The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-09 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONEON, THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 9, 1857,

ALTON TOWERS.

over, being made wit:lout the slightest notice whatever,
without being placed on the business paper, and when
no one had the least reason to suppose that the question
of the expenses of the war with Persia would be likely
to come on. (Hear, bear.) He begged to call the
attention of the Speaker to the circumstances under
which this motion had been made, and he submitted
that the proceeding had been in error ab initio. (Sir J.
Graham.—" Move that it be postponed.") Under all
the circumstances he should move that the debate be
adjourned. (Hear.)
IC%
aLnAceßilOorUoCf nhoecno.ufrsrieenid
the n
this matter which was not p
erfectly usual and regular.
HERE
REExcshaeiqdutehrabta tandisrkigenht
On presenting the estimates he had made a merely for-
mal motion, which it was neither customary nor neces-
sary to give any notice of. It was a motion which never
gave rise ' to any debate, and the only thing which had
been unusual in the present case was that on a merely
formal motion being made a debate had arisen.
Sir J. GRAHAM and Mr. BUCHANAN rose together ;
but there being general calls for the former Mr. Bucha-
nan gave way. The right hon. gentleman said that he
rose to speak to the point of order. The opinion of the
Speaker had been asked upon it by the right hon.
baronet the member for Droitwich, and he (Sir J. Gra-
ham) was about to suggest what he thought would have
li
made this proceeding perfectly regular on a Wednesday.
He agreed that it was unusual ou bringing up an esti-
mate and moving that it be referred to the committee of
supply that a debate should arise, and he suggested that
if the estimate had been presented at any period after a
quarter to 6 o'clock the proceeding would have been per
tectly regular. No debate, according to the rules of the
house, could then have arisen. The motion would have
been taken ae a motion of course, and the irregularity
into which they had now fallen would have been avoided.
But certainly it was open, he imagined, to any member
to raise a debate on the motion to refer so large an esti-
mate of expenditure to the committee of supply, pre-
sented under circumstances so unusual as those on
which comment had been made by the honourable and
learned member for Sheffield. Ho did, not think there-
fore that the Government could be surprised if a debate
should arise under such circumstances, and it ap-
peared to him to be almost challenging discussion to pre-
sent the estimate at a time when it was open to debate.
Under the present circuumstances, he thought that the
proper course would ba to agree to the motion of the
right hon. member for Droitwich, in order that the
house might proceed with the orders of the day.
(" Hear," and cries of " chair.")
Sir G. GREY said that his right hon. friend who had
just sat down had implied that the course which had
been taken by the Chancellor of the Exchequer was un-
usual. Now, he (Sir G. Grey) believed it to be the
universal practice of every Chancellor of the Exchequer,
before the house proceeded to the ordinary business of
the day, to present the estimates which were intended to
be considered afterwards in the committee of supply.
Tae time for doing that was not, he contended, a late
hour of the evening, or just before the adjournment of
the house ; but the period selected was always before
the house proceeded to the public business of the day.
They had now been discussing for two hours a private
bill, which took precedence of all the otherebusiness, and
immediately that discussion ended his right hou. friend
presented the estimates, He believed that the course
which had been taken was perfectly in accordance with
precedent, both winh respect to presenting the estimates
and moving that they be referred to the Committee of
Supply, because' unless they were so referred the com-
mittee could take no cognisance of them. [Sir James
Graham—" On a Wednesday t") Yes ' • on any day.
During the 25 years that he had been in Parliament be
never remembered a discussion taking place upon the
presentation of an estimate, and upon the making of the
necessary motion to give the committee of supply cog-
nisance of that estimate. (Hear, hear.)
Toe CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that he had intended to present these estimates on the
previous evening, and that he hsd brought them dowu to
the house for that purpose, at the usual time, intending
to lay them on the table before the hu,iness commenced.
He mentioned his intention at the time to the Speaker,
and went down to the bar, expecting that he should be
called. The Speaker, however, did not see hire, and
therefore his name was not called, otherwise the esti-
mates would have been presented then. He might add
that he was not aware of any reason why the estimates
should not be presented on a Wednesday as well as on
any other day.
The SPEAKER said that the right hon. gentleman
(the Chancellor of the Exchequer) intimated his inten
don t i present these estimates yesterday, but not seeing
bins at the bar of the house before the commencement of
public business yesterday he omitted to call the name of
the right hon. gentleman.. He believed it bad been the
universal practice, when a Minister appeared at the bar
with an estimate, that on his name being called by the
Speaker he should be permit•ed to present the estimate
to the house ; and the motion that the estimate be re- '
(erred to a committee of supply had been considered as
a motion of course. Therefore he himself suould have
considered that what was new, if not irregular, on the
present occasion rather was that a motion so-generally
received as a motion of course should have been turned
into a motion creating a debate. It was for the house to
decide whether there was anything in this proceeding
which interfered with the regular course of the business,
but nothing struck him as being irregular in the motion
made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Mr. BUCHANAN proceeded, amid cries of " Order !”
to call attention to the commercial inconvenience arising
from constant alterations of the dates when certain duties
on tea were to take effect.
' Sir F. BARING rose to order. The Speaker had
already pronounced his opinion on one point of order,
hut a discussion on a notice of motion given by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer with respect to the tea
duties would be even more irregular than the conversa-
tion which had just taken place.
Sir G. GREY trusted that the motion for the ad-
journment of the debate would not now be pressed.
iir J. GRAHAM thought the motion for the ad-
j.mrnment might be withdrawn, after what had fallen
from the Speaker and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The motion for the adjournment of the debate was
then withdrawn, and the proposed estimates were refer-
red to a committee of supply.
BURIALS BILLS,
The order for the second reading of the Burials Bills
was read and discharged.
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS.
The house went into committee on this bill.
Clauses 1 to 8, inclusive, were agreed to after some
amendments.
Ott clause 9,
Mr. BOWYER moved the following addition .—Pro-
vided, however, that the regulations of every such In-
dustrial School shall provide that a book shall be kept
by the managers, in which the religious denomination or
church to which every child admitted to such school,
or the parents or the father of such child, shall belong,
shall be entered ; and that every minister or clergyman
officiating in any chapel or other place of worship duly
licensed according to law in the parish within which
such Industrial School shall be situated, shall have free
access to such book, and also to every child who shall
appear by such book to belong to the religious denomi-
nation of church of which such minister is a teacher.
Mr. ADDERLEY objected to the motion from a be-
lief that it would prevent the free action of the bill. He
denied that there was any desire t ) proselytise, and
thought the Most effectual way to prevent it was by the
members of the Roman Catholic persuasion establishing
similar institutions.
A. discussion ensued, in which Mr. Gregory, Mr.
Newdegate, Sir G. Grey, and Mr. B swyer took part,
the amendment was withdrawn, and the clause agreed to.
Game 10 to 12 inclusive were agreed to.
Oa clause 13,
Mr. B A.RROW moved that the period at which the
children should be kept at school should be altered from
15 years of acre to 12.
Sir J. PAKINGTON supported the clause.
After a discussion in whice Sir G. Grey, Mr. Liddel,
Viscount Goderich, Sir W. Heathcote, Lord E irington,
Mr. Akroyd, Mr. Kendall, Lord Ingestre, Mr. Barrow,
Mr. Adderley, Mr, Ridley, Mr. Spooner, and other
hon. membere,
The committee divided—the numbers were—
For the amendment
Against it
Maj ,rity —llO
The clause was then agreed to. ,
On clause 14,
Mr. BARROW moved an amendment, that the com-
pulsory contributon of parents towards the maintenance
of their children should cease at the age of 12 years, in-
stead of 15 as fixed by the bill.
After some discussion the committee divided.
The numbers were—
For the amendment
Against it . 161
Majot ity --83

The clauße was uh iinattly agreed to with amendments,
Clauses 15 to 17 inclusive were agreed to.
The remaining clauses of the bill were ultimately
agreed to.
On the motion of Mr. ADDERLEY, clauses were
added to the bill enacting that children taken into custody
for vagrancy might he sent to school while enquiries
were made, and that justices might make a parent re-
sponsible for the behaviour of bis child.
Mr. COBBETT said he objected to the bill altogether,
and on the third reading he shouid move its rejection.
The
bill passed through committee, and the house re-
sumed.

OXFORD (CITY) ELECTION.
The committee appointed to inquire into the return of
Mr. Neate, the Bitting member for Oxford (City),
declared the election void on account of bribery.
193 voters were employedand paid money, 152 of elm
voted for Mr. Neate.

MAIDSTONE ELECTION.
The commissioners appointed to inquire into the
return of the sitting members for Maidstone,
Mr. Beresford Hope, and Captain Scott, declared them
duly elected

The other orders were displsed of, and the house ad•
juurned at a few minutes before six o'clock.

r [ADVERTISEMENII—HoIIoway's Ointment and Pills
—A wide-spread popularity most deservedly testifies to
the excellence of these Remedies. Emma Stephens,
wife of Samuel Stephens, boot-maker, of New-street
Fulgate•street, Whitechapel, thus writes to Professor
Holloway "I was fora very long time afflicted with
Fcor butic and scabby eruptions over my face, chest, and
legs. Medical men failed to relieve me; when, at last,
by the 'aid of-your Ointment and Pills,' I was marvel-
lously cured, and feel much pleasure in calling the atten-
tion of the public to their virtues."—Sold by all medi-
cine venders throughout the world ; at Professor Hol-
loway's Establishments, 244, Strand, London, and 80,
Maiden-lane, New York ; by A. Stamp, Constanti•
nople ; A, Guidicy, Smyrna ; and E, Muir, Malta.

" The magnificent contents of Alton Towers, the
princely seat of the Earl of Shrewsbury, which, by
order of &c., dec., &c., will be sold by auction, by
Messrs. Christie and Manson." So runs the grand-
i'oquent advertisement which announces that one
of the noblest families in the English peerage is ex-
tinct, its effects for sale, and the manor over which
the premier earls of England have held right and
jurisdiction since the days of Henry 11. is about to
pass into the keeping of strangers. Rustics, holy-
day seekers from the manufacturing districts, coun-
try gentlemen, and agents from London jostle and
crowd about the grand saloons and galleries. Some
examine the various lots, note their numbers, and
speculate upon their prices ; others wonder at the
splendour around, or regale furtively upon the con-
tents of heavy baskets which they lug about the pa-
lace, while Ruth and Giles, who till then never sat
on anything softer than a dairy stool or five-barred
gate recline with easy luxury upon the couches
in the music room. No place is shut against the
curious, or closed to the depreciating eyes of would
be purchasers. The late earl's bedroom—plain,
quiet, and unostentatious amid the general magni-
ficence—is still crowded as forming an important
portion of the show. Even the noble cha-
pel, with its high vaulted roof and stained glass
windows, which seem to hush the very daylight
into a mournful silence, resoundslwith loud talking
and the tread of feet as visitors pour in and out.
ach flour. High towers and chambers, the Dona
apartments and suite of Arragon saloons, conserva-
tories, galleries, and corridors, all, from roof to
basement, are thrown open to the public and be-
come as thoroughfares, for the "magnificent con-
tents of Alton Towers are on view."
The history of Alton Towers, which in a few
weeks will be closed, may be soon told. Forty years
ago the site was one of the wildest and most
desolate of moorland hills in North Stafford-
shire. The approaches to it were bad and difficult
in summer, and in winter there was no approaching
it at all The land was poor, almost destitute of wood
and w`feat er, and a large farm-house, called Alton-
lodge, in the centre of au extensive rabbit warren,
occupied the spot in which the far-famed seat now
rears its lofty towers. The country mansion of the
Earls of Shrewsbury was at that time Heythorp
Castle, in Oxfordshire, a grand old feudal residence,
which with the whole of its contents was unfortu-
nately a few years back destroyed by fire. Their
estates in Staffordshire were seldom visited by tee
successive Earls, who on the rare occasions when
they did inspect them limited their sojourn to a
few days only, and hastened back to forget the dis-
comforts of the visit in the luxury of Heythorp or
Grafton-hall. In truth, they had some reason to
avoid the place, for beyond the lonely farmhouse
we have mentioned and Alton Castle—a mutilated
stone remnant of the feudal times, which had been
filially battered down and blown up by Cromwell—
no decent house was within miles of the neighbour-
hood. It was not till 1812 that Charl es, the 15th Earl,
who keenly appreciated the beauties of nature,
visited Alton-lodge, and, struck with the rough
grandeur of the scenery around, and the unrivalled
facilities it would offer to a man of taste, deter-
mined to erect a villa there. When he commenced
his design, in 1814, his plan was only to improve
and beautify the farmhouse then existing, but the
natural capabilities of the place gradually led to an
extension of his views, and after going to some ex-
pense he at length decided to rear an edifice worthy
of his rank and great possessions. To this object
he devoted himself exclusively, and, as a Roman
Catholic could not then take part in the political
movements of the day, he was enabled to pursue
his darling object undisturbed by the demands of
party warfare. He obtained an inclosure act, and
planted and enclosed the hills and commons round
the edifice, formed a deer park, and planned the
gardens, which for rich and „picturesque beauty
leave Chatsworth or Trentham far behind. He was
still labouring at the works at the time of his death
in 1827, when he left the perfecting and completing
of his great plan to John, the 16th Earl. He fol-
lowed in the footsteps of his predecessor, and even
added to and improved on his designs. Under his
care Alton Towers was finished almost as it stands
at present—one of the most picturesque mansions
in England.
Alton Towers is situated on a lofty eminence in
the valley of the Churnet, one of the steep com-
manding hills which form the base of Derbyshire
Peak. The house overlooks a narrow and very
steep ravine, which stretches southward for about
a mile and a half, terminating in a wild, dark-look-
ing gorge, like one of the mountain outlets in South
Wale.. The approach to the Towers winds from the
railway station at Alton up the steep ascent, which
is so thickly wooded as almost to exclude the light
and give a sombre, melancholy aspect to the scene.
The house stands on the very edge of the ravine,
down either side of which are the terraced gardens,
tier below tier, till the bottommost parterres
are almost undistinguishable save for their bril-
liant colours. The Towers themselves form
a noble Gothic pile, vast as a little town,
with a whole crowd of turrets and pinnacles
stretching high into the air, and visible for miles
around. There is a wild and picturesque irregu-
larity about the structure which gives it an appear-
ance of antiquity far beyond its real age. The prin-
cipal entrance is, under a massive square tower of
the Gothic type, the broad steps up which are
flanked with the armorial bearings of the family,
the tyke or talbot rampant. Over the high Norman
doorway the emblazonments of the still older fami-
lies from which the Talbots spring are deeply cut
in stone, the shields of the Furnivalls and De Ver-
dons, whose names are foremost in the Doomsday
Book, with the martlet of the great house of Ne-
ville, whose last heir, Warwick the King-maker, fell
at the field of Barnet. The entrance-hall is an apart-
ment as large as a modern mansion, and nearly
60 feet in height. Hung round with weapons, stags'
heads, and hunting trophies, it gives the visitor a
good idea of the noble suite of apartments which
are to follow, and can be seen from the door, for
communicating with the hall is the armoury, and
joined to that again is the picture gallery, forming
one magnificent vista nearly 500 feet in length, and
lofty in proportion. The armoury is a splendid
chamber, with a vaulted roof of carved and polished
oak, and with every minor fitting, even to the doors
and door locks, in keeping with its severe and mas-
sive style of decoration. It is adorned with a collec-
tion of antique weapons and armour, second in ex-
tent, rarity, and value only to those of Meyrick
and the Tower of London. Twenty-four figures,
sheathed from head to foot in complete mail, stand
in niches on each side of the hall, and look so for-
midably grim and silent, that one can fancy venge-
ful e es are watching from behind the barred vizors,
and though of course not frightened, would vrefer
not being left alone with them. Some of these suits
are most antique and valuable, complete in all the
technicalities of pouldrons, gussets, lobster toppets,
cuisses, jambs, and sollat ets. The rest of the hall is
filled with dismembered portions of cap-a-pie
suits, rich to look at and uncomfortable to wear,
with halberds, maces, half-pikes, bills, wheel-guns,
and double axes, ail presenting the same general
bloodthirsty features, and expressly constructed to
gash and maim on the smallest provocation.
A fine old screen of pikes and partisans divides
the armoury from the picture gallery, a spacious
building 120 feet long and 30 feet high. It is lit
{limn the roof, and all its decorations are rich and
beautiful, harmonising well with the fine paintings,
mosaics. and sculpture which adorn its entire length.
Here are examples from the Roman, Tuscan, Ve-
netian, Florentine, and Dutch schools of Art ; pic-
tures by Raffaele, Domenichino, Titian,Raffaellino,
and Veronese ; designs by Michael Angelo, and
statues by Canova ; in all 700 paintings hang in
the galleries of Alton Towers. Of this large num-
ber the fame and history of about sixty are chroni-
cled in every work on art ; the others are mixed
works, such as one expects to meet in so large
and well-known a gallery. There are some remark-
ably fine specimens by Rubens, Wouvermans,
and Cuyp among them. The greater part of these
paintings were purchased by the Shrewsbury family
in one lot, from the collection of Madame la Mere,
Bonaparte's mother. Here also is the most cele-
brated Roman Mosaic table in the kingdom, on
which the exotic birds and plants seem like pen-
cilled drawings. At the end of the gallery is a mage
niticent statue of Raffaelle by Ceccarini, a crowd
of busts by Canova, a superb candelabrum of varie-
gated marble nine feet high, and a copy of the great
Warwick vase in statuary marble, of the same size
as the renowned original.
The picture gallery opens into the octagon chain-
cer, a copy of the Chapter-house at Salisbury. Ono
noble column supports the groined roof, over which
its enriched capitals radiate in all directions. By
the side of the column is a representation of the
tomb of the first earl—old John Talbot—Shak-
speare's favourite hero, with his mailed feet resting
on a couchant hound, and his stony gaze fixed hard
and stern upon the intrusive crowd assembled to
haggle over the effects of his last descendant. From
this the visitor turns to the tribune of the Talbot
gallery, then to the Talbot gallery itself; then to
the Talbot corridor, which leads to the State bed
and dressing rooms, the library (two spacious
chambers), the ante-library, the poet's bay, small
dining-room, drawing-room, music-room, and so on
from room to room till the visitor is bewildered
amid countless chambers, all of which are furnished
in a style to extort both admiration and wonder.
It is useless to attempt describing how the rooms
are situated, or even all the rooms in the place.
We have the suite of Doria, rooms, the Arragon
rooms, the chintz rooms, the red bedrooms, the yel-
low bedrooms, the plate-glass rooms, the south
rooms, the fleur-de-lis rooms east and west, the
SUIVOX and biliiard rooms, the upper -sea bedrooms,

and so on till you wonder what on earth they were
all built for, and under what possible combination
of circumstances (unless the whole county were on-
tertainel), could they all be used.
The State bedrooms deserve especial notice ; their
fittings are so gorgeous and Magnificent as literally
almost to dazzle the eyes. The ga eate-t efforts, of
course, are concentrated upon the bedstead and ap-
pendages. The former is a very temple of Morpheus,
and we should almost fear to say the exact amount
of sleeping surface it contains, though it would cer-
tainly accommodate a whole Royal family with ease.
Like Thackeray's bed of the Marquis of Carrabas, a
murder might be done at one end, and those sleep-
ing at the other know nothing about it. The bed-
stead is adorned with towers and battlements,
spires, domes, and turrets, all carved in oak and
richly gilt, so as to make the whole affair, in fact,
resemble a sleeping Alton Towers, but in which one
could not sleep, and would not like to try for all the
world. The hangings and coverlid of the bed are
silk damask, elaborately embroidered with flowers
and gold tracery. The library and ante-library are fit-
ted up with massive and rather sombredecorations in
black oak, with short moral sentences in illuminated
letters over each bookcase. The music and drawing-
rooms aredecorated wrthraremagnificence. Mirrors,
mosaic tablets, buhl cabinets, Sevres vases, old
Dresden chandeliers, and massive candelabra, with
gilt couches and chairs covered with embroi-
dered Utrecht velvet, make those saloons the very
types of profuse luxury. These ceilings are carved
oak with ornaments in blue and gold, and the arms
and cypher of the family upon the panels. The
suites of Arragon and Doria rooms are, however,
the most tasteul in ornament, and command the
most picturesque views of any in the building.
From the drawing-room of the latter suite an al-
most unequalled prospeot is gained over the series
of terraced gardens, fountains, roseries, alcoves,
and temples which lie beneath in shady nooks and
corners of the deep ravines around the mansion.
From the vicinity of the music-room a grand con-
servatory, every groined arch in the roof of which
is draped with flowering creepers and rich exotics,
leads out into the private gardens, filling the large
square space enclosed by the buildings. These are
beautifully laid out in the Italian style, and so as
to bring the parterres up to the windows of all the
chief groundfloor apartments. The family cypher
is executed here on a large scale in shrubs and
flowering plants. Attached to this are the ro-
series, a series of paths walled and closed in above
with a trellis-work, and over which aretrained every
known variety of the rose tree. The perfume which
they shed through these secluded walks is almost
ovniprivate
dterrace
hnel e amt clh
asenfsrioomn
. summitthTe
The
these
there dr:earl:
itevori aich ft
view from this extensive range of grounds and gar-
dens beneath is one of the most beautiful and pic-
turesque that can possibly be conceived. At the
doors of the turrets along the walks, in question-
able taste, lay figures in complete armour, seem to
keep watch and ward, so that but for the peaceful-
ness of the scene the visitor might well imagine the
first grim iron age of violence and rapine had re-
turned again.
No merely verbal description will convey an ade-
quate idea of the rare beautyof the pleasure grounds.
Though the ground they cover is little more than
50 acres in extent, yet the paths through them are
so winding and so diversified as to appear almost
- endless. Both sides of the steep ravine down which
they extend are divided into a series of terraces,
each of which is named and distinguished for some
surpassing natural or architectural beauty. Grot-
toes, fountains, temples, rockeries, statues, refuges,
conservatories, and pagodas are disclosed by every
inding path, or stand out boldly on little emi-
nences overlooking the deep ravine. The conserva-
tories are a noble range of buildings ornamented in
front with massive columns, and surmounted by
seven large gilded domes, which seem from the op-
posite side of the ravine to impart to the whole
structure the appearance of an eastern mosque or
palace. Above the terrace on which this stands is
another row of conservatories, almost of the same
size, with a oorticcs in the centre and two large
gilded domes at either end. Amid the parterres in
front of the great conservatory is erected a fac simile
copy, in marble, of the Choragic monumentof Lysi-
crates at Athens, containing a bust of Earl Charles,
with the appropriate motto, "He made the desert
smile." Above the upper conservatory is a terrace
decorated with double rows of marble statues and
vases,and above this again is a terrace for the reser-
voirs filled withaquatic plants, and on the uppermost
plateau of all a large imitation of Stonehenge has
been erected. Lower down the ravine is the great
screw fountain, the path from which leads up to
the Gothic temple—a handsome solid structure,
from the summit of which is the finest view over
the grounds and towers beyond. Golden gates lead
from the gardens into the rock walk, which, wind-
ing for more than a mile, terminates at a rough
mass of stone called Ina's rock, in memory of the
great battle fought on the spot between the Kings
of Mercia and Wessex, Coelred and Ina. In the
gorge of the ravine is a tall Chinese pagoda, which
has been convettel into a fountain, and pours into
the air all day a lofty spire of water.
Such is a cursory mention of the principal ob-
jects iu the gardens, which have been described by
Loudon "as the finest combination of garden
building with garden scenery anywhere existing in
Europe." For some years past they have been con-
sidered as public grounds to all the surrounding
cts ded thmselves o
neighbourhood, and thousands of visitors from the
manufacturing distri
the privilege :during the summerailyavail . No tick
ets wenf
required, and every one went in or out as he liked.
With a most unusual amount of consideration for
the visitors, the predecessor of the late earl allowed
mansionand t
a house for the sale of refreshments to be built in a
secluded part of the grounds, where refreshments
moderate fixed rate. Gradually the
are sold at a
thrown open—at first ou ticket=,
all who came—and though hun-
dreds daily wandered through its beautiful saloons,
a shilling's worth of loss or damage was never sus-
tained.
henitfsreeleflywta:,
The Duke of Norfolk, who at present holds the
property in trust for his second son, has with much
kindness determined to keep up the gardens (though
at a cost of 2,0001. a-year) for the benefit of the
public in the neighbourhood, who from long right
of use consider them almost as their own.
The sale co
annenced on Monday, and will con-
tinue for the next five weeks, when Alton Towers
will be stripped and desolate and closed for many
year to come On Tue-day a portrait of Philip IV.
s.
by Valasquez was sold for 123 guineas, and a cattle
piece by Cuyp for 565 guineas. When the litiga-
tion which is about to ensue respecting the real
ownership of the estates will terminate is not, how-
ever, quite so certain. The lawyers, we imagine,
will prove the real heirs to the property, and, pro-
bably, after it has been involved for years in the
meshes of Chancerh and exhausted by the constant
drain of retainers, refreshers, and reminders, and
all the lucrative devices employed to keep counsel
constant, the despairing litigants may compromise,
and sell the encumbered property to the sons of
some lad who is now sweeping out master's
warehouse in Cheapside, or arranging spools in a
cotton mill at Manchester. Thus, then, may the
hospitalities of Alton be revived hereafter, under
the auspices of a Viscount Cripplegate or a Baron
Stockport. But Alton Towers just now is no
place in which to indulge in such reflections.
The visitor must rouse, and make way for
the bustling smployds of Messrs. Christie
and Manson. Let them' arrange the couches on
which Royalty has reclined in a manner likely to
attract the bidders, an'i ticket the banners which
have been borne by the Earls of Shrewsbury in the
heat of battle, or waved at the coronation of our
kings. Let them place in the best light the massive
armour of the renowned John Talbot, the suit in
which he. fought his way through France by the
side of the stout John Folstaffe, in which he en-
countered Joan of Arc, and died full knightly under
the walls of
s Poictiers. It is a mere suit of armour
now, and the political associations of an extinct
line go for nought, for the last heir male of the
Shrewsburies has been la'cl at rest for ever, and the
" magnificent effects" of Alton Towers are for sale.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.—HERTFORD, JULY 8.
The commission for the county of Herts was
opened on Tuesflay by Mr. Justice Willes, and
business was proceeded with this morning in the
Crown Court. The gaol calendar is nut heavy.
The civil business will not commence until this
(Thursday) morning, at ten o'clock. very few causes
are entered rip to this time, and it is expected that
the cause list will be a light one.

SOUTH WALES CIRCUIT—CARDIFF, July 7.
(Before Mr. Justice Crowder.)
MURDER.
John Lewis, aged 40, a skinner by trade, stood
charged on the coroner's warrant with the wilful
murder of his wife, Gwenllian Lewis, at Merthyr.
Mr. Giffard and Mr. Rees prosecuted, and Mr.
T. Allen defended the prisoner.
The prisoner and deceased took care of the offices
of Mr. Morgan, a solicitor, and lived on the pre-
mises. Mr. Morgan resided in the adjoining house.
On the 14th of January of the present year Mr.
Morgan returned to his office, and on finding his
summons to the housekeeper unan§wered, he went
down stairs in the dark and thus became acquainted
with the awful catastrophe that had happened.
From the medical testimony it seemed that the per-
son of the murdered woman was frightfully mangled.
On the prisoner being questioned as to the cause of
his wife death, he replied—" I don't know, indeed
I was obliged to burst open the back dJor." The
evidence was entirely circumstantial, and the cp;ei-
tion was whether the deceased met her de tth by
any act of her own, or whether it was produced by
the violence of the prisoner.
The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a
verdict of guilty of wilful murder.
His Lordship, having put on the black cap, pro-
ceeded to pass the last sentence of the law. He
said—After a patient and most anxious investiga-
tion you have been found guilty of the heinous
crime of the murder of one whom you were bound
to cherish and protect by every tie, both human
and divine. To gain a little money to gratify the
lust of intoxication, you have been seduced into
the commission of a brutal murder. Although you
hurled your wife into eternity without a moment's
consid ration here, we will do more for you and
afford you some delay to appease an offended Maker.
The sentence is that you be taken to the place
whence you came, and thence to the place of exe-
cution, and then that you be hanged till you
are dead, and that your body be buried within
tho precincts of the gaol, and may the Lord have
mercy on your soul !
The court was much crowded during the trial.
The wretched man preserved a calm demeanour
throughout, and appeared resigned to his fate.

A WESTMINSTER CoLLOQUY.—"TaIk of the murrain
upon COWS !" - -----
finest milk-
man ; "blest if I don't lay all that 'ere murrain upon A
-c
Sir Benjamin 'All." " Why I" was the mild interroga-
tory. exclaimed an intelligent Broadway milk-
" 'm
has bin and gone and ruined one of the
strongest claims
imbecile rejoinder. " Why, bless my 'eart, 'aven't he
bin and gone and
walks in Westminster." " How I" was the
dried all p
[AnvEarisxmxxr.l—lt Nue:l,7er a-umps ?—Punch,.
pleasing duty of a journalist
to introduce to his reader's some new discovery calculated to
benefit that vast portion of our fellow-creatures which has the
that we call the attention of invalids to the following extracts
from Du Barry's interesting report of cures without medicine
ting of blood, liver derangement, deafness,
of Indigestion (Dyspepsia) Flatulency, Constripation, Nervous,
upon our sympathies. It is with this feeling
Bilious, and Liver Complaints, Cough, Asthma, Consumption,
and Debility, by Du,Barr 's itevalenta Arabica Food :—Cure
No. 52,422.—BridgehouseY Frimley, 3d April, 1854.-1 have
suffered theso 33 years continually from diseased lungs, spit-
during singing in the cars,
constipation, debility, shortness of breath and cough, and
ed of attaining.
say I have Laid out upwards of a thousand pounds at the
that Period taken so much medicine that I can safely
chemists and doctors. Indeed I was in utter despair and
never expected to get over it, when I was fortunate enough to
become acquainted with you Revalenta Arabica, which, Heaven
be praised, restored me to a state of health I long since despair-
all right,
Dr. Campbell
my hearing perfect, and my recovery is a marvel to
all my acquaintances. —T
---,,MIES ROBERTS, Wood Merchant.—
bupportedMy lungs, liver, stomach, head, and cars are
by testimonials from the celebrated Professors of
Chemistry, Dr. Andrew lgre ; Dr. Shorland ; Dr. Harvey ;
; Dr. Gattiker ; Dr. Wurzer ; Dr. Ingram ;
Lord Stuart de Decies ; the Dowager Countess of Castle-
Stuart; Major-Gen. Thomas King, and many other respectable
persons, whose health has been restored by it, after all other
means of cure had failed. For further particulars r3spact-
ing this invaluable food our readers aro referred toDu Barry's
advertisement in another part 9f this paper.

Mr. Combe—Did you see anything in Salvi's 1 and tribunals, and perfect publicity in the affairs of
hand ? Government.
Witne:.—No, sir. T•te Tort ,n try.o,, oo the 'cos-den of the Id;e abor-
Mr. Comhe—Did en Lear Salvi ;_py anything tive f,tt,.--op- J insurre-it.i.itt, a; .;e: it. to :i:-. z.-...1eu,1y
when he was heat'ng hint '? per'ot.,7'ed Lie.. dut::. But we are n t ~, eetielin'e, from
the energy with whic'i a mad IZe.!.,ubli,etn or Cosniniudst
Witness— es, sir. He said, '' You ray that t— the
was put do, en, that the people of Tuscany
you say that !" very may.b. excited, and he was
are not ty.scoritented. they are deeply &sec nt nteed, and if
striking him rapidly. I then saw blood flowing
front Mr. Robertson's cheek. While Sd.vi was the intelligent
Lucca and
andit proprietors of Prato. and of
j ,nr
i,
ei.v.,,,tf
the
pi,e,
el, aheakss
for
rf
its
she Serch
hi 0., t findt
striking Mr. Robertson he slipped off the chair on that 'title'
to the floor, and called out "I am murdered I" I obtain from the Grand Dull% a concordat mainsuch ohasje beenc
th,n saw the blood rushing down his face. agreed to at Naples and Vienna, by which the old liber-• -
Mr. Combe—Did you then observe any knife ? ties and Leopoldine laws are to be abrogated for the
Witness—No, sir. benefit of the encroachine Church, their deep discontent
Mr. Co tube—Does any one in court know whether may as,urne a sturdier form.
Salvi ever had this knife in his possession ? The wisdom and the feresight of the note addressed to
Mr. Collwell—Th€re is not, sir ; but Salvi the congress of Paris on the 271 h March, 1856, by the
acknowledged that he did it. Pienipot-ntaries, Cavour and Villa.inarina, now plainly
Mr. Combo—ls there any further evidence appear. They stated in that note that the Italian Penin-
against Gower ?
sula was a volcano, and suggested measures recom-
mended
Britishedauarterof a certu
tiryaige x
oby the First Minister
Mr. Coll w ell—Wh en. I went into Mr. Robertson's of n of Naples, the
room hesaid to me. "Take Mr. Gower into custody, Pope, and Crown.
the Grand ButiDuke of Tuscanyg
have not listened
as he instigated Salvi to murder me." I went after to or followed the advice of the wist-st of our statesmen,
him, and told him he must go with me and Salvi though repeatedly and urgently pressed on them.
before a magistrate and have the matter settled. Whil,t, therefore, we reprobate in the strongest manner
He said, " Oh, my God, I am innocent." the projects of hot-headed and unthinking men who fly
Mr. Combo—l think there is quite sufficient evi- recklessly to arms, deluging Italy with blood, and draw-
dence for me to detain both the prisoners for fur- ing down calamities on their countrymen, on the other
hand, we cin have no sympathies with, or pity for,
ther examination. T shall therefore remand them
until to-morrow. those worst revolutionists of another kind, who, high
Mr. Gower, who seemed much excited and over-
placed on authority, resist and rejeot all improvement,
whoobsoletehuman r
s andclingtoh
e antiquated
atun in i prejudicesthe n
andrr e n tto of
tom-, hoped his worship would accept bail. He was
respectable tradesman, and could obtain bail to any
improve, who,
' "damming
just ° upreforms till the irresistible
amount. He begged of his worship not to send pressure of accumulated discontent breaks down all bar-
him to prison, on account of his family. tiers and levels institutions which renovating means
Mr. Combe—lt is a very serious charge. The might have rendered strong and lasting.
prosecutor may die from the wounds inflicted on
him ; therefore I cannot accept bail for either or

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

you.
Both prisoners were then conveyed to Horsemon•
ger lane Gaol in the prison van.

GREENWICEL—Thomas Perry, driver, Ed-
ward Whitten, fireman, and John Griffith, signal-
man at the Blacklit:a'h station, were brought up for
re-examination charged with neglect of duty and
cawing the deaths of 11 persons at the late acci-
dent on the North Kent Railway.
The evidence against Griffiths was first taken,
and the other prisoners were removed from the
dock.
The station-masters at Blackheath and Lewisham
having been examined,
Mr. Traill said he should commit the prisoner
for trial, but as the coroner's inquest was not
closed he should remand him until Thursday week.
Perry and Whiffen were then placed in the dock,
and, after the hearing of further evidence, com-
mit!ed for trial on the charge of manslaughter, the
inagiarate stating that they also would be again
brought up for formal evidence as to the deaths
which had occurred. Mr. Trail also stated that
any observations he had to make upon particular
point; in the case would be embodied in a letter to
the directors of the railway, and that a transcript
would be forwarded to the Board of Trade.

LANCASTER RACES-WEDNESDAY.

Members' Plate (Handicap). One mile and a distince.
Odd Trick
De Ginkel
Prince of Orange
Ouly these three ran. Won cleverly.
Lancaster Cup (Handicap). One mile and a•half.
King if the G pies
General ,•
illy-se•s
Hamlet
Four ran. Won easy.
Borough Plate (Handicap). One mile.

Jane
Cora Lynne
Ulysses
Only these three ran

... 3

NEWMARKET JULY MEETING--WzmaspAt.
The Midsummer Stakes of 50 sous each, h ft, for 3-yr-
olds ; colts, Bst 71b; fillies, Bst 31b. Certain penalties
and alio ,ances. B M. (7 fur. 196 yds.) 8 subs.
Mr. Medley's Comquot, by Sweetmeat, Bst 31b (3.
Goater), walked over. _ _

HandiCap Plate of 50 sous, for 3-yr-olds and upwards.
Chesterfield Stakes Course. (3 fur. 212 yds.)
Mr. Evan's Sorceress, 3 yrs, fist 131 b (Plumb) 1
Mr. Boyce's colt by St. Lawrence—Azimuth, 3 yrs,
lit 7tb (D. Hughes) 2
Sir W. Booth's Beatrice, 3 yrs, Est 21b (Alderoft) 3
The following also ran :—lndulgence, Sneer, g. Duke
of Lancaster, Rackapelt, Sichcus, Delusion, and Marie
Agnes.
Bating-5 to 2 agst Delusion, 3to 1 agst Beatrice, 6
to 1 agst Sorceress, 8 to 1 agst Duke of Lancaster, 10 to.
1 agst Azimuth colt. - -

Won by a neck ; three lengths between the second and
third, Delusion was a bad fourth, Sneer gelding fifth,
and Rackapelt sixth ; Indulgenee was last.
'Sweepstakes of 10 sovs each, for 2-yr•olds; colts, Bst 71b
fillies, Bst 41b. The winner to be sold for 200 sovs, if
demanded, &c. Last half of B.M. 5 subs. '-
Baron Rothschild's Georgie, Bst 41b (D. Hughes) 1
Mr. Angell's Woodmite' B,t 41b (Wells) 2
Mr. Ferguson's Psyche filly, 8t 4ib (E. Sharp) 3
Lady Conyngham and Pactolus also ran.
Betting—Even on Woodroite, 5 to 2 agst Lady Conyng•
ham, 4 to 1 agst Psyche f., 5 to 1 agst Georgie.
A fine race in with Georgie and Woodraite ended in
favour of Georgie by a head ; the Psyche filly was beaten
a head only from Woodrnite, and Lady Conyngham a
like distance from the Psyche filly ; Pactolus was about
a length and a-half behind Lady Conyngham.
The Town Plate of 50 sovs, for 3-yr-olds ; colts Bst 71b,
Bnt 31b. B.M. (7 furlongs 195 yards).
Mr. Meltish's Huntington, Bst 71b (Wells) 1
Mr. Daley's Renown, Bst 31b (J. Goater) 2
Mr. Alexander's Humbug, Bst 71b (R. Cotton) 3
Perfume awl Chabron colt also ran.
Betting—Even on Huntington, 7 to 4 agst Renown.
Won cleverly by three-quarters of a length ; very bad
third.

LATEST BETTING.
GOODWOOD STAKES.
12 to 1 agst Rosati
13 to 1 agst Martinet
ST. LEGER.
sto 2on the Field (offered)
20 to 1 ag-t Sydney
40 to 1 agst Oakball
360 to 300 on Ignoramus and Blink Bonny coupled