The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-28 00:00:00

THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

On Thursday, from ten o'clock in'the forenoon to four
o'clock in the afternoon, which is the time of admis-
sion in the winter season, there was a continued
stream of visitors to the British Museum, the galleries
of which were thronged throughout the day. The
number of visitors, inserted in the book, amounted to
17,035, which is above the average. Another gallery,
near the sculpture room on the ground floor is almost
completed, and which is also intended for the exhibi-
tion of sculpture. A new gallery has been constructed
for the antiquities from Nineveh, the relics from
which, where in pieces, will be joined together. Seven-
teen policemen of the A division, under Sergeant
Neale, did duty in the various galleries. From four
o'clock to about a quarter of an hour after above 2,000
persons left the Museum.

DIMINUTION OF PAUPERISM IN LEEDS.—What-
ever free :trade may have done for other towns, it has cer-
tainly done much for the commerce of Leeds, which was never
in a more sound and flourishing state than at present. In
nothing is this more markedly shown than in the gradual
diminution of pauperism, as proved by the last two or three
half-yearly accounts of the poor-law guardians. The last
half-yearly statement, which has just been published, is
audited by the district auditors. It contains an account of
the whole expenditure up to Michaelmas-day. The in-door
maintenance amounts to about the same for the last as it did

in the preceding half-year; the inmates being mostly old or
infirm people, their number does not vary with the state of

,he times, and therefore the cost of maintenance remains

pretty stationary. The relief given to the out-do.,r poor
affords the best test of their state, as the amount of relief
given varies according to the want of employment in the
various branches of trade. The accounts just published con-
tain the expenditure for the half-year ending 29th September

last, as approvee by the district auditor; and from these ac-
counts it appears that the amount expended in out-door relief
was 7,2081. 6s. 5d., whilst for the corresponding year of
1849 the amount was 11,320/. 7.. 9d.; and for the half year

ending 25th March last it was 10,7571. 12s. The reduction,
therefore, amounts to 3,5491. ss. 7d., as compared with the
previous half-year, and to 4,11 1. ls. 4d., as compared with
the corresponding half-year of 1849.

A judicious silence is always better than truth
spoken without charity.—Eliza Cook's Journal.

A BARBER OUTGENERALLED.—In a private latter
from Lyons an anecdote of an amusing kind is related of
General Castellan. which any one acquainted with the bold
and somewhat eccentric character of that distinguished
officer will not find much difficulty in believing. A few days
since a barber and hairdresser of that city, well known for
his Socialist opinions, was in the act of operating on a" friend
and brother." While holding between his thumb and fore-
finger the nasal organ of his Socialist customer, and passing
his razor over his chin, he cried out, "What would I not give
to have at this moment the head of General Castellan as I
have yours ! I should soon settle his business !" The next
morning, at an early hour, to the great amazement of the
perruquier, who should be seen but General Castellan himself
approaching his door, followed as usual by a mounted or-
derly I The General never appears but in full dress, and de-
corated with all his orders; and this is so invariably the case,
that the same story was told of him when he commanded in
Perpignan, that was related of the Laird of Dumbiedikes and
his laced cocked hat—namely, that he goes to bed with them.
Be that as it may, the General dismounted from his horse,
entered the shop, and sat down in the chair set apart for
customers. " I understand, my good friend," said he to the
gaping barber, " that you have expressed a wish to have•my
head between your hands. Be so good as to shave me."
The affright of the artiste and the sang froid of the General
may be more easily conceived than described. He said not
a word, but set himself mechanically to prepare his imple-
ments. The general remained fixed like a statue, though
the trembling of the barber's hand might have unwittingly
executed the patriotic threat he had uttered the day before.
The general, however, escaped without accident. He washed 11
and dried his face : put a five franc piece into the hand of
the dismayed and speechless scraper of chins, and looking
him straight in the face, said " Mon cher and, I was anxious I
to prove to you that I am not the man to be frightened by
threats of any kind. Be so good as to be convinced of the
fact, and to mention the same, with my compliments, to
your friends. Bonjour !" The general then bowed very po-
litely, quitted the shop, and remounted his horse.
OUTRAGE AT BARNARDCASTLE.—A. disgraceful
outrage took place at the Bridge-end, Barnardcastle, on
Christmas Eve. On the Yorkshire side of the river, at the
west end of the bridge over the Tees, there is a public-house,
the Swan Inn, where Mr. Thomas Donald, cattle doctor, met
with a party of drunken youths, from thirteen to sixteen
years of age. The landlord and his wife, being unable to
restrain the yoaths, who were outrageous, Donald gave them
some money to induce them to be quiet. During the row,
several of them seized Donald, and took him along the pas-
sage to the back door, which opens on a balcony, below
which is a buttress supporting an outhouse; and at the dis-
tance of twenty-four feet or upwards from the top of the
railing lies a gravel-bed, which at the time was partly co-
vered by the river. When the youths got him there, Donald
says that one of them attempted to pick his pocket, which he
resisted; they threw him over, however, and he fell from
the buttress to the gravel-bed, his thigh being broken by the
fall, and other parts of his body muck bruised. He is sup-
posed to have lain there from a little after ten o'clock until
between twelve and one, in the cold and rain, when his
cries were heard by a drover, who found him with his legs
in the river, and quite conscious, but suffering extremely.
Steps are being taken to have the matter investigated.—
Sunderland !Jerald.

1 'MELANCHOLY DEATH.
On Thursday Mr. Bedford, the coroner, received in-
formation of tho death by fire of two maiden ladies__
Miss Brooks, aged 85, and Miss Anna Storey, her niece,
who is about 30 years of age, which took place under the
following melancholy circumstances:—They were resid-
ing a., No. 3, Allington-street, Pimlico, where they had
been living in independent circumstances for twenty years
past. Last Monday morning, about ten o'clock, the
neighbours on the opposite side of the street were
alarmed by seeing flames in the front parlour. Mr.
Nottidge, who occupied an adjoining house, jumped over
his garden wall and entered the room, which was full of
smoke, and the carpet in flames. Another neighbour
followed, when, upon the fire being extinguished, the
younger lady was found crouched in a corner of the
room, having bad all her clothes burnt off her body,
though she had contrived to get a piece of calico
which partly covered her. She was enabled to in-
timate that her aunt was in the adj _Ailing room.
Upon going there, she teas found upon the floor
in great agony, and her clothes were also parti-
ally burnt. Mr. \Voolmer, surgeon, Victoria-square,
was sent for, who promptly attended, and he, upon
examining the unfortunate ladies, discovered that Miss
Brooks had suffered a dislocation of her left hip and of
her right wrist. She was put to bed, but, in cons«pence
of her great age, the medical gentleman thought from
the shock to the system, and her severe injuries from
the burns, she would not live many hours. Miss Storey
was speedily attended to, after which she was conveyed
in a cab to St. George's Hospital, where she died about
six o'clock the following morning; her aunt died about
six hours previously. Thu niece stated that she was
sitting before the fire isi the parlour, when she put some
paper on the coals, arid it was almost immediately
lighted and blown by the wind that came down the
chimney into her lap. Her clothes were quickly on fire,
which she tried to extinguish, but was unable to do so,
and she was soon enveloped in flames. In that state she
rushed into the room where her aunt was in bed, who
got out to assist her, but in her haste fell down. At
that moment her aunt's clothes caught fire. Upon fall-
ing, she exclaimed that she: had hurt her hip, The
deceased ladies were much respected in the neighbour-
hood, and were very charitable to the poor. They had
purchased their stock of fruit for Christmas-day, which
was found in the parlour cupboard.

MR. SLOANFS RECEPTION by the MOB.

After the conclusion of the examination yesterday,
Mr. Sloane endeavoured to leave the court unperceived,
but failed in his object, and was saluted with a yell of
execration from a densely crowded but highly respectable
audience.

Mr. Alderman HUMPHERY said that the same bail
would be sufficient if they were all ready.
Mr. Philips (defendant's solicitor) said that one of the
sureties was at Bristol, and unable to come forward, but
that he would be in town in a few days.

Mr. Alderman HUMPHERY—Under these circum-
stances, it will be my duty to commit Mr. Sloane to
Newgate, to await his trial, or until the required bail is
forthcoming.
In the course of yesterday afternoon, the depositions
having been signed by those witnesses who were present
at the examination, the Alderman was about formally to
commit Mr. Sloane to Newgate, when, in accordance
with that gentleman's request, the worthy Alderman said
he would remand him to the Compter, in order that he
might be brought up next week, and the case perfected
in every respect, as well as to afford the defendant an
opportunity of giving bail for his appearance at the trial.
Great difficulty was experienced as to how Mr. Sloane
should be removed in safety, as the mob seemed rather
to be increasing, with the desire to see a man who had
rendered himself so singularly notorious. Various ex-
pedients were suggested, and a person was dispatched to
obtain a cab in some part remote) from Guildhall, and to
drive round by Moorgate-street and Fore-street into
Basinghall-street, and then wait at the church, and in
the mean time it was arranged that several policemen
were to guard the magistrates' entrance and to keep
back the crowd from the hall, while Mr. Sloane made
a rush into the hall and effected his escape by the back
way to where the cab was waiting for him. The cab was
kept waiting at the church for a short time, and then
Alderman Humphery thought it advisable to have the
cab brought close up to the door, which was accordingly
done. An officer was sent down to the Compter with
instructions to the governor to have the door open, and
every thing prepared to afford defendant a ready recep-
tion on arriving there. The cab door was opened, and
Mr. Sloane (who had only about three yards to go), ac-
companied by Springate, the gaoler, suddenly rushed
out, and was endeavouring to tome his way into the
cab, when the mob closed upon him, and had it not
been for the able exertions of Mr. Superintendent Hodg-
son, Mr. Roe, and about a dozen constables, Mr. Sloane
would have been torn to pieces by the exasperated
mob. One old woman we noticed in particular was
making most furious lunges at him with an immense
umbrella. With great difficulty Mr. Sloane managed to
get into the cab, but the crowd all pressed forward, and
with such violence, that both the windows of the vehicle
were smashed to atoms, and mud, spittle, and all kinds
of filth were showered upon him through both windows,
so that in less than two minutes he was so bespattered
that it was next to impossible to discover which was the
gaoler and which Mr. Sloane. About 20 constables sur-
rounded the cab, and the driver lashed his horse to try
and escape the rabble, but they impeded his way so much
that he was unable to proceed at any but a rapid walking
pace. Two policemen endeavoured to block up the
windows by standing on the steps of the cab, but in spite
of their exertions the gaoler received a smart blow on
the face which was intended for Mr. Sloane. Through
some mistake thevehiclo was directed to the Old Bailey,
where a crowd of some thousands awaited its coming,
and, by the time the cab arrived opposite the Compter
in Giltspur-street, the road and every place where
standing-room was to be obtained was crowded with oce
vast mass of human heads. The policemen were so be-
spattered with filth that they looked like so many mud-
lark°. They were oblig.d t., uuo their stover very
freely on stopping at the door of the prison; and Mr.
Sloane, as soon as the cab door was opened, made one
bound on to the pavement, three more took him to the
middle of the lobby, and the gate closed behind him,
much to the disappointment of the people outside, who
seemed to relish the proceedings. Shouts, yells, groans,
and every imaginable expression of disgust and horror
were reiterated by the crowd on the way from the court
to the Compter; and even when Sloane was safely in-
side, they lingered outside, hissing and hooting, and
calling upon the turnkeys to turn Sloane out among
them, and they would give him what he deserved. Six
policemen remained in front of the door for some time, as
it was feared that it would not be safe to leave the front
door guarded only by the gaoler. Up to a late hour last
night the people were still assembled outside the Comp-
ter, in knots of threes and fours, eloquently discussing
the subject among themselves.
As Mr. Superintendent Hodgson was leaving the pri-
son he was shouted at by the crowd, and some of the
following expressions addressed to him:—" Ohayou are
the sweep that took Sloane from us;" "You took away
the man who starved the girl;" " Give him back to us,
and we'll teach the wretch what it is to be tormented;"
" Where's that infernal monster?" and a host of others,
more vulgar in their language, but not loss intense in
meaning.