The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-24 00:00:00

THE -CONVENT CASE.

Seventeen days has the weary case of Saurin v. Starr
lasted. The public having heard all that is edifying with
regard to " life in a convent," has now settled down to the
flat and unprofitable task of making up its mind as to who
is right in the quarrel. Unquestionably Miss Saurin fell
considerably in estimation as day by day story after
story was told of her stubbornness, bad temper, and dis-
obedience ; and though the instances were trivial
enough in many cases, yet, by what the Yankees call
"piling up" the defence managed to make out a
sufficiently strong case to cause observers to be doubtful
as to which way the verdict would go. The Solicitor-
General himself was struck with this, and is trying to win
back the sympathy of the jury, by putting Miss Saurin in
the witness-box again. This is a good course, for the jury
would probably have in its mind what it had heard
last, and the defence has continued so long, that the
"impressions," on which counsel so strongly rely for
getting a verdict, would, as far as the plaintiff is con-
cerned, be effaced ; and so yesterday Miss Saurin was
again in the witness-box. She denied that she ever took
away anything from another sister, and bid it under
her bed. She had never spoken to anyone
about courtship or young men. Her brother's letter to
the bishop was read to her, in which it was written
that she said to him " Under one operation, which was
repeated four times, I hesitated for a moment, when
Christ, as it were, appeared to me bound and strapped
at the pillar. I raised my eyes to heaven, and the
reverend mother said, 'See how her eyes turn.' I thought
kmy body was falling to pieces, and I cried aloud, `Yes,my
Lord, I will make the sacrifice." Commenting to the
bishop on this in the same letter, her brother said
" Her crimes are those of Christ, my lord, by whom she is
ever physically sustained." Miss Saurin's attention being
drawn to this by the Lord Chief Justice, she explained
that it referred to the time when she was stripped of her
clothes. Sir Alexander Cockburn was not, however, by
any means satisfied, and asked her very closely concerning
it. She said she had never heard of the letter before.
The Lord Chief Justice : What did you tell your
brother about the vision—that you saw Christ bound and
strapped to the pillar? Did you tell him that?
- Plaintiff : No. What I suppose is this—

The' Lord Chief Justice Don't be in a hurry, and
attend to the question. Did you tell your brother you
"saw Christ bound and strapped to the pillar," that you
raised your eyes to heaven, and that you thought your
body was falling to pieces, and that you cried aloud
"Yes; my Lord, I will, I will make the sacrifice ?"

Plaintiff : No.
The Lord Chief Justice : Then it is an invention?
Plaintiff: I mean-

The Lord Chief Justice : Did you or did yuu not ?
Plaintiff : I said that I was dreadfully shocked when I
was asked to do so. I remembered what Our Lord
suffered at the pillar, and I may have said that.
The Lord Chief Justice : Did you say nothing about
the vision ?
Plaintiff : Nothing of the kind.
The Lord Chief Justice : Then that is an invention?

Plaintiff : I don't know. I never mentioned anything
about that vision.
Some fencing between the Chief Justice and witness

then took place. She said she told her brother more than
she told the court, but said it referred to " what she had
had to submit to," and ultimately that it was only the
stripping that her brother spoke of.
A large number of children were then called, who seve-
rally deposed to the following effect:—" Sister Scholastica
was very kind to me, and never took away my dinner or
any one else's that I know of." Some of them had never
known the plaintiff other than kind to anyone. Others
were silent on the point. A mother also was called, who
stated that only on one occasion had she heard that her
child's dinner was taken. It was stated that her servant
• had complained to the superior every day about it. Other
evidence to the same effect was given, and closed the re-
butting case.
Mr. Mellish then proceeded to address the jury for the
defence, but did not finish until the time for adjournment'

The Reformation Society of Neuchatel in Switzer-
land have issued the following programme :—" A Church
without priests, religion without a Catechism, worship
without mysteries, morals without theology, and God with-
out, creeds."

The death of the young man, named George Dick-
lon, whose name figured so prominently in connection with
the late Warrington election and the subsequent inquiry,
took place at Haydock Asylum, late on Saturday night.
The unfortunate young man was poll-clerk at one of the
polling-booths, and omitted to record 87 votes tendered
for the Conservative candidate, in consequence of which the
Liberal candidate, Mr. Rylands, was elected by a majority of

zi vines. nth 10,(11,4 ,raw pct,t.ivilt.:ll

Martin confirmed it on the ground that the bulk of the
petitioners had not duly tendered their votes to the poll-
clerk.

The New Convocation of the province of Canter-
bury was opened yesterday morning by the a; chbishop,
proceeded to the Jerusalem Chamber, where he was
received by the Prolocutor of the Lower House and
others. Prayers having been read, the archbishop directed
the Lower I-louse to proceed to business, and it was inti-

mated that the sittings would extend to Friday exening.
His Grace received the congratulations of all present on
his elevation to the Primacy, and then proceeded to Queen
Anne's Bounty Office, where he was met by the Bishops of
London, Oxford, Lichfield, Bangor, Llandaff, and their pre-
lates. The Bishop of Hereford (Allay), and the Bishop
of Peterborough (Major), took their seats for the first
time. Dr. Jackson took his seat for the first time as Bishop
of London.

THE PUBLIC HEALTH.—Last week the rate of
mortality in London was 25 per 1,000 ; in Birmingham it
was 20 ; and in Newcastle-upon-Tyne as high as 38. The
deaths registered in the metropolis were 1,491, or 31 less
than the estimated number, and 65 more than the deaths
of the previous week. Strong testimony to the beneficial
effect of vaccination is furnished by the fact that only 74
persons have died from small-pox during the last 13 weeks,
in an estimated population of more than three millions.
On the other hand, the mortality from fever exhibits a
considerable increase. The mean temperature during last
week was 45.5, or 7'2 above the average.
THE MURDER OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN.—The
fate of Mrs. Surratt, who was executed in 1865 for alleged
complicity in the plot to assassinate President Lincoln, will
not be soon forgotten by one section of the American
people. It was always contended by many that the woman
was innocent, and those who were instrumental in her
prosecution do not like her name to be mentioned oftener
than is necessary. The other day her remains were given
up to her friends for private burial, and the incident led to
some curious revelations. It was never known before where
the assassin Booth had been buried. it was thought that

" demonstrations " of an unpleasant kind would be made

ever his grave, and the few who knew the secret kept it
well. It now appears that the body was brought to Wash-
ington, and buried in the old penitentiary buildings, in the
• presence of Secretary Stanton, three police officers, and the
commandant of the arsenal. The ware-room chosen as a
temporary tomb was boarded up, the door locked, and the
key taken away by Secretary Stanton. Booth's relatives
are now asking for his body, in order that it may receive
Christian burial.
•
MELT PRESERVING COMPANY.—In March last
the formation was mentioned of a limited company in
Australia called the Melbourne Meat Preserving Com-
pany. After the delay necessary for importing machinery
and plant, and erecting buildings, the factory, it appears,
commenced operations on the ISth of September, and has
since been constantly at work. Thirty-five thousand
sheep have been slaughtered, and 54,000 canisters
of meat and 190 tons of tallow have been shipped
to the company's agents in London, while 50,000
more canisters were in process of being filled.
Confident expectations seem to prevail that the meat, as
reported on by the Duke of Edinbugh, will come into
extensive use, especially for ships. Several additional
companies were actively engaged in making consignments
of preparations by various other processes, and boiling
down for tallow was again being largely resorted to. It is
• estimated (says the Times in its money article) that there
are 45,000,000 sheep on the continent of Australia. In
Melbourne fat sheep were selling at 4s. each for ewes, and
ss. to 7s. each for wethers. In the country districts of
Victoria good sound two-year-old ewes were sold with
difficulty at 3s. 6d., and fat wethers at ss.
BRAWLING IN A CIIITItCII IN THURSO. - What
between Dr. Guthrie's celebrated six hundred sleepers in
e Free Church, and the late disorderly conduct in the
Secession Church, Thurso is likely to become famous. How.
vier, things seem to have culminated ; for, on Wednesday
I^.-,t, three young men, named Thomas Draver and John
Swanson, flaggers, and Wm. Swanson joiner,ur were charged
at the District Justice of the Peace Swanson,
t, before Messrs.
Henderson, Bremner, and Bruce, at the instance of M.
Mitchell, Justice of Peace Fiscal, with disorderly conduct
in the Original Secession Meeting House, on SundaySundayguilty
; m
i
several witnesses had been examined, all of whom
the disorderly conduct of the respondents—laughing,
Ital:int(
aloud, throwing " sweeties " all over the gallery, umin!
obscene language, and attempting to force tobacco int:
the mouth of one of the witnesses—the court found the
charge proven, and sentenced each of the panels to h(
imprisoned in Wick gaol for twenty days, without th.
option of a fine. This will, it is to be hop,d, ,p(„„
as a warning to others, and put an end to the disgracefu
conduct which has been exhibited in the churches in town
during evening service all the winter.—Sr.omanyo,--

MISCELLINEOUS INEWS.

WORK FOR THE HOUSE OF LORDS.

Their noble lordships Salisbury, Cairns, and West-
bury, having demanded work to do, people have been
set a thinking as to what should be given them. The
Newcastle and Gateshead Chamber of Commerce
has agreed upon a memorial to the First Lord of the
rreasury, approving the suggestion made that the
Bankruptcy Bill should be introduced in the Lords ;
and " A Tribune," writing to the Times, suggests
that the House should set itself to mending the law
in respect of the Satute of Limitations, and to making
similar reforms. He proposes that they should reduce
theterm of six years to fifteen months, and that the dis-
tinction should be abolished between debts on simple
contract and. speciality debts. They would thus have
anderreviewand ventilate by discussion the questions,
Of what use are the bankrupt laws ? Why have
they uniformly failed ? Is the foundation of com-
panies with limited liability improving the character
of the English trades, or developing an amount of
duplicity degrading to us as a great commercial
people, requiring almost the whole machinery of the
Court of Chancery to wind up speculations conceived
in fraud and fostered in credulity ? If this
were not enough to occupy their time, they might
with much benefit to the public take up the subjects,
Should married women be able to pledge their hus-
bands' credit without express authority in writing
for the particular credit ? Should a minor be able
to contract debt under any circumstances whatever
Providing work of this kind to fill up the time is ric4
very complimentary to the Peers. These subjects,
like the a shifting scene" in a play, is required to oc-
cupy attention until the real drama may be con-
tinued.
THE MINORITY CLAUSE.
The death of Mr. Charles Bell, and the taking o`
his seat by a Liberal is supposed. to prove the
unsoundness of the minority clause. The Dail!
Telegraph, for instance, asserts that to call this clius,
a principle " is absurd, ' principles ' are not at tll,
mercy of accidents, and when they are embodied A
our Constitution, they survive the decease of
particular member." The Telegraph
admit, we presume, that Liberalism a,).
Cor servatism are rrincirlls • and vet it 1,•
happened before now that -on the death
of a member of one set of principles he has been
succeeded by a member of the other set. The
minority principle may be good or bad, but the fact
that it is very inadequately applied is no argument
against the soundness of it. Under the present
system of local representation it would not be easy tc
apply it more fully ; we should need to adopt Mr.
Hare's system of representation to give it full scope.
Meanwhile, the dozen and odd seats in which the
principle is applied are to be accepted qantum
valeant by those who approve of the principle.