The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-21 00:00:00

FRIDAY

NOVEMBER 21, 1851.

the opportunity for this feeling to manifest itLelf.
M. Kossuth irpiy think u republic the best form of
governrnent for Hungary. We ditTer from him there.
But we do not wish to see thi, ancient and brave
race crushed by a military despotism. In fact
the nations of Europe are gradually drawing
together as one great family. The bad govern-
ment of one member of the family reacts on
the well-being of all. We are all interested in
the moral, social, and religious improvement of our
neighbours. A Government such as Austria tends to
bring good governments, and all governments, into
contempt ; and, as M. Kossuth has said, the ab-
surd and obsolete fiscal and commercial re-
gulations of the Austrians injure us, as well
as themselves. And thus it happens that the
English have now expressed their open and decided
condemnation of Austrian policy. And we tell
the Hungarians to take courage, to persevere in
their attempts to obtain a constitutional reform of all
abuses, and a rational, just, and practical system of
government; such a system as may secure to all
classes—high and low, the noble and the peasant—
their fair share of personal, political, and social liberty.
The occurrences of the last fortnight will not be
thrown away. True, we shall send no army to Hun-
gary. We have no wish to involve Europe in war to
obtain redress for the Hungarians. But the expres.
sion of the public opinion of nations—and such na-
tions, moreover, as England and America—cannot be
unimportant. It has a moral influence which cannot
be calculated. Public opinion, the press, and last,
not least, the railway system are fighting, day by
day, the cause of good government all over the world.
Hungary's day will come. May it come soon.

LAW IN TELLIGEN CE.
COURT OF EXCHEQUER, Nov. 20.

(Sittings in Middlesex, at Nisi Prius, in Michaelmas
Term, before Mr. Baron MARTIN and Common
Juries.)

ROPER V. LEVY'.

Mr. E. James and Mr. Hawkins conducted the
case for the plaintiff; and Mr. 24.1 Chambers with Mr.
Temple, appeared for the defendant.
This was an action to recover the sum of 1001. for
work and labour done and performed by the plaintiff,
at the request of the defendant.
Mr. JAMES, in stating the case for the plaintiff,
said that the plaintiff carried on the business of a
builder at Gravesend, and the defendant, whose name
could not he but familiar to the court and to the pub-
lic, had been a sheriff's officer, in the course of which
occupation he bad been the terror of very many of
her Majesty's loving subjects, and had been in the
habit of harassing numbers of them by his "attentions"
for a long series of years. It chanced, however, that
of late the defendant had changed his avocation, and
that while the earlier portion of his life had been ap •
plied to the annoying, alarming, and even to " taking"
certain members of the great nietropolitan family, he
appeared now to have repented of his sins, and had
resolved upon endeavouring to make them amends by
providing them with amusement for the mind.—
(Laughter.) With that view, then, the defendant
had taken the lease, from the commissioners of the
town of Gravesend, of the Terrace-pier and Gardens
at that place, both of which he had fitted up for the
purpose of giving evening entertainments upon a plan
somewhat similar to Vauxhall and other places of the
like description. Now, he did not mean to assert that
this undertaking had been embarked in by the defen-
dant out of pure philanthropy, for the truth was that
that gentleman bud an eye to pecuniary gain in the
matter. Among other objects of attraction which the
defendant had provided for the public, had been one
which be had employed the present plaintiff to carry
out for him. The plaintiff was accordingly instructed
to erect a large tower, which was described as the
" Skeleton Tower," and the defendant advertised that
from this Skeleton Tower " The Atlas of Mount
Etna" would descend every night in a blaze of fire-
works, standing upon two large globes. Now, it ap-
peared to him that the defendant must have a some-
what confused notio❑ of the heathen mythology, when
he put his " Atlas" upon the " globe," instead of the
" globe" being put upon the shoulders of his-" Atlas."
—(Laughter.) But as to the work performed by the
plaintiff, he, in addition to this " Skeleton Tower,"
had also built an orchestra, a shooting gallery, pay-
boxes, and other things, all of which constituted items
in the plaintiff's demand.
The plaintiff was examined, and proved the amount
of work done. He had given credit for payments
amounting to 661. Os. 2id.
Cross-examined—He had given evidence in this
matter before the arbitrator. In the descent from
the tower there were an iron cradle and two globes,
upon which Mr. Henrian rested as the " Atlas of
Mount Etna." The arrangement was, that the
globes were to look as though Atlas stood upon them
as they went round, but in reality he did not do so.
A Mr. Lewis and an officer of the Rifles had gone
down.—(Laughter.) H. used to stand champagne,
and was a good fellow.—(Renewed laughter.)
Mr. CHAMBEI39, on the part of the defendant, con-
tended that the plaintiff, in truth, had been paid, and
th,it the defendant had a good answer to the action,
for he had been summoned to the County Court at
Gravesend, where the matter had been referred by
the order of the Judge, and an award subsequently
made.

Evidence of these facts was then gone into.
Mr. JAMES urged, however, that the award of the
arbitrator had been set aside. With regard to the al-
leged payments, he challenged his Learned Friend to
produce the defendant's receipts.
Eventually a verdict was entered upon several of
the issues for the plaintiff, with damages for 271., and
leave was given to move to enter a verdict for the ba-
lance proved.

SHERIFFS' COURT, Nov. 20.
(Before Mr. W. H. BIIRCHELL and a Common Jury )
HARRISON V. COUNT REVENTLOW AND ANOTHER.
This was an action for assault, in which judgment
was allowed to go by default, brought by Ann Har-
rison, a widow, against Count Alfred Reventlow, the
late Danish ambassador, and his butler, Thomas
Bottley. The damages were laid at 2001.
Mr, CLARKSON, in stating the case to the jury, said
there had lately been an important change in the law
relating to evidence. It was a most important and
advantageous change, and, but for that change, he
should not on the present occasion have been enabled
to put the unfortunate plaintiff's case before the jury.
The Learned Counsel expressed his regret that the
action had come before the public. The late Count
Reventlow, who was the representative of the Danish
Court, was most deservedly respected, and he was
sorry to add that since the proceedings the Count
had been found dead in his bed at Glasgow. He could
not help expressing his sorrow that the family bad
permitted the action to come before an Englibh court
of justice.

The plaintiff Ann Harrison and a policeman named
Dignam were called. It appeared that the plaintiff,
who is 44, was cook in the service of the Count in
Wilton-terrace. She had game sent to her from
Scotland by the family to be dressed for the servants.
The other defendant, Bottley, who was butler, claimed
the game for himself, and a disagreement arose. The
young Count, a mere youth, gave her notice, and
some time afterwards a new cook was engaged. On
Saturday night, the 4th of October, about half past
10 o'clock, she (the plaintiff) retired to her bedroom,
and when undressed she heard some one at her door.
Thinking it was the new servant she opened it, on
which the Count and his butler, with another person
whom she had ascertained to be a policeman in plain
clothes, came into her room. The strange man made
her dress in his presence, and told her that he would
turn her out as she was if she did not dress her-
self. She put on her things, and the man dragged
her down stairs, the defendants helping him, and
when he got her to the door he pushed her into
the street, and told her to go to the devil.
She had no lodging to go to, and it was
a very wet night. She was taken by a policeman to
a shelter in a mews, where she remained until six
o'clock, when the policeman went off duty. She then
went to her friends, and for three days had been con •
fined to her hod from the cold she caught. She was
attended by a surgeon. Dignam, the policeman, said
he saw the plaintiff in the street between eleven and
twelve o'clock. She told him what had occurred, and
he took her for a shelter to Belgrave-mews, where she
remained some time. It was merely a passage for a
shelter. The night was very severe, the rain pouring
down in torrents. It was certainly not a night to
turn any woman into the streets.
Mr. CLARKeoN said he had no other witnesses.
No person appeared on the part of the defendants.
The UNDERSHERIFF laid the facts before the jury,
telling them to give such damages as they thought the
plaintiff deserved for the violent and inexcusable con-
duct of the parties towards her.
The jury, after a few minutes' consideration, as-
sessed the damages at 501.

---
POLICE INTELLIGENCE,
GUILDHALL.
John Roberts WAS charged with assaulting M. Louis
Dufort, a pastrycook, of Smithfield-bars.
It appeared that complainant, who has frequently
been the means of bringing pickpockets to justice, was
passing the end of Field-lane adjoining Safron•hill,
when prisoner and twelve other " vagabonds," as be
described them, attacked him with their fists and
stones. Prisoner struck him a blow just under the
right eye, leaving the mark of his knuckles. He gave
prisoner into custody, who threatened to "do for
him," when he came out of prison again, for getting
him a fortnight's imprisonment some time ago.
Moss, a detective, was present at the station, and
heard prisoner threaten to give witness " something
on hit:eye that his mother should not wipe off." He had
prisoner in custody in January last, when he tried to
thrust his eye out with a tobacco pipe. and the last
time he was in Bridewell he promised Moss, when he
came out, he would give him some vitriol in his eyes.
Prisoner alleged that complainant struck him first

with a great stick with which he had been beating a
boy, whose cries attracted him (prisoner) to the spot.
Alderman WIRE believed the prisoner capable of
carrying out any of the threats he had uttered, if an
opportunity offered. He, however, hoped that the
Commissioner would put an extra officer on that beat
to prevent the recurrence of such scenes.
Inspector Joy said that part of Field-lane was in
the county, and that the prisoner and his companions
set the City police at defiance.
Alderman WIRE said he was aware that part of
Field-lane was not in the City, or the gang would
have been broken up long ago ; but at all events the
additional constable on the City boundary would
have a beneficial effect in restraining the violence of
such characters.

The prisoner was then fined 21g., or in default 21
days' imprisonment on low diet; and at the expiration
of that time to find two sureties in 201. each to keep
the peace for six months, or in default to be committed
to prison for the same term.

either money nor sureties werr forthcoming, and
the prisoner was consequently removed to prison.
MARLBOROUGH•STREET.
Mr. Ernest Wilkinson, of Charlotte-street, Berke-
ley-square, was summoned for neglecting to main-
tain his illegitimate offspring.
Mary Hunt said, she became acquAinted with the
defendant at a house where the defendant used to visit
some lady acquaintances. The result was an inti-
macy, of which the fruits were a child, born about a
month ago. The defendant had sent her about 91. in
all, but latterly had done nothing regular towards the
support of the child.

A. witness named Macgusal said she called on the
defendant, and received 2/. from him for the com-
plainant.
Mr. BINGHAM asked this witness if the defendant
said anything about the child ?—The witness replied
he asked if the chield was alive, and on being informed
it was, he said be wished the child was dead.
Mr. BINGHAM considered this was sufficient. No
one but the putative father would make such an obser-
vation. The defendant must, therefore, pay 2s. 6d. a
week and the expenses.
A person of respectable exterior named Merritt,
was charged with having dropped some prints of an
indecent charactir in Kensington-gardens.
A lady said the defendant dropped prints o❑ two
occasions in the gardens, which she gave to the gate-
keeper.

The gatekeeper, Young, said he kept watch for the
defendant, and saw him drop a print yesterday in the
gardens. He took him into custody.
The defendant protested his innocence in the
strongest manner.

Mr. BINGHAM said, several complaints had bee,
made of conduct like that attributed to the defend-
ant, and therefore it was necessary to check the
offence.

Fined 403., and to find bail, two sureties in 100,
each.

WORSHIP-STREET

James Chalmers, a haggard. emaciated-looking
man, stated to be very respectably connected, was
brought up before Mr. Hemmill, charged with the
following determined attempt at self destruction.
Baker, a con,table of the H division, stated that
while on duty in the Hackney-road, between ten and
eleven o'clock in the evening of Wednesday se'nnight,
the prisoner advanced towards him with a staggering
gait, and, thrusting a piece of paper into his hand,
instantly dropped senseless to the pavement. On
perusing the paper he found it to contain the
words, " I have poisoned myself. Take me,
if you can, when I am dead, to .Norwocd•
place, Hackney-road." The prisoner, who bad
several letters clutched tightly in his hand
at the time he fell, was, with the assistance of several
by-passers, raised from the ground and carried into
the shop of an adjoining chemist, who succeed d, by
the administration of several powerful emetics, in
restoring him to a state of partial consciousness, and
directed his immediate removal to the London Hos-
pital, in which he had been retained as an inmate
until pronounced to have sufficiently recovered to be
able to attend the court to answer the charge. On
making subsequent inquiries at the address given on
the paper, he hid ascertained that about a twelve-
month since the prisoner had contracted a clandestine
marriage with a young lady, then only fifteen years
of age, with whom he had since lived ; but, from the
tenor of the letters found it his possession, two of
which were addressed to his wife, and one to his
mother-in-law, whom he bitterly reproached for
her contumelious treatment of him, it appeared
that a great deal of domestic discord and misery
bad resulted from the match, which bad eventually
worked upon his mind to such a degree as to induce
him to make the attempt upon his life. It was also
manifest that the prisoner entertained a morbid feel-
ing of jealousy towards his wife, one of his letters to
whom, written immediately after taking the poison,
was couched in terms of the most devoted affection for
her, but despair of her affection for him, and concluded
with the words, "It will soon be over—three days'
employment for the papers, and you will then be
without a tie, unless your conscience should revive
such recollections as will embitter all your future life."
Some obscure allusion was then made to some occur-
rence that had taken place at Gravesend, and the
memory of which, he said, could only die with him ;
to which he added, "The agony I am now in is not so
great as that you have ocoa,ioned me, and may God
forgive you, as I now do." The officer added that
the prisoner had purchased small quantities of lauda-
num at different chemists', amounting altogether to
nearly two ounces, the whole of which he bad taken,
and, upon searching his pockets, he had found an
empty bottle containing traces of the poison.
Mr. Joseph Burch, surgeon, of the London Hospi-
tal, deposed that the prisoner, on being brought to
that institution, was still so labouring under the
effects of a copious dose of opium that he was in a
state of complete stupor, but that by the administra-
tion of antidotes and other means the action of the
drug was counteracted, and the prisoner, after several
days' detention, was at length res ored.
When asked if he wished to say anything, the pri-
soner, in a low and dejected tone, merely said that he
was in such a state of despondency and excitement
that he could not control himself; but he wes'now
very sorry for his conduct and did not intend to re-
peat it.
The prisoner's wife, a young creature in an ad-
vanced stage of pregnancy, was in court, and as it did
not appear, from the statement of her relatives, that
the prisoner had himself behaved very well towards
her,

Mr. HAMMILL, who remarked upon the determina-
tion the prisoner had displayed in carrying out his
purpose, ordered him to be committed until that day
week, to afford time for consideration as to his ulti•
mate disposal.