The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-05 00:00:00

no one anticipated or dreamed of ten years since.
The life business has recently made a rapid spring
far in advance even of its former success. The late
enormous loss to the offices forms an additional page
in the lesson which teaches us that the element of
danger from fire has been greatly enhanced in the
last few years. I only pause to name two causes—
the general use of lucifer matches and the increased
instances of spontaneous combustitn. This event,
I say, will inculcate caution and prudence in every
representative of an insurance company at all capable
of acquiring wisdom by experience. Much has been
said of new insurance companies. One or two may
certainly arise from time to time, destined, however,
I fear, if we may judge from the crude and delusive
statements which were received as truths at some
recent meetings in London, to add to the beacons of
warning with which the last few years have been
prolific. But indeed any company, old or new,
seeking to obtain unfair advantages over their con-
stituents by excessive rates, on the one hand, or
temporary popularity by insufficient rates, on the
other, will meet a like fate—utter disappointment
and failure. The directors of the Royal will, lam
satisfied, continue to act on right principles and
with sound judgment ; and I hope that measures in
contemplation, yet in embryo, will make this com-
pany known and esteemed wherever the knowledge
of British commercial enterprise shall extend.
(Hear, and applause.)
Mr. TITHERINGTON was satisfied that no single
mind could grasp the whole of the company's vast
operations without suffering from the strain caused
by such heavy resonsibility, and he hoped, there-
fore, that Mr. Dove would confine himself as much
as possible to the higher portions of the business,
and surround himself • with master minds in the
various departments. Otherwise he felt sure Mr.
Dove's mind must yield to the enormous pressure.
Mr. Titherington hoped that the meeting would
give an expression of their opinion that the Board
would never stint Mr. Dove that assistance in the
heads of departments which the increased and in-
creasing business of the company might require.
The business was really enormous, and by and by
would astonish the proprietors.

Mr. HALL had great pleasure in proposing the
following resolution :—" That the thanks of this
meeting be presented to the Chairman, Deputy-
Chairman, and Directors of the Company ; to the
Directors and Secretary of the London Branch,
and also to the members of the Managing Com-
mittee, and the Company's Agent at New York,
for their valuable services during the past year."
Mr. DOWDALL seconded the resolution, which
was adopted unanimously.
The CHAIRMAN, on behalf of himself and his
colleagues, returned their sincere thanks, and as-
sured the proprietors that they were at all times
most desirous of doing their duty to the company,
their energies and minds being constantly devoted
to this object. He trusted that their endeavours,
with the able assistance of the manager and the
other officers, would be as successful in the present
as they had been in previous years. (Applause.)
The proceedings then closed.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.-7-Boamix, AUG 3.

Charity Hoskin was indicted for the wilful
murder of Annie Hoskin, at Truro, on the sth of
June.

Mr. Stock prosecuted ; and Mr. Holdsworth, at
the request of the judge, watched the case for the
prisoner.
From the statement of the counsel it appeared
that the prisoner was a person in very humble life
and had passed most of her days in extreme poverty.
A few years ago she married a person named Hos-
kin, by whom she had three children, two of whom
were dead, and the other lived chiefly with the pri-
soner's mother. Some four or five years since her
husband deserted her, and since that time she had
been in the very depths of poverty, generally living
in different workhouses. In the month of April
she went into the workhouse at Truro, being at the
time large in the familyway. On the 10th of May
she was delivered of a female child. She remained
in the workhouse until Tuesday, the 4th of June,
when, by her own desire, she quitted it, taking her
child with her. About a quarter before twelve
o'clock on that night she was seen by a woman
named Williams in a street in Truro. She then had
a child with her. About 4 o'clock in the morning
a policeman saw her, but then she had no child
with her. About 5 o'clock that morning a barge-
man, going down the river with his barge, dis-
covered the body of a child in the river. He took
it up, and found a piece of tape tied to the arm of
the child and a piece of culm tied to the other end
of the tape, as if to sink the body. The bargeman
then carried the body to the police-station, and it
was identified as the body of the prisoner's child.
A surgeon was called in, who examined the body,
and he stated that the death of the child was
caused by drowning.
When the policeman saw the prisoner at
o'clock in the morning, he asked her what she was
doing at that early hour. She said she was wait-
ing to see Bennett the butcher, to send a message
to her m other. The policeman then walked
on. About 7 that morning the prisoner was appre-
hended in the Truro market-house. She was asked
where her child was. She said she did not know,
but afterwards said " I gave it to George Willes
yesterday afternoon to put it out to nurse." Willes
was then apprehended, and asked what he hed done
with the child. He said he knew nothing about it.
He afterwards said to the prisoner " I never saw
you yesterday afternoon. I never saw you till 10
o'clock last night at the Barley Sheaf." She made
no answer. They were then put in separate cells.
About 8 that morning two policemen went to her
cell to search her pockets. She handed over a purse
containing some pence. She was much excited.
She said "My God,l will knock my brains out
before to-morrow against the wall; hand my clothes
over to my mother. I shan't be alive in the morn.
ing. I wish I had left the child in the road and
thrown myself in the water instead." A policeman
remained in the cell with her and she repeatedly
threatened to destroy herself. She asked if there
were any marks or bruises on the child's face. The
policeman told her he did not know, but it was
bleeding at the mouth. She said " Oh, I never
slap't it, or bruised it, or broke anything." She
then asked it there was anything broken. The
policeman replied that he did not think the, e was.
She said George Willes ought to have given her
some money. She had done it all for want. She
said " I am so miserable, if I had a knife I would cut
my throat. You shall not have to go to Bodmin
against me. I don't care where Igo to, I will soon
follow it." In the course of the day she asked if
they ever hanged women. The policeman said
" Yes, but in such a case as this they might not, as
it was a young child.
It appeared that the prisoner had been living
with George Willes for some months.

When the prisoner was before the magistrates she
said " I have done it through poverty."
Mr. Houldsworth addressed the jury on behalf
of the prisoner. Their sympathy would be for this
poor woman. There was every probability that
some other person had committed this act, be-
cause the prisoner had a home in the workhorse.
There could be no doubt Willes was the father
of the child, therefore she was anxious to put the
child to Willes' in order that she might provide a
livelihood for herself. He urged that the prisoner
should have been cautioned before the policeman
questioned her. She had stated that she had given
the child to Willes, and when he denied it and she
found his story believed instead of hers she had be-
come in such an excited state of mind that she did
not know what she said when she made statements
which they had heard detailed by the policeman.
The act was more that of man tl an a woman ; it
was more the interest of Willes to get rid of the
child, because he would have to provide for it. What
object had she of getting rid of the child ? He sub-
mitted that there was not that conclusive evidence
which would 'justify the jury in convicting the pri-
soner.

Mr. Baron Channel], in summing up, told the jury
that they were to discharge their duty according to
their oath upon a calm review of the evidence.
The jury retired for a long time, and then brought
in a verdict of Guilty, but strongly recommended
the prisoner to mercy, on the ground of her extreme
poverty.
Mr. Baron Channell then, in the most feeling
manner, passed sentence of death upon the prisoner,
but said he would take care that the recommenda-
tion of the jury should be forwarded to the proper
quarter.
Richard Perry Wm. Arthur and Richard Cory
wereindicted for killing and slaying Samuel Mit-
chell at Medrose.

The jury at first returned a verdict of Not Guilty,
but the judge asked the jury if they thought the
death had arisen from natural causes, and not from
the fight.

Thy jury said,
" Oh no, it was from the fight."
The Judge then explained the law of the case to
the jury, and after some time they returned a verdict
of Guilty. The prisoners were sentenced to one
week'simprisonment.

CIVIL SIDE.
(Before Mr. Justice Lyles and a Common Jury.)

TRETIIEWAY V. GREGG.
Mr. M. Smith, Q.C.. and Mr. Kingdon were
counsel for the plaitiff ; Mr. H. T. Cole appeared for
the defendant.
The plaintiff in this case was a miner, and the
defendant was a gentleman carrying on business in
Lombard"stret:t, and the action was brought for
work done to a mine called the East Fowey Mine,
in Cornwall, of
which the defendant was one of the
adventurers.

Evidence having been given to prove that the