The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-27 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

HISTORY OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Colburn, London, 1844.
This is the second volume of the Memoirs of the
House of Commons from the period of the Convention
Parliament of 1688, down to the passing of the Whig
Reform Bill in the memorable year 1832. The
author is Mr. Townsend, Recorder of Macclesfield,
who has executed a difficult and somewhat com-
plicated task with uniform diligence—not to say, im-
partiality—and enlivened his historical account with
several cursory sketches of the most eminent indi-
viduals who have figured in St. Stephen's within the
period of which he treats. Among the various curious
matters referred to in his Memoirs, is that ceremony of
kneeling, which offenders against the majesty of the
House of Commons were compelled to practise in the
presence of the Imperial Senate. This degrading
ceremony was insisted on with the utmost rigidness
by Parliament, and continued to be acquiesced in for
a long term of years without the slightest re-
monstrance on the part of the public. At length the
peremptory refusal of Mr. A. Murray, brother of
Lord Elibank, to kneel humbly and submissively at
the bar while his sentence was pronounced on him,
had the effect of putting an end to the ignominious
practice, as we find by the following entertaining
extract :
" After the interval of a century, during which all
offenders, real or supposed, against the majesty of Par-
liament, had continued to kneel without open resistance,
a similar scene of rage was re-enacted in February, 17.51,
on the peremptory refusal of Mr. Alexander Murray,
brother of Lord Elibank, to kneel at the bar to receive
his sentence. He was charged with having, during the
late Westminster election, incited the High Bailiff, say-
ing, Will nobody knock the dog down?' but the words
were not satisfactorily proved, and Mr. Murray per-
sisted in denying that he had ever uttered them. The
House, however, acted on the complaint of the returning
officer, and resolved that he should be committed to
Newgate, and receive his sentence on his knees—an in-
dignity to which he peremptorily declared nothing on
earth should ever induce him to submit. In vain did Mr.
Pelham explain that kneeling was no acknowledgment
of guilt, but only a testimony of respect : in vain did the
Speaker, horrified at his insubordination, exclaim in his
deepest tones of displeasure, ' On your knees, Sir! you
must kneel down.' Mr. Murray persisted in standing,
and the sentence could not be spoken. The House, in a
tumult of indignation at such contumacy, resolved,
That Mr. Murray, having in a most insolent and
audacious manner, at the bar, absolutely refused to be
upon his knees, is guilty•of a high and most dangerous
contempt of the authority and privilege of this House.'
"If bitter words and strong epithets could have
availed ' to whip the rebellious Adam out of him,' these
resolutions might perhaps have sufficed. The Speaker
strongly urged ulterior measures, insisting that, if insub-
ordination of this alarming character were to pass with-
out exemplary chastisement, all respect to his authority
was at an end. It was therefore ordered that Mr. Mur •
ray should be committed close prisoner to Newgate, and
that no one should have access to him without leave—
that he should not have the use of pen, ink, or paper,
and that a Committee should consider and report what
further methods might be taken. As the rack and
thumb-screws were abolished, and the power of inquisi-
tors ' before torture, between torture, in torture, and
after torture,' had passed away for ever; as the House
could no longer impoverish by tine, or add hard labour
to imprisonment, no further or more effectual remedy
than duress could be devised. The prisoner lingered in
Newgate four months, till the prorogation in June, with
spirit unbroken.
" As soon as the gates of his prisou were thrown open
by the rising of Parliament, he made a triumphant caval-
cade along the streets of the metropolis, amid the cheers
and huzzas of the populace. As the natural effect of
persecution, a lately despised Jacobite became the idol of
the hour. This popularity was remembered to his pre-
judice by a vindictive House of Commons, who, as soon
as they met in November, on the motion of Lord Coke,
voted that he should be re-committed to Newgate, and
receive the sentence of re-committal on his knees. But
the bird was flown. Mr. Murray had prudently with•
drawn to the Continent. A reward of 5001. was pro-
claimed by the Privy Council, at the instigation of the
time
moe ue s
iae
os,
hef oan
eeh
doi s
foaftpht
hi
se rprehension.
intolerance,
persecution;
as: feeling
enemies
Murray
becamerevolted h
ai a
had
the consolation of learning that, by his firmness and sFf- 1
ferings, an end was silently put to a practice which, with
reptile tenacity of life, had lingered for centuries. The
name of the wag ought to be known, who had previously
expressed his indignation by rubbing his knees, after
rising from the bar, and exclaiming with an excusable
double-entendre, This is the dirtiest house I was ever in
during the whole course of my life.'"

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS on the PRE.
VENTION, CAUSES, and TREATMENT of
CURVATURE of the SPINE. By Samuel Hare,
Surgeon. London, Churchill, 1844.
It appears that Mr. Hare has for many years past
devoted considerable attention to the subject of dis-
eases of the spine, and the results of his experience
are contained in the work now under review, which
is certainly one of the most understandable books on
the subject we have ever read. His treatment seems
to have been most successful. The apparatus which
he uses is thus described :
" It consists of an inclined plane two feet in breadth
and six and a half in length, furnished with feet or
made to rest securely on a proper framework. At the
upper end are three pulleys, of which the two outer are
about four inches, and the middle one six inches in
height above the plane, the former ones being about
eight inches asunder. Two pulleys are also attached to
the lower end of the plane, and about one-third from its
upper end, and six or eight inches from the sides, two
openings are made, into which also pulleys are intro-
duced. A very thin and firm mattress may be placed
upon the apparatus, and on this the patient reclines.
It is also furnished with weights for extension and with
springs, and compresses, according to the circumstances
of the case ; a support for the head, made of soft
leather, stuffed with curled hair or cotton wool and in-
tended to pass under the chin and occiput, is attached to
a cord, which passes over the centre pulley, to which a
weight is suspended ; shoulder-straps composed of the
same materials, and attached in a similar manner, pass
under the axilke of each arm and over the outer pulleys,
having weights also adjusted to them ; similar means of
extension are also applied round the ankles, and occa-
sionally in the male sex above the pelvis ; these are
passed over the pulleys at the lower end of the plane.
The openings in the upper part of the plane are for the
purpose of admitting a cord, to one end of which is
attached a shoulder-strap, and to the other a weight ;
this is very useful when the shoulder projects, as also in
cases of excurvation. In instances of projection of the
sternum, when the patient is said to be pigeon-breasted,
a piece of padded leather or other similarly firm sub-
stance, is used with great advantage, being made for the
purpose of passing over the projecting part, and the
pressure is gradually increased or diminished as may be
found necessary."
Patients are placed on this inclined plane in a re-
clining position, and the weights are properly ad-
justed, and by observing this reclining posture, and
attending to other remedial measures some months,
the distorted spine is gradually restored to its natural
shape and form. The progress of the cure is de-
noted by the increased quantity of air the patient is
able to expire after taking a full inspiration, which,
of oourse, shows the increased capacity of the chest,
which, in cases of distorted spine, is invariably con-
tracted. The quantity of air thus expired is ascer-
tained by a very ingenious contrivance, which may be
" called a pulmometer—that is a glass vessel, marked
with cubic inches, from ten to two hundred ; this is
filled with water and inverted in a pneumatic trough ;
the patient then fills his or her chest, and breathes
through a glass tube into the meter—the additional
quantity of water displaced, showing, of course, the
'-'creased capacity of the lungs."
elaborate introduction, the author treats
Ich tend to produce distortion of the
of itnh causes l,
s .
44-lacing, of course, holds a
t(pine—..among these ttg.... ^rtion of the work
prominent place. From this p,,_ . •,• • would
we extract the following passage, to wine.- .
particut titly draw the attention oiparents, denonne.._-
as it does a practice which has grown into fashion of
late years, but of the injurious tendency of which we
presume few are aware :
" A custom at present prevails to a very considerable
extent, of using a leather belt buckled round the waist
of' boys, when they commence wearing their clothes of
woollen cloth ; this practice, unless adopted with great
care, has a direct tendency to produce a contracted state
of the chest and upper part of the abdomen, similar in
effect, though not in degree, to that produced by corsets
in growing girls . it is hoped, that it is only necessary
to point out the evil, and that parents will at once see
the necessity of avoiding it."
The book is copiously illustrated by plates, and
the cases recorded, in which Mr. Hare has succeeded
in restoring to comparative health those who had
been suffering for years from the most severe forms
of spinal distortion, are very numerous, and exceed-
ingly interesting.

KNIGHT'S WEEKLY VOLUME.
C. Knight, London, 1844.
We have here lying on our table the eighth and
ninth Numbers of " Knight's Weekly Volume"—a
miscellany which is incomparably the cheapest of the
day, containing as much matter for one shilling as
" Murray's Family Library" used to contain for the
more
aristocratic sum of half-a-crown. The Num-
bers in question comprise republications—each in one
small neat duodecimo—of Miss Martineau's tale,
entitled " Feats on the Fiord ;" and Mr. Davis's
" History of China." The last work is, we under -
stand, considered by those who are conversant with
the subject, as the best history of the Celestial
Empire that has yet appeared in print, being singu-
larly minute and circumstantial in its details, and
not less scrupulously impartial in its statement of
facts, or sagacious in the inferences which it deduces
from them. One of its most curious chapters is
devoted to a consideration of the prevailing Chinese
religion of I3udhism—an interesting theme on which
the author descants at great length, and with an eager
wish to throw as much light on a
.mysterious question
as possible. The volume is embellished with several
passably executed wood-cuts. As reards Miss Mar-
tineau's tale of " Feasts on the Fiord' —as we noticed
it in The Sun on its first appearance, a short while since
, —we shall here content ourselves with observing that

it is written in the author's most careful and spirited
I manner ; is remarkable for its familiar acquaintance
and exact sketches of Norwegian manners and cus-
toms; and more especially for the beauty and rich-
ness of its description of Norwegian scenery. Miss
Martineau excels most novelists of the day in descrip-
tive power, as she showed in her story of the " Hour
and the Man," in which she placed before her readers
most vivid and gorgeous pictures of the landscape
scenery of St. Domingo. IVe quote her opening
sketch of a Norwegian Fiord :
"Every one who has looked at the map of Norway
must have been struck with the singular character of its
coast. On the map it looks so jagged, such a mixture of
land and sea, that it appears as if there must be a per-
petual struggle between the two—the sea striving to
inundate the land, and the land pushing itself out into
the sea, till it ends in their dividing the region between
them. On the spot, however, this coast is very sublime.
The long straggling promontories are mountainous,
' towering ridges of rock, springing up in precipices from
the water ; while the bays between them, instead of
being rouned with shelving- sandy shores, on which
the sea tumbles its waves, as in bays of our coast, are, in
fact, long narrow valleys, filled with sea, instead of being
laid out in fields and meadows. The high rocky banks
shelter these deep bays (called fiords) from almost every
wind ; so that their waters are usually as still as
those of a lake. For days and weeks together, they
reflect each separate tree-top of the pine-forests which
clothe the mountain sides, the mirror being broken only
by the leap of some sportive fish, or the oars of the boat-
man as lie goes to inspect the sea-fowl from islet to islet
of the fiord, or carries out his nets or his rod to catch
the sea-trout or char, or cod, or herrings, which abound,
in their seasons, on the coast of Norway. It is difficult
to say whether these fiords are the most beautiful in
summer or in winter. In summer they glitter with
golden sunshine ; and purple and green shadows from
the mountain and forest lie on them ; and these may be
more lovely than the faint light of the winter noons of
those latitudes, and the snowy pictures of frozen peaks
which then show themselves on the surface ; but before
the day is half over, out come the stars—the glorious
stars which shine like nothing that we have ever seen.
There the planets cast a faint shadow, as the young moon
does with us ; and these planets and the constellations of
the sky, as they silently glide over from peak to peak of
these rocky passes, are imaged on the waters so clearly
that the fisherman, as he unmoors his boat for his even-
ing task, feels as if he were about to shoot forth his
vessel into another heaven, and to cleave his way among
the stars. Still as everything is to the eye, sometimes
for a hundred miles together along these deep sea-val-
leys, there is rarely silence. The ear is kept awake by
a thousand voices. In the summer, there are cata-
racts leaping from ledge to ledge of the rocks ; and
there is the bleating of the kids that browse there, and
the flap of the great eagle's wings, as it dashes abroad
from its eyrie, and the cries of the whole clouds of sea-
birds which inhabit the islets ; and all these sounds are
mingled and multiplied by the strong echoes, till they
become a din as loud as that of a city. Even at night,
when the flocks are in the fold, and the birds at roost,
and the echoes themselves seem to be asleep, there is
occasionally a sweet music heard, too soft for even the
listening ear to catch by day. Every breath of summer
wind that steals through the pine-forests wakes this
music as it goes. The stiff spiny leaves of the fir and
pine vibrate with the breeze, like the strings of a musical
instrument, so that every breath of the night-wind, in a
Norwegian forest, wakens a myriad of tiny harps ; and
this gentle and mournful music may be heard in gushes
the whole night through. This music, of course, ceases
when each tree becomes laden with snow ; but yet there
is sound, in the midst of the longest winter night. There
is the rumble of some avalanche, as, after a drifting storm,
a mass of snow too heavy to keep its place slides and
tumbles from the mountain peak. There is also, now
and then, a loud crack of the ice in the nearest glacier ;
and, as many declare, there is a crackling to be heard by
those who listen when the northern lights are shooting
and blazing across the sky. Nor is this all. Whereever
there is a nook between the rocks on the shore, where a
man may build a house, and clear a field or two ;
wherever there is a platform beside the cataract where
the sawyer may plant his mill, and make a path from
it to join some great road, there is a human habitation,
and the sounds that belong to it. Thence, in winter
nights, come music and laughter, and the tread of
dancers, and the hum of many voices. The Norwegians
are a social and hospitable people ; and they hold their
gay meetings, in defiance of their arctic climate, through
every season of the year."

THE STANLEY MAUSOLEUM.—Died, last month,
universally condemned, the political career of Lord
Stanley. The remains have been interred in the House
of Lords.—Punch.

INCENDIARY FIRE.—A few nights ago a de.,truc-
tive fire (which is supposed to have been caused by an
incendiary) broke out upon the premises of Mr. Parsons,
a farmer, at Bromley, near Basingstoke. In the course
of less than an hour a barn, filled with barley, a stack
of wheat, and a barn-rick, were totally consumed.

•
GRACE DARLING.—A monument, the gift of the
Yen. Archdeacon Thorp, in honour of the late Grace
Horsley- Darling (to which we have previously called at-
tention), has been placed inside the chapel at the Fern
Islands. The Rev. Gentleman has also sent off a very
handsome flag, which was flying for the first time on the
day her Most Gracious Majesty passed the islands.
A NOCTURNAL DISTURBER —An incident, laugh-
able enough (except to the party who was damaged
in purse by it), occurred on Sunday night in
Harmer-street, Gravesend. At about half-past twelve
o'clock on that night, as Penman, the policeman,
who was then on duty in Harmer-street, was pass-
ing the shop of Mr. Brown, upholsterer, in that street,
he heard a heavy tramping in the house, and drawing close
to the shop window a strange noise which he, much ter-
rified, believed to be supernatural, issued from within.
Suddenly a mighty crash, as of shivered glass, caused him
in great alarm to withdraw from his listening position
close to the window shutters, and before he could well
clear the kerb of the footway in his retreat, another
crash and a dash through the window of what ap-
peared to his appalled sight a monster of unearthly
shape compelled him to cry aloud for aid. The in-
mates of Mr. Brown's house, as well as those of
the adjacent houses, being by this time alarmed,
rushed into the street, and there they found the
terrified " guardian of the night" gazing with horror at
an animal not far from him, which, upon 'Mr. Brown's
approach, he discovered to be his own horse. It soon
appeared that the poor animal had done his master con-
siderable damage, without any intention of burglariously
breaking into his house, having, in fact, broken out of it.
Tho horse had been put into an apartment in the rear of
the house, as a temporary stable, from which there was a
passage leading to another passage, which opened into the
shop. The door of the stable having been, through inad-
vertence, left open, the animal wandered into the passage,
and thence entered the shop, when coming in contact
with a pier glass of considerable size and value, he with
a kick (it is assumed) demolished it, and by the crash
was so terrified, that after plunging and kicking amid
the articles of furniture in the shop, he bolted through
the shop window, the policeman having narrowly escaped
coming in contact with the animal in his violent egress.
The damage done to Mr. Brown by this nocturnal freak
of the horse is estimated at 501. or 60/.

ScirooLuor FOLLIES.—The Ile-Denis (says the
Constitutionnel) is to take the name of the island of Mo-
gadore, at the request of M. Pagel, the mayor, addressed
to the Minister of the Interior. The new bridge is to
be opened by a mock fight imitating the siege of Mega-
dore. A number of boats will be arranged as a squadron
of bombardment. The garrison of the island will de-
fend Mogadore, and it will have amongst its troops an
enormous parasol of command. The principal street is
to be called the Rue Joinville. The fete is to termi-
nate by a banquet of fish, contributed by the lovers of
angling of the neighbourhood, the mayor giving as his
share some casks of wine.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN 11.10 ROCCO.—An ava-
ricious butcher, who had enriched himself by selling
" kohlia" (friend meat), was determined to increase his
gains by the more simple method of receipts without
expenditure. With this view he nightly inveigled into
his house a woman of exceptionable character, who was
immediately assassinated, cooked, and disposed of the
following day as " kehlia." his wife who witnessed
these nightly murders, apprehending a similar fate,
wont to the Paella and denounced her husband. lie
was soon judged and condemned ; a boiler full of water
vas placed over a fierce fire, before the shop-door, which
soon a
cached
- boiling temperature. The executioner
then draggeri the crimanal to his own block, still
stained with the tel,2d of his numerous victims, and,
them into the cauldron,
chopping off his hands,- LebreNY
gtvo to the numerous bands
and when boiled, they were
of hungry dogs who had been assene::'ed for that pur-
pose. In the same way his feet and legs Yvere, disposed
of, until loss of blood terminated his life, ana with it.
this appalling and barbarous justice.
°"'TREATIES FOR THE APPREHENSION OF OFFENDERS
—ln The Sun of Tuesday appeared the first case of an
alleged French fraudulent bankrupt being committed in
order to be conveyed to France for trial. The commit-
ment took place tinder the Act 6th and 7th Victoria,
c. 75, which came into operation on the 22d of August,
1843, on which day another Act was passed in respect to
persons charged with offences committed in America,
or who had absconded into that country: These acts
were framed to carry out two conventions between
the high contracting parties " for the apprehensionor certain offenders." There is a difference .n in the
offences mentioned, and the point which
arose
eauldulthenet
case reported was on the designationin effect to mean
of
a
bankrupt," which the Lord Mayor held
a England and France the
felonious bankrupt under the English law. With re-
gardcrimes specified for which
to the treaty between
fugitives can be apprehended
consist of murder, attempt to murder, forgery, or frau-
dulent bankruptcy. After a commitment of two months,
if the offender is not conveyed to the place where the
alleged offence was committed to be tried, he is to be
discharged. In the treaty between England and
America the crimes mentioned are murder, assault
with intent to murder, piracy, arson, robbery, for-
gery, or the utterance of forged paper, committed within
the jurisdiction of either of the high contracting par-
ties. After two months' confinement, if the party is not
removed, he is to be discharged. Only two cases have
occurred during these treaties, one in which the Ameri-
can Government claimed an alleged offender in a British
colony, where he was refused because the parties had no
evidence of the alleged offence, and the case which was
brought. before the Lord la.yor Monday last. By
the preamble in the two acts it is declared that parties
are to be given up " only when the commission of the
crime should be so established as that the laws of the
country where the fugitive or person so accused should
be found would justify his apprehension and courr it-
meut for trial, if the crime had been there committed."
Copies of depositions may, however, be given iu evidence
of the criAtinality of the person apprehended.

THE ISLAND OF JERSEY.

(From the League.)

Amongst the most useful as well as the most agree-
able results of the railway system, are the excursions
to considerable distances at cheap rates, and with the
allowance of sufficient time for the travellers to look
about them. The operatives of Manchester and
Birmingham have thus had, and availed themselves
of, the opportunity for becoming acquainted with the
sights of the metropolis; and many a Londoner who
would scarcely have found it practicable, a few
years ago, to get beyond the sound of Bow bells,
has lounged amongst the beauties of our coast
scenery, or had a wholesome wonder excited by the
inspection of some grand specimen of manufacturing
machinery. Besides the actual amount of enjoyment
thus affigded, there is great good in the information
obtained, the stimulus given to observation and
thought, the abatement of local prejudices, and the
raising the general mental qualification of those whose
voices tell in the expression of public opinion, and
very often their votes in the selection of representative
legislators.

-During the present week the South-Western Rail-
way has offered to a cargo of Londoners conveyance
to and from the Isle of Jersey, at the cheap fare of
28s. there and back, railway carriage and steam
voyage both included, and one week allowed for re-
turning. This excursion was well thought of. The
remarkable peculiarities of the Channel Islands, both
physical and social, cannot fail to make the tour a
most interesting one. It has all the advantages of a
visit to a foreign country, combined with a sufficient
prevalence of the English language to secure the un-
educated traveller from any embarrassment.
The first sensations of the citizen at the deep blue
sky above, and the deep blue sea below, the grotesque
rocks and the beautiful bays, will scarcely have sub-
sided before he becomes equally astonished at the
cheapness of every thing. At the best hotels in St.
Helier's he may have every accommodation of bed,
board, and sitting-room, at 245. the week. He will
find good bread from five farthings to three halfpence
the pound. Ducks, Is. 6d. the pair. Fine poultry
turkeys, 2s. to 3s. each. Gunpowder tea, bs. per lb.
Double refined sugar, 4,(1. to 61,d. per lb. ; and Bra-
ail, 3d. Port wine, 15s. the dozen ; very good sherry
at from Is. to 2s. the bottle. If a brandy-drinker, he
will get it good at 3s. 6d. a gallon ; and finer than is
to be had in England at 7s. the bottle for that same
a gallon. Hollands, 2s. 10d. to 3s. 4d. the gallon.
If he inquire the rent of a house, he will
usually find it below even the cheap out-of-the-way
country-houses in England ; little more than one-
half of those in villages near London ; and with this
important circumstance, that the rent is all that has
to be paid for the house ; there are no taxes. To be
rated, and so have a vote for the local authorities, is a
favour which English residents obtain with difficulty,
and which, when obtained, is in its amount little
more than nominal. The total cost of the island
government, which includes all that corresponds with
the parish as well as the state expenditure in England,
is defrayed by a small import duty on wines and
spirits. By this means the whole expenditure is met,
even to that of mending the roads. There is no such
thing as a toll-bar on the island. The roads and the port
are alike free, with the trifling but sufficient exception
just mentioned. hence the striking contrast with the
price of similar articles in England. A hundred
pounds per annum there is worth at least one hun-
dred and fifty on the island ; more rather than► less ;
for the difference of currency must be added to that
already made apparent in our list, and this alone is
considerable. The English shilling goes for thirteen-
pence in Jersey, so that after all the cheapness, when
the Londoner comes to the payment, he will be yet
more delighted to find, on proffering the account,
that he may " take his change out of that."
Why is all this ? Not because Jersey is a little
island, and Great Britain a large one. No : it is
simply because Jersey has, by ancient charter, and
for the political purpose of conciliating a people whose
natural connexion would rather seem to be with
France, the privilege of free trade.. There is the
whole secret and mystery of the matter. The diffe-
rence as to bread, sugar, &c., is what we in England
have to pay for monopoly.
The bread in Jersey is very good. It is generally
made from foreign wheat. There is plenty of home-
grown corn. The soil is exuberantly fertile. But
the Jersians eat bread made from Prussian or Danish
corn, and send their own wheat to England : thus
buying at the cheap market of free trade, and selling
in the dear market of monopoly.
For persons of limited incomes, Jersey is a para-
dise, especially if they like a warm climate. It offers
little attraction to the working classes. Whatever
perversion may be made of the fact, it is right to
mention that wages are low. We see no evidence
that the freedom of trade causes this evil ; on the
contrary, it mitigates the mischief which it has
not prevented. Two reasons for the fact offer
themselves to notice ; first, a large influx of poor
Irish, those colonists and missionaries of pauperism
attracted chiefly by the low price of spirituous liquors.
Even the pledged Irish are here out of Father
Muthew's sight. And secondly, the prevailing cha-
racter of the island. The natives do not know what
a factory means. Agriculture alone always debases
the labourers to serfdom. It is so here. The little
tenant-farmers are farmers, labourers, carriers, fisher-
men, &c., all in one. There must be manufactures
to keep up wages. Except shoemaking, for British
North America, whither from 10,000 to 20,000 pairs
are annually exported, scarcely anything is made in
Jersey. And yet the natural produce (especially.
of apples for cider), and the foreign trade, render it
rich and thriving; the landowners and shipowners
being the principal recipients.

MADAME TUSSAUD'S.—ThiS delightful exhibition,
with its rich and tasteful embellishments, attracted our

editorial presence within its gorgeous saloon on Satur-
day last. The varied objects of interest, including the
Napoleon room, in which several well authenticated and
interesting relics are deposited, combine to make this
one of the most popular and entertaining resorts in Lon-
don. The great expense lavished upon it, to render its
principal features worthy of public patronage, ensures a,
full attendance at all times ; and no marvel, for the
room in which the figure of George IV. in his corona-
tion robes is located, may be ranked among the best speci-
mens of rnochern decoration. The " natural monstrosity,"
Tom Thumb, is far more agreeable in wax than in
propria persona ; and having seen the original, we can
pronounce it an excellent representation, while the
visitor to this exhibition is not obliged to witness the ri-
diculous and monkey tricks of the poor little General.
An excellent hand, which performs popular quadrilles
and waltzes, not forgetting the Polka, is also provided.

SINGULAR OCCURRENCE.—OR Monday, the 9th
instant, as a married woman named Davies, from Govi-
Alocp).ine),enri;;%i'agays
fernpoirli
u3o,c, onteaheneddifinelgrdis n
passinge hare ren.
through
ag way from
vk'l rl
oo
thatdultohne t
ow it wicket elbta
bridge,
an an adder, which was lying coiled up by the sido of the
pathway, sprang at her and fastened on her arm. The
terrified woman succeeded in shaking it off, and ran on•
wards as fast as she could, but what was her horror to
find, when she paused to take breath, that the reptile
was in swift pursuit of her, and had well nigh reached
her, when fortunately a man came up and succeeded in
destroying it. Afterwards, the nest of the adder was
found, containing 18 young ones ; the woman, Rho was
in a delicate state when the accident occurred, has not
yet recovered, and now lies in a dangerous condition.—
Hereford Times.
The Lancaster archers had their gala day on
Thursday. The cup and Sir 11. Fleetwood's gold arrow
were won by M. J. Bond ; the bow, won by Mr. E. D.
the 1 arrow, won by Mr. Kirkes ; the
Salisbury ; ar,,e
small arrow, won by Mr. llowitt ; the gold medal, won
by Mr. Dodson.
The will of the late William lleathcote, Esq , was
proved in the Prerogative Court, Doctors Commons, on
the 19th instant, by John Gregson, Esq., of Bedford-
row, the sole surviving executor, and the personal estate
is sworn to be under 9e0,000/.—Britannia.
A TORTOISE CAUG LIT STRATING.—As a fume.?
was proceeding towards his harvest field near lloughton,
on Monday last, his attention was attracted to a dark.
looking substance on the rota], which seemed to have
the power of locomotion. On a closer examination he
discovered a freckled head and neck peering out
from beneath the shelly substance, which was being
moved along by dark little feet, having
the appear-
ance of India-rubber. The farmer naturally stared
on seeing so strange a thing, but after some little
compunction, timorously seized hold of it, when hie
knowledge of natural history informed him that it was a
real live tortoise I And a very beautiful and lively little
creature it is. It was brought to our office, and on being
placed on our editorial desk, manifested an irresistible
desire to pry into our inkstand. How it came into the
neighbourhood of Iloughton is a mystery ; but as we
found, on inquiry, that a quantity of guano had recently
been used in a field from which it was " tracked," it is
not improbable that it has been imported in a guano-
laden vessel, and lain hid until the sack in which it was
confined was opened.—Carlisle Paper.
PROFESSION OF A NUN.—One of those interesting
ceremonies, so frequently to be witnessed in this emi-
nently Catholic country, took place yesterday in the
Presentation Convent, Midleton. Thisyoung lady who
was there professed is Miss Louisa Daly, daughter of
our fellow-citizen, Maurice Daly, Esq., Waterloo-place.
The Rev. Dr. Keane, the exemplary pastor of Midleton,
officiated in the absence of the venerated Bishop of th*
diocese, the Right Rev. 1)r. Crotty. The whole core.
mony was conducted with the most if npressive dignity,
the professed repeating all the answers in a firm tone of
voice, and with remarkable distinctness. A beautiful
sermon approprite to the solemn ceremony, was preached
by the Rev. John Browne, of this city, who took his texts
from the 115th Psalm. A great number of the friends
of the young nun, together with many of the clergy of'
the surrounding parishes, were present, and at the ee1....
mony, partook of a splendid breakfast which had beem
laid out in the largest apartment of the building.—Cerk
Erawilier.
MESMERISM.—The Leiesier Journal says :—Oa
Friday last the Duke of Rutland, Earl Howe, mid C. W.
Parke, Esq, M.P., visited Mary Anne Lakin, the young
woman whose thigh was amputated while under mein
merle influence. They were also accompanied by
Dr. Shaw,

- - --,
s

Mr. Corballis—Did you see Brophy and Mr. Parker
in conversation at any time, immediately- before this ?
I saw them frequently together. I saw Mr. Parker with
him, at a time that arms were seized in Clancy's house.
Cross-examined by Brophy--Are you sure that the
blunderbuss which White had was a brass-barrelled
one ?—I am. Could you understand by me that I en-
deavoured to hide anything, in reference to the arms, that
night 2—l could not.

Mr.
Corballis-16h, no. So far as I can collect from
the evidence of Copeland and this witness, nothing of
the kind has appeared.
This ended the evidence of sub-constable Burke, and
the investigation was adjourned to half-past ten o'clock
on Friday next.

CUSTOMS SEIZURES.—The Board of Customs having
bad under consideration their general order of INlay,
1815, under the authority of which the water-guard
officers at the outports are allowed to participate in
seizures made out of baggage sent by them to the
Queen's warehouse for examination ; and being of
opinion that the officers of the water-guard should only
be allowed to participate when present at or assisting in
making such seiaures, or when they have given such
directions or information as may have led directly to the
making of the same, conformably to the practice at this
port, and to the general practice in other cases, orders
have been issued for the officers to govern themselves in
future accordingly, and that the general order of slay,
1815, referred to, be rescinded.
OUT-PENSIONERS IN THE ARMY —A Correspond-
ent informs us it is now fully arranged that the drill and
exercise of the out-pensioners of the army, for a certain
number of days, is to take place early in the ensuing
month, for which purpose all the preliminary arrange-
ments have been effected in accordance with the Act of
Parliament passed in the session of 1843. The men are
to appear in uniform, and armed, and it is expected that
the general officer commanding each district will make
anlinspection of them. The out-pensioners to be assem
bled are those only who are capable of bearing arms, and
they will receive a liberal allowance, to compensate
them for the loss they will incur by being absent from
their usual employment during the six days they will be
on permanent duty, but they will be allowed to return
to their homes each night, provided the distance from
head quarters be nut too great. They will also (under
the discretion of the staff officer) lie allowed to take
their uniform with them, so that they may be prepared,
without inconvenience, to be at parade in the morning.
It is the wish of the authorities that every possible
cility be afforded the men in carrying out the present at •
rangementS.
AGE or oUR LINE-OF-BATTLE SUIPS.—A State-
ment under this head has been put forth for the purpose
of proving that our ships are not so very old after all
and it appears that half of them are not out of their teens,
while very few indeed have reached the years of discre-
tion. The Superb, of 80 guns, turns out not to be an old
man-of war, but a mere baby, having been launched in
1842 ; while the Boscawen, 74, can hardly be said to
• have been weaned, having never hoisted the pendant. In
fact, the line-of-battle ships stem to be in a state of
happy infancy, and England may boast of as juvenile a
navy as she could possibly wish for.—Punch.
• M. Grimaud, a chemist, at Poictiers, has proposed
• a mode of rendering poisoning by arsenic more difficult.
He recommends that this article shall be sold only when
mixed with a certain quantity of sulphate of iron and
cyanure of potash. About one per cent. of each substance
would, he alleges, be sufficient. The arsenic, thus qua-
+, lified, shows itself either by colour or smell, when used in
•-• •ITETit/te.varioum aliments fit fur man. Thus, arsenic prepared
twit 441,p d thrown into warm meat soup, gives imme-
tr, • 46, broni- colour ; into hot milk, an onsl ;
s. .
52,71•:,,Y • eavinti, a violet ; into bread, a deep blue ; and so
'1t7k.4'71 Oiler twenty mixtures, on which M. Grianaud has made
, f
02p4runents.

,t

Brophy—ls the date there, sir?—Yes, I have the date
here—there are some entries; but it is perfectly silent
as regards this transaction.
Mr. Corb tills here read various extracts from the
diary, referring to transactions before and after the find-
ing of the arms at the widow Ryan's, and observed that
it appeared to him strange that no reference was made
to such an important fact, more especially when there
was an entry of the discovery of the arms in the turf
clamp.
Examination of Copeland resumed—l know constable
Ray; I was n)t stationed at Couraclavin when he was
there.

Cross-examined by Mr. Brophy—.Are you sure it was
a brass blunderbuss we had when we returned from
White's ?—ln my opinion it was a brass blunderbuss.
When I told you and Burke to remain outside the
Widow Ryan's house, did I give you any reason for
doing so ?—Yes, to see that no person came out of
the house,
Mr. Corballis—l do not wish to interfere with any
courto you wish to take, but you will be examined on
oath by your own request, and it would be better to re-
serve any statement you yourself have to make until then.
Br.iphy (to witness)—Did I tell you that night that I
put the arms in the turf clamp P—l do not recollect, but
you may have told me so.
By Mr. Fitzgerald—At this time I thought White
a faithworthv person. I have had opportunities since of
knowin his general character. From any knowledge
of his character, I do not believe him a person worthy
of credit on his oath, in a court of justice. As far as
I know, Mr. Parker had no reason to think that the
party did not go out that night in the ordinary course
of duty. Mr. Parker was at the barrack the morning
the arms were brought to Shinrone.
By Mr. Corballis—l could not tell if Mr. Parker was
at the barrack a few days before this transaction, or if
he had any private communications with Brophy about
that time. I never remember to have seen White in
communication with Mr. Parker.
Brophy—When Mr. Parker and I were bringing the
arms from the turf clamp did we nut stop at the barrack,
and did not the men come out to see them ?—I believe
ye did ; and I believe also that some of the men went
out to see them.
Brophy—That proves we had no wish for conceal-
ment.
Mr. Corballis—l don't perfectly understand the force
of that inference.
Brophy—Why, sir, Mr. Parker and I were charged
with a conspiracy respecting these arms, and it is right
to show that there was no concealment.
Mr. Corballis (to witness)—Who were the police that
went for the arms to the turf clamp ?—I think Mr.
Parker, and constables Brophy and Ogle were there, but
I don't know of any others.
Did you hear them say when they were leaving the
barrack on what duty they were going ?—Yes ; they said
they were going to look for arms, but did not mention
acy place particularly.
Mr. Fitzgerald—l am here for Mr. Parker, and I wish
to know if he said so ?—He did not.
Mr. Fitzgerald—Was he present at the time ?—Not
to my knowledge.
Mr. Corballis—How soon after the night of the occur-
rence at the widow Ryan's did you see Mr. Parker at
the barrack ?—The day or the day but one after. I
know a person named Clancy ; he lives about a quarter
cf a mile from the station ; I believe he is a tailor ; I
never saw him at the barrack ; I recollect that two
pistols were found in his house ; it was before this oc-
currence, but I don't kcow how long : I don't know of a
blunderbuss having been taken from Clancy.
This ended the examination of Copeland.
Patrick Burke, the policeman who remained in com-
pany with Copeland during the visit of constables Brophy
and White to the widow Ryan's, gave testimony similar
to that of the previous witness ; he further added—When
Constable Brophy and White were in the widow Ryan's
haggard, I heard noise of stones like the throwing Clown
of a wall. They came back in a very short time after
that. They had three or four pistols and a blunderbuss
when they came back. I think it was the same blunder-
buss I had previously seen. The constable said that
some of the pistols were loaded. They remained with
us a few minutes, and then went back to Mrs. Ryan's
land again. They went in direction of the
turf clamp, where the arms were subsequently found.
They were away this time about twenty minutes. When
they came back the constable remarked that he did not
like to take up the arms, as he did not think he had
authority for doing so. He also said he changed them
out of the place where they first were, being in fear that
the person who gave information would remove them. I
understand that that informer was White.
And did not White go with him ?—He left us with him.
Now, did it not appear odd to you that he she old
have taken White with him for such a purpose, when
White himself was the informer ?
Mr. Fitzgibbon--He did not say that White was the
informer;?-oh, yes I did ; but I did not give the subject
any consideration then.
Mr. Corballis—Had Brophy all the pistols in his pos-
session when he left you ?—lie had all. What did you
understand by Brophy saying he Isad no authority to
take arms?—l don't know. He did not tell you:on what
duty you were going ?—He did not. And would you
not consider that you had sufficient authority to take up
arms under such circumstances P—l would, most cer-
tainly. What opinion did you form of his refusal to
take them up ?—I considered it strange. Did you con-
sider it your duty to inform your officer of the fact ?
No, I did not. When did you see the arms after that ?
—Next day; constable Ogle had them in his possession,
and Mr. Parker and Brophy were of the party. Was
there anything stated by either of them as to the place
the arms were found ?—Yes ; constable Brophy said he
took them from the turf clamp, to which place he had
removed them the night before ; and the reason I did
not consider it my duty to mention the fact is, that
Brophy told me his officer, Mr. Parker, was in posses-
sion of what he had done ; before we went to Ryan's
house, Brophy and Whelan appeared to have had a
private conference. Do you mean to say that they
went out of the hearing of the rest of the party, or that
their privacy was accidental ?—I think they went out
of our hearing for the purpose of conversing ; White
had the blunderbuss then. Did you ever know nn in-
stance before of arms being so re-deposited in this
manner ?—Never, sir. a They were always before, as
far as I know, brought to the station. Did you ever
see White in the barrack before P—l did, sir. Did you
ever see him write there ?—Never ; but I know that
he called for paper at one time, and I believe it was for
the purpose of writing. Was it well known to all the
men in barrack that the arms had been removed ?
—Perfectly well, sir. How do you account for White
giving up the blunderbuss on this night to the constable
—can you give any reason for it ?—I cannot, sir. Was
not the blunderbuss in the constable's possession, before
you came near Mrs. Ryan's house at all P—lt was, sir.
By Mr. Fitzgerald—White's character in the neigh-
bourhood was not good ; it was so bad, that he earned
the marked displeasure of the Rev. Mr. Nolan, his clergy-
man. He was not liked in the place. The general re-
putation of the man is such, that he would not be trusted
on his oath in a court of justice.
Mr. Corballis—Now, that is not the way to put the
question. Is his general character so bad, that yo
would nut believe him on his oath in a court of justice
—I would not believe him.

IRELAND.
REMOVAL OF MR. BREWSTER.

DUBLIN, SEPT. 23.—We have heard in nevi

quarters rumours of the removal of Mr. Brewster
from his present office. As to the successor of Mr.
Brewster the public are rather indifferent, but the
Government, in taking the step attributed to them,
may gain, and cannot lose support. They cannot, by
the exertion of the most searching scrutiny, discover
a man more unpopular than him whose removal is
reported to be contemplated.
EARL FORTESCUE AND HIS TENANTRY.

DUBLIN, SEPT. 24.—1 n consequence of a para-
graph, which originated in the Waterford Chronicle,
and was generally copied in the English newspapers,
respecting the conduct of Lord Fortescue in regard
to the rejoicings for the reversal of the judgment
against Mr. O'Connell, that Noble Lord has deemed
it necessary to publish the following address to his
Irish tenantry, amongst whom he is at present re-
siding:—

" TO THE TENANTi ON MY ESTATES IN THE COUNTY

OF WATERFORD.

" My Friends and Neighbours—Having reason to
believe that there has been some misconstruction of
my conduct on a late occasion, and that erroneous
inferences have, in consequence, been drawn from it
respecting my opinions, I wish to set both clearly
before you.
" When, on the news of the reversal by the House
of Lords of the judgment against Mr. &Connell
bonfires were lighted in various directions "around us
I heard that my Corbally tenants had declined join-
ing in them from an apprehension of my displeasure.,
I, therefore, intimated to one of them, for the infor-
mation of others, my desire that, in any matter of
this kind, they should freely consult their own wishes,
without reference to mine, and I repeated the expres-
sion of this desire to the Rev. Mr. Cantwell, adding,
that though I rejoiced at Mr. O'Connell's liberation
from what I considered an unjust and illegal impri-
sonment, I could not take part in any public demon-
stration of joy on the occasion, connected, as it pro-
bably would be, with the question of repeal, to
which I am as much opposed as ever.
" I trust, therefore, you will understand, that
whilst I disclaim alike the right and the wish to con-
trol you in the peaceable manifestation of your poli-
tical opinions, I have not in the slightest degree
altered my own.
" I am always your sincere friend,
" FORTESCLE.

" Summerville, Sept. 21st, 1844."
In this address, the Dublin Evening Post justly
remarks, " Lord Fortescue has asserted and vindicated
the true principle of independence and liberty of action
between the landlord and the tenant. Such an example
would be most important anywhere ; but in Ireland
it is invaluable, because many of our worst social evils
have been produced by the political dictatorship of
landlords, treating their tenants as serfs, and compel-
ling them to become the merest instruments for pro-
moting their factious objects. This degrading ty-
ranny, practised almost universally by Tory landlords,
is repudiated by Lord Fortescue, who, whilst retain-
ing his own opinions, gives to his tenantry the fullest
latitude to exercise their own judgments, unfettered
by the dread of persecution from landlord or tenant."
OFFICIAL INQUIRY: POLICE SPY SYSTEM.

The following is a report of the proceedings at the in-
quiry held yesterday, before Mr. Corballis, QC., at the
Land Commission-office, Dublin Castle.
At eleven o'clock Mr. Corballis opened the proceedings
by stating briefly the nature of his Excellency's commis-
sion. He then read the following abstract of the charges
preferred against the parties :
" FIRST CRARGE.—That sub-inspector Parker, and
constable Brophy, being stationed at Shinrone in the
month of October, 1843, conspired with one Martin
White to have fire-arms placed in a wall at the widow
Ryan's haggard, at Cooraclavin, in order that they might
afterwards be found by sub-inspector Parker, when acting
ostensibly in the discharge of his duty.
" SECOND CHARGE. That sub-inspector Parker
having, on the 20th of October, in the year 1843, re-
ceived information at Shinrone that fire-arms were ille-
gally concealed in the widow Ryan's haggard wall, he
(sub-inspector Parker) instead of ordering said fire-arms
to be seized and brought to his station at Shinrone,
directed constable Brophy to remove them to another
place, and there conceal them, in order that said fire-
arms might be found by himself, and that constable
Brophy was privy to that transaction, and either actuallly
removed the tire. arms from the wall in the widow Ryan a
haggard to a clump of turf at some distance, and con-
cealed them there himself, or was privy to Martin
White's doing so.
" THIRD CHARGE.—That Sub-Inspector Parker hav-
ing, on the 21st of October, 1843, seized a quantity of
fire-arms, found by him in a clamp of turf at Cooraclavin,
and knowing that said fire-arms had been actually found
the day before in the wall of the Widow Ryan's haggard,
by constable Brophy, and placed by constable Brophy,
or, at all events, with his privity, and by his authority,
in the turf, made a report, bearing date the 22d of Oct.,
1843, to the Inspector-General of Constabulary, in
which he wilfully suppressed all mention of those facts,
and suggested that a reward of 51. should be given to
the person who gave him the private information.
" FOURTH CHARGE.-That Sub-Inspector Parker and
constable Brophy, while stationed at Shinrone, endea-
voured to induce one Martin White to bring an armed
party to attack the house of Mr. Benjamin Armitage, or
the Widow King, and that constable Brophy gave the
said Martin White gunpowder to assist in the outrage.
" FIFTH CHARGE.—That constable Brophy conspired
with Martin White to put a fabricated Ribbon document
on the person of one Thomas M'Loughlin, and that said
constable Brophy actually wrote out said document, and
gave it to Martin White to copy."
The examination of witnesses was then proceeded with.
Sub-constable Matthew Copeland sworn and examined
by Mr. Corballis—l am a member of the King's county
constabulary. I was stationed in Co.oraclavin, in Oc-
tober, 1843. There were at the station four sub-con.
stables and one constable. Their names were Carroll,
Burke, Tracy, and myself, sub-constables, and the con-
stable (Brephy). Brophy had the command of the
Cooraclavin station. Cooraclavin is in the Shinrone
district, and under the command of sub-Inspector
Parker. I don't know how many stations Mr. Parker
had under his command, but I believe eight or nine.
There was a diary kept at Cooraclavin, and it was con
stable Brophy's duty to take charge of it. Sub-inspec-
tor Parker visited the station very often. It was his
duty to do so once a month. I don't know if it was Mr.
Parker's duty to inspect the diary, but he often did so.
The book was always open for his inspection. I knew a
man named Martin White. I saw him first at his own
house, which is about a mile from Cooraclavin. I first
became acquainted with him because he was a remark-
able looking character, and I was told also that he gave
information to the police on several cccasions. As well
as I can remember it was one of our men who first told
me about his having given information to the police. I
saw Martin White at the barrack several times after, but
never before. I could not tell what brought him to the
barrack. It was always with the constable he commu-
located when he came. He met the constable generally
in one of the apartments of the barrack. I don't think
there was any one present but the constable and 'White
on these occasions. I never saw White in the barracks
but once. Brophy was not present then. White had a
quarter of an acre of ground close to the barrack. I saw
him several times at it. I never remember having seen
the police with him there. I was told that White had
been a schoolmaster at one time. He lived with his
father at the time I knew him. I recollect the night the
arms were found at the widow Ryan's house. I
don't recollect what day of the month that was. The
constable, another man, and I, went to the house that
night. I don't recollect whether that other man was
Burke or Carroll. It was after nightfall when we left
the barrack. It was not more than about a quarter of a
mile from the barrack to the Widow Ryan's by a short
cut. I think White was with us—l am almost certain
he was. I don't recollect having seen White previously
on that day. When I left the barrack I did not know
where I was going. I went merely in obedience to the
constable's orders. Before we went to the Widow
Ryan's we stopped convenient to White's house. The
constable and White left us fur a short time. He did
not say where he was going to, but he desired us to re-
main until he came back. They went off in the direc-
tion of White's house. They (were about half an hour
away. When the constable and White came back I saw
a blunderbuss with them which they had not when
they left the barrack, or rather, which I did not see
with them then. The blunderbuss, I think, had a
brass barrel. I could not exactly say who had the blun-
derbuss when I first saw it, but I am certain it was the
constable who first pointed my attention to it. He told me
it was the blunderbuss that shot Mr. Roberts. We went off
then to the widow Ryan's across the fields. We had thu
blunderbuss with us. When we got to the Widow
Ryan's, the whole party with White crossed out to the
road. I think constable Brophy had the blunderbuss at
the time. The constable desired us to remain on the
road near the house. We did so. White and the con-
stables then left us. I know the haggard in which the
arms were found. It was in that direction they went.
They were away between half as hour and an hour.
We were all the time on the road. When they came
back they had some pistols—three or four I believe.
They had the blunderbuss also—at least I think it was
the same I had previously seen, but I could not swear
positively to it. They showed us the arms when they
came back, and said they got them in the wall of Widow
Ryan's haggard. They said nothing about the blunder-
buss then. They only remained with us two or three
minutes, and went back in the direction of the haggard
wall. They took the arms with them. They were better
than half an hour away. They had not the arms when
they came back. There was no conversation on, or in-
quiries about, what had been done with them. The con-
stable merely ordered us home.
What! no remark whatever about the subject?—None,
thing
sir. You did not even ask on the road home?—Some-
might have passed, but I cannot remember it. Was
White with you all the way home?—Whito, I think,
went home to his own house from the road. Did they
describe to you when they camo back from the widow
Ryan'a how they got the arms?—Yes, they said they
found them built up in the wall. Do you remember
when the arms were found in the turf clamp?—l do.
Do you know ground belonging to a man named Egan?
—I do, sir; but I don't know if there be a turf clamp
upon it. Had you any suspicion that the arms found in
the turf clamp were those you had already seen?—None
whatever. Do you know if constable Brophy made an
entry in his diary next day about the finding of the arms
at the widow Ryan's?—l don't know, sir. Would not it
have been part of his duty to do so.
Brophy--I will answer that, sir, and say it would be
my duty.
Corballis—Well, there is no sub entry here.