The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-06 00:00:00

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A CURIOUS PItOBATE CASE.:46N.-1710it 011140**4 .
been before Sir J. P. Wilde anka WribfAi.oa;
suit for propounding the will of tfre-1441fr:-.4tet: n
Chamberlain, who died on the 20thfi De;be4lB64.
The case was of a peculiar character. The plaintiff in the
case is the solicitor for the Duchy
of Lancaster, who
claimed the testator's property on the part of the Crown
and the defendant Davis was the executor under the will,
but refused to propound it. The will was opposed on
the ground of improper execution, incompetency on
the part of the testator, and that at the time the will
was made the testator did not know or understand
its contents. It appeared that the testator was pos-
sessed of large property in the counties of Lancaster
and Chester, which had been left him by his father.
The property belonging to the testator in the county of
Lancaster was stated to be worth from £30,000 to £40,000,
and that in the county of Chester to about £100,000..
Though possessed of this large property, the testator was
stated to be of peculiar and penurious habits, and, while
he had residences in the counties where his property was
situated, he generally resided in a small house in Bold-
place, Liverpool, and did not associate with people of his
own rank. The testator was taken seriously ill on Satur-
day, the 17th December, ISO 4, and lie executed the will
now propounded on the 20th of that month, about half an
hour before his death. Evidence was given to the effect
that the testator was incompetent to make the will at the
time of making it, and the jury found accordingly. The
property will therefore go to the Crown.
STEALING A LETTER.— At the Dorchester Assizes, before
Mr. Justice Blackburn, James Burgess was indicted for
that he, being a clerk in the post office, did steal a letter
containing two half-sovereigns, at Dorchester, on the Bth
of August. It appeared that the prisoner had been aclerk
in the post office at Dorchester about five months ; he had
previously been in the Reading post office. Several
complaints having been made of letters being missed
at Dorchester, one of the travelling inspectors of the
Post Office, named Houson, was sent to Dorchester from
London to make an investigation He made up a test
letter, into which he put two half-sovereigns, which
he had previously marked. He addressed the en-
velope to Mrs. Morris, Liberty-place, Eastover, Bridg-
water. On the 7th of August he put that letter
into the Dorchester mail bag at Poole. That bag
would arrive at Dorchester about three o'clock in
the morning, and it would be the duty of the prisoner to
sort the letters in that bag, and put those addressed to
Bridgwater into the Bridgwater mail bag. This letter did
not arrive at Bridgwater. Mr. Houson then went to the
Dorchester, post office, and saw the prisoner, and found
from him that he had received the Poole bag and for-
warded the Bridgwater bag that morning. He said he
had not seen the letter in question. He was asked if he
had any objection to be searched. He said he had not,
and a policeman who was present then took from the
prisoner's pocket a sovereign, two half-sovereigns, and a
quantity of silver. The half-sovereigns bad on them the,
marks which Mr. Houson had placed upon them. The
prisoner was then taken into custody. For the defence it
was contended that the evidence was not sufficient to
justify the jury in finding the prisoner guilty. The jury
returned a verdict of guilty, and the prisoner was sen-
tenced to be kept in penal servitude for five years.
A STEPUOTITEIL—At the Worcester Assizes 'William
Packwood and Caroline Packwood were indicted or ne-
glecting to provide sufficient food and other necessaries for
Sarah Packwood and Herbert Packwood, aged respec-
tively nine and six years, children of the male prisoner,
and step-children of the female prisoner. The evidence
showed that the two children were found in the early
part of January last in a most emaciated and filthy
state ; that they were made to sleep on a wretched
bed, while the female prisoner kept her own children
sleeping on a feather bed; and that they were shamefully
ill-fed, although there was plenty of bread and pork in the
house, and a sack of wheat. The female prisoner had
untruly said that she had not more than half a loaf in the
house, and she tried to throw the blame on her husband.
It appeared, on the other hand, that the husband was a
farm labourer, who was always away at his work from 6
a.m. to 6 p.m. ; that there were, as before stated, sufficient
provisions in the house ; and that he had some little
time before complained to the police of his wife's im-
proper neglect of the children. At the close of the
case for the prosecution, Mr. Young submitted that there

was no case against the male prisoner, and his lordship,
being of the same opinion, directed an acquittal as far as
he was concerned. The jury found the female prisoner
guilty, and the Lord Chief Baron sentenced her to eight
months' imprisonment.

BETTING IN THE STREET.—At the Guildhall, two men
were fined, on Thursday, £5 each for betting in the streets.
Notice of appeal was given.

The Poor-law Board has confirmed the suspc--
mon of Dr. Rogers by the board of guardians of the Strand
Union, and called for his resignation.

THE HOSPITAL FOP WOMEN. —Her Royal High-
ness the Princess Christian lately paid a visit to the Hos-
pital for Women, Soho-square, to inquire after one of her
Royal Highness's servants, who is an inmate of that insti-
tution. Her Royal Highness visited some of the wards, and
expressed her gratification at the general arrangement of
the hospital and the appearance of comfort which the
wards presented.

At the Liverpool Coroner's Court, Mr. Clarke
Aspinall held an inquest upon the body of Bridget Miles,
14 months' old, daughter of a sailor now at sea. On the
4th ult. the mother of the child, while in a state of in-
sanity, threw it upon a fire at their house in Burnet-street.
The poor infant was fearfully burned, and died on Tuesday
last. The jury returned a verdict of wilful murder
against the mother, who was committed for trial by the
coroner.

WOODE,N RAILWAY BRIDGES. —The North-Eastern
Company have set resolutely about the replacement of the
whole of their numerous wooden viaducts with stone and
iron, and in some places with solid embankments. Up-
wards of £G7,000 lave been spent in this way during the
past five years, and it is estimated that the work yet to be
done will cost £1.10,000 more in the next six years. The

Hutton, Mahon, and Whitby viaducts have been com-
pleted, the Ripon is in progress, and the Norton is being
filled up. The Ouseburn viaduct will be next taken, after
which the remaining works of magnitude will be the Esk
Valley viaducts (two), and the Scotswood, Killington,
Cassop, and Bradbury viaducts. The whole of the wooden
1 ridges, however, cannot be finished till six'years hence,
and it is proposed to expend yearly a sum of abcut 220,000
until completion. These renewals arc done at the cost of
revenue.

MR. SPEKE AND THE " QUACKS."—The letter
published by the medical advisers of Mr. Speke to the
papers has already made known that his disappearance
was due to the pernicious influence upon his health and
mind of some " advertising quacks." We learn that Mr.
Speke has, in fact, been the sport of a hypochondriacal
delusion, due to the villanous arts which these scoundrels
practise, and which have brought many a man before to
the verge of insanity. The death of his elder brother threw
upon him the apparent duty of marriage. Under the in-
fluence of the mental distress and groundless fears which
these persons had instilled into his mind, he determined
to escape from all cognisance, and hence his plans for dis-
appearance. Mr. Speke is a calm-tempered man, of
exemplary life, simple in manner, and, as this distressing
incident shews, easily imposed upon. We venture to hope
that from this most distressing incident will be evolved one
permanent good— that the Home Secretary will be induced
to press forward the Medical Acts Amendment Bill, which
will rob those quacks of their power to assume raedical
titles. It has been lying in the Home Office tLree years ;
and Sir George Grey, Mr. Walpole, and Mr. Hard 3 have,
in turn, expressed a general approval cf mr.ia pro-
visions, but pressure of "public bus'ness " has prevented
the measure from being introdtwek.i
Medical Journal.

ALARMING ILLNESS OF THE MsHop OF WIN.
CHESTER.—The Right Rev. Dr. Sumner, Bishop of Win-
chester,:cpii,soeilolrpresidence,al si
e accompanied
hisg so dangerouslynf:
from
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rapr(acnrhhaala m Castle, his
sustained on Wednesday afternoon. His lordship had
of a court leet at which Mr. Sumner
lioceSe) to the F ynhscaiesdll (chancellor which
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elthee.
Farnham railway station, on the termina-
tionand returned to the castle apparently in good health and
spirits. About half-past two o'clock, however, he com-
plained of being slightly indisposed, and shortly after-
wards, immediately on taking his scat in the carriage at
the castle entrance, for the purpose of taking a drive to the
schools which lie had founded in the neighbourhood of
Aldershot, his lordship was seized with a paralytic fit, and
was removed into the study in a state of unconsciousness.
Dr. Sloman, of Farnham, was speedily in attendance, and
pronounced the case to be one of extreme danger, an
ip!nion which was confirmed by Dr. Gall, who arrived by
the first possible train from London. The several mem-
bers of his lordship's family were summoned by telegraph,
and arrived during the evening. His lordship was prayed
for at Farnham Church the same evening. His lordship
preached the sermon at the opening of St. John's
Church, Churt, on the previous day, and intended starting
on his ordination tour on Monday next, which would have
occupied a term of five or six weeks. The distinguished
prelate is upwards of 78 years of age, and very recently
completed the fortieth year of his consecration as Bishop
of Winchester, having also previously presided over the
see of Llandaff for eighteen months. In virtue of his office
the Bishop of Winchester is prelate of the Order of the
Garter. He is also provincial sub-dean of Canterbury,
visitor of New, Magdalen, Corpus, Trinity, and St. John's
Colleges, Oxford, and of the College of St. Mary, Will.
chester,