The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-02 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE

THE ATTEMPT TO MUEDE3 AT ISLlNGToll.—Williard
Ballisat, the shoemaker charged with attempting to
murder his father, at Islington, on Saturday last, was
again brought before the magistrates at the Clerkenwell
Police-court. Some additional evidence was given, and
the prisoner was eommitted for trial. A short time after-
wards a gentlemanly-looking man, said f.o be a relative,
informed Mr. Cooke (although no member of the family
examined as a witness gave the slightest hint of such a
thing) that the prisoner had been under treatment for in-

sanity, and was no doubt at the present time suffer-
ing from disease of the brain. The worthy magistrate ad-
vised him to have the medical man who attended the
prisoner at that time, and other witnesses of the fact,
ready on the trial at the Central Criminal Court, which he
undertook should be done.

INTIMIDATING WITNESSES. -At Bow-street, George
Britten Bristowe was charged with attempting to intimi-
date George Day, to prevent him from giving evidence at
the last Old Bailey Sessions, on the prosecution of one
George Gould, alias Bristowe, for obtaining goods by false
pretences. Gould, it seemed, was the father of present
prisoner, and was convicted at the last Old Bailey Ses-
sions kir obtaining goods under false pretences, and sen-

tented to five years' penal servitude. Prisoner, meeting
complainant, began to abuse him, and said that if he gave
evidence against his (prisoner's) father, he would kick his
(the complainant's) --inside out. The prisoner was
committed for trial.

ROBBERY OF DRAPERY GOODS ON THE MIDLAND RAIL-
WAY.—At the Leicestershire Quarter_Sessions yesterday
the trials were concluded of the prisoners charged with
stealing drapery goods while in course of transit by the
Midland Railway Company. Property to the value of
several thousands of pounds had been stolen, and conside-
rable difficulty seems to have been experienced in tracing
the thieves. The prisoners were tried in three groups. In
the first there were Thomas Jackson, pointsman, Dennis
Parkins, foreman shunter—both of Syston Junction—who
were charged with stealing; and Henry Martin, beerhouse-
keeper, Silsby, charged with feloniously receiving the
stolen goods. Parkins was allowed to turn Queen's evi-
dence. Jackson pleaded guilty, and he, as well as a plate-
layer named Underwood, appeared in the witness-box
against Martin. To this man's house a large quantity of
property had been conveyed ; and he had redistributed it
amongst the villagers. Martin and Jackson were each
sentenced to five years' penal servitude. Two other pri-
soners who were tried in succession, on charges arising
out of the same series of robberies, were acquitted.
THE CLERKENWELL EXPLOSION FUND.—On Wed-
nesday the Lord Mayor took occasion on the bench
to make a statement respecting the sums expended on the
relief of the distress occasioned by the Fenian outrage at
Clerkenwell. The committee, it appears, have distributed
£1,500 for the alleviation of the immediate sufferings of
the injured, and £3,000 towards replacing the furniture
and tools destroyed. His lordship made an appeal for
further contributions, mentioning, as a sample of the cases
to be dealt with, that of a family of four children, one of
whom was totally and the other ttluee partially deprived
of sight.

DARING HOUSE ROBBERY. - Christian Miller, 29,
Thomas Seabrook, 63, furniture dealer, of Bull-street,
Ratcliff, and John Boswell, of Church-road, Stepney,
were brought up at the Thames Police-court, charged with
stealing a quantity of furniture, valued in all at £3OO, the
property of Mr. W. Stainsby, tailor, Ileath-street. Mil-
ler, who is a foreigner, lodged with Mr. Stainsby and his
wife. The latter were left in charge of the house while
Stainsby and his wife went into the country. Soon after
they had gone Miller went to the shop of Seabrook, and
said that he wanted to sell all his goods. Seabrook went to
the house of Mr. Stainsby, where Miller met him, and,
after inspecting the furniture, Seabrook agreed to pay £9
for the whole, £3 down on account. The articles sold
embraced everything in the house. Mr. Stainsby stated
that the goods actually cost him upwards of £3OO. The
prisoners were all committed for trial, but the magistrate
said he would take bail for Seabrook and Boswell.

THE FAMINE IN NORTHERN RUSSIA. A
letter on the above subject, from Mr. Charles Renny
her -dajesty's Consul at Archangel, is published in the
Times. Mr. Renny states that to all appearance it is per-
fectly impossible to avert starvation from a large propor-
tion of the population. " Bread is now at three times its
usual price, and before long money may not buy it, as
supplies of flour are running short, and more is not ob-
tainable nearer than Viatka, a distance of 1,000 versts.
To bring a sufficient quantity thence by land, putting cost
entirely out of the question, is hardly feasible ; and were
it brought, the bulk of the population is without the
means of buying it. Even now there are instances of
death from hunger, and numbers are already so com-
pletely destitute that their existence can be reckoned
by days. Measures have been and are being taken,
both by Government and private persons, to supply
the people with food ; but the want is becoming so
general that the limited local means, even with the
assistance of Government, cannot cope with it."
Mr. Renny suggests that subscriptions should be raised in
London. He says :—" "With the sum subscribed I pur-
pose to buy rye flour in Viatka, deliverable here by winter
roads, and to distribute the same, with the co-operation of
others, to the absolutely needy in this neighbourhood.
For the town itself local means may prove sufficient."

THE QUEEN'S NEW YEAR'S GIFTS.—On Wed-
nesday„morning, between nine and ten o'clock, the annual
ceremony of presenting her Majesty's New Year's gifts to
the poor of Windsor took place in the market beneath the
Guildhall. The gifts consisted of meat and coals, the
latter being delivered at the homes of the families, while
the beef was delivered to tie recipients from the butchers'
tables in the market. On this occasion the mayor of

Windsor, Mr. J. W. Wellman, the Rev. 11. J.
the Rev. Mr. Thompson, and other clergy, were present
at the distribution. during which the bells of the Chapel
Royal of St. George and St. John's Church rang merrily.
The poor of Windsor entitled to the gifts included 351
families ; the parish of Holy Trinity, 193 ; and that of
Clever, 219; giving a total of 763 persons. These families
were divided into five classes, of which the first received a
piece of beef weighing 71b. ; those of the second, Glb. ; third,
lb ; fourth, 41b. ; and the fifth, 31b. The weight of the beef
thus given by the Queen was 3,1191 b. It was of splendid
quality, and was supplied by Messrs. Bedborough, Cope.
land, and Hughes, of Windsor. Its value was £97 9s. 4id.
Mr. Heale, who represented Mr. Cullen, the clerk of the
kitchen at Windsor Castle, was present for the Queen. Ftft y.
nine tons of coal, supplied by Mr. Little, her Majesty's
coal merchant, were distributed at the homes of these
families in quantities of 3 cwt., 2i cwt., 2 cwt., 16 cwt.,
and lcwt. The value of the coals was £73 9s. 40., so
that the total value of the Queen's gifts was £l7olBs. 9d.
Her Majesty also gave £lOO to the Royal clothing Club
at Windsor.