The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-19 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

BREACH OF PROMISE AND ASSAULT.—In the Bail Court
Caroline Hall, by her next friend, brought an action for
damages against a young man, named Ruthven, for breach
of promise to marry, and assault. As an objection was
made and sustained that the two counts could not be
joined, the counsel for the plaintiff elected to proceed
with the assault. The parties lived in Pimlico, and the
girl's father was a decorator, while the defendant was
a pastry-cook. The plaintiff in her evidence stated that
she had been acquainted with the defendant for a long
time. On the evening of Sunday, 29th September, she was
coming out of church in company with two young ladies
when she saw the defendant walking with a girl. After he
had passed witness he left the girl and came back. On
approaching witness he began singing " Not for Joseph."
(Laughter.) Witness asked what was the cause of his
aggravating her in that manner. He thereupon made use
of bad language, and struck her on the bosom with his
fist. He said he had got a proper girl now, and snapped
his fingers in witness's face. After that he followed and again
struck her. The defendant's version was that Miss Hall
threw her arms round his neck, and asked him to kiss her, if
only for the last time. He released himself from her
embrace and went away. The evidence was exceedingly
conflicting, and one point that told against the plaintiff
was that her mother wrote to the defendant a few days
after the alleged assault and upbraided him for his cruelty;
but in this missive not one word was mentioned of the
assault. The jury found for the defendant.
ACTION FOR LIBEL AGAINST A CHAIRMAN OF THE
BOARD OF GUARDIANS. —ln the Court of Exchequer
the case of Parker v. Prescott and others was heard.
This was an action of libel brought against the chairman
and vice-chairman, &c., of the Marylebone Board of
Guardians in respect of some proceedings of the guardians
which appeared in two newspapers, called respectively the
Marylebone Mercury and the Paddington Times. It
appeared that the plaintiff's daughter applied for relief at
the Union House, and had been received as an
inmate under circumstances which, when they were
mentioned to the board of guardians, called forth
some strong remarl q, and a summary of the remarks
appeared in the papers above mentioned, in the
course of which remarks each of the defendants had
expressed an opinion that the facts were of such a
character that the press ought to nttice them, and the
reporters were called as witnesses to speak to the expres-
sions used by each defendant. It was admitted that the
proceedings of the guardians were privileged, but it was
contended on the part of the plaintiff that the expressions
of the defendants rendered them responsible for the pub-
lication which afterwards appeared in the newspapers.
Mr. Baron Martin was of opinion that the defendants
were not responsible for the report, and directed a verdict
to be returned to that effect.

CHARGE AGAINST THE DEAN AND CHAPTER OF WEST
MINSTER ABBEY.-At the Westminster Police-court,
Messrs. Poole and Mason appeared to receive judgment
in a summons taken out by Mr. James Solly, the district
surveyor of St. Margaret's and St. John's, Westminster.
The defendants were really the Dean and Chapter of
Westminster Abbey. There were two summonses taken
out by the surveyor, complaining that the defendants,
respectively the builders engaged in doing certain work in
Westminbter Abbey, had neglected to give the complainant,
two days before such work was commenced, due notice in
writing, stating the situation, &c., of the building, &c.,
and the particulars of such proposed works, &c. These
summonses were taken out under the 38th and 41st sections
of the Metropolitan Building Act, which make it impera-
tive on a builder to give such a notice and impose a penalty
not exceeding £2O for neglecting to do so. The question
was, whether that building came within the operation of
the Metropolitan Building Act. The defendants contended
that the Abbey was, by the 6th section of the Act, exempt
from its operation, as being either one of her Majesty's
royal palaces or a building employed for her Majesty's
use or service. In a long and elaborate judgment, Mr.
Arnold was of opinion that the argument for the defence
did not justify Lim in dismissing the case; but, under the
circumstances, all that was required was a nominal fine,
which would be ls., and costs. Notice• of appeal was
given.

Rain is much wanted in the South of England
for almost everything but wheat. The crop of field peas
will totally fail for want of rain. The green aphis have
taken possession of and will destroy the crop, unless they
are soon washed away by copious showers.
THE SHOCKING CASE OF MATRICIDE IN -S.lisSEx.
—The evidence adduced at the coroner's inquest on the
body of Sarah Backshall, who had been murdered by her
son, substantially bore out the outline of the facts already
given in these columns. The jury found a verdict of wilful
murder against George Backshall, and he was committed
to Lewes prison, to await his trial at the Summer
Assizes.

THE ABYSSINIAN CAPTIVES. —A large crowd of
persons assembled in the Southampton Docks on Thursday
afternoon, when the mail steamer Massilia arrived, in the
expectation that the Abyssinian captives were on board.
The Massilia, however, left Alexandria before the captives
bad arrived there from Suez. It was conjectured that the
Egyptian quarantine regulations detained them at Suez,
and that they would leave Alexandria for England in a
Government transport, or in the steamer that will be due
at Southampton next week, with the heavy portion of the
Bombay mail.

ILLEGAL DnILLINa.—At the Capel-street (Dublin)
Police-court, Patrick Butterly, Edward Fitzpatrick, and
Francis Hatton were charged with being engaged with
others illegally drilling on the Glasnevin-road, between
ten and eleven o'clock on the night of the 17th June.
Police-sergeant Broderick, 5 D, deposed that he heard
military terms used: for instance, " Fall in—two deep—
single file—quick march." There were about fourteen
persons. He succeeded in arresting the prisoners, who
said it was only a joke. They were remanded in
custody.

The Journal des Dibats gives us some novel and
original anecdotes " sur Lord Stamford, le propri4taire de
Vale Royal." From one of them we learn that the late
lord, in leaving his son an immense fortune, imposed upon
him the condition that ho should every year invest
£lO,OOO sterling in the purchase of silver plate. When
the young lord had doubled and tripled his dinner and
toilette sets, he caused a magnificent staircase in solid
silver to be manufactured. At last, his powers of inven•
tion being exhausted, he sought the aid of the law, and by
the payment of £20,000 down he obtained a judicial re-
lease from the necessity of further compliance with the
onerous conditions of his legacy.

GREAT FIRE AT THE DERBY RAILWAY STATION.
—About half-past eight o'clock on Thursday night a most
destructive fire broke out in the extensive cheese ware-
houses adjoining the Derby railway station, and which
were occupied by Messrs. Smith, Cox, and Co., and Mr.
Edward Etches. It commenced in the top storey, which
is used by the Midland Company to store their lost lug-
gage. It spread with remarkable rapidity, and by eleven
o'clock the pile of buildings was completely gutted. The
telegraph was set to work, and the engines from Not-
tingham ani other towns arrived during the evening.
After the fire had raged for about three hours the flames
were subdued, but the loss is very great.

FUNERAL or Sin JAMES BROOKE, K. C. B. —The
mortal remains of Sir James Brooke, K.C.8., Rajah of
Sarawak, were interred on Wednesday in the churchyard
of the retired village of Sheepstor, Devon, in the spot
chosen by himself. His choice could not have fallen upon
a more beautiful and appropriate spot, and certainly that
secluded churchyard never before received • the remains
of a man better entitled to the veneration of his country.
men, or who will be more lamented now and honoured
hereafter. He was followed to the grave not only by
relatives and a numerous circle of friends from a distance,
but also by the entire population of the neighbourhood, all
vieing in the desire to show that respect ANitli which the
Rajah had inspired them. The operations of the hay
harvest were entirely suspended for the day. The service
was most impressively-performed by the Rev. W. Daykin,
assisted by Archdeacon Sinclair, who attended as the
representative of Miss Burdett Couttn, for many years an
attached friend of the Rajah. We have authority to
mention that the sovereignty of Sarawak has been given
by the late Rajah to his nephew, Mr. Charles Johnson
Brooke.— Wastern Morning 11ews.

• A NEW EXPLOSIVE AGENT.—Dynamite is the
name of a new explosive agent, consisting of porous silica,
saturated with nitro-glycerine, which is just now attracting
the attention of those who are interested in quarrying and
mining operations. A series of experiments which took
place the other day in Lanarkshire is said to have
proved that the force of exploding dynamite is about
three times greater than that of gun-cotton, or some
twelve times greater than that of gunpowder. A
co.tple of tablespoonfuls laid quite louse on a thick
beam proved sufficient, when fired, to break the
timber right across, and project one of the fragments
to a considerable distance. A charge of six pounds ex-
ploded in a horizontal bore brought down about 4,000
cubic feet of whinstone rock. In another experiment a
block of wrought-iron, measuring nine inches by eight,
was placed vertically in the ground, and a quantity of
dynamite, covered only with loose rubbish, exploded
on its upper surface. The result was to convert what had
been a convex surface into a concave one, the mass of
iron being at the same time split in several places.
Although dynamite contains 76 per. cent. of nitro-glyce-
rine, it is said to be as safe as gunpowder against exple
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Di=n by c 411014911.