The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-10 00:00:00

Happen, however, what may, I shall ever calculate upon
the support of the men of the Kat River Settlement; and
I hope and expect that they will meet my views as set
forth in the Government notice of the 17th instant, as
to enrolling their names.
" I intend ere long to pay the Kat River Settlement a
visit, and trust to see its inhabitants all well.
(Signed) " 11. G. SMITH."

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
OXFORD ClRCUlT.—Gloucester, April 6.
CROWN COURT.

Esau Troughton, 30, was indicted for breaking
and entering the dwelling-house of Charles Cull, at
Ashchurch, on the 24th of November, and stealing
therefrom a silver watch, some silver spoons, and
other articles.

The prisoner was in the prosecutor's employ, as a
farm servant, living in the house. In the morning of
the day in question, Mr. and Mrs. Cull went to
Tewkesbury, giving the prisoner orders to attend to the
field work on the farm, and on their return in the
evening, about six o'clock, they found that some per-
son had entered the house by forcing the bolt of a
window,land then putting their hands through, had
opened the door. On going up-stairs they discovered
that some boxes had been completely ransacked ;
everything was in confusion, and the articles enume-
rated in the indictment stolen. Several circum-
stances tended to attach suspicion to the prisoner,
who gave a man some cider, and was seen in the
cider-house about the time that the robbery was sup-
posed to have been committed, when his master's
orders, and his own duties, should have found him at
work in the fields. The next day some of the stolen
spoons, wrapped up in a handkerchief, were found
hidden in the thatch of the stable. This handker-
chief belonged to the prisoner's brother Isaac, but
was seen in Esau's possession on the day of the
robbery.
A melancholy feature in this case was that of the
prosecution calling the prisoner's aged mother as a
witness to prove the ownership of the handkerchief.
Thejury found the prisoner Guilty, and,two pre-
vious convictions, on one of which he was adjudged to
be transported, were proved against him.
Mr. Justice CRESSWELL said that all reformation
in him appeared to be totally hopeless, and passed
sentence of fourteen years' transportation.
William Bean, 26, broughtjup by a writ of habeas
corpus from Bristol gaol, was indicted for feloniously
intermarrying with Elizabeth Heddow, at Clifton, on
the 113th of June, his
,former wife, Fanny Spriggs,
being then alive.
The JUDGE told him his case was not a very aggra-
vated one; still a man deceiving a woman under such
circumstances, entailed great injury on the individual
and occasioned more evil to society than when a
woman committed the offence of bigamy. It was true
he had not done the woman the injury he might have
done, as it appeared he had never lived with her under
the same roof after the completion of the ceremony,
and not, therefore, consummated the marriage ; still
women's feelings were not to be trifled with, and
their hopes of domestic happiness destroyed by men
_ acting towards them in such a way.
Sentence, three months hard labour.
ier

~v-ORTH WALES ClRCUlT.—Chester, April 7.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice WILLIAMS.)
Joseph Clayton, aged 36, and Ralph Webster, 36,
were placed at the bar charged, the latter with wil-
fully setting fire to Clayton's house, and the former
with aiding and !assisting, with intent to defraud the
Treasurer; of the Sun Fire-office, the Secretary of
the West of England Insurance Company, the owner
of the house, Mr. W. Cole, and also the mortgagee,
Miss Hannah Studdart.
Messrs. Townsend, Egerton, and Brandt appeared
for the prosecution, and Mr. Temple for the prisoners.
The facts of the case were briefly these
prisoner Clayton was the keeper of a respectable
hotel at Birkenhead, called the Egerton Arms, situate
in the immediate neighbourhood of the new docks.
On the evening of the 26th July last the house was
on fire no less than three times ; first about nine
o'clock, again a little before ten, and the :third
shortly before eleven. However, through the activity
of the police, all the fires were speedily extinguished,
the total damage done to the building not being more
than 301. The house itself was insured by the owner,
Mr. Cole, in the West of England, for 1,200/. ; the
stock, furniture, &c., was insured by the prisoner
Clayton, for 1,0001. Evidence was adduced, which
showed that the principal portion of Clayton's stock
had been removed by him from his hotel to a house
in Liverpool, where it was seized by the Excise, in con-
sequence of having been removed without a permit. It
was also proved that all the clothing and most of the
linen had been taken away. Mr. M'Harg, superinten-
dent of the police force at Birkenhead, having had his
suspicions excited at the first fire had placed a police-
man to watch the premises, and to this circumstance
is mainly owing that the property was not destroyed.
However, the strongest evidence against the prisoner
was that of Thomas Cross, a shoemaker, who saw
Webster place a quantity of shavings under the
stairs, and then place a lighted candle to them. He
observed this through a window, from the street, and
immediately ran into the house and seized Webster,
but in consequence of the interference of Clayton, he
get away. This was at the last fire.
The attesting witness as to the two policies of in-
surance not being present, those counts in the in•
dictment charging the prisoners with setting fire to
the premises for the purpose of defrauding the insur-
ance were abandoned.
His LORDSHIP, in summing up the case to the jury,
left it to them to say whether the prisoners set fire to
the premises wilfully, and if so, whether it was done
with the intention of injuring the landlord.
The jury, after a short consultation, found the
prisoners Guilty.
The Learned JUDGE, in passing sentence, said,
although there was no legal evidence of the fact, yet
there could be no doubt but it was the intention of
the prisoners to burn the house, in order to cheat the
insurance company. it was of the utmost import-
ance that companies which compensated individuals
for loss in case of fire should have all the protection
which the law could give them, and, therefore, he
did not think he should be doing his duty, if, so far
as he was concerned, he did not show an example in
such a case by the utmost severity of the law. His
Lordship then sentenced the prisoners to be trans-
ported for the term of fifteen years.
April 8.
This morning the court was crowded to suffocation
in all parts with parties anxious to hear the trial of
the two highwaymen charged with the murder of
Wyatt, when attempting to apprehend them on a
charge of highway robbery.
On the Learned Judge taking his seat the pri-
soners were placed at the bar. Their names are
William Bates, aged 10, described in the calender as
a joiner, and without education ; and John Walmsley,
alias IPlawdsley, aged 21, also a joiner, and of superior
education. Both are Irishmen.
They were arraigned on an indictment charging
Bates with the wilful murder of William Wyatt, at
Adlington, in the parish of Presburg, on the 11th of
February last, and Mawdsley as accessory before the
fact. Both pleaded not guilty. A second indictment
charged Mawdsley as principal, and Bates as acces-
sary, for shooting and wounding Thomas Wyatt,
with intent to murder him ; and a third charged him
with robbing James Ernill, at Adlington, being
armed. The two latter charges were not proceeded
with. Evidence having been received,
The Learned JUDGE summed up the case at very
great length. He went over the whole of the evi-
dence, explaining the law as applicable to it to the
jury, and concluded by stating that unless the jury
felt some real and substantial doubt in the case it
was their duty, however painful, to find the prisoners
guilty.

would not satisfy him, for although he approved 0,
meeting being called, he disiented altogether from ti
resolutions. He thought-it was very desirable th
gentlemen of all parties should occasionally Inel tHe liked the friction of opposite (minions, but he 'e
convinced that the statements in the resolutions WI
calculated to prejudice gentlemen who would be
their trial in a few days in Dublin. He meant
Smith O'Brien, Mr. Meagher, son of an Hon. MeltltN
of the House, and Mr. Mitchell. He held that anc
resolutions, affecting as they must the cases of tho
gentlemen, were unfair and unconstitutional. Whl
would be the effect before a jury of a declaratio
signed by so important a body as that which he ha
the honour of addressing, declaring that those gen
tlemen had been engaged in levying war against ,b '
Queen. He suggested as an alteration the oinissiel
of that paragraph.
Mr. GEORGE HAMILTON, M.P. rose to order. 11
said it was quite manifest that the Hon. Gentlenla!
was then discussing the resolutions. He would as'
the Noble Chairman if that meeting was called
argue upon th- question contained in the resolutions
r
or merely to adopt and sign them ? If the latter'
then the Hon. Member was clearly out of order'
(Loud cries of " Sign, sign.")
A desultory conversation, in which Mr. Grown'
Colonel Dunne, Mr. Shafto Adair, and Mr. F. Ere°
joined, took place.
Lord DOWNSIIIRE decided that the meeting gcl/15,
called to adopt and sign the resolutions, upon WlllO,
upwards of a hundred signatures were in a few Tao
Inents attached. He did not understand there "
any dissentient but Mr. Reynolds.
Thanks were then voted to the Noble Chairman'
and the meeting separated.

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS'
MANCHESTER, APRIL 8.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The sales are—Birkenhead,
shire, and CheshireJunc., 6 13-16 dis. Lancashire and ideid,
shire (West Riding Union), 334 dis.—Manchester, ShS
and Lincolnshire, 591/2—North Staffordshire, 3 dis.—°°-(14
Eastern and Dover, No 4, 3 15-16 dis.—York, „4
and Berwick, Preference, 3% dis.
LEEDS, APRIL 8.
STOCK EXCIIANGE.—The following are this day's Oa sr/
lions;—East Lancashire, New, 81. ls. 3d. dis.— Ditto,
ters, 2 dis.—East and West Yorkshire, 10 dis.—Great N0,'14)
ern, 10 dis.—Lancashire and Yorkshire (West Riding 1,J,°,1t°,11,
735. 6d. dis.—Leeds and Thirsk, 227/g dis.—North Pri"dik
Thirds, 395. dis.—Northern Counties Union, 31. 18s. 6"„ kg.
—York, Newcastle, and Berwick, No. 2 (New 13ervii'"
1%. 6d. die.

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, APRIL 8. ani
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The sales are—Huddersfield
otle
Manchester Railway and Canal, Thiris, 214 dis.—Nl..c;o and Carlisle, 105—Ditto, New Scrip, 7 ....North
Thirds, 38s. 9d. dis. p,