The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-20 00:00:00

THAMES.

SCANDALOUS OUTRAGE AND ROBBERY.—John Holmes,
John Coshan, John Davis, and Cornelius Driscoll, four
rough, boisterous fellows, wore brought before Mr. Selfe,
charged with assaulting and robbing a man-of-war's man,
named William McMillan, belonging to her Majesty's ship
Topaze, lying off Plymouth.
The prosecutor, who was in a sad plight, with marks of
violence on his face and throat, and half stupified with
drink, said ho had lately come up from Plymouth on a
cruise. Ho then began muttering something, and Mr.
Selfe asked if had got a quid of tobacco in his mouth, and
he answered in the affirmative. Mr. Selfe directed him to
spit it out of his mouth, and he did so, and then,
in a few broken sentences, made known that he
was not sober yesterday, and that all four of the
prisoners were in his company drin'ing, and that they
got him into a corner, seized him by tte throat, and nearly
choked him. Ho lost a canvas bag containing £3 or £4 in
gold, a silk neckerchief and a pocket handkerchief. He
could not say which of the prisoners took his money or
which seized him by the throat.

Mr. Kelly, the landlord of the Sugar Loaf public-house
in Bett's-street, St. George-in-the-East, said that the pri-
soners and the prosecutor were in his house last night, and
went out with him. The prosecutor bad his neckerchief on
when he left the Sugar Loaf.

James Chapman, a police-constable, No. 80 H, said that
last, or rather this morning at one O'clock, he heard the
prisoners having an argument about their "regulars."
Mr. Selfe—What do you mean by regulars ?
Witness—A fair division of the spoil. I listened to them
for some time, and I then went up to them, and said to
Holmes, " What is all this:about ?" Holmes said, "We
can't agree." Directly afterwards I saw the sailor, who
was quite exhausted, and said he had been robbed, and
that the thieves took hold of his throat. With the assist-
ance of another police-constable I took the prisoners into
custody. On the way to the station-house Holmes dropped
a sovereign, and two handkerchiefs belonging to the sailor
were found upon him at the station-house•
Mr. Selfe convicted Holmes, and sentenced him to six
months' imprisonment and hard labour, and said there was
no evidence that the other prisoners had been engaged in
the robbery, although they had been drinking with the
sailor, and they must.be discharged.

THIS DAYS MARKETS.

HAY MARKETS.

SMITHFIELD.--Meadow hay, £2 10e to £4 Os ; clover,
£4 Os to £5 Os ; and straw, £1 4s to £1 lOs per load.
Both hay and straw moved off slowly, at our quotations.
CUMBERLAND.—Meadow hay, £2 lOs to £4 4s ; clover,
£4 Os to £5 5s ; and straw, £1 61 to £1 lOs per lead.
Trade heavy.

WHITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay, £2 lOs to £4 Os; clove)
£4 5s to £5 5s ; and straw, £1 4s to £1 8s per load
Trade dull.

COLONIAL.

TEA.--A rather active business has been done in the
finer qualities, and late prices are fully maintained.
SUGAR.—The transactions have been unimportant in
most descriptions ; in several instances, however, a slight
decline has taken place. In the Refined Market dried goods
have been inactive, and lower rates accepted by holders in
order to effect sales.
COFFEE —The market continues very quiet, no change
whatever having taken place. The stocks on hand, com-
pared with those of the same period of last year, shewed a
deficiency of about 1,000 tons.
RlCE.—There has been a fair inquiry for the better qua-
lities of Bengal, and prices have shown an upward ten-
dency.
FRUlT.—Currants continue in good demand, at former
quotations.
SALTPETRE.—There have been no dealings of import-
ance. Prices, however, continue steady for all qualities.
TALLow.—A. very moderate business has been transacted.
Prices have in some cases shown less firmness. P.Y.C.
is now quoted 57s to 575 3d per cwt. on the spot, and 574
3d to 57s 6d per cwt. for last three months.

A SEA SERPENT.—The sea snake, caught by
Captain Taylor, master of the ship British Banner, coiled
up on the surface of the sea, in lat. 1 deg. N min. south,
and 87 deg. 10 min. east longitude, has been forwarded to
Professor M'Coy for the Melbourne Museum. It is an ex-
ceedingly fine specimen of pclanzis bicolor, a venomous and
truly pelagic serpent, remarkably distinguished from land
snakes by the lateral compression of the posterior part of
the body, enabling it to swim like an eel; and as the broad
ventral scales used for creeping by terrestrial snakes would
be useless,. they are replaced by minute ones like those of the
back or sloes. The reason why they are caught easily when
found on the surface of the sea is, that instead of breathing
by gills like fishes, they breathe like the land snakes, by
large, very long lungs, which becoming distended with air
when the animal comes to the surface to bask in the sun,
cannot be quickly emptied to enable it to sink, or escape
when surprised. The specimen has been placed in the case
devoted to reptiles of " Asia and the Indian Archipelage."
—Australian Mail.
A SMALL VESSEL FOR A LONG VOYAGE.--Tue
successful voyage recently to Bahia of the screw steamer
Little Lucy, of about 30 tons, in spite of a strong opinion
that she was somewhat too small a craft for a voyage across
the Atlantic, has determined the directors of the Bahia and
San Francisco Railway to despatch another steamer of even
smaller proportions. In compliance with this resolution,
Mr. John Watson, of Parliament-street, London, the con-
tractor for the above railway, has selected a small vessel
from the shipyards on the Clyde, which is pronounced by
many experienced and practical men who have visited her
to be a beautiful yacht model. The navigation of this vessel
has been intrusted to Captain Breckon, under whose able
direction, after a remarkably rapid passage, the Little Luey
was handed over in safety to the company in Bahia. As in
the case of her contrast, the Great Eastern, many were the
prognostications of failure in that of the Little Lucy; hap-
pily, however, an able crew, under a skilful and energetic
captain, have proved what cool heads and steady hadns are
' able to accomplish in a small but well-built craft even in the
face of decidedly adverse weather, and we trust that in the
navigation of the present vessel, the Helen Conran, these
gloomy prophets, if any still exist, will be once more disap-
pointed. As it is a favourable season for the voyage, we
hope, in due time, to hear of the safe arrival of this second
little vessel. In the meantime we will conclude by wishing
the Helen Conran " God speed." The Helen Conran is an
iron vessel, of only 18 tons, and was built by Archibald
Denny, at Dumbarton, and sailed from Greenock on Wed-
nesday for her destination.--Glasgow Daily Mail.