The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-28 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

The Lady Clarendon troopship arrived at Spit-
head yesterday morning from Plymouth Sound,
where she had disembarked the head-quarters of
the 53d Regiment, from Calcutta.
The authorities at the Horse Guards have decided
on discontinuing the ugly and cumbersome shako
now worn in the army, and substituting in place of
it a headdress of a much lighter and somewhat more
ornamental character, not unlike the large-peaked.
forage caps worn by several of the Volunteer Rifle
Corps, though the crown will be somewhat higher.
The materials will be felt and leather, but the
weight of this cap will be much less than that of
the present unwieldy shako.
Considerable progress has been made in the ex-
tensive range of buildings now in course of erection
at Brompton Barracks, Chatham, for messrooms and
other apartments forthe officers of the Royal and
Indian Engineers, a large sum having been taken
in the Estimates for the proposed works. The
buildings include a commodious and lofty messroom,
at the end of which is a gallery capable of accom-
modating the entire band of the Royal Engineers,
together with retiring rooms, coffee and smoking
rooms, and other rooms on the same floor, the mess-
room being so arranged that it can be converted:to a
handsome ballroom. The whole of the buildings
will be completed and handed over to Major-Gene-
ral Williams, commanding Royal Engineers, in the
course of a few weeks.

A vacancy has occurred in the office of Captain
of Invalids of the Royal Military Hospital, Chelsea,
by the death, on Saturday last, at an advanced age,
of Capt. John Ford, late of the 79th Highlanders.
The deceased officer served during the Peninsular
campaign from 1809 to 1814, and was present at
the siege of Flushing, the defence of Cadiz, and the
battles of Fuentes de Onor, Nivelle, Nive, and Tou-
louse, besides other actions of less importance. He
also served as an assistant-engineer during four of
the campaigns, and had received the war medal
with four clasps for his services.

SHOCKING MURDER OP 4 CHILD AT
GLASGO W

On Saturday afternoon, at three o'clock (says-the
North British Daily Mail of yesterday), one of the
most distressing child-murders which has ever fallen
to our lot to record was committed at the river
Clyde, opposte Messrs. Tod and Higginbotham's
works. The circumstances, so far as we have
learned, are as follow :—Mr. and Mrs. Shields, two
respectable persons living in Commercial-road, had
a fine little interesting boy, two years of age, named
John. The child was in the habit of being allowed,
on dry days, to walk out on the pavement to await
the arrival of his father at meal hours, and on
Saturday afternoon he went out as usual; but, in-
stead of meeting his parent, he was picked up by a
lad of about 20 years of age, named John M'Fadyen,
and taken away up the bank of the river. The
father soon came home, but, of course, without the
boy, and the fears of both parents were then'aroused
for his safety. A long search resulted in nothing
satisfactory ; bat at length the mother, in going up
the Clyde, met the lad M'Fadyen carrying
what
she immediately recognised to be the clothes of her
missing child. With maternal eagerness she ques-
tioned the young man as to where her boy was,
when he, with a lack-lustre eye, and in tones indi-
cative of the greatest unconcern, told her that the
boy was drowned, and that he had got his clothes
and was going to sell them. Just at this moment
several parties' came up sand accused M'Fadyen
with drowning young Shields, when he replied,
" God strike me dead if I did." However, as
he had been observed in the very act, he was of
course taken into custody. It would appear that
M'Fadyen had led the unsuspecting innocent up
the river side till opposite Higginbotham's works,
and there he began to strip him of his clothes, for
the purpose of appropriating: and selling them, It
is thought that his original intention did not extend
beyond this, but according to M'Fadyen's own sub-
sequent confession, the child began to weep and cry
for its " Ma" while being undressed, and it was then
that the horrible idea was first suggested to him,
that by destroying the child he should prevent de-
tection. Acting on the insane thought, the boy was
no sooner naked than, notwithstanding his piteous
cries and infantile struggles, the murderous youth
lifted him in his arms and pitched him into the
water. Fearful lest his object should not be accom-
plished, the young fiend got a stick about 3 feet
long, and as his little victim was struggling close
to the shore, M'Fadyen held him down with the
wood till life was extinct. The murderer then lifted
the child's clothes and turned his face towards the
city. It may excite surprise that all this could be
perpetrated at three o'clock on a Saturday after-
moon at such a place, yet it is nevertheless true that
only four persons saw the horrid action, but they
were at too great a distance to render timely aid.
One of these was on the same side of the river as
that on which the murder took place; the other three
were on the north side. They, however, pursued the
young murderer, and apprehended him, as already
related, when be was being questioned by the poor
mother, whose state of mind on hearing the above
particulars it is not easy to conceive. Mr. George
Geddes, of the Humane Society House, imme-
diately commenced a search for the body of the
drowned boy; but, though he dragged the river
near the spot till darkness set in, the child was not
recovered. He resumed its yesterday morning
about six o'clock, and shortly before seven suc-
ceeded in bring the body to the surface. On exa-
mination a large cut was found on one of the cheeks,
evidently caused by the piece of wood with which
the young monster held the boy below water. The
body, was given up to the distressed parents.
The first question that will naturally arise on
reading the above statement will be—ls the lad
M'Fadyen sane ? It is very doubtful if he is. On
being taken to the Eastern police-office his mother
was sent for, and from her statement of his previ-
ous conduct the question of the youth's sanity will
be a matter for inquiry. She stated her son's age
to be 20 years, though from appearance he might
be taken to be only 14 or 15. He has been four
years in the Reformatory School, yet he cannot
read. On being questioned at the police-office, so
far from denying his guilt of the horrid crime with
which he was accused, he calmly stated that he
drowned the boy, and that he intended selling the
clothes. He is quite unimpassioned, and nothing
can excite him. He coolly remarked " I know I
shall be hanged," and since his apprehension on
Saturday aft ern oon h,.) has, when not eating, almos t
constantly been sleeping. If the mother's state-
ment can be verified, there is no doubt but the
youth is insane.