The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-19 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

A FRAUDULENT BANKRUPT.—Mr. Gecrge Footitt, a
tillage merchant, of Work-op and Lanilly, has been com-
mitted for trial by the Sheffield magistrates for concealing
and destroying his books.

A MISTAKE.—A few nights ago a gentleman hailed a
Whitec'aapel omnibus, and was about to ' take his seat
outside when the conductor refused to carry him,
on the ground that he was intoxicated. The would-be
passenger, having taken the man's number, appealed to a
policeman to say whether the charge was well-founded,
and received an answer in the negative. He then sum-
moned the conductor for having refused to take him
without just cause, but, not &slang to press the charge,
the magistrate at Worship street ordered him simply to
pay the costs of the hearing.
THE VACCINATION Au r.—'lhe provisions of the Vaccina-
tion Act are broken more frequently than convictions are
recorded for the offence. At the Lambeth Police-court a
man who declared that rather than have his child vacci-
nated he would be fined, was fined accordingly. He de-
fended his conduct on the ground that vaccination, so far
from being a preventive of disease, is often the cause of it.
The guardians of St. Pancras are so determined to carry
out the Act, that they intend to appointA salaried official
to enforce its proviso: s.

SERIOUS CHAI GE AGAINST A PORSTMOUTII TRADESMAN.
—At the I' or An ,t.t.l -Btrou.4l Police court, 1 efoie
sitting magistrates, George Peters, a wholesale tobacco-
nist, carrying on business in Queen-street, Portsca, was
summoned, under the Bth Vic., cap. 20, sec. 105, for having
unlawfully sent by the South Western Railway two gross
of vesuvians without having previously given notice to the
railway authorities. Mr. Thomas Bent, superintendent of
police on the South Western Railway, appeared in support
of the information, and Mr. R. W. Ford, solicitor, of
Portsmouth, appeared for the defence. Several wit-
nesses were called, whose evidence tended to shew that on
the Ist of the present month a package containing some
cigars and some vesuvians was sent to Weymouth by the
defendant. When at the Dorchester station one of the
porters noticed some smoke coming out of the package,
and upon examining it he found it to be on fire. The
contents of the package were not stated on the outside.
The magistrates, after having heard the case, convicted
the defendant in the penalty of £2O, but refused to grant
costs.

The Liberal party of North Devon have met
at Barnstaple, and decided not to contcst the seat occu-
pied by Sir Stafford Northcote.

A BALLOON ACCIDENT. —An aerial ascent was
made by MM. de Fonvielle and Tissandier, two days back,
from the Conservatoire des Arts et Metier, in the Nep-
tune, directed by M. Duruof. The balloon, wh:cii started
from Paris at a quarter-past twelve, made a most perilous
descent at five o'clock near Aulnay, Orne, about 120 miles
distant. The silk burst when at a great height, and all
came down rapidly. Fortunately the torn stuff acted in
some measure as a parachute, and broke the violence of
the shock. The car fell heavily, and was overturned above
the voyagers, l IV; they were happily able to extricate
themselves without any injury.

A MILLIARD OF MINUTES.—When, after the
restoration, it was proposed to raise a milliard of francs
to the French emigre's, General Foy exclaimed, "Do
you know that a milliard of minutes have not elapsed
since the death of Christ ?" Although this was said nearly
half a century ago, the milliard of minutes (1,000,000,000)
have not yet flown by. On next Christmas Day there
will have passed but 982,368,000 minutes. There being
but 525,000 minutes in a year, thirtyfour years must
elapse before the milliard is reach, which will bring us to
the year 1902. Taking the average duration of life, nine-
tenths of the persons now living on the earth will not be
alive in 1902.

The directors of the National Bank have received
an influential deputation of Irish shareholders, and at
their suggestion Caine to the determination that the
managing director of this large and rapidly-extending
institution must nut be identified with politics or hold
a seat in Parliament. Sir Joseph M'Kenna, M.P.,
acquiesced in the resolution, which will take effect imme
diately on the dissolution of the present Parliament. Sir
Joseph, confident of success at Youghal, intends to con-
test the representation .of that borough, resigning the
managing directorship, to which a salary of £4,200 a year
is attached, but still giving to the bank his able and valu-
able services as an ordinary member of the court of
directors.

Two of the unfortunate sufferers by the recent
explosion of petroleum on the COrk and Queenstown Rail-
way have succumbed to the effects of their injuries—one,
Buckley, early in the morning ; and the other, Reilly, in
the course of the day. An inquest was held upon
Buckley's remains, at which it was proved that orders bad
been given to have the lamps changed and trimmed in
the day-time, remoto from any flame, which order was dis-
obeyed on the night of the accident, and does not appear
to have been regularly enforced. The jury returned a
♦erdict of accidental death, with a censure of the company
for not having made better provision for the due care of
the dangerous liquid, and the safety of the men using it,
and of the men :or t'ieir disobedience of orders.

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 19, 1868.