The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-29 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Rapid, steam vessel, paid off at Woolwich last
week, from the African coast station, is ordered to
be placed in the third division of the steam reserve.
Her crew of 135 men, exclusive of officers and
marines, are generally continuous service men, and
have been granted seven weeks' leave ot absence.
The amount of wages paid was £2,565, and £Bl6
prize money.

The blocks are being laid down at No. 6 slip at
Woolwich dockyard, for the commencement of a
new composite gun vessel, to be named the Dwarf.

Shameful Assault on a Casual Pauper in

Bermondsey Workhouse.

At the Southwark Police-court yesterday Ca-
therine Harris, a middle-aged, powerful-looking
person, the wardswoman of the female casual ward
in Bermondsey Workhouse, was placed at the bar
before Mr. Burcham charged with committing a
shameful and violent assault upon Elizabeth Per-
kins, a poor creature who entered that place for
food and shelter.
The complainant, rather a decrepid-looking
woman, somewhat decently clad, said that on
Sunday night she had occasion to apply for admis-
sion into the casual ward of Bermondsey Work-
house. The superintended admitted her, and she
was transferred with several other female casuals
to the prisoner, who ushered them into a very clean
and wholesome ward. She had not been there
many minutes before the prisoner began tearing at
her clothes and knocking her about. Witness
asked her what she wanted, when she replied in very
foul language that she wanted her clothes. As soon
as she was able to divest herself of them she handed
them to her, when the prisoner set upon her like a
tigress, pulling her about, and striking her about
various parts of the body. Being in a state of
nudity at the time she was unable to protect her-
self, but jumped into one of the sleeping berths to
get out of her way ; but the prisoner followed her
there, fell upon her, and not only beat her on
the head, but bit' her on the neck. When the
other unfortunate creatures came to her assistance
she attacked them, and had not their cries brought
in the assistance of the superintendent, witness
would no doubt have been seriously injured.
Mr. Burcham asked what state the prisoner was
in.

Witness replied that she was decidedly under the
influence of liquor.

The prisoner denied that, and said that ever since
she had charge of the female casual ward she had
been the kindest creature that ever could be. 'The
facts were these. The complainant refused to give
up her clothes according to the regulations, and all
she did was to take them from her. She denied as-
saulting her as stated. She was too kind-hearted
for that.

William Brown, the superintendent of the casual
wards in Bermondsey Workhouse, said that he re-
collected the witness and several other females being
admitted on the previous night, and handing them
over to the prisoner, who was wardswoman in the
female casual ward. Some time afterwards he heard
cries of " Murder," and " Help," in the latter place,
and on proceeding there he saw the prisoner on the
top of the complainant, in her sleeping berth, beating
her in a savage manner. He pulled her off, and find-
ing that she was under the influence of liquor, he
gave her into custody.
Mr. Burcham asked whether the prisoner was an
inmate of the house.
Mr. Brown replied in the affirmative, and said
she was selected by, the guardians wardswoman
of the casual ward on account of her previous
good conduct. Witness added that when he entered
the ward all the females complained of the prisoner's
brutality towards them. Those women were all in
court.

One of them here stepped forward and said she
dever saw anything so brutal before in her life. She
knocked the poor woman about as she was taking
her clothes off, and kicked her. When they inter-
fered she turned round upon them.

The prisoner again declared that she was neither
drunk nor guilty of the charge, but of course she
had no witness to support her statement.

Mr. Burcham had no doubt from the evidence of
the complainant,. supported by the other unfortunate
witnesses, and substantiated by the superintendent
of the casual wards, that 'she had committed a most
shameful and cruel assault. Ho therefore sentenced
her to fourteen days' hard labour in Wandsworth
House of Correction.

REFORM DEMONSTRATION IN EXETER..--yester-
day a Reform demonstration in connection with the Na-
tional Reform League, comprising a number of working
men belonging to trades' unions— joiners, stonemasons,
cabinetmakers, shoemakers, cork-cutters, metal workers,
bricklayers, &c.—took place in Exeter. There was a pro-
cession, accompanied by four bands, and a public meeting
afterwards, at which Sir John Bowring presided. There
was little or no enthusiasm in the city, scarcely a flag or
banner having been exhibited at the houses of the citi-
zens. There were, however, a good many in the proces-
sion, and many of the manufactories were closed for the
day.

LORD AMBERLEY ON PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.—
We learn by telegraph that Lord Amberley addressed an
enthusiastic meeting of Reformers last night at the Ex-
change-hall, Nottingham. He said, without hesitation,
that reform would not be obtained, and that Parlia-
ment could only be influenced to pass a satisfactory mea-
sure by a strong and decided expression of public opinion.
He would venture to say that the mere fact of the exclu-
sion of the working classes from the suffrage was in itself
a grievance of no small magnitude. In the boroughs the
present representation excludA,l a large number of the
most intelligent of the population, who would be most
competent to vote. A resolution was then passed in fwyour
of rekideutial rannlmd onffrago and Yoto by ballet.

Col. Arthur St. George Herbert Stepney, C. 8.,
late commanding the 2d battalion of the Coldstream
Guards, died at the Imperial Hotel, Jersey, on the
23d inst., from the effects of an accident. He en-
tered the army March IG, 1834, and served with the
29th Regt. in the Sutlej campaign of 1845-46, the
command of which devolved upon him, on Dec. 21,
at the battle of Ferozeshah, which he retained dur-
ing the night of the 21st, and the action on the 22d
(wounded), and during the remainder of the active
part of the campaign, until severely wounded by a
grapeshot at the conclusion of the battle of Sobraon,
Feb. 10, 1846 (medal and clasp and C. 8.) He
served also at the siege of Sebastopol from January,
1855 (medal and clasp, and sth class of the Med-
jidie). Ile became colonel Oct. 26, 1858 ; major of
Coldstream Guards, Nov. 24, 1863 ; and was in
receipt of the reward for meritorious and distin-
guished ser vices.
Tamar, iron screw troop-ship, Captain Francis
W. Sullivan, C. 8., sailed from Portsmouth yester-
day for Ireland, Malta, and the West Indies, with
detachments of the first battalion Bth and 84th
Regiments. She afterwards brought up at St.
Helena.

Royal Alfred, 18, iron screw frigate, Captain
Francis A. Herbert, fitting for the North America
and West India station, was placed in No. 11 dock
at Portsmouth yesterday for examination below
water-line.

Terrible, 19, paddle-wheel frigate, Capt. Corn-
merell, V.C., remains at Spithead awaiting orders.
One watch went on shore at Portsmouth last even-
ing, the orders being to return on board at 2 p.m.
this day.
Eclipse, 4, screw vessel, Commander Freemantle,
which arrived at Spithead on Saturday from Aus-
tralia, sailed on Sunday for Sheerness, to pay out
of commission.

Yesterday Major-General Freeman Murray, in
command of the Chatham district, made his first
inspection of the troops under his command, on
the general parade ground at the garrison.
The troops inspected on the occasion included
first and second depots of the Ist Royal; first and
second battalions of the 15th Regiment, 50th
(Queen's Own) Regiment, and 109th Regiment, the
whole under the command of Colonel J. ' s.
Smith, C.B. The other corps composing the gar-
rison will be inspected during the present week.
Orders have been received at Chatham, directing
the following officers of Royal Engineers to join the
headquarters of that corps at Brompton Barracks,
viz. :—Lieuts. H. J. H. Logan Home, 11r. A. H.
Hare, J. C. Pottinger, A. 0. Green, H. M. Cham-
bers, and J. F. Lewis.