The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-11 00:00:00

TIIE SUN, LorsvoN, TUESOAV EVENING, SEPTEMBER 11, 1866.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.—Sept• 5.

ADMIRALTY COURT.
(Before the Right Hon. Dr. Lushington.)

His Lordship sat in chambers, and disposed of the fo.
lowing important application :

THE LATE SEIZURE OF VESSELS BY THE AMERICAN GOVERN
MENT-THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA V. PRIOLEAU.

This was an application by Mr. Prioleau, as owner of
seven vessels at Liverpool and Birkenhead which had been
seized by the marshal under a warrant of the Court, for
the release of the same, on the ground that they belonged
to him, and have been detained by the American Govern-
ment as having belonged to the Confederates in the late
war.

Mr. Milward, Q.C., with whom was Mr. Butt, appeared in
support of the application for release, praying in each case
that the vessels might be released without bail, and that
the 'Government be condemned in cos's, on the ground that
the affidaN :t on wh' eh the wa-rant of arrest bad been granted
wa-; defective and insufficient. The mltter was roost seri-

orq to the defendant. There were seven vessels detained,
an 1 the property was unde-.3t,00l to be worth £150,000.
Mr.Veiaon Lushington, ou the pal:: of the United States,
opposed the application, and characterised it as one of an
unusual clorae.,ar. The case could proceed to herring in
the customarY. manner.

His Lordship, after hearing a discussion on both sides,
said he should require an order from Mr. Adam, the
American Minister, or the Counsul General, before the case
was allowed to proceed. The venerable judge intimated
that, if necessary, he would hear the case during the long
vacation.

Order accordingly.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—This Day.

immediately, and another mail struck her on the back of
the head with a stone. She lost a good deal of blood.
Mr. Partridge fined the prisoner 405., and in default one
month's imprisonment in the House of Correction.

Tremendous. Fire at Whitechapel.

DESTRUCTION. OF THE LONDON AND NORTH-
WESTERN RAILWAY GOODS STATION.
Thig morning, shortly after one o'clock, a most tremen-
dous fire broke out at the London and North Western
Railway Goods Station, Haydon-square, Minories, which
has laid in ruins property to the amount of many thousand
pounds. The warehouses, seven stories in height, cover a
large space of ground, and are surrounded by numerous
small houses. The fire was discovered raging in the top
floor of the goods department, which contained saltpetre,
whisky, and many other inflammable goods. Conductor
Wood shortly afterwards arrived with the fire-eseapa,
when he found the flames 'travelling round the build-
ings, and aroused the inmates of the adjoining houses.
The steam engines of Messrs. Shand, Mason, and Co. also
arrived in quick succession, as well as the Salvage Corps,
with a large body of men, who got to work, under the
direction of Mr. William Swanton, the superintendent, and
Mr. 'William Withers, the foreman. The scene was most
distressing at this moment, men, women, and children
rushing out of their houses with anything they could place
their hands upon. A good supply of water being obtained
from the mains of the East London Water they set to work
in first-rate style, the steam engines entirely surrounding
the buildings, but at the time this report-was written it was
far from being subdued. Mr. B. Langham, of the North
British and Mercantile Fire-office, as well as Mr. Charles
Reado, have made a most searching investigation as
to the cause of the outbreak, but nothing at present can
be ascertained. The loss will fall on the Sun, Plicenix,
Western, North British and Mercantile, Hercules, and other
fire-offices.

A Desperate Battle with a serpent.

(From the Bengal Ilurkara.)

Sir,—My object in now addressing the following through
your columns is to remove the doubt enter:ained by many,
with regard to the subject it treats upon ; honc•o I request
that you will bo pleased to aid in giving it an early venti-
lation.

I have per used with some interest the correspondence
which passed some time ago, between Major Macauly, of
the 231 Rogt. L. 1., and Munora correspondent of the Sin-
diva, regarding the contest of the cobra and the mongoose.
Major Macap'y asserted that the mongoose dies from the
inflammation. caused by the bite of the cobra ; while on
the other hand the Sindiaa maintained from the effects
of the venom, and the sure remedy of the animal against
it was the particular herb. 'I did not place any reliance
upon the veracity of these statements (which had been
the caL,3 with many of its readers, as some supposed
that the mongoose had a prophylactic in its blood, and
others hold different hypothesis) till of late, when
I had the opportunity of witnessing the encounter of the
two inveterate foes. The assertion of the Munora correspon-
dent, I obser Jed, was borax upon a fact. The particulars of
the combat I briefly relate for public information. A
large cobra was seen issuingout of a bramble-bush as if the
animal was pp-sued by on enemy. Subsequently a full-
grown mongoose seemed to be the pp-suer. The snake ex-
hibited signs of great fear and alarm and hastened to on
away as soon as possible ; the mongoose was eNidently un-
w.lling to let the pu-saed escape ; and in order to arrest
the course of the cobra, it took a semi-ci-cle course and
came upon it, whereupon the for.ner halted and raised itself
with expanded hood hissing at its assailant. The mon-
goose, daunting nothing at his formidable adversais's
threats, began to move in a ci,-cle round the cobra, with a
low purring as that of a cat. He made several ci-uits, the
cobra twisting on all sides he moved, and within that time
gradually raised itself to the full lengil, standing almost
peyendicular, only the tip of the tail being on the ground,
as if the cobra had great apprehension' of its head,
which it held as high as possible beyond the reach of the
mongoose. This scheme effected naught. The opponent
now"shicte and making a mighty bound passed over the
head of the cobra and came at its back. The cobra instantly
faced him. Having repeated the feat two or three times,
the mongoose stepped backward to the distance of newly
3ft., and then taking a proper aim, suddenly darted upon
the cobra and illicted a severe bite on the necl-, both fall-
ing down. At the same time the mongoose,-still retaining
the hold the cobra toa .sted over the mongoose veri tightly.
This brought him to the upshot of yield; ig to the power
of his enemy, as I plainly s..w that the mongoose could
not move his limbs for him, but only kept his hold
fast. In this position they struggled at interval., and
at times lay motionless. The contest between these
two wee'-known enemies began at nine a.m. end ended at
about tan. I observed the above occurrerra from
behind the stem of a large tree at a distance of
21 or 25 yards. Now curiosity drew me nearer, behind
another one, which left only a space of 14 or 15 yards be-
tween me and the scene of the combat. Thence I had a
clearer view as to what was going on. The mongoose out-
matched the cobra, though he was the longest I ever saw.
The cobra grasped him so tightly that I believed the crea-
ture would die, and rot being able to retain his hold he
gave in. The cobra, availing himself of the opportunity,
inflicted a severe sting, I cannot say on which part of its
antagonist's body, and instantly raised Es head angrily.
The mongoose drew back and left the place apparently with
symptoms of much distress, and got into an adjoining bush.
The cobra moved not an inch from the spot, stood as before
with expanded hood and looking in the direction the
mongodSe had gone. Now I felt that the fight was over
and intended to find my way from the place, but to my
astonishment, before 15 minutes could pass, the mongoose
returned with redoubled strength and activity, went direct
to the cobra, masticating something. He then sprang at
the cobra and hit the animal on the same pert he had first
done. Both fell to the ground, and after a desperate
struggle, which lasted for nearly 18 minutes, the cobra was
totally conquered. It began to relax hold; ultimately
stretching on the ground and quivering its tail, it expired.
The mongoose devoured a small portion of his victim's
flesh and left the residue on the spot for his comrades to
feast upon, and finally quitted the field. The mongoose
has no prophylactic gland to counteract the effect of the
cobra's sting ; but the paracular herb is the only sure
antidote against the venom.
Vypean, April 25th.

A. Woorcoes.

HEAVY BETTING.—In an elaborate article on the
evils of heavy betting, the " Gentleman in Black," in
Rally's Magazine, gives the two following sketches :—The
Duke of A— is a young man, who has had a long
minority, and inherits, at one-and-twenty, a very hand-
some income even for a man in his exalted position of life.
Ho has gone through the ordinary education of an English
gentleman, and on bis accession to his property is not long
in discovering that he has a taste beyond thin bread and
butter and the organ. The inclinations of an English-
man make themselves conspicuous. He longs for the
county hounds, and they are not vnwillingly surren-
dered by his predecessor, who has discovered that that
bed of roses has its share of thorns. In procoss of time
he feels that good may be done by giving a proper
impetus to turf pursuits. He is quite acute enough to
know that in doing it he may be done; that he make his
debat to a crowd which admires his pocuniosity quite as
much as himself. Still he has some faith in that common
sense and highfeeling which has carried through some of his
predecessors unscathed. He purchases a stud, not of such
overwhelming magnitude that he scarcely knows what half
of them are doing, or where half of them are kept. He
takes care that the 'few he has shall be as good us his own
judgment, aided by long experience of others,can procure.
In this way he commences a racing stud ; a stud, be it re-
marked, not made up of third or fourth-rate horses, which
are only worth keeping with the hope of a favourable handi-
cap, in which 20 losses shall be made up by one great win ;
but one in which blood and symmetry unite, and from
which his efforts may well be directed to the acquision of
a Derby, a Leger, or an Oaks. Of course, so valuable a
prey is not to be allowed to escape without some efforts
to land him. Such efforts are vain. Why? Because, rich
as be is, ho feels no anxiety to risk monkeys, when the
nobler animal, a pony, will do. If he really were a neody
man, who shall say what he might do ? Being a Duke,
with a rent roll of some £60,000 a-year, who should he de-
sire to make it more by the loss of a neighbour? He is above
the charge or suspicion of avarice, surely ; and his pony or
two suffice to give him what is politely called "an interest
in the race." This being the case, why should ho act any
part but that of an openhanded and openhearted English
gentleman ? Ho has no object to gain in immoderate gamb-
ling; he avoids the snares which would beinvariably set for
himself; he maintains the dignity of his position free from
damaging associates (for even dukes do not raise blacklegs
to their own level); he has a sufficient excitement beyond
the stakes, in backing his favourite for a pony or
two ; he sets a good example to those few persons who are

influenced by habits of high birth, and has the satisfaction
of knowing that he is joining in the national amusements
of his country, and improving the breed her horses, with-
out detriment to his reputation or fortune. If he loses
his money he can afford to do so without letting his temper
follow it ; if he wins, he sets at defiance the insinuation
of sordid motives by the moderation of the stake. The
Marquis of B- is a young man whose education, in like
manner, has been attended with those advantages which
accompany a well-cultivated taste for Greek iambics,
cricket, rat hunting, a'nd the Christopher, and which has
been further strengthened by the strong meats of the Uni-
versities or the Household Brigade. He starts in life with
advantages equal to those of his friend and companion. He
is as well-bred and as wealthy, and is not long in discovering
he too will do well to participate in what is commonly that
known as the national sport. But his mind is of a different
caste to his friend. He is susceptible to flattery, which is
discreetly administered by u discriminating press ; and to
the calls of ambition, whose satisfaction will be attained
only by an immediate notoriety. His early plunges are
therefore void of the prudence which has marked the carper
of his neighbour. He instructs his commissioners to spiNe
no expense, to stop at no price, in the purchase of his horses,\
and to limit themselves neither in the number nor the
extravagance of his bets. He becomes the talk of the town.
Gentlemen of equal fortune and equal rank wonder how
long it will last, and smile at the vulgarity of the ostenta-
tion. Those who would imitate a marquis at any price, end
with the fable of the frog and the ox. The harpies rejoice,
and silently chuckle over the feast which the fulfilment of
their hopes is providing. The stud grows larger and less
valuable, and heavy "coups" come off less frequently;
what began by being a pleasure has now become a passion.
The lawyer steps in and helps the money-lender. Bit by bit
tho noble property is being shorn of its ancient glory. The
Irish estates are gone ; there is a mortgage on Dunderhead,
and Swampstead is in the hands of the Jews. Then comes
a certainty at last. The Derby colt has had a surprising
trial; he will not be brought out for the Two Thousand.
Tho Marquis of B- stands to win one hundred and sew ny
thousand to nothing; so says the "Penny Gaff," which
knows all about marquises, and must be right. Then
commence various manipulations about the horse. Now
he is down at 10 to 1, again ho is up at 3 to 2 ; down he
goes again, and then the public discover that he is a roarer.
He takes his gallop between two known roarors, and again
the "Gaff" and the public are at a loss. Two days before
the Derby the horse is scratched, and the Marquis goes
abroad. Tho world and the " Gaff" abuse him, and believe
that he has'saved Swampstead by the lost Derby. The fact
is, that he knows nothing about the business, but has boon
swindled by trainer, jockey, tout, and commissioner, and
finds that he can only save Dunderhead by four years of
continental economy, during which time the tenants
who regarded him, the friends and family who loved
him, and all who know his good qualities, are left to moralise
on the termination of a career which collapsed under the
pressure of "heavy betting." Of the unfortunate frogs
who have endeavoured to imitate the bull. some are liviieg
on their brothers and sisters in a dishonourable depend-
ence • others are unable to show their faces in this country,
and feel ashamed of them in almost any other; ann no in-
considerable portion of them have returned to their natural
condition of the gaol and the workhouse. The Marquis
of B-- will begin life again upon a diminished income
and.popularity in the course of eight or ten yeaas, but
with a matured judgment and higher NUN el enjoyment.