The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-25 00:00:00

DISAPPOINTED LOVE.

A singular case has been heard at the Dartford County
Court, in which the Rev. Walter Murray, Rector
of Stowe, Kent, was defendant in an action
brought by a grocer, named Hughes, for damages for
assaulting his son. At first sight the case did not
appear to be very romantic, seeing that it arose from the
chastisement of a boy of 13, by the parish clergyman, but
a little investigation proved that Cupid was the originator
of the whole affair. The lad was a pupil in the National School,
and in that capacity attended the parish church, where his
admiration was excited by a young lady who sat before
him, whose name was Constance Griffiths. He did not
belong to the class who never tell their love, and accord-
ingly he resolved upon addressing her by letter. The task
being too great for his unaided energies, the aid of another
lad and of his sister was invoked, and the
following elegant epistle was despatched :—" From one
who loves.—Dear Consey,—l write these few lines to you,
hoping to find you quite well. I wish to see you. Hoping
I shall not be long before my wish is gratified. If not,
please to drop a line or so, as I am anxious to know the
answer. Excuse the writing. With best love, loel4eve me
—Your affectionate lover and wellwisher, W.H.—Miss
Griffiths, the Old Rectory, Stone." The elements of
proper
romance were not wanting and an obdurate aunt ap-
peared on the scene. She took the billet doux to the
rector, who marched to the National School, and with the
true spirit of a detective identified the handwriting of the
offender by—his copybook. Hughes, junior, was called
cut of school and told that he must apologise to Mrs. Clarke,
the terrible aunt. On arriving at the rectory Hughes said it
was only a joke, and he did not mean the letter to be
delivered. The faithless knight did not, however, escape
punishment by his poltroonery, and the rector caned him,
afterwards taking him to his father. Here romance passes
into law. The father found nothing very dreadful in the
letter, and finding the boy bore the marks of a very
For the defence it
severer
argued that
a broughttrustee the f
taction.he s
c
was hooltnd a clergyman
of the parish was entitled to inflict punishment, but the
magistrate was on the side of the lover, and said he could
not justify the course Mr. Murray had taken. The
jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, with £lO
damage 3, the full amount claimed, with costs. The case
caused great interest, and near Mr. Murray sat several
brother clergymen,

NAVAL AND 2111LI7.ARY LV7ELLIGENCh.

An order has been received at Chatham garrison
that recruiting for ail the regiments of ihe line
serving in India is to be closed for the present. It
_ _

is surmised that this order may have been given iu
connection with a plan said to be in contemplation
for placing depot companies in militia barracks,
when volunteers from the Militia might be ob-
tained for these regiments.
The Royal Warrantfor the formation of the. new
Army Works Corps, which has been s' long ex-
pected, and about which so much has been written,
was received at Woolwich yesterday and read t,)
the officers, non-commissioned officers, and mai of
theMiiitaryTrainCorps onparade. The warrar: t pro-
vides that volunteers will be received from the non-
commissioned officers and men of the Military Train,
Military Staff Corps, Commissariat Staff Corps,
and the Army Hospital Corps. Volunteers will a1..0
be received from other corps provided they oht.d
a recommendation from their comuunding
Non-commissioned officers wid retain the rani:. t Ley
hold in their respective corps at tite_tim.: 01 vo:tut-
tcering.

The draughts of the 21 battalion of the Ist Regi-
ment, the Ist battalion of the 3 1, the 1.6 t ba.tabott
of the Bth, the 38th, and the 451-.4 Regiments, from
the depots of these corps stationed at Chatham,
are now ordered to embark on board the Scrapit4, 3,
iron troopship, Captain John C. Boady, at Porta-
mouth, on the 27th iustaut.

Detachments of men, invalids, and time-expired
men, belonging to the Ist battalion of the 2d Regi-
ment, the Ist battalion of the Bth, the 59th, the
73d, and the 83d Regiments, have arrived at the
depots at Chatham from the service companies in
India, fur the purpose of being discharged.

LONDON GAZETTE—LRSt Evening.

WAR OFFICE, PALL MALL, Drc. 24

Commissariat Department—Assistant Commissary-G.2-
neral Herbert C. Smith to bo Assistant Commissary-
General, vice Thompson, deceased.
Chaplain's Department—Chaplain of the Fourth Class
the Rev. Thomas C. Stanley, LL.B., to be Chaplain of the
Third Cla6s.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

RACING FIXTURES-1870.
FEBRUARY.

Lincoln l5 16 Derby
Harrow 17,, 118 Nswton
MARCH.

Nottingham . 1, 2 1 West Somorset l6, 7 7
Liverpool B, 9, 10 I Warwick: 92, 23, i4Pontefract 14, 15 Epsom 29 ;a0
Cambridgeshire l4, 15 i Bromley 31 and April 1.

_ _ ...
APRIL. _
Northampton 5, 6 I Newmarket Craven 18 to 22
West Drayton 7, 8 I Abergavenny 21, 12
Thirsk 7, 8 1 Lewes 26, *,F
Kingsbury 18,19 I Croydon. -'B, 2.)
Durham lB, 19 1
MAY.

Newmarket Ist 5p....2 to 5 I Harpenden 90, 01
Chester. lO, to 13 1 Bath 24, 25
Woichester lO, 11 I Stamford 96, -a
Salisbury l2, 13 ; Croydon 'ti. 27
York 17, 18 1 Epsom 31 to June 3
Doncaster 19,20
JUNE.

Croydon 8,9 I Newton .).-i , 23
Manchester 8,9, 10 Hampton ,3, -4
Ascot 14 to 17 1 Biliury Club • 9
Windsor 2l, 22 1 Stockbridge...3o, and July 1
---

_
JULY.
Newmarket 5 to n I West Drayton 14, lb
Nottingham 12, 13 I Huntingdon 19, 20
Oholinsford l2, 13 I Kingsbury 2l, 22
Reading 1?, 13 I Goodwood :6, 23
------

- .
AUGUST.
Brighton ", 3 I Stockton l7 to 19
Brighton Club 4 1 Oxford is 19
Lewes ............0, 6 1 York 23 t 0.25
EAlinin 9, 10 I Plymiuth 24, 26
Windsor ll, 12 1 Derby 3O, 31
Bromley l6, 17 I Weymouth 30, 31

SEPTEMBER.
Warwick 6, 7
.1 Richmond 20, 21
Abingdon 8, 9 1 Western Meet (Ayr) 21 to 23
Doncaster 13 to 16 1 Hendon 6)2, 23
Hampton ... 2O, 21 I Newlttarket Ist Oct. 9i to JO