The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-30 00:00:00

TH SUN, LONDON, MO DAY EVENING. LY 30, 1860.

CO:NTRACT FOR WHEAT.
Department of the Comptroller for Victualling
and Transport Services,
Somerset-house, 27th July, 1800.
THE COMMISSIONERS for EXECUTING the
OFFICE of LORD HIGH ADMIRAL of the UNITED
KINGDOM of GREAT BRITAIN and IRELAND, DO
HEREBY GIVE NOTICE, That on MONDAY, the 6th
August next, at half-past One o'Clock, they will be ready to
treat with such Persons as may be willing to Contract for
supplying and delivering into her 'Majesty's Victualling
Stores at DEPTFORD, the undermentioned Articles, viz.:

4 OOO quarters.

When to be delivered.—Tialf thereof in Three Weeks, and
the remainder in Three Weeks often% ards, or earlier if pre-
ferred by the party tendering.
Tenders may be made for the whole or auy portion of the
Wheat.
Their Lordships reserve to themselves the power, when the
Tenders are opened, of contracting either for the whole or for
such part thereof only as they may deem fit, or for a greater
quantity, or of not contracting for any, and also an unlimited
power of selection.
Samples of the Wheat (not less than two quarts) must be
produced by the parties tendering.
The samples produced by persons whose tenders are not
accepted, are requested to be taken away by them immedi-
ely after the contract has been decided.
No Tender will be received unless made on the Printed Form
proyided for the purpose ; and which may be obtained on ap-
plication at the said Office, or to the officer conducting the
Packet service at Liverpool, or the collector of Customs at
Bristol.

Particular attention is called to the recent modifications of
the Conditions of the Contract, which may be seen at the
said Office, and at Liverpool and Bristol.
No Tender will be received after half-past One o'clock on
the day of treaty ; and it will not be required that the party
tendering, or as agent on his behalf, should attend at the
Office on the day of Contract, as the result of the offer re-
ceived from each person will be communicated to him and his
proposed sureties in writing.
Every Tender must be addressed to the Secretary of the
Admiralty, and bear in the left-hand corner the words "Ten-
der for ," and must also be delivered at Somerset-
house.

MACKIE'S STATION HOTEL,
INVERNESS.
Why is this HOTEL not known in the CALEDONIAN
CANAL ROUTE to INVERNESS?

THE MYSTERIOUS' CHILD MURDER

NEAR FRO ME.

The following is a re—port of what took place at
the inquiry into this mysterious affair after the
despatch of our parcel on Friday, the result of
which we, however, were enabled to give :
Esther Holly, laundress, deposed as follows :
I have been in the habit of washing for Mr. Kent's
family till within the last three weeks. I recollect
going for the clothes on the Monday after the
murder. When I got to the house I saw the cook ;
we went upstairs to the spare room where the
clothes were generally kept. The cook brought
down one basket and I the other. I then secured
the clothes in the baskets and went out and called
my daughter Martha. The clothes were then in
the same state as I. always received them. Mrs.
Kent's dress was on one basket and something else
on the other. I and my daughter went straight
home with the clothes. We had heard that there
was a night dress lost, and we opened the basket
within five minutes after we got home, and found
that one was missing. It was not our usual custom
to open the clothes so soon after receiving them.
We heard a rumour that a nightdress was missing.
Mr. Edlin objected that the bench, who were, as
it appeared, conducting the prosecution, ought not
to put questions which would be inadmissible.
The Chairman said the magistrates were not
acting as prosecutors ; they were merely conduct-
ing the investigation, and Mr. Edlin had frequently
interposed objections.
Mr. Edlin had respectfully submitted to The
bench that, in a case where a young lady was on
remand, charged with wilful murder, no question
ought to be put to witnesses which would be inad-
missible on the prosecution of so serious a charge.
The examination of the witness was then re-
sumed, and she deposed to the missing of the night-
dress, and to having sent to the house immediately
on discovering its loss. Mr. Kent told me he would
have a special warrant for me if the dress was not
returned in 48 hours. I told him I was certain I
had not had the dress, and I went then. I have
had no washing from Mr. Kent's house since. I
have not seen anything of the missing nightdress.
My house and my two daughters have been searched
by the police for the dress.
By Mr. Edlin—l had the clothes home about 12
o'clock on the Monday following tTie murder, and
in about five minutes after began to make a search
for something that was missing. On the next day
I went up to Mr. Kent's and got my money, and
took back the book with me, I did not say any-
thing to the housemaid about anything being miss-
ing. I never gave it a thought; that is where I
was wrong. I have three daughters, two married
and one single. The single one lives with me. All
three daughters were present when I examined the
clothes that I brought from Mr. Kent's. One of
my daughters is married to a brother of William
Nutt, who has been examined here to-day. He
is a labourer, and lives in Road. My husband
and son live in the house with me and my
youngest daughter. All my daughters assist
me in the washing, and no one else. They were
all at home when I got home with my youngest
daughter with the clothes. I went up to get my
money the next day, between 11 and 12 o'clock, and
saw Mrs. Kent about the missing dress the same
evening, after my daughter came back. I was told
then that they were quite sure that Miss Con-
stance's nightdress had been sent. The police came
to my house the first time on the Tuesday evening.
lam quite clear about it. Four constables came
together, and the parish constable as well. I was
quite alarmed about it. They came to my house
before I sent to Mrs. Kent's inquiring about the
piece &flannel that was found. I knew the night-
dress Was missing at the time, but I did not say
anything to them about it. I told them the clothes
e
were all right by the book. They camextpoemcteinagbothuet
the nightdress the next day. I was
samenightdressclothesbesentsatisfysometimes.Thereweretheduster,
things missing before, one a very ragged
and the other an old towel. Those are the only
things I was ever accused of having before, and that
I'll swear. Mrs. Kent forgave me the towel. My
other daughter is married to William Riddle.
The magistrates, having ccessulted, announced
that no more witnesses would be called.
Mr. Edlin then asked the bench instantly to libe-
rate the accused, and restore her to her friends.
There was not a tittle of evidence against her, not
one word on which the finger of infamy could be
pointed against her. Although a most atrocious mur-
der had been committed, it had been followed by a
judicial
were
never m u rddi es
cr
onvoe
rl
ee
ds
iatt rwocoiuoluds.neNl,efrthbee murderer
that this young lady had been dragged like a com-
mon felon to Devizes gaol. The fact alone was quite
sufficient to insure the sympathy of every man in
tbheeencotuankteynamnudstthbelaksitnghderomho.
peTshaensdtes
pprowsphich hadects
for
life, and those steps had been taken solely on the
suspicion of an inspector of police, acting under the
influence of the reward which had been offered.
The fact respecting the missing bedgown had been
cleared up to the satisfaction of every one who had
heard the evidence that day, and no doubt could
remain that this little peg, upon which this fearful
charge had been grounded, had fallen to the ground.
He asked the magistrates, therefore, to pause and
say whether for one moment longer this young lady
should be kept in custody. Without reproaching
Inspector Whicher for what he had done, he must
say that the hunting up the schoolfellows of Miss
Constance Kent reflected ineffable disgrace upon
those who had been the means of bringing them
there. Nothing that had been elicited from those
young ladies showed anything like animus on the
part of the prisoner towards the deceased child,
nor had any motive been established which would
induce the prisoner to imbrue her hands in the
blood of the poor little child. He appealed to the
bench, therefore, the case for the prosecution
being exhausted—and a weaker one he had never
heard—to perform their duty to the country and
to the prisoner by at once saying that the evidence
adduced satisfied them that the charge was
groundless, and that Miss Constance Kent should
be at once discharged. A fearful responsibility
would rest upon the magistrates if they should
again remand the-prisoner. No evidence to warrant
a remand
to gaol, h
prroesecauntdiohnad been adduced upon the first occasion ;
but if, now the matter had been exhausted by the
tbiei
en dutiese h
magistrates,
twh eoyu lNdvt he
riebseehtyi
sworn
nuto
ergltdeao,dniyomtsmhtfhooeoedurs
milaady. dischargee btl
hyeua ttea ogbgaerl iiseonboafeutsrgetianhhnt tee:
justice would be done to the prisoner, and that the
inpert
the young lady, and to restore her to her friends
and her home.
Some applause followed the address of the learned
counsel, which was instantly suppressed.
The magistrates, after a brief consultation, an-
nounced that they had decided on discharging the
prisoner, on her father entering into recognisances
of £2OO for her appearance if called upon.
-The prisoner was then discharged.

THE SUEZ CANAL—It is said that at a late meet-
ing of the shareholders of the Suez
_Canal Company at
Paris, accounts of the company were produced, by which it
appeared that a million of francs have been expended in the
cost of the direction ; that of this sum 500,00 f. had been
charged for the journeys of M. Lesseps, a further sum for
furnishing his apartment at Paris, and 400,000 f. for the
salaries of the members of the direction, consisting of M.
Leeseps and one or two associates.