The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-14 00:00:00

THE SUTN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 14, 1860:

the figures 1848 inscribed on them. In front of
the County .House was a vast crowd (of people,
which was kept in order by special constables,
students, and haiducks (national police.)
The Second Chamber of .Hesse-Cassel has been
dissolved, because it refuses to recognise the
validity of the Constitution of 1860, which was
promulgated by the Elector. Count Rechberg,
as an absolute Minister, 'openly approved the
" octroi," and it is said that he still advises the
Elector not to -yield to his subjects.
It is still rumoured that Prince Nicholas of
Montenegro has given permission to the French
Government to form a colony in a place called
Godinie. The village in question, which is marked
on Karacsay's map (published by Artaria, the map
seller in this city), is on the lake of Scutari, at.
8,000 or 10,000 paces from the frontier of Upper
1 Albania. Has the British Government a political
agent at Scutari or Antivari ? If it has not, it may
be as well it should know that M. Hecquard, the
French Consul-General, a remarkably active and
enterprising man, has managed to get a firm footing
at the little Court of Montenegro.

CLIMATE OF PEKIN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—ln your leading article of yesterday you
state that " the Russians have not been very com-
municative as to the winter climate of Pekin, and
we gather what we do know of it chiefly from Le
Pere Hyacinthe, who resided there some time, and
wrote an account of the city." You do the Russians
great injustice. I have before me a series of
meteorological observations made and registered by
order of the Russian Government by M. Scatchkoff
and his assistants at that capital during every single
hour of every day and night consecutively through-
out the years 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, and
1855, which are printed and published in extenso,
and which include every particular of a most com-
plete meteorological register. The work which
contains these observations (amounting, for Pekin
alone, to upwards of 280,000 individual entries) is
distributed gratuitously, on the most liberal scale,
to the principal scientific institutions, and to many
private individuals (myself among the number),
throughout Europe ; and, besides these, there are
less complete, but still highly valuable records
of similar observation, extending from 1841 on-
wards, with occasional interruptions. These form
part, and but a small part, of the immense collec-
tion of magnetic and meteorological observa-
tions which the Russians (offering in this respect
a most; striking contrast to the conduct of our
enlightened neighbours the French) have con-
tributed to science from every part of their exten-
sive territory, the records of which in my posses-
sion alone occupy more than three cubic feet of
closely printed figure work, and which aro still in
progress.
As regards the climate of Pekin, it results from
these observations,* that the mean or average tem-
perature of the whole year is 52 degrees of Fahren-
heit's thermometer, that of the hottest month
(July) 82, and of the coldest (January) 24, each to
the nearest whole degree. The corresponding
temperatures for Greenwich are respectively 49,
63, and 34 ; so that the winters there are, on an
average, 10 degrees colder and the summers 19
degrees warmer than in London. Of course, indi-
vidual days occur much hotter. The highest and
lowest temperatures in the shade recorded in each
of the six years (1850-1855) to the nearest degree
above zero of Fahrenheit's thermometer are as
follows :

Highest. Lowest,
1850 .. .. 8
Iqsl .. • • 96 .. 7
15152 .. 100 .. 2
1853 .. 9S .. 5
1851 .. 101 .. 4
1855 .. 99 .. 9

The thermometer in a London winter seldom
descends to 9 degrees, and very rarely indeed to 2.
Generally speaking, the degree of moisture of
the atmosphere varies between somewhat wider
limits than at Greenwich, and the annual amount
of rain and snow is somewhat greater,—about one-
twelfth.

The temperature of solar exposure is, of course,
very great in summer. A blackened thermometer
exposed to the sun is observed to rise, on some one
day of every year, to a maximum height of from
130 to 138 degrees Fahrenheit.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Collingwood, Dec. 12. J. F. W. HERSCIIEL.

* From a reduction of the four years (1850-1853).

TILE DRAINAGE OF TIIE KINGDOM.

TIIE LATE GALES.

The clipper ship Prince Consort, Capt. Macbeth,
put into Portsmouth a' few days since under jury
masts, having been thoroughly disabled off the bay
by the late tempestuous gales in the Atlantic and
chops of the Channel. The Prince Consort sailed I
from Liverpool for Melbourne with a large num-
ber of passengers, and cargo valued at £150,000,
on the 22d of November. On the 25th—in the
same gale encountered by the royal yachts—the
Prince Consort lost her fore and main topmasts
and mizenmast with everything above them. Jury
spars were rigged and endeavours made• to reach
Lisbon, but the ship was again caught in a series
of gales, until catching the south-west gale she ran
up Channel and arrived in safety at Spithead. At
one time the weather was so violent that the com-
mander of the vessel was compelled to batten down
the vessel's hatches with the passengers all below.
One cabin passenger was washed off The poop over-
board, and the whole of the live stock destroyed.
The feelings of the passengers are best described in
a memorial they presented to Capt. Macbeth, on
meeting with the south-west gale, requesting him
to run for port, a copy of which we append : ,

" At Sea, Dec. 2, 1860.
" Dear Sir,—We, the undersigned passengers of the
Prince Consort, from Liyerpool to Melbourne, desire to
express our feelings to you under the very trying circum-
stances in which we have been placed. We left Liver-
pool on the morning of the 22d of November, and got
away well on our course until the 24th, when it came
on to 'blow heavily, the glass indicating bad weather.
The ship was made as snug as possible before mid-
night under close-reefed topsails. On the following
morning the wind increased to a perfect hurricane,
the sea being terrific and the ship labouring heavily, and at
last losing her topmasts and spars, which had to be cut
away to save the hull. Through Sunday the sea remained
in a terrific state, but as soon as the weather permitted
jury spars were rigged, and the ship was put by you on a
southerly course, in the hope of being able to reach some
port where we might refit; but on the Ist of December
another terrific gale from the S.W. came on with such vio-
lence as to take away all hope of being able to get further
south in the then crippled state of the ship. Many among
us have had experience of long voyages, having made the
passage to Australia and America before, but we have never
witnessed such terrific weather as we encountered in the
Prince Consort, and believe her to be a ship of extraordi-
narily good qualities, or she could never have survived such
terrific weather. We therefore beg that you will now put
into the first port you can make, in order that the ship may
be refitted, and that our safe passage to Australia may yet
be a possibility. In speaking of yourself, Sir, we find a
difficulty in expressing our "sense of your conduct without
using language that may seem high-flown or exaggerated
to those who did not witness the fearful scenes of the last
10 days. We believe that everything that the able com-
mander could do to secure the safety of his vessel has been
done by you, and that, under Divine Providence, nothing
but your skill and experience, your courage and decision,
and your untiring watchfulness and energy could have
saved,
the ship, and with it, our lives. Your kindness and
attention to all on board have been unremitting, while your
attempts to soothe tho terrors and alleviate the sufferings
of the passengers have been beyond all praise. We believe
there is not a passenger on board who does not feel grateful
to you, not only as the instrument of saving our lives, but
also for the kind courtesy and sympathy you have shown
for all, from the lowest to the highest, on board. We beg
you will convey to Mr. Blair, your first officer, to Dr. Pring,
and tc your other officers our high sense of the way in
which they have discharged their several duties, and our
heartfelt thanks for their courteous demeanour to us upon
all occasions. Wishing you and yours every blessing for
time and eternity, and trusting in God's providence that
you may yet conduct us in safety to the Southern hemi-
sphere.—We are, &c.

. " Signed by the whole of the cabin and steerage pas
sengers.

SMI7IIFIELD CLUB CATTLE 8110117.

The attendance of visitors yesterday at this exhibition
was very numerous, and on Wednesday a greater number
were present than on any single day in any previous year.
The following is a list of the purchasers of soma of the
principal animals exhibited :-In Class 1, Devon steers, not
exceeding three years old, No. 1, bred by the Prince Con-
sort, was purchased by Mr. Stevens, of Oxford, purveyor to
the Prince of Wales ; No. 2, the winner of the third prize,
by Mr. Petherbridge, of Hastings-street, Brunswick-
square; No. 4, by Mr. Cramp, of Ealing; and No. 7, by
Mr. Barclay, of Tichfield-street, Portland-place. In Class
2, Devon steers or oxen above three three years old, No.
10, the winner of the third prise, was bought by Mr. West,
of Southampton; No. 11, the winner of the first prize, by
Messrs. Fisher, of the Anchor Dining-rooms, Cheapside ;
No. 12, the winner of the second prize, by Mr. Stone, Upper
Holloway ; No. 13, by Mr. Page, of Plymouth ; No. 14, by
Mr. Collingwood, of Lamb's Conduit-street; and No. 15,
by Mr. Smith, of Exeter. In Class 3, Devon heifers, not
exceeding four years old, No. 20, the winner of the second
prize, was purchased by Mr. Hooke, of Frederick-street,
Hampstead-road; No. 21, bred by the Prince Consort, by
Mr. Longman, of King-street, New North-road ; No.
22, the winner of the first prize, by Mr. Newton, of Tiver-
ton, Devon ; No. 24, by Mr. Smith, of Exeter ; No. 25,
by Mr. Elphick, of East Moulsey ; and No. 27, by Mr. A.
Churton, of Notting-hill. In Class 4, Devon cows above
four years old, No. 29, the winner of the third prize, was
purchased by Mr. Baker, cf the Old Kent-road, and No.
32, the winner of the first prize, by Mr. Colebrood, of
Reading. In Class 6, Hereford steers or oxen above
three years old, No. 36 was purchased by Mr. Bliskin, of
Kingston ; No: 37, bred by the Prince Consort, by Mr.
Pawsey, of Bath ; No. 38, the winner of the second prize,
by Mr. Stockley, of Montpellier street, Knightsbridge;
No. 42, the winner of the third prize, by Mr. Wilkins, of
Oxford ; and No. 44, by Mr. Banks, of St. Neots, Hunting-
donshire. In. class 8, Hereford cows above four years old,
No. 48, the winner of the second prize, was bought by Mr.
Silverside, of York, and No 50, the winner of the third
prise, by Mr. Harris, of Shennington„Oxfordshire. In
Class 9, short-horned steers, not exceeding three years old,
No. 53, the winner of the second prise, was purchased by
Mr. Cushen, of Staines ; No. 64, by Mr. Pain, of High-
street, Camden-town ; No. 56, by Mr. Eaton, of Wands-
worth-road, Vauxhall ; No. 57, by Mr. Cooke, of Nor-
thampton ; No. 69, by Mr. Handford, of Bridge-street,
Battersea ;. No. 60, by Mr. Dearle, of Chertsey ; and No.
63, by Mr. Harris, of Shennington, Oxfordshire. In Class
10, short-horned steers or oxen above three years old, No.
66 was purchased by Mr. Cornish, of the Caledonian-road;
No. 67, by Mr. Collingwood, of Lamb's Conduit-street;
No. 69, by Mr. English, of King's-road, Chelsea; No. 70,
by Mr. Fisher, of Aylesbury, Bucks ; No. 71, by Mr. J.
Mason, of Queen-street, King's-road, Chelsea; No. 74, the
winner of the first prize, by the Messrs. Davis, of the Black
Bull, New Cattle-market ; No. 76, the winner of the second
prize, by Mr. H. Keeblo, of the Lion, New Cattle-market;
and No. 77, by Mr. Copeland, of Abingdon. In Class 11,
short-horned heifers, not exceeding four years old, No. 78,
the winner of the first prize, was purchased by Mr. Burn-
man, of the York-road, King's-cross ; No. 79, by Mr.
Feathcock, of Birkenhead ; No. 80, by Mr. Holton, of
King-street, Hammersmith ; and No. 81, by Mr. D. Bull,
of Great Chapel-street, Westminster. In Class 12, shorts-
. horned cows, above four years old, No. 82, was pur-
chased by Mr. Goring, of Staines, and No. 84, the
winner of the third prize, by Mr. T. Phelp, of Sey-
mour-place, Camden-town. In Class 13, Sussex steers or
oxen of any age, No. 88 was purchased by Mr. Phipps, of
Brighton; No. 89, by Messrs. Thompson, of Peterborough;
No. 99, by Mr. Rudderforth, of Pitfield .street., Huston;
Nos. 92 and 93, by Mr. Sharp, of Brighton ; No. 95, by
Mr. §tenning, of Brighton; No. 96, by Mr. French, of
Deptford-road; No. 93, by-Mr, Castle, of Sunbury, Mid-
dlesex ; No. 99, the winner of the first prize, by Mr. Hooke,
of Frederick-street, Hampstead-road; No. 100, by Mr.
Rudderforth, of Heston ; and No. 101, the winner of the
second prize, by Mr. Withers, of Guildford. In Class 15,
Norfolk or Suffolk polled steers or esen of any ago, No.
103, the winner of the first prize,' was purelitiia by Mr.
Finch, of Hounslow. In Class 16, Norfolk or Suffolk polled
heifers or cows of any age, No. 104, the winner of the
second prize, was bought by Mr. Withers; of Guildford ;
No. 105, the winner of the first prize, by Mr. Povey, of
Nile-street, Horton; and No. 106, by Mr. Wells, of the
Southgate-road. In class 19, Scotch horned steers or oxen
of any age, No. 110, the winner of the second prize, was
bought by Mr. Petherbridge, of Hastings.street, Bruns •
wick-square; No. 111, by Mr. May. of North Audley-
street ; No, 112, by Mr. Copeland, of Windsor; No. 113, by
Messrs. Clarke and Son. Richmond ; No. 114, by Mr. Rat-
cliff, of Richmbnd ; No. 116, the winner of the first prize,
by Mr. Jeffery, of Regent street ; and No. 117, by Mr.
Scarlett, of Goswell-road. In Class 20, Scotch horned
heifers or cows of any age; No. 119, the winner of the first
prize, was purchased by Mr. Stephens, of North Audley-
street ; No. 120, the winner of the second prize, by Mr.
Slater, of Kensington ; and No. 121, by Mr. Collingwood,
of Lamb's Conduit-street. In Class 21, Scotch polled steers
or Qxen, of any age, No. 123 was purchased by Mr. Harris,
of Sevonoaks ; No. 124, the winner of the first prize, by
Mr. Mann, of Croydon; and No. 12.5, by Mr. Page, of
Tower-street. In Class 22, Scotch polled heifers or cows,
of any age, No. 126, the winner of the first prize, was pur-
chased by Mr. Ives, of Hampton-court. In Class 24, Irish
heifers or cows, of any age, No. 127 was purchased by Mr.
Sergeant, of Westminster. In Class 25, Welsh breed',
No. 128, the winner of the second prize, was purchased
by Mr. Ratclitf, of Mayfair, aul No. 129, the winner
of the first prize, by Messrs. Eadk and Dunkley,
Northampton. In the cross of mixed breed, Class 27, No.
131, the winner of the first prize, was purchased by Mr.
Bottrill, of Westminster, and No. 134, the winner of the
second, by Mr. Castle, of Hounslow ; in Class 28, No. 135,
the winner of the second prize, was bought by Mr. Palmer,
of Wentworth, E.secar, near Nottingham, and No. 139, the
winner of the first, by Mr. Freemantlo, of Richmond ; in
Class 29, No. 142, the winner of the'•first prize, was pur-
chased by Mr. Fowkes, of Hammersmith. Many el these
animals fetched very high prices, as did also the successful
competitors iu the sheep and pig departments.

FINE ART ORNAMENTATION OF WAIT try:s.—" Perhaps
there is no article of personal ornament and utility that ad-
mits of greateer scope forihe display of a cultivated artistic
taste than the ornamentation of the dials and backs of
watches. Countless designs displaying the greatest inge-
nuity are still the characteristic of the English manufac-
turer's productions, while designs of a higher order of merit
are but rarely to be met with. The buyer's desideratum is
to find an establishment where will be presented to him
ample choice of artistic designs. It is therefore with plea-
sure that we can name the locale of such an establishment,
It is that of Mr. J. W. Benion, situate at 33 and 34, Lud-
gate-hill."—Morning Herald. Benson's illustrated pam-
phlet, post free for two stamps, is descriptive of every con-
struction of watch now made. Watches safe by post to all
parts of the globe.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.-WINCIIESTER, DEC. 13.

CROWN COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Byles.)
James Sivell, aged 21, a whitesmith, pleaded
guilty to a criminal assault on the person of Eliza-
beth Farlow, a girl under seven years of age, at
Portsea.

His lordship sentenced him to four years' penal
servitude.

The prisoner fell down in a fit on hearing the
sentence, and was removed in a state of insensibility
from the bar.

John Muliens, 23, described as a hawker, was
indicted for the manslaughter of John Wickham,
at Portsmouth.

Mr. Poulden conducted the prosecution.
The deceased and the prisoner, with some other
soldiers, were at the Golden Bell public-house, in
St. Mary's street, Portsmouth, on the 12th July..
The prisoner was then in the Suffolk Militia, and
the deceased a soldier in the Marine Artillery.
Some dispute arose between them respecting the
gun drill, and in retaliation the prisoner told the
deceased he would bet him ss. that he could not
tell how many points of the compass there were.
Deceased had not ss. with him, and on finding this
he called those present opprobrious names. The
prisoner gave Wickham a heavy blow, which
knocked him off the settle upon him he had been
seated, and when he was on the ground kicked him
on the crown of his head, inflicting a wound, the
result of which was that the unfortunate man died
in about 20 minutes. Prisoner was very much in-
toxicated and the deceased sober at the time of the
fatal occurrence.

The jury immediately found the prisoner guilty.
Prisoner, a respectable looking young man, said
that he came from Dorsctshire, but had not been
there for 10 years, and he had no one to speak for
him.

His lordship said he was loth to pass sentence in
so serious a case without deliberation, and therefore
deferred it until to-morrow (Friday) morning.

NORTH WALES CIRCUIT.—CIIESTER, DEC 13
(Before Mr. Justice Blackburn.)
THE WARRINGTON MURDER.

William Dagnall, 21, labourer, Warrington, was
charged with having feloniously killed William
Yarmouth.

It appeared that the deceased was 64 years of
age, and lived at Appleton, near Warrington. On
the 15th of Sept. last the deceased left home to go
to Warrington, at about 7 o'clock, for the purpose
of purchasing a pair of boots. He took with him
15s. in his purse and 3s. 6d. in his pocket. The
deceased after ho had made his purchases went to
the Corporation Inn with a man named Millington,
and after drinking two glasses of beer adjourned to
the " Exchange." About 10 o'clock he was missed,
and nothing more was seen of him until half-past
12 o'clock. At that time he was found between
Heathside and Queen-street quarrelling with a
woman named Green. He charged her with having
robbed him, and said he would not let her go until
he got his money. The woman called for help four
or five times, and was struggling violently with the
deceased. The prisoner came up and began
using the deceased, and kicked him four or five
times on the head and body while on the ground.
After this a woman of the name of Catherine Ley-
land came up and struck the deceased upon the face
three or four times. The deceased died on the 20th
from the injuries received. •
The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter, and
the prisoner was sentenced to 10 years' penal
servitude.

William Dagnall, Ann Green, and Catherine
Leyland, were then charged with the murder upon
the coroner's inquisition, but no evidence being
offered they were discharged.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—YORK, DEC. 13.
(Before Mr. Justice Hilt.)
William Walsh, who was convicted on Tuesday
of the manslaughter of his wife, by starving her to
death, was"placed at the bar, and sentenced to four
years' penal servitude.

Ann Johnson, convicted of the manslaughter of
her husband, at Doncaster, in November last, was
sentenced to three months'imprisonment. His lord-
ship said that the jury had recommended the pri-
soner to mercy, and he was always ready to listen
to such recommendations. It seems that the prisoner
and her husband had had many unhappy quarrels
and on one of those occasions she had struck the
deceased upon the head with a piece of wood and
caused his death. He did not think that the pri-
soner intended to take away the life of her husband
and he believed that she was very sorry for what
had occurred. She had no doubt been led away by
passion, and thus attacked her husband in the vio-
lent manner she had done, he having first attacked
her.