The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-08 00:00:00

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TRIO-ICIYSTERIES

More than a fortnight ago there was found caught under
a plank in the River Roden, near a mill, in the parish of
Stapleford Abbotts, Essex, the body of a well-dressed man,
apparently from 35 to 45 years of age, and sft. Bin. in
height. The body had evidently been in the water for
many days, and was much decomposed, and when found
had on a dark cloth overcoat lined with fine alpaca, with
velvet collar trimmed with worsted braid ; a single-breasted
fine black cloth morning coat ; a sleeved double-breasted
waistcoat black and white check plush fronts, blue serge
sleeves; a plum-coloured ribbed woollen over-waistcoat;
trousers of black twilled cloth ,and other articles of attire. The
following articles were found in his pockets :—A pair
of gold spectacles, with double joints to go over the ears,
and with convex glasses for reading ; a silver-mounted
meerschaum pipe, much smoked ; brown cloth .loves lined
with a fluffy silk material ; a small single-bladed pocket
knife with horn handle, apparently of foreign make ;
fine white cambric pocket handkerchief had fallen
through a hole in the pocket of the-overcoat, and was dis-
covered on Monday last in the lining. The handkerchief
has the initials "F. L." worked in old English characters.
An inquest was held on the above body on Saturday last,
at The Rabbits public-house, Stapleford Abbotts, by Mr.
C. C. Lewis, the coroner for the southern division of the
county of Essex, and a jury summoned for the purpose,
but as no evidence was then forthcoming as to how the
body of the deceased got into the river, nor as to the actual
cause of death, the inquest was adjourned.
An inquest has been held on the bodies of Charles
Brenchley, aged 13 years, son of the coachman, and
William Thomas Best, aged 12 years, son of the farm
bailiff, on the Dale Park estate, Madehurst, Sussex. It
appeared that the boys were on very friendly terms, and
went to school together. On Monday afternoon they left
Best's house together, and were last seen alive about four
o'clock. As the boys did not return in the evening an
alarm was raised, and about two o'clock on the following
morning Brenchley's clothes were found upon the bank of
the pond facing Dale House. The pond was accordingly
dragged, and in a short time the body of Brenchley was
discovered. Not being able to find the body of the other
poor boy so easily, a raft was made, on which two men
Stood, and after dragging for some considerable time
Best's body was found. Both boys were, of course, quite,
dead. An empty champagne case was found floating on
the water, with a little water inside of it, and near it were
two roughly-made oars. It is supposed that the boys took
turns in towing the champagne case across the pond, and
while Best was in it it capsized; and that Brenchley, seeing
his companion sink, took off his clothes and ran in to rescue
him, and was himself drowned in the attempt. The pond
was about five feet deep. The jury returned a verdict of
accidentally drowned.

LETIER FROM ONE OF THE ABYSSINIAN
CAPTIVES.

Mrs. Stern has received the following letter from her
husband, dated Magdala, December 23 :--" My dear
Charlotte. The imbecile proceedings of Menelik, the ab-
sence of all intelligence from the coast, and the distressing
conjectures about the advent of the King have not added
to the assurance and comfort which we felt on the first
news of the approach of our hoped-for deliverers ; these
and a variety of minor disappointments imparted a sad-
ness and gloom to the mind which invested with its sombre
hues our present and future prospects. On Friday, the
13th inst., tidings, however, reached us which caused our
hearts and nerves to quiver with ecstatic delight. England
has at length determined to shew that she has not only
the means and the power, but the will also to chastise an
unreasonable and cruel barbarian, who, in his vanity,
imagine that forbearance is weakness, and magnanimity
cowardice. The invading force, we hear, is strong enough,
not only to conquer every province in Abyssinia, down to
the utmost limits of the Galla country, but it will also
carry terror and dismay to the remotest corners of Afrlca,
Ail those illusions about the forbidding aspect of this
land in which fanciful speculators have so pro-
fusely indulged will vanish like a vsion. of the night so
soon as the troops leave the parched and feverish plains
armed the coast. The difference between the climate of
interior Abyssinia, and the West Coast of Africa is as
great as between an oven in the capital of England and the
airy hall of an English nobleman in the country. The
atmosphere here is in every respect bracing and salubrious;
the vegetation exuberant, but not, as in the lowlands, rank
and steaming ; and the scenery checkered and picturesque
and most lovely. Our friends, the lovers of the sparkling
and not inebriating, need not, I can assure them, fear an
inveterate drinking of the pure liquid, or be sparing in
their libations from the rivers and springs of Ethiopia,
which, if not supericr, are at least equal to those in
Europe. The guinea-worm, that agonising and dis-
gusting disease, is as little known on the mountains and
plateaux here as on the banks of the Thames. - We have
the tapeworm, a discomfort which every foreigner can
avoid, if he does not, hyena-like, riot in reeking
coliops of raw beef. If our expected liberators
who come from the sunny climate of India can appre-
ciate a little frost, they will be enraptured with Mag-
dala and the adjacent provinces. Ever since our second
captivity on this rock, which is lower than the Galla and
Wadela Plains, we have regularly had our fires, morning
and evening, and, if we were deprived of the cheering
blaze, it would, next to iron chains, be one of our greatest
hardships. We yearn, yearn most intensely, to hear the
sound of the bugle and the roll of the English drum. Our
garrison, if the tyrant is not here, will not offer much re-
sistance to the British legions when they see their glitter.
ing arms and witness their noble martial bearing. I hope
and pray that the BriC.sh lion will forestall the Abyssinian
tiger, for should that savage anticipate him, we shall have
a boisterous funeral of the old and a tempestuous entrance
into the new year. The King is at present three days'
journey from here, but with his gigantic toys which he
calls cannons, it will take him at least a month to reach
the Magdala. If he accomplishes this object it will be
one of his most triumphant feats. He is literally encom-
passed by myriads of insurgents. Unfortunately, they all
dread the big mouths of his harmless artillery. I wish that
Abyssinia had never heard of such inventions as guns.
The temper of our captor has not improved. He has of
late adopted a new and most cruel method of execution.
Formerly he used to burn his numerous victims in their
own cabins ; but this merciful mode of despatch he has
abandoned in disgust as unbecoming a Theodorus ; now,
grave offenders he pins down with an iron tent-peg, and
thus allows them to perish ; while those whose crime is of
a lesser magnitude he stretches on the hard ground, and
then drives his clumsy ammunition waggons across their
gory and writhing bodies till they are crushed, mangled,
and reduced to an undistinguishable mass. I fear that his
European workmen curse the day when they entered the
great Negus's service, and made him instruments which he
has not applied to maintain order and peace in the domi-
nions which he once ruled, but, on the contrary, to torture
and torment the unhappy people. There are numbers in
Abyssinia who,like ourselves, long for the arrival of the Eng-
,who, as they justly anticipate, will quell rebellion and re-
store peace, security, and law to a ref t and bleeding country.
God grant that their expectations be not doomed to disap-
pointment ! England has done, and is still doing, under
the good providence of a covenant-keeping God, much for
the progress of civilisation and true religion throughout
the universe ; and if she is in 1868 as generous to enthralled
Africa as she was not many years ago, she may from the
Alpine heights of Ethiopia proclaim an act of emancipa-
tion to this enslaved continent,-which to the very verge
of time will cause the sable sons and daughters of Ham to
call her blessed. Should a-nything, happen to us (which
God forfend) no blame can be attached to those who were
sent to procure our release, as they have exerted them-
selves to the utmost to ensure our safety. With kindest
regards to all who interest themselves in us, I am, &c.,
" HENRY A. STERN."
General Merewether, on sending the above to Mrs.
Stern, says :

" We are most anxious to push on, as you may suppose,
and everything is done to promote that object, but owing
to the unfortunate scarcity of provisions this year, brought
about by such swarms of locusts and want of rain, in addi-
tion to the internal state of the country, it is necessary to
make sure of a good stock of supplies before final onward
movement can be made. Once that is done there will be
no further check, and we shall soon be in the neighbour-
hood of Magdala. Meanwhile, we hope Gobazye will keep
Theodore in check, to prevent his reaching the captives
before we come to their rescue.—Jan. 13."

MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE.—On Thursday after-
noon, at Higham, a village about three miles from Barns-
ley, two young men, Henry and John Dawson, were
practising a well-known Yorkshire game known as "Knur
and Spell," in which an ordinary stick some two feet in
length has a solid piece of wood 3in. long and tin. in
depth screwed on for the purpose of striking a marble.
While John Dawson was striking at a marble with all his
force, the bottom, or pommel, flew off, and striking his
brother on the temple, killed him on tie spot. Medical
aid was called in, but of no avail.
APPROACHING MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE. —The
event of most recent interest to British society in the
Eternal City, and to the upper classes of Roman denizens
also, as well as to the members of the corps diplomatique,
is the matrimonial alliance contracted between Mr. Odo
Rqssell and Lady Emily Villiers, daughter of the Earl of
Clarendon. The climate of Rome not being very favour
able to Lord Clarendon's health his stay and that of his
family will not be prolonged there more than another
month, so that the marriage is arranged to be celebrated
in England, where Mr. Russell will proceed after Easter
to claim his affianced bride.—Post.