The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-07 00:00:00

been acquitted."

MIDLAND ClRCUlT.—Northampton, March 5.
(Before Chief Justice TINDAL.)
CHARGE OF ARSON.—John Wallis, a young man, was
charged with having, on the morning of Christmas-day last,
set fire to his house, with intent to defraud the Phoenix Fire-
office.
Mr.,Waddington and Mr. Macauler conducted the ease
for the prosecution. Mr. Humfrey, 'Q.C.,
,and Mr. Miller
appeared for the prisoner.
This case engaged the attention of the Court and the jury
for upwards of six hours ; the facts may, however, be :com-
pressed into a small space.
The prisoner occupied a house in Gas-street, Kettering,
where he carried on the business of a printer and stationer.
He was unmarried, but had a sister living with him, though
she was absent at the time of the fire. On the morning of
Christmas-day the prisoner's house was discovered to be on
fire. The flames were first issuing from the back door, but
they soon, however, extended, and the whole of the interior
with the exception of a :front parlour, was in less than an
hour. destroyed. Wallis stated that the fire arose from
an explosion of gas, which ignited on his coming into
the shop with a lighted candle. The fact of this part of his
the house being the part that was not in the first instance
affected, caused further inquiries to be made, and among the
rest search was made for the remains of furniture and of the
stock, but nothing was found, with the exception of the
furniture in the front parlour. The insurance for furniture
was to the extent of 100/. It appeared further ;that Wallis:had
taken a cottage at the distance of about 200 yards from the place
where he carried on his business, in which cottage stock-in-
trade, &c. was found to the estimated value of 2301., and it
was urged that these things were removed clandestinely, and,
for the purposes of fraud. A warrant was soon after obtained
for the prisoner's apprehension, but he left the place, though
he returned on the 7th of January, and surrendered. Tile
magistrates bound the parties over to prosecute, and ad-
mitted Wallis to bail. An inquest was held to ascertain the
origin of the fire; and the jury pronounced it to have been
wilful. It would appear that Wallis, up to the time of the
fire, had always been considered an honourable and upright
young man.
The CHIEF JUSTICE, in his summing up, told the jury to
beware how they acted on suspicion only ; that they were
not to do ; they must see clearly an intention to defraud the
office. The general charge Of his Lordship was directly in
favour of the accused.
The jury, after considerable time spent in deliberation, re-
turned a verdict of Not Guilty.

NORTHERN ClRCUl7'.—Durham, March 5.
(Before Mr. Justice PArrESON.)
Joseph Dixon, aged 2.5, and William Dixon, his brother,
aged 21, and Robert Barron, aged 22, were indicted for the
wilful nitirder of George Middleton, of Pithill, near Chester-
le-street, in this county.
This was the result of a public-house affair, in which the
deceased was struck on the head with a poker, which was
bent by the force of the bit;74', and inflicted such injuries that
Middleton died of the wounds.
Verdict-Guilty of manslaughter.
His LORDSHIP directed the prisoners to StaZ'd down, saying
he would consider of the sentence.

The notoriously, great increase of late in the business
of the Bank of England, arising from the advance in the rate of in-
terest, the use of the railway deposits, and other causes, appears to
have created an expectation in the proprietors of Bank stock, that
at the approaching meeting for the declaration of a dividend they
will find themselves in a better position than on the last occasion of
the kind. Letters hare been received from Varl9us correspondents
on the subject, and they so entirely assume the laZ.l of a great
increase of profit as cettaim that the only question remaLling in
their minds is whetly:r it shall reach the proprietors Z.'
the shape of a bonus or a higher dividend. It is well known
that the fund out of which the dividend is paid is the " rest,"
Which fialths a regular part of each weekly return under
the Act or 1844, roritierly the practice was at the half-yearly
meeting to male an estimate of its probable increase between the de-
claration And the payment of the dividend, and to take credit for
such atinitint i hilt the rine now adopted is, we believe, so far as re-
gards uncertain profit, to take the teat fettirn of the month previous
to the deelaration of a dividend at the basis of profit, adding of
course the certain profits to accrue from the dead weight and
of oth
the
er
diVidettd6 able by the Government up to the expiration
financial half.yeaf. this alone is some evidence of a Sound
state of straits. That parties so directly interested as the
prtiprietots ate should be thus sanguinebe Is very natural, but
front inquiries in other (Pouters it app eats to thought very dOubt-
ful if either of these eXptetAtlang—that isi of a bonus, or increased
dividend—will be realised. The neW systefff iiit§ undergone as yet
but a short trial and the recent great profits, so far AS they Wise from
the railway deposits, are so decidedly of a temporary nature, that no
eaN eetieitiSibti for the future course of business is to be drawn from
theta. the tiftiptiftioti in which the directors have extended their
wart and dtscotint unsint§§ i4itl4f the rill of bad debts 'be taken into
ficediint lilt; itiprsirig eVerytitiog to go Ott favourably, the directors
would be Mere flat peiliallB with theft Cfitiatittlenta if they de-
voted their efforts to strengthening their
,position so as to lead
hereafter to a permanent increase Of the dividend to 8
rl:rt tent., than by giving a small bonus, And then to
relapse ld iltti e d fate. Equality of dividend is very mach to be
desired, as it prevents oiketriokyil fn the stock, and gives to it Some-
thing of the character of a Governtlidtft ieurity. The present board
of directors possess a character for prudence and Sagacity beyond
Scant of their predecessors, which they are not likely to place at
WWII(' by doing this half-year what they must undo the next ; and
10 offer, either a bonus or an increase of dividend at present would
ixfoh theili tO that danger. Hence the proprietors will do well to
tandtfate their eltOtirititnis:Of immediate benefit, without abandon-
ing, at the same time, the Hope HIM the directors at some future
period may be able to place them permanently in a better position.
Considering to how low a point banking profits have been reduced
' until within the last three months, it is a species of congratulation to
know that they are in no danger of a reduction of dividend, and, if
any change does occur, that it must be for the better.—Times.
APPROACHING MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIEE.—We un-
derstand that the marriage of Lady Agnes Hay, second daughter of
the Earl and Countess of Erroll, and Mr. James Duff, M.P., eldest
son of the lion. General Sir Alexander and Lady Duff, and nephew
of the Earl of Fife, is to be solemnised on Monday next at Paris.
Lord. Adolphus Fitzclarence has gone expressly to be present at the
ceremony, and ViscPuntess Campden, s:ster of the fair betrothed, has
already arrived at Paris.
We understand that all leaves of absence to officers
belonging to regiments serving in India have been cancelled, and
be they have erkordered to join their respective head-quarterA
overland by the