The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-16 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR 01' THE SUN.

SlR,—There is a mistake in your report of my
evidence on this trial, which perhaps you will be
kind enough to allow me to correct. I allude to
the following statement :—" He also gave evidence
with respect to some shakoes that had been obtained
from Messrs. Isaacs, for which Colonel Dickson had
received payment from the Wellington Fund, but
which the Messrs. Isaacs had not been paid." I
beg to say that this is a subject on which I am
entirely ignorant, and did not in any way refer to
during my evidence.—l have the honour to be, Sir,
your most obedient servant,
H. J. WALLACK,
Capt., 2d Tower Hamlets Militia,
Late Capt. 77th Regt.
Feb. 16, 1859.

LIBEL—LORD ERNE V. PORTER.—An action
for libel, in which the Earl of Erne was pNintiff and Mr.
John G. V. Porter defendant, was brought u; a close on
Tuesday, when the jury found for his lordship a v,Zrehot of
£3OO. The libel was contained in a pamphlet writte:l by
the defendant, in which he charged Lord Erne—as a direc-
tor of the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway—with corrupt
conduct and general neglect of the interests of the pro-
prietary. On the part of the defendant it was urged that
his commentaries upon the conduct of the plaintiff were not
dictated by malice, and he disclaimed the imputations of
corruption in his animadversions upon his lordship. The
trial lasted three days in the Common Pleas.
TREASURY APPOINTMENTS.—The following is a
copy " of any Treasury minutes in relation to the appoint-
ment of a successor to the late Assistant-Secretary of the
Treasury, and other arrangements with regard to the per-
manent offices of the department consequent thereon" :
" Treasury Minute, dated 21st January, 1859.—My Lords
are pleased to appoint George Alexander Hamilton, Esq., to
be Assistant-Secretary to this Board, in the room of Sir
r Charles Edward Trevelyan, resigned. Sir Stafford Henry
Northcote, Bart., is called in, and takes his seat as one of
the Joint-Secretaries of the Board. Let the usual commu-
nications be made to the Pog;;master-General, and to the
Governor and Company of the Bank of England."
THE BANK OF ENGLAND.-41,000,000 is returned
as the amount of stock, &c., bought by the Bank of Eng-
land, or on which any sums were advanced for the public
service by the Bank, in the year ended the sth of January,
1859, and it still remains undischarged. The following is
the amount of the dividends due and not demanded, which
consequently remained in the coffers of the Bank in each
quarter of last year—viz.:--On the sth of April, 1858,
1212,437 ; on the sth of July, £97,435 ; on the 10th of
October, £98,433 ; and on the sth of January, 1859,
£143,923.

PRICE OF GOLD. The quotation of gold at
Paris is about at par, and the short exchange on London
is 25.121 per £1 sterling. On comparing these rates
with the English Mint price of £3 17s. 101 d. per
ounce for standard gold, it appears that gold is about 2-10ths
per cent. dearer in Paris than in London. By advices from
Hamburg the price of gold is 4241 per mark, and the short
exchange on London is 13.41 per £1 sterling. Standitrd
gold at the English Mint price is, therefore, about 2-10ths
per cent. dearer in Hamburg than in London. The course
of exchange at New York on London for bills at 60 days'
sight is 1091 per cent., which, when compared with the
Mint par between the two countries, shows that the ex-
change is about at par ; and, after making allowance for
charges of transport and difference of interest, the present
rate-leaves scarcely any profit on the importation of gold
from the 'United States.

TILE BURNOPFIELD MCRDEps. NEWCASTLE,
Monday Night.—We have received the following from our
Newcastle correspondent :—" It is understood that a man,
at present under sentence of four years' penal servitude in
Portland Prison, has ,confessed to having shot poor Mr.
Stirling, the young surgeon, whose distressing death at
Burnopfield, near this town, caused such a sensation three
years ago. The Home Secretary has sent the statement of
the person who declares he committed the deed to the
mayor of this borough. This is the second time within a
very short period that a person has confessed he was Mr.
Stirling's murderer. It is hoped that every exertion will be
used to sift the present statement to its foundation, to less
in the interest of the public than of the two men, Rayne
and Cain, who so nearly died for the crime. It is the con-
viction of a large.number, who know these men well, that
they are innocent, and certainly, their conduct since the
trial strengthens that impression. Rayne follows his usual
trade of a smith at Winlaton, and conducts himself with
great propriety. Cain has abandoned the business of
smuggling, and has the charge of a gentleman's garden in
Blaydon. He has held this situation ever since his aequital
at the Durham Assizes in 1856, and by his industry,
sobriety, and uniform good conduct, has won the respect of
his neighbours and the full confidence of his employer.
Both these men, it is said, will willingly lend any assist-
ance in their power in furthering the investigations of the
magistrates and police,"

Yesterday afternoon Mr. William Baker, the
coroner for East Middlesex, opened an inquest in
the London Hospital, on the bodies of Charlotte
Low, aged 33, and Emily. Williams. aged 15, the
two persons who lost their lives in the fire which
occurred in the premises, 57, High-street, White-
chapel, some particulars of which appeared in this
journal on Monday last.
The coroner and jury having viewed the bodies,
the following evidence was adduced :
Charles Palmer said that he was an assistant to
Mr. Walton. The eldest deceased was his master's
housekeeper ; the youngest was a servant in the
employ of Mr. Walton, who had been a grocer in
the same house for 25 years. He went to bed at
twelve o'clock at night, having previously seen Mr.
Pickney turn the gas off. Mr. Abbott, who was
injured by the fire, bad the management of the
premises. Mr. Walton was away at the time.
His master was insured, he believed, for £1,200,
but he considered that sum mould not pay the loss.
There were six persons besides the deceased sleep-
ing in the house, who were rescued by the fire
escape. They made for the front window, and three
were taken down the escape from the first floor and
three from the third floor windows. The conductor
of the Royal Society's escape, after ascending his
machine twice, and saving six persons, went a third
time to the back of the house, and reached the trap
door, but then the room was in flames. The de-
ceased persons were the first to give the alarm by
knocking at the third floor, and they must have
returned back again to dress, as they were found
partially clothed. Mr. Abbott tried all he could
to get to the females, but the fire was raging so
fearfully that he was unable to do so, and he in
consequence called out to them to run to the trap
door. He could not form any opinion as to the
origin of the fire.
Mr. John Comley, surgeon, of High-street,
Whitechapel, said that he was present when the
bodies were found. Both persons died from the
effects of burns and suffocation.
Samuel Wood said that he was a conductor to
the Royal Society for the protection of Life from
Fire. On Saturday morning last a police officer
called out, saying, " Sam, bring your escape, for
here is a fire." He went immediately with his
machine, and rescued six persons. He next tried
to get to the room in which the deceased were, but
the fire was coming out like jets of gas. He tried
to open the door, when it fell upon him, and he
was obliged to crawl on his hands and knees and get
down the ladder of his escape, head foremost, the
upper part of the machine being on fire at the same
time.

The learned coroner summed up at great length,
pointing out -as he proceeded the different points
bearing upon the case.
The jury, after consulting, returned a verdict
that the deceased were eacidentally burnt to death
in the fire, but how the fire was occasioned there
was no evidence to prove ; and added, that the
greatest praise was due to Samuel Wood, the Royal
Society's conductor, for his extraordinary exertions
rendered upon the melancholy occasion.
A subscription has been already set on foot by the
inhabitants for the conductor.

SHOCKING DEATH OF AN AGED AND
DESTITUTE FEMALE.

Yesterday an inquiry, which lasted some consi-
derable time, took place in the Board-room of St.
Luke's Workhouse, King's-road, Chel.tea, before
Mr. Wakley, coroner for West Middlesex, touchinc,
the death of Elizabeth M‘ Carty, aged 67, a destitute
creature, who died from the alleged neglect of the
authorities of the above workhouse.

The evidence was of a very voluminous nature;
but the brief facts of the case are as follows

From the evidence of Police-constable MurPhy,
99 B, it appeared that about two o'clock on Friday
morning, the 28th ult., he found deceased lying
against some rails in Chelsea ° New Bridge-road, and,
in answer to questions put to her, she stated she
was houseless and destitute. He then took her to
the workhouse, where she was admitted, being in
a very exhausted condition. Deceased was not at
all intoxicated, but evidently suffering from illness.
Joseph Lamb, the night' porter, said he received
the deceased, and showed her to a room in which
was •a bed,' and then left her, and in the morning,
about nine o'clock, on going into the room I saw
she had not been in bed.
By the Coroner—When brought in she was not
intoxicated, but seemed exhausted. She was left
alone in the room.
By the Jury—The deceased had no refreshment
offered her, and there was no fire in the room where
shewas left.

The coroner and jury both expressed their great
surprise that no kind of help or nourishment was
offered to the deceased when admitted, as it had
been shown that she was in an exhausted condition.
Mrs. Humphries (the nurse) said she saw de-
ceased in the morning, and offered her the break-
fast allowed to the casual paupers, consisting of
half a pint of gruel and a slice of bread, but deceased-
was unable to take it, and at the same time com-
plained of faintness and sickness.
Timothy Wells, the gate porter, stated that the
deceased left the house about half-past 12 o'clock
on Friday, and she said Mr. Tubbs, the relieving
officer, had refused to give her an "order for relief,"
and on a second application to the master he refused
to admit her, in consequence of Mr. Tubbs having
refused to give her an order.
David Row, an inmate, said deceased waited in
the house from half-past nine until half-past 12
o'clock, having made an application for an order to
Mr. Tubbs.
Mr. Tubbs here explained that he was busy at
the time giving out the "relief bread," and there-
fore could not attend to the deceased, and on
inquiring for her after that duty was over found she
had left.
The jury considered that in the condition the de-
ceased was she ought to have been attended to im-
mediately.
Mr. Dickenson, surgeon to the workhouse, said
deceased was in a dying state when admitted, and
stimulants were given, but she expired. From a
post-mortem examination he had found that death
resulted from laceration of the brain, producing
extravasation, caused perhaps from a fall.
The coroner having summed up, remarking upon
the melancholy nature of the case, the jury after a
long deliberation, returned a verdict in accordance
with the medical testimony, but added that great
neglect had been shown by Mr. Tubbs, the relieving
officer, and they hoped in future more caution would
)3C used in the case of casual paupers.
The inquiry then terminated.