The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-06 00:00:00

REFUSAL OF A CHURCH-RATE AT

WOOLWICH.

From the re-opening of the poll at Woolwich
yesterday morning until its close at five o'clock, the
vicinity of the Town-hall presented an excited ap-
pearance from the large crowd assembled, and the
greatest interest was taken in the proceedings.
The Rev. Henry Brown, A.M. (rector), officiated
as chairman ; and although the supporters of the
rate gained an advantage by the plurality system
of voting, it soon became evident that the artisan
classes from the Dockyard and Arsenal would
decide the contest. During the first two hours a
small majority was obtained against the rate, and
this majority steadily increased until the close of
the poll. Mr. J. R. Jolly, one of the churchwardens,
and a member of the established church, was loudly
cheered by the assembled multitude on presenting
himself at the table and recording his votes against
the rate. At five o'clock, when the poll finally
closed, the Town-hall was densely crowded, and
the rev. chairman, amidst the most tumultuous
applause, announced the following as the result of
the contest : For the rate of 2d. in the pound,
591 ; against the rate, 702 ; majority against the
rate, 111.
The Chairman immediately left the hall, and it
was then unanimously resolved that the chair be
occupied by the Rev. J. Carlile, LL.D. (congr,ega-
tional minister), who, in a brief address, congratu-
lated the ratepayers upon the victory achieved, and
expressed his opinion that, after an agitation in
that town of many years' duration, the question of
church-rates had been, he hoped, finally settled.
• Mr. Topley proposed a vote of thanks to Mr.
Churchwarden Jolly for his consistent opposition
to church-rates, notwithstanding the difficulties of
his position. It was their duty to rally round Mr.
Jolly, and take care that he was elected church-
warden for the ensuing year. (Cheers, and cries
of " We must keep him in office')
Mr. Fordham, in seconding the motion, observed
that at least two to one of the ratepayers had polled
against the rate, and, in canvassing the parish, the
churchmen themselves were found in numerous
cases to be strongly opposed to church-rates.
The motion was passed amidst cheers ; and after
a vote of thanks to the rector,- as chairman during
the contest, the meeting separated.

THE NEW EAST INDIA HOUSE.—On the last
day of the old year a contract was signed, in Leadenhall-
street, for the building of a new East India House in Down-
ing-street, to occupy the open space, which has long been
standing empty, next to the Foreign-office. The position
is admirably selected for the purpose, being in the midst of
the principal Government offices, and close to both Houses
of Parliament, while the extent of the surface occupied will
afford ample accommodation for the vast establishment it is
intended to receive. By the terms of the contract thebuild-
ing must be completed within two years.—Some News.
SUICIDE FROM LONDON-BRIDGE. Yesterday
morning information was forwarded to Mr. Payne of the
death of a respectably-dressed female, whose name is at
present unknown. Early. this morning the unfortunate
woman was seen to precipitate herself from the steps of
London-bridge into the river. An alarm was raised, when
boats were put off, but the body was not found till seven
o'clock. Sho appears to be about 24 years of age, fair com-
plexion, dressed in black, with a black shawl. A shell was
procured, and the body removed to St. Saviour's dead-
house.
GROSS OUTRAGE ON THE CHAPLAIN OF THE
CHANNEL MISSION.--A correspondent •of the Shipping
Gazette, writing from Pill, near Mistol, says :—"Mr. Strong
boarded several ships in Penarth on Sunday last, and, as
usual, was well received; but on going on board the Walton,
of Walton (Nova Scotia), the crew refused to listen to his
ministrations, and used abusive epithets. The worthy
chaplain, fulling their contention with him on the increase,
prepared to leave the ship, and on passing the cook-house
one of the sailors on the top threw something heavy on his
head, which quite stunned him, and would have proved
serious had not his hat broke the fall, and on getting to
the. gangway the ladder was found by one of the chaplain's
men to have been put atrip,' to precipitate him overboard.
I am happy to say that this conduct of the crew of the
Walton is without precedent here, and certainly deserves
exposure."
SINGULAR RECOVERY OF A MARRIAGE-RING.—
About the end of =July or the beginning of August last, a
woman, named Catherine Ferguson, the wife of a miner,
named M'Lean, at Clifton, near the head of Loch Lomond,
lost her marriage-ring whilst engaged in putting in or
building peats, and, notwithstanding that every search was
made for it at the time, it could not be found. About a
fortnight ago the cat brought a rat into the house, and
around the neck of the rat was the missing marriage-ring.

It is supposed, as rats are known to carry Off coins Or pieces
of silver or gold, that the ring had been taken to the rat's
nest, where it had gone over the neck of one of the young
ones, and remained there until the animal had advanced in
growth, and, curiously enough, been captured by the cat.
Mrs. M'Lean, who had been about a year married, was no
less rejoiced in getting possession again of her lost ring
than surprised at the very singular way in which it was
recovered.—Scotsirban.
SHOCKING OCCURRENCE IN INDIA.--A Bombay

letter says :—A horrible tragedy took place at Kurrachee
on the 27th ult., in which a member of the press has been
a prominent actor. It appears that about two o'clock on
the morning of the 27th, Mr. Bease, the joint proprietor of
the Seindian Press, was arrested by the police on a charge
of murder. A few minutes before the above time Mr.
Bease was awakened by the cries of his infant, and was
surprised to find that his wife was not in bed. He rose
immediately to seek her, and discovered that she was
walking with a Mr. Foster, the vakeel. Mr. Bease returned
to his house, and procuring a double-barrelled gun, delibe-
rately shot both his wife and Mr. Foster. Mrs. Bease died
from the effect of the wound, and Foster is in a very preca-
rious state. How Bease williget on remains to be seen.
A DEAD BOBY FOUND IN A BOX.—An inquest

was heldat Skull, a few days ago, upon the body of aman,
name unknown, which was found floating enclosed in a box
in Long Island Channel, on last Thursday. The body was
most securely made up, all the external forms of sepulture
having been carefully attended to, proving it to have been
a person of some position, probably the captain-of a vessel,
from his having an anchor tatooed on one of his hands.
It had evidently been floating some months, as deposed
to by Dr. Sweetman, who made a post mortem
examination (it being in an advanced state of decompo-
sition), but not the slightest marks of violence
were visible, the man, in Dr. Sweetman's opinion,
having died a natural death. He was about 60 or 70 years
of age but no name or document that could lead to identify
was found with him. After the inquest the body was re-
moved in a coffin, and interred in Skull churchyard. The
jury returned a verdict in accordance with the above facts.
—Cork Constitution.
CHINESE EMlGRATlON.—Arrangements are in
progress for the introduction of 11,000 Chinese coolies on
the sugar estates at the French island of Martinique, West
Indies. The British possessions of Demerara and Trinidad
have subscribed about £60,000 for a similar purpose, half of
which has already been forwarded to China. The first instal-
ment of coolies is expected in March, and authority has been
given to their special agent to incur an extra expense as a bonus
or otherwise in procuring women to accompany them to the ex-
tent of about 20 per cent.; this forms a leading distinction in
this order as compared with those from Cuba :—there is also
another, viz., that the rate of wages is to be that current in
the respective islands, a guarantee being given in China,
that, in any case, they are not to have less than 5 dols.
(225. 6d.) per month, and their food; a free passage back
to China is also to be given at the expiration of six years, or
a bonus equal to the cost of passage should the coolies de-
cide on remaining. On their arrival they will be appointed
to the various estates, but will have the privilege of chang-
ing each year according to their fancies.—C?lina Telegraph.
SOMNAMBIJLISM.—There has recently occurred a

curious and very singular instance of somnambulism at
Brixham, in Devonshire. A few nights ago Mr Bagstaff,
ornithologist, wqs startled by seeing his servant, race
Banks, a young girl of 18 years of age, entering his bed-
room, and putting down a bird by the side of his bed which
she had taken from the sho_p. She went out of the room and
again returned with a phTasant, which she deposited in
like manner as the first, smoothing it down, and saying
" There's a beauty." Leaving the room again, her master
hastily dressed himself and followed her. She walked up
the street a short distance in her night clothes, and return-
ing, went the same distance below, and then went into the
house. Her master tried to awaken her ; he shook her by
the arm and called her by name, but she was so securely
wrapped in her sleep that she took no notice, and at once
retired to her bed.—Wiltshire County Mirror.
NARROW ESCAPE FROM DROWNING.—On Tues-
day night police-constable Kendall, 318 R, was crossing
Blackheath, and when near the Hare and Billet public-
house heard the sound of what he considered to be a dog
swimming in a pond opposite the above house. He had
not proceeded many steps when he became convinced that
the sounds were occorioned by some one struggling in the
water, but the weather being very thick no object was dis-
cernible. On stooping, however, at the edge of the pond, the
first thing that attracted his attention was the bonnet of a
female floating on the surface of the water, and without
stopping to divest himself of his heavy clothing imme-
diately succeeded in getting to the spot where the bonnet
was, and laid hold of a female as she was about sinking.
With some difficulty he conveyed her into the Hare and
Billet publichouse, and on recovering her consciousness it
was ascertained that she was the wife of a journeyman
baker, named Reay, living in the neighbourhood, and that
owing to the darkness of the night and the unprotected state
of the pond, she had mistaken her way, and which would
have cost her her life but for the timely assistance rendered
her by the constable.
THE SUPPOSED SUICIDE OF A ST. PANCRAS TAX
COLLECTOR AT GREENHITHE.—Yesterday the coroner's
investigation (opened a few days ago at Greenhithe, touch-
ing the death of a respectably-dressed man whose remains
were found in the River Thames, and which was adjourned
for the purpose of identification) was resumed and concluded
before the coroner for Kent. It will be remembered that
through the description of the deceased issued by Mr. Super-
intendent Brandon, of the Kent constabulary, and the name
" Arnell" being observed on the deceased's linen, a presump-
tion arose that the unfortunate man was a late rate collector
in St. Pancras of that name, who had absconded some weeks
back, owing to the unsatisfactory state of his accounts. This
presumption turned out to be well founded, for upon the re-
assembling of the coroner and jury yesterday both the de-
ceased's son and daughter attended and identified the re-
mains as those of their father, Mr. John Arnell, the missing
collector. It appeared that he left his home seven weeks
since in a very sudden and unaccountable manner, and that
he was not heard of again by his family until they were in-
formed of his lifeless corpse being found in the river. At the
period of his disappearance an investigation was proceeding
in St. Pancras at the hands of the parochial authorities,
the result of which was the implication of several of the
parish officials to a very serious extent, and owing to the
state of deceased's collection his books were seized, he hav-
ing previously absconded. It did not seem that the de-
ceased had ever premeditated or threatened self-destruction,
but still there was no doubt but that, having run through
the little means he had about him, and impelled by a feel-
ing of dread at the criminal prosecutions now being search-
ingly instituted in St. Pancras, he committed the rash act
in a moment of desperation. A Gravesend railway ticket
was found on the deceased's person, and it was urged that,
being a strong-minded man, and wishing to keep his fate a
mystery, ho proceeded thus far down the river to carry out
his suicidal intention, in the hope that his body would be
carried out to sea, and all knowledge as to what had become
of him be thus entirely swept away. A verdict of " Found
drowned" was recorded, and the painful inquiry terminated.