The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-08 00:00:00

IVILLIA.M DOVE.

The execution of this murderer is appointed to take
place on the drop at the Castle, York, to-morrow, at 12
o'clock at noon, the Home Secretary (Sir George Grey)
having declined to recommend the convict to the mercy
of her Majesty. Great. efforts have been made by the
friends of the convict, and several memorials have been
presented in favour of the Royal clemency being granted,
on the alleged ground that the prisoner was of insane
mind, and that the jury who found him guilty of murder
also recommended him to mercy on account of his de-
fective intellect. Sir George Grey, however, on Wed-
nesday last, expressed to Mr. J. M. Barret, of Leeds,
solicitor, to whom was entrusted the getting up of the
defence of the prisoner, his final determination not to
interfere with the sentence of the judge (Mr. Baron
Bramwell). During the last few days the convict has
disp'ayed a very penitent feeling ; and, whatever may be
said about his sanity, he appears to be fully aware of his
impending doom. Mr. Wright, of Manchester, the well-
known prison philanthropist, says he has had 12 inter-
views with the prisoner, and that he "never n.ct with a
mere sincere penitent under similar painful circum-
stances ;" but he adds that he believes Dove to be of
very defective intellect. The foliowing is a copy of the
memorial from Mrs. Dove, the mother of the convict:—
" To the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty,—The humble
petition of Mary Dove, the mother of William Dove, now
in York Castle, under sentence of death, having been pro-
nounced guilty of the charge for which he was imprisoned
in March last, by a most respectable and respected jury,
which jury, from the mass of evidence adduced, proving
him to be of unsound intellect, recommended him to mercy
on that ground. Your petitioner begs to state that, al•
though the development of his defective intellect in many
of his eccentricities was not personally known to herself,
because of her son's frequent absence from home, yet many
of them were practised under her own eye, and others of
an equally conclusive character which have no record in
public print. Permit, then, the afflicted mother of William
Dove to entreat your Majesty to cause the recommenda-
tion of the jury to be carried out, and the life of her son to
be spared. Your Majesty will easily understand that a
mother, so circumstanced, can say but a few words. Your
petitioner humbly requests that it may please your Ma-
jesty to sparo the prisoner's life. And your Majesty's
humble petitioner, as in affection and duty bound, will
over pray. MART DOVE."
Besides the above memorial, one was presented from the
jury who tried Dove, and two or three others from per-
sons who have long known him, or have examined into
the state of his mind. Dr. Forbes Winslow has written
a letter to Mr. Barret, the convict's solicitor, in which
he gives various reasons for believing that Dove was not
responsible for his actions. Dr. F. 'Winslow says that
the words, "defective intellect," embodied by the jury
in their verdict, are to his apprehension not accurately
expressive of Dove's mental condition. The case is one
ofimbecility ; and he has, therefore, no hesitation in
giving his opinion, "that it would be a great and fatal
mistake, and a grave act of inhumanity, to hang the
wretched man."

NEW LINE TO THE CAFE.—DARTMOUTH, August 5.
—The new auxiliary screw steam-ship England, Captain
Dundas, with mails for the Cape of Good Hope, Mauri-
tius, Point de Gallo, Madras, and Calcutta, took her
departure from this port at 11 o'clock this day, weather
fine and clear. This ship is the first of a new line of
steam-ships to the Cape and Calcutta, touching at the
Mauritius and Point de Galle, to sail on the Ist from
London, and on the morning of the 6th of each month
from Dartmouth. This line has been selected for the
conveyance of her Majesty's Mails to the Cape, monthly,
commencing on the Ist of August outwards and on the
Ist of November homewards, with Dartmouth as the
port of arrival and departure. This being the first oc-
casion on which a mail steam-ship has left the port of
Dartmouth, a public dinner was given on Tuesday last
in commemoration of the event, to which. Mr. W. S.
Lindsay, M.P., the owner of this fine line of ships, was
invited, together with Captain Dundas and the officers
of the troops on board, of which she conveys 300 to
the Cape. The England received stores and was ooaled
with the greatest despatch, sailing at the time appointed.
SALE OF LAND.—An allotment of nineteen leased
plots on the Round-bill-park estate, Brighton, took place
on Thursday, the 7th inst., at the offices of the Conser-
vative Land Society. The plots are leased at the yearly
rent of 71. each for four of the- lots, and 101. 10s. each
for the remaining fifteen lots, for the term of 99 years ;
and the prices fixed were 841. each for the former, and
1261. for the latter. The competition was animated, and
the whole of the leased plots were taken by members
holding rights of choice within the first hundred numbers
on the register, 201. premium for each right being paid
in many instances. Other plots were sold on the St.
Margaret's, Richmond, Maldon, South Essex, and Wood-
bury-park, Tunbridge Wells, West Kent—the sale alto-
gether in detached plots reaching nearly. 3,5001. The
Rev. Dr. Worthington the Rev. Mr. Rigg, the Rey.
Mr. Stanley, the Rev. Mr. Goodchild, Messrs. Ancon?,
Sangster, Jndkins, Shadwell, Brown, and other share-
holders, were present. It was mentioned by the secre-
tary, who presided at the allotment, that great improve-
ment had been recently manifested in the building trade.
In reply to questions from a member, Mr. Gruneisen
stated that there was every reasonable expectation that
the KentiEh-town estate would be allotted is the aatuwa,
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