The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-07 00:00:00

THE ENGLISH JOINT-STOCK BARK.

The prosecutions in the matter of the English Joint-
Stock Bank do not conclude with the one of conspiracy to de-
fraud the shareholders. Mr. Lewis, it will be remembered,
announced that he should obtain a summons for perjury
against Mr. Finney, and on Saturday the case cam e before the
Lord Mayor. Mr. G. Lewis conducted the prosecution ; Mr.
Littler and Mr. Straight appeared for the defendant.
It appeared that in the course of the proceedings that had
previously taken place in Chancery, the defendant, in his
examination, swore that he had never received a sum of
£666 from a gentleman named Howard, who had nego-
tiated the sale of the Bideford Bank to the English Joint-
Stock Bank, and another larger sum of money from Mr.
Bradlaugb, who had negotiated the sale of the Nottingham
Bank. It will be remembered that upon the facts dis-
closed in the examination of the directors it was positively
sworn that these sums of mousy had been paid to the
defendant, and upon this evidence the present charge was
prepared against him. The first part of the evidence was
much the same as that whichwas given upon the examina-
tion of the defendant upon the other charge. Mr. Lewis,
in opening the case for the prosecution, said that it was
instituted by Mr. Lambert, the prosecutor in the former
case, at his own expense, and the official liquidators had
nothing whatever to do with it.

THE REPORTED MASSACRE 'N

ABYSSINIA.

Confirmation is to hand of the massacre reported from
Abyssinia by Mr. Iteutet's telegrams. A despatch from
Newport says :
" Information has reached here that Mr. Thomas
Powell, of Coldra Hall, his wife, and child, have been mur-
dered in Abyssinia. Mr. Powell was a wealthy colliery
proprietor, and some time last year he conceived the idea of
going on a shooting excursion to Abyssinia, inwhichhe was
to be joined by several other gentlemen. Many of his
friends were strongly opposed to his going out, but he per-
sisted in it, and some four or five months ago left this
country for Abyssinia, accompanied by several keepers,
his wife, an amiable and beloved lady, and his younger
child. The writer has not been informed whether any of
the gentlemen that contemplated joining Lim really went
out or not. About a fortnight ago it was reported that he
had been taken prisoner, but the report was disbelieved,
and a contradiction subsequently appeared.
" Full confirmation of the distressing news is, however,
now to hand. The information reached this country in
the following manner. A telegram was sent by the agent
of the Peninsular and Oriental Company at Aden to the
chief officer in Londe'', conveying the sad intelligence.
This arrived on Friday night, and on Sunday it reached
Mr. Walter Powell, M. P. for Westbury, brother of the
unfortunate gentleman. Mr. Powell, Mrs. Powell, and
their child are said to be murdered, but it is not known
whether the English maid-servant and the keepers that
accompanied them escaped cr not. Mr. Powell was the
eldest son of the late Mr. Thomas Powell, of the Goer,
near this town, the great colliery proprietor, and he has
two brothers living, Mr. Walter Powell, M.P., and Mr.
Henry Powell ; there are also several sisters. He was a
magistrate for Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire, and
married the daughter of the late Mr. John Jenkins, of
Caerleon. There were five children living by the marriage
including the one they took out with them."

It is stated that early in the present week the
Lords will discuss the propriety of agreeing to addresses to
the Crown for the issue of several royal commissions to
report upon the corrupt practices at elections, sanction to
which has been already given in the House of Commons.
It is understood that the Chancellor of the
Exchequer has another surprise in store for his friends
and his enemies. The succession and the probate duties
will undergo a considerable alteration, and possibly
amalgamation, with a general result undreamed of in the
philosophy of ordinary Finance Ministers.—Eastern Post.
THE YOUGHAL ELECTION.—A petition has been
lodged against the return of Mr. Guest for Youghal on
the grounds that he was the nominee of Mr. Weguelin,
and that Mr. Weguelin acted as his agent, and canvassed
for him ; also that Mr. Guest was guilty of corrupt prac-
tices. The petition prays that the election may be declared
void.

The Bishop of Carlisle is still staying in London.
The Carlisle Journal says that an improvement in
his health reported last week has teen somewhat checked by
the cold weather, and his lordship "continues in much the
same state of physical weakness." His medical attendants
decline giving a positive opinion as to the precise nature or
the issue of the illness; but it is satisfactory to know that
there has been a diminution of suffering for some time past.
At a recent meeting of the Council of the Sheffield
Chamber of Commerce, a memorial was adopted to the
Prime Minister, praying that a bill might be introduced by
the Government, based upon the report and recommenda-
tions of the majority of the Commissioners. The memorial
has been presented by Mr. Hadfield, who has received a
reply from Mr. Gladstone. The Premier says (addressing
Mr. Hadfield):—" Will you be kind enough to assure the
memorialists that I will not fail to bring their wishes under
the consideration of my colleagues, and that they may be
confident that the whole question will receive the careful
attention of her Majesty's Government.

. -
FIRE AND LOSS OF THREE LIVES.—On Saturday
evening, at about half-past nine o'clock, a fire broke out
in a five-storey house in Pentonville-road. The premises
were occupied by lodgers, and the occupant of the lower
storey let fall a bottle of paraffin oil, which took fire, and
unfortunately reached the stairs. In an incredibly short
space of time the staircase was so enveloped in flame
as to be impassable, and retreat from the upper rooms
was cut off. The screams of several women from the upper
windows were frightful. Several scrambled over the roof to
a neighbouring house, but before the fire-escape could
arrive, two young women, Martha Naylor, 23, Letitia
Thomas, 22, and a child, between 3 and 4 years old, were
burnt to death. The engines, on their arrival, were able
to pour such copious streams of water into the building
that in half-an-hour the fire was extinguished, and the
charred remains of the deceased recovered from the &brio.
The two girls were dressmakers, and were late at work on
a dress intended to be worn on the Sunday.

THE GREAT PETITION IN FAVOUR or Oricrunio
MUSEUMS ON SUNDAYS.—On Friday night, Mr. Thomas
Chambers, M.P., conveyed to the Hous© of Commons an
affidavit that this petition contained fictitious signatures.
Mr. R. M. Morrell, of the National Sunday League,
writes denying that the petition does contain such signa-
tures. The council had detected the practice of frauds,
dismissed the two men, Beck and Biggs, and con-
demned the sheets, which were therefore not put to the
petition, but remain in the office of the League, as evi-
dence of their honesty of purpose. On being discharged
by the League, these men got employment of the same
kind from the Lord's-day Rest Association, on learning
which Mr. Morrell wrote to the secretary informing him
of the facts. Mr. Morrell states— "Of the 60,714 signa-
tures sent into Parliament, fully 40,000 were collected by
the direct agency of the council and personal friends,
and of 'the other canvassers such a supervision has been
exercised as to warrant our belief in every signature beint

DECISION OF THE PEERS TO .REJSCI

THE IRISH CHURCH BILL.

A meeting of Peers and Bishops was held on Saturall.,/
at the residence of the Duke of Marlborough, St. Jaules.,;'d
square, for the purpose of considering what course
he adopted in connection with the Irish Church Bill 1/11e'
it comes on for the second reading in the House of
There were present—Duke of Abercorn, Earl of Aber;
gavenny, Earl Amherst, Earl Bandon, Bishop of Bang°"
Viscount Bangor, Lord Bateman, Marquis of Bath,
Bathurst, Earl Beauchamp, Duke of Beaufort, IS
Berners, Lord Blayney, Lord Bolton, Earl of Braat "
Marquis of Bradford, Marquis of Bristol, Earl Browno
Duke of Buccleuch, Duke of Buckingham, Earl Ced°,.,,gapri
Lord Cairns, Earl Carnarvon, Lord Castlemaine,
Chelmsford, Lord Churston, Earl Clancarty, Lord C
cheater, Lord Colville, Lord Claxina, Earl Covent* -";
Courtown, Lord Crofton, Earl Darnley, Earl 13'.
mouth, Lord de L'lsle, Earl Denbigh, Lord Derail/1
Earl Derby, Lord de Ros, Lord de Saumarez, Vist
de Vesci, Earl Devon, Lord Digl,y, Marquis of Downsb''-'
Marquis of Drogheda, Earl Dunmore, Lord Dunbeln'
Earl Dunsany, Lord Fgerton, Earl Egremont,
Lord Elphinstone, Earl of Enniskillen, Viscount Exlo` % ,
Lord Faversham, Earl Fitzwilliam, Lord Galway, wi
Bishop of Gloucester, Viscount Gough, .Vige.°ll„en
Gormanston, the Earl of Haddington, Viscount Ilarduib
Earl Hardnicke, Earl llarewood, Earl of Harriat:4ll'
Viscount Hawarden, Lord Headley, Lord Henn
Viscount Hereford, Lord Heytesbury, Earl Horne,_
of Huntingdon, Lord Hylton, Lord Kesteven, v;,,i
Kilmaine, Earl Lauderdale, Earl Leitrim, ref
Leven and Melville, Earl of Limerick, 1::93.`„.4,
Longford, Earl of Lonsdale, Earl of Lucan, Lordl,l4';',
Earl of Macclesfield, Earl of Malmesbury,
of Manchester, Earl Manvers, Duke of
borough, Viscount Melville, Viscount Middleton, 0
Nelson, Lord Northwick, Lord Ormathwaite,
O'Neill, Marquis of Ormonde, Lord Penrhyn, Bishopr,l
Peterborough, Earl Portarlington, Lord Raglan,
Eavensworth, Lord Redesdale, Duke of Richmond, v,P
",,f
Rivers, Earl of Romney, Earl of Rosse, Duke
td,
Rutland, Lord St. Leonards, Marquis of Sali'7ol
Lord Saltoun, Earl of Sandwich, Lord Scarsdale, 5111,,
Selkirk, Viscount Sidmouth, Lord Sinclair, Lord S'rc,,
mersdale, Earl Stanhope, Lord Sondes, Earl of Stradrr
Lord Strathnairn, Earl of Tankerville, Viscount Teulio,
town, Lord Thurlow, Lord Tredegar, Earl 'Vert
Lord Walsingham, Earl of Warwick, Duke of NNTeiji
ton, Marquis of Wesmeath, Earl Wilton, Marquia4
Winchester, Lord Wynford, Archbishop of Dublin, 7,1
of Kingston, Bishop of Tuam, Bishop of Derry, Pre
Harrowby. et 4
The meeting was a strictly private one, and the le—to
firmly refused to give the slightest indication of the e°l/9
which had been agreed upon. Nevertheless we are
to present to our readers substantially what of
place. As the leader of the party in the Let)
House, House, Lord Cairns spoke at considerable I°ol
So far from wavering or being in favour of the paes/gety
the bill, he very firmly and strenuously urged thatt
second reading should be opposed and the bill reiected
The leaders of the party, be said, did not
to dictate, they were anxious that the iudgm:till
of each peer should be unfettered ; but ;let
they felt that as the country bad /1-00
yet pronounced an opinion on the bill itself, and to
feeling of the Upper House was so decidedly OPP°5el,O
it, the most politic course, the course most consistenb rd,
best under all circumstances, would be that tbeir,lifo
ships should repudiate the measure. At the same "tiod
he did not think it right that the motion for the rejec.tio4
of the measure should come from the front OPPlor
bench. He therefore suggested that the Earllfs
rowby, as an independent Peer, rather than biw-pi
should move an amendment to the second readin' or
doing so, the Earl would, of course, rely upon the ,173„,,.r0
bers of the party for their support, which Lord
hoped would he accorded to him.
The Marquis of SALISBURY succeeded Lord Ca10,13'.4.4
• ~rd

very earnestly deprecated the course which Lora dicl
had recommended. The agitation which W.,,,°-01
succeed the rejection of the bill would be 7,ivi;
disastrous to the country, and would in the end do OtP,h- I
to save the Irish Church. It was better (he declared)
their lordships should accept the bill and modify it ill c°,-
mittee than that they should renew all the ill-feelit'
excitement which had already prevailed to such
extent,
th°l4ll

The Earl of CARNARVON spoke in the same sense, of
the meeting appeared to be decidedly against bin''
urged that the House under present circumstances
a position to make terms for the Church, while it 131'9
not be so hereafter. A
pith
The Earl of DERBY spoke with great warmth, an
'
the manifest approval of the majority of those presem
favour of the rejection of the measure, contending t'11:1
fear as to themselves should deter them from doing

they thought to be right in the matter. 11°11
Lord STANHOPE counselled that the peers should -°
the course marked out by the Marquis of SalisburY:i reJ
The Earl of DENBIGH, as a Roman Catholic, coaoicevit
it his duty to vote for the Government in this matfett' 00
the meeting impatiently refused to hear any 1)111/1
leaders of the party against the course proposed 19Y
Cairns. f the
,ur Ito

The Duke of RUTLAND also spoke in favo,
rejection, and nearly all the subsequent speakergbill%
enthusiastic in their determination to throw out theolo
It was finally decided that no formal resolution 6Piclo{
be come to by the meeting. The leaders bad bet tbeif
they proposed to do before the party, and bad f0"7...,',4P
propositions to meet with favour. The Earl of ill'Pvto
it was tacitly agreed, should move the amendraeot,oo
second reading, and the influence of the Opposition"
brought to bear against the bill. Ole
The John Bull declares that the majority againstg
t
bill will amount to eighty votes.