The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-23 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The Sepoy Revolt. By Henry Mead.
Murray.
This is a thoughtful and valuable work well de-
serving of consideration at the present epoch,
when so much discussion may be expected, and is
now going on, on the subject of the government of
our Indian possessions. When all have seen the
direful results to which the public indifference on
the subject has brought us, when those most pre-
judiced and most averse to change are forced to ad-
mit that some alteration is imperative, an works
written by those acquainted with the workiz,r „f the
present system, in a fair and candid spirit, d• serve
attention. The author of the present work is de-
cidedly opposed to the government of the Company,
and gives at length his reasons and argutnen ts.
He gives a narrative of the recent disasters, and
adds what in his opinion, are the causes and conse-
quences of the rovolr. Speaking of the Company's
rule, he says with truth—
The overthrow of the Company's rule has long been
felt to be only a question of time. It could not possibly
have survived many years longer; but the sepoys have
simplified the labours of orators and journalists. The
immediate proclamation of the Queen's Government
throughout India would be worth 50,000 men, on the
side of law and order. Of the princes and nobles who
have taken up arms against us, there is not a man
but is fully conacious of the overwhelming might of
England, and who is not impressed, in the main, with
a belief in the desire of the imperial authority to do
justice to the people of Hindostan. Only by such a
change can we safely temper justice with mercy. An
amnesty on the part of the East India Company, how-
ever narrow in its provisions or distant in date, would
be attributed to fear. The fighting class would have no
respect for the Government which they had once over-
turned ; the native capitalists would never forget that,
even in Calcutta, the bonds of the public debt had been
almost unsaleable at 25 per cent. discount. The trading
millions would shrink from embarking their means in
ventures beyond the reach of their own supervision and
control ; the servants of the state would have no reliance
on the permanence of their means of livelihood. Ever
in the minds of all men would survive the memory of
past events, and the thought that what had been might

John

be again.
He says in another part that it is useless to put the
European race in competition with the Hindoo,
and say they shall not rule over them. This has
been proved again end again; and whatever system
was adopted the native superiority of the race
would undoubtedly manifest itself. But then the
laws should be for all, and. acomprehension of those
laws be disseminated among . the people. It is
useless to have a code of laws that will redress the
wrongs of the weakest if he does not know it, and
his oppressor takes care not to inform him. Ou
this subject our author observes—
Though we may fail to teach the natives the truths
of our theology, we may easily acquaint them with the
nature of our legislation. Our object should be to pro.
tect them against the better knowledge of their own
countrymen, who charge upon British authority their
own acts of monstrous oppression. We want to see the
Hindoo armed by his knowledge against the assaults of
power, and made as impervious to an illegal act as the
European or East Indian. We cannot teach him Socrates
and Shakopee' e ; but we can make him acquainted with
the powers of native officials, and instruct him in the
method of procuring redress for injustice. We may fail,
for some generations to come, in making him a moralist,
patriot, or Christian ; but we may convert him into a
contented subject ; we can train his selfishness in the
right direction, and enable him to curb the exercise of
inimical power by showing him the secret of his own.
Native reformers, he remarks, if they had the offer
of the English constitution would very probably
reject it. They would like to pick out the parts that
suit them ; they would likea House of Lords of Brah-
min St, and a House of Commons in proportion, "but
if a barber's sou claimed to lead the first, and the
child of an apostate was appointed to rule the
second, they would forego all the benefits of legis-
lative authority rather than acknowledge them as
superiors. The keystone of British freedom is the
equality of all men beneath the law, whereas the
principle of Hindooiem is the irreversible subordi-
nation of classes." From this he draws the inference
that the total abolition of caste would be neces-
sitated by any introduction of the English form of
government. His chief recommendations aro in
favour of justice and toleration ; that these, indeed,
should be the ruling principles of our government
of India few will deny.
Let no man of our race harbour the foolish thought
that the example of the Emperor Julian might well be
imitated by our chief ruler in India, or that we can
win the affection of the orthodox Ilindoo by hindering
the growth of Christianity. From the highest to the
lowest, they will gladly tolerate us if we will only
consent to tolerate them. They have not sought the
life of the missionary or the holdings of the planter.
They wish to retain their lands and religion, and believe
in their hearts that we intend to deprive them of both
by violence. Let us give them assurance to the con-
trary, and our Sovereign will have no firmer allies than
the princes of Ilindostan, no subjects more peaceful
than the Brahmin and his followers.
He is not slow, however, in condemning toleration
and mercy whore they are but other names for
weakness and cruelty ; thus he aptly says of the
insubordination at Burmah :
Naturalists have a story of a horse who once overcame
a lion in a single combat, and ever afterwards was un-
tameable. Luckily for equestrians the fact is unknown
to horses in general, but otherwise we might hear of a
great many successful mutinies on the part of those use-
ful quadrupeds. When the 38th Regiment refused to
embark for Burmah, and escaped without punishment,
the horse overcame the lion, and the lessen has not been
forgotten. Government in that case committed the
fatal error of omitting to enforce obedience to its
mandates, on the ground that the order ought
not to have been issued. The sepoy, allowed to
choose for himself as to what portion of the commands
of his superior shall be obeyed, is naturally led one dey
to take a step in advance and refuse to own any maeter-
ship whatever. A Government can comma no breach of
faith to its soldiers so mischievous as that which it com-
mits to the public when it allows a command to be dis-
regarded. Had the order to the 38th to go to Burmah
never been issued, or never disobeyed, it is not likely
that at this moment their lives would be forfeited to
j astice.

He speaks with the utmost severity of the oppres-
sions and occasional cruelty of the Indian Govern-
ment. The mystery and exclusiveness with which
it was conducted, added to the great distance from
England and its own peculiarly irresponsible nature,
have left its officials comparatively free from re-
straints with which those in situations of far less
importance are surrounded at home. It has, in-
deed, been a despotism that sheltered itself under
the shadow of a free government. " Some mon,"
says the author in conclusion, " find it hard
enough to Lear with the existence of an aristocracy,
but merit in every quarter of the globe can find au
entrance into the ranks of the nobility. It was
reserved for a knot of merchants to establ'sh a
system of exclusiveness such as the world never
saw before, and is not likely to witness again." In
another place he speaks with force and just indig-
nation on the dilatory proceedings of the Govern-
ment :

For twenty-one.weeks, counting from the first receipt
of intelligence of the Meerut revolt, the Government of
India was on its trial. It was subjected to a strain
which tested every joint and searched every flaw, and
the result was most disastrous. Not a bolt remained in
its place, not a rivet but was started, not an inch of sur-
face but was found to be decayed and rotten. It dis-
closed neither the wisdom that could foresee danger nor
the strength that could overcome it.
If the order of things could have been reversed, and
the last acts of the Government made their first, matters
would have now worn a very different aspect. They
have done all that could be desired, but not at the right
times. Volunteers were enrolled, troops massed, enter-
prises undertaken, and foreign aid enlisted, but all at
the wrong seasons. Calcutta was wisely left to the
chief care of the civic force and the navy, but not until
the rebel fires bad blazed out in a dozen stations, and
it was seen that the sepoy army had transferred its
allegiance. "Too late !" was inscribed on the banner
of the Ghoorkas, when for the second time they turned
their faces towards Lucknow ; " too late I" was graven
on the lids of the empty chests in the treasury, when a
loan was called for, and a second bid was made for the
hoards of the capitalist ; "too late I" was shouted by
the public when the order was given to disarm the
regiments at Dinapore ; "too late I" was shrieked from
the well at Cawnpore ; "too late !" was echoed by
the breeze that swept over the battlements of Luck-
now. We saw in those days the story of Sisyphus
enacted. The ceaseless striving, and the sure de-
feat ; the hand constantly striking, but the foe still
remaining in front ; the feet always marching, but the
goal as far off as ever ; the Sybil's price paid, but the
book of fate not forthcoming. It seemed as if a single
faculty had swallowed up every other quality of national
greatness. Never did English courage shine out so
gloriously, never was English want of capacity so
thoroughly displayed. We were giants in the field and
dwarfs in the council. Our soldiers surpassed in heroism
all who had gone before them ; their rulers transcended
all previous notions of weakness and imbecility.
The author, we must add, has been for ten
years "a labourer in the busy field of Indian
journalism." He has, therefore, had full oppor-
tunity of watching and observing the acts of the
government, the diameters of the officials, the
opinions of European residents, the position of
the native population, their feeling towards us,
the conduct of the Sepoys, the alternate severity
and undue lenience of the rulers, the discontent
and duplicity of the people. All this be endeavours
to familiarise to his reader. He shows the evils
committed in the English name ; that justice has
dropped her scales and sword, and only keeps her
bandage. He shows how treachery has taken ad-
vantage of both clemency and severity • how the
whip and the spur goaded the untamed horse, but
the hand was not strong enough to hold the rein.
He tells us frankly what he thinks are the errors
and what their cure ; and if the reader differs from
his conclusions, or his remedies, he at least appro.

ciates tho earnestues3 decisiod with which he
sets forth his cause.

The Intcri.eter ; A Tale of the War. By G.
Width Melville, author of "Digby Grand," (15e.

Parker and Sor.

This very clever and interesting story is by an
author, who has alrowly written several w ,rks of
fiction, and is reprinted from the
pagw of Fuser's
Afttgaz:lite,. It is a tide of tho star, in which
the hero plays a conspieueus part. The public
events of the day are cleverly interwoven with the
narrative, which possesses much interest of its own.
There are a variety of characters introduced of
various nations. The hero, Vere Egerton, is an
English officer, who assumes the office of rut rpre•
ter to Iskender Bey, and he has been from child-
hood the friend of Victor (le Rohan, a young
Hungarian, who plays an impo-taut part in the
tale then, there ate numerous sketches of English
of and sol hers patiently di iihg their duty in the
dreary trenches, or charging at Death ms-lf in the
valley of Balaclava. . Repsley, one of these, is also
on intimate terms with Sir Henry Beverley, an
old family friend of the Ege ton's, and is the means
of separating Vere from Constance Beverley, to
whom he is deeply attached. The heroines are
drawn with equal success, and, contrasted with
great skill. Constance Beverley is a charming char-
acter, with deep feelings and high principles, and
well worthy of the life-long devotion of Vere Eger-
ton. The fair Hungarian, Countess Vale' ie the
sister of Victor de Rohm, is:equally captiva'ting'
with her high spirit and patriotism, her frank gaiety
and true heart. Rcee, Princesse Vocqsal, is the
evil genius of the unfortunate Victor, and the very
opposite of these two fair ladies, though she is not
altogether without feeling, and time testifies the
sincerity of her repentance. Th.re are crowds of
minor characters, Russian, Turkish, Hungarian,
and English, mingled with true dramatic variety.
The following ex.iract is from a description of the
charge of the Light Brigade :

N.it a child in England a'. this day but knows, as if he
had heea there, the immortal battle of Balaclava. It is
needless to describe its situation, to dwell upon the

position they were ordered to carry, or the fire that
rimed in upon front, flanka, ay, and rear, of the at.
tacking force. This is all matter of history ; but as the
valley stretched beneath us, fresh, green, and smiling
peacefully in the sun, it required but little imagination
to call up the stirring scene of which it had been the
stage. Here was the very ground on which the Light
Brigade were drawn up ; every charger quivering with
excitement, every eye flashing, every lip compressed
with the sense of coming danger. A. staff officer rides
up to the leader and communicates an order. There is
an instant's pause. Question and reply pass like
lightning, and the aide-de-camp points to a dark, grim
mass of artillery bristling far away down yonder in the
front. Men's hearts stop beating, and many a bold
cheek turns pale, for there is more excitement in un-
certainty than in actual danger. The leader draws his
sword, and faces flush, and hearts beat high once more.
Clear and sonorous is his voice as he gives the well-
known word ; gallant and chivalrous his bearing as be
takes his place—that place of privilege —im front—
' Noblesse oblige,' and can he be otherwise than gallant
and chivalrous and devoted, for is he not a gentleman 7
and yet, to the honour of our c .untrymen he it spoken,
not a man of that six hundred, of any rank, but was as
gallant and chivalrous and devoted as he—he has said
so himself a hundred times.
So the word is given, and the squadron leaders take
it up, and the Light Brigade advances at a gallop ; and
a deadly grasp is on the sword, and the charger feels
his rider's energy as he grips him with his keees, and
holding him hard by the head urges him resolutely for-
ward—to death !

An now they cross the hue fire sh it through the
heart, an aide-de-camp falls headlong from the saddle,
and his loose horse gall ips on, v.ild and masterlee, and
io upon the flank, and jains the squads,n once
more. It has begun now. Man upon min, hors;.; upon
horse, are shot down and r lied over ; yet the survivors
close in, stainer, bolder, fi-rcer than before, and still the
death-ride sweeps on,
" Steady, men—forwari !" shouts a chivalrous squa-
dron-leader, as he waves his glitt-ring d ab ye his
head, and points trwards the foe. Clear and cheerful
rings his voice above the tramp of horses end the rattle
of small-arms and the deadly roar of artillery. He is a
model of beauty, youth, and gallantry—the admired of
men, the darling of women, the hope of his house.
Do not look again. A round shot has taken man and
horse, he is lying rolled up with his charger, a confused
and ghastly mass. Forward I the squadron has passed
over him, and still the death-ride sweeps on.
The gape are awful now, the men told off by threes
look in vain for the familiar face at right or left ; every
trooper feels that he must depend on himself and the
good horse under him, but there is no wavering. Officers
begin to have misgivings as to the result, but there
is no hesitation. All know they are galloping to de-
struction, yet not a heart fails, not a rein is turned.
Few, very few are they by this time, and still the death-
ride sweeps on. They disappear in that rolling sul-
phurous cloud, the portal of another world ; begrimed
with smoke, ghastly with wounds, comrade cannot
recognise comrade, and officers look wildly round for
their men ; but the guns are still before them—the object
is not yet attained—the enemy awaits them steadily
behind his gabions, and the fire from his batteries is
mowing them down like grass. It but one man is left,
that one will still press forward : and naw they are on
their prey. A tremendous roar of artillery shakes the air.
Mingled with the dash of swords and the plunge of
horses, oath, prayer, and death-shriek fly to heaven.
The baiteries.are reached and carded. The death-tide
sweeps over them, and it is time to return.

. . . .
In two., and threes, and single files, the few survivors
stagger back to the ground from whence, a few short
minutes ago, a gallant band and advanced in ao trim,
so orderly, so soldierlike a line.
_ .

The object has been attained, but at what a sacrifice I
Look at yon stalwart trooper sinking on his saddle-bow,
sick with his death-hue, his head drooping on his bosom,
his sword hanging idly in his paralysed right-hand, his
failing charger, wounded and feeble, nobly bearing his
master to safety ere he fallelto rise no more. The sol-
dier's eye brightens for an instant as he hears the cheer
of the Reavy Brigade completing the work he has
pawned his life to begin. Soon that eye will glaze
and close for ever. Men look round for those they
knew and loved, and fear to ask for the comrade who is
down, stiff and stark, under those dismounted guns and
devastated batteries ; horses come galloping in without
riders ; here and there a dismounted dragoon crawls
feebly back to j -tin the remnants of what wr,s once his
squadron, and by degrees the few survivors get together
and form t-otnet.iiing like an ordered body once more.
It is better net to ()tent them, they are so few, so very
few. Weep, E.. gland, for thy chivalry ! mourn and
wring thy hands for that disastrous day ; but smile with
pride through thy tears, thrill with exultation in thy
sorrow, to think of the sons th-u canst boast, of the
deeds of arms done by them in that valley before the eyes
of gathered nations—of the immortal six hundred—thy
children, every man of them, ttat rode the glorious
death-ride of Balaclava.
From the double interest attaching to the work
irom the story itself, and from its skttches of the
campaign, it will no doubt be favourably received
by the public, and will add to the reputation of its
able author.

The History of England, from, the Accession of
James the Second. By Lord MacAulay. Vol. I.
Longman.
It is with great satisfaction that we se.. Messrs.
Longman commencing a ntw edi •ion of this admi-
rable work, which will place it within the reach of
a large circle. Without entering into discussions
on its historic impartiality, there can be but one
opinion as to its literary power and its position as
a standard work in our literature. It is, therefore,
desirable that it should be published in a form at-
tainable by many readers, and the present edition
admirably supplies that deficiency. It is much
smaller than its predecessors, and will consequently
occupy a larger number of volumes. The present
volume just contains the introductory portion, and
indeed, might stand by itself as an essay on that
time. Beginning, as the reader will remember,
with a summary of the history of the English Con-
stitution, and rapidly tracing the events of the
Civil War and the reign of Charles the Second, and
describing the state of parties, it ends with the
highly interesting comparison between the England
of the seventeenth, and the nineteenth century.
There is little doubt that this valuable work, in its
present commodious form, will be eagerly sought
after.

The Family Friend for 1857-58. Ward and Look.

PI ect-street.

This is a most attractive little miscellany for a
domestic circle. Tales for the young, receipts for
the housewife, statistics for the head of the family,
poetry for the romantic, pastime for the schoolboy,
the Work-table for the industrious, with au inter-
minable variety of miscellaneous information,
sketches, and paragraphs, leave nothing to be de-
sired by the most exigeant. It is edited with such
judicious care, that nothing is inserted that the
most careful guardian of the Young could wish
omitted, and it is especially qualified for the amuse-
ment and entertainment of a domestic hearth. We
are glad to find, from the preface, that its success
has been commensurate with its merits.

having late on the
Mr. Grant Duff was returned en Saturday fur the
Elgin burghs without opposition, Sir James Weir Hogg
previous evening retired from the
contest in consequence of the overwhelming local influ-
ence of his opponent. The nomination passed off amidst
much interruption, and the crowd was very disoiderly,
the needy-elected member and his friends having been
rather handled in leaving the hustings.
TART PAPERS.—The following parliamen-
were issued yesterday :—Report of the
i,A n
Lri roughly
ag g
tary paperscommissioners appointed by the Lord Lieutenant of
I Ireland, to ascertain the equitable amount to be repaid
by the counties in Ireland transferred to other lunatic,
asylum districts. Copies of correspondence with the
Governor of British Guinea, with reference to the ordi-
nance passed by the legislature of that colony imposing
a registration tax. Copy of a letter by the Secretary of
State for the Home Department to Lord Campbell and
the Common Law (Judicial Business) Commissioners, on
the subject of their report of July.

ASSIZE INTELLIOHNCE.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.
TAUNTON 'ATESDAY, 11),:e. 22.
THE LEIGH- WOUDS' 31.1i-RDEE.
(Before Mr. Justi,i;e Wines.)
John Beak, aged 30, iudkted f(a. the wilful

naurcler of Charotte lcugyley at Long Ashton, on
the 11th September.
Mr. Stone and Mr. Coleridge. were counsel for
the prisoner, instructed by Mr. Edward Chadwick,
of Long Ashton, and Mr. T. M. Saunders, instruct el
_ _ _

by Mr. Harris, 'of Bath, defended the prisoner.
This was a Cl3O which excited the greatest inte-
rest, it being the trial (if the prisoner for t' e murder
of the poor woman in Leigh-woods, near Clifton, in
September last. Leigh-woods are situated close to
the river Avon, but on the opposite side to the vil-
lage of Clifcon ; they are extremely beautiful, and
are the resort of all the pleasure-seekers of Bristol
aud Clifton. There is a particular valley there, callel
Nightingale Valley, which is one of the most lovely
spots in England, and it is to this valley the mind
of the reader must be directed. On the tap of the
hill is a rabbit warren, sur?ounded by trees and
underwood, and for the protection of the game a
gamekeeper is kept, who lives near the warren.
The gamekeeper's name is Worth. He is in the habit
of walking all over this place daily. On the morning
of the 10th September Worth went his rounds exa-
mining every part closely, bat he saw nothing un-
common. He did not pas that way again until half-
past 5 in the afternoon, when, as he was looking
aboult, he noticed a handkerchief on the ground,
apparently saturated with blood. He then saw a
pool of blood on the top of a precipice overlooking
Nightingale Valley, partly coveted with mould. He
looked over the precipice, and about 12 feet below,
in a kind of natural vault, he saw what appeared to
him to be a woman. He descended the bill, and
then he found it was the body of a woman, com-
pletely laid out, the clothes being in perfect. order;
the body had not any shawl or bonnet on. There
was no blood about it. Worth instantly went
and fetched a policeman named Jones, and they
then observed that the throat was cut, and there
was a hole in its temple. It was evident that a
murder had been committed. Worth and Jones
then took the body to the New Inn at Rownham
Ferry, which is a ferry over the River Avon, lead-
ing from the Hot Wells to Long Ashton and Leigh
\Voeds. The body was exhibited to any one who
cane in order that it might be identified. The face
and head were much disfigured. On Monday, 14th
Sept.' an inquest was held, and at that time her
clothes were removed from her person. The hand-
kerchief and clothes were examined, and the lett !is
" UP.," were upon them ; but no one came for-
ward who cou'd identify the person. A post-mor-
tem examination was made, and a bullet was found
in the bead. The teeth were very peculiar, having
been stopped in a particular manner, and the sur-
geon therefore took out the jaw. He had no doubt
that the poor woman hail been murdered, and, in
his opinion, she bad been first shot and then her
throat had been cut. The question then came as to
who she was, and by whom she had been murdered.
The matter, of course, soon b !came knewn, and it
was then found that a woman answering the descrip-
tion of the deceased had lived as cook in the ser-
vice of Mr. Bythesea, at Fresliford, near Bath.
The servants there saw the clothes which had been
found on the body, and they identified them as
those of Charlotte Pugsley, tee cook of Mr. Bythe-
sea. She had left his service on Wednesday, the
9th Sept., with the prisoner. It then appeared that
the prisoner had formerly lived at Long Ashton, in
the neighbourhood of Leigh Woods, and be hid
courted the deceased, but latterly he had been iu
the service of Capt.. Watkins, who resided at Da-
ventry ; but the court-hip between him ...and the
deceased still continued, notwithstaedieg the pri-
soner was a married man and had a wife hying
near Daventry. On Sunday, the 6th of &le-
tember, the prisoner obtained permission from
Captain Watkins (who unfortunately met with
that dreadful accident the other day on the South
Devon Railway) to no out for a week. He stated
that his father was a builder at Bath, and had fallen
from a scaffold and broken his thigh's ; that his sis-
ter was so much frightened that she had died, and
he wished, therefore, to ge and see his father at
Bath. He left Daventry on Sunday, Sept. 6. On
Monday, Sept. 7, the prisoner called at a shop in
Bristol, kept by a tailor named Aplin, and he there
ordered a coat, and in measuring him Apliu saw ,
that he had a pistol in his breastpocket ' • he said ho
was going to Bath. Between 3 and 4 o'cl..ck on
Wednesday, Sept 9, he went to Mr. Bytheeea's,
and gave the servants to understand that his master,
Capt. Watkin., had discharged all his servants and
had gone to India, and that, according to previous
arrangement, he had corne tofetchCherf tte Puf,sley,
that they were going to Southampton to be m tr, ied,
and were then going to America. He assisted in
c nrding three boxes belonnin4 to C',Aarlot.te Pugs-
Icy, which contained all she had in the world.
He directed them in his own name, " Beale, Bris-
.

tel." The housekeeper of Mr. Bythe3ea asked him
as he was going to Southampton why he went to
Bristol, and he said he had some basinem to trans-
act there. Theprisoner and Charlotte Pugsleythen
left Mr. Bythese es together. They went, accom-
panied by the butler, to the. Freshford station, but
finding the train did not stop there they walked to
Lymply Stoke station, the butler carrying Char-
lotte's shawl and carpetbag. The prisoner and
Charlotte then got into the train and proceeded on
their way. The luggage was forwarded by another
train after them. The prisoner and a woman were
at the railway station at Bristol waiting for the ar-
rival of the 9.40 train ; the prisoner then selected
the luggage, but as it came by another train the
officer charged them 3s. 10d. for the carriage. The
prisoner demurred to this charge, and it was ar-
ranged that the luggage, consisting of three boxes,
should remain till the next morning. The prisoner
and the woman tien left the nation at 10 minutia'
before 10 o'clock. The next miming the prisoeer
and a woman again went to the station, and after
some discussion he-paid the 33. 10d. He then left
the woman, alid tild the officer he was going
to Liverpool, and he had the boxes removed,
across to the Midland st ttioa al., Bristol. They were
put in the lug,gage-reom, and. he took the usual
tickets for them. He thee joiued the woman and
they went away. This was on the morning of the
10th of Sept., the day on which the murder was
committed. In the course of that day ho and a wo-
man were seen going in the direction of Downham-
ferry. Ab elf sin the afternoon of that Thursday,
the 10th of Sept., the deceased was se:n by a per-
son named Hancock at the foot of the hill leading
to the warren • ho could swear to her, because at
first he thou;hl it was his sweetheart, and he went
and looked particularly at her, she was walking
with a min woo was unknown t'. him. On the t
of the hill, near the scene of the murder, the pri-
soner and the deceased were seen by a man named
Jackson walking together, appaxeutly in a most af-
fectionate manner ; he hid his arm round her
waist, and ehe had her heal neon his shoal ler.
'What a te tale! contrast to the dr eadfel c im., that
was shortly to be sum eia.ed, aul which it was evi-
dent the prisoner must for so ne days have htd in
contemplation. She at that time was contidir.g in
his love, and he was full of murderous intent—for
what reason it is difficult to conjecture. From that
moment the poor woman was never soon again
alive. On the next day, Friday, the prisoner went
to Alpin's shop fir his coat, and said he hid been
having a glorious spree at Bath. On the Saturday
morning the three boxes were fetched from the Mid-
land station, and on the evening of that day the
pt is )her arrived at Daventry, haviry, three boxes
with him, which were taken to Capt, Watkius's.
The prisoner told his fellow-servants that he had
buried his sister, that he had maintained. her a long
time, and he hai brought away all her cl ,thes,
which were in the boxes. On the It n. lay morning
he gave the wife of a shoemaker a silk dress and
other articles, the properay of the unfortunate wo-
man. He told the shoemaker's wife that they had
b.donged to his sister. In a cupboard in the pri:onees
room thekeys of the boxes were found, as well as two
pistols, one loaded and the other unloaded. The
buret found in the bent of the deceased Atr,ed
these pistols. •In one of the boxes were three new
s-ec, which the pocr woman had !might for her
marriage. The prisoner ha l dealt in lie,. Capt tie
NI/attune had not Ift Daveutry. The prieoner's
father had not met with an accident ; and his sister
no dead. He must have contemplated. this act
before he, left Daventty, for ho had brought the
(picisitomile.l,'lih. him and had it in his pocket whey he
placed of 4 peer victim and took her from her
servtce
otAteulwar
more deliberate dmeuliberate cruel heart-
deeided
enneiive.i. The cwie rder Co'ald I;a:rdly be
s%iigeetehulp. with ere. at care,. fur
tin re was not a link is,
t
u watitmg.
The evidence i g.veu
e tinning of the
e'
b ; the .tlise ( death ,ae eteutity of th • b
and the te•th ; • o y
by the clotees- • the fa t f net
courted her ; 108 b • • 1"
soaer haviriZ
with Vie pistol ; his gong to lay.
and
C wiling the boxes, and directeig them ;
soner and the deceaze I le lying Mr. Bythasea to-
gether,
I going from th .
Bristol ; the art ival in Bristol ; the dispute it
th hvgage ; the pr:soner being soar at Bristol. and
near Leigh-wood ; his r:-turn to Daveh,tl37 the.
finding the boxes containing the dec2ase:l',s clot.ics ;
the pistols and bullets, and a, knife with b!ood on
it; and the shawl the unfortunate WOULin were (n
the day she left Mr. By theeea'e.
Mr. Saunde:s a ldressed the jury for the
prix ant r.
He did not deny that the Lody was that of Ciitirlo: to
Pugsley, but he denied that the priserier iitaS the
Murderer. No mo•ive had bent shown, and, lie
contended that the evidessail of the prisoner
b ,inn with tile woman near Leigh-wood was of-too-
doubtful a chara,:ter to justify the jury in finding
the prisoner guilty. With regard to the pistol, the

prsoner had—foolishly, no doubt—been in the
habit of carrying a pistol about him. The case, he
submitted, was 011.3- of extreme mystery. There
was nothing to show but that this woman had gone
from Bristol with some other man, and the prisoner
might foolishly have taken away toe poor woman's
boxoe, but even that not with any feloninsintrmt.
He then submitted that, even A the jury .;%ould
be of opinion that the woman had met with her
death by the hands of the prisoner, it did not ne-
c?ssarily follow that it was a murder. The death
mivlit even have been accidental.
kr. Justice \Villas, in summing up, said the pri-
soner was charged with the wilful murder of Char-
lotte Pug,sley. No doubt there were cases in
which the charge of murder contained as alternative
of manslaughter—in which there might be evidence
to reduce it to something less than murder ; but,
with reference to the observations which the learned
counsel had addressed to them, it was his duty tc
say that if a person took away the life of another it
was prima facie murder, and there must be some-
thing to show it was not before a jury should jump
to a conclusion that it was not the greater c
There was not in this case a shadow of evidence
upon which, if they should be of opinion the prisoner
took away the life of the woman, they could in law or
common sense find him guilty of anything le-is than
the offence of murder. He thought it right to make
these observations, because the learned counsel had
used an argument which was not founded on
the facts or on the law. The woman was found
not only with a bullet in her brain, but with her
throat cut, and there were no appearances of her
having made any resistance to the violence offered
to her. If they were of opinion that she came to
her death by the hands of the prisoner they ought
to find him guilty of murder ; if they were not of
that opinion they ought to acquit him.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, and the
learned judge, in an impressive manner, sentenced
him to death.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—WARWICK, DEC. 21
(Before Mr. Baron Chappell.)
ALLEGED ROBBERY OF GOVERNMENT STORES.

We resume our report of this case :
The learned Judge, in summing up, directel the
jury that they had first to inquire whether the pri-
soner was proved, to their satisfaction, to have sold
and delivered the guns contained in the case No. 2 ;
secondly, whether those guns belonged to her Ma-
jesty ; and thirdly, whether he sold them knowing
they were the property of her Majesty. As to the
remarks which had b.en made upon the witness,
Clarke, he must tell them that although they might
not in all respects approve of his cos luct, still, if
they believed him to be the witness of truth, they
muat act upon his evidence.
The jury returned a verdict of guilty.
Sergeant Hayes said they did not propose to offer
any evidence on the second indictment.
Sentence deferred.

William and George Brueton were next tried,
charged with having, at Birmingham, on 31st Oct.,
wittingly and knowingly, in their custody and pos-
session, certain stores of war and goods, marked as
in the :statute in that behalf is expressed, 29 gun-
stocks and 29 gun-barrel; the property ofthe Qu, (iy.
The same counsel appeared as in the last case, Mr.
Elora only being retained for the Bruetous.
This c ise was, in many respect?, similar to the.
last, but some of the evidence showed additional
p irticulars a to how thegoods were obtained. Itap-
peared that the prisoner, William, was in the em-
ploy of Mr. Turner, contractor, for the setting up
of Gove nnent st :res. Guns were given to him
(Brueton) in their screwed-together state, in order
to be completely finished. During the year upwards
of 100 had been so issued to him, but net many
more than 50 returned. Some time ago Mr. Turner
ordered him not to take any guns from the manu-
factory, but work at them third. Williams was
much in the company of the BructoLs, and on his
being seen by Blaudford to bring guns from a shop
which they (the Bruetons) occupied, they were ap-
prehended. They took the officer to their shop, and
up ward.; of 30of the raiS 3iuggun we:e there. Evidence
was given, not only that the guns were Govern-
ment stores, but that some of them had been in
Mr. Turner's establishment, and had been given
out to Brueton, there being remarks made by his
different workmen upon them.
At the conclusion of the case for the prosecuticn,
Mr. Elora submitted that there was no case to go to
the jury against George B:uoton.
His Lordship, agreeing in that view, directed a
verdict of acquittal.
Mr. Elers then addressed the jury on behalf of
William Brueton, contending that there was not
sufficient evidence upon which to convict.
His Lordship having summed up, the jury re-
turned a verdict of guilty against William Brueton
and Williams:

NORTHERN C IRCUlT.—Dcrart am, Dan. 21.
(Before Mr. Justice Crompton.)
The court resumed this morning at nine o'clock.
Oswald Storey, 50, silversmith ; George Harris,
26, shopkeeper ; John Hepburn, 59, jeweller ;
James Cunningham, 24, publican, and James
Atkinson, 24, watchmaker, were indicted for having,
on the 15th November, at Sunderland, s'olen a
quantity of jewellery and other articles, the pro-
perty of Thomas Wilson Ranson. •
Mr. W. D. Seymour and Mr. Lewers prosecuted.
The Hon. A. 0. Liddell defended Atkinson ; Mr.
Price defended Harris ; Mr. Davison defended
Cunningham.
Mr. Seymour briefly opened the case fur the pro-
secution' and called,
Mary Ball, who said she was servant with Mr.
Ranson, the prosecutor, and left her master's house
on the afternoon of Sunday the 15th November,
bolting all the doors wit• sshe went. 0:1 return-
ing, about nine o'clock, she found the back street
door, the kitchea window, and the door leading
from the kitchen to the yard wide open.
Thomas Wilson Ransoa, solicitor, s-m of the
Mayor of Sunderland, said he left the house in
charge of the last wanes?, on the 15th November.
She came to him in the evening, and on going
home with her they found the house in the condi-
tion she had de;crit-ed. Went to his wife's bed-
roo:n' and found that his wife's the sing-c :se bad
been broken open, and the jewellery and mountings
of the case taken away. The mountings bore the
initials of his wife's name, "F. D." An evil tea-
pot, which bore the initial " R." on one side, and
"J. and A. W." on the other, was also taken.
His dressing-ease was broken open, and three sets
of shirt-studs and a breast-pin abstracted.
David Marks, a jeweller, in Newcastle-oh-Tyne,
deposed that on the 18th November Atkinson
came to his house and offered to purchase some
watches, which he proposed to pay for with a tea-
pot and some silver heads of a work box. The tea-
pot was broken up, of an oval shape, and bore the
letter "R" on one side. He did nit take the
silver.

John Elliott, sworn—Am Inspector of D.ftec-
tive Police at Newcastle. On Vie Ist December
was in Pilgrim-street with Detective Douglas, and
saw Atkinson come out of Mr. Sufton's pawn-Atop,
where ho works, and join Hepburn, wish wh.an he
went to the house of the latter, in St. Nicholas
Churchyard. Followed them, and saw Hepburn
put his hand has'ily into his pocket. Took hold of
it and found it contained a Scotch pebble brooch.
Charged the n with the robbery at Sunderland.
Atkinson said he got the brooch fr m H trris.
Harris, when apprehended, said he had found the
brooch on the Quay-side, with some more stme3.
At the s:atiou-house Harris told me to look in his
collar box, in his bedroom, and I should find some
shirt studs and stones in it. Found them as he
directed, together with a hair necklace. Storey,
on being apprehended and interrogated, denied
Navin; had anything trllo with any silver- and
gokl belonging to Barris. Cunningham, when
told that Harris Lad said that Cunningham had
given him some old gold and silver, said he wished
he was as sure of the kingdom of heaven as he was of
being free of that. Harris sent for me to the cell, and
said he wished to makea statement,and have it taken
down in writing. The other prisoners were called
in, and Atkinson stepped forward and said he wishel
to make a statement too.
The s'at-ments of Atkinson and Harris, which
were rather voluminous, wire read. Harris's state-
ment was to the effect that he had received a quan-
tity of old gold and slyer to sell for Cunningham,
and that the stones and studs found in his collar-
box were portions of it. Atkinson said he got the
goods which were traced to his possession from
Harris, not knowing they were stolen, and that he
offired them for sehs to. Mr. Marks, and tint even-
tually Hepburn sold them for him.
Detective Douglas corroborated ElliutZs ,testi-
monv.

John Reed; a newsagent, spoke to having vet)
II .1 ri I near -Idr. Itanzon's house on the :night of
the robbery.
Jame; °fawn, a cabna,n,' &loos that 113 stw
Cunningham and Harris is the vicinity of the, house
on the (iv before and the evening of, the reh')cty.
Mrs. llansun identified a brooch, hair-clv in,' a
pearl, and ttio amethyritg, and Mr. Ransin identi-
d the 4hirt ands found in Harris's cAlar-box.
Mr. • p -
true,
an,iitaeciic mien:led that Harris's stated. lit was
that A.tk-na;nA.
Tite,
Ron 0u.3. fide account of the transaction.
Liddell called witnen:os to prove
11 iglit Of the. rozat his home at Walls-end on the
the count i, ti, i,I, and in addressing hiinself t.)
••f_lcniously receivinc,telh nt charging his cli4nt with
flairi's watement -eorert onperty, contended that
that the Ovidence ' went tl t.tyliaoo,tui,evtati
di Atkiti3o4'e, and.
inaetiAlkiuron. did ~
not know. it 'was clisl:onestl
Mr. .Dayifon b, jay aiddreised. the' court on be-
half of Cunningham.
The jury retired for about half an hour, and re-