The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-10 00:00:00

EoNDo

MA Y lO, 1850.

Hugs. You ought to consider yourself fortunate that
your money has been preserved, and if those are
your feelings, there is a poor-box kept in this court,
and it is optional with you whether you will give
a trifle towards those who stand in need of such
relief.

The defandant, however, paid no regard to the
humane suggestion of the worthy magistrate ; but,
pulling five Ishi l lin gs out of his pocket, the penalty of
his transgression for getting drunk, threw it down on
the table and hurried out of court.

LAMBETH.
MURDEROUS ASSAULT ON A FEMALE.—Ann Miles,
a middle-aged female, and Hannah Sullivan, a young
woman, said to be her servant, were brought before
Mr. Elliott, charged with committing a violent assault
on Mary Payne, whom they threatened to murder.
The complainant's face was covered with cuts and
bruises, and being in a weak state from the ill-usage
she had received, she was accommodated with a seat
while she gave her evidence. She said that she
lodged in a respectable house in Hill-street, Wal-
worth, where she maintained her family, consisting of
four children, by hard work. About nine o'clock
that morning she was partaking of her breakfast,
when she heard a noise on the staircase, and before
she could ascertain the cause, Mrs. Miles rushed-into
her room, in an excited state, and threatened to cut
her throat, at the same time attempting to seize a
knife off the table. Witness prevented her from doing
so, when she upset the table, and in a most ferocious
manner broke almost everything in the room. Sul-
livan caught hold of her while the other took up a
stone pitcher, and struck her several blows on the
head and face, breaking the utensil to atoms and inflict-
ing a number of serious wounds on her head, which soon
rendered her insensible from loss of blood. Her
landlady, hearing her cries, came to her assistance,
and called in the police, when the prisoners were se-
cured, and prevented from committing further vio-
lence.

In answer to the charge Miles said the complainant
was living in adultery with her husband, and had four
children by him. He left her about five years ago,
and although she had done all she could to trace hi,
whereabouts she was unable to find his lodging until
that morning. She accordingly went with her ser-
vant, and found the street•door open, when she en-
tered the house and found the complainant sitting
very comfortably with all her property around her.
She then became very excited, and certainly did break
a few things ; but the assault was provoked by com-
plainant's language. As for the other prisoner she
only did what she bid her to do.
Complainant informed the magistrate that Mrs.
Miles's husband left his wife on account of her
drunken propensities ; that he seduced her, and had
lived with her since. She denied making u3e of any
insulting language or provoking her to commit the
serious assault on her.

Complainant's landlady corroborated her testimony,
and told the magistrate that she really believed the
prisoners would have murdered her had not the police
arrived, as they were both beating her over the head
and declaring that they would do for her now that
they had found her out.

A police-constable of the P division said he was
attracted to the spot by hearing cries of " Murder" at
the door. He ran into the house, and saw the com-
plainant lying on the floor, bleeding from several cuts
on the face. The defendants were swearing at her,
and making use of threatening language. The elder
prisoner said complainant had run away with her hus-
band, and she was determined to have her revenge.
He secured the prisoners, and called in a surgeon,
who dressed the complainant's wounds.
Mr. ELLIOTT said it was a most murderous outrage,
and he really wondered that they had not killed the
complainant, who appeared to have suffered severely
from their violence. Whatever her conduct might,
have been with regard to Miles's husband, they had no
right to take summary vengeance and commit murder.
As the defendant did not seem in a position to take
them to the sessions, he should fine them 51. each,
and, in default of payment, commit them to the
House of Correction for three months, and, at the
expiration of that period, require them to find good
and substantial bail for their future conduct fur
twelve months.

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.
(From the Montreal Pilot.)
We have received the following communication
from Sir George Simpson :
TO THE EDITOR OF THE PILOT.
Sir,—Having noticed in your paper yesterday a re-
port that information had been received by way of
St. Paul, in Minnesota, that a dog train had ar-
rived there from some distance above Lake Supe-
rior, with letters stating that Sir John Franklin
was found and safe, I regret to say there is no founda-
tion whatever for the statement, which appears to have
originated in the arrival at St. Paul of an express sent
thither by the Hudson's Bay Company's officer at Red
River, conveying the reports of Captain Pullen and
Mr. Rao to the Lords of the Admiralty, which reports
are to the eff<•ct that nothing had been discovered throw-
ing any light on the fate of the missing expedition.
Captain Pullen, who lift her Majesty's ship Plover
at Wainwright Inlet, reached the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany's post of Fort Good Hope, on the bl•Kenzie
River, on the 14th September, and thence he came up
that river to the post of Fort Simpson, where he is
passing the present winter, with, the intention of proceed-
ing to York Factory, on Hudson's Bay, at the opening
of the navigation, in;forder to take his passage to
England in one of the Hudson's Bay Company's ships
thence next autumn. It is possible, however, that in-
structions from the Admiralty, which were transmitted
to me here about two months ago, and were immediately
forwarded to Capt. Pullen by express, may detai❑ him
during the ensuing summer and winter in making a
further examination of the Arctic coast, in connexion
with the Hudson's Bay Company's parties employed
upon the same service.

I Qua, Sir, your obedient servant,
GEORGE SIMPSON,
Hudson's Bay House, Lachine, April 12;1850.

GREAT CIRCLE-SAILING.

The wonderfully-quick voyage to Adelaide lately
made by Captain Godfrey has awakened public atten-
tion to the subject of Great Circle-sailing. Yester-
day evening a very numerous assembly of ladies and
gentlemen took place at the ordinary meeting of the
Society of Arts, when a paper on the history and
practice of Great Circle-sailing was read by Mr.
Towson, of Devonport, a gentleman to whom, some
four-and-twenty years ago, the honours of the same
society were awarded, for his well-known exposition
of the general principles involved in the present ques-
tion, and to whom is certainly due the merit of dis-
covering the truth of composite Great Circle sailing.
Mr. Hope presided over the meeting, and fittingly
introduced the name of Mr. Towson with a few com-
plimentary remarks. Great Circle-sailing, though
little known, and even less practised, was, the
lecturer observed, by no means a novelty, since
in principle it was known and enunciated as early
as the fifteenth century, and was familiar to the great
navigators of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
The difficulties, however, which stood in the way of
its general adoption were numerous and though by
the progress of science many of them had disappeared,
yet the use of ordinary navigators' charts was a great
stumbling-block, and distorted men's conceptions of
the actual truth. For it was known to all scientific
seamen that the rhomb line, or the apparent course
upon the chart, drawn from one place to another, was
not the shortest in reality, but that the shortest line
that could be drawn between any two points on the
surface of the globe was an arc of the great circle that
passed through them both. The rhomb line could
never coincide with the great circle unless both of the
points through which it passed lay on the equator or
on a common meridian. If we compared, he said, any
number of arcs, segment of various radii, all having
the same chord, it would be found that the segment of
the greatest circle would be the shortest line. The
three points in the elucidation of his subject,
which Mr. Towson wished particularly to im-
press upon the meeting, were, first, that that arc
which deviated the least from a straight line was
the shortest route on the earth's surface ; second,
that the larger the radius of a circle the shorter
would be the route by any of its arcs ; and third,
that no circle could be drawn on a sphere whose
radius exceeded that of the sphere, that sphere being
denominated a great circle, and, therefore, that that
ship only which sailed on the arc of a great circle
could be said to sail directly to her port. These
points, which at first appeared somewhat abstruse add
unsuited to a popular lecture, were, however, illus-
trated and amplified in the most satisfactory manner.
Diagrams were provided, and by lucid explanation no
doubt or misapprehension seemed to be entertained by
the audience of the mathematical truth of the prin-
ciple on which Great Circle-sailing is based. In the
discussion which followed the lecture, several gentle-
men took a lively part, one or two of whom, from
long experience in the practical part of navigation,
said they could testify to the application of the prin-
ciple, and particularly of composite Great Circle. sail-
ing, to the every-day purposes of trade. Mr. Scott
Russell gave, in conclusion, a very concise summary
of the lecture, which relieved Mr. Towson, and was
well received by the meeting. A vote of thanks to the
lecturer, proposed by the chairman, was cordially re-
sponded to, and the meeting broke up about ten
o'clock.

SURREY DISPENSARY.—The annual festival in aid
of the funds of the above charitable institution took place
yesterday evening at the Bridge House Hotel, London-
bridge. when nearly 100 gentlemen sat down to dinner. The
ebair was taken by Mr. J. W. Freshfield, High Bailiff of
Surrey. On the removal of the cloth, the usual routine
toasts were drunk, ani the chairman then gave the toast of
the evening, "Success to the Surrey Dispensary." Having
entered at some length on the various benefits it had con-
ferred, he stated that 5,600 persons had been prescribed for
during the last year, of whom upwards of 4,000 bad been
cured; and he pressed upon the company present the duty of
supporting so valuable an institution. The expanditure had
amounted to 1,2831., and the receipts to 1,2501., so that they
would have been in debt had it not been for a small balance
in the treasurer's bands. A list of subscriptions was then I
read, which amounted to nearly 300/,

FRENCH ELECTORAL LAW.
The following is the text of tha proposed electoral
law for France, introduced on Wednesday by N.
I3.troche:—
" Art. 1. In the twelve days which follow the pro-
mulgation of the present law the electoral list shall
be drawn up in each commune by the mayor.
" Art. 2. It shall coinprise by alphabetical order :
" 1. All Frenchmen, 21 years of age, in the enjoy-
ment of their civil and political rights, and residing
in the same commune for three years at least.
"2. Those persons who not yet having attained,
when the list shall be drawn up, the conditions of age
and domicile, shall attain them before the list shall
be definitively closed.
" Art. 3. The electoral domicile shall be deter-
mined and proved :

" 1. By inscription on the list of personal tax.
" 2. By the declaration of the father or mother in
what concerns sons who, b Aug of age, reside in the
paternal house, and who, by application of Art. 12, of
April 21, 1832, have not been set down on the list of
personal taxes.

`• 3. By the declaration of masters in what con-
cerns servants of persons working habitually in tho
same house with them.
"4. By the exercise of public functions in a deter-
mined locality.

" 5. By the presence in the army or navy.
" Art. 4. The declaration of the fathers, mothers,
or masters shall be made in writing on forms delivered
gratuitously. This declaration shall be given to the
mayor, and renewed each from December 1 to 31.
" The fathers, mothers, and masters, who cannot
make their declaration in writing, are to present them-
selves with two witnesses, resident in the commune,
before the mayor, to make their declaration.
"Every false declaration shall be subject to a fine
of from 100 f. to 200 F., and an imprisonment of from
six months to two years, and the interdiction to vote
or to be elected during five years at least and ten years
at most.

" Art. 5. Whoever shall leave the commune on the
list of which he i 3 inscribed shall continue to be borne
on that list for three years, with the condition of jus
tifying, in the manner stated in Art. 3 of the present
law, his domicile in the commune where he shall have
fixed his new residence.

"Art. 6. Shall not be inscribed on the elctoral list.
Ist. The persons mentioned in Arts. 1,2, 3,4, 5,6, 7,
and 8 of the law of March 15, 1849. 2d. The indivi-
duals mentioned in Art. 4 of the same law, whatever
may be the length of the time for which they have been
imprisoned. 3d. Persons such as ouvriers, avocats, &c.,
who have been condemned for illegal acts. 4th. The
persons guilty of violence to public agents, or of
offences against the law, or rioting, or in clubs or
secret societies.

" Art. 7. Soldiers shall continue to be distributed
in each locality in sections.
" Their bulletins shall be collected and sent to the
chief town of the department in a sealed packet, and
mixed up with the votes given in the sections of the
chief town.

" Art. 8. No person can be elected on the first
ballot if he has not obtained a number of votes equal
to the fouith of the electors inscribed on the tablets of
the lists of the department, and one-half, plus one, of
all the others.

" On the second ballot, which is to take place the
second Sunday after the proclamation of the result of
the first ballot, no person can be elected if he shall
not have obtained a fourth part of the electors in-
scribed by the relative majority.
"On the third ballot, which is to take place the
fourth Sunday after the day of the proclamation of
the result of the second ballot, the election shall take
place by a relative majority only, whatever may be
the number of votes obtained.
" Art. 9. In case of vacancy from resignation,
death, or other cause, the Electoral College which is
to fill up the vacancy is to meet at a distance of six
months.

" Art. 10. In case the towns where the contingent
personnel et mobilier is paid in part or wholly from
the municipal funds, the list of the tax-payers for
personal taxes, drawn up by the collector and his as-
sistants, and which serves to determine the sum to be
paid by the commune, shall be each year submitted
to the municipal council.
" The inscription on the list of the tax-payers shall
be equivalent to that of the personal taxation.
" Transitory Article--For the preparation of the
electoral lists, drawn up in virtue of the present Bill
for the year 1850, all the regulations prescribed by
the law of March 15, 1849, in what regards de-
lays and representations, shall be observed, and the
lists shall be closed three months after the promulga-
tion of this Bill.

" The declarations spoken of by Art. 3 shall be
made within twenty days after the promulgation.
Every individual who shall not have three years'
residence in the commune where he shall happen to
reside at the moment of the promulgation of the Bill,
shall be inscribed in the electoral list of the commune
where he previously resided, if he can prove three
years' residence in conformity with Art. 3.
" The annual revision of the lists for the other years
shall be made at the periods and according to the
rules determined by Title 2 of the law of March 15,
1849.

" Shall continue to be elected for the elections of
Algeria and the colonies the provisions of the law of
March 15, 1849, until the promulgation of the organic
laws spoken of in Art. 109 of the Con4titution."

BURGLARY AT C I-1 ARLECOTE-
HALL, WARWICKSHIRE.
On Monday night, or early on Tuesday morning
ast, Charlecote-hall, the ancient seat of the Lucys,
near Stratford-upon-Avon, was burglariously en
tered, and property of considerable value stolen
therefrom. The thieves effected three several en-
trances, through the windows of the lower apart-
ments. It would appear that when they first suc-
ceeded in gaining admission to the mansion they
found the inner doors too strong and secure to allow
them to proceed without disturbing the family. They
consequently returned, and by means of a centre-bit,
or large gimlet, bored holes in the shutters of the
sitting and drawing-rooms, and by these means
effected an entrance to those apartments. Among
the articles of value, and some in connexion with the
history of the Lucy family of considerable interest,
stolen may be enumerated three gold watches, one
with a portrait of Charles 11. set round with
diamonds, a lapis lazuli snuff-box with gold mount-
ings and a cameo in the centre, several gold riags
and snuff-boxes, three handsome purses filled with
old coins and sovereigns, one coin a two-guinea
piece of Charles 1., a great many gold and silver pen-
cil-cases, a small and exquisite miniature of Sir
Thomas Lucy, the original " Justice Shallow," be-
fore whom Shakspere was taken for deer stealing; a
gold medal of Shakspere, a magnificent ring ena-
melled, with the inscription, " The gift of Henry
VIII. to his treasurer," " Ward," engraved inside,
&c. The value of the property stolen, although small
in compass, is estimated at several hundred pounds.
On Monday evening two suspicious characters, by
whom the robbery is supposed to have been effected,
were seen taking tea at the Red Lion Inn, in the
neighbouring village of Barford, and early on Tuesday
morning they were again observed coming from the
direction of Charlecote, carrying two small carpet
bags. Very full descriptions of their appearances
and dress were forwarded to the various police-offices
of the country, and last night a man was apprehended
by Glossop and Tandy, two active officers of the
Birmingham detective force, who, there can be little
doubt, was one of the burglars. The police re-
ceived information of two doubtful charac-
ters lodging at a respectable house in King
Alfred's •place, and about half-past ten o'clock
the officers laid wait for their apprehension.
At the hour mentioned a young man, who passed by
the name of Walters, arrived at the door in a cab,
when he was immediately pounced upon and secured
by the officers. On searching him he was found in
possession of a small double-barrelled pocket pistol
loaded with ball. He coolly declared to his csptors
that he knew he must be hung, and had they afforded
him an opportunity he would have shot them. All
resistance was, however, in vain, and he was con-
veyed within doors. Oa searching his room the
greatest portion of the spoils of Charlecote were
found, including the ring presented by Henry VIII.
to his treasurer, the portrait of Sir Thomas Lucy,
&c. ; together with two carpet bags and housebreak
ing implements of the very best and finest manufac-
ture. Walters gave no explanation of the manner
in which he became possessed of the property, and he
was ultimately removed to the prison in Moor-street.
His companion has not yet been taken, but
there is every reason to believe that he will
shortly be secured. This morning additional
information was obtained with regard to
Walters and his past doings. He is suspected to be
one of a gang who have infested the neighbourhood
of Birmingham during the last winter. Amongst
other burglaries wile which he is supposed to be im-
plicated are those of W. Piercy, of Warley-hall, and
Miss Taylor, of Moor-green. The police, having
reason to suppose from some depositions found in his
pocket that he is the same man who some months
ago, after having first robbed the house of the
governor, escaped out of Worcester Gaol, this morn-
ing proceeded to examine his person, and on his left
arm found three small moles, and by which he was
immediately identified as Bradshaw, by which name
he went when in "Worcester Gaol on a charge of
felony. When he was accused of the former robbery,
and his escape from Worcester, he offered no exculpa-
tion, but appeared much irritated and cast down.
Walters is of rather geetleinanly exterior, and
dressed in black. He will be conveyed to Stratford
for examination before the magistrates of that locality.
By his apprehension the police are entitled to a re-
ward of 1001

A GRAVE RESPON6IBILITY.—The worst thing we
can say of the Metropolitan Interments Bill, is that it is a
" gigantic undertaking."—Punch.