The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-16 00:00:00

'`.- -~_

day his duties were light at the court. The WI
answer applied to his connection with Overenat
Gurney; and Co. (Limited). Tie could prove that
Le attended at Overend, Gurney, and Co. (Limited)
after office hours at this court. As regards the sum
£lO,OOO in reference to commission upon the Illillwall Ir°°,
Works, or even .C 5,000, he begged to say he had received
no such money. Unfair questions were put to him uP°l/
this point, and hence the misunderstanding that had arises
in the public mind. With regard to his public duties And
his work in the office of Overend, Gurney, and Co., he
could explain that just before the Act of 1861 came in!"
operation, he wished to state that his emoluments fa".
ing off, he was anxious to increase his receipts. 0.6
had a conversation with a member of the firm, 111

which it was clearly understood that he was to advise,
the house in its large discount business, and to be paid
for this ; but at the same time he was to be at perfed
liberty to receive payment for any work he might perform
for other houses with whom Overend, Gurney, and C°'
might be doing business. One of these houses was Air'
Xenos's, and for that he was to be paid £5OO per annum'
Another of the houses was Mr. Scott Russell, and uP°I3
some advances made to him Mr. Edwards considered 116

was also entitled to commission. He reiterated that the
partners of Overend, Gurney, and Co. were fully aware of
these matters, and at the time they paid him £5,000 110
allusion was made to him by any member of the firm respect'
ing, these transactions. In Pearson's matter all the facts
were perfectly well known to the firm, and it must be clear,
then, that there was nothing irregular in his taking con'
missions from other houses, nor was there anything calling
for public comment. An agreement was made for five year*
at a salary of £5,000 per annum, to commence from ISqle
Soon after Mr. Birkbeck complained that all the lossell
suffered by the firm couldbe traced to him (Mr. Edwards)'
Of this Mr. Edwards complained very strongly, but no negt
matters were put into his hands. In 1864 another convey'
sation took place, in reference to the severance of his OP
uection with the firm. He received a memorandum fro
Overend, Gurney, and Co., and demanded that he should
he put right before the public, and receive compensation
for the loss of his position. His demands were adraittel
by the house as fair subjects for discussion and arbitration'
He contended that he had acted in all things openly, fairly:
and honestly, and for twenty years he had filled his Pub"A"
position without complaint or neglect at all. He large
there was no ground for the suggestion that he use'
his position as official assignee to assist Messrs. Overend'
Gurney, and Co. in their business. He had received
no work from that house which had the slightest conol
tion with that firm, and be had never in any way neglected
nis official duties in the court, nor used his position
ilny purpose. He courted the fullest inquiry, and virc'u!
prove that he had not been properly understood 111
this matter. What more he had to answer he should I.
to know. In answer to the suggestion that his connection
with Messrs. Overend, Gurney, and Co. was the result o
an underhand negotiation, he entirely denied it. 14,.°
had, it was true, lent Mr. Chapman R. 5,000, but Nis
Chapman was an old friend of twenty years' standifig:,
and he (Mr. Edwards) looked upon him as a Diernbe;
of one of the oldest, best-known, and richest firms in En
land. His money received from Overend, Gurney, t/.1:,
Co. was earned by hard work and giving up of
annual holiday.
His Honour said the matter would be referred to tn.
Ard Chancellor, and must now abide his decision;

The Dundee Advertiser says an Education Bill Or
cotland is now being prepared, and will probablY
brought into Parliament early in the session.
An Admiralty order received at Chatham Dc'cic‘
yard directs the discontinuance of a number of intriestat
and useless returns. The result will be that a vast anic'uhBl3
of unprofitable labour on the part of the clerks will
entirely entirely got rid of.
Colonel Churchill, the author of various vP3riLlit
on Syria, the Lebanon, the Druses, &c., died at BeYr°,ll,-
on the Ist of February. He arrived from Jerusalem by t'at-
Austrian steamer, feeling very unwell, and dropped (10v/.;
dead on reaching his house. It is supposed his death 'I
caused by rupture of the intestines. He married an -Mlt
Princess some years since, and consequently his fur°
was numerously attended by Arabs, who had a fires
respect for Churchill Beg.
COUNTY FINANCIAL BOARDS. —Four boards °f
O,
guardians in Cornwall unanimously adopted the
resolutions during the past week :—" 1. That the e°ll/Itici
and constabulary expenses having been so largely inerelL,h9ee
of late years, the guardians of this union consider that ":0
time is come when an elective financial board should wrs
appointed for the purpose of representing the ratepaY
in all matters connected with county expenditure. 2.1,h
e
71:0
this union do petition the House of Commons urging '—
expediency of the appointment of county financial board;
to consist of magistrates and members deputed fronl tbm
Carious boards of guardians, it being contrary to
(3rinciple of the Constitution that taxation should e'lko
without representation." Proper notice has been given gb
several other boards to consider the resolutions.
rbol‘
PROPOSED REDUCTION OF WAGES IN THE ••••—• ea
TRADE.—On Saturday morning last circulars were issti,„
by the solicitors to the Blackburn Masters' Association tow-
each of the manufacturers within the district, desiri”gs,
be informed by return of post whether he is in favour r"of
reduction of wages, and to what extent. A meeting
delegates was held at Accrington on Saturday, whiee "to
adjourned until the following day at Blackburn, where
a numerously attended and enthusiastic meeting was Pedal:
when it was resolved to issue circulars to each retro
facturer within the district, embracing a circuit °`
miles, to be presented by deputations of workPelii-,
desiring them to answer the queries contained lild
circular in such a manner as to convince the 14°Ate.- of
Association that they were opposed to any reduction

wages at the present time.
HIGH TIDE IN THE THAMES. OH MClnCithalf
morning, between four and five o'clock, the tide in
Thames rose to an extraordinary height, inundatinghn: t
and lands, and causing great destructionof pro[' erty-
four o'clock it was noticed that the tide had risen at A itt
-
a couple of feet above the usual high-water mark, an
effect was soon apparent in all the low-lying districtsa
Lambeth, Vauxhall, Nine Elms, Battersea, Wrs'l,3.-iy:
worth, &c.—for the streets leading to the river were
the course of a short time converted into running stri
the water bursting in with such force as speedily to elsi,
the roadways and footpaths, and ultimately, when the
tide had risen still higher, finding its way into all ,be
houses and shops which are not built on high ground.
tide appeared to attain its greatest height about balf"frle
four o'clock, when the most damage was done.
neighbourhood of Windsor, Datchet, and Eton is ng-
overilowed.
ia w'A
AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.—A story, -
vej
we are somewhat unnecessarily told must be recei;tle
"with caution," comes from Carmarthenshire.
girl, named Sarah Jacob, the daughter of Mr. -1'1,"60i
Jacob, a small farmer at Llethr-Neuadd, in the Paris; to
Llanfihanget-Gelarath, Carmarthenshire, is said /1:- of
have partaken of food since the 10th day
October, 1867. The following are the nirerrh;
stances, as related, of this extraordinary
o ice
case: ""s‘
poor child, who is near 12 years of age' :39
taken suddenly ill while at school, and vomited a quad
lag
of blood. She was taken home and put to bed, aii;rlio
there without moving, seemingly asleep, for thirty "m
She revived a little, but could not be prevailed on to Par-init
of any sustenance. She is now perfectly conscious' be
will not eat ; she spends much of her time in reading'
is so weak that her mother has to aid her in turning ° 01
the leaves of a book. She has received a great nuraber
visitors, who have been attracted by curiosity.
nt
KILLED DY AN ELEPHANT.—A wild clepaa-- of
been doing sad havoc lately on the mountainous Pars,tsfar
the western coast. During the past we"ic the the
reports that four men who had been working en
la,
hills to the north of Teravuttar, near PalpanabliaPurhicb
were descending to the plains, when the elephant' %03.
appears to have been shot at oil several occasions, vie
denly rushed upon them from the thick jungle' dc the
men all took to their heels, and three of them Ina"
_lng
best of their way to their homes at Nagercoil (sujoi
twenty miles distant) and reported their adventure op
'Piet io
the fact that one of their number was missing-
and other relatives of the missing man then set °,,tl 104
search, and found his dead body where the elePbanw
seized arid killed him. A report is current that thetivei
pliant has since been destroyed by two adventurousn! or 4
who ventured into his " hunting-grounds " for that Poo
pose. The unfortunate victim of the elephant's furnbitit
a mason by trade, and belonged to Nagercoil, where D'
left a widow and young family. The elephant had Dpi
viously kiPed nine persons, making a total of ten Pets
who have fallen victims to his rage within et short
time.7-111cccirqs Times, Jan.

AIR. EDWARDS AND THE 017.E.RE.ND ANA
GU.RN.EY CASE.

Yesterday Mr. Edward Watkin Edwards, whose extra•
ordinary evidence in the Overend, Gurney, and Co. Cod
caused such excitement, attended in Mr. Commissioner
Holroyd's court to make his explanation.
Mr. Edwards in the beginning said there were roan'
circumstances—especially a severe illness which affected
hisfnemory—to prevent him giving such answers at the
recent inquiry as he otherwise would have done. In
alluding to the evidence, he said the gift of the stearn.
yacht from Mr. .Xenos must have been a matter of public
notoriety, and he trusted he should receive due protection
from the Lord Chancellor, his Honour, and a just apprecia•
Lion of what he had done at the hands of the public.
As regarded his attending at board meetings, he submitted
such work had not in any way interfered with his court
duties. When he joined the company the days for board
meetings were altered to Wednesday, and on that