The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-15 00:00:00

THAMES.

ROBBERY IN TIIE LONDON DCOK.—John Fisb, who up to
Saturday filled the responsible situation of a wine cooper
in the London Dock for many years, was brought before
Mr. Benson charged with stealing a pint of brandy.
Inspector Hamilton, of the London Dock police, said he
stopped the prisoner at the principal gateway, and asked
him him if he had anything about him which did not be-
long to him: The prisoner said he had not. Ho intimated
that he should search him, and the prisoner then produced
a pint bottle of brandy, and said that a man had given it
to him. The prisoner was employed among the wines, and
not among the brandies.

Mr. C. Young, solicitor, stated that the prisoner could
give no other account of his possession of the brandy than
he had already done, and he was very sorry for what he
bad dctie. The prisoner had been for many years in the
service of the Dock Company, was a man of good charac-
ter, and had never been charged with any offence before.
The prisoner's wife was in a sickly condition, and he in-
tended the brandy for her. The prisoner had also been
very ill, and was attended by doctors for determination
of blood to the head. Under these circumstance;
and as the prisoner would not be employed in the dock
again, he hoped the magistrate would inflict a fine.

Mr. Benson said, for the sake of uniformity, he could
not inflict a fine. The prisoner had stolen the brandy, and
of course disgrace would attach to him. He sentenced
the prisoner to ono month's imprisonment and hard labour.

Foreign Mail .eaciiet List.

MAILS DUE.

Amaral's, and New Zealand, via Southamptol.......Feb. 27.
Ditto, via Vsraeilles
Ditto, via Ptauma
Brasil, Buenos Ayres, and Monte Video Mar. 7.
Ditto, by French packet
Cape Verds, by Brazil packet ........ • Mar. 7:
Cape of Good Hope. Ascension, and Bt. Helena Feb. 12.
China, Penang, and Singapore. via Southampton—Feb. 13.
Gibraltar, via Southampton

India. via Southampton

intto, via Mars&les
Malta, Egypt, dm. Feb 13.
Ditto, Marseilles Ft b. 16
Mauritius, Cape of Good Hope, and Natal, via

ticuthamston
Ditto, Marseilles Feb 11 ,

Newfoandla d ... .... ......F.b .0
Portugal ...
United States, t anada, California, &a., by British
packet Feb 13
Ditto, by Canadian packet
Ditto, by L eited States packet Feb 10

Ditto ditto (Baltimore)
West Coast of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe Feb. 16
West Indies and Paalie (except Mexioo and Baha-
mas) Feb 13
Falkland Islands " Mar 7.
Cub and Mexico OOOO ••••• filar. 1.
Bermuda, via
Bahamas, via New York Feb.

STEAM SHIPBUILDING ON TIIE CLTDE.—Messrs.
Henderson, Coulborn, and Co., of Renfrew, have launched
a paddle named the Kjobenhasn, for passenger traffic be-
tween Aarhuus and Copenhagen. The principal dimensions
of this steamer are as follows : —Length, 220 ft ; breadth,
25ft. 6in. ; depth, 13ft. bin. She is to be fitted with a pair
of the builders' high and low pressure surface-condensing
engines of 200-horse power, nominal, with feathering
paddle-wheels. She will ply been Aarhuus and Copen-
hagen. The City of Brooklyn, screw, built by Messrs.
Tod and M'Gregor, of Glasgow, for the Liverpool, New
York, and Philadelphia Steamship Company, has arrived
in the Mersey from the Clyde.
ANNUAL SWORN REPORT OF SOME OF THE NEW
YORK PETROLEUM COMPANIES.—TIIO Clinton Oil Company
report that they have no debts; the Northern Light Oil
I Company, that they owe $662.29 ; the WebSter Petro-
leum Company, $2,000; the Allen Wright Oil Com-
pany, $3,100; the Guild Farm Oil Company, $5OO ;
the American Oil and Mining Company, no debts ;
the Bliven Petroleum Company, $1,200, and disputed
claims amounting to nearly $60,000; the Consolidated
Petroleum Company, less than $5OO ; the Everett Petro-
leum Company, not over $8,500 ; the Buchanan Farm Oil
Company, not exceeding $2OO ; the Rynd Farm Oil Corn-
paoy, $3,205 and a disputed claim of $15,000 ; the New
York and Pennsylvania Oil Company, about $9,000
the French Creek Petroleum Company 830,535 (ir:
litigation) ; the Heydrick Oil Company, $21,000,
and
the Bergen Oil and Coal Company, $113,000.

The Tribune is trying tnforee—iii---Collector
Smytho into a fight with Mr. Pollard, who has beet writ-
ing something very severe about the candidate for the
Russian Embassy. The Tribune's way of putting it is
i (the rebel "carpet-bagger" being Mr. Pollard) : —Mr.
Smythe first went out of his way—neglecting the scores
of wounded s Idlers seeking such appointments at his
hands—to confer a place upon a noted and most viru-
lent 11-bal carpet-bagger. Then, according to Pol-
lard, Mr. Slily-the sanctioned the taking of the test
oath by this rabid Rebel editor. Next, we are
t Id, Mr. Smytho persuaded Pollard to resign,
on the ground that his appointment was too odious for the
collector to bear the burden of it, and with the distinct
promise that his salary should be continued without his
doing any work ! " I 'rive a plan," said the diplomatic
Smythe, according to Pollard's report; "resign at my
request—be particular to put it at my request—and I
shan't appoint any successor to your place, and your salary
can go on." As to putting in any substitute to do the
work, Pollard could does he pleased ; " but resign (wink-
ing his eye), you see the game I shall make on these fel-
lows." But the game was made on another victim, for, on
the faith of this promise to cheat the Government, Pollard
was hinoall cheated irate resigning.

MERCHAIVTS' COMPANY.

iff. Richard Stuart Lane, Mr. Horace Edward Chapman,
►nd Mr. Frederick Jbhn Helbert Helbert, directors of the
kterchants' Company (Limited), appeared before tho
Lord Mayor, at tho Justice room of the Mansion-house,
m Saturday morning, to undergo a further examination, on
two summonses, taken out by Mr. Somerville, commission
tgent, Glasgow, charging them, first, with having con-
spired together, by divers subtle means and devices, to de-
salve and defraud the public by inducing them to become
shareholders of the company ; and (secondly), with having
published a prospectus knowing the same to be false in divers
naterial particulars. The case has been adjourned in order
o afford time for an investigation of the books ; and it was
sow further adjourned by agreement, without taking any
►dditional evidence, till Monday week. The defendants
gore again released on bail.

THE CONVE.IT CASE.

On Saturday, the tenth day of the great convent case,
mblic interest appeared to be visibly abating. The
neighbourhood of the court was much less crowded than
m previous days, and the court itself was less crowded
than before ; but the number increased towards the latter
cart of the day.
Mrs. Starr's cross-examination was resumed by the
Solicitor-General :--I told the sisters to use moderate lan-
page in their depositions for the bishop, and not to write
anything of which they were doubtful.
The Solicitor-General : And the rule you laid down for
;he sisters you prescribed for yourself ?
Defendant (hesitatingly) : I wished to do it. She con-
cealed a book in her cell. There are no locks in the cells.
The superior can go to them at any time and take out what
she pleases. When I say hidden there, the cell is not the
proper place to keep books. I found it, however, under
her clothes in a cabinet. I found it on the shelf of an
unlocked cupboard, between her clothes. I went there
Purposely to look for it, from what the sister to whom I had
riven it told me.
The Lord Chief Justice : Tell us what you found.
" Concealed " is for the jury to consider.
Defendant : It was not on the top of the clothes ; it
might have been amongst or under them. It was about
the size of a small prayer-book, and called "Devotions to
Jesus." I don't know if there was another copy in the
convent. I had given it to Mrs. M`Owne in Miss Sainin's
presence about a week or ten days before I found it in the
ca. Previous to giving it to Mrs. M`Owne I had used
the book. Mrs. M`Owne told me she bad lost the book,
and said she could not help thinking Miss Saurin had got
.t. When I accused her of taking it she at first evaded the
question.

The Lord Chief Justice : Was her name in it as a pre-
sentation by you, or as the owner of the book ?
Defendant : As a presentation. I told her she knew it
was not mine, as she was present when I gave it to Sister
Mary Agnes. She admitted it was a fault against poverty
—that she had done wrong. The book is not here, but
can be produced.
The Solicitor• General: I should like the book to be sent
For, because I am told you are wrong about the inscrip-
tion ; and what you have described is what you consider
concealment.

Defendant : The redistribution of clothes in 1862 was
made for the general benefit of the community, but not
with any intention of limiting her particularly, although
I said in my depositions it was made in consequence of
her having too much clothes, and an unaccountable accu-
mulation of things, such as bobbins and trifling things of
that kind.

The Solicitor-General : Do you think an "unaccount-
able accumulation of things " conveyed to the episcopal
mind bobbins and such like ? (Laughter.)
Defendant : I really don't know. This statement to the
bishop was not an exaggeration, but a statement of fact.
When I say she cut up her clothes and made them up
anew, I found that in the case of a petticoat she had
cut up one petticoat, and made the other thicker, in some
parts six thicknesses. It should only have had two thick-
nesses. I cannot speak to it positively. I felt it was
heavier. I won't undertake to say she bad cut out the
bad parts and made them good. This was done after I had
altered the number of the clothing. I also stated in my
deposition that the destruction of her apparel was most
unaccountable, and that had reference to her tearing her
veil and other articles I have already described. Some
nuns honestly wear out their clothes quicker than others.
My impression was that Miss Saurin did it dishonestly.
I described her as "a clever woman, who always
had excuses that satisfied me " for the time being. I
never made inquiries whether her excuses were true in
fact, but on reflection I considered them not to he. I did
not consider an inquiry necessary. I found it out partly
from my own observation and partly from inquiry—perhaps
both. (The defendant was cross-examined on this point for
considerable time, and, in answer to a question, said 11..
did not understand what the learned counsel was question.
ing her about.)

Mr. Mellish : You have gone on long enough to puzzle

any one.

The Lord Chief Justice : I quite agree with that.

Cross-examination continued : I by no means meant to
make any charge whatever against her moral character
when I wrote " she was in a state of excitement when the
priest was present." I felt very uncomfortable about her.
What I meant by the statement, "I caught her kneeling by
he side of the priest, putting things into his hand and sug-
gesting she should go with him," turned upon the rule of
dleness, "that she shall always and in all places
preserve in her deportment a gravity becoming a religious
person," and I am quite sure neither the bishop nor tho
commission thought it a reflection on her moral character.
My reference to a gross scandal was not to be considered
in any gross sense whatever. My statement of "my fear
of a coming scandal," which I mentioned to Canon Motley,
bad reference entirely and solely to her pilfering the
children's dinners. I believed the plaintiff to be ver'
insincere, and " perpetually telling falsehoods."

Mrs. Kennedy, the co-defendant, was also called on
Saturday, and confirmed in many respects the evidence
given by Miss Starr. She charged Aliss Saurin with
breaking the rules of silence and poverty, and with taking
things from the other sisters. The witness was examined
in contradiction of certain statements of the plaintiff as to
ill-treatment. As to the alleged deprivation of bedclothes,
she said it arose from a little pressure in the house, and
there was a struggle among the sisters who should give it
up, and Miss Saurin was among those who offered. She
denied the alleged rudeness on the occasion of Miss Saurin's
removal from Clifford to Hull, and positively swore that
she never pushed Miss Saurin downstairs.
The court was again adjourned.

The fortune which the Princess Bacciochi has
left to the Prince Imperial amounts, report says, to
7,000,000 f.

THE FRENCH INSTITUTE. —Professor Max Muller,
who in 1858 had been elected a corresponding member of
the French Institute (Acad4mie des Inscriptions et Belles-
Lettres), has just been elected one of the eight foreign
Associates of that Academy.

The following characteristic advertisement ap-
pears in a New York paper :—" If the party who took a
fancy to my overcoat was influenced by the inclemency of
the weather, all right ; but if by commercial considerations,
I am ready to negotiate for its return.—John Brougham,
No. 325, West Fourteenth-street."
SINKING OF A CONVICT HULK.—The Journal
Officiel of the French Empire publishes the following :
" We learn that the floating hulk, Cacique, moored in
the roadstead at Cayenne, suddenly sank on the 26th of
December, and several convicts perished, notwithstanding
that prompt assistance was afforded. The Minister of
Marine has ordered an inquiry to ascertain the cause of
this disaster."

A conference of thesepresentatives of a large num-
ber of the poor-law unions in the counties of Stafford, War-
wick, Chester, and Salop has been held at Stafford, under
the presidency of the Earl of Lichfield. The chairman said
that the large increase of vagrancy in the midland counties
called urgently for some repressive measures. In
January, 1867, the number of vagrants relieved in 46
unions was 8,419 ; in January, 1868, it was 11,000 ; whilst
last month the number was 14,439. Several suggestions
were made, and the operation of Mr. Baker's ticket system
was explained and criticised. Mr. Baker himself said that
his system had not reduced the number of vagrants who
went into workhouses, but it bad reduced the number of
tramps in a remarkable degree. Some resolutions were '
passed, in which the necessity of adopting a uniform system
was strongly insisted upon.

COUNTY FINANCIAL BOARDS.—At a meeting of
the Cirencester Chamber of Agriculture, the Rev. T.
Maurice read a paper on County Financial Boards. He
defined a county financial board as a body elected by
the ratepayers to raise and disburse the funds applicable
for ' the public expenses of the county. Taxation
and representation have to be considered in dealing
with this question, so that they who supply the
money should have a voice in the control of it. It is
difficult to decide whether or not it is desirable to apply
this principle to county finance. The principle of repre-
sentation has advantages of its Own, and experience
has falsified the predictions of those who consi-
dered that it would produce an inferior Parlia-
ment. If it were only desirable to have the most
talented men in the House of Commons the Queen in
Council might select them, but that would not constitute
a representative assembly. Probably more able men might
be nominated for a public board'than could be selected by
popular suffrage ; hut then the principle of representation
would be sacrificed. The compensating advantages of an
elected board would be many, and the elevating effect_ OD
the constituency itself would be considerable,