The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-19 00:00:00

WIITCHCRAFT IN STOCKPORT.

A short time ago two glass bottles, filled with
a purple fluid, and also containing a hard sub-
stance, were discovered by some workmen who
were lowering the road at Holy-wood, Stockport.
That they had been deposited there for some
time was evident from the circumstance that long
grass was growing over the spot, although there was
only a depth of six inches of soil. On analysis the
liquid was discovered to consist of dragon's blood
and urine, the hard substance being a number of
brass pins. It appears that mixtures of this
scur
pi pe tsi of fto r aret h
o purpose
ofby
~
bewitching" fortune-tellers t
their
rt their
des
whereun-
faithful
theselov ers Some d
. istancefrom the place
bottles were found a canvass bag, filled
with brass pins, was also dug up. The pins are
presumed to penetrate the heart of the person be-
witched. These discoveries have caused consider-
able excitement in Edgley, and the Stockport Ad-
vertiser, from whose report we have gleaned these
particulars, gives various instances of the supersti-
tious belief in witchcraft which prevails in the neigh-
bourhcod. One man imagines himeelf to have been
bewitched by his mother, and fancies that the bottle
mig lit be the spell by which he was bound, and that
he would ba rcleased by its discovery. One being
asked how he knew that he was bewitched, he re-
plied that his mother had told him so, and he con-
stantly felt in a state of nervous prostration and de-
pression of spirits, together with a sensation of fail-
ing respiration and approaching death. He bad,
however, consulted a fortune-teller and obtained
from her a charm, whereby he could at any time
break the spell. On being pressed as to the nature
of this charm, and questioned why he had not
adopted it, he stated that he had commenced with
it, but had not persevered, and hence its failure.
It was as follows :—He must stand over the fire,.
sprinkling salt upcn it, and say, " Salt, salt, I put
thee into the fire. May the person who bewitched
me neither eat, drink, nor sleep until this spell is
broken." This must be done nine mornings in suc-
cession, and be repeated three times OA each occa-
sion, Another instance is that of a professional for-
tune-teller and planet-ruler. This woman declares
that could the parties be detected who deposited
the bottles in the earth, the evil influences devolv-
ing upon the bewitched parties would recoil upon
themselves. She, however, protested against the
immediate destruction of the. bottle by throwing
away the liquid into the cesspool, on the ground of
the injury that would be sustained by the land pia
which the manure might ultimately be spread ; nor
must it be shed in the garden, or vegetation would
be impaired; .and the only way was to break the
phial over a running stream, whereby the pernicious
fluid would mingle with the purer current, and be
imperceptibly, but irrevocably wasted ; the bottle
being also cast into the water. A third instance of
the existing belief in witchcraft is that of a woman
who asserts that her sister was once bewitched. The
spell, she asserts, could not be broken by ordinary
means, as the agency was buried in the bed ofth
river Mersey,
the auspices of a ".wise woman,"
however, the Wellington-bridge
arch. Under,
however, the young woman was called upon to
stand in a particular spot, at a given time, while an
incantation was pronounced. "Several spirits passed
before her, one of which remained in front of her
:or some time." To this the planet-ruler addressed
herself, and it soon disappeared, together with the
young woman's ailments and forebodings.—Man-
chester Guardian.

LIEUT. SALKELD, THE HERO OF 711111

CASHMERE GATE.

Lieut. Philip Salkeld, of the Bengal Engineers, whoa'
gallantry in attempting to fire the powder bags at the
Cashmere in
our Gate of Delhi has been so recently recorded n
our columns, though young in years, is an officer of con-
siderable experience as well as high promise. Our readers
will remember that in the recent telegraphic dispatches
he is mentioned as having been very da9gorouslf
wounded, and though he has received the distinction of
the Victoria cross for his daring conduct, there are fears
that he may not live to enj .y the distinction. He is a
son of the Rev. Richard Salkeld, formerly resident at
Servan, Ile-et-Vilaine, and was born Oct. 13, 1830, con-
sequently he is only just 27 years of age. He received
his nomination to the Indian service from the late Wtre
Astell, Eiq., M.P., father of the present director of tbb
East India Company, and received his early education
at the Military Ccllege of Addiscombe. There he was
selected by competition for an engineer appointment,
and obtained the highest prizes is mathematics and
modern languages. On quitting Addiscombe he went t)
the Royal Engineer establishment at Chatham, where he
spent nearly two ytare in the theoretic and practical
study .of fortification and other kindred subjects. He
quitted that institution in January, 1850, and arrived at
Calcutta in the following June, when, having acquired
a perfect knowledge of the Hindostanee language, he
joined the corps of Sappers and Miners. In June, 1853,
be was appointed to officiate as executive engineer officer
at Meerut,4from whence again in the following year we
find him transferred to the charge of a division of the
Urand Trunk-road, in which operation he was conti-
nuallv employed down to December, 1856, when be suo:
caeded to the office of executive engineer of the Delhi
division. In July last he joined the force before Delhi,
and for the perilous du'y which devolved upon him, viz.,
that of blowing open the emit-mere gate, Get • .al Wilson
has already i xpre,sed his warmest thanks, together with
his " adnoiratiori of all who were engaged in that diffi-
cult operation." Hie commissions bear date as follows--
Second lieutenant, June 9, 1848; first lieutenant, Aug. le
1854. We can only trust that Lieut. Salkeld's life me 7
yet be spared, and we are sure that his fellow-countoe
men here will be as proud of him when he returns to
England, as Inland justly was of her own Lieutenant
Massey, the " hero of the Redan."

DEATH OF COLONEL HIGGINS, $.H.—We regret to
announce the death of Colonel Warner Westenra Big'
gins, K H., which took place recently e,t Rodney-ter-
race, Cheltenham, in the 77th year of his age. Colonel
lligains served in Ireland during the rebellion in 1798-
In 1806 he was at the landing and taking of liteldonado,
in South Ametica - at the affair of San Carlos,
he was sadly wounded, and had his horse shot ; alo°
the siege and taking of Monte Video. ia whicht

yt „5,7.,

44,74 -T.l° "374
1 'l, ZH J.

AND
00MIYIERCJAL INTELLIGENT],

CITY, Two O'CLOCK.

The Liverpool Cotton Market yesterday
_closed
quietly, and prices declined fully id: per lb. on
all descriptions. The sales were estimated at
2000 bales, 400 of which were taken for specula-
tion and export.
The distress among the commercial community
tdailY becoming more painfully demonstrated.
'letnerous failures are taking place, which, besides
In. Pairing credit and awakening suspiciene respect-
'fig even solvent houses, necessarily bring down
many Other firms who may be connected with them.
"hen such houses as Dennistoun, Sandiman, Hoare
4111 Buxton, fail, who is safe ? This is the question
naturally-naked) and thusthe general inconvenience
increased, because the Bank, private bankers,
end bill discounters, are more shy than ever in
bgranting accommodation. The existing state of
things has not been equalled since 1847,
411(1 the results will probably be far more serious
than could have been contemplated even by
anyof the most extreme Bears in the neighbour-
hood of Capel Court. Throughout the United
b .flgdona the 4g pinch" is being severely felt ; every
ftranoli of business has been prejudiced more or less,
d the banking interest has received severe injury.
tili
aPPII3' the effects of the alarm among Bank de-
positors are abating. Confidence is nearly restored
'n, Scotland, and the sovereigns which were hurriedly
o utoined from London—and in some instances by
'sll,ooecial trains—as a protection, are returning, about
1 'OOO/. haying arrived at the Bank yesterday. In
i
too, where the farmers and others have taken
fright, there is now less alarm. The run upon the Cork
andr,„,,TiPPerary Banks has almost ceased. Some of the
;'''t sant there is alsolikely to flow back in the course
if: few days. While this abatement of panic-feeling
jbe a source of congratulation, however, the
fdelintile world is being disturbed by the frequent
tb 111. es that occur. Although, in many instances,
there i 5 a prospect of good dividends, the effect of
ene disasters is most injurious. Yesterday no
-88 than five firms of importance sought the indul-
gence of their creditors. These were briefly as fol-
lows :—Messrs. E. Sieveking and Co., in the
Swedish trade, with liabilities estimated at 400,000/.
in 600,0001. ; Messrs. Allen, Smith, and Co., con-
nected with Denmark, engagements large ; both
these firms were effected by Messrs. Hoare
•,4114 Buxton's failure ; Messrs. Gorrisea and
4-liiffel, through the absence of Australian remit-
nces and Messrs. Brockleshy and Wessels,
four
40,0001., in the corn trade. Three or
:nr others are supposed to be imminent, the con-
,b_ention between these firms and others being inti-
'te. Before the end of the year, the list will bo
probably swelled to much larger dimensions, and
tiler
is an impression that a recovery will not take
.L'icace until the Spring. In the meantime, the In-
au Mutiny will most likely be quelled, and the
ft:lation of affairs in America may improve, so
444, although monetary and commercial prospects
ma
lowering at present, a general amelioration
Il
3'l it is hoped, take place in the space of a few
kontbs.
besides the 100,0001. in sovereigns above referred
to' 92,000/. Australian, and 62,0001. Russian gold
were taken into the Bank yesterday.
Subjoined are the particulars of the specie on
hard the Nemesis which leaves Southampton to-
"l'errow for India and China.

Alexandria (gold)
Aden (gold)
Bombay (silver)
Ceylon (gold)
liadrag (told)
Calcutta (gold)
Calcutta (silver)
Penang (silver)
Ringapore (silver)
1"g Kong (silver)
anzhai (eliver)

£l,OOO
500
118,195
2,200
1,135
900
172,874
3,885
2,600
13,229
2,270

Total £518,788
The Australasian has arrived with 526,0001. in
gold which
Bank. ,it is hoped, will be sent into the
In Lombard-street and at the Bank the pres-
Illre COntinues.
several rumours are circulated relative to corn-
gereial embarrassments, but no pozdtive failures
tittl, Yet be announced.
i further quantity of sovereigns has been taken
„,4
I'o the Bank.
There has been rather more firmness in the mar-
"et for English Stocks, and a moderate amount of
,1814. 38 has been done at an improvement
"f about k per cent. The return of gold from
klcotla,n.i, and the Australian remittance, have
ca,ll,l°ect a better tone. The market, however, is
rather uncertain, and, owing to a few money sales,
have Prices are now flatter. Consols for money
have been 891 1 and 894 i ; for account they
'aye been 89& 90. The present prices are 891 i
Itla:(1 91 i respectively. The New Three per Cents.
b-,,;e4,°8i i ; the Reduced, 881 i ; and Long An- 1
e"es, 1 15-16. Exchequer Bills are 17s. to 12s.
died `s'
; ditto Bonds, 981 ; and India Bonds, I,
so.— discount. India Stock is 214 ; and Bank
-...0ek. 219.
. Po;eigni st.
in fe Securities generally remain steady, and 100
_tew a cases the quotations are firmer. Turkish 6 20
r oew_.
Brazilia; are 871 i ; ditto 4 per Cents. 97 ; 20
eho, per
5 C t 1829 and 1839,
en 9., 20
1i1i,144 6 per Cents. 101 ; Russian 5 per Cents. 1.20013
"F ; and Spanish 3 per Cents. 404. 100
he following are thq nominal prices of Foreign 100
stocks :—Grenada Deferred Bonds, 5 to 6 ; Mexi- 100
can, 18h ft ; Peruvian 44 per Cents., 74 75 ; dit'xi
per Cents. 50 52 ; Portuguese 3 per c,nts., B
Cents.,
42 43 ; Russian 5 per Cents., 104 106
ditto iq
Per Cents., 94 96 ; Spanish 3 per
404 41 ; 20
20
ditto New Deferred, 244 251,20
The last week's railway receipts, ascertained up 2€
.16° this day, are in round figures as under : 20
1857. 2(
1856.
(heat Western
isinnourtthh.Zee:tern
56,582 59.527
trir,L; tem
20
jitcrnuci
South-Eastern
. . 20
16,510 18,340 6
tareat Northern ......... 21,453 24,182
•Liaticasbire and -York h.: . 19,929 21,759 20
Bristol and Exeter ... s
lihester and _ Holyhead
ast Lancashire ..
5 297 6,228 20
4.11k1i
caster and Carliel® 6,429 6,017 20
beTenhefi . . has 20
Railway Share market this morning IC
at, a decline of fully i per cent. having 2(
to ,
~i,,ewit piao on most of the principal lines. Great 2(
- ,stern, South-Western, North-Eastern, Berwick, 2
;1.41cl South-Eastern declined 10s. •, Caledonian,
•14aticashire and Yorkshire, and Midland, 15s. ; and Brighton and North-Western, 11. The foreign !nits were inactive but firm. Paris and Lyons have
Provedlw. ss. In the Colonial undertakings prices
esteady. Great Western of Canada declined
!tbont 55., and Grand Trunk and East Indian rea-
ilat
..(1 about former rates.
Alining Shares are flat, and at quite nominal
rates.
Per Joint Stock Banks and Miscellaneous Shares
there was some enquiry. Bank of Australasia im-
proved ss. ; English, Scottish, and Australian
declined ss. ; Canada Land receded, 21. ; and
National Discount Company ss.

1311ATISH FUNDS.—CLOSING PRICES—THIS DAY.
(Prom the Officio/ List;)
Business done.
Hank Stock 212 14
3 Per Cent. Reduced Annuitit,a
Per Cent, Consols NnneitieF B9lillsii
New 3 per Cont. Annuities 864 1 $ i ii
-U)Anntiit' expire sth Jan. 1860 1 15-16
In Stock Annuities
214
Tama Ronda, £1000
0 Asols for A Gi'4U^t
Eiv"oo.oir ;inks", 2, e.
21000 ' .. 17 12 11 16 10 d
.V 7)„.,„,,
.; ........... .... .................... _7, ~
~
in' iu u
•—• • ..•
Fxchequer Bon Is, 1',..'59, 3i per Cont Ol
Ditto, 1i59 . Bon;
.
. ........ •••••• PRICE.% OF -„,
FOREIGN FUNDS—THIS DAY.
Itr,,niAn R 11. Cent.
Ditto, 1829 andpelrB9::l ...... . 0.11.. i ............ ::
Crithan Bonds 0 t
Danish Bonds, 3 pet Cent., 1825
Ditto 5 per Cent
Peruvian Bonds, 4j per Cent
Ditto Account ---,.„ ,
Russian Bonds, 1822, i.; St. ..... -I';w6- w ... - i,l
Birdinian Boucle, 5 per Clint. ... AL—. 10q
tsp`nith Bonds, 3 per Cent. .... , ......... 84 i
Ditto New Deferred, 3 per Oen.' ..
...........
''
. .........
~n Ditto Account ............ 25,4 x
4:itrkith Bonds, 6 pfir cent... .... ........ 87,
Ditto
Guaranteed, 4 per Cont. ............ 971 i
tiitto A.ccount . 7
Dote Dividends on the above payab!e in London.
h ~
'l4 Do 5%, an 40, 2:1-, per Cer..;., 12 Guilders
per Cent. Certificates
71IREB O'CLOCK.
Litt"' money 893 i
account (December 7)