The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-28 00:00:00

CRIMINAL COURT.—(This Day)

OLD COURT.
(Before Mr, Commissioner Kerr.)
In the case of John Allen and Richard Pitts, indicted for
burglariously entering the premises of Edmund Woodford,
in Southwark, and stealing a quantity of property,
Mr. Ilorry applied, on the part of the prisoners, for a
postponement of the trial on account of the absence of a
material witness for the defence.

Mr. Dick ie, on the part nitheprosecution, did not oppose
the application.

The learned Judge ordered the case to stand over till
next sessions, the prisoners being in custody.

NEW COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Keating.)
THE FRAUDULENT BANKRUPT.
In the case of John Dales, the fraudulent bankrupt, who
was indicted yesterday for obtaining a quantity of goods
under false pretences, as stated in our paper, but adjourned
last night, was again resumed this morning, when the case
on the part of the prosecution was closed.

Mr. Taylor, who appeared for tl4 prisoner, having ad-
dressed the jury,
The learned judge then summed up the evidence.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced
to twelvemonth's imprisonment.

The members of the Iron-Plate Committee are
about to superintend some trials at Shoeburyness of some
heavy guns against a target which is to represent the side
of the Warrior. This target has been constructed by the
Thames Iron Shipbuilding Company, but has not yet been
delivered up to the authorities.—Ar►ny and Navy Gazette.
THE MARCHIONESS OF LONDONDERRY AND HER
TENANTRY,—The annual dinner given to her tenantry by
the Dowager Marchioness of Londonderry took place yes-
terday, in the Town-hall, Cernlough, near Belfast. The
health of her ladyship, proposed by one of the tenantry, was
drank with great enthusiasm, and was responded to by the
marchioness in an eloquent and practical speech, in the
course of which she expressed that anxiety for their welfare,
the existence of which has been so substantially proved.
During the evening prizes were distributed to the most im-
proving tenants, and several toasts appropriate to the occa-
sion were drunk.

THE COLLISION OFF ERITH.—The inquiry before
Mr. C. J. Carttar, the coroner for West Rent, into the cir-
cumstances attending the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Dunn, of
Bloomsbury, by drowning, off Eeith, adjourned from Thurs-
day last, was concluded late on Thursday night. It appeared
from the evidence of the witnesses examined that the de-
ceased were passengers on board the Ipswich steam-vessel
Metis, going down the Thames, when she came into collision
with the brig Bertha, of Guernsey, sailing up the tiver,
and that they were thrown overboard from her deck and
drowned. Before the accident happened they were sitting on
the side of the vessel. Wm. Humkin, the captain of the
Bertha, was of opinion that the collision would have been
avoided if the steamer had starboarded her helm, which
would have been the proper way to navigate the vessel
under the regulations. The vessel, he asserted, was in the
strength of the tide, which was running very hard at the
time. John N. Carter, the pilot on board the Bertha, made
statements to the same effect. Mr. Henry Forss, on the
other hand, the captain of the Metis, asserted that the ac-
cident would have been much more serious if he had star-
boarded the helm. He maintained that he was not in the
run of the tide. His mate gave evidence to the same effect,
He added that a gentleman had been in conversation with
the captain of the steamer before, but not at the moment
when the collision took place. Views of the most conflict-
ing kind regarding the cause of the accident were taken by
various other witnesses examined. Towards the conclusion
of the inquiry, however, several pilots well acquainted with
the navigation of the river, asserted that the blame lay with
the steamer. The jury accordingly, after a long consulta-
tion and much division of opinion, returned a verdict, to
the effect " That the deceased were drowned in the Thames
by a collision between the steamer and the brig; that the
accident arose from the want of a proper lookout on the part
of the steamer ; and that neglect, although not amounting
to criminality, is attributable to Henry Forss, captain of
the Metis." The coroner was instructed to request the Board
of Trade to institute an inquiry into the whole Mel