The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-16 00:00:00

LAMB ETil.

As Mr. Norton was about to leave the bench, Thomas
Phillip Davis, a wretched-looking man with a wooden
leg, was brought into court and placed at the bar before
him, on a charge of having attemped an act of self-
destruction, by throwing himself into the river Thames.
From the evidence, it appeared that between three and
four o'clock yesterday afternoon the prisoner flung him-
self from off the steps of the pier at Westminster-bridge
into deep water, and had it not been for the promptitude
of a you❑g man who happened to be on the pier, he must
have been drowned.
The unfortunate man who seemed dreadfully affected
when asked what had caused him to have attempted so
rash an act, replied sheer want and starvation. The
poor man then entered into a history of his complicated

misfortunes, and his ultimate connexion with the Heir-
at-Law Society.
Mr. Nortrox directed the officer to take the unfortu-
nate person to Lambeth workhouse, with his family, and
to request that they might be taken into that institution
for the present, and further desired that the prisoner's
brother might be requested to attend before him on a
future day.

WANDS WORTH.
Henry Caswell, a butcher, lately carrying on business
in Belvidere-place, Southwark-bridge-road, was finally
examined on a charge of sheep-stealing.
Details of the case have already appeared.
The prisoner, who said he should reserve his defence,
was fully committed.
THAMES.

Robert
ay, Brown,
No.be2foE3r,e Lmir. m ei3haoluiasne:
cti,
an7e charged with being on the premises of Mr. John
aakgeerd , was 2 2
brought of
Abbott, the Harrow, in High-street, Poplar, with intent
iier_m
to commit felony.
Mr. Abbott deposed, at four o'clock this morning I
heard a noise in my house, and I proceeded to search it,
and found the prisoner concealed in the passage leading
to the garden. I said," What are you doing here?" and
he immediately ran into the garden, and jumped over the
wall into Harrow-lane. He has been repeatedly turned
out of my house for disorderly conduct. I knory he is a
bad character. I have turned him out of my house be-
cause I suspected he intended to rob my customers in the
tap-room.

Mr. BALLANTINE —You have done quite right. Was
he ;in the house or not, when you discovered him ?
Mr. Abbott—No, Sir, he was in a passage between the
house and the garden.
The prisoner could give no satisfactory account of
himself, or why he came to the premises of ➢ir. Abbott
at all.

Mr. BALLANTINE had no doubt the prisoner intended
to commit a felony, and sentenced him, as a rogue and
vagabond, to three months' imprisonment and hard
labour.

Amelia Barberic, a middle-aged woman, was charged
with stealing; a drinking•glass, value 9d., the property
of Mr. Wm. Jenson, the landlord of the Fir Tree Tavern,
Church •lane, Whitechapel.
The prisoner came into the Fir Tree on the evening
of Sunday, the 21st of May, and called for a glass of
rum. She drank the liquor and carried off the glass.
On Wednesday evening she came to the same house and
asked for a half• quartern of gin, which was supplied to
her in a glass. Directly afterwards George Lurcher,
the barman, left the end of the bar where the prisoner
was standing, to serve another customer. On turning
round again be missed the prisoner and the glass too.
He had a perfect recollection of her former visits and
the disappearance of glasses, and he went after her and
overtook her a short distance from the house. On
pulling her shawl aside he found the glass concealed
under it, and took it from her, and meeting with a police-
constable, named Robert Gifford, 82 H, ho gave her into
custody.
Mr. Jenson, who is a very humane man, said he would
not prosecute the woman for stealing the glass if he was
not quite satisfied she was an old offender, who had fre-
quently plundered him on former occasions.
Mr. BALLANTINE committed the prisoner for trial,
and said he had no doubt a jury would relieve Mr. Jen-
son of any more visits from the woman.
James Macgregor, a tall and powerful man, described
as a ballast heaver, whose behaviour in the dock was
exceedingly wild and irregular, was charged with com-
mitting a savage and unprovoked assault on Mr. John
Gardiner, and Ellen Gardiner, his daughter.

The complainant, Mr. Gardiner, is the landlord of a
house of public entertainment, called the " Lass of
Go% rie," in High-street, Shadwell. On Wednesday
night he was returning with his daughter from the
Leith Wharf, to which place he had accompanied his
sister, who had embarked in a steamer for Scotland, and
upon reaching the middle of High-street, Wapping, a
sudden and furious attack was made upon him and his
daughter by the prisoner. Mr. Gardiner was at once
felled to the ground by a severe blow on the chest, and
he fell backwards, his head striking the footpath, causing
a serious wound to be inflicted, from which the blood
flowed copiously. His daughter, a fine young woman,
received a blow on the side from the ruffian, and was
also knocked down. Mr. Gardiner, on recovering him-
self, seized the fellow, and was immediately knocked down
again, and while on the ground the prisoner fell upon
him, and attempted to " gouge" his eye out by forcing
his finger into the corner of it. Mr. Gardiner, by a
desperate effort, saved his eye, and shook off his as-
sailant, who then renewed the attack on Miss Gar-
diner, tore her dress, and beat her shamefully. The
father and daughter were alternately beaten and thrown
down by the prisoner, who used dreadful threats, until
they were nearly exhausted, when a respectableiuhabitant,
who saw part of the outrage from his window, sprung his
rattle, and a police-constable and others came to the spot,
and rescued Mr. Gardiner and his daughter from the
fury of the prisoner. On the way to the station-house
the prisoner made an attempt to escape from the officer
who had him in custody, and struck Mr. Gardiner again,
and, upon roaehing the station-house, threatened to take
away Mr. Gardiner's life.
The prisoner, whose person was covered with a black,
oilski❑ coat, spread out the remnants of a linen shirt and
flannel shirt, which had been torn to pieces in some
affray in which he had been engaged, and said that Mr.
Gardiner insulted him, and tore the shirt off his back,
and attempted to strangle him—he had no chance with
them at all.

Mr. Gardiner and his daughter were recalled, and said
they never saw the prisoner or interfered with him till
he attacked them, and he was then without his shirt, and
threw something which appeared to be one into the
middle of the road.

After some wild exclamations from the prisoner,
Mr. BALLANTINE said he was halt disposed to think
the prisoner was mad, but it he was the people in the
House of Correction would take care of him. He sen-
tenced the prisoner to pay a fine of 51. for the assault on
Mr. Gardiner, and in default of payment to be impri-
soned for two months, and for the assault on Miss Gar-
diner to pay another fine of 51., or remain in gaol two
months longer.

ELECTION COMMITTEES.
DUBLIN.
The scrutiny into the validity of Mr. Reynolds's ma-
jority was resumed yesterday, and in the course of the
day the petitioners succeeded in striking off three
additional votes.

COMMITTEE OF SELECTION.
The General Committee of Elections met yesterday
afternoon, and nominated the following Members to try
the merits of the petition presented against the last return
for the borough of Sligo, namely: Mr. Adair, Mr.
W)keham Martin, Mr. John Evans, Honourable Colonel
Pennant, and Mr. J. B. Wrightson, chairman.

SHREWSBURY and BIRMINGHAM

RAILWAY.

A special general meeting of this company was held
yesterday, at the offices in Moorgate-street, to consider
the draft of a Bill now before Parliament for the alter-
ation of the line of the Oxford, Worcesrer, and Wolver-
hampton Railway, and for authorising the directors to
borrow the sum of 433,0001., the power to do which
is given under the Act. To the first part of the busi-
ness the shareholders present, who were numerous,
made no objection. On the resolution for the second
being put, Mr. Fielder, of the Stock Exchange, moved
an addition, to the effect that the money should
be raised by the issue of preference shares bearing 8 per
cent, interest. On this a long discussion arose, in which
the probability of raising the money by debentures or
calls was strongly debuted, and an amendment was
moved to limit the power of the directors in raising the
money, but ultimately Mr. Fielder's amendment was
embodied in the original motion, and thanks having been
voted to the Chairman (the Hon. Colonel Clive), the
meeting was dissolved.

SINGULAR SUICIDE OF A CHEMlST.—Wednesday
afternoon, at three o'clock, Mr. T. Wakley, M.P., held
an inquest at the Hope Arms Tavern, Oxford-street, on
the body of Mr. Clement Downes, aged 25. chemist and
druggist, of No. 1, Duke-street, Manchester-square, who
died from the effects of prussic acid. Mr. Eyre, solici•
tor, attend-,d on the part of deceased's friends. Mr.
Thomas Alston O'Flaherty deposed that he was a sur-
geon, and resided at 59, James-street, Oxford -street.
He was called to see Mr. Downes about ten minutes past
seven on Monday morning. He was then dying, as he
understood, from the effects of low fever, of which he
had had an attack during the week. On a post-mortem
examination, however, a large quantity of prussic acid
was found in deceased's stomach. Mr. William Tur-
ner said he was a chemist and druggist, and resided
in Rathbone-place. Deceased was his cousin. He
last saw him alive about eleven o'clock on Sunday
night, at No. 70, Berners-street. He called upon
deceased with a friend about seven o'clock in the even-
ing, and found him in bed in a dreadfully low and de-
sponding state of mind, reading the Bible. He said he
should never be happy in this world again. They made
him get up and go out with them for a walk, thinking
it would relieve him, and having partaken slightly of
supper, he went home. Had frequently heard him ex-
press himself in great trouble about an income-tax
Paper which had been left him, and ho appeared appre-
hensive that he should not fill it up properly. That
preyed much on his mind. In answer to questions the
witnesses stated that the deceased frequently alluded to
the circumstance of the assistant to his predecessor
(Mr. Farmer) having committed suicide by taking
prussic acid, in the same bed-room he occupied, and
which occurred about eight or nine months back. The
Coroner having alluded to the painful circumstances of
the case, the jury returned a verdict—" That deceased
died from having taken prussic acid whilst in an un-
sound state of mind." ,

AN OTTER CAUGHT IN THE ED EN —An otter
hunt was advertised to take
place at Armathwaitecturedona
Monday last. A fine male otter had been a
little above the bay in the river Eden, but it "'died on
Sunday evening, so that it thereby escaped a more vio-
lent fate, at Blacktnoss Pool, where he was to have made
sport on the following day. Great numbers of persons
from Carlisle and other places, with a medley pack of
all sizes of otter hounds, assembled at Armathwaite on the
appointed morning, and despite the pelting rain, deter-
mined to seek for another otter. Accordingly the Eden
from Armathwaite to Hazanby was duly scoured; and,
although the search proved fruitless so far as otters were
concerned, the magnificent scenery, even in unfavourable
weather, compensated such of the pedestrians as could
appreciate it. It is perhaps not saying too much to
assert that no river in Europe can equal the Eden for
the sublimity of its scenery, especially ia the above loca-
lity, when either the Armathwaite, Nunnery Walks,
Coom's Peak, Cat Clint, or Sampson's Chamber, would
separately repay a day's ramble.—Durham Advertiser.
GRAY'S INN.—CALLS TO THE BAR, JUNE 14.—
The undernamed gentlemen were this day called to the
degree of barrister. at-law by the Honourable Society of
Gray's Inn, viz., Daniel Harnett Stack, Esq., A. 8.,
Thomas Worthington )3arlow, Esq., and Leon At
naud, Esq.

THE SUN, LONDON,

FRIDAY _ EVENING, JUNE 10, 1818.

Lord inquired what authority this board was supposed to
have? Uudoubtedly the board had not any binding
authority either on the Government or the Parliament;
but it was impossible for any person anxious to avail
himself on railway matters of important information
placed within his reach not to be aware how great a
moral weight was attached to the opinions pronounced
by the Railway Board. At the same time he (the Mar-
quis of Lansdowne) was not prepared to say that the
Government or the Parliament ought to consider it-
self so hound by the opinions of the board as to re-
ject all further information, or refuse to hear
any other person. All that Government and Parlia-
ment could do was to attach due weight to the opi-
nion of the board. Such had been, and such would
continue to be the functions of the board, usefully
exercised for the public service. If the Noble Lord
asked him whether he (the Marquis of Lansdowne) was
prepared to say that it would at no time be found ex-
pedient to give to this board or some other still greater
powers of control in respect to railways, he, of course,
was not prepared to say that the time would not come
when a still further extension of the powers of the board
might gradually take place. On this subject, however,
a great deal of jealousy was entertained by the railway
companies, and he did not think that matters had as yet
reached such a point as would justify the Government
in demanding further powers. The President and Vice-
President. of the B,,ard of Control would give their at-
tention to railway matters, receiving the assistance of
the most efficient officers, and he had no doubt that the
application of the Railway Board would continue to he
as vigilant as it had been during the whole of the last
year. _

Lord REDESDALE said, in reference to the remark
of the Noble Marquis, that weight was attached to the
opinions of the Railway Board, he was almost afraid that
no weight was given to them at all.
Earl GRANVILLE conceived that the Noble Lord's
observations had more reference to the old board than
to the Railway Commission, for there was not one in-
stance in which the recommendations of the latter had
not been attended to. He thought that the board might
be made more useful, but even with its present powers
he could not for one moment admit that the board was
useless.

Lord REDESDALE thought that those to whom the
gauge question had been referred ought not to have left
Parliament without more advice on the subject.

THE SPANISH CORRESPONDENCE.

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE, in moving that the
House do then adjourn, regretted that ho had not pre-
viously been able to lay before them copies of the Spanish
correspondence, but he hoped to-morrow to present the
whole of that correspondence.
Their Lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, June 15.

Th© SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock.

Mr. LUSHINGTON presented a petition from the
Anti-State Church Association, praying for the separa-
tion of Church and State. The Hon. Member, in con-
nexion with this petition, gave notice that when the
I?egiunt Donunt vote was moved he should more that it
be discontinued.
FOREIGN THEATRICALS IN THE METRO-