The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-16 00:00:00

that her life was in danger, he having sworn just be-
fore that if she (witness) said one word he would break
her chest in, she made towards the parlour• window and
made her escape. The prisoner immediatedly pursued
her with violent threats, and in the greatest alarm she
called out " Murder," when Baker, the officer, came to
her assistance, or she felt assured that she would have
been murdered by the prisoner. The officer took him
into custody, when he resisted in a desperate manner,
and fought, struggled, and kicked at him until he was
safely secured in the station-house.
Baker, the constable, and Sergeant Milgate, 3 N, con-
firmed this evidence. They never met with a more vio-
lent fellow in the course of their existence. The latter
officer described the wife to be a respectable, industrious
woman, and the prisoner, on the-contrary, a dissolute,
idle person.

Mr. CONBZ asked the prisoner what he had to say to
such unmanly and cowardly conduct? The prisoner
(blubbering loudly like a great baby)—She aggravates
me.—(Laughter.)

Mr.Comi3E—Why, it shows that you are a great
cowardly fellow, capable of what has been attributed to
you, or you would not stand there blubbering like a
child. I shall fine you 40s. for the assault upon your
wife, or, in default of payment, one month's imprison-
ment in the House of Correction.

Prisoner (crying)—Oh, pray don't.
Mr. CoMBE—Aud I shall commit you to the House
of Correction. for one month, with hard labour, with-
out fine, for the assault upon Baker, the officer. (To
the wif:)—And when ho is releasei from prison, you
may exhibit articles of the peace against him at the
sessions.

She said she would do so; and the prisoner was locked
up, crying.
Thompson, the driver of ono of Warboy'a Paddington
and Kennington omnibuses, was re-examined, charged
with having caused the death of Catherine Nolan, four
years and a half,old, by driving over her body, in,Gray's
Inn-road, on Monday last.
A coroner's inquest had been held upon the body of
the deceased child before Mr. Wakley. Several wit-
nesses were examined, and after a strict investigation
the jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death,"
without attributing any or the least blame to the driver
of the vehicle, who bore a good character as a steady
driver, &c.

Mr. CONBE, under these circumstancps, discharged
him from his recoguissoces.
` SOUTHWARK.

John Roussell was placed at the bar, charged with
stealing a gold watch from Miss Ann Crump, of 103,
High .11,1 born, in the box cloak-room of the Surrey
Theatre.

The complainant stated that on the preceding night
she went to the boxes of the Surrey Theatre, accom-
' panied by a gentleman, a friend of the family; that when
the performance concluded she walked, to the cloak-
room, and while waiting amongst others for her bonnet,
she observed the prisoner standing immediately in front
of her. He, however, moved a little back and stood by
her left side, and he had not been long in this position
when she felt a slight movement at her pocket, which
was underneath her shawl, and in the front part of
her dress. She turned and looked at the prisoner,
and distinctly saw a portion of the gold chain of
her watch in his hand, which "he let fall the moment
he was observed. She at once put her hand to her
pocket, and found her gold watch was 'gone, it having
been unscrewed from the swivel by which it was attached
to the chain, which was left hanging out of the pocket.
Upon this discovery she seized the prisoner and ex
claimed that he had robbed her of her gold watch, which
caused some confusion, but she held him until a police-
man came up, and she then gave him into custody. He
was searched on the spot, but the watch, which it is sus-
pected he passed to an associate, was not found in his
possession. He asserted that he was a respectable man,
and it appeared that he subsequently gave a wrong ad-
dress to the policeman, who stated that the prisoner be-
longed to a gang of well-dressed thieves who frequented
the theatres and other places of amusement.

Sergeant Berry stated that he WAS present at the
Bow-street police-court when the prisoner was convicted
and sentenced to three months' imprisonment.
The prisoner, who merely said that he was innocent
of the present charge, was committed far. trial.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
TIMES.—So we have at last had a pure Protectionist
motion, aimed point black at the Corn-law Acts of
1846. There has been nothing of the hind before, at all
events this session, for the party from which we have a
right to expect such a proceeding is usually content with
a more disguised and sinuous policy. The man to throw
himself into the gap has been Mr. Grantley Berkeley,
and his immolation on the altar of Protection we can
only account for by a reference to the usage of bar-
barous tribes, who are every now and then directed by
their oracles to sacrifice the first stranger that lands on
tbeir shores. The Hon. Member for West Gloucester.
shire, after drifting some time on the ebb and flow of
opinion, according to the ups and downs of the market,
has been.at last fairly stranded on the desolate beach of
TProtection, so the natives have laid hold of him, and on
uesday night we were edified by the spectacle of his so-
lemn cremation on that shrine were so many great
minds, reputation. and virtues have been reduced to
ashes and dust. reputations,
Grantley Berkeley, however, it
must be said, was a perfttctly spontaneous victim. His
announcement that he was that very rare thing, a re-
creant free-trader, was made with the utmost confidence
and zest. Had he enveloped his shoulders in a pone-
tential white sheet, and borne a taper in his hand, he
could not have delivered his confession in a more solemn
and deliberate manner. There were difficulties, indeed,
which he could not wholly get over. Notwithstanding
a competent degree of that assurance which is usually
associated with simplicity, Mr. G. Berkeley did not
succeed in making a clear and effective speech. It was
blurred and contused, like a palimpsest, a parchment
from which an oration from Cicero has been imperfectly
washed out, and a monkish legend substituted. In
fact, it was the speech of a man who is
either a free-trader at heart, or nothing at all ; and such
is the man who, we repeat, has alone had the
courage to propose a revision of our present
corn-laws. Certainly we never read anything so un-
equal to the °cession. Mr. G. Berkeley is disappointed
with the results of free trade, and he accordingly attacks
Lord J. Russell and the Government. comparing them
with Lord Stanley and his party, " You may now see
who is your foe, and who is your friend," he says to the
farmer; his only pretence for this contrast being some
sensible rem irks by Lord John to the recent deputation,
aqd some flummery addressed to the same persons by
the Protectionist chief. But if Mr. G. Berkeley is dis-
appointed, what did he expect, and whose fault is it?
He was born in the year 1800, so that he is either
fifty or in his fiftieth year. He has sat for his county
eighteen years. He has always lived in the world; and
is rsupposed to know what he is about. Yet he consi-
ders himself duped by free trade, and calls its pro-
moters ill-names, because they have taken him in. He
copies into the House gasping and stuttering, and says
that he is just recovering from
.some political chloro-
form, administered to him four years ago by those
noted characters, Cobden, Peel, and Russell. He
his been hocussed by the Lancashire witches. We can
only say that for a man of his time of life it is a very
lame story. These things were not done in a corner.
The repeal of the corn-laws was not smuggled through
the House. Oa the contrary, nearly a whole session
was given to the discussion of the subject in every pos-
sible form, in every available stage, and in every con-
ceivable manner. This, too, after a seven years' contro-
versy out of doors. We cannot understand, then, with
what face Mr. G. Berkeley can come forward and charge
Ministers with having deceived him. If an error has
been committed, let him take his share of the blame.
Let him confess with as much unction as he pleases
that he made a mistake, that he expected uniform high
prices, constant employment, and universal prosperity.
When he has made this confession, then we shall know
better how to estimate his present observations on the
subject. But Mr. G. Berkeley's disappointment has
partly arisen, •he suggests, from another source. Our
free-trade Government has not practised so stringent
an economy, and reduced agricultural burdens so much
as•he expected, and as he intimates they promised. If
so, why confine last night's motion to a revision of the
corn-laws, and why not move the House on the subjects
of public economy and agricultural relief ? Everybody
is expecting ever) body else to do this, and everybody is
blaming everybody else for not doing it. Mr. G. Berke-
ley intimates that Lord John Russell ought to have
volunteered some relief for the agriculturists, and inas-
much as they seem rather at a loss to know quite what
they want, his Lordship ought to have discovered the
particular object of their desires. •He was not only to
have interpreted the dream, but also recalled the dream
itself to the treacherous memory of the Protection.
ists. Certainly, in the present constitution of things,
it is rather a novel suggestion that a Prime
Minister is to be employed in finding out wants not
only for his own friends, but also for his opponents, and
is to nurse the two babies at mice. This would be to lead
the opposition as well as his own friends. The discovery
of fit measures for the special relief of the agriculturists
properly appertains to themselves. They are, however,
generally of opinion just now that nothing will do them
any good except what they call an efficient protection.
This was the purport of one of their resolutions the
other day at the Crown and Anchor. Indeed, Mr. G.
Berkeley himself does not drop a word in his
relief speech from which we can conjecture what measures
of special relief he desires for the agrienle
turist, except a duty on corn. He says that the
wnhoat
uldtobe the a
agree' .
repealleortistt,hbeuidubte y
doeson burioetkssayis
relief, though he abuses Government for not having sup.
gested something themselves. The division is conclu-
sive-184 for Mr. G. Berkeley's motion, 298 against it.:
A majority of 114 is a very ample margin for the con-
versions with which we have been threatened. As Mn,
Disraeli observed last night, the debate was simply a
resuscitation of that which took place four years since.
Since Mr. Berkeley cenfined himself to general assertion
of ruin and misery, giving neither figures nor date, it is
quite unnecessary to follow him through the meander-
trigs of a querulous tirade. We expected something
better. He has added nothing to the controversy, not
an idea, not a fact. The only thing he urges is that
which we have all heard often enough—that corn bas
been low since last harvest. Till last harvest the prices
i rifilecdohringhaenndnugalhl;
iontdheeed
r theagricultural
average
of wheat
ih uae de
February, 1846, has been higher than it was for the four
evere h
yt
tmonthsme pr hasiictes
ra certainlyan dto been lo
years immediately previous to that date. 'For the last
11,
ever, to be seen whether Parliament ie to be invoked
remains,
administerhow-
to
some stimulant or restorative pwe. 11; td
to the agricultural patient.
It is the office of Parliament t
whole people, not a cordial f: tlthisa regimen for the
is
or that sickly or
craving class. What if corn has been
low lately? It is
rising. There will be ups and downs, and always
been. It Parliament intervenes to alleviate the
hraveos
of a temporary abundance, it may soon be
called on
neutralize the inconveniences of a temporary dearth.
And where will that end