The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-21 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 21, 1861.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY.— Mr.
Mayall announces the publication of a new series of photo-
graphs of the Royal Family, taken during the past season
at Buckingham Palace and at his studio, 244, Regent-
street. The seriesincludes 8 different portraits of the Queen.
Having been taken just before the death of the Duchess of
Kent they are free from the sombre effect which deep
mourning produces in photographs, an effect which was
not avoided in Mr. Mayan's former series, her Majesty
being in mourning for the late Prince of Leiningen. The
Prince Consort is depicted in a series of a similar kind,
as well as in various group pictures with the Queen. The
portrait of the Crown Princess of Prussia, having been more
recently taken, represents her Royal Highness in mourning.
The Princess Alice, on the contrary, is in a dress of light
material, as also are the Princesses Helena and Louise.
Prince Arthur and Prince Leopold are in Scottish costume.
Besides the portraits here enumerated there are portraits of
the Princess Beatrice, the Crown Prince of Prussia, and
Prince Louis of Hesse.

SHIPBUILDING ON THE MERSEY. Yesterday
(Tuesday) Messrs. John Laird and Sons launched from
their shipbuilding yard at Birkenhead a magnificent new
steamer, built for Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.,
the well-known China merchants. The steamer (the Riva),
built with the utmost care, is intended to carry light but
valuable cargoes of tea, silk, &c. She is of 2,000 tons bur-
den and 400-horse power, and it is confidently anticipated
that her speed will average from 16 to 17 knots per hour,
The launch, which was in every way a success, was wit-
nessed by an immense concourse of spectators, including
2,200 workmen employed by Messrs. Laird and Son, whose
yards are crowded with line vessels and steamers, either in
process of building or repairing. Among them are the
unhappy Galway steamers Hibernia and Columbia, which
are being nearly rebuilt. Messrs. Laird have also just
finished, for the owners of the abovementioned Rive, a two -
funnelled steam-tug, intended fur service in the Yang-tze-
Kiang river. It is also rumoured that an iron-plated war
steamer will be shortly commenced by Mr. Laird.
THE HARVEST AND THE CROPS IN ESSEX.—
During the past week the weather has been all that could
possibly be desired for the ingathering of the grain crops.
Even the rain of Friday last was welcome to the farmer, in
improving the body and colouring of the barley, as well as
being highly beneficial to the growth of turnips and grass
land. A large acreage of wheat has gone into stack, and
some considerable breadth of barley and oats has been car-
ried. As the harvest proceeds, it confirms our previously-
expressed opinion as to the deficiency of straw ; it now re-
mains for the thrashing machine to determine whether our
opinion is correct as to a deficiency of produce. 'What has
been thrashed already is reported as anything but satisfac-
factory—from two to three-quarters per acre ; at the same

time this must not be considered as conclusive of the
general crop, as early thrashing has been mostly confined
to the needy farmer, whose cultivation, generally speaking,
is not a very productive one. Occasionally may be seen
some excellent crops, where farming is high, especially
of the red variety of wheat—golden drop, Byer, and nur-
sery—the hardy constitution of those wheats having been
able to resist the intense frost of last winter far better
than the more tender varieties of the white.—Essex
Herald.

A MAN'S LEGS TAKEN OFF BY A RAILWAY TRAIN.

—About half-past 9 o'clock on Saturday night, a plate-layer,
named John Beveridge, living in Gateshead, left his home,
being then considerably under the influence of liquor, and
proceeded to walk along the North-Eastern Railway towards
the Felling, with the intention, it is supposed, of going to
Sunderland. He was not again seen until half- past eleven
o'clock, when a gamekeeper at the Felling, named Graham,
found him sitting by the side of the line, near the Felling
Station, with both his legs taken off a few inches below the
knee ; one of the limbs being thrown on one side of the line,
and the other on the opposite side of the rails. The unfor-
tunate man was holding up the stump of his right leg when
found, and he was only able to gasp out his name and place
of abode, when he lapsed into a state of unconsciousness.
He was conveyed in a cart to the infirmary at Newcastle,
where he arrived at half-past one o'clock on Sunday morning.
His case was then pronounced to be hopeless. He lingered
through the day, and became sufficiently sensible to state to
his friends that he was knocked down and run over by an
engine ; but at nine o'clock at night he was in a dying state.
It would appear that the unfortunate man was run over by
the south mail, which is due at Newcastle at 10.15 p.m.,
and which does not stop at the Felling. Beveridge leaves
a wife and two children to deplore his loss.—Newcastle
Chronicle.

ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUlClDE.—Yesterday

the mayor (Mr. Wood), and magistrates of Worcester were
occupied some time in investigating a charge of attempted
murder, brought against a young man named Chas. Pugh,
who also had made an attempt upon his own life. The
escape of the two parties from death was somewhat extra-
ordinary. It appeared from the evidence of a number of
witnesses that Pugh had become desperately enamoured of
a woman of loose character, named Dinah Mason, and that
after cohabiting with her for a short time she left him and
went to live with another man. He made several atampts
to induce her to live with him again, but she flouted him,
and actually set her new paramour to beat him. This so in-
flamed Pugh that he took to drinking, and, according to one
witness, he had been in a state of intoxication for three
weeks. On going to see Mason, at 11 o'clock in the morn-
ing, he found her in her room and asked her how she was.
She ordered him to leave the room, and threatened to send

for a policeman if he did not. He asked her to speak one
word to him, but she only abused him. This was spoken to
by a neighbour who was present, but who then left the
room. Immediately afterwards screams were heard, and on
some women going upstairs they found the prisoner in the
act of cutting Mason's throat with a razor. The women
screamed, and the prisoner, leaving Mason, drew the razor
across his own throat, ran downstairs, and fell into the
street. Both were taken to the Infirmary, where their
wounds were dressed. Mason had two cuts across the face
and one round the neck, reaching from ear to ear. Happily
however the vital parts were missed, and she is now pretty
well recovered. The escape of Pugh from death was most
miraculous. His windpipe was completely severed, and all
hope of his recovery was given up. However, no effort was
left untried, the wounds were sewed up, and the prisoner
has now so far recovered as to be able to be removed to the
gaol, whence he was brought up in a fly for examination.
He appeared deeply distressed, and hid his face in his hand-
kerchief during the whole of the examination. He was
remanded in order to complete the depositions.

JOHN HEENAN'S (THE BENICIA BOY) BELT.—'
When the exc tement and "party feeling" caused by the
unsatisfactory termination of the great contest between
Heenan and Sayers on the 17th of April last year had sub-
sided, it was suggested that as the combatants had con-
sented to draw, each of the heroes should be presented
with a belt as a mark of appreciation of their courage.
This suggestion was at once acted upon. Messrs. Han-
cocks, the eminent jewellers of Bruton-street, received in-
structions to make two beltl, a complete foe simile of the
original one. So far as Heenan is concerned, the brave
Yankee never received his belt, as the amount required to
redeem it was never paid. Heenan left England in com-
pany with his trainer and second, John M'Donald, on
Wednesday, the 4th of July, following the contest with
Sayers, and as the belt has remained unredeemed, the gen-
tleman who held possession (Mr. Morris, we believe, of the
New York Hotel), resolved to have it sold by public auc •
tion. The sale took place yesterday at Debenham and
Storr's, Covent-garden. The first bid was.l7 guineas, but
this soon rose to 30—ex-Champion Ben Caunt standing
close beside the present holder of the belt-31, 32, 33
guineas, when Ben shouted 34, and now the bidding went
on rapidly up to 40 guineas, when two or three, this being
the limit of their commission, were knocked out of " time."
A quiet little gentleman, who might have been taken for a
lawyer or M.D., now gave fresh impetus to the bidding by
making an advance to 42 guineas. Caunt paused for a se-
cond, and then once more went at it, 43, 44, 45, 46, and
thus on until 50 guineas were offered. There was another

pause, when Ben exclaimed with warmth, " I'll have it, if it

cost me £100." He now bid 51 guiceas, when, as there was
this time no response to the persuasive eloquence of the

gentleman in the rostrum, the belt was knocked down to
Caunt at the price above-named.
POACHING AFFRAY IN YORKSHIRE.—A poaching
affray, in which more than one person was a good deal in-
jured, took place on Sunday, on the estate of Mr. Hold-
forth, of Caley Hall, near Otley, in the West Riding of
Yorkshire. About 1 o'clock in the morning Mr. Iloldforth's
gamekeeper, the keeper's son, along with a man in the ser-
vice of Mr. Barstow, a farmer in that neighbourhood, and
another man in the employment of Mr. Alderman Kelsall,
of Leeds, who has also a farm in the same locality, dis-
covered three poachers setting nets in a field. The watchers
went up to them,•and succeeded in apprehending one of the
men without much difficulty, but the others resisted, and
in a very short time six more men came up, and assisted the
poachers in attacking the keepers. A severe conflict en-
sued, sticks, stones, and dogs being employed in the
affray, and two cr three men on both sides being knocked
down more than once. The poachers had three dogs, the
keepei s only one. Ultimately the keepers were overpowered,
and all the poachers escaped ; but during the struggle, or
as the poachers were making off, one of the keepers fired a
revolver, which, no doubt, wounded one of the men, for
marks of blood were afterwards traced for some distance in
the direction of Leeds. The cap of one of the poachers was
found on the ground. Information of the affray was given
to Mr. Superintendent Pollard, of the West Riding con-
stabulary, who is making every exertion to discover and
apprehend the men.

A marshal of France being lately in a railway
carriage with two officers, who had no idea of who they
were travelling with, made themselves so completely at
home that they began smoking without either apology or
inquiry as to whether the fumes of tobacco would not in•
convenience their fellow travellers. The marshal, who, it
is unnecessary to say, was not in uniform, begged them to
leave off, as the smoke made him ill. They took no notice
of him, but continued to smoke, and, on being remonstrated
with, indulged in some uncomplimentary reflections about
pekins," who ought to keep at home, &e. The marshal
did not take any further notice of them, but on reaching his
and alighting, took out his card, and, hand-
ing" Gentlemen, you will please to
request your colonel to put you under arrest for a month, to
teach you better manners,"
journey's
it
to
the end
o'flicers, said,