
and that on Saturday a quarrel took place between her and
Finch, which gave rife to bad language, and neither party
were very choice in their expressions. At last the prisoner
was greatly provoked by some gross epithet applied to him,
and lie left his forge, at which he was engaged, with a piece
of red-hot iron he was using, and thrust it with great vio-
lence into her face. The flesh was burnt, and her eye was
injured by the blow.
The assault was clearly made out by the complainant and
another witness, and it was proved by a policeman, named
Sutherland, that upon taking the prisoner into custody he
admitted that he struck the woman, and that he was in a
passion at the time.
The prisoner, in defence, said the woman struck him
first, and used the most annoying and opprobrious lan-
guage, and that he did not strike the complainant with the
iron intentionally.
Mr. BALLANTINE was satisfied the prisoner had committed
a very cruel assault upon the woman, and as she did not
wish the case to be sent to the sessions, he would dispose of
it summarily. He sentenced the prisoner to pay a fine of
51., and in default committed Lim for two months.

THE PENITENTIARY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR—Would you be so kind as to allow me, through the
medium of your valuable paper, to make known an evil
which ought long ago to have Occupied the attention of the
proper authorities? It is with respect to the Penitentiary.
The patrons of your journal have no doubt read several cases
of death that have occurred from time to time in the above
mentioned prison, which was said to be caused from its prox-
imity to the river. Now let any person tak,t an airing, as it
might be styled, to Vauxhall-bridge, and immediately oppo-
site this vast pig-stye their noses will be assailed with the
most disgusting effluvia, evidently proceeding from one of
two causes—either from dead carcases which are allowed to
accumulate on the bank of the river,* or very deficient
drainage within the prison walls ; in either of which cases
the most malignant disorders are liable to accrue, and not
less dangerous to the inhabitants of the vicinity than to the
prisoners themselves.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
BON SENT.
[l' The stench, we believe, arises from a bone-manure
wharf in the neighbourhood, on the Lambeth aide of the
river.--En. Sun.l

Trul WEATHER.—Between eleven and twelve o'clock
last night the metropolis was visited by a pretty smart
thunder-storm, which lasted for about an hour. In the early
part of the evening the atmosphere was heated to the most
suffocating degree, and full warning of the coming storm
was given towards the close of the evening, by the brilliant
corruscations of sheet lightning which continued to illumi-
nate the horizon for two hours. Shortly after eleven o'clock
it became more vivid and intense, and rapidly assumed the
character of a decided thunder-storm. For half an hour the
lightning was exceedingly vivid, accompanied by loud peals
of thunder. The storm was attended with a very heavy
fall of rain, which, though but of short duration, produced
the most grateful coolness. A few more hours' rain would
tend much to the comfort of the hapless mortals doomed to
the metropolis, for our climate for the last week or two has
been worse than tropical.
It is contemplated to make application to the Post-
master-General for a branch receiving-house to be estab-
lished in the Commercial road, near the entrance gates of
the West India Docks. At present there is no receiving-
house for half a mile either way from the place, which is
found extremely inconvenient, and it it believed that the
establishment of a place of the kind in the quarter alluded
to will be found to be quite requisite for the accommodation
of the numerous parties connected with the docks and the
adjoining neighbourhood, and will be a great convenience to
the public.

EFFECTS OF THE WEATHER.—We are informed that
the heat has seriously interfered with the working of many collieries
in this neighbourhood ; the Managers have found it very difficult,
and even impossible, to maintain a proper state of ventilation. Ven-
tilation is usually effected by means of furnaces at the bottom of the
mines near the pits' mouth, the heat from which so rarifles the at-
mosphere as to cause a continual rush of pure air into the mine. Tho
intensity of the heat, however, during the last few days has so rari-
fled the air above ground f 1.5 to render this plan ineffective. We have
heard of several collieries which has suspended operations for the
present, in consequence of the dagger arising frQua this cause.—
ifoggyater Evuniner.