The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-23 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY TRIAL IN PARIS.

The Military Tribunal assembled on Saturday to
hear pleadings in the affair of the alleged criminal
assault made by the two cfficers and a sergeant of
the 95th Regiment. The court was crowded to ex-
cess, and the interest manifested in the case was
even greater than that of the preceding day. The 3
prisoners, whose bearing was very calm, on being
placed at the bar, shook hands with several of their
comrades. The public prosecutor, after some pre-
liminary observations, proceeded to insist that there
was strong moral proof of the prisoners' guilt, in-
asmuch as the fullest confidence must be placed in
the death-bed disclosures of the deceased, who was
of the strictest virtue, and incapable of telling a
falsehood; and inasmuch also as those revelations
were made not only when she was delirious,
but when she was perfectly calm and in the
full possession of her reason. He insisted that her
not having said anything as to the putrage to
any one immediately after it was committed did
not lessen the value of her death-bed revelations,
for she had evidently made up her mind to say no-
thing about it, lest", on the one hand, she should,
run the risk of losing her husband's affection, or,
on the other, should drive him to endeavour to
avenge himself on the aggressors, and so per-
haps endanger his life. As to the letter she wrote
to Leandri the day after theoutrage, he maintained
that it did not prove anything against her revela-
tions, for, having resolved to observe secrecy as to
what had happened, she was naturally anxious to
preserve the custom of the regiment, which
amounted to 72,000 f. a-year, on which sum her
husband's profit was 10 per cent., and to keep that
custom it was necessary she should not offend the
paymaster. As to the testimony of Dr. Trousseau
.and the other physicians, which was to the effect
that the deceased had not been the victim of bru-
tality, but was labouring under hallucinations, the
public prosecutor said that amounted to little, as
they had only made a superficial examination of
her. He admitted the proofs against Benaguet were
weak, but explained the participation of the elder
Leandri in the crime by saying that, as a Corsican,
he did whatever his brother desired, without stop-
ping to ask whether it was right or wrong ; and he•
said that thatprisoner's declaration, that he remem-
bered little or nothing of what took place on the
25th 'Dec., reminded him of the Italian who con-
stantly answered " Non mi ricordo" to all questions
put to him on the trial of the Queen of Eugland. In
conclusion, th °public prosecutor said that the officers
of the 95th had, in the course of the proceedings,
frequently manifested dissatisfaction with him for
lie manner in which he maintained the prosecu-
tion ; but they should rather thank him, for if the
prisoners were guilty, it was right that they should
he expelled from their society: and, if innocent,
that their acquittal should not be owing to any lake-
warmness on his part. M. Chaix-d'Est Ange, advo-
cate of the two Leandris, said that it was monstrous
to suppose that two officers and a non-commissioned
officer, who had served creditably iu the glorious
campaign in the Crimea, could have been guilty of
an odious crime against the respectable mother of
a family. The whole charge rested on nothing more
than delirious ravings ; and he had not the shadow
of a doubt not only of the acquittal, but of the
complete innocence of the three accused. There
was not, in fact, in the whole affair, a single judi-
cial, positive, material proof—there was not even a
moral proof, a probability—nay, a possibility in it.
After stating that there was nothing whatsoever
proved against the sergeant, and that there was no
reason why he should have figured in the case at
all, except it was considered desirable to have three
accused, and after showing the improbability that
the elder Leandri, who was known by his cont-
raries to bs ro remarkably modest that ho would
never even change his shirt in the presence of one
of them, could have assisted his brother in
the perpetration of an atrocious crime, the
learned counsel entered into an examination
of the evidence, and maintained that the pay-
master the principal accused! had not only not com-
mitted a crime on Mme, Dullard, but had not even
been gallant towards her. As to the charge that he
had givtn on One occasion bonbons to the children
to get them out of the way, so that he might be
alone with her, he treated it 39 absurd : " what an
abteninithle 80ducOr a man must be," he cried sar-
castically, " who gives 50e. worth of bonbons to
children 1" " The fact le, gentlemen," he continued,
" that gine. Paillard died, not of an outrage, but
because she had a malady after a miscarriage. I
deplore her fate, but such. things happen every day.
Ott the 23d Dec., just after her miscarriage, she ac-
companied her husband to prison in a wretched
cart, which was id suspended, and not covered in,
and she eettglit eold. She nevertheless continued to
go out to attend to her business to the 27th, when
she became so ill thst she had to take to her bed,
and site never got up from it—that is the .whole
case." The learned gentleman then remarked that
on the day of the alleged outrage it was
proved that
site only remained three-quarters of an hour with
Loandri) and he asked if the abominable crime
which was charged against him could have been
perpetrated in so short a time ? It might be said
that the crime had not been consummated, but he
would not accept any such palliation : either his
clients were altogether innocent, or they were worse
than cannibals. And where was the odious crime
alleged to have been committed? In some desert—in
a savage cavern—in the midst of darkness ? No, but
ton officers, whose rooms were only separated by
thin partitions, which enabled almost that was
all
in Paris, in the Rue Chebrol, in a house occupied by

said or donein the different rooms to be overheard,
at half-past nine o'clock in- the morning►, on a day
when all the officers were in a bustle, became the
regiment was about to change its barracks. Why
the story was not consistent with common sense.
It would not be believed in a novel. And how was
it that the woman, if she had been outraged, had
not cried out. Had she been gagged ? How was
it that on that morning 10 persons at least had gone
to the paymaster's room, and had not seen either
the bed or the furniture in confusion ? If again the
principal accred had been guiity of the crime im-
puted to him he would after it have felt remorse,
and have displayed disqu'etude ; but he breakfasted
quietly with his comrades, fettled with his landlady
for what he owed for his lodgings, and even romped
with the servant girl. The learned counsel then
alluded to the following letter, written by the de-
ceased to M. Loandri on the very day after the
crime is said to have been committed. It istlated
the 17th, and says :—"Monsieur,—As you have
promised me to be kind enough to secure to me the
custom of the regiment, I will assist you in perform-
ing your promise. I will charge the meat al 70c.
the kilo. Have the kindness to inform those gen-
tlemen of it, and let me have an answer, either
favourable or unfavourable." How is it possible to
b -lieve, added M. Chaixed'gst-Ange, that a woman
who had been treated in the manner stated could
only on the 'forowing day have written such a
letter ? After discussing the symptoms of the de-
ceased's malady, and showing that they were such
as would have been produced by cold and fatigue
after a miscarriage, the learned counsel denounced
the mother and husband of the deceased for having
made public what she had said in her delirium, and
he accused them of doing so in order to obtain pe-
cuniary damages from the accused. He concluded
by contending that the accused could not be con-
demned. M. Chaix-d'Est-Ange, junior, pleaded for
Sergeant t enaguet, and M. Vellaud, advocate of
Paillard, spoke in support of the prosecution. The
accused were then severally asked if they had any-
thing to add to their defence, and they answered
in the negative. The Court thereupon retired, and
after three-quarters of an hour's deliberation re-
turned with a unanimous judgment to the effect
that the prisoners were not guilty, and that they
accordingly should be immediately set at liberty
and return to their regitnent. The judgment
was af, erwards read to the prisoners in presence
of the guard assembled under arms, and they were
at once discharged. A large crowd collected in
front of the military prison to see them leave.

OPENING OF THE BISHOP', GIRLS'
SCHOOL, INVERNESS.

This new school-room was recently opened by
Bishop Eden. There were present on the occasion,
of which but a very brief notice had been given, a
few strangers, and some of the contributors to the
good work, amongst whom were Lord Saltnin, Col.
Ing Mr. Mackintosh, of Daviot, Mr. E len and
the Misses Eden, the Rev. J. Comper and Mrs.
Comper, the Rev. P. R. Atkinson, curate of Stis
ted, in Essex, Mrs. Gillespie, of Ardachy, Mrs.
and Miss G. Anderson, Miss Mackenzie, of Ding-
wall, &c. After a few appropriate prayers, and a
short address, the Bishop declared the school-room
to be open for the purpose of education.
Regret has been expressed that so beautiful a
building should not have been placed in a situation
which would have made it a more conspicuous orna-
ment to the town; but the spot was fixed upon, we
have been informed, with.a more especial view to
those who were to be benefited by the school. The
site, a very valuable one, was given by Raigmore,
and we understand.that exclusive of the value of
this gift, viz., 2001., the cost of the present build-
ing, school-room, mistress' residence, outhouses, and
enclosures, was between 1,1001. And 1,2001., towards
which the Committee of Privy Council contributed
5301. The room is warmed by means of two spaci-
ous open fire-places ; and from its great loftiness,
and admirable system of ventilation, could never, we
conceive, become oppressively hot or close even in
summer. The walls are covered with maps, and
with some fine lithograph drawings of scriptural
subjects, and the class-room contains many co-
loured engravings of birds and other animals. The
proficiency of the girls in needlework, under the
able superintendence of Mrs. Wilson, the mistress,
is such, that, as we are informed, they are capable
of undertaking shirt-making, and almost any other
fine work which may be entrusted to them, for
which there. is a t iriff scale of prices, the proceeds
of which go towards the support of the school.
The design, when completed, will afford accom-
modation for 200 boys and 200 girls, arranged with
residences for the master and mistress in the centre.
The school-rooms for the sexes being distinct, will
extend north and south from each residence. The
girls' school with residence, which is the part com-
pleted and in use, consists of the front portion 33
feet long and 18 feet wide, with the wing 43 feet
long and 18 feet wide, and a class-ropm 18 feet by
14 feet. The residence contains a sitting-room,
kitchen, and scullery on the ground floor, with
three bedrooms above. To both residence and
school are attached outhouses for fupl, washing,
and other conveniences, to promote as much as
possible cleanliness, health, and decorum ; these ar-
rangements being perfected by a carefully con-
trived system of drainage. Water and gas are in-
troduced both in the school-room and residence.

The style of the building is an application of that
in use in the 13th century, the best period of me-
diaeval architecture, and in which the peculiar fea-
tures of the style, as it existed in Scotland, have
not been lost sight of, as may be seen as well in the
general character as in the mouldings to the doors
and other parts.
The walls are constructed of the native stone
called Leys stone, neatly "dressed," or hammered
on the face. The stonework to the windows, doors,
chimney-shafts, and angles of the building being of
Findon stone worked smooth, or, as it is called,
" polished." The roofs are covered with Ballachu-
lish slates, beneath which is boarding seen from the
interior, the school-room having open timber roofs
with arched braces, the whole of the timber and
boarding stained and varnished.
The principal front, as it exists, presents a gable
at each end, the one being the residence, the other
the school-room wing, the latter finished by a bell
gable, with a flat-headed trefoil arch, containing a
bell cast in London by M-asrs. Mears. Beneath
the belfry, in a sunk panel, well cJrved, are the
arms of the Bishop and of the See of Moray, en-
signed by a Mitre. Between the two gables appear
two windows lighting the school-room, which, as
well as others in the side of the wing, being at a
considerable height from the ground, are of the
kind called "dormers," and are paced in small
of the
gablets breaking picturesquely into the sides
roof.
In the interior this elevated position of the :"7lil-
dows has the advantage of giving the utmost space
against the walls for desks and other purposes.
The designs are by the eminent architect,, Mr.
W. Slater, of Carlton Chambers, London, and have
been carried out by the co-operation of Mr. Alex.
Rosa, our townsman. Mr. Brand, of Dingwall, un-
dertook the contract forthe whole works; the mason
work of which was done by our townsman Mr.
Cumming. The whole has certainly been completed
in the most masterly manner.—lnverness Courier.

SHIPPING STATISTICS:

~---

According to the statistics of vessels entered in.
ward the return for the port of London' shows a
decrease of 1 vessel, with an increase of 197 tons,
the arrivals in 1856 having been 166 vessels; with
an aggregate capacity of 100,513 tons ; and in 1857
165 vessels, with an aggregate capacity of 100,710
tons. In the case of Liverpool the decrease is
9 vessels and 8,057 tons, the difference between 70
vessels, with an aggregate capacity of 53,703 tons,
and 61 vessels with an aggregate capacity of 45,646
tons. Bristol exhibits an increase of 6 vessels and
1,299 tons, the arrivals in 1856 having been 7 ves-
sels, with an aggregate capacity of 3,723 tons, and
in 1857 13 vessels, with an aggregate capacity of
5,022 tons. In the else of the Clyde there has
been a decrease- of 2 vessels, but an increase of
1,548 tons, the arrivals in 1856 having been 10 yes-
s( ls, with an aggregate capacity of 2,692 tons, and in
1857 8 vessels, with an aggregate capacity of 4,240
tons. The net result of these figures is a decrease of
6 vessels and 5,013 tons, the difference between 253
vessels with an aggregate capacity of 160,631 tons,
and 247 vessels wit(' an aggregate capacity of 155,616
tons. The principal decrease has been in the arrival
of vessels from Calcutta.
The statistics of clearances outward show an in-
crease in the return for the port of London of 29
vessels and 14,754 tons, the departures in 1856
having been 163 vessels, with an aggregate capacity
of 100,689 tons, and in 1857 192 vessels, with an
aggregate capacity of 115,443 tons. In the case of
Liverpool the increase is 47 vessels, and 43,532 tons,
the difference between 89 vessels with an aggregate
capacity of 69,247 tons in 1856, and 136 vessels
with an aggregate capacity of 112,779 tons in 185:,
The return for Bristol exhibits an increase of 5
vessels and 2,441 tons, the difference between 1
vessel with an aggregate capacity of 1,182 tons in
1856, and 6 vessels with an aggregate capacity of
3,623 tons in 1357. In the case offbthe Clyde there
is a'slccrease of 4 vessels and 1,054 tons, the de-
partures in 1856 having been 22 vrsels, with an
of 13,510 tons, and in 1857 18
with an aggregate capacity of 12,456 tons.
avgegrs,,eeigsa, te capacity
The net result is an increase of 77 vessels, and
59,673 tons, the departures in 1856 having been
275 vessels, with an aggregate- capacity of 184,628
tons, and in 1857 • 352 vesseli, with an aggregate
capacity of 244,301 toes. The increase in the de-
partures has bceu in vessels destined for New South
Wales, Calcutta, Bombay, Mauritius, and the Cape
of Good Hope.

93 71. r. Ct.
40 41.
190 Ili.
100 61. 15s.
100 21. pr. ct.
10 61. pr.ct.
100 7s. 66
40 6s.
100 25/.
100 51.
83 11.55.
143 701
100 21. 10s.
100 161.
100

Name of Company.

Berlin ...• •• ....

East London

Do. 4 per Cent. Pref.
Do. 5 per Cent. Pref.
Grand Junction ......

Do, New •• •• ••
Kent.. ~............

Lambeth ..........
New River Company..
Southwark & Vauxhall
%Pest Miedlesex
Do. Do,

ATamo of Company.

aungerford..........
Southwark

Ditto New of 7% p.c.
Waterloo .......... ...

Ditto Old Ann. of 81.

Ditto Nw ditto of 71.
Vauxhall

Name of Company

Commercial ..........

Do. Preference
East and West inata
Grand Snrry D. & Canal

Do. Loan Notes ....

Do. 5 per cent. Pref.
London .• • . ••••• • •
St. Katharine • • •• •• ••
'outhampton •. •• •• ••
Victoria .• •• •• •• •• ••
Ditto New •• •• •• ••

GAS-LIGH

Name of Company.

British Provincial
Brighton •• •• •• •• •• ..
City of London .. •• ..
European ... . . •• •• .•
ilreat Central
Imperial

Ditto New

Ditto Debentures..
Do. Continental I st Cap.
Do. Do. 2d Cap.
Do. Do. 3d Cap.
Do. Do. 4th Cap.
Independent
London Parl. Preferen.
Phcenix
.
Surrey Consumers ....
United General
Westminster Chartered

Ditto, New ........
Western A. .

Ditto B .........

Name of Company.

A.lblen •••••• •• •• ••

tillianc,l Bri.;. and For.

Ditto Marino .......
A.thenamm •• •• • • •• •
Atlas ..
krgus Life ...........
ritish Commercial •..
Church of England ..
City of London .. •• ..
Gen. Life
County •.... •• ••• ••
Crown ...............
Eagle .•
Equity and Law......
European Life.........
Family Endowment ••
General•••••• •• •• •• ••
Globe • •• •• •• ••
Gresham Life . .......

Do. Do . • • • • •
Guardian ...• •
Imperial Fire • • • • • •
Imperial Life .........
Indemnity Marine....
Law Fire
Law Lite.• • • • .... •• • •
Legal and General Life
London
London & Prov Law..
Marine. ..........
Med. Invild & Gen. Life
Minerva • • ..
Monarch
New Equitable
Pelican •• •• •• •• •• ..••
Phoenix
Profestqonal Life .•
Provident Life........
Rock Life.... • • • •
Royal Exchange
Sun Fire ...... • • ......

Ditto Life .....
United Kingdom ....
Universal Life .•• .....
Victoria Life ........