The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-15 00:00:00

112,012 103,76:

London
Liverpool 313
Bristol
Other English ports
Ireland 761 159
Scotland
Germany 732 552
France l4 223

1,194

1,020
149

Total 23,855 15,157 7,508

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY.)

(Before the Lord Chief Baron.)
TRIAL OF DR. SMETHURST.

This morning the trial of Dr. Smethurst; who stands
indicted for the wilful murder of Miss Isabella Bahkes, at
Richmond, was resumed.

Sir John Lawrence was amongst the distingutshed per.
sons who occupied seats on the bench. The court was very
much crowded.

Upon the prisoner being placed at the bar,
The Clerk of the Court read to him the indictment and
the coroner's inquisition, by both of which the prisoner was
charged with the wilful murder of Isabella Bankes.
He pleaded not guilty.

Sergeant Ballantine, with Mr. J. Clark and Mr. Merryl-
weather, appeared for the Crown ; Sergeant Parry, with Mr.
Giffard, defended the prisoner.

It will be recollected that the prisoner was a person who
had for some years practised medicine, and about 30 years
ago he married a lady, still alive, and who was in advan
of his own age, and he was living with her in January, 186 ,
when he resided at No. 8, Rifle-terrace, a boarding-hous ,
kept by very respectable people.- Miss Bankes was a lad
about 43 years of age and of considerable private means, tp
the extent ofabout £l,BOO. In 1858 she obtained a life inters t
in £5,000 in the funds, but at her death that would, of tours ,
pass away. In the autumn of the same year she went to r
side at No. 8, Rifle-terrace, where the Smethursts were resit-
ding. An acquaintance sprang up between them, and tbie
landlady, seeing that there was some familiarity, between
Dr. Smethurst and Miss Bankes, spoke to Miss Bankes, who
left the house and went to reside at a similar establishment
in Kildare-terrace. On the 9th of December, 1858, D.
Smethurst met Miss Bankes at a church in Pimlico, where
they were married. Dr. Smethurst went back to his wile
for a day or two, and it would be found that Smethurst and
Miss Bankes afterwards left their respective boarding-
houses on the 11th of December. Nothing was heard of
the lady until the 10th of January, 1859, when Miss Louisa
Bankes, received a letter from her sister. That letter
was answered, and on the 15th of February Dr. Smethurst
and Miss Bankes, calling herself .Mrs. Smethurst, went to
live at Old Palace-gardens, Richmond. They appeared
to live on the most affectionate terms, and Miss
Bankes went for long walks, and appeared to be
in very good health. Up to 28th March thei
lived there, and then commenced the illness which
terminated in death. The prisoner made inquiries as to
who were the best medical men in the town, and, on
recommendation, Dr. Julius and Dr. Bird, his partner,
were called in on the 3d of April. Dr. Julius treated her
for an ordinary case of diarrhoea, having obtained from 130.
Smethurst a full account of the nature of the symptoms.
Dr. Smethurst took a most active part, was in close attend-
ance on the deceased, and never allowed the medical men
to be alone with hen Dr. Smethurst also suggested medi-
cines, innocent in their character, but in which he said he
had faith. Dr. Julius continued to attend her from the
3d of April to the 15th, when she left Old Palace-gardens
and went to Alma-villas. Dr.:Julius was extremely puzzled
by the symptoms, and was astonished to find that all his
remedies were unavailing. Under these circumstances, he
requested Mr. Bird to see her ; and from that time to the
day of her death Mr. Bird attended her, in connection with
his partner. The unfortunate lady died on the 3d of May,
and the present indictment was in consequence preferred
against the prisoner.

Mr. Sergeant Ballantine, in his opening speech, laid the
whole of the above details before the jury, and then prefr
ceeded to call evidence to prove the case against the prisonei.
._ _ _

The evidence adduced to-day was similar to what hail
already appeared in The Sun. The trial is expected to last
three or four days.

THE NEW PLENIPOTENTIARY FOR

CENTRAL AMERICA.

The country will view with considerable satisfac-
sation an awakening sense in the silent bosom of
the Foreign-office as to the importance of Central
America. Secret diplomacy only demonstates its
operations by outward and visible signs, leaving
the public to speculate upon their significance ; and
by these signs the public must judge of the inten-
tions of Lord John Russell. Long ere the stars
and stripes decorated the free banner of the United
States, the King of Great Britain had recognized
territory in Central America. The woodcutters of
British Honduras are as ancient a race as the
Pilgrim Fathers; but the wood-cutters remained
faithful when the sons of the Pilgrims shot down
their fellow.subjects on Bunker's Hill. And the
wood-cutters still desire to remain faithful, notwith-
standing the threats and blandishments of their
northern cousins. British Honduras, including the
Islands of Ruatan and Bonaca, is a British colony,
as much as Canada or the Cape of Good Hope; and
its title is unaffected by the Clayton-Bulwer treaty.
as all American politicians know, though some are
not honest enough to avow it. About two years
ago the present Foreign Secretary was indis-
creet enough, in his place in Parliament, to speak
with indifference of the value of her Majesty's pos-
sessions in Central America. Mature reflection
has, we believe, however,
.altered his opinion. In-
deed, credit must be given to the Foreign-office for
having recently greatly amended its ways. The
public opinion, freely expressed in this and other
journals, has at length reached the recesses of the
Foreign-office, and repentance is evidencing itself
in acts having a tendency in the right direction.
We expressed hopes that something would be done
to restore the confidence of the colony when Sir
W. G. Ouseley was sent out, last year, as Minister
Plenipotentiary to Nicaragua. The well-known
manly character, instinct with British feeling, of
Sir W. G. Ouseley, rendered him a peculiarly fit
instrument to reassure the drooping confidence of
the colonists, and to unmask the aggrandising ten-
dencies of the United States. It is suspected that
Sir William's line of policy was of too bold a
nature to be sanctioned by the traditiOns of the
Foreign-office, and it is not unlikely but that
this has caused some complications, working
personal annoyance to himself—and it is known
that he has suffered greatly in his health in
the warm, moist climate of Nicaragua. Be the
cause, however, whatever it may, it is, we under-
stand, the intention of the Foreign-office to recall
Sir W. G. Ouseley, and to supply his place with
Mr. Charles Lennox Wyke, who was presented by
Lord John Russell to the Queen, at Osborne, on
Friday, and will take his departure by the West
India mail on the 17th for Costa Rica, via Panama,

the directors of the railroad across that isthmus
having, through their president, Mr. D. Headley,
now in England, in reference to the Australian
postal contract, placed a special train gratuitously
at his disposal, as they did when Sir Y. Ouseley
proceeded from Aspinwall to the same destination.
The Foreign-office list for the present yeir fur-
nishes a short biography of Mr. Wyke. He was
formerly a lieutenant in the Welsh Fusiliers, and
afterwards, for three years, a captain in the Gene-
ral Staff of the late King of Hanover. In 1845 he
was appointed vice-consul at Port-au-Prince, and.
in 1852 he was named as consul-general for Cen-
tral America, on the retirement of Mr. Chat-
field; and in 1854 he was raised to the diplo-
matic rank of Charge d'Affaires. Mr. Wykes'
name and reputation are necessarily shrouded
in the haze which hangs over Central America ;
but, from such information as may be gathered
from a perusal of such of his despatches as the
Foreign-office have made public, it is evident
that he is a gentleman of considerable ability,
and thoroughly English in all his thoughts and
feelings. Unless Mr. Wyke be crippled in his
actions by secret dispatches from home, his coun-
trymen may expect shortly to see some practical
evidence of a sound policy which, while respecting
the rights of the Republics of Central America and
assisting in the development of free routes of transit
shall at the same time maintain the rights of her
Majesty, and of her Majesty's subjects, in this
hitherto neglected but important corner of the
Queen's dominions.—Liverpool Albion.

THE TREASURY CHEST.—The liabilities of the
Treasury Chest on the 31st of March, 1858, are returned at
£3,206,643, and the assets at £4,537,344, leaving a surplus
balance available for the service of the Chest amounting to
£1,330,701.