The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-07 00:00:00

THAMES.

Four Irishmen named Daniel and Dennis Fitzgerald,
brothers, William Downing, and Michael Nagle, and
Jane King, a young woman, related to some of the pri-
soners, were brought before Mr. Yardley, charged with
being concerned with others in committing an atrocious
assault on several police officers in the execution of their
duty while suppressing a riot among the Irish in High-
street, Poplar, and its vicinity, on Tuesday night.
. At a late hour on Tuesday night, Osborne, a police-
constable, No. 129 K, heard a disturbance in Green
Man-lane, and at the same time twenty or thirty persons
came out of the Black Horse public-house in the High-
street shouting and hallooing, and challenging each
other to fight. They were all drunk. Osborne directed
them all to go away, and, with the exception of the pri-
soners and two or three others, they did so. Directly
afterwards Dennis Fitzgerald, a :powerful ruffian, who
hsd previously knocked down two men, fastened a quar-
rel on Osborne, and asked him what business be had to
interfere with his brother and countryman. Osborne
told him to go about his business, and threatened to take
him to the station-house if he did not do so. The pri-
soner immediately struck him on the mouth with his
fist. Osborne grappled with the fellow, who got hold of
his throat with both bands, and almost strangled him.
Osborne succeeded at last in extricating himself,
and sprang his rattle, which brought Sergeant
Hams, No. 21 IC, Collett, No. 283 K, and Penn,
No. 350 K, to his assistance, when a ferocious attack
was made on them by the four male prisoners and two
other men, and stones, brickbats, and earthenware were
thrown from a neighbouring house filled with Irish peo-
ple. Dennis Fitzgerald struck Collett two blows on the
head with his fists, seized the lower part of his person
with his left hand, and struck him again on the head
with his right hand, got him down, and knelt upon him.
Osborne pulled him off and Collett got up. Nagle then
cause up, and using an opprobious epithet, declared the
police should not take either of the Fitzgeralds, and
felled Collett to the ground, and while he was down,
kicked him on the breast and jumped on hie legs. Nagle
was pulled away by Penn and Hams. Collett was
scarcely on his legs when he received a blow from Down-
ing, and likewise a kick on the leg. Collett seized the
prisoner, and after a violent conflict with him, secured
him and carried him to the station-house. Sergeant
Hams, who was in a very weakly condition from
the ill-usage he had received, and from lose
of blood, came up while Osborne was struggling
with Dennis Fitzgerald, and struck the prisoner
on the arm with his staff, to prevent his murdering Os-
borne, and was assisting in taking the prisoner to the
station-house, when Daniel Fitzgerald, who was quite
furious, came up and exclaimed, " You let him go,
you sha'n't take him; we are Smith O'Brien's men;"
and he struck Hams on the chest, and also kicked him
on the legs. He then went into the road and pulled off
his shirt, and came back with a brick in his hand and
said, "I am ab- Chartist; I'll murder a policeman
to-night." He knocked off the sergeant's bat, and struck
him twice on the bare head with the brick. Hams fell
down in consequence of the blows, and when down the
prisoner kicked him all over the body, trampled upon
him, and rendered him completely insensible. When he
regained his coesciousness he found a person standing by
him, who carried him to the station-house. He was
bleeding from the nose and mouth until six o'clock in
the morning; and while he was in the court he threw
up half a pint of blood. Daniel Fitzgerald made his es-
cape after he had disabled Hams. He was pursued by
Inspector Holmes on horseback, who found him seated
on the steps of a door, almost naked, and he directed
Penn to take him into custody.
Several persons residing at Poplar confirmed the evi-
dence of the police-constables, and also stated that the
woman King was instigating her countrymen to the at-
tack, and struck one of the policemen.
Mr. YARDLEY summarily disposed of the case against
the woman King, by sentencing her to 14 days' impri
sonment, and at first determined to commit Daniel Fitz•
gerald under the Act 1 Victoria, cap. 85, for wounding
Hams with intent to prevent his lawful apprehension,
and said the offence was punishable with transportation
for life; but, upon ascertaining the officer's head was not
cut, nor the skin divided so as to constitute a wounding
in law, he committed him for trial with his brother and
Downing, for assaulting Hams, Collett, and Osborne
while in the execution of their duty.
SOUTHWARK.

Isaac Harding Harris; alias Phillips, a Dissenting
minister, was brought before Mr. Cottingham for final
examination, charged with obtaining money under false
representations.

Mr.
CoTTINGELur said that the charges against the
prisoner were very much aggravated, as he had succeeded
in obtaining large sums of money under the cloak of re •
ligion. He (the magistrate) should commit the prisoner
for trial, but, as the charge was one of misdemeanour,
he should adjudge him to enter into his own recogni-
zance in 2001., and find two sureties in 1001. each, to ap-
pear to take his trial.

ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
NEWS OF SIR JAMES ROSS.
From the general anxiety felt to hear intelligence of
the Arctic expedition, and of the voyage undertaken
more recently by Sir James Clark Ross, to ascertain, if
possible, the fate of Sir John Franklin and his party, we
are sure that any account from that quarter, however
meagre, will be gratifying. We are happy to say that
we have received, through the attention of a Stromness
correspondent, notice of Sir James Ross, and the pro-
gress he had made up to the date of 2d July. Of course
it is premature as yet to expect news of Sir John
Franklin, as the ships that went in search of him having
left England only in May last have hardly had time to
penetrate the higher latitudes. The point, however,
which they had reached at the :date above-mentioned,
and the cheering account of the condition of the crews,
give every reason to hope that before the lapse of other
two months the object of Sir James Ross's voyage
of discovery may be attained. The information we
have received is derived through the arrival at
Stromness, on Tuesday last, of a Hull vessel, the
cutter Bee, Captain Weldon, which went out for
cod-fish, and has returned with eight thousand.
From the log-book of the Bee our correspondent copied
the following intelligence:—" July 16th. Spoke the
schooner Mayflower, Smith, Who had seen the American
whaler M`Lellan, of New London. Jackson, master, with
40 tuns of oil. The American reports her Majesty's
ships under Sir J. C. Ross as having reached Lievely,
Disco Island, on the 2d instant, all well; and Captain
Ross had left dispatches for the Admiralty, to be for-
warded by the first Danish vessel for Europe, and that
Captain Ross immediately proceeded in search of his
friend Sir John Franklin. The crews were all well."
Slender as this intelligence is, it is gratifying as indicat-
ing the success which had up to that time attended the
expedition of discovery. Disco Island lies on the west
coast of Greenland, at the entrance to Baffin's Bay, near
70 degrees of latitude. It is a dreary spot, with scarcely
any vegetation, and inhabited principally by rein-deer.
The bay of that name is extensive, being about 160 miffs
in circuit. A voyage of five or six degrees farther north
will lead to Barrow's Straits, and those regions where
intelligence of Sir John Franklin is most likely to be
procured. The circumstances under which Sir James
undertook his exploratory adventure were most favour-
able. The two ships, the Enterprise, of 470 tons,
and the Investigator of 420, were built as strong as wood
and iron could make them, with due regard to their sail-
ing qualities. They are larger and more elegant in ap-
pearance than the Erebus and Terror, which were fitted
with screws, worked by steam under high pressure. The
disadvantages resulting from this plan were obvious, the
most valuable portion of the vessel being occupied with
cumbrous machinery. In the present expedition these
inconveniences are avoided. To each ship is attached a
launch-boat, fitted with a screw-propeller; and these
boats are so constructed as to be easily stowed amid •
ships; whilst the steam machinery, which is light and
portable, occupies but little room, and can be shipped
and unshipped in a very short space of time. The in-
tuition of the launches was for the double purpose of
being serviceable in towing the vessels, and in exploring
open seas during a dead calm. The ships were fully
provisioned for three years, and amply supplied with
instruments for magnetical and meteorological observa-
tions. It is to be hoped, however, that long before the
prospective term of these preparations shall have expired,
the expedition will have accomplished its object. The
discovery of Sir John Franklin must be made in the
course of the present year, if he is ever heard of at all;
and, therefore, we shall look with great anxiety for the
arrival of Sir James Ross's next dispatches.—Edinburgh
Advertiser.

THE LATE DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN FETTER-LANE.
—Yesterday Mr. Payne, the coroner, resumed an inves-
tigation relative to a fire which occurred on the morn-
ing of the 29th ult., on the premises of Mr. Thompson,
a machine ruler, of No. 17, King's Head-court, Fetter-
lane, under what appeared to be somewhat suspicious
circumstances. It will be remembered that on the
former inquiry it was stated that two fires had pre-
viously occurred on the premises of Mr. Thompson, and
that he was insured in the Imperial-office for the sum
of 800/. These were the main grounds of suspicion.
Mr. Thompson himself was now present. He was ex-
amined it considerable length by the coroner and jury
with regard to various irreconcileable points, but his
evidence threw no light upon the matter, as he expressed
himself in total ignorance of the way in which the fire
could have originated. At the request of Mr. Thomp-
son a person named Shaw was examined, in order to
prove that the price of paper shavings varied, and that
it was worth while occasionally to keep them for some
time until the market price was good. However, he
should not think of removing shavings from one house
to another, but would rather dispose of them at a low
price. In answer to a question from the coroner, Mr.
Thompson stated that he had a strong suspicion that
some person had a hand in the mysterious affair, and he
prayed that the inquiry might be adjourned till he should
be in a position to prove his suspicions.—Adjourned ac-
cordingly.
MRS. TROLLOPE.—It is not, we believe, generally
known that the new tale of Iri.h life and manners, en-
titled " The Kellys and the O'Kellys," which is now
exciting so much attention among the lovers of fiction,
is from the pen of a son of the above distinguished
authoress, who has been for some time residing in Ire-
land, and who has succeeded, it is generally allowed, in
presenting a more vivid picture of the Irish
. nation, from
the peer to the peasant, than has been given to the world
since the days of Banim, or Grattan.