The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-15 00:00:00

THE CONVENT CASE.

On Saturday, the tenth day of the great convent case,
)üblic interest appeared to be visibly abating. The
ieighbourhood of the court was much less crowded than
)n previous days, and the court itself was less crowded
:han before ; but the number increased towards the latter
fart of the day.
Mrs. Starr's cross-examination was resumed by the
Solicitor-General :--I told the sisters to use moderate lan.
;cage in their depositions for the bishop, and not to write
%nything of which they were doubtful.
The Solicitor-General : And the rule you laid down for
;he sisters you prescribed for yourself ?
Defendant (hesitatingly) : I wished to do it. She con-
:ealed a book in her cell. There are no locks in the cells.
The superior can go to them at any time and take out what
the pleases. When I say hidden there, the cell is not the
proper place to keep books. I found it, however, under
tier clothes in a cabinet. I found it on the shelf of an
unlocked cupboard, between her clothes. I went there
purposely to look for it, from what the sister to whom I had
viven it told me.

The Lord Chief Justice : Tell us what you found.
"Concealed" is for the jury to consider.
Defendant : It was not on the top of the clothes ; it
might have been amongst or under them. It was about
the size of a small prayer-book, and called "Devotions to
Jesus," I don't know if there was another copy in the
convent. I had given it to Mrs. M`Owne in Miss Swain's
presence about a week ur ten days before I found it in the
cell. Previous to giving it to Mrs. M`Owne I had used
the book. Mrs. M`Owne told me she had lost the book,
incl said she could not help thinking Miss Saurin had got
.t. When I accused her of taking it she at first evaded the

question.
The Lord Chief Justice : Was her name in it as a pre-
sentation by you, or as the owner of the book ?
Defendant : As a presentation. I told her she knew it
was not mine, as she was present when I gave it to Sister
Mary Agnes. She admitted it was a fault against poverty
—that she had done wrong. The book is not here, but
:tan be produced.
The Solicitor-General: I should like the book to be sent
For, because I am told you are wrong about the inscrip-
tion ; and what you have described IS what you consider
concealment.
Defendant : The redistribution of clothes in 1862 was
made for the general benefit of the community, but not
with any intention of limiting her particularly, although
I said in my depositions it was made in consequence of
her having too much clothes, and an unaccountable accu-
mulation of things, such as bobbins and trifling things of
that kind.

The Solicitor-General: Do you think an "unaccount-
able accumulation of things " conveyed to the episcopal
mind bobbins and such like? (Laughter.)
Defendant : I really don't know. 'This statement to the
bishop was not an exaggeration, but a statement of fact.
When I say she cut up her clothes and made them up
anew, I found that in the case of a petticoat she had
cut up one petticoat, and made the other thicker, in some
parts six thicknesses. It should only have had two thick-
nesses. I cannot speak to it positively. I felt it was
heavier. I won't undertake to say she bad cut out the
bad parts and made them good. This was done after I had
altered the number of the clothing. I also stated in my
deposition that the destruction of her apparel was most
unaccountable, and that had reference to her tearing her
veil and other articles I have already described. Some
rums honestly wear out their clothes quicker than others.
My impression was that Miss Saurin did it dishonestly.
I described her as "a clever woman, who always
had excuses that satisfied me " for the time being. I
never made inquiries whether her excuses were true in
fact, but on reflection I considered them not to be. I did
not consider an inquiry necessary. I found it out partly
from my own observation and partly from inquiry—perhaps
both. (The defendant was cross-examined on this point for%
considerable time, and, in answer to a question, said sn.
did not understand what the learned counsel was question.-
ing her about.)

Mr. Mellish : You have gone on long enough to puzzle
any one.

The Lord Chief Justice : I quite agree with that.
Cross-examination continued : I by no means meant to
make any charge whatever against her moral character
when I wrote " she was in a state of excitement when the
priest was present." I felt very uncomfortable about her.
What I meant by the statement, "I caught her kneeling by
he side of the priest, putting things into his hand and sug-
gesting she should go with him," turned upon the rule of
dleness, "that she shall always and in all places
preserve in her deportment a gravity becoming a religious
person," and I am quite sure neither the bishop nor the
commission thought it a reflection on her moral character.
My reference to a gross scandal was not to be considered
in any gross sense whatever. My statement of "my fear
of a coming scandal," which I mentioned to Canon Motley,
had reference entirely and solely to her pilfering the
children's dinners. I believed the plaintiff to be ver
insincere, and " perpetually telling falsehoods."

Mrs. Kennedy. the co-defendant, was also called on
Saturday, and confirmed in many respects the evidence
given by Miss Starr. She charged Miss Saurin with
breaking the rules of silence and poverty, and with taking
things from the other sisters. The witness was examined
in contradiction of certain statements of the plaintiff as to
ill-treatment. As to the alleged deprivation of bedclothes,
she said it arose from a little pressure in the house, and
there was a struggle among the sisters who should give it
up, and Miss Saurin was among those who offered. She
denied the alleged rudeness on the occasion of Miss Saurin's
removal from Clifford to Hull, and positively swore that
she never pushed Miss Saurin downstairs.
The court was again adjourned.

The fortune which the Princess Bacciochi has
left to the Prince Imperial amounts, report says, to
7,000,000 f.

THE FRENCH INSTITUTE. —Professor Max Muller,
who in 1858 had been elected a corresponding member of
the French Institute (Acadgmie des Inscriptions et Belles-
Lettres), has just been elected one of the eight foreign
associates of that Academy.

The following characteristic advertisement ap-
pears in a New York paper :—" If the party who took a
fancy to my overcoat was influenced by the inclemency of
the weather, all right ; but if by commercial considerations,
I am ready to negotiate for its return.—John Brougham,
No. 325, West Fourteenth-street."-
SINKING OF A CONVICT HULK.—The Journal
Officid of the French Empire publishes the following :
" We learn that the floating hulk, Cacique, moored in
the roadstead at Cayenne, suddenly sank on the 26th of
December, and several convicts perished, notwithstanding
that prompt assistance was afforded. The Minister of
Marine has ordered an inquiry to ascertain the cause of
this disaster."

A conference of the representatives of a large num-
ber of the poor-law unions in the counties of Stafford, War-
wick, Chester, and Salop has been held at Stafford, under
the presidency of the Earl of Lichfield. The chairman said
thstt tho large increase of vagrancy in the midland counties
called urgently for some repressive measures. - In
January, 1867, the number of vagrants relieved in 46
unions was. 8,419 ; in January, 1868, it was 11,000 ; whilst
last month the number was 14,439. Several suggestions
were made, and the operation of Mr. Baker's ticket system
was explained and criticised. Mr. Baker himself said that
his system had not reduced the number of vagrants who
went into workhouses, but it bad reduced the number of
tramps in a remarkable degree. Some resolutions were
passed, iu which the necessity of adopting a uniform system
'as strongly insisted upon.

COUNTY FINANCIAL BOARDS.—At a meeting of
the Cirencester Chamber of Agriculture, the Rev, T.
Maurice read a paper on County Financial 'Boards. fie
defined a county financial board as a body elected by
the ratepayers to raise and disburse the funds applicable
for the public expenses of the Lonnty. Taxation
and representation have to be considered in dealing
with this question, so that they who supply the
money should have a voice in the control of it. It is
difficult to decide whether or not it is desirable to apply
this principle to county finance. The principle of repre-
sentation has advantages of its own, and experience
has falsified the predictions of those who consi-
*dered that it would produce an inferior, Parlia-
ment. If it Were only desirable to have the most
talented men in the House of Commons the Queen in
Council might select them, but that would not constitute •
a representative assembly. Probably more able men might
be nominated for a public board than could be selected by
popular suffrage ; but then the principle of representation
would be sacrificed. The compensating advantages of an
elected board would be many, and the elevating effect ou
the constituency itself would be considerable,- "