The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-25 00:00:00

THE DISCOVERY OF MR. SPEKE.

It appears that information was received at Plymouth
on MJnday afternoon that the Rev. Mr. Speke
had been found by the Cornish police. It seems that on
Wednesday last Sergeant Soady, of Padstow, Cornwall,
received a photograph and description of a man named
Ayre, who had absconded from Hull with a large sum of
money. On the following Friday he saw a man at Pad-
stow, dressed as a bullock-drover, who, he believed,
answered the description of Ayre. He conversed
with him at his lodgings, and left. Soady then sent
for Inspector Opie, of Wadebridge, who went to
Padstow, and, with the sergeant, on Saturday took the
person into custody, and found a large sum of money in
his possession. The officer took him before H. P. Raw-
lings, Esq., justice of the peace at Padstow, who remanded
him for three days. Meantime the police sent a letter
to Sergeant Barnes, of Bodmin, who on receiv-
ing it went, accompanied by Mr. Vincent, deputy
chief constable, to Pads w, and after minutely
examining the prisoner, those officers were satisfied
he did not correspond with the description of Ayre. They
then waited on the magistrate, who considerately remanded
the prisoner to Bodmin. On the way the police officers
were struck with the gentlemanly bearing and deport-
ment of the prisoner, and were convinced they had
no ordinary man. On arriving at their destination
a more strict search was made of the prisoner and his
luggage, among which were several books with the
name of " Dick Madwell " written in them, besides
articles of clothing to enable him to assume any disguise.
The police, however, were not to be deceived, for having
seen a description of the Rev. Mr. Speke in the news-
papers, they turned their attention in that direction, and
after a most careful observation and comparison they were
strongly satisfied that their prisoner was no other than the
Rev. B. Speke. They charged him with it, and after con-
siderable hesitation he admitted he was the Rev. Mr.
Speke. They communicated at once with London.
It appears that the first intimation received by the
London police was through the Home Office, the chief
constable of the county of Cornwall having forwarded in-
telligence of the discovery of Mr. Speke to the Secretary
of State, who immediately communicated the news to Sir
Richard Mayne. Mr. Speke's brother-in-law, Mr. Mur-
doch, who has taken the prominent part in seeking to trace
the missing gentleman, was also apprised of his where-
abouts. It is stated that Mr. Murdoch's information was
received directly from Mr. Speke himself ; who, having
exhausted his slender stock of money, and being conscious
of having placed himself in rather a false position, desired
the means of leaving the country for America.
The Star says :—" Certain it is— and we state it on the
most reliable authority—that almost up to the receipt of
the eh:- f Commissioner's note by the newspapers, Mr.
Murdoe.. sen. was in utter ignorance of what had become
of Mr. Spekc, whose sister is married to Mr. Murdoch
jun., and that it was after the publication of the evening
papers when the latter made preparations o leave
London for Cornwall by the night mail. What business
or pleasure brought Mr. Speke to P , leow—what con-
dition he is in there, or what circumstances led to
his discovery his nearest friends, last night, pro-
fessed to be ignorant of. The services of unofficial people,
which his relatives secured to supplement the exertions of
the police, were continued up to yesterday evening,
and, so late as eight o'clock last night, a man em-
ployed in the search made his report at the house of Mr.
Murdock sen. As is quite natural in a case of so unac-
countable and suspicious a disappeara-ice, every tongue is
busy in propagating solutions of the enigma ; and now that
Mr. Speke's personal safety is assured, invention has aban-
doned the c- arges so freely made against unknown assassins
and transferred its attention to the rev. gentleman him-
self, whose absence is now set down to causes, posLible no
doubt, but improbable when the character and profession
of Mr. Speke are taken into account. One and all of his
relatives and friends indignantly scout the idea that aught
of disgrace can attach to him when the truth is known,
and that he can be but blamed for a silence unpardonable
under circumstances of so much family pain and public
excitement. It is devoutly to be wished that, before this
day passes, the expectations of Mr. Speke's friends in this
respect may be realised."

MEDICINES Fon THE USE OF THE Poor.. —ln
April 1865 a letter was addressed by the Poor law Board
to every union and parish in England and Wales suggest-
ing the advisability of providing a store of cod-liver oil at
the workhouse, or some other convenient place, for distri-
bution amongst the sick poor on the prescription of tie
medical officers through the relieving officers, and that
quinine and r expensive medicineishould be supplied
either by an order of the medical officer on a chemist, or
by the medical officers themselves. It appears that in 401
unions the guardians have acted wholly or partially on
the recommendation of the Poor-law Board, and in 225
they have not acted upon it.

THE SINGULARITY IN THE CALENDAR.—It has
been remarked that in 1868 there are five Saturdays in
February. By a rough guess, it would seem, it has been
added that this has not taken place for a score of years,
Exactly twenty-eight years, amounting to a solar cycle,
have elapsed since the same thing occurred. During that
period each day of the week has enjoyed the honour of
appearing five times in February in its own leap year,
The calendar of the present century contains twenty-four
leap years, which may be arranged in seven classes :
February has five Sundays in 1824, 1852, 1880 ; five Mon-
days in 1808, 1836, 1864, 1892 ; five Tuesdays in 1820,
1348, 1876 ; five Wednesdays in 1804, 1832, 1860, 1888 ;
five Thursdays in 1816, 1844, 1872; five Fridays in 1828,
1856, 1884 ; five Saturdays in 1812, 1840, 1868, 1896.
Perthahire Advertiser.

SUICIDES BY CHILDREN. —Dr. Lankester has held
di inquest at the Empress of Russia Tavern, Owen's-row,
islington, upon the body of a boy named Victor Ver.
beyst, aged 13 years, who came to his death by hanging.
Mr. Joseph Verbeyst, the father of the deceased, said he
was a Belgian, and had been in London only a few years.
He lived at 11, Rydon-crescent, Islington. His son was a
very good boy, and on Wednesday last was working by
his side at his business of a pocket-book maker. He in-
quired of him when he should he allowed to go to school
again, to which witness replied as coon as he could spare
him. He went out of the workshop, and witness saw no
more of him until he was called to open the door of the
water closet, wherein he (deceased) was supposed to have
fallen asleep. He discovered him hanging by a cord. He
was in a sitting position, quite dead. The cord was
fastened to the handle of the door. Deceased had been
reading some of the cheap litcrature of the day—" The
Boys of England," and other similar publications - and his
(witness's)
impression was that he had been " experi-
menting" and had killed himself accidentally. He could
never ke p his son from the books he had spoken of. He
was not very passionate, but slightly so. The Coroner said
he had known many
cases where children had been killed
through " experimenting" at hanging. Dr. Goddard,
who was called to the deceased, said he tried every proper
remedy to restore him, but without avail. He spoke
against the theory of death being the result of an accident.
The jury returned a verdict of " Suicide whilst in a state
of unsound mind," supposed through the reading of a
certain class of literature.—On Sunday night, Edward
Elkin, 15 years of age, son of a dairyman, living in Chisel'.
hall-street, Liverpool, committed suicide by hanging him-
self. No cause can at present be assigned for the rash act,
except that his father had spoken to him sharply about
two hours Previously.