The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-10 00:00:00

NINE PERSONS POISONED.

An extraordinary case of poisoning, in which nine per-
sons have had a very narrow escape from death, is
reported from West Cornwall. Mr. Huddy, farmer, of
Tredinnick, was first taken suddenly ill soon after he had
dressed himself in the morning. He appeared to be wan-
dering in his mind. The symptoms rapidly grew more
alarming, and Mr. Bennett, surgeon, of Tregony, was
sent for. By the time he arrived Miss Buddy was also
seized in a similar manner. Another sister, who was at
Tregony, went to wait upon her brother and sister, but
had not been long in the house when she also became ill,
and the same happened to a Mrs. Crago, who is also a
sister to Mr. Ruddy. Mrs. Elliott, a neighbouring farmer's
wife, then came to the assistance of the prostrated family,
but soon shared the like fate, and the servant man and
three other persons who came to nurse the family,
making nine in all, were speedily seized in a similar
mauler. From the rapidity of the attacks and
the symptoms manifested, Mr. Bennett considered
that it was an outbreak of Asiatic cholera, but on the
arrival of Dr. Barham, of Truro, that gentleman at once
pronounced it to be a decided case of poisoning. Upon
inquiry, it was found that all the sufferers bad partaken
of a batch of bread baked on Thursday. Miss Huddy
herself made the bread, assisted by the servant Pill,
who brought her the flour, &c. The girl Pill was
under notice to leave. Dr. Barham, having satisfied
himself that his patients had been poisoned, sent
for the girl and told her to bring him the remaining loaf
of bread, but she returned and stated that she could not
find it. The loaf has entirely disappeared, the police,
who have been investigating the matter, being unable to
discover it. A striking circumstance connected with the
affair is that every person who partook of food in the
house, except the servant Pill, was seized with illness. It
was at first feared that home of them would succumb to
the effects of the poison, but all are now in a fair way of
recovery, and the friends of the family have been removed
to their homes.

THE PORTADOWN RIOTS.

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At the inquest at Portadown, on- Thursday, a witness
named Watson gave a minute account of the riots, and
the firing of the police which took place on the Ist of
July. He was standing at his own door when he saw a
body of police coming up the road from the direction of
Portadown, armed with rifles. He asked Sub-Inspector
Nunan what he was going to do with his men, and the
officer asked him had he not heard that the police had
been cut up, and added "It is a bad bus:ness." Mr.
Nunan requested him to look for Mr. Shiliington, the
magistrate, and say that he was urgently wanted. He
could not find Mr. Shillington. Mr. Nunan expressed
regret, and said that he would have to act upon
his own responsibility. In a short time he heard the sub-
inspector order the crowd to leave the road. Some one
replied, " We have as much right to be here as you." The
officer declared that he would compel them to leave, and
ordered them to leave in the Queen's name, or he would
fire on them. Several persons answered, " That is mere
than you dare do." He said he could, and was told to
" try his hand." He then commanded them three times,
in the Queen's name, to disperse. The people replied as
before, and he said, " Now, I'll fire." He said something
to his men which the witness did not hear, and they
then put the weapons to their shoulders. While they
were in this position Mr. Nunan requested the crowd to
go home. The witness spoke to him, and asked him if he
really meant to fire. He replied, "I do, and lam sorry;
fir see how many innocent people are ahout there, and
they'll be shot." He asked Mr. Nunan not to fire, as he
had received no sufficient provocation. He replied that
be must, as his men were being cut up. The witness said, '
"No matter for that, don't do it." Stones were thrown, '
and about 'mita-dozen fell in front of the police, and others
struck them. The witness saw the mounted
constable rubbing his right elbow, yid he stated
that he was unable to held his revolver in
consequence of having been struck on the hand.
Mr. Nunan was struck about three times, and he
remarked that they were giving him sufficient provocation
to warrant him in firing. While they wero speaking
stones were thrown. He then said rather excitedly, " I
cannot stand this any longer ; my men are in danger."
The stone-throwing continued, but be did not see the
police struck. He again ordered the crowd to disperse in
the name of the Queen, repeating the command about six
times. The witness observed, " Mr. Nunan, you are
only doing what will tend to exasperate the
crowd." He replied, " Never you mind, Mr. Watson ; I
know what lam about." The witness said, "If you fire
you are only getting yourself into trouble, as the pro-
vocation would not warrant you to do so." He
then gave an order to the constables, who put
themselves in a position to fire. - The crowd, which
was about seven or' eight yards distant, surveyed the
movement with calm indifference. He saw many of V.em
standing with their hands in their pockets, and the sub-
inspector was told that he dared not fire. There were no
stones thrown at the t7me. The witness again asked him
- ikot to fire, but he was too absorbed or too excited to hear.
Ho suggested that it would be better to take the police
home, and they immediately marched in the direction of
Portadown. The crowd divided, let the police pass through,
and then closed after them. There were stones throWn then
at them by the crowd, but the persons around were in a..
Much danger of being struck as the police were. He say
no one struck, although there might have been many,
When they came to the Prince of Wales Hotel they
4 •
wheeled and, fired immediately. He was quite close to
them at the time. The people had said to him that
he might know very well the police dared not fire among
them. Tho constables again wheeled and marched
towards home. He followed, but they were lost to view,
. owing to the intervening crowd. Shortly afterwards he
• heard them fire again, and saw the people running. He
• did not consider his life in danger from anything the
crowd did. Twenty or thirty minutes elapsed from the
time of the first interview with Mr. Nunan and the second
firing. He heard no shouting, but the people chuckled
• and laughed when the police got up from the first firin
position.
On Friday the inquest at Portadown was continued.
; Mr.- Farrell, proprietor of the Pertadown Xeir3, deposed
that Nunan called upon the police, in the Queen's name, to
fire. Ire saw five policemen bleeding. No stone was
thrown at the time the police fired, but stones were thrown
before that. Thu pioceedings were adjourned until the
3rd of August.

THE (ECUMENICAL COUNCIL.—The following are
sail to be the subjects that will be discussed at the (Eel"-

menical Council :-1. Pantheism, Naturalism, and Abio-
' lute Rationalism. 2. Modified Rationalism. 3. Indif-
' ferenLism and Tolerance. 4. Socialism, Communism,
Secret Societies, Bible Societies, and Clerical Liberal
Societies. 5. Errors with respect to the Church and her
Rif,hts. G. Errors with respect to Civil Society in itself,
and in its Relation to the Church. 7. Errors with respect
to Natural and Christian Morals, 8. With respect to
Christian Marriage. 9. With respect to the Sovereignty
a the Roman rope. 10. With respect to Modern
- Liberalism.

ROSSINI'S USE OF DI:ASS INSTRUMENTS.—It was
tot for nothing that be and his father had played the
horn together when the young RosL,ini was gaining his
earliest experience of orchestral effects. He was always
faithful to Lis first instrument. "The art," says M.
"of writing parts for the horn, with the develop
ment of all its resources, is quite a new art, which Ei,s•
sini, in k,,i.ne sort, created.' in looking over t 1 score of
"Otelfo," with Donizetti, Sigismondi, the librarian of the
Conservatory at Naples, is said to have complained
of the prominence given to the earinets, and to
have exclaimed with horror at the employment
of horns and trombones without number.' " Third
and fourth horns!" he cried ; " what does the man want?
The greatest of our composers have always been content
with two. Shades of Fergolese, of Leo, of Jomelli ! flow
they must shudder at the bare mention of such a thing
Four horns ! Are we at a hunting party ? Four horns
Diough to blow us to perdition !" 'The old professor was
still more shocked by " 10. 2), tromboni," which,
According to an anecdote, the authenticity of which can
scarcely be guaranteed, jig mistook for " 123" trombone&
ernettainlAbg Caicarcle.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS. _

.--~

Td g CRISIS.

Neither the Times nor the Telegraph has anything
definite as to the intentions of the Government with
respect to the Irish Church Bill. The former paper
is for once entirely silent about the bill; the latter
dwells upon the stultification of the measure by the
Lords, and leave it to be inferred that Ministers will
be no party to a settlement which settles nothing.
The Daily News is far more explicit. As the mouth-
piece of the thoroughgoing Liberals, it points out
that the. Lords have refused to accent the decision
of a House of Commons elected upon that very
subject as representing the opinions of the
people, and appeals from that constitutional
body to outdoor clamour ; and, therefore, if
the appeal from Parliament and Mr. Gladstone to
Hyde Park and Mr. Beales is answered by the last-
named gentlemen and his friends, the Lords must
not complain. The same journal intimates the
absolute necessity of r opularising the House of
Lords, so as to deprive it of that power to
obstruct important legislation which is so invariably
and mercilessly used.
The Morning Post is silent. The Morning Star
refers to the matter obliquely in relation to Earl
Russell's Life Peerages Bill, and laughs at all the
pother about the introduction of two life peers a
year when everybody is thinking about other changes
of a far more extensive character. The Morning
Advertiser believes that a conflict between the two
Houses is imminent, and that in the midst of it the
Irish Church Bill will founder and be lost, and be
re-introduced next November. The Standard believes
well founded the rumour that the Government mean
to reject the Lords' amendments, and is, by anticipation,
very indignant at the affront about to be offered to a
body of ''"h-spirited gentlemen. The Herald thinks
that the ,rds did very wisely in throwing out the
Life Peerages Bill, because if such a measure were
sent down to the Commons at this juncture, it would
be almost a provocation to the Radicals (just now
" furious with the Peers") to discuss and revolu-
tionise the constitution of the Upper Chamber.
The Irish limes says that when Mr. Gladstone
heard that the Lords had, on the motion of the
Opposition leader, topped all their previous per-
formancesby inserting with a majority of seventy,
in a House of 2.50 Peers, that for some time no
arrangement should be come to as regards the
appropriation of the Church surplus revenues,
lie sarcastically remarked that it would not
surprise him if the Upper House ignored altogether
the preamble and omitted the title of the bill. Five
of the eight important amendments which the Lords
have made are to be disagreed to, so that it now
appears tolerably certain, if the followers in combi-
nation with Lord Cairns and Lord Salisbury remain
resolute, as they say they will, on the main pro-
visions they have introduced, the session of 1309
may pass over without any Irish Church Act.
Some leading Conservatives of the House or
Lords are, in spite of the changes which they have
made in the bill, so little satisfied with it that they
have induced a summons of Irish peers to be issued
for a meeting to be held at the Duke of Abercorn's
to-day. These peers are anxious to reject the
bill altogether on the third reading, which takes place
on Monday. There is also to be a meeting of Arch-
bishops and Bishops at Lambeth to-clay, to con-
sider the bill before it reaches its final stage.
The Birmingham Post says that " the temper or
Conservative peers is so uneonciliatory at the present
oment that grave apprehensions are entertained of
a collision between the two Houses, and loss of the
bill for the present session. The Liberal party will
hear with-satisfaction that a considerable creation of
Liberal peers will take place during the recess." This
extensive use of the royal prerogative is said to be
absolutely necessary to overrule the antagonistic atti-
tude of the Upper llouse.

A BISHOP ON IRISH EDUCATION.

The I3ishop of Tuam does not the national
system of education as carried out in Ireland.
Precisely what he wants is not quite clear ; but
at an Irish Church Education meeting held in
the metropolis, he very vigorously denounced the
present plan. Its effect, he declared, was to keep
the Bible out of the hands of the people. How to
obviate this difficulty be did not say. Perhaps ho
would wish for all education to be in the hands of
the Episcopalian Church. Evidently he thought
that the Roman Catholics ought to have as little r.s
possible of it in their hands, for he went on to com-
plain that as statesmen bad already granted to the
lloinanists privileges in the matter of education, so
they were doing in all other matters. Should Mr.
Gladstone's plan for appropriating the surplus be
carried, the Bishop thought the Roman Catholics
would have the best of it.