The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-28 00:00:00

SWINDLING BY A COUNTESS.

The Countess de -V illenouvette, widow of a nobleman
of that name, was three days ago tried by default by the
Tribunal of Correctional Police of Lyons for swindling
in that city. She was, it appears, born at Toulouse, her
maiden name being Lacroix, and she married the Count
de Villenouvette. By her marriage she had a son, to
whom, she stated, the Count de Chambord was god-
father ; but the child died when three years of are.
Although her husband was kind and affectionate, she
conducted herself in the most scandalous manner, and
this produced such an effect upon him that after a few
years he died broken hearted. She then went to live
openly with a man named Saint Loup, and followed
him to Africa ; and she afterwards took up with a soi-
disant Count Gelas. In October last, she went to
Lyons and hired an apartment in a house is the Rue St.
Martin, occupied by a man named Trichon. She had
very little luggage, and but few effects ; but a man who
was believed to be respectable gave out that he knew the
lady well, for that he had at one time been servant to her
parents, who, be said, were of high rank, and he declared
that, though she had sustained great reverses of fortune,
she still possessed 15,000 f. of rents and an estate in the
neighbourhood of Castelnandry. In consequence of
these representations, several tradesmen were induced
to give the woman credit, and amongst teem was an
upholsterer, who supplied her with some handsome
furniture. It was even hinted to the landlord Tri-
chon, that she had cast a favourable eye on him,
and was inclined to marry him ; but Trichon, without
being dazzled by mo great an honour, deemed it advis-
able to make inquiries about her at Castelnandry, and
be then learned that she was not known there. The
Countess, hearing what he had done, secretly removed
from his house, on the 2d Dec. last, all the furniture and
good.; which she had got on credit, and fled from the
town with Count Gelas. Since then, all attempts to dis-
cover her place of refuge have been fruitless. Under these
circumstances, the Tribunal sentenced her to three years'
iinprisoment and 50 fr. fine. A young woman who had
lived with the Countess as her maid was afterwards tried
for having assisted her in carrying off the furniture and
other goods, and, being convicted, was sentenced to 2
months' imprisonment and 25 fr. fine. The man whose
false pretences had caused credit to be given to the
Countess was tried as her accomplice in swindling, and he
also being convicted was sentenced to 6 months'imprison-
ment.

GIGANTIC STEAM HAMMER.—At the Grove iron
works, where Mr. Condie carries on the manufacture of
his excellent steam hammers, one has just been finished
of extraordinary dimensions. It is about to be sent to
Holland, to be erected at the works of the Netherlands
Plattery, at Amsterdam, and is five tons weight. It
has a total height of 23 feet, with a clear Working apace
between the standards of 12 feet wide by 6 feet high,
having a stroke of six feet. The weight of the whole
machine is no less than 30 tons. Notwithstanding
the enormous mass of metal it contains, and though
at first sight it seems rather to be some piece of
monumental work than a tool to be used in the ma-
nufacture of machinery, it is beautifully proportioned
in its several parts, and as manageable as a child's
toy. All its levers and other gearing are very carefully
finished, and polished to a high degree of brightness ;
and it works as smoothly and sweetly as the mechanism
of a chronometer. Large numbers of the hammers ma-
nufactured by Mr. Condie have found their way to Ger-
many, France, the Netherlands, Holland, and America;
yet the Government continue to use hammers in their
iunithworks and dockyards, insignificant in power, savage
and erroneous in principle, and liable to continual acci-
dent and derangement, notwithstanding it has been over
and over again stated in all the public journals that such
an excellent tool as that which Mr. Condie patented
many years ago is available, and which is as cheap as
the rudest hammers which the Government continues to
'Be.