The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-03 00:00:00

TIIE CASE OF ASSAULT BY A CLERGYMAN,

No little interest has been excited at Stone-
street, in Waltham, in connection with the recent
attempt of the Rev. S. Smith on the life of Mr.
Leach, at Yate, near Bristol, in consequence of the
wife of the rev. gentleman having been born and
brought up in this place. Her father, Mr, Edward
Mills, kept a small farm, on which he worked him-
self, and brought up his family, and where his
widow and two sons and a daughter still reside.
The father was opposed to the marriage of his
daughter to Smith, and would have prevented it,
only that it was accomplished before he had time to
'do so. The old gentleman was very much attached
to Sarah Mills (Mrs. Smith), and ehe was in the
habit of reading to him of an evening. On her
union with Smith, he was very much affected, and
it is said that that circumstance so much preyed
on his mind as to hasten his death. They were
married at St. Pancras church, London, and the
members of the family have always remarked upon
the austere and unkind manner in which the rev.
gentleman treated his wife ; she appeared almost
afraid to move in his presence. A curious circum-
stance occurred shortly after their marriage. Smith
wanted to apprentice his wife to a dressmaker, and
she went to a shop in the neighbourhood of Bristol
for that purpose, but not liking it, she soon left
and returned to her mother's house. Smith urged
the adoption of that course, on the ground that he
had not sufficient to keep her; he afterwards
wished •her to pass as a single woman, and she
was compelled to send home for her marriage
certificate to prove that she was lawfully mar-
ried. Mrs. Smith is well spoken of in this
parish as a quiet, unassuming girl, and those
who are well acquainted with her state most posi-
tively their belief that the letters which have been
published were not indited by her, although they
may be in her handwriting. Since thecommittal the
mother has received a most unfeeling letter from
Smith, stating that the children were left wit hout a
morsel of bread to eat, and indirectly casting blame
upon his wife. Letters have also been received from
Mrs. Smith, and in one of them was enclosed a letter
from the husband, in which he expressed the
greatest confidence in his wife, urged her to trust
in Providence, and intimated that after their im-
prisonment they should live happier together than
ever they had yet done, as he was now satisfied of
her faithfulness. It is the general opinion among
the neighbours that the woman must have been
coerced to have acted as she has done, and it is as-
serted that the visit between her and Leach, at
Whitstable, referred to in the correspondence was
not of a criminal character, as a sister was present
the whole of the time.—South Eastern, Gazette.

CO7.TFERENOE OF ITALIAN DELEGATES

FROM ITALY.

For some time past it has been the intention of
the partizans of the Constitutional Party in Italy
to hold a conference, to consult on the best means
of bringing more prominently before the public
the present position of hay, and to endeavour to
revive the agitation for a National League of a
Confederation of States, subject to the correction of
a central Power. The projectors of the conference
intended to have held their first meetings at Turin,
but owing to the late attempt made on the life of
the Emperor Napoleon, and the stringent measures
adopted by different Powers to guard against any
future acts of a similar nature being concocted by
the refugees residing in their several dominions,
it was thought best a meeting should take place
at once in London. The first meeting was held
last Monday evening in Newman-street, and was
composed, with the exception of a single refugee,
of delegates from various parts of Italy, including
Venice, Turin, Genoa, Padua, Brescia,
Parma, and Rome. The following resolution was
agreed to unanimously
That we, the delegates of the National Constitu-
tional League of Italy, have 'viewed with deep sorrow
wh
while
the late attempts made on the life of the Emperor
e
in
Napoleon by several of our countrymen,
deploring the injury such designs must have i bringingdea of
asio country, we
nf
our cou
into disrepute the effortsunce
utterly repgluydiamtea:es
by our
dfreiseinrdesattotb au duvaatunec et i
m thee interests
to
giving countenance to acts which, far from exciting our
sympathy, call forth our strongest indignation.,
At the meeting yesterday the following resolu-
tion was agreed to :
___

"That we, the delegates of the National League, and
exponents of Italian nationality, do, before we break up
our meeting, take proper steps to lay before the public
generally a proper exposition of our views and wishes,
and thus, by so doing, make manifest the moderation
and justice of our principles."
The lancting then adjourned.