The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-19 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE

THE BIRISINGHAII CANAL COMPANY.—At Worcester,
on Saturday, an action was tried to recover damages for
injuries clone to certain of the plaintiff.; mines by flooding
from the percolation of the water of the Birmingham
Canal. After considerable discussion the parties agreed
to refer the question of their rights to the Court in Banco
in the form of a special case.
TEE MARYLEBONE CLUB.— At Marylebone, Mr. Scarth,
solicitor, attended before Mr. Mansfield to tender
bail for Mr. Russell and Mr. Emmanuels, of the Margie-
bone Club, to prosecute the appeal against the magistrate's
decision. The bail was accepted. Mr. Scarth then
applied for a summons against Constable Boyle for
resorting to a place and betting. He went there in
the same way es Mr. Russell. Mr. Mansfield said these
was a difference, for Mr. Russell went there as a "user,"
for the purpose of making bets and receiving money, and
he could not grant the summons. If the Court of Queen's
Bench convicted upon the appeal, they would have the
remedyagainet the officer for being a member.
7HAF.GE OF AREON.—At the Central Criminal Court,
Saturday, James Fe]loeres, a cabinetmaker, was
indicted for having set Ere to a dwelling-house and
workshop, the property of his employer. A boy on
the premises saw him go up the stairs leading to the
workshop late in the evening, and directly after he left
the fire broke out. For the defence an alibi was set up,
and the jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty, believing,
they said, that there was a doubt in the matter, and that
the prisoner was entitled to the benefit of it.

MURDER AT CARDIFF.—On Saturday morning
a sad case of murder occurred at Cardiff. A pilot's
apprentice, named Thomas Williams, was going home
drunk, when some Italian seamen pushed against him,
Williams asked who they were pushing, upon which one
of the Italians made a blow at him with a stiletto. Thi.
deceased fell, and the Italians ran away, but they were
apprehended by the police. It was discovered that Williams
had been stabbed, and he has since died. Both prisoners have
been committed for trial on the charge of wilful murder.
A VERY GREAT COUNTRY.—At the American
cerebration of Independence Day at Vienna, this year, a
speaker, growing eloquent on the future of the Republic,
repeated a description of its boundaries given by an
enthusiastic Yankee, who said, "It was bounded on the
east by the Atlantic, on the north by the Aurora
Borealis, on the west by the Setting Sun, and on the
south by the Day of Judgment." Mr. Carlyle said many
years ago that every day was in truth a judgment day,
and this is not the 'first time that the American day of
judgment has been declared to lie towards the south.

CABINET CouziciL.—At the Cabinet Council hem
on Saturday, at the official residence of the First Lord
of the Treasury, in Downing-street, the Ministers present
were thd Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, the Lord
Chancellor, Earl de Grey and Ripon, the Earl
of Kimberley, the Right Hon. H. A. Bruce,
the Earl of - Clarendon, Earl Granville, the Right
Hon. E. Cardwell, the Duke of Argyll, the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, the Right Hon. Hugh Childers, the
Right Hon. John Bright, the Right Hon. G. J. Goschen,
the Marquis of Hartington, and the Right Hon.Chiehester
Fortescue.

TUE PRINCE OF WALES ASKING FOR A SCHOOL
HOLIDAY.—The boys of the Manchester Onmm.,,,•;.lSchoo/
wanted a holiday during the royal visit. They appealed to
the Prince of Wales to get it for them. The following letter
is the result :—" Dear Sir,—Raving laid before the Prince
of Wales-the application of the pupils of the Manchester
Commercial Schools, his Royal Highness would request
that the time for the examination might be so arranged so
as to enable them to break up in the week before the visit
of his Royal Highness and the Princess to Manchester.
I am desired to convey the Prince's hope that if such a
request can be entertained without prejudice to the
interests and regulations of the schools, it may receive a
favourable consideration.—l am, dear sir, yours truly,
W. KNOUTS."

THE NEW AERIAL -SHIP. —A despatch, datea
San Francisco, July 6, published in the New York papers,
says :—"The trial of the model of the air-ship Avitor
is pronounced a Success by the limes, while the Alta says
the performance Was something like a failure. The wind
blew so bard that it was impossible to make the experi-
' ment in open air, so the trial was made under cover ; the
ship rose in the air, and was propelled backward and for-
ward and guided in any desired direction by the steering
apparatus. It is claimed that the present Avitor is not a
criterion of success ; the principle has been developed.
. The scale of its machinery is so trifling—the engines and
boiler weighing less than a hundred pounds—t'-tat its
failure or success would be a matter of no surprise."
A CURIOUS COMPAILISON.—Sothe curious 'com-
parisons have been instituted respecting the relative
strength of men and insects. A man of 30, weighing
1301b.r can drag, according to Regnier,• only 1201 b., so
that the proportion of the weight drawn to the weight of
his body is -no more than as 12 to 13. A draught horse
can only for a few instants draw a1),.?1t two-thirds of its
own weight. But the smallest insect drags without difli-
culty far more than its own weight. The cock.
chafer draws 14 times its weight, and other
insects as much as 40 times. If a horse
had the same relative strength, it would be able to
draw someGo,ooo pounds. -.l`..l.Platean, who has made soma
curious investigations in this matter, informs us that the
smaller and lighter an insect the greater strength it will
manifest, though during flight it cannot carry so great a
weight as when creeping. It therefore appears from the
example of the Inrse, the clog, and the insect, that the
muScular force eE livid; creaVirei is in inverse propertica