The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-16 00:00:00

FRENCH POLICE CASES.

(From Galignani's Messenger.)
The Countess de Cassino, proprietor of the Cha-
teau of Monte Christo, whose name has lately been
frequently before the public, figured on Saturday
before the Imperial Court. She owed, it appeared,
for a long time an upholsterer named Segretin
350 f., the balance of an account ; and he at length,
finding that all his attempts to procure payment
were vain, accepted a horse as security for it. After
he had kept the animal some months, Mme. de Cas-
sino demanded it back, but he refused to give it up
without payment, not only of the bill, but of the
expense of keeping the animal. She, in conse-
quence, brought an action against him before the
civil tribunal to get back the horse, and she stated
in support of her application that he had agreed to
purchase the horse for 1,150 f., 800 f. of which sum
he was to give her at once, and was to retain the
remainder in payment of his bill ; but that he had
made the groom who took the horse to him drunk,
and had then sent him home without the money
and without the animal. But Segretin proved,
to the satisfaction of the court, that the horse
h.d been placed in his band as security for debt,
and the court decided that he should retain it until
the debt was paid, together with the expense of
maintaining theanimal. On Saturday the Countess
appealed to the Imperial Court against the deci-
sion, and she caused to be represented that it was
very unlikely that a person in her position, pos-
sessed as she was of the Chateau of Monte Christo,
of an hotel in the Rue de Hamborg, of another
house, and of some building ground in Paris, as
also of a vast quantity of splendid furniture, would
ever have thought of giving a pledge for the pay-
ment of a paltry debt ; and that even if she had
dune so, what she would have given would not
have been a horse, but a picture or some other ar-
ticle, not living. She therefore contended the
court must decide either that Segretin had pur-
chased the horse, and ought to be made to pay her
for it, or that he illegally retained it, and ought to
be made to restore it. Segretin, in answer to this,
, declared that the lady's pecuniary resources were
by no means as considerable as she represented,
and that she paid her creditors either very ill or
not at all • that as to the horse, she had given it
him in pledge, and he was therefore entitled to
keep it until he was paid. The court, finding that
the countess could produce no proof of her allega-
tion about the horse, said that the judgment in
favour of Segretin must be confirmed, provided that
person would take an oath that the horse had been
given him in pledge, and not purchased by him.
Segretin at once took an oath to that effect.
A concierge, named Chauveaux, of 5, Faubourg
St. Jacques, was on Sunday tried by the Tribunal of
Correctional Police for illegally lending money on
pledges, for fraud, and for usury. A journeyman
clock-maker, named Lejeune, proved that, being
in want of money during the illness of his wife,
the prisoner lent him 99f. on deposit of clocks,
tools, &e., of the value of 338 f. ; and that when he
wanted to redeem the articles, the man impudently
pretended that he had purchased them for the sum
in question. Several other witnesses proved that he
had cheated them in a similar manner, and others
declared that he had charged them exorbitant in-
terest for small loans—one woman, for example,
had paid 3f. for a loan of sf. The Tribunal con-
demned him to four months' imprisonment and
100 f. fine.

An account was given in Sept. of a fire having
broken out by night in a house in course of con-
struction at the corner of the Rues Bellechasse and
St. Dominique, and of a man named Dussap hav-
ing been arrested as he was running away from the
place. This man declared that being without
lodgings he had gone into the house for shelter, .and
had caused the fire by lighting some shavings in
the cellar to warm himself. His tale was at first
believed, but it subsequently turned out that he
was a liberated convict, and that he had delibe-
rately caused the fire in order to steal some wine
from a cellar and some workmen's tools. On Satur-
day he was brought to trial before the Court of
Assizes for the crime, and as he made no attempt
to deny his guilt he was convicted, though with,
extenuating circumstances, and was sentenced to
hard• labour for life.
:,
A man named Herbel was on Saturday broug t
.before the Court of Assizes of the seine, on a
charge of making use of seditious exp-Assions against
the Emperor, and was condemn:ed to a month's
imprisonment, 200 f. fine, and ;lie costs.
A pretty girl, 17 years ef, awe,named Chore],
was on Saturday tried by the Tribunal of Correc-
tional Police for robbery, and her mother and five
other females were t'ifed for receiving her booty.
The cir.cumstancea were rather singular :—The €':rl
was in the sery
".-ilfet,
'see of a dressmaker named D
and one day :she was sent on an errand, wi;:ia orders
to be back in an hour and a half ; but she did not
return Par three hours, and then s' ' -ed •
de ahrriv in a
cab, With a bottle of wine mi.", "
qu;:ce intoxicated ; she then - ii ()dr eac arm, and
r.aaic..filled with gold, and I`,afilln,,
(reth outta t? o rdt ena o n-
, it, said that she would - ashe nafound
, give each of her fellow-
workers lf. But tl•..e mistress, snatching it from
her, remarked tl, t if.
.4 . was not enough, and she
gave a piece 91. 20f. to each of the females, and
kept one for herself ; afer which she returned the
pursa, then containing 280 f. to the girl, and the
latter cook it to her mother, who received it
without scruple, and with its contents paid deb.s,
alid made purchases. It subsequently turned
out that the girl, instead of going on the errand
on which the mistress had sent her, had gone to the
lodgings of a Polish gentleman, named Imaglowski,
whohad requested her to visit him, and after stop-
ping with him some time, stole the parse, a pocket
handkerchief, and two bracelets. The girl, in her
defence, said that the Pole had given her the porte-
monnaie ; her mother, mistress, and the other ac-
cused alleged that they had really believed that she
had found the money, and that they did not know
that it was considered a robbery to appropriate
money found. The Tribunal condemned the girl
to a year's imprisonment ; her mother and mistress
to four months', and each of the others to one
month of the same punishment.
A young and pretty woman, named Levesque,
wife of a shirtniaker, was on Saturday tried by the
Tribunal of Correctional Police for adultery, with
acaptain in the army, who is now in Algeria. It
PPeared from the evidence that the captain, after
Paying her some , attention, and after writing verses
ner honour, succeeded in seducing her, and
,
carried on an adulterous connexion with her for
same time. Th
his dishonour The husband, learning after awhile
guilty „npuier'.madc
length the
termined to
ofin-Ceived
idea of eeparation,n repeated attempts to catch the
ea lin flagrante delicto, but in vain. At
Pb_a_l9 got tired of the woman, and de-
to parsesailfL) 011. with her ; but she having
went constantly-to Cdi
dared' that she. for him could not bear the
should lodgings.
she waited for hint in. the
cafes and restauratits, in spite of his prohibitions
The:captain or
refused admission, but .
and
sahreet, followed him to
behind soldiers or other,perspoped into his lodgings
us who visited hire.
He at last became so exasperate
literally that
literally kicked her "out of doors, hutone day be
-his brutality and humiliations theirs spite of all
tinned to cling. to him. Finding that ohmeahnadcon-
other means of escaping from her, be got ermni:
sion to exchange into a regiment serving in Xl:Yeria:
The woman denied the truth of the charges avainst
her, but the tribunal sentenced her to three rnianths'
imprisonment.

The letters. from:: Hamburg mention that
diseount, whieb- has fallen to 4;, is now :4e. rate of
et nt. z
Per

h.R. LIVINGSTON'S AFRICAN

DISCOVERIES.

The members of the Royal Geographical Society held
a special meeting last night to present tha society's gold
medal to the Rev. Dr. Livingston for his discoveries in
Central Africa. The society's rooms were crowded to
excess. Among the members and visitors present were
—Count Lavradio, the Portuguese Minister ; the Earl
of Shaftesbury, the Right Hon. H. Labouchere,
Secretary of State for the Colonies; Major• General pox,
Mr D. Seymour, M.P., Mr. A. Kinnaird, M.P., Major-
General Sir G. Pollock, Mr. Tite, M.P., Professor Owen,
Dr. Rae, the Arctic voyager, Sir H. Rawlinson, Col.
Steele, Mr. Oswald, Mr. Gordon Cumming, Captain
Vardon, and other African travellers.

The proceedings excited unusual interest, and Dr.
Livingston on entering the room was warmly greeted by
the distinguished assemblage. The chair was taken at
half-past 8 o'clock bs Sir R. Murchison, President of
the society.

The PRESIDENT, in opening the proceedings, said they
were met to welcome Dr. Livingston on his return from
South Africa to his native country after an absence of 16
years, during which, while endeavouring to spread the
blessings of Christianity through lands never before
trodden by the foot of a British subject, he had made
geographical discoveries of incalculable importance,
which had justly won for him the Victoria or Patron's
gold medal of that society. (Cheers.) When that hon-
our was conferred in May, 1855, for traversing South
Africa from the Cape of Good Hope by the Lake Ngami
to Linyanti, and thence to the west coast in 10 S. lat.,
Lord Ellesmere, their then president, spoke of the
scientific precision with which the unarmed and un-
assisted English missionary had left his mark on so
many important stations of regions hitherto blank.
(Hear, hear.) If for that wonderful journey Dr. Living.
ston was justly recompensed with the highest distinction
their society could bestow, what must now be their
estimate of his prowess when they knew that he had
retraversed the vast regions which he first opened out to
their knowledge ' • nay, more, that after reaching his nd
starting point at Linyanti, in the interior, he had fol-
lowed the Zambesi, or continuation of the Leambye
river, to its mouths on the shores of the Indian ocean,
passing through the Eastern Portuguese settlement of
Tete, and thus completing the entire journey across
South Africa? In short, it had been calculated that,
putting together all his various journeys, Dr. Livingston
had not travelled over less than 11,000 miles of Alricau
territory, and he had come back as the pioneer of sound
knowledge, who, by his astronomical observations, had
determined the site of numerous places, hills, rivers, and
lakes, nearly all hitherto unknown, while he had seized
upon every opportunity of describing the physical fea-
tures, climatology, and even the geological structure of
the countries he bad explored, and pointed out many
new sources of commerce as yet unknown to the scope
and enterprise of the Britten Government. (Cheers.)
The President expatiated at some greater length on the
importance of Dr. Livingston's discoveries, and then,
turning to the distinguished traveller, said it was now
his dutyand his pleasure to present to him their founder's
medal, as a testimony of their regard and admiration.
He rejoiced to see on that night such a numerous as-
sembly of geographers and distinguished persons, includ-
ing several of the representatives of foreign Rations ;
and, above all, he rejoiced to see there the representa-
tive of that nation (the Portuguese) whose governors
and subjects in a distant region of Africa treated him
(Dr. Livingston) as a brother, and without whose aid
many of his most important results could not have been
achieved. (Cheers.) Gladdened must all the hearts be
of geographers present when they saw him attended at
that meeting by several of their own associates—men
who aided him in his earlier years—he (the chairman)
alluded particularly to Col. Steele, Mr. Oswald and Capt.
Vardon, who participated in his labours ; and he oould
not conclude without congratulating Dr. Livingston most
sincerely in being surrounded by men who were certainly
the best judges of his merits ; and when he saw in that
assembly many distinguished African travellers, *in-
cluding that English envoy who alone had been to
Tirnbuctoo, and re urned (Dr. Barth), might not, he
would ask, the Geographical Society be proud of such
achievements ? (Cheers.) With such agreeable feelings as
these he had now to present him (Dr. Livingston) with
the society's medal as a testimony of the esteem and high
admiration with which they regarded his labours.
Dr. LIVINGSTON was received with much cheering.
He said—.'lr. President and gentlemen, I have spoken
very little of my own language for the last 16 years, and
I hope you will kindly bear with my imperfections in
speech-making. I beg to return my warmest thanks for
the distinguished honour you have now conferred upon
me, and also for the kind and encouraging expressions
with which the gift of the gold medal of the Royal
Geographical Society bas been accompanied. Asa Chris.
tian missionary I only did my duty in attempting to open
up part of southern intertropical Africa to the sympathy
of Christendom, and I am very much gratified by finding
in the interest which you and nattier others express a
pledge that the true negro family, whose country I tan
versed, will yet become a part of the general community
of nations, (Cheers.) The English people and Govern-
ment 'nave done more for Central Africa than any other
in the way of suppressing that traffic which proves a
blight to both commerce and friendly intercourse. May
I hope that the path which I have letely opened into the
interior will never be shut, and that, in addition to re-
pression of the slave trade, 'there will be fresh efforts
made for the development of the internal resources of
the country. (Hear, hear.) Success in this, and 'the
spread of Christianity alone, will render the present
success of our cruisers in repression permanent. (Hear,
hear.) I cannot pretend to a single note of triumph.
A man may boast when ho is
putting off his armour,
but I am just putting mine on ; and, while feeling
deeply grateful for the high opinion you hare formed
of me, I feel also that you have rated me above my
deserts, and that my
future may not come up to
the expectations of the present. Some of the mein-
here of your society, Colonel Steele, Captain Var-
doe, and Mr. Oswald, for instance, could, either of them,
have effected all I have done, You are not in want of
capable agents. I am nevertheless only too thankful
now that they left it for me to do, again thank you
for the medal, and hope it will go down in my family as
art heir-loom worth keeping. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. LASOUCHERE said that the meeting had heard of
the valuable, cordial, and friendly co-operation which
the distinguished traveller had received from the gover-
nors of the Portuguese establishments on the African
coast. No country could boast of having more greatly
contributed to geographical knowledge than Portugal.
The suppression of the traffic • in slave was an object of
great solicitude to the people of this country, and it was
our duty to repay to Africa the debt we owed her by
promoting the interests of civilisation and commerce
He bad great pleasure in moving that "the grateful
thanks of the Royal Geographical Society be tendered
through his Excellency Count Lavradio to the Gover-
nors of the Portuguese settlements in Africa, who had
so kindly received and entertained Dr. Livingston."
(Cheers.)
Sir 11. RAWLINSON seconded the motion, which was
carried uoanitnou-ly.
Count LAVRADIO, who asked permission to address the
meeting in the French language, expressed the pleasure
he should have in discharging the agreeable duty im-
posed on him, Dr. Livingston had braved the greatest
dangers and had eeposed himself to the greatest priva-
tions in the etoleavour to render services to science, and
to spread
blessings of religion, morality, and civilisa-
tion a country hitherto unknown and unvisited by
-r.ureopeauss (Cheers.)
The SEORRTARY theft read extracts from three letters
written to the society by Dr. Livingston from different
,poiets in his travels—the first dated from Linyanti, on
the river Chobe, in the interior, describing the country
to the north ; the second from the Zambesi river, and
the third from Quillirnane, in the Indian Ocean. The
course taken by Dr. Livingston was traced by red lines
upon large maps which hung upon the watts. Starting
from the western coast of Africa, the red line follows the
River Coanza in an east rly direction until it reaches
the river liasye, which runs from south to north uatit it
reaches Lake Diloto, a c essiderible expanse of water in
the centre of the continent. Another river, the Leambye,
continues the great chain of water communication
towards the south until within a short distance of Lake
Ngatni, when the river makes a sudden turn to the seat
and tumbles over the falls of Lakai, the most picturesque
scene in Africa. The river afterwards inakto a sudden
bend, and flews in a northerly direction. It afterwards
runs east again, and takes the name of Zambesi, passing
through the towns of Tete and Sena, _until it emptie.,
itself into the Mozambique Channel at the town of Quil•
limane, and in the adjacent Delta.
Dr. LIVINGSTONE, being called upon by the ttresident,
said that south of the 20th degree of south latitude the
country was arid and contained very few rivers, but to
the north of that line the country wive well watered, anti very unlike shat the centre of Africa was popularly re-
presented to be. The country which he had traversed,
indeed, was covered with a network of waters, meet of
which were large and deep, and never dried up.
The
natives belonged to the true negro family, having a good
deal of very woolly hair, and being darker than the
chuanas. They held their women in high estimation.
and many of them became chiefs. If a man were asked
to eo any where or to agree to any arrangement he geld,
" I must go home and ask my wife." If she said " No,"
there was no possibility of cutting him to move. Woreese
sat in their councils, and while a BechtlADA swore by hie
father, these negroes swore by their mother. Dr. Livnea
stun related several amusing instances to show the hieh
estimation in which these tribes their Women, Ile
believed they deserved it, and he and his men had assays
been kindly treated by the "reit" hex. The Country in
most parts abounded with. elephant.,
buffaloes, aebraa
giraffes, and other game, and he had shot three neer hr.
telopes not yet knowrl in England. He had found it
unnecessary to burd,,, himself with provisions hi tiro.
veiling, for the an_ireals did not seem to know a gun,
would stand with.
.n bow-shot of his weapon. In the into-
ere kind to him, but he could not say they
irtinoprrtoloveepdeacospleti.sv
0 apiroached the confines of civilisation,
The English -name bee penetrated a long NVP'y
interior, a'od the English were known
as " the tri e
that likes the black man." Dula- 8
existed,
but Vac. exportation of slave,. 'e tic slaveryeffecre-
wan
the
preseed. Nganii was no "d
was
lvaekre,y but ywhyat
was left of a large lake •
was made near the j •
akai falls, which allowed
a free course to the Zemt ' hi4ch eeefisted before the fissure
The PRESID-
eesi.
..)
hitherto k- ,ANT asked what articles of commerce nint
opened .own to British merchants were likely toe
P . tip to the British trader ?

_4. LIVINGSTON said the new articles of commerce
ae had found in the,c‘tur.e of his travels were chiefly
r fibrous sub9.ances, some of them excessively strong, an
one resembling flax, which were found in large quantities
ou the north bank of the Zambesi. The sugar cane also
grew ;boot tautly, though the natives•had no idea of the
use of o,uga r ; and indigo grew wild all over the coun-
try' TinT.l were acres of it near the village of Tete ;tt