The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-28 00:00:00

THAMES.

DARING STREET ROBBERY.—James Redding, a well-
known thief, who has been repeatedly in custody, and is
notorious for his brutality and activity, was brought before
Mr. Selfe charged with assaulting and robbing a foreign
seaman named Jacob Vorbick. _ .

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It appeared from the evidence of the prosecutor that last
night, about half-past seven o'clock, he was coming out of
a baker's shop in the West India-road, when he was seized
by the prisoner and three other men. One of them grasped
his throat and nearly strangled him. The prisoner put his
hand in the pro§ecutor's trousers' pocket and dragged it
away, -taking with the pocket a purse containing sixpence
only, and another made a tug at his watch, which the
thieves would have taken had not a police constable made
his appearance and frustrated the intentions of the gang.
George Pullin, a police constable, No. 161 K, said—l
was watching the prisoner yesterday evening. I know
them to be most notorious thieves. I was looking after
them for a quarter of an hour. I saw them attack the
sailor. It was the prisoner who grasped the sailor by the
neck while three others held his arms. I caught the pri-
' soner's hand in the sailor's pocket and secured him. The
other three men jumped upon me and tried to rescue him,
and I had a desperate struggle with the prisoner before I
succeeded in taking him into custody.
Mr. Selfe—ls the prisoner known ?
Pullin—Yes, sir; he is well known. He has been con-
victed several times, and there are constables here to iden-
tify him.
The prisoner pleaded guilty.
Mr. Selfe—You are one of the regular thieves of the dis-
trict, and belong to a most lawless and desperate gang. I
sentence you to six months' imprisonment and hard labour ;
and if the prosecutor was not a foreign sailor about to go to
sea, I would commit you for trial. If you are ever brought
before me again, I will certainly send you before a jury for
' trial ; and if you are convicted, you will be sentenced to a
long term of penal servitude.

THE CONVICT SMETHURST.—The case of Dr.
Smethurst remains yet undecided. Dr. Todd's letter, dated
from Switzerland, and written in ignorance of the fate of
the prisoner, expressing his decided conviction that Isabella
Bankes died from poison, is as nearly conclusive as any-
thing can be of the guilt, to say nothing of the diabolical
and coldblooded pertinacity and cruelty of Smethurst. There
must be an end put to this system of trying great criminals
over again in newspapers, after the establishment of their
guilt in courts of justice.—DcrLyshire Courier.

DEATH OF CAPTAIN" VANSITTA.RT, R.N.

(From the North China Herald, July 23.)
It is our painful office to record the death of Cap-
tain Nicholas Vansittart, R.N., C. 8., late in com-
mand of her Majesty's ship Magicienne. He died
on board, on the 17th of July, whilst lying off
Kintang or Lookong, near Ningpo, from the effects
of the wound by which he lost his leg in the en-
gagement before the Taku forts, in the entrance to
the Peiho, on the 25th ult., aggravated by fever
and ague arising from exposure in the swamp on
that occasion. The Magicienne came into harbour
on Monday, the 18th, and the funeral took place
in the evening of that day. The Ministers of Eng-
land and France, the foreign consuls, and a large
number of the foreign residents at Shanghai at-
tended. There were also nearly 500 men from the
ships of war in harbour. The solemn procession
moved from the landing-place to Trinity Church,
where the service was read by the chaplain of the
Magicienne, assisted by the Rev. J. Hobson. It
then proceeded to the cemetery, where the remains
of that noble and estimable man were deposited in
their final resting place.
We have been able to collect the following
short account of Captain Vansittart's career in
the service :—He entered the navy in 1832 ;
joined the Cornwallis in 1841, under Admiral Sir
joined the Cornwallis in 1841, under Admiral Sir
Villiam Parker; served in the operations against
Tsekee, Chapoo, and Woosung, for which he was
promoted to the rank Elf lieutenant in December,
1842. As flag-lieutenant he accompanied Sir
Thos. Cochrane's expedition in the Bruni river, and
shortly after was engaged as aide-de-camp to Capt.
RodneyMtindr in the arduous pursuit of the Sultan
of Bruni. For his conduct on that occasion and
other services he was promoted to the rank of com-
mander in January, 1847. Soon after he com-
missioned the Frolic, 16, and was on the Mediter-
ranean station till 1849, when she was paid off. His
commission as captain was dated April, 1854. In
February, 1855, he commissioned the Magicienne,
and was most actively employed in the Baltic,
where he distinguished himself on many occasions
in the destruction of forts and otherwise; and in
August had command of a division of gun and
mortar boats at the bombardment of Sweaborg.
For this service he was decorated with the Order
of the Companion of the Bath.- After the war he
proceeded in the Magicienne, first to the Black
Sea, then to. the Pacific, and afterwards to China.
He did good service in command of a squadron
acting against pirates in the vicinity of Hong-
Kong, in September and October last, destroying
150 junks and fast-boats, and killing and capturing
458 pirates ; and off Amoy, in October, he destroyed
60 pirate junks and row-boats. The Magicienne
was then appointed to the special service of the
British Minister in China, and left Shanghai on
the 15th ult., with the Hon. F. Bruce, and suite for
the entrance to the Peiho, on their way to Pekin,
to exchange the ratified treaty.

DENBIGHSHIRE AGRICULTURAL

.ASSOCIATION.

At a recent meeting of the Denbighshire and
Flintshire Agricultural Society, held in Denbigh,
Mr. Townsend Main waring in the chair, as Presi-
dent of the year, after the usual loyal toasts had
been disposed of, the Chairman gave, " The Army
and Navy," coupling with it the name of Colonel
Morgan. (Cheers.)
Colonel MORGAN said he could not sufficiently
express his gratitude to his friend Mr. Mainwaring
for the too flattering manner in which he had con-
nected his name with the army, nor to the gentle-
men present for the enthusiastic reception they
had accorded to the toast. With respect to the
army in general, he need not point out to them the
enormous sacrifices and the sufferings that our
army had undergone, not to say the great vic-
tories they had obtained wherever they had met
their foes. (Great applause.) They would permit
him to make one or two remarks on the army; he
did not say it as an old soldier, but he said it as a
thinking man, that England was not sufficiently
grateful to her army. (Hear.) And he would tell
them why—because England looked very much to
her pocket ; she was afraid of an increase in her
income-tax. The Chancellor of the Exchequer,
taking his cue from that feeling, would not provide
the supplies necessary to keep in a state of efficiency
those who protected their country. (Great cheer-
ing.) But although there were certain parties who
objected, the great bulk of liberal Englishmen
_would never spare their money to maintain that
army which our Government was so niggardly in
supporting. (Applause.) What would become
of our manufactures— of our trade—of pur
agricultural interests, but for the army ?
Going back to the Crimean war, if we
had not taken a part in it, and gained victo-
ries so as to check the ambition of Russia, no doubt
the Muscovite hordes would have invaded our
Indian territory ; and, if successful, that would
have been a nice job. (Laughter and cheers.)
Look also to the mutiny in India. But for the
bravery of our army India would now have been in
the possession of the rebellious Sepoys, and what
then would have become of our commerce and trade
in that quarter ? (Laughter.) After urging
strongly the necessity of keeping our army in a
state of thorough efficiency, the gallant colonel, in
the absence of a representative of the navy, volun-
teered an acknowledgment of the toast on. behalf of
the sister service. At one time of his life he was a
sort of amphibious animal, spending half his time
on board ship, and the other half on land. (Laugh-
ter.) The navy of England filled a bright page in
history and Heaven grant that our navy might
soon retrieve her honour and everything recently
lost in China,—that she could do it no Englishman
could doubt for a moment. (Great applause.)