The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-13 00:00:00

aaRKENWELL INCUMBENCY.

It might have been expected that with the election of
Mr. M`Guire to the incumbency of Clerkenwell by the
vestry board on Friday evening, the contest which has
agitated the whole parish for some considerable time
would have ended, at least, until a court of law had de-
cided whether the vestry had the legal right to elect, or
whether it was still vested in the parishioners generally.
On Saturday, however, a placard was issued, signed
by the Rev. Mr. Roberts, in which he says
to the parishioners, "Youwillii a
doubtlessta
meetingremem at
remember
word to
11-street that I would in the
the that
school-rooms publicly p pledged e
Ad raw
event of my being elected to the vacant incumbency by
the new vestry, give you, the ratepayers, an opportunity
of exercising your right and privilegeeither to confirm or
set aside that election. Notwithstanding I have been left
in a minority by the defection of several of my pledged'
supporters on the decision of the 66 members of that
bad vestry
rre (who halmveeunst fuerpmedy ndypolurge. i m
privilege),
committeee),l amno
havetde-
now taken steps, and which, be assured, with your aid,
they will follow up to the very last, to confirm for you,
if possible, that right which you as parishioners have
without opposition until now exercised for 200 years.
If they succeed in restoring, to you your otherwise for-
feited patronage, I shall then earnestly solicit your
votes to elect_ me to the important position of incumbent
of Clerkenwell." This placard caused a good deal of ex-
citement, which was added to by a rumour that got into
circulation that on Sunday morning Mr. Roberta would
claim the right of preaching in St. James's Church, to
the exclusion of the elect of the vestry, the consequence
being that yesterday, long before the commencement of
Divine Service, the church was filled in every part, the
aisles wore crowded, and there was not even stauding
room. The Rev. Mr. Ford read prayers, and.the Rev.
Mr. M`Guire was in 'attendance in the churchwardens'
pew ready to officiate. The Rev. Mr. Roberts bad taken
the precaution of being there first, and, backed by his
friends, insisted upon preaching the sermon. Mr.
M`Guire and his friends very wisely
yielded, rather than
risk any disturbance where so many bad met for Divine
worship, and Mr. Roberts preached from john v., verse
38. Mr. M'Guire rethained in the churchwardens' pew,
and the greatest excitement prevailed.

WREXHAM, Oct. 11.--The inquest on the body of
Robert Kenrick, who lost his life while attending to one
of the pumps by which the water is being raised from
this mine, was held to-day before Mr. Thelwall, the
coroner for the Wrexham division of the county, at a
small public-house in the neighbourhood of the works.
The first witness called was
John Kenrick, the brother of the deceased. He said
—At 7 o'clock on Wednesday night I was standing
within half a yard of the engine pit. My brother was
standing on a stage about 50 yards down the pit, which
is about 160 yards deep. He had gone down to change
one of the buckets. He was shaking the rod when the
capstan chain attached to it broke, and he fell Eix or
seven yards down upon his head. When we found him
he was dead, but the chain was not touching him. When
the rod dropped, in consequence of the breaking of the
chain, he must have gone down with it. He had been
working at the engine for the last five or six years. I
have worked there for four or five years.
Frederick Hutchinson, a clerk in the employment of
Messrs. Clayton and Darlington, said the deceased was
engineer and pitman of the engine pit, and it was his
duty to attend to everything connected with it. He was
a very zealous man, and had been particularly anxious
that all the gearing belonging to the pit of which he had
charge should be in order since the inundation, as there
were relatives and friends of his among the missing men.
He had sometimes been dragged from his work in order
that he might get a little sleep, but he had always re-
turned to the pit in a few hours. He was a very bold
man. Fresh buckets are usually required at intervals of
a week or a fortnight, but since the inundation they have
been changed much more frequently, as the water wears
them very rapidly. The men are very eager to change
the buckets quickly in order to prevent the engine from
standing still. The deceased has changed the buckets
in 15 minutesithe usual time being half an hoar. There
were three or four men isnler him. This witneis pro-
duced the broken link of the capstan chain, which it
was stated had been 'in use for the last 18 or 19 years.
The link had evidently given way or opened at the weld-
ing. He added that the same chain was still being used.
The weight it usually had to bear was certainly under a
ton.

Samuel Warburton—l have worked at the engine pit
under the deceased for about four years. On Wednes-
day night I was down in the pit with him. We were
standing side by side on our scaffold at the first lift. We
had gone down to change one of the buckete. The rod
was fast is the barrel, and we shook it in order to loosen
it. The deceased held in his left hand the wire by which
the signal for raising or lowering is given to the engineer
above. He said to me, " Stop a bit, I will lower ;" and
he then gave four knocks by means of the wire. That
was the signal for lowering, and the men above lowered
the chain until the deceased, seeing it began to double,
as the rod continued fast,' stopped them in order to pre-
vent it from jerking when it was again raised. He then
knocked five times—the signal for raising. did not
feel the chain jerk, but when it was pulled tight I heard
the link break. I jumped directly to the other side of
the stage to save my life, and saw no more of the de-
ceased. I think I heard him groan once or twice. Since
the inundation one of the buckets has required changing
every three or four hours. The chain seemed a very
good one ; but I would rather trust to a rope than to a
chain.

The Coroner called attention to the rules for the regu-
lation of the Bryn Mally Works, copies of which, under
the 18th and 19th Tic., chap. leS, are given to all the
workmen. The 20th rule was to the effect that the head
banksman of every pit should examine daily the ropes,
chains, and gearing of the pit under his charge. He
wished to know who was'the head banksman of this
engine pit ?

Mr. Hutchinson explained that there was no head
banksman at the engine pit, so that the rule could apply
only to winding pits. It was the duty of the deceased
to see that the chains and ropes of the engine pit were
in proper order.
In reply to further questions Mr. Hutchinson said
that the men were furnished with copies of the rules in
the English language only ; but, on the suggestion of
the coroner, he promised that Welsh copies should im-
mediately be given them.

John Kenrick was recalled, and stated that eight men
were pulling at the capstan when his brother gave the
signal for raising, and that he and four or five more went
and assisted them. The chain was not jerked at all ; it
was broken by fair pulling. He had always thought
the chain a safe one, but he preferred a rope to a chain,
because any defect in a rope could easily be seen.
Mr. Kirk stated that his father, who was formerly
manager of the mine, ordered the chain 18 or 19 years
ago. It was made without regard to expense, and the
best iron was put into it. It had been proved to bear
10 tons. It had never broken before, but it had pro-
bably done more work during the last week than it
would do, under ordinary circumstances, in a year or
two. It was only used for the purpose of raising the
rods when it was necessary to change the buckets.
The Coroner sa,d there could be no doubt that the
man's death was caused by the breaking of the chain.
It was for the jury to say whether the chain brake in
consequence of some defect, or in consequence of some
fault in the management of the machinery.
The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a ver-
dict of "Accidental death," but expressed an opinion
that the chain was unsafe, and that it was the duty of
the deceased to have examined it. They recommended
that a rope should be substituted for the chain.

The Government inspector was not present at the in-
quiry...

Within the last 12 hours the depth of water in the
mine has decreased 2 feet 4 inches, but the men have nct
been able to reach the upper workings. The fate of
their 13 missing comrades is still, therefore, a matter of
doubt, although, even if they escaped drowning at the
time of the inundation, it is hardly possible that they
can have sustained life for the 10 days during which
they have been buried in the mine.

RAILWAYS IN BRAZIL -THE PERNAM.

BUCO LINE.

By the Tyne, which arrived at Southampton on Satur-
day, with the usual files, we learn, from-the Diario de
Per!tanzbuce of Monday, Sept. 1, that this undertaking,
so significant of Brazilian progress, and of such impor-
tance to the interests of the province which it intersects,
is advancing in a most satisfactory manner. On Sailer
day, August 30, the works were inspected by the Presi-
dent of the province, the Chevalier de Macedo, recently,
ambassador from the Court of Rio in London, accom-
panied by Senor Francisco R. de Mello Rego, director of
the public works ; Mr. H. A. Cowper, British Consul ;
Messn. C. and F. de Mornay, brothers of the concessio-
naires ; Mr. J. S. Tucker, acting as chief engineer to
the company until the arrival of Mr. W. Peniston, who
has been appointed to succeed Mr. Borthwick, deceased ;
Mr. J. Bayliss, engineer to the contractor, Mr. G.
.Fur-
ness, and several other gentlemen, interested in various
ways in the success of the undertaking. Leaving the
"Village of Alfogadas on horseback, his Excellency and
party proceeded to Imberibeira, from which place they
rode along the line foe thirteen miles, diverging from it
only when they came to rivers not yet bridged over.
About 1300 labourers were at work in an orderly and
systematic manner, and the portions which were com-
pleted gave unqualified satisfaction. The earthworks of
the length inspeoted were nearly finished, the curves
being well traced and the embankments slo?ed and
dressed in the most approved manlier. Mr. Bayliss at-
tributed the advanced state in which the works were
found in a great measure to tho order and sobriety which
have prevailed among the workmen from the • nnmencee
went. The supply of labour has been ample, and the
regularity with which wages have been paid has contri-
buted to the satisfactory relations which happily exist.
Nine miles of the line are ballasted, and ready for the
permanent way ; and the first section, as far
as Villa de Cabo, is expected to be completed
in March, 1857 ; the second, terminating at the
Escada, in the following December; and the third in
March, 1858. Should these anticipations be realised,
the first two sections will be completed within the period
allowed for the first alone, which would be an incontest-
able proof of the activity with which the works have
been pushed forward. After the inspection the company
took luncheon under a tent erected and decorated for

the occasion, and the toasts drunk and the speeches
made were strongly indicative of the amicable and mut-
ually beneficial relations existing between Brazil and
Great Britain. The party returned to Pernambuco in
the evening, much pleased with the evidence they had
had of the rapid progress of this important undertaking,
the accomplishment of which must contribute so much
to the prosperity of the province of Pernambuco, and
the increase of the already large and advantageous trade
carried on between this country and the thriving empire
of Brazil. The staff of the railway has been completed
by the appointment of Mr. E. de Mornay, one of the
concessionaires, and a life director, as resident manager.
The health of all employed on the line continued good,
affording the best proof that can be desired of tho salu-
brity of the climate. Though native unskilled labour is
abundant, almost any number of skilled European mo-
cfhues could be absorbed with facility, and to this class
of
immigrants the Brazilian government offers great en•
au n ant,
couragement. Those who have gone from this country
have sent home most glowing accounts of the unexam-
pled fertility of the soil, the easy acquisition of land,
and the certainty with which industry there attains its
due reward.

While the Tyne, which has just arrived home with.
the Brazil mail, was at Rio Janeiro, the purser, doctor,
and chief steward (Mr. Cotterell) of her went ashore. On
their return to the ship, accompanied by two passengers
in a shore boat, the latter was struck by a sea and upset,
and the whole party were immersed in the sea, They
were soon picked up again, with scarcely any damage
done with the exception of Mr. Cotterell, who was found
to be dead. When the boat upset he was seen to seize
hold of it.; when pinked up he hal an oar under his arm,
and did not appear to have received a blow. It appears
that some years ago he bad a fall on board ship which
injured his neck, and he carried his head On one side in
consequence, and this, it is imagined, predispoped bim
to apoplexy. It is supposed the sudden imuneraion and
fright caused the blood to flow to the -head, and pro.;
duced death by an apopletic fit. Mr. Cotterell was
formerly a Southampton tradesman.

--
The United States screw steam-frigate Merrimac will,
it is expected, take her departure from Southampton
Water in about a fortnight's time. Amongst the visitors
of the frigate during the last week were several captains
and commanders in the royal navy and military officers ;
Sir John Rennie, the engineer ; Major-General Dickson,
who fought in the last American war, and was taken
prisoner ; and the Portuguese minister to Brazil. On
' Saturday the frigate was visited by Count Pontiatine, a
vice-admiral in the Russian service, and aide-de-camp to
the Emperor of Russia, The count commanded the
Russian frigate Diana during the Russian war, when
she was chased by the English and French fleets through-
out the South and North Pacific oceans, making her re-
markable escape in a dense fog from the Amoor river.
It will be remembered that after baffling the combined
fleets of the Western Powers for nearly two years she
was finally engulphed owing to au earthquake on the
Japanese coast, her officers and crew beim! saved by an
American man-of-war. Admiral Pontiatine, a slender
gentlemanly man, speaks very good English, and is a
highly educated scientific officer. He spoke modestly
on board the 11,Terrimac-of his adventures in the Diana.
He was accompanied on board the American frigate by
a young liaiscovite gentleman whose name and rank
were not known. They both came from Southampton
to the frigate. The Russian admiral was saluted with
13 guns on his leaving the Merrimac. The remarkable
shape of some of the frigate's guns excited great
curiosity, • the pivot guns having the appearance
of InPurnoth black bottles, from the enormous size of
the hinder part of the gun as compared with the cir-
cumference of the gun towards the mouth. The brass
howitzers, or boat guns, on board the frigate have also
s perambulators attracted attention. Their carriages' appear something
like children' perambulator
The guns can be lim-
berecratict unlimbered silth'ire— airablY fan lity, lIMGI the
apparatus for, running 'them ashore, and guiding and
moving them about on land, is very complete and in-
genious. These howitzers throw shrapnel shells of about
121 b each.
In consequence of the disputes in England about the
treatment of naval medical men, it may be as well to
mention that assistant-surgeons in the American navy
do not go through the steerage now, but step at once
into the ward room where they have precisely the same
accommodation as the lieutenants and other officers.
The assistant-surgeon on board the Merrimac has really
superb accommodation.
The whole of the officers of the Merrimac have been
invited by the Mayor of Southampton to the banquet to
be given by him to the directors of the European and
Australian Mail Packet Company and the heads of the
Southampton governmental departments, at the Dolphin
Hotel, in that town, on Friday next, the day previous
to the sailing of the first mail packet for Australia under
the new contract. An order has been issued by the
Government to allow the officers of the Merrimac to
view all the dockyards and naval establishments in the
kingdom that they may choose to visit. The Merrimac
was designed by Mr. Lenthall, the chief naval con
structor of the American navy. The royal yacht was
proceeding up Southampton Water one day, when she
was stopped, and permission was asked for one of the
maids of honour and a gentleman belonging to the royal
household to view the frigate, which permission was im-
mediately politely accorded.

REMARKABLE SPEECH BY A RUSSIAN

MERCHANT.

Among the feasts at Moscow by which the late coro-
nation of the Czar was attended, was one given by M.
Basile Kokoreff to the deputation of peasants and mer-
chants, assembled from the principal cities of Russia.
M. Kokoreff was formerly a peasant, but is now one of
the wealthiest merchants in Russia, and has made him-
self singularly popular throughout the empire by his
profuse generosity and enthusiastic patriotism. The last
occasion upon which his name was brought prominently
before English readers was in connexion with a grand
banquet given by him at Moscow to the soldiers and
sailors returning from the defence of Sebastopol. At
the late dinner to the merchants he delivered a speech
sufficiently remarkable to repay translation.
"It is not long since (he said) that at this very place,
Moscow, the heart of the Russian nationality, 'the Mus-
covites feted the welComed and heroic defenders of Se-
bastopol. We were then expecting peace, and were
consoling ourselves with the hope of soon profiting by
its happy results. To-day peace is no longer a hope, it
is a reality ; and now again, in the same city of Moscow,
we are celebrating, heart and soul, the holy coronation
of our beloved monarch, the author of the peace and so
many other blessings. Here also are united the repre-
sentatives of the whole nation, as well as you also,
gentlem.e,. the delegates of our bourgeoisie. Let
us, therefore, manifest in unison the sentiments which
we feel at the-idvent of these recent blessing.: Our
gracious eovereign has been pleased to order that our.
children should henceforth frequent without any restric-
tion the University course. He has ordered the revision
of the relation between Government and commerce ; and
the revision of the tariff, which cannot fail to quicken
our industry. All our relations with foreign nations
are rendered easier. His Majesty has also been pleased
to authorise the foundation of an Industrial Society,
under the patronage of the heir to the throne. Happy
the people and grand its future when its princes apply
themselves betimes to the sacred duty of learning its
wants and studying the means of satisfying them !
Lastly, in the midst of all these events, the ` Society of
Navigation and of the Commerce of the South and of
Russia,''has been established, the aim of which is to ex-
pedite our relations with Europe, and to facilitate our
exports and imports. Russia has always been able to
confess her faults as well as recognise her merits. Let
us, therefore, frankly declare, gentlemen, that, in point
of commerce and industry, we are, in many respects,
rather behind. Our merit at present consists in the
desire to improve our ourselves by intelligent practice.
It is a fact that in the industrial life of a people, certain
and complete success is less easily obtained by the theo-
retical precepts of books than by a continuous contact
with otter peoples. By this contact we acquire experi-
ence, ideas, taste, and establish new relations which are
sure to be maintained because they rest upon common
interests—the only stable securities for treaties of peace.
In order to arrive at this end, the surest means is faci-
lity and rapidity of communication with foreign nations.
The question of steamboats and railways is at present
a question of human interest, because it is by their
means that nations can be united in a community of
interests and in feelings of fraternity. In regard to
commerce, there exists among us the most con-
tradictory opinions. Some still speak of a Chinese
wall ; others of free trade. But be certain, gentlemen,
that such questions are never resolved by extremes :
their true definitions can only result from an interna-
tional exchange of ideas. When by means of steam we
shall be able to unite ourselves more closely wi h foreign
merchants, more expert than we are in point of industry,
and exchange with them our ideas, then we shall arrive
at the exact and true definition of the very principles of
commerce—a definition which is deeply interesting to
the whole of Europe. It will then happen that we shall
see here in Moscow, the centre of the internal commerce
of Russia, as well as in the other cities and ports of the
empire, representatives of the principal commercial
houses of Europe. We shall then be able to learn every
day here in Moscow, and at a fixed .hour, the progress
of business in Paris, London, and other places, and be
able, when we are assembled as now, with the glass in
our hands, to learn by telegraph the health of our chil-
dren, who may be placed in foreign countries in Russian
houses of commerce. When I review in mind all the
pregnant consequences which must infallibly result to
nations from their union, by means of commerce—a
union based on common interests—l cannot refrain from
proposing to you, gentlemen, to drink at once and unani-
mously the following toast, .` To European commerce, to
foreign merchants, our elder brethren in industry, and
to my honourable colleagues the merchants of Russia.' "
Th
The personal appearance of
M. Kukoreff, while delivering this •speech—hisi long
beard and hair cut a la moujik, and his warmth of
repeated
above
and o ahsureceivedr r
a "hurrahs."
b y the company vv,th loud
manner—did not by any means lessen the effect of his
words.

A postscript to some of the commercial letters from
Brazil, by the last mail, mentions the death of the Mar-
quis of rParena, President of the Council and Minister
of Finance.
The Emigration Commissioners have advertised for
vessels to carry emigrants to Sydney and Melbourne, to
aDndeliDeieobuis.
be ready for passengers between the 24th of November
and the Ist of December, as may be hereafter deter-
mined.
I:emal'easC°t remarkable :—AthoI-
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(Freon the Observer.)
The reports which have been in circulation for some
days past respecting the amount of loss which the com-
pany will sustain by the frauds lately practised in the
transfer-office of the Crystal Palace, are, we understand,
greatly exaggerated. The investigation by Messrs.
Quitter and Ball is not yet concluded, but it appears cer-
tain that the whole loss of the company, by recognising
the validity of shares improperly issued, will not exceed
the nominal sum of 20,0001., and considerably less if the
shares were purchased at the present market prices. The
largest proportion of shares improperly issued were pre-
ference shares, with a guaranteed rate of interest, similar
to those of Mr. Robertson, of Leith, which form the
subject of the present charge against Rob= on. The
diffieulties which Robson bad to c,ntend with in carry-
ing on his practices foi the two or three last years
must have been very great, and it is scarcely possible to
conceive how he could have provided for the payment of
the dividends on the irregular shares without the circum•
stance coming earlier to the knowledge of the directors.
The first discovery of the frauds was owing to the discre-
pancy which existed in the amount paid by the com-
pany's bankers on the dividend warrants, and the actual
sum • which ought to have been paid as dividend on
the preference In every department connected
with the shares cf the company, Robson appears to
have had some irregular transactions. Having sold Shares
deposited with the company it became necessary to pro-
vide dividend-warrants for the payment of dividends'
when due, not only for the original owner, but for the
subsequent purchaser. In many cases these warrants
were supplied by Robson, and having access to the seal
of the company, they were all dilly and regularly stamped.
In the case of transfers the signatures of !the secretary
aud otie of the directors of the company were required,
Itnd they were supplied by Robson. In other cases
duplicaf shares harty been issued. printed. 'eigned.-and
sealed in the same manner as the regular shares of the
company. The shares, transfers, and dividend warrants,
have, it is said, been all more or less tampered with.
The style in which Robson lived, and the appearance
which he kept up, ought to have suggested something
like inquiry on the part of the directors as to his means.
His salary was but 1501. a-year, and yet every morning
he drove ap to the palace with a curricle and a pair of
horses, which for beauty and symmetry could probably
not be matched in Loudon, or rode on one of the pret-
tiest "nags about town," attended by his servant in
livery. He had also the famous trotting mare Eliza,
which was accustomed to trot easily from the Crystal
Palace to London-bridge in 20 minutes, being at a rate
of 20 runes an hour ; or, as her owner frequently boasted,
of beating the railway trains by several minutes. The
pair of horses which he was in the habit of driving were
sold under the hammer for 5201. Never, perhaps, was
there such an instance of self-sacrificing exertion for a
great public undertaking as that of a gentleman living
in this style consenting to do the daily drudgery of the
duties of.a transfer clerk for the small consideration of

1501. a-year. Questions were sometimes asked as to the
means which he possessed, and satisfactory answers were
always given. Among other things he said that his wife
had just succeeded to some property of 5001. a•year,
and that he was making large sums of money from
the theatres from the performance of his plays ;
for it is not generally known that Robson is the
author of several plays. Among the dramatic works
which he has written are "Love and Loyalty," a
piece which had a run of over a hundred nights, if we
remember rightly, at the Maiylebone Theatre. Another
of his plays is "The Selfish Matt." His most ambitious
work, however, is "Bianca," a play in five acts, which
was under rehearsal at Drury-lane up to the time of
Robson's flight. The play has been in print for the last
two or three months, and it bears the following dedi-
cation :—" To those who, believing in the realisation of
the highest aspirations of the human mind, claim for the
drama the proud position of being one of the chief means
by which that realisation is to be attained, this play is
respectfully dedicated by their very humble and obedient
servant, Wm. Js. Robson." It would have been well
had the writer pondered more deeply over one passage
in his play, in which he makes the haughty Venetian
lady say—

What briar next to twine around
The goodly flowers of my better self ?
What demon urges me ? What fiend directs ?
Why is it so? Why,-so riveted
-Unto thy fearful throne, Iniquity,?
Captive led—captive bound—unwilling slave,
I must work on, and fill my destiny ?
Oh, poor excuse ! Oh, paltry argument !
Mine inward conscience recoiling shrinks
From such false reasoning. To feel I'm wrong,
And still persist in wrong, marks me as accurs'd.
With any gossamer I can conceal my face,
But where's the veil will hide my conscience from myself ?
I have no tears, I would drown my guilt.
If drowit'd 'twin...-. rise a pallid Corse, and damn
My trembling soul with its more fearful ghost.
Judging from the rate of remuneration given by mana-
gers of theatres. it is not probable that any very large
gains were made by Robson from this source, and his
play of " Bianca" is not calculated to raise a very high
opinion of his dramatic genius. It appears, however,
very certain that he had several other sources of revenue
than either those from his dramatic writings or his at-
tendance at the transfer office at the Crystal Palace.
He had made a considerable sum by some very success-
ful speculations on the Stock Exchange ; some chemical
works, in conitection with the preparation of antimony,
are said to have yielded him considerable profit; he was
proprietor, also, of a large share in the timber bending
patents ; he held some paying shares in a Welsh sine,
and he was a director in three or four joint stock com-
panies. With all these sources of revenue openly avowed
by himself, he was still found sedulously attentive to the
duties of his small office, and if the charges against him
are well founded, his object in continuing in the transfer
office is easily understood.
As soon as Robson had taken flight the directors
offered a reward of 2501. for his apprehension. Now
that he has been captured, a question arises, who is en-
titled to the reward ? We understand that the rightful
claimant is a lady. For some days no clear traces of
Robson could be obtained, though there are good grounds
for supposing that for several days after the discovery of
the fraud he was concealed in London. Aided by some
friends he succeeded, however, in oetting out of the
country, and when on the continent he' addressed a letter
to a lady, who, in happier times, had been the subject
of his attentions, and the recipient of no small share of
his wealth. This letter, it is stated, was delivered to a
milliner, who was at work in the house, and who, having
some suspicion as to the writer, detained and opened the
letter, and tempted by the reward gave information to
the police authorities.. The fair disciple of the Grahamite
policy has, we are informed, put in her claim for the
reward.

The circumstances connected with the sale of the pre-
perty of Robson at Kilburn Priory have excited consi-
derable surprise. It is said that the lessee of one of the
theatres took possession, und, r a bill of sale, of all the
property and effects, early on the morning of the fol-
lowing day after the absconding of their owner, and
the effects were immediately sold by auction, the
holder of the bill of sale being, of course, ignorant
of the real state of affairs. Mr. Robson, on his ap-
prehension, stated that large sums of money were due to
him by several persons, and among the names mentioned
was that of the gentleman who had taken possession of
his property under the bill of sale. A. fiat in bankrnr
has been issued against Robson, so that the whole of the
transactions connected with the disposal of the property
will be thoroughly investigated. As must naturally be
expected, the position of the prisoner has hal a mot
serious effect on the health of his wife. Without the
slightest notice or warning Mrs. Robson was expelled
from Ler splendid residence at Kilburn, and driven from
a sick bed, on which she had languished for some time
past, under a most painful disease, and arrived almost
penniless at Brighton, where she now remains in a most
precarious state of health.

MAINTENANCE OF FENCES ON RAILWAYS.—At the
last sitting of the County Court at Halifax an action
was brought by an innkeeper named Pickup against the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company to recover
101., the amount ,1 damage sustained by the plaintiff in
the loss of a foal. -which had strayed out of a field adjoin-
ing the defendant's line and been killed by one of their
trains. It appeared that early in March last the plain-
tiff's agent agreed with the owner of the meadow for
the agistment of a foal. This meadow adjoined the
main line of railway between Manchester and Leeds at a
place called Ludden Foot. The owner of the land bad
shortly before agreed to sell part of the same meadow to
the defendant for au extension of their station at Ludden
Foot, but the company undertook to provide a new ap-
proach and entrance to the field before removing the
existing gateway. They railed off the plot of land they
had purchased preparatory to making a stone fence,
and in the meantime the plaintiff, by direction of the .
company's foreman or contractor, obtained access to the
meadow by removing a bar of the rails, which he tied
up at both ends when the foal was in the field. Early
on the morning of the 31st of March the pony got out
of the meadow, strayed on to the railway, and was killel
as already stated. On examining the temporary fence the
loose bar was found broken in two, apparently by the
pony jumping upon it or bursting through it. It was
contended by the plaintiff's advocate, who quoted the sth
and 6th Vic., c. 55, sec., 10, and the Railway Clauses
Consolidation Act, and also cited the case of " Fawcett
v. the York and North Midland Railway Company" (20
Law J. Rep. (N. S.), Q. 8., 222, as well as the ease of
"Barnes v. Ward," that the defendauts were liable for
the damages claimed, as they had not provided a good
and sufficient fence to the plot of land staked off. Mr.
Highaw, for the defendants, argued that the plaintiff
was answerable for his agent's wrongful act in taking
down the rails, and for the negligent and insufficient
way in which they were replaced ; that he had been
warned that the foal would be killed ; that he had
taken the pasturage after the fence bad been put down,
and when notice that no gateway had been provided ;
and ought not to have used the pasture until May-
day, and that the fence was good and sufficient before
it was interfered with. His Honour (Mr. J. Stansfield),
without requiring a reply, held that the plaintiff was
clearly entitled to a verdict for the amount claimed.