The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-10 00:00:00

Another addition has just been made to the long list
of instances already afforded of the fatal results of the
present lax system of administering pecuniary relief
by means of burial clubs. The victims in the present
instance are two children, named Sarah Ann Barcroft
and Ellen Mills, the former aged eleven months,
and the latter two years and three months. The deceased
Sarah Ann Barcroft was the child of Jonathan
and Ruth Barcroft, residing at the Hague,
near Mottram. This child died suddenly on
the 29th ult., after a few hours' illness, about eleven
o'clock in the forenoon. Shortly afterwards Mrs. Mills,
the mother of the other child, who resides at a short
distance from Barcroft's house, was sent for by Mrs.
Barcroft, to assist her in laying out the dead child. Mrs.
Mills took with her to Mrs. Barcroft's, Ellen Mills, and
another of her children named George, about 13 months
old, and also two children named M`Gloclan, who
lodged with their father at Mrs. Mills's house.
Mrs. Barcroft then requested Mrs. Mills to go to a
place called Tommylowe, about two miles off, to fetch
Mrs. Barcroft's mother, offering to take care of the chil-
dren till she returned. Mrs. Mills accordingly went to
Mrs. Bareroft's mother, and returned with her at about
two o'clock in the afternoon. Soon after she returned,
some porridge, which had been prepared in her absence,
was given to the children, who, in about five minutes
were seized with vomiting. Ellen Mills became rapidly
worse, and expired about half-past ten o'clock that
night. The other children recovered. Information of
these circumstances having reached Mr. Little, special
high constable, at Hyde, he visited Barcroft's house
on the following morning, the 30th ult., to make in-
quiries as to the cause of the sudden death of the
children. Mrs. Barcroft then told him that on
the Monday night, when her husband was from home,
she went to bed with her child about eight o'clock. Her
husband came home during the night, she could
not say at what time, there being no clock in the
house. Some time afterwards the child became rest-
lees, and began to cry. Mrs. Barcroft woke her hus-
band, and he went down stairs, and brought up some
flour porridge, which the mother had made before she
went to bed, and put on the hob by the fieeside. She
gave the child some of the porridge, and in about five
minutes it began to vomit, became very ill, and died
about eleven o'clock the next morning. Jonathan Bar-
croft, the father of the deceased, told Mr. Little that
on Monday he was at a beershop in Mottram
in company with a man named Fairhnrst, till
about ten o'clock at night, when he went home to bed.
In the morning be went to his work, and did not hear
of his child's death till some hours afterwards. He gave
the remains of the porridge to a man named Cooper,
next door, for his hens. Cooper said he had given the
porridge to his hens, and it had done them no harm.
On Seturday last an inquest was held on the bodies
of the two children, before Mr. Hudson, coroner, but
nothing of importance transpired, and the proceed-
ings were adjourned. On Tuesday last the inquest was
resumed, when Messrs. Aleock and Sidebottam, sur-
geons, of Mottram, stated that they had made a post-
mortem examination, and had found arsenic in the
stomach. The inquest was accordingly adjourned again,
and Barcroft and his wife were apprehended that even-
ing on suspicion of the murder. Mr. Little, on making
further inquiries, learnt that on the day of his child's
death Barcroft went to the registrar of deaths at
Glosop, and sttred that he lived at Littlemore, about
four miles from the Hague; that his child had died of
the hooping cough, and obtained from him a certificate
for the interment of tilt, deceased. It also appears that,
on the 23d ult., Barcroft, who was employed as a washer
at Messrs. Ed. Potters' print works, Dieting-vale, ob-
tained from Thos. Marsden, who has the care of the
thugs and colours at the works, 2 oz. of white arsenic,
and about the same quantity of sugar of lead, stating
that he wanted them for a person at the Hague, to put
round some pleats. All the five children were members
of the Dinting-valo Burial Club. Barcroft received
21. 10s. from the treasurer of the society, on showing
him the certificate which ho bad previously obtained
from the registrar. The parents of the deceased Ellen
Mills also received 41. from the club,

In consequcucee of the suspicion which rests upon
Barcroft and h a wife, Mr. Little has received authority
from the coroner to exhume the body of a child of which
Mrs Barcroft was delivered on Good Friday last, and
which died abut six hours afterwards.

The adjourned inquest on the bodies of the two
children will to held on Tuesday next,:at the Griffin Inn,
Broad-bottom, near Mottram.

SHIP NEWS.
VESSELS SPOIEN WITH.

Helen, of and from Belfast for America, in lat. 45,
long. 38.
Held foreign brig, for New York, with emigrants, April
24, in lat. 47, long. 32.
William Skse brig, from Barbadoes for Liverpool, May
1, in lat. 50, long. 15.
Eliza Moore, of Maryport, for Valparaiso, May 2, in
lat. 51, long 7.
Dennison ship, from Liverpool for Bombay, in lat. 3 S,
long. 82 E.
James Campbell, from the Clyde for Trinidad, April 11,
in let. 25 N., long. 37 W.
Countess of Durham, Feb. 21, in lat. 31 S., long. 34 E.
Bell barque, from the Mauritius, for Queenstown, March
5, in lat. 30 S., long. 11 E.
Lady Kinaaird, bound south, March 28, in lat. 2 N.,
long. 23 W.

SEABORNE MAILS.
[N signifies that the mails are sent frota the General Post-office
by the night—and M by the morning—dispatch.]

When made up in From what
PLACES. General Post-office port die- When
London. patched. due.
America (by Brit. pkt.) NI May 16 .. Liverpool .. May 20
America (by U.S. pkt.) N,MaY 13 .. Liverpool .. May 13
America (by U.S. pkt.) 61,May 21 Southampt. May 16
Africa (West coast).. N,l4th of the month Plymouth Arrived
Alexandria* N,l9th & 30th of mo. Dover .. May 18
Belgium .. Daily • • .. .. Dover .. Daily
Brazil .. 31:9th of the month Southampt. May 12
Buenos Ayres M 9th of the month Southampt. May 12
Californit(viaChagrea)M 17th of month Southampt. May 20
Cape of Good Hope N,l4th of month Plymouth.. Arrived
Cotuatantinoples N 7th 17th 27th of mo Dover .. May 10
Central 4merica M2d la 17th of mon. Southampt. Jane 5
Channel Isles NIMon., Wed., &Fri. Southampt. Tu. Th. S a
Chili M;l7 Southampt. May 20
France .. M& N Twice daily .. .. Dover • • Twicedally
Greece* • • .. N, 7th 17th 27th of mo Dover • • May 10
Hamburgh N,Tuesday & Friday London .. Tues. Sat.
Holland .. M,Wednes. & Satur. Loudon .. Moa.Thur
Honduria . N 17th of the month Southampt. May 20
Ireland • • •• M & NiTwice daily .. Holyhead .• Twicedaily
India (via Southamp.) M 20th of the monthlSouthampt. May 23
India (via Marseilles) N 7th&24th ofmonth Dover .. May 17
Mediterranean (via
Soutlumpton) M 20th of the month Southampt. May 23
Mediterranean (via I
Marsedles) Nlth&24thofmonth Dover • . May 17
Mexico • • .. 612 d of the month.. Southampt. Jane 6
Madeint • • • • .. M 9th of the month Southampt. May 12
Maltae N r7th,l7th,l9th,27th } Dover May 10
& 30th of month
Naples' . N Oth 15th 25th ofmo,Dover .. May 11
Papal hates.* N sth 15th 25th of mo!Dover .. May 12
Peninsular.. M 7th 17th 27th of mo Southampt. May 16
Peru .• • • • • •• M 17th of the month Southampt. May 20
Tuscany* N sthlsth 25th of mo Dover . • May 11
West /adios M 17th of the month Southanapt.lMay 20

• • • • •• M 17th of the month
Mammy', •. N sth 15th 25th of mo'
West t.dies M 17th of the month
West ['idles (except
Havanna & Nassau) Ml2d of the month ..
Tte mails to those countries thus marl
Trend packet vi a Marseilles.
CJLl➢oaxl&.—Mails to and from California, Via the United states
are now despatched and clue by every American packet.

ISouthanapt. !June 5
ced (*) are conveyed by

ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON.—Yesterday the mem-
bers of this club held their annual general meeting at the
Thatched House Tavern, St. James's-street. The commo-
dore, the Earl of Wilton, occupied the chair. A considerable
number of members attended, including the Duke of
Newcastle, the Marquis of Conyngham,.Viscnunt Exmouth,
the Sight Hon. Milner Gibson, Captain Sir George B.
Pechell, M.P. , Mr. J. Maxse, Mr. Spencer De Horsey,
Colonel Markham, and Mr. G. Bentinck. The following
gentlemen were elected members :—Joseph Parker, Esq.,
cutter, Magician, 62 tons; the Rev. Robert P. Hartopp,
cutter, Syren, 68 tons; Lieutenent-Colonel Joshua Smith,
schooner, Leda, 120 tons; Sir W. P. Carew and E. Hulse,
Esq., schooner, Geui, 125 tons; T. Hodges, Esq., M.P.,
cutter, Laelia, 75 tons. Six gentlemen:were elected hono-
rary lumbers. It was stated that the funds of the club were
rapidl! increasing, and that a very considerable balance at
present remained in the treasurer's hands. It was announced
that the Queen's Cup for large cutters of 105 tons, eta.,
would be sailed for on the 18th of August. His Royal
Highness Prince Albert had given a cup, which would be
sailed for on the 20th of August, by large class schooners.
The committee had apportioned the sum of 1001. for yachts
of all nations, belonging to clubs; the course to be round the
Isle of Wight. It was expected that the season would be a
very brilliant one.

HOIYHEAD AND KINGSTOWN PACKETs.—From a
return printed by order of the House of Commons, it ap-
pears tlat her Majesty's mail steam-packets Banshee, Cara-
doc, Fin Queen, and Llewellyn, made 124 passages between
Holyhead andlliingatown during the month of March, 1850,
and the average length of the passages 4 hours 2014 min.
The thrte contract mail steam-packets, Eblana, Llewellyn,
'
and St. Columba, made 126 trips in March, 1851, oceupying
on an average 4 hours 42 1-3 min. in the passage. The
shortest passage made by any of her Majesty's mail steam-
packets vas by the'Banshee. which crossed in 3 hours 87 min.
the shortest trip made in March, 1851, by the contract mail
eteam-packets was made by the Llewellyn in 4 hours 18 min.