The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-09 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

Yesterday morning the whole of the military forces
at Chatham garrison were formed on Chatham
Lines, at 10.30, in review order, for the purpose of
going through a course of field-day manoeuvres.
On the arrival of General Murray, attended by the
garrison and personal staff, the line gave a general
salute, and after a few preliminary movements ar-
rangements were made for continuing the field-day
evolutions which the rain on Wednesday prevented
being carried out. About noon, however, the rain
again descended in a torrent. This again interfered
with the contemplated manoeuvres, and orders were
issued by General Murray for the troops to return
to their quarters.
The 2d battalion of the 7th Fusiliers arrived at
Spithead yesterday in the hired steamship Belgique,
from foreign service at the Cape of Good Hope, &c.
The troops will disembark this morning, and march
into quarters in the detached ports in advance of
Gosport.
The Cygnet, 4, screw gunvessel, which arrived on
Sunday at Spithead from the North American and
West India station, on Tuesday discharged her am-
munition into ordnance lighters at Spithead, and
will go into Portsmouth harbour to be dismantled
and paid out of commission.
Her Majesty's screw corvette Scylla, 21, 1,467
tons, 400-horse power (nominal), Capt. Richard W.
Courtenay, was paid off into the third division of
the Steam Reserve in the Medway yesterday, under
the superintendence of Capt. the Hon. A. C. Coch-
rane, C. 8., commanding the Steam Reserve, and
Capt. W. K. Hall, C. 8., superintendent of the
dockyard. The following petty officers were re-
commended to the Admiralty to receive good con-
duct medals and gratuities for long service and ex-
emplary conduct—W. Strood, captain of the hold,
and H. Lightfoot, master-at-arms, each a silver
medal and gratuity of £.15; and R. Wingfield, ship's
steward, a medal without gratuity, he being
a naval pensioner. The Scylla has been nearly four
years in commission, Capt. Courtenay having hoisted
his pennant on board in September, 1863, shortly
after which she proceeded to the East Indies and
China, where she has since been stationed, until
ordered home. Only a comparatively small number
of the officers who originally left England in the
Scylla have returned in her, and a large number of
the original crew were either transferred or invalided
home. On being paid off the petty officers and
seamen were granted the usual period of leave of
absence, at the expiration of which they will rejoin
the flag ships of their respective ports. From the
length of time the Scylla has been in commission
she will require some heavy repairs before being
again despatched to sea.
The order for the change of the Ist Battalion
Grenadier Guards from the Tower to Aldershott
Camp was cancelled on Tuesday, consequently the
battalion will remain at the Tower till the half-
yearly change of quarters.
Yesterday new colours were presented to the 70th

(the Surrey) Regiment, now stationed at Aldershott,
i n the presence of a large assemblage. In consequence
of the incessant rain which prevailed during the
whole morning the ceremony was postponed until

of 6 per cent. per annum on the new 6 per cent.
preference Mock, was declared payable on the Ist of
October next.

Mr. J. PARSON, a director, proposed that a circular
be sent to all the shareholders holding £5OO stock
and upwards, requesting them to take up their pro-
portion of the 6 per cent. stock, and thus provide
the requisite funds.
The CHAIRMAN seconded the motion, urging the
importance of clearing off the floating debt of the
company as soon as possible, and it was carried
unanimously. _ _

The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks
to the chairman.

LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE.

The report of the directors of this company states
that the amount of capital on the 30th June last on
which dividend or interest was paid out of revenue
was as f0110w5—£12,693,594 consolidated stock,
£4,046,025 guaranteed and preference stocks,
£5,540,906 loans, and £94,076 advanced on calls ;
total, £22,374,601. The expenditure charged to
capital for the past half-year amounted to £299,510,
of which £101,455 was for land and for enlarge-
ment of stations, £59,937 for rolling stock, and
£138,118 for 16 new and branch lines. The revenue
account for the half year showed that £1,201,538
had been received, against £1,157,358 in the same
half of 1866, showing an increase of £44,180. The
disbursements amounted to £516,894, against
£481,167 in the same half of 1866, showing an in-
crease of £35,727. The balance of revenue applic-
able to the payment of dividend on the ordinary
stock of the company was £429,044, out of which
the directors recommended the proprietors to de-
clare a dividend at the rate of 6} per cent. per
annum, less income tax, payable on Sept. 2, carry-
ing forward £16,493 to the next account. The addi-
tional capital now chargeable to revenue, together
with the high rate of working expenses, prevented
the directors from recommending a higher rate of
dividend. The expenditure on capital account was
less than had taken place for some time past. The
directors had confined the outlay during the half-
year to the absolute necessities of the company, and
they hoped, looking at the present and prospective
wants of the company for the current half-year, to
be able to limit the expenditure on capital account
for general purposes to £lOO,OOO. The shareholders
were not likely to be called upon to sanction the
issue of any additional capital during the current
half-year. The capital accouut showed that
£22,475,855 had been expended, leaving a balance
of £35,906 against the company.

nearly 4 o'clock, when, the weather having cleared
up, the presentation was made on the regimental
parade ground. The regiment, under the command
of Lieut.-Col. W. Cooper, formed up in line and
received Lieut.-General Sir James and the lion.
Lady Yorke Scarlett with the customary salute.
The ceremony commenced with trooping the old
colours, which were borne off the ground, the band
playing " Auld Lang syne." The drums of the regi-
ment being piled in the centre of the square the new
colours were uncased, the consecration prayers being
read by the Rev. E. J. Rogers, principal chaplain
at Aldershot, the bands of the 68th and 70th Regi-
ments singing the hymn used on such occasions.
The benediction having been pronounced, Lady
Scarlett advanced and handed the Queen's colour
to Ensign F. 11. Maturin and the regimental colour
to Ensign the Hon. P. 11. C. Plunkett. Lieut.-
Gen. Scarlett briefly addressed the regiment and
was replied to by Col. Cooper. The new colours
were then trooped, and the regiment marched past
in open column, then formed line, and advanced in
review order and gave a general salute. In the
evening the officers gave a dinner, and the whole
regiment was entertained at the expense of the
officers.

The sth (Princess Charlotte of Wales) Dragoons,
under the command of Col. the llon. S. J. G. Cal-
thorpe, will arrive at Colchester from Ireland soon
after the departure of the Inniskilling Dragoons,
and will be stationed in the cavalry barracks until
further orders. The Commander-in-Chief has
granted leave of absence to Capt. Wilson, 84th
Regiment, from July 27 until retirement from the
service, and to Lieut. the Hon. J. B. Ogilvy, 32d
Regiment, from August 1 until his retirement from
the service.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

LONDON AND BLACKWALL.

The report of the directors states that the rent
from the Great Eastern for the half-year ending
30th June had been received, and that a dividend
for that period at the rate of £4 10s. per cent. per
annum might be declared payable on 14th inst. A
clause saving the rights of this company had been
inserted ir. the Great Eastern Finance Bill. The
total expenditure on capital account amounted to
£2,251,303, leaving a balance of £3,312.

GREAT NORTHERN AND WESTERN OF IRELAND.
The 20th half-yearly meeting of this company
was held yesterday at the offices, Park-street, West-
minster—the Earl of Lucan, the chairman, presided.
Mr. B. Room, the secretary, having read the
notice convening the meeting, the report was taken
as read.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said be hoped they would consider it satis-
factory. The traffic bad increased progressively since
the first half year ending June 30, 1863, when only
18 miles were open for traffic, and the net receipts
were £876 ; in the next half year 344 miles were
open, and the net receipts amountedto £1,827 ; end-
ing June 30, 1861, they amounted to £3,080 ; Dec.,
1861, 46 miles open, to £4,188 ; ending June, 1862,
57 miles open, to £4,071 ; Dec., 1862, 714 miles
open, to £5,463 ; thence from June, 1863, to Dec.,
1865, the net receipts were respectively £7,624,
1:7,660,17,878, £7,285, £7,495, and £9,085. End-
ing June 30, 1866, 83 miles were open, and the net
receipts amounted to £10,476 ; ending Dec., 1866,
to £10,402 ; and ending June 30, 1867, the net re-
ceipts were £12,034, and the gross receipts £18,961.
Of course they would perceive that the receipts in
the past ball-year were considerably larger than in
any previous half-year. With respect to the divi-
dend, they would agree with the directors that in
the present state of the money-market and the diffi-
culty in raising money it would be most unwise to
pay dividend on the ordinary stock at such a time,
when it was necessary to raise money to pay their
debts, and which could only be raised at an exorbitant
rate of interest. The directors hoped that the ex-
tension of 115 miles to Foxford would be completed
for traffic in the autumn. It was not the intention
of the directors to recommend any furthur works to
be constructed—(hear, hear)—and they felt that
the condition of the company would be sound and
good when that was done and the debts paid. It had
been found impossible to increase the capital so as
to pay off the floating debt of £30,000 in conse-
quence of the total distrust that existed in all rail-
way securities. A portion of the debt had cost the
company a serious amount for interest ; in fact, so
much, that the directors recommended in the
strongest manner that every effort should be made
by the shareholders to meet that charge, and thus
place the finances of the company in a perfectly
sound condition. To do this holders of ordinary
stock to the amount of £5OO and upwards were told
in the report that it would greatly serve the interests
of the company if they would rateably accept the 6
per cent. preference stock according to their respec-
tive holdings, and thus liquidate the present floating
debt of £30,000, and remove all difficulties in the
payment of future dividends.
Mr. J. PARSON seconded the motion for the adop-
tion of the report, and it was carried unanimously.
On the motion of Lord Crofton, seconded by Mr.
llankey, a dividend at the rate of 5 per cent. per
annum on the original preference stock, at the rate

seem to have been held very cheaply by the Roman
ladies, for they have been found in great variety
lying about in all sorts of places. They are, as
may be supposed, very different in fashion from
those at present in use, consisting of a single and
extremely substantial pin, generally made of bone,
but occasionally of bronze, and set off by a massive
head curiously carved.

The funds raised for the purpose of carrying on
the excavations in 1859 were soon exhausted, and
after bringing to light a considerable portion of the
buried city, the archaeologists were fain to rest from
their labours. By the liberality of Mr. Meyer, of

Liverpool, however, who has given a sum of £5O for
the purpose, excavations have been recommenced
within the last fortnight, and a small band of men,
under the direction of Dr. Johnson, are now busily
engaged in digging out fresh portions of the ruins.
Of course only a very small proportion of the whole
extent of the city has yet been cleared, and it is
expected that a considerable addition to the store of
archeological knowledge will accrue from the works
now progressing at Uriconium.
With the proceedings of yesterday the annual
congress of the British Archaeological Association
finally closed, and the majority of the members and
visitors left Shrewsbury last night.

The Trade Outrages at Sheffield.

Mr. Overend and his co-examiners—Mr. Chance
and Mr. Barstow—have just made a report to the
Trades' Union Commissioners of their inquiry into
the Sheffield outrages. They say :
" The first subject which engaged our attention
was that of rattening. Rattening is a mode of en-
forcing payment of contributions to and of com-
pliance with the rules of the union. The wheel-
bands, tools, and other materials of a workman are
taken and held in pledge until he has satisfied the
society by payment of his arrears, or by submitting
to the rules which he has infringed. At first it was
denied that the unions connived at this practice,
but we had not proceeded far with our investiga-
tion before it was admitted on all hands that ratten-
ing had been for a long time prevalent in the grind-
ing trades and in all trades connected with them. It
is fair to the unions to say, that in the majority of
cases where the demands of the union have been
complied with, and a payment of a small sum for
the expenses of rattening has been made, the pro-
perty taken has been restored. Rattening is always
done in the interests of the union, and very com-
monly by the direction of the secretary, who nego-
tiates with the party rattened for the restitution of
his property. In some cases a member of the
union, without express authority, rattens another
member who is known to have incurred the dis-
pleasure of the society, and takes his chance of
having his act adopted by the union. Recourse is
seldom had to the police to recover property so
taken away, but application is almost always made
to the secretary of the union immediately the loss of
tools, &c., is ascertained. The practice of rattening
is well known to be illegal, and persons detected in
illegally taking away property have frequently been
convicted and punished. The excuse offered by the
unions for this system is, that in the absence of legal
powers rattening affords the most ready means of
enforcing payment of contributions and obedience
to the rules of the union. Many articles of Shef-
field manufacture require for their comple-
tion the labour of various classes of work-
men. For example, the manufacture of a saw re-
quires the work of the saw-grinders, the saw-
makers, and the saw-handle makers. All these
workmen form separate branches of the saw trade,
and are in separate unions. They are, however, all
amalgamated together for mutual support. In case
of default by any member of any of the branches,
or in case of a dispute with the masters, as the
grinders' tools are most easily abstracted, and as
stopping the grinding stops the whole saw trade,
the course commonly adopted is to ratten the
grinders, although the dispute may be with the
sawmakers or saw-handle makers, and on the
matter being arranged the other branches indemnify
the grinders for their loss of tim3 and for expenses
incurred. An attempt is often successfully made to
saddle the whole course of the rattening, as well as
the cost of supporting the men while out of employ-
ment, upon the masters, even where he is no party
to the dispute, on the ground that he ought to have
compelled his workmen to comply with the rules of
the union. The system of rattening generally
proved successful in effecting its object. If, how-
ever, the person rattened continues refractory, he
commonly receives an anonymous letter warning
him of the consequences of his obstinacy. If this
warning is disregarded, recourse has been had to
acts of outrage, the nature of which will be under-
stood from a perusal of the cases actually investi-
gated by us."
A number of cases, as they affect each union,
are taken in the order of time of their occurrence.
With regard to the Saw-Grinders' Union the ex-
a miners say :
" The fact of these outrages having been done in
the interest of the trade was well kown to the union,
and although in one or two instances individual
no-
thingnor h laidk e ahne r
e investigationbeen
a ny
members had protested against them, yet
t
eldnerbael emofanded,
been
nvotde
con-
demnation of these acts until the case of Fearne -
hough occurred, when public indignation was aroused,
and then the outrage was denounced, and a reward
was offered by the union for the detection of the
offenders. The whole of the above offences were
concerted by Broadhead, and sums amounting to
nearly £2OO had been taken by him out of the funds
of the union to pay the parties who committed them.
Although these acts were
not
proved to have been
directly authorised by the union, there must have
been a knowledge, or at all events a 11 we -grounded
belief amongst its members that they were done, not
only in the interests of their society, but through
the agency of some one or more of their governing
body, and we report that all the above outrages
were promoted, encouraged, and connived at by the
Saw Grinders' Union; and that the Hereford-street
outrage was promoted and encouraged by the Saw-
grinders', Saw-makers', and Saw-handle Makers'
Unions. The following members of the Saw-grinders'
Union have been engaged in the concerting or per-
petration of outrages :—Broadhead, William; Clark,
Dennis; Copley, Joseph; Crookes, Samuel ; Dean,
Phineas (dead); Hallam, James ; Pearce, George ;
Shaw, George ; Smith, Elijah (dead); Taylor, John
'dead)."

In conclusion the examiners say :
" We have now given an outline of all the cases
of importance which were submitted to us for inves-
tigation. Mr. Thomas Thorpe, managing clerk to
Mr. Albert Smith, clerk to the magistrates for the
West Riding of Yorkshire and borough of Sheffield,
prepared for us a list of cases supposed to be con-
nected with trades unions, and which had been
brought before the justices within the last ten years.
It comprised, in addition to the outrages mentioned
in this report, IGG cases of rattening and 21 cases of
sending threatening letters. A very small propor-
tion, however, of the persons rattened give informa-
tion either to the police or to the justices. Most of
the outrages we have investigated were brought be-
fore the justices, and although in several cases large
rewards had been offered for the detection of the
perpetrators, the offenders have with two or three
exceptions remained unknown up to the period of
the inquiry. We believe that there are about GO
trrdes' unions in Sheffield, of which 13 have pro-
moted or encouraged outrages within the meaning
of the Trades' Union Commission Act, 1867. We
have to report there has not occurred within the
last ten years any act of intimidation, outrage, or
wrong promoted, encouraged, or connived at by
any association of employers. We point to the
year 1859 as the one in which outrage was most
rife, and we notice with pleasure that it has di-
minished since that time. During the course of our
investigation matters connected with trades' unions
(such as the number of apprentices allowed to each
workman, and the class from which they may be
taken, the remuneration of labour, the restraints
exercised upon voluntary action, and the rules and
general policy of trades' unions) have frequently
been brought before our notice. These, however,
are questions for the consideration of the Royal
Commission sitting in• London, and we purposely
. avoid making any observations upon them. At the

these persons were away following up the trail
above-mentioned; that he (the witness) went away
with Balls for a little distance, and that on his re-
turn the prisoner was standing near the body, and
could not have gone away to the tool shed or to the
place where the gun was found or where the powder
flask was found. In the course of conversation the
prisoner said, " My uncle had been uneasy about a
pheasant's nest ; this is the way he always came
first," upon which they two walked up the path-
way to look for footmarks, but could not find any.
George Black, the son of the deceased, a little
boy ten years of age, was called to show that he
was with the prisoner and near him all day on th e
17th, going with him to a shop in the neighbour-
hood and to two publichouses, where he had some
beer.

This witness said, in cross-examination, that the
prisoner, who had gone to buy some things for his
mother, was very kind to him and his sister.
The surgeon, William Cator, who made a post
mortem examination of the body, proved that he
took 15 shots from the body, which were produced
in court, and were No. 2 shot.
Henry Scott, a shopkeeper at Fincham, a village
near Barton Bendish, though not so near as Swaff-
ham, stated that he sold the prisoner, on the 15th
of May, half a pound of No. 2 shot and some caps,
which he put into what he called sugar paper (a
coarse whitey-brown paper) ; ho did not pay
for them then ; and that the prisoner came again on
the 16th, bringing with him a shot charger, capable
of holding two charges. There was shot in it. The
prisoner asked for au ounce and a quarter weight to
put into the scale and weighed the shot.
John Hudson, a detective attached to the police
force at Norwich, said he went from Norwich on
the day of the murder (Saturday) and accom-
panied the prisoner into the wood in the afternoon.
He asked him if he had a gun, to which the pri-
soner replied he had not had a gun for two years,
having sold the last one he had to Mr. Richardson,
a tailor, at Fincham. He bad borrowed one the
year before, at harvest, returned it, and bad never
had one since. " I took him," said Hudson, "into
custody on Saturday, at 6 or 7 in the evening, when
he said, lam innocent of that job. Do you think
I could do such a thing and walk about with you
in the wood as 1 have done ? Besides, I told you I
had no gun.' " " Yes," said the detective, " but I
am told you have one ;" when he replied, " It is no
use telling any more lies. As soon as I heard my
uncle was murdered I got frightened. I thought I
should be suspected and get into trouble, so I went
to the shed in the wood, which had been broken
open, and got the gun. I will go with you and
show it you." Upon which they went together and
found it.
Sir 11. Berney's agent stated that the prisoner
had no right to carry arms; this person, however,
did not show that the prisoner had been seeking to
get his uncle's place, as was opined ; and three wit-
nesses (two labourers and the wife of one of them)
spoke to his having uttered some very strong,
coarse, and threatening language against his uncle,
to the latter of whom he declared be would finish
him up one day, for, - him, he hated him.
The case was not concluded, and is not likely to
be over to-day.

The prisoner, who is the nephew of the murdered
man, Benjamin Black, was employed as under-
woodman by Sir Hanson Berney, at Barton Ben-
dish. His wages (12s. a week) were paid him by
his uncle, who, in addition to the place of woodman,
filled that of gamekeeper there. On the 17th of
May, very early in the morning, in consequence of
being roused by the report of a gun from a wood
near the cottage where he resided, the uncle got up
at 4 a.m., and went in the direction of the shot. He
was never seen again alive, for at 6 o'clock some
labourers who were going to their work in a neigh-
bouring field discovered his dead body lying near a
gate forming the entrance into the wood,
with the left side riddled by shot, and in such
a situation as made it clear that the shot which had
caused immediate death had been fired into that
side from the wood, and as the victim was walking
up to open the gate for the purpose of going into
the wood. Now, in the wood at a spot about 15 or
16 feet from the place where the body lay were the
evident marks of some person having knelt down
some four or five feet from the hedge as if on the
watch, together with other marks, showing that this
person had retired to this place from the gate, and
the leaves of the hedgein this direction were scorched
as if by gunpowder. Now, who was this person by
whom this shot had been fired ? As to this the
following details were given in evidence :—ln the
first place, several pieces of what was called by the
learned counsel in his opening coarse white sugar
paper, stained with gunpowder, lay between the
spot from which the shot was fired and that where
the body was found. In the next place, at a short
distance in the wood, were seen fragments of a
broken bottle, so broken as to have been apparently
thrown down with great violence and ground to
powder, and near these fragments also were found
The select committee appointed to inquire into
a piece of the same suaar paper and some gun-
powder. In a shed, which was used for keeping
shall enable the House to meet at 4 o'clock, instead
tools, the key of which was held by the deceased, _
o'clock, for the despatch of business, and to
the expediency of making such arrangements as
of 5
some broken bottles and some straw were found,
and it was also discovered that the lock had been
consi
broken. It was the prisoner who drew attention to der if any and what changes may be desirable
for the better transaction of the business of the
these things, and he suggested that there had been
House, report that the committee have met and con-
s drinking party in the shed, that the lock had been subject-matter re
have agreed to the following report :----,
forced, and the bottles broken by them, and that by
1. The committee first directed their attention to
them also was his uncle's life taken. It was the
the proposal that the House should meet at an earlier
prisoner's duty to work in that wood, and on the
. hour than at present. In making any such change
discovery of the dead body by the labourers one of
morning sittings, or afford temptation to shorten
minutes he came from the direction where he should care must be taken that it will not interfere with the
the time
them called out to him, and in about four or five
have been at work, and from a spot about 320 yards of
necessary to pay attention to the convenience
from where the body lay. This was about a quarter now given to judicial business. It is also
the Lord Chancellor, who, after having presided
past 6, and, though the tips of the fingers were cold,
there from half-past 10 to 4 o'clock, has frequently
the hand was warm ; the body was then lying on
other official business then brought before him. The
the left side, with shot marks on that side and on
,6 Hubbard, doyen know what c° committee having taken these circumstances into
?sayli'notr uncle is shot and is dead," he 1,
iisideration, do not recommend any change iu the
the left eye, and, in answer to the remark of one of
f , 1-'llO.O-neut.
preseu., ar ~ ~,
). The use of proxies next engaged the attention
thehas lhaabpopueriei
happened?
ds ,
replied, " No, I don't ; who could have done this ?"
of the committee, and as the question is one which
appearing at the same time affected at the sight. On
has attracted much public notice lately, they con-
searching the body Black's watch was found pro-
sider it desirable that they should communicate to
trading from the pocket, and showing an appear-
the house the result of their inquiries into this very
nencil
attached to it was broken ; a importantg p r
theprivilegerepresented
which Peers have enjoyed of
by their proxies in Parliament
ante w
mained,eo ofin ag to
w
but a chainhaving been given to draw it out,
pocket being small the watch re-
purse with money in it which his widow proved the
when unable to attend in person is so ancient as to
deceased bad taken with him, something more than being
i:3n.
T rheee
esn td subject.
but
have become a prescriptive right as inherent in their
Bs. 61, when he left his house, was carried away,
peerages as that of being summoned to Parliament,
and on looking at the gate entering into the wood
and one, consequently, of which no vote of the
it was found that it had been lifted from its hinges
of
house can alone deprive them. The use of proxies
and left
the
hanging,
has, however, been controlled by the house in seve-
'
by
Iparticulars. A peer cannot hold more than
fired and
two. i hey may not be used in committee, or on
tr
eer
object
the -
the person by whom the shot was
purse taken. The prisoner was the rar
first to notice the loss of the money, and as sus-
any judicial proceeding. They must be entered be-
picion was directed against him very early in the .
fore 0 o'clock on the day on which they may be
investigation of the cause of death he was kept in called for, and are vacated by any attendance after
close view all day, a detective officer having, as
entry.
soon as intelligence was forwarded to Norwich,
4. Proxies are not used so frequently as many
g
lilsial.pperla‘rhefrormesttlolef ftollie- suppose. From 1830 to the present year, both in-
proofone againstover
theßarton
prisoner
elusive, they have, as will be seen by returns in the
lowing evidence. The motive for the crime, as Mr.
appendix to this report, been called only 73 times
dt o theitl his own work, wished to i
jury, was that the prisoner, B e
‘nvli
in 38 years, and with less frequency in the latter
being Metcalfe
dissatisfiedoe ne
w
than in the earlier part of that period. For the
get his uncle's place, and had been to Sir H. Berney's
first ten years proxies appear to have been used 30
agent to try and get it, while, as would be shown,
times ; in the second, 22 ; in the third, 19 ; and in
there were continual quarrels between his uncle and
the last eight years only twice. On eight occasions
himself, and so late as the Saturday before the
only out of those 73 have proxies overruled the votes
uncle's death he had uttered strong threats against
of those present.
him. 5. The committee are of opinion that the exer-
The first important witness who was called was cisc of the right of voting by proxy byPeers who
the policeman, William Balls, stationed in the dis- have had no opportunity of hearing the debate is
trict, who, after stating that he went to examine objectionable. It diminishes the attendance of
the wood and the place where the body had been Peers in the House, and tends to weaken in the
found, said that he picked up fragments of a broken public mind the authority of the decisions at which
bottle and pieces of coarse white paper near the the House arrive. 'They therefore recommend that
place, where there were marks of a person having the practice of using them should be discontinued,
knelt behind a hedge with his face towards the dead and that a standing order should be agreed to against
body and his toe-marks in a line behind it, and their being called ; and that, to prevent such order
also in the shed above mentioned ; that the leaves being lightly suspended, twice the usual length of
of a maple bush five yards from the body, and in a notice should be given for the suspension of such
line with the knee marks, were scorched ; and that
order.
the prisoner brought him the dead man's broken watch 6. The attention of
the committee has been drawn
chain, which he said he had found on the body. He to an increasing practice of asking questions on pri-
went on to say that, having asked the prisoner
vate notice only. The
where his gun was, and being told that it was at the license
which the House is able to allow for de-
his uncle Henry Barton's house (the dead man's bate on questions are materially lessened by the ab-
brother), he went with him to that place, and on sence of public notice appearing in the minutes.
their arrival, Henry having • ' joined them, the pri- Those Peers who may be the most qualified to ad-
soner looked round a room, and saying, " It should
dress the House on matters so brought before it may
be somewhere here," his uncle said, oMy gun is in
be unprepared to discuss them, or absent on occa-
a shed ; it is not here" (for it had been taken away
m.
ons most interesting to them. Sometimes, indeed,
and was being used for frightening birds) ; and,
they are questions which do not admit of delay; but
having sent for it, the prisoner said, "That is the
the committee desire to express their decided opi-
gun," to which the uncle replied, " Why, you know
pion that notice of question should in all cases be
you never were allowed to take that gun away.
given in the minutes when there is no such urgency,
What is the good of bringing these people here upon
and in the event of the House confirming this re-
this fool's errand?" They wentaway, and
then
the prisoner having been apprehended on the charge
by those to whom questions are proposed to be put,
of murdering his uncle, he said to this witness, " I
by their declining to reply to any without such
should think there are fifty persons who know I
notice is given, except where delay would be inju-
have a gun. I hid it while they were gone to follow
riou., or the answer is of a character not likely to
the trail." (This was a trail of 1,000 yards which lead to a debate.
this witness and two other men had traced from the
7. The committee have considered the system of
gate near the body to another gate in the wood, but
appointing Peers to sit on committees on private
as it led nowhere they did not pursue it. The inn- business. They are of opinion that it has secured
portance of this statement, however, will be seen iu
con *tt imi ees which have generally given satisfaction
the next witness's evidence). The prisoner then to the public. They believe, however, that it has
went on to say to Balls that he hid the gun because
some
disadvantages
which might be removed, and
he thought he should be susp2cted, and having
they recommend that the House should order the
shown the witness where it was (in a thicket of Committee of Siection to exercise their discretion
blackthorn in the wood, about 150 yards from the in calling for .he service of Peers, although they
body), he went to the place and found it covered may be absent from the House.
over with dead leaves, showing marks o-
s, and f hayB. The attention of the committee having been
ing been recently discharged, there being a piece of called to the manner in which the proceedings on
the reception of the reports of bills amended in corn-
the eip still on it. Balls on further search also mittee of the whole house are recorded, they recom-
found au empty powder flask in a hollow tree in mend that, instead of the report of such amend-
the wood about 300 or 400 yards from the body, and ments being entered as made formally by the Chair-
about 70 from the place where the prisoner had been man of Committees, the name of thel'eer who moves
working. the reception of the report and takes charge of the
Geor d bill in that stage should be substituted, in order that
ge Reed a farmer in the nei ghbourhoo, ,
it may appear in the journals.
proved that Ire went into the wood and came back And the committee have directed the minutes of
to the body just as Balls and the others came up; evidence taken before them, together with au ap-
the prisoner was close to the body all the time that peudix, to be laid before your lordships.

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The Business of the House of Lords.