The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-01 00:00:00

THE SUN, AONDON', THURSDAY MORNING-, AUGUST 1, 1944

1:3 1::•5.3 fair proposals, invited probably by the dis- I —(Laughter.) I don't think the secret could be in
clission v. hich has taken place on that o,' ip,2Warner's , worse hands than in those of the Prime Minister. If it
—fotir p:;rsons who have invented instruments each at became neTessary to prevent other Powers from be-
. least as clestructit eas Cape. ner's.—(llear, hear,-and coining aware of it, and converting it to hostile pur-
laughter.) The invent.:', a-d: for no remuneration, poses, and that it was f sine qua non that the secret
but only that the experiment should he performeo, • he ent,!,L- ,1 to ;oznebody, he thought
at the public expense. But after the speeches that had that that r2spc•nsin:lty ought not to be thrown
beets made in this House on the subject, and an exhibi- on the Prime Minister. To the objection that
tion by Captain Warner, I must admit of considerable ' another would divulge the secret, Captain Warner
power, I thought I would deprive him of any opportu- said he did not think any Englishman would do any
nity of saying I treated the invention with any disre- such thing. They replied, " You are an Englishman,
spect or ridicule; I therefore offered to bear the ex. and you want to sell it." He said. " I want to secure
penses of the experiment within reasonable limits. the secret to my country." I am sorry that my Noble
Captain Warner in his reply said, he did not want any Friend has imposed on me the necessity of entering into
artillery or cannon, as he effected his object by means these details. I think we have not treated Captain War-
distinct from any of the weapons of war. But with re- ner's discovery without due respect and regard. I have
gard to the reversal of the order of the experiments, by entered into all these details for the purpose of showing
taking the long range first, he did not think it right to that the House of Commons is not the proper tribunal
depart from the original plan. But he submitted to the for trying this matter, and that it should not be consti-
Commissioners whether all expense in the matter might tuted into a court of appeal from the Government.
not be avoided, as he could refer for the success of his Captain Warner or his offers have not been treated with
experiment to the high authority of the Secretary disrespect, and I think the House will see, from the cor-
of the Admiralty, the First Lord of the Treasury, respondence which has passed, that Captain Warner has
to the Master-General of the Ordnance, and to his had the fullest opportunity given to him of exhibiting
Noble Friend Lord Ingestre. Why, I never his " invisible shell" and " long range," and if Capt.
saw any experiment with the long range. I only saw Warner has failed to do so, it is not the fault of the
the one experiment at Wanstead, and what is the use of Government or of the Commission—the fault must be
referring at all to first Lords of the Treasury ? I pro- ascribed to Capt. Warner, who failed to perform what
pose myself to be quite incapable of judging on the sub- he had undertaken.—(Hear, hear.)
pet, and what I want is the opinion and judgment of Mr. COWPER said that the Right Honourable
professional men. In reply to this letter of Captain Gentleman bad clearly shown to the House that the
Warner's, the Commissioners returned a very proper present Government had performed its duty in re-
communication, stating that they were not appointed to be gard to this matter.—(Hear, hear.) The Government
referred to the opinions of others, but to judge for them- had done all that lay in their power in order that the
selves. Then, as to the point of the expense of purchasing experiment might be fairly tried. He only wished to
the invention, in case it succeeded. The Noble Lord says, say that the late Government were not guilty of any ne•
I made a great mis-statement last year in asserting that glect on their part, for that when Captain Warner made
Captain Warner asked 400,000 L for his secret. I hold his proposition to Lord Melbourne, the Noble Vis.
in my hand a letter from Captain Warner to Lord Hard- count said it was not a matter in which a civilian ought
wicke, in which he demands for the purchase of his in- to be called to decide, and he referred Captain Warner
visible shells, 200,000/., and 200,000/. fur his long range to Admiral Sir W. Parker, who was unwilling to exa-
also. That was the proposal made by Captain Warner mine into the question himself, and he got permission to
on the 2d of November, 1841, immediately after the have another Lord of the Admiralty with him to inquire
proposal for the appointment of a Commission, and his into the matter. Captain Warner required 16,0001. be-
consent to the nomination of Sir Byam Martin. fore he proceeded with his test, and he (Mr. Cowper)
Title Commissioners asked Capt. Warner to proceed with remarked, Capt. Warner preferred going to the Treasury
the experiments, and they received a reply on the 20th rather than to the Admiralty or Ordnance Boards, and
of April, 1842. In this letter Capt. Warner acknow- that he always treated the subject more as a question of
ledges the communication of the Commissioners of the money than as a scientific or military matter. The
16th, but states that as they said they had no authority Noble Lord who brought forward this motion said he
to fix the amount of his remuneration in case he sue- hoped the Government would prevent this discovery
ceeded, and as this was the basis of his engagement, he from passing into the hands of other Governments.
could not proceed further till they received authority to Now, he had heard from very high authority that the
promise him, on the part of the Government, a proper discovery was offered to the Government of Prussia,
amount of remuneration. He said further, that he might and the negotiation with the Prussian Government
save them any unnecessary trouble in entering on any went off on the very same point on which the Govern-
' other part of the subject till this obstacle was re- ment at home refused to have anything to do with it—
moved. Thus it is evident that the sum of 400,0001. viz., that Captain Warner required a large sum of
was required, upon which the Commissioners informed money beforehand. He hoped that, if any sincere de-
him that there was an end of the Commission, since they sire was manifested by Captain Warner to test his expee
had no authority to promise any such sum, or any other riment, an opportunity would be granted to him.
sum beforehand ; that this must be left entirely to her Sir HO WARD DOUGLAS said he was very glad
• Majesty's Government, and they closed the Commission. the correspondence was to be produced, as it would
After these gentlemen had thrown up the Commission, show that the Government had offered Captain Warner
Captain Warner said he should he content with any re- every opportunity of testing the full powers of his inven-
muneration the First Lord of the Treasury might offer tion, and that his colleagues and himself had acted to-
him beforehand. He did also submit to some examina- wards him in a spirit of the utmost kindliness and fair-
tion by these Commissioners, and ho thought a refe- ness.—(Hear, hear.) He was glad also that an oppor-
rence to some of the questions put to Captain Warner, tunity was afforded him of contradicting, in the strongest
and the answers given to them would satisfy the House terms, a report which he saw in the Times newspaper,
that caution on every point was not misplaced. The stating that there was a difference as to Captain
following questions were put to Captain Warner :—How Warner's proposition amongst the Commissioners.
long is it since you satisfied yourself of the powers of Now there never was the least difference between them
your long range, and your invisible shells ? Captain —the most perfect uniformity of opinion existed be-
Warner replies—Twelve years ago with respect to the tween Sir Edward Owen and himself ; they came to the
long range, and twenty-seven years ago with regard to. conclusion that the only part of the alleged invention
the invisible shells, as he sunk two French privateers at which was worth anything was that of the " long
the end.of the war, one off Folkestone, and the other in range," and when Sir Byam Martin succeeded him
St. Vallery Bay. What was the name of the vessel you he read over the documents, and, on the 31st of March,
were on board of ? The Nautilus. Such an extraordi- he wrote a minute, stating that he entirely concurred in
nary circumstance was, of course, reported to the Admi- what his predecessor had done, and he stated his own
ratty ? No ;it was not reported • we were not under opinion that the only thing worth purchasing was the
the Admiralty. Then, who was the Nautilus hired by ? " long range. They asked Captain Warner what he
It was hired by the Secretary of State, and employed by would do, supposing there were twenty sail of the line
Lord Castlereagh in landing spies on the coast of France. occupying a roadstead like Torbay, for instance,
Was the destruction of these two vessels reported to the which was three miles, how he would close up
Secretary of State ? It might hare been, but Ido not that passage—how far his shells were to be
know. Was it recorded in the log-book of the Nautilus? placed from each other, whether there was to be a per-
We did not keep a leg-book. Were any of the crew feet communication between them, and how they were
present when the destruction took place ? No one knew to be laid out. They asked how this was to be done in
of it but myself and another. In answer to other ques- the face of the enemy. Captain Warner said he would
Lions, Captain Warner stated that no head-money was do it by means of cutters, and schooners, and boats.
claimed for the crew destroyed, and that his father was They asked how he would do it against wind and tide.
the owner of the Nautilus. The Commissioners sent to He said he would do it by a steamer, and that he would
the Admiralty to inquire if any record whatever existed, thus block up the passage. He admitted that Captain
or correspondence, relating to the destruction of these Warner had discovered an explosive power greater than
two French privateers, and none could be found. The any that was yet known ; but how was it possible that
same inquiries were then made at the Foreign-office, but Captain Warner could lay his invisible shells, and block
no record of any such fact existed. The Commissioners up a passage with them in the face of an enemy, with
then asked where was the long range tried ? The an- steamers, cutters, and schooners, and with perhaps wind
swer was, upon some trees, at the distance of three and tide against him? It was worse than the attempt to
miles, in Hainault forest, in the presence of put salt on the bird's tail.—(Laughter.) They did not
Sir Edward Keats. Now, if this were the think that the invention of the " invisible shell ' was one
case, why should not Captain Warner satisfy which required a moment's consideration. With regard
the Commissioners as to the mode in which it was ac- to the experiment which had taken place at Brighton,
complished? The Commissioners also say, You have par- he did not think it was any more than what
titularly spoken of the desolating power of your long had taken place on the punt in the fish-pond,
range ; if so, how did you obtain a proof of it ? Cap- which was drawn by horses. It was nothing more than
tain Warner in reply, stated that he had tried it in the same experiment on a larger scale. A vessel must
Hainault forest. and on the Biom islands, where there be drawn in the wake of another, with ropes on each
were no buildings, but where the power of the instru- side of her bows ; the force would cause them to col-
ment shivered several tons of rock. Now other persons lapse, and if there was explosive matter the force would
could produce as great effects as this. There were many cause it to burst ; but when one vessel chased another,
chemical compounds that produced the most violent ef- the course generally pursued was not to follow in the
fects, yet might be handled with perfect safety ; but the wake of that vessel, but to tack in the wake. This power
question was, whether it could be applied under difficult could not be used to any great extent, notwithstanding the
circumstances, and whether they could be applied with terrific use which was said had been made of ,it in de-
safety by the persons using them. We therefore do not stroying two French privateers. He therefore thought
see such advantage in blowing a vessel into the that the only thing worthy of seeing was the long range,
air, others can do that. So much for the in- and they proposed to Captain Warner to proceed with
visible shell. But, above all, they had a curiosity his experiment, and for this purpose they had procured
to see the effects of the long range—a projectile able to vessels, but Captain Warner wished to procure a vessel
destroy fort and towns. If they attached a shell to the for his own experiment. They wished also to have the
tail of a kite, or to a balloon, that would be of no impor- vessels under their own personal charge, and that Cap-
tance—there was no ingenuity in that. If they proposed tain Warner should not choose the place where he was
to convey it in this manner, and drop it into a fortress to try his experiment. They did not mean anything of-
-that would be useless, for it would be impossible so to fensive to Captain Warner; they wanted only to decide
do. But could they project it to the same distance? Let fairly between the public and Captain Warner. They
them show that that was possible. However the experi- also wished that Captain Warner should make his ex-
ments came to an untimely end, and before he closed the periment as if upon an enemy's vessel. Then, with re-
Commission, his Gallant Friend(Sir Byam Martin), ex- gard to the material which was employed; if it
presied a wish that he might never be asked to try any was so explosive that it would burst on
more experiments, and that if he were asked he should slight percussion or concussion, he had no he•
positively decline. A debate subsequently took place in sitation in saying that a ball striking the vessel in
thattlouse, and Captain Warner published a letter on which such explosive matter was contained would blow
the subject, not very complimentary to the Government the whole up. With regard to the part which he had
or to the Committee. But that was no reason why he taken as a Commissioner, they, of course, declined to
should not have a fair opportunity of trying his experi- give Captain Warner a guarantee for any sum of money,
meats. On hearing, therefore, that Captain Warner was because they had had no power of doing so. They said
dissatisfied with the course taken, I wrote again to Sir they could have nothing to do with any reward, either its
George Murray, stating that I understood Captain War- principle or amount ; that their duty was to judge
tier was really desirous that the experiment should be between the public interests and the interests of an
fairly tried, and requesting him to confer with the First individual, and to report their opinions of the experi-
Lord of the Admiralty as to the selection of two other ment to the Government. lie was necessarily called up by
officers, not of equal rank with Sir Byam Martin and the motion made in that House by the Hon. Baronet the
Sir Howard Doue,las, but of unblemished character, and then Member for Wiltshire, the late Sir Francis Burdett.
having every qualification to enable them to judge. On this He was necessarily put on the defensive as one of the
Commission Captain Warner wished to have a nominee Commissioners. everything which had taken place in
of his own placed, but this the Government declined, their communications with Mr. Warner was new in
The Commission, on the other hand, wrote to Captain print. There had never been any differences between the
Warner that :the Government were willing to bear the Commissioners and Captain Warner, except in refer-
expense, but proposed that one of the Commission should ence to the experiments ; and, as to any difference
be on board the steam-boat employed by Captain between Captain Warner and himself, all he could say
Warner; but to this Captain Warner positively ob- was, that he never saw Captain Warner except in the
jetted. They said they could not form a satisfactory presence of the Commissioner, and every word which
judgment unless they were on board the steamer; but had passed between himself and Captain Warner, as in-
still they would waive that objection, and they called on dividuals, was contained in the correspondence. In all
him for an estimate of the expense to be incurred. I these communications with Captain Warner they had
said before I would not enter into a blind engagement to answered by telling him that they were not desirous of
pay hundreds of thousands of pounds; all we wanted extorting from Captain Warner any part of his secret,
was, that the Commissioners should watch the mode in but that they merely wished to arrange the experiments
which Captain Warner proceeded, and to report the re- for testing its powers, and they advised him not to an-
suit of their observations to the Government. But in swer any question which might tend to elicit any part
the first instance, we wanted to have an estimate of the of that secret. In the letter of 16th of April, they coin-
expense necessary for the experiment, and a letter was municated to him fully the experiments which they
written to Captain Warner for an estimate of the ex- were determined to have tried. They took nothing for
pease. Captain Warner replied that he would want granted ; they did nothing but insist on seeing the effect
4,637/. for the invisible shell, and 2,4701. for the long of the experiments, and particularly with respect to the
range, making a sum of 5,107 Z, altogether. Our wish long range. He did not know that he had anything
was to see the experiment with the long range, and we ' further to say. He would only say, in conclusion, that
said we did not mind the invisible shell, but we wished he had no objection to the production of these papers,
to have the long range tried, after what had been stated feeling certain that they had done all in their power to
as having been done at St. Vallery Bay, Hainault give ample opportunity for the trial of the experiments,
forest, and the Biom Island. We proposed to give whilst providing for the protection of the public inte-
him 600 Z in the first instance, and then to watch the rests.—(Hear, hear.)
progress of the experiment. Captain Warner objected Sir C. NAPIER said, that throughout the greater
to this, saying that 5001. was not enough ; but still he part of the Noble Lord's speech he was almost inclined
would consent to try the experiment for that sum, and to doubt his sanity ; but when he heard him say that
try to make up the remaining sum, which would be ne- with one vessel Captain Warner would be able to keep
cessary, from amongst his friends. After a certain a whole fleet in harbour, he must say he almost came
period, he intimated that it was impossible to make over to the opinion of Sir Hussey Vivian.—(Laughter.)
the experiment, as he could not find friends who would It was strange that an officer of such talent as the Noble
bear the remaining expense. Thus the matter closed Lord could set his head so completely wool-gathering as
without any experiment, and the relations between the to fancy such a thing for a single moment.—(Laughter.)
Government and Captain Warner ceased. We departed He (Sir C. Napier) looked upon it as one of the wildest
from the ordinary rule in this instance of advancing the schemes ever presented to the consideration of the
public money to try this experiment. We wanted to House.—(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord had given them
have the long :range tried first ; and I do not think it an account certainly of the way in which Captain War-
would be consistent with the duty imposed on us of ner had been treated by the late Government, and if all
guarding the public purse against all unneccessary ex- his statements were correct, he certainly did appear to
sense, if we were to enter into engagements for advanc- have been knocked about from pillar to post. In 1829,
Jag__ a considerable sum—lwill not say 400,0001., or he was in the hands of Sir Thomas Hardy and Sir R.
200e000/. or 300,00 a—depending upon a contingency Keats, two most distinguished officers.
. . could not be foreseen.—(Hear, hear.) lam of Lord INGESTRE—The Gallant Officer was nais-
pinion that the Treasury and all the other depart- taken. It came to his knowledge in 1829, and he then
ments, have acted with the greatest fairness and Jibe- gave a sort of history of the thing.
rality towards Captain Warner ; and I hope the House Sir C. NAPIER—No matter. It did certainly appear
will be of the same opinion. I must say that nothing a singular thing that when those officers died not a,
will induce me, from the experience
regard to inventors, which I have had single document was found amongst their papers in re-
with"A's, and in respect to Capt. Warner. ference to this invention.—(Hear, hear.) Such men of
to consent to enter into
400,0001., or 100,0001., an engagement to pay either
.business were not in the habit of losing papers. Captain
upon a certain vessel being de- Warner then went to Portugal. He had some recol-
stoyed.—(Hear, hear.) I will first know the mode in lection of his being there. If he had found him
there
which it is destroyed. I will k
covery by which it is destroyednow the value of the dis- ready to use this destructive machinery, he would
venting the use of it by to power of pre- certainly have tried it. The Noble Lord said he was
know before I consent, on the par all these effects I will desired by the late King not to use his invention- against
tof the public, that a Don Miguel. He would like to see the proof that King
large sum of money be advanced ; and I
House will not sanction a departure from ()Pe that this William objected to the use of this invention in favour
that
seeing the importance which every inventor principle, of a Constitutional Government against a usurper.—
his own invention, and that on every hand to (Hear, hear.) Then the Noble Lord referred to Sir
would be made on the public money on similar geroinuannt Robert Stopford. Captain Warner was thrown overboard
(Hear, hear.) Before I sit down must refer to by Sir Robert Stopford because the Commission was too
lbaeergen Why, if that were the case, would it not have
additional evidence in this matter. In answer to a quese-
tion which had been put to Capt. Warner as to whether 'easy to reduce the number ?—(Hear. hear.) Then
came the extraordinary statement that this extraordi-
ordinary ships would answer his purpose, or whether he
Bill.—
would require a certain description of' vessels, he said n(aryurtform in war was upset by the Reform
ter.) This was a sort of allegation which he
that there should be vessels fitted for the couldg
not at all comehend. They were then referred
purpose in every fleet." They said, " Then to Lord Melbourne whom the Noble Lord teazed out of
you propose to instruct persons in the mate- his life—(Laughter)—but thematter u was still left
vials you propose to employ ? This will make unsettled. The Noble Lord was next obliged
the secret known ; and how many persons will it be to pick up an old
lieutenant named Webster. Why, he
necessary to employ in each fleet? He said " That (Sir C. Napier) saw Mr. Webster, and he ventured to
one man in the fleet should be in the secret." Thus the say, that there never was
Government would lose the secret unless they gave world.—(Great laughter.) greater driveller in this
need not make any re-
-400,000/. to every person who became acquainted with mark respecting Captain Warner'sHe
communication with
it, unless Captain Warner. could suggest some mode of Sir Hussey Vivian. Well, then,
he came at last to
keeping it secret which did not occur to the Commis- the experiments which were tri •
ed. He had not the
goners. This had been signified to Captain Warner, smallest doubt that Captain Warner possessed the
and he replied that no person need know it but the knowledge of a strong explosive power ; but was there
Know Minister and one manufacturer.—(Laughter.) a single experienced chemist in this country, who did
Now I protest against being tin the secret with another. not possess the same ?—(Hear, hear.) Why, there were

chemists who would tell them that a single drop of
chloride of nitrogen was so powerful, that they could
not, a ith safety, even go near it. Now, what was the
secret of Captain Warner's exploding power? He could
perfectly understand how Captain Warner exploded
those two vessels to which the Noble Lord had re-
ferred. The thing had been done forty years ago ie
the Walmer Roads.—(Hear, hear.) He held in his hand
an account of the experiment. (The Hon. Member then
read a statement of a successful experiment which took
place in the Downs in 1805. A large vessel was an-
chored abreast of Walmer Castle, at a distance of two
or three miles from the shore, when, by the running of
Icopper shells under her bottom, she was instantly de-
stroyed. Mr. Pitt and Sir Sidney Smith witnessed the
experiment. There was a large copper shell, containing
about 2001bs. of gunpowder, which was attached to a
chain. The tide carried it under the counter of the ship,
and by this means the vessels were blown up. He be-
lieved Captain Warner bad performed precisely the
same operation at Brighton.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
He had dropped one of his invisible shells
under the vessel, and whether the experiment was per
formed by clock work or by a trick made no difference.
Well, now, how did this copper work in practice ?
(Hear, hear.) He had served his time under Captain
Seaward. In the month of November they were sent to
the Boulogne roads, with all kinds of boats which had
ever been seer), Gemini, Cancer, and every other animal.
—(Great laughter.) They had- these coppers in the
boat on a November night, when their teeth were chat-
tering with cold.—(Hear.) On the first night they ran
on shore. On the second night they set out for the
Boulogne roads, in order to blow up the flotilla. Away
they went, but before they had got in sight of the ves-
sels, the cockswain of oue of the boats said, " See ! the
peg's out."—(Great laughter.) Overboard it went, as
did the other coppers a:se, and to their horror and
amazement, they floated under the boats. That was the
whole history and result of the expenditure of 20,0001.
or 30,0001.—(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord talked
of destroying a fleet. Why, if he would just
sit quietly in his place and allow him (Sir
Charles Napier) to put a few ounces of gun-
powder under his bottom—(The remainder of the
sentence was drowned in repeated shouts of laughter.)
Now, he had himself taken up C.:pt. Warner's case very
strongly some years ago. When he went to Captain
Warner he showed him a picture of a whole fleet blown
up, observing that that was the way in which he could
blow up a number of vessels.—(Laughter.) He said to
him, I don't care two straws about your expenses, but I
want you to exhibit to me the effect of the long range.—
(Hear, hear.) He was not sure if the Noble Lord was
not present when Captain Warner said he could blow up
all the ships in Portsmouth harbour from the Isle of
Wight. He replied, "If you will prove to me that you
can blow up a ship at a distance of five or six miles, I
will stand up in my place in Parliament and give my
opinion in your favour."—(Hear, hear.) He must say
that Captain Warner did not accept his challenge ; he
always returned to the invisible shell, and shyed at
questions ressecting the long range to take effect at a
distance of five to six miles.—(Hear, hear.) He pro-
posed that Captain Warner should place himself
somewhere near the Downs, and that he
should throw his shell from a certain distance,
but findine. that Captain Warner was not to be easily
dealt with, he had troubled himself no further about the
matter up to that moment.—(Laughter.) Now, the only
thing of which he thought Capt. Warner was entitled to
complain was, that his request to have the Earl of Hard-
wicke and the Noble Lord (Lord Ingestre) added to the
Commission had not been complied with. He had
such confidence in both those Noble Lords, that he be-
lieved the addition might have been made without any
danger to the public interests.—(Hear, hear.) As to the
question of price, Captain Warner asked 400,0001. for an
improvement in war, which, perhaps, as the Right Hon.
Baronet had observed, never could be used, in conse-
quence of its danger, and which, even if it could be used,
would soon become known to the enemy, for it was ha-
possible that such a power could be long concealed from
the rest of the world.—(Hear, hear.) He would say
nothing further on the subject, except that he thought
the Government had given Captain Warner a very fair
chance. He would have them give him 'a still further
chance. Let Captain Warner go to Southsea Castle,
and when he (Sir C. Napier) had stationed a ship at the
Havant light, let him blow up that ship, and then he
would be satisfied.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. AGLIONBY said the Right Hon. Baronet oppo-
site and the Noble Lord (Lord Ingestre) were, per-
haps, the only persons who, from the knowledge of the
circumstances, were competent to give an'opinion as to
the recent experiment, and they both expressed their
opinion that the experiment deserved further investiga-
tion: It was dangerous to listen to a speech like that of
the Gallant Commodore, which had convulsed the House
with laughter. He thought they ought not to enter into
die discussion at all until they had seen the whole of the
correspondence. The mode in which the examination
of Captain Warner had been conducted by the Commis-
sion to whom the question had been referred, was, to his
mind, far from satisfactory. The Commissioners seemed
to have arrived at most extraordinary and unfounded
conclusions from the answers of Captain Warner. He
knew nothing of that gentleman except what he had
heard in that House, but he must say that, with due pre-
caution as regarded the public interest, he thought the
experiment worthy of further consideration. He agreed
with the Right Hon. Baronet that the point most worthy
of consideration and of the utmost importance was the
long range. He thought the Government ought not to
grudge some expense for the purpose of trying the ex•
periment of the long range. He thought it was unfair
to Captain Warner to refuse to have Lord Hardwicke
and the Noble Lord who had brought forward the
question that evening, on the Commission. He hoped,
though the question was dismissed fur the present, it
would not be wholly lost sight of. If the invention
was of the nature stated it ought not to be lost by this
country.
Mr. BROTHERTON doubted, even if the invention
answered all that Captain Warner proposed, the policy
of the Government encouraging, by premiums, these
destructive machines. He thought it would be better
that the invention should remain with Captain Warner,
than that the world should know anything about it.
Mr. WAKLEY said, if war could be prevented, he
for one should rejoice at it ; but as long as it lasted he
thought they should get the best means they could of
defence against their enemies. He was glad that the
Right Hon. Baronet was inclined to give an opportunity
to Captain Warner of trying the long range, because he,
considered that he should have an opportunity of show-
ing what he could do. He did not think that Govern-
ment had acted unfairly to Captain Warner ; they had,
in his opinion, done more in this case than any other he
recollected, because they had offered that he should try
his experiments at the Government expense. As
to the experiments at Brighton, looking at what
had been stated in the newspapers, he did not
think it worth a straw, because Captain Warner had
been on board that vessel before the experiment was
tried, and he had the vessel in tow by a steamer. If
Captain Warner could succeed in blowing up a vessel
which he had not been on board of, by means of the
long range, then he ought, in his opinion, to receive a
competent reward for his discovery.— (Hear, hear.)
He regretted the subject had been brought under the
consideration of the House, because now the question
must be determined.
Sir J. COCKBURN hoped it would be clearly un-
derstood that any further experiments would depend
upon Captain Warner showing the power of the long
range. As to the invisible shells, he looked upon them to
be of little or no moment.
Lord INGESTRE replied. After the statements of
the Right Honourable Baronet, he would leave the
whole subject in the hands of the Government.
With respect to the experiment at Brighton, he
had no hesitation in saying that there was no
explosive matter in the ship, and that the same
effect would have been produced upon any vessel.
He thought the lion. Member for Salford had acted
unfairly in repeating those accusations against Captain
Warner which he had brought forward last year, and
which had since received ample explanation. It was a
difficult thing for Captain Warner to contend single-
handed with all the prejudice which had been raised
against him, but he felt confident as to the result of any
investigation which might be instituted, either as to the
character of Captain Warner or the merits of his in-
vention.. There would be no difficulty if he were
treated with confidence, and not called upon to expose
the nature of his invention without being guaranteed a
reward by the Government, in the event of his experi-
ment succeeding. The offer which Capt. Warner had
made was that, if he succeeded, he should be rewarded ;
but that, if he did not succeed, he should not receive a
single shilling, and that offer he, on the part of Captain
Warner, again repeated.
Mr. BROTHERTON explained.
The motion was then agreed to.
INSOLVENT DEBTORS BILL.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL, in moving the second
reading of the Insolvent Debtors Bill, said that he was
prepared to go into the discussion at once, should it be
deemed necessary. But what he proposed was—to take
the second reading now, without discussing it ; and
to go into Committee on the Bill on Friday next,
at twelve o'clock.
Mr. HAWES did not object to the adoption of that
course, but before they went into Committee he thought
it would be as well that some statement relative to the
Bill should be made.
Mr. WAKLEY said the Bill created great anxiety
out of doors, and he wished to know if it was the de-
cided determination of the Government to pass it
during the present session.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said it was the un-
doubted determination of the Government to pass the
Bill during the present session.
The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to
be committed on Friday next at twelve o'clock.
CASE OF MR. JOHN HEATHCOTE.
Mr. M. GIBSON rose to gall the attention of the
House to the petition of Mr. John Heathcote, which had
been presented a few days since by the Noble Lord the
Member for Dorsetshire. Mr. Heatheote had been for
ten years a superintendent of factories, and &ring that
time had discharged his duty with fidelity and zeal, and
had given satisfaction to his inspector. He had
since been dismissed by the Government on
a charge of having written an anonymous
letter to the Hon. Member for Knaresborough,
and having denied that he had written such letter. The
charge-was so much that he had written the anonymous
letter as that he had denied it, the gravamen of the
charge being that he had been guilty of falsehood. He
was willing to admit that in general no subordinate was
dismissed by the Government until the charge was
brought against him, and it had undergone a full inves-
tigation, and he believed that the present case was one
of misapprehension on the part of the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman. The facts were these. In March 1843, the
Hon. Member for Knaresborough had received an
anonymous letter, suggesting certain alterations in the
Factories Bill. The letter contained nothing -to which
any lierson might not put his name. The Hon. Member
for Knaresborough gave the letter to the Lion. blember

for Dorsetshire, who submitted it to Mr. Horner, the in-
spector of factories, who said that the handwriting closely,
resembled that of Mr. John Heathcote, one of the super"-
intendents. Mr. Homer wrote to Heathcote on "the
subject, and Mr. Heathcote denied positively that he had
written an anonymous letter to Mr. Ferrand, Mr. Horner
then authorised Mr. Heathcote to proceed to his duties,
and he had every reason to suppose that the accusation
had bean met by his denial. Mr, Horner, however, laid
the correspondence before the Secre ary of State for the
Home Department, without having had the courtesy to
inform Mr. Heathcote that he intended to take such
a step. The Right Hon. Gentleman wrote to Mr. Heath-
cote, requiring a justification or explanation of the
charge. Mr. Heathcote replied, that he had offered
no explanation, but had solemnly denied having
written the letter. He received another letter from the
Home-office requiring him to state that he did or did
not write it, and he wrote back in these words :—" I
do most positively deny, that I am the author of an
anonymous letter received by Mr. Ferrand, and signed,
An Overlooker.' " The similarity of the hand-writing
was, however, such, that in the opinion of the Home-
office, it counter-balanced the assertion of Mr. Heath-
cote, a gentleman who had always borne the highest
character, and who produced the highest testimonials
from his superior officers, and from the residents
in his district ; and on the 29th of April, last
year, he received his final dismissal. The
nephew of Mr. Heathcote, Mr. Gilbert, hearing of
the charge which had been brought against his uncle,
came forward and declared that he was the author of
the letter. This declaration, however. did not shake the
determination of the Home-office. They thought that
both the uncle and nephew had been guilty of falsehood
notwithstanding the nephew's statement had been corro-
borated by a gentleman, who had stated that it was at
his instigation that Mr. Gilbert had written this letter.
After Mr. Heathcote's dismissal, he and Mr. Gilbert had
gone before, the mayor of Manchester, and Mr. Heath-
cote had made a solemn declaration that he was not the
author of the letter, and Mr. Gilbert had made a decla-
ration that he himself was. The Right Hon. Gentle-
man said that the letter bore no resemblance to the
handwriting of Mr. Gilbert, and the Right Hon. Gentle-
man had permitted himself and the Hon. Member for
Salford, to inspect the documents at the Home-office.
The Hon. Member for Salford had decided that the
anonymous letter was not the same handwriting as Mr.
Heathcote's. He himself thought that the anonymous
letter bore more resemblance to the writing of
Mr. Heathcote than to that of Mr. Gilbert,
but still the r'e'semblance was not sufficient
to induce him to condeitin Mr. Heathcote. They were
all aware how uncertain was evidence as to handwriting,
and he would call the attention of the House to a case
which appeared in the " Annual Register" for 1831, in
which a man was indicted before Mr. Justice Alderson
for sending a threatening letter. Evidence was given
as to the handwriting, and as to the fact of the paper on,
on which the threatening letter was written being of a
similar quality to that found in the pri oner's possession.
lie was found guilty ; and notwithstanding he protested
his innocence, the Judge, in passing sentence, said that
the evidence was sufficient to satisfy any reasonable man,
and that he would rather trust to such evidence than to
the most solemn declaration even made on the scaffold.
The man was sentenced to transportation for life. The
judge and the jury then retired for a short time, and the
son of the prisoner, 17 years of age, acknowledged that
he had written the letter without the knowledge of his
father ; and being furnished with pen and ink, he wrote
at the table a letter, varying only in a few words from
the letter which was the subject of the indictment ; and
which, when compared with it, left no doubt on the mind
of any one on the subject ; and all the words which were
mis-spelt in the threatening letter were similarly mis-
spelt in the one written at the table. On the return of
the judge the copy was laid before him. His Lordship
expressed his surprise that the facts had not been
brought forward before. Ile said it looked like a trick,
but though the application came late, it was never too late
to do what was right. lie was tried upon two other
indictments of a similar nature in both of which he was
acquitted. The son was convicted and sentenced to
seventeen years' transportation, and the father received
the royal pardon. He thought the Government had dis-
missed Mr. Heathcote upon evidence of an unsatisfactory
character, and they were not justified, on such evidence
in convicting Mr. Heathcote of falsehood, and leaving a
stain on his reputation which must be prejudicial to his
prospects through life. It should be recollected that in
dismissing this gentleman under existing circumstances
they were inflicting a stain upon his reputation, and the
Right Hon. Baronet should be very cautious in exercis-
ing a power which might deprive a man of the means
of earning an honest livelihood.—(Hear, hear.) Mr.
Heathcote was not dismissed because he had discharged
the duties of his office negligently or inefficiently, or
because he was not a useful and diligent officer.—
(Hear, hear.) There had been no complaint of the kind
against him—there was no evidence to show that
he had not discharged his duty with fidelity and assi-
duity. Mr. Horner, the inspector of factories, stated
that if Mr. Heathcote could free himself from this accu-
sation of writing this anonymous letter, he would be
very glad to act with him in a cordial and harmonious
spirit in future. The preyailing opinion in Lancashire
was that he had not been fairly dealt with. He (lir.
M. Gibson) had received letters from several gentlemen
of the' highest respectability, from mill owners in Lan-
cashire, some of whom Mr. Heathcote had prosecuted
under the Factory Act, and from extensive mercantile
houses in Manchester, and all these gentlemen stated
their firm belief that, from the manner in which Mr.
Heathcote had discharged, his duty, they could not be-
lieve him to be capable or so gross a falsehood, and en-
treated of the tlovernment to grant a full and fair, in-
quiry, and to give Mr. Heatheote an opportunity of being
heard personally in his own vindication. He did not
quarrel with the power which the Government possessed
—it was, perhaps, very often useful, in order
to ensure a proper observance of the duties,
of office that so prompt and effective a power should be
in the hands of the Executive; but, at the same time he
though that every opportunity should be afforded to the
individual about to be dealt with, to rebut the charge,
and give every explanation in his power. It should not
be forgotten that a third party had come forward
and avowed the authorship of the letter ; and with
so strong a fact, he though he was fully justified in mov-
ing that the petition of Mr Heathcote be taken into con-
sideration.
Sir J. GRAHAM said he had no reason to complain
of the tone or manner in which the lion. Member had
brought forward the queStion. He would assure the
House, that of all official duties, nothing was more pains
great influence,
hear) Since he had
thef e l thanhoao that a
of
fofd holdingns soaffil . (afinedaerr,
the Crown, this was
only the second case in which he felt obliged to dismiss
an official. The lion. Gentleman was correct in stating
that his (Sir James Graham's) decision was impar-
tial ; it was so ; he did not -know—had never
Heathcote until this affair. Many
and to whose opinions
spersonsen or heardpossessing of—Mr.
g re
he would be most anxious to defer, had endeavoured to
persuade him to re-consider his decisiim, and, amongst
others, his Noble Friend the Member for North Lan-
cashire. He had acted with the utmost deliberation. He
had not come to his decision without weighing all the
facts of the case ; but he felt it his painful duty to state
to the House that nothing which he had heard before or
during that night had shaken his conviction. It should
be remembered that Mr. Heathcote held his situation as
factory sub-inspector under Mr. Horner, and it should
also be recollected that he held that place during plea-
sure. An anonymous letter bad been received by the
Hon. Member for Knaresborough, signed " An Over-
looker." This letter was placed in his hands by Lord
Ashley-. It was sent to Mr. Horner, and that gentleman
at once recognised it as the letter of Mr. Heathcote.
In this letter there was the strongest internal evidence
that it was written by an inspector or sub- inspector of
factories. The particular mode in which the books were
kept appeared in this letter; the time-book, which stated
the hour at which the mill started, the time the mill
stopped for meals, and other such particulars.—(Here
the Right Hon. Gentleman took up a copy of the anony-
mous letter)—that letter could be no other than the
production of a person intimately conversant with these
subjects. The moment Mr. Horner received the letter,
he knew it to be Mr. Heathcote's. The other inspector (Mr.
Saunders) also gave it as his opinion that the writing
was that of Mr. Heathcote. The fact of Mr. Heathcote's
communicating with any Member of that House, without
theconsent of his superior officer, although it must be rather
an original mode of proceeding, would not in his
(Sir James Graham's) opinion have involved any great
degree of culpability. He would not have attached much
importance to that; bat the whole substance of the of-
fence was that when Mr. Horner asked Mr. Heathcote if he
had written that letter, he had solemnly denied it; that
was in reality the whole matter. Mr. Horner after this
denial forwarded this anonymous letter, and Mr.
Heathcote's letter of denial, to him (Sir J. Graham), and
thus the whole matter was brought under his considera-
tion. Upon the reception of these documents he di-
rected his Hon, Friend the Under-Secretary of State to
write to Mr. Heathcote, asking for explanation, and to
glee him an opportunity of reconsidering the matter;
he held Mr. Heathcote's answer to that letter in his hand,
in which he stated—" Sir, I have the honour to acknow-
ledge the receipt of your letter of the 19th inst., and I beg
leave to request that you will inform Sir James Graham
that I most positively deny having written the anony-
mous letter addressed to Mr. Ferrand, and signed An
Overlooker: (Signed) " JOHN HEATHCOTE."
By the oddest coincidence possible the paper, ink, and
writing was the very same as that on which the
anonymous letter was written, and this formed the
strongest conviction that both letters were written by
the same hand. This was his (Sir J. Graham's) opinion,
but he did not trust to his own judgment. He put all
the letters into the hands of Mr. Maule, the Solicitor to
the Treasury, who forwarded the two letters signed by
Mr. Heathcote, and the anonymous letter, to the in-
spector at the Post-office, who, after the most minute
inspection and comparison, declared he entertained no
doubt but they were the same handwriting. Now, there
was the opinion of a person conversant with Mr.Heathcote's
handwriting (Mr. Horner) and two witnesses, altogether
impartial, the Inspector of the Post-office and he
(Sir James Graham), and their unanimous opinion
was, that they were in the same handwriting.
Having arrived at this conclusion he considered that it
would be impossible for him to retain Mr. Heathcote in
the public service.—(Hear, hear.) The next step in the
matter was Mr. Gilbert, writing a letter to him stating
that he was the author of the anonymous letter. He
compared Mr. Gilbert's with Mr. Heathcote's letters,
and had no doubt that the handwriting of the anony-
mous letter, and that of Mr. Gilbert were entirely dif-
ferent He however, took precisely the same steps in
this as in the former instance, and the inspector of the
Post-office was of opinion that they were not written by
the same hand. The case quoted by the Hon. Member
for Manchester, and the decision of Baron Alderson did
not at all support the Hen. Member's case. In that case
the writing of the son was different from the father, and
entirely corresponded with the letter produced in evi-
dence so there was no parity whatever. He thought the
facts of this case were conclusive against ]fir. licathcote.

! In conclusion, he must say, that if he was to be respon-
sible for the mode in which he performed the duties of
his office, he ought to be allowed to exercise his own
- judgment.
Mr. BROTHERTON defended the character of Mr.
Heathcote, and contended that the Right Hon. Baronet
was labouring under a mistake. The letter in question
was written on the 25th of March, and Mr. Heathcote
had satisfied him that he was from hone on that day.
In the next place Mr. Heathcote had solemnly denied,
that he had written the letter, and after that Mr. Gil-
bert had acknowledged himself the author of it. He
(Mr. Brotherton) had examined all the documents con-
nected with this case, and his firm conviction was that
Mr. Heathcote did not write the letter. And after all
there was -nothing in the letter of any consequence.
There were two sentences as to the necessity of inspee-
tors of factories residing in thew districts, and ne
doubt this wowed create a prejudice in the minds of
Messrs. Horner and Saunders. Oil cotnearing Mr.
Heathcote's letter with the anonymous one, he (tier.
Brotherton) perceived a difference in the characteristics.
Further than this, he had that day received a letter from
Mi. Gilbert, which was in the same writing as !he
anonymous letter. (The Hon. Gentlemari here heeded
the letter to several Hoo. Membe s roil ,d hi n. wao
compared it with the aniinymens ()ie.) Mr. He ithcote
was opposed to him in pelities, but, b lievine hie, to have
been unjustly treated, and knowing hen to b a re;
akee men, he had taken up his case, and had done a, lie
could to get him reinstated.
Mr. BRIGHT thought the internal evil nee in the
letters in question was not su conclusive as the Right
lion. Gentleman imagined. As to its containing phrases
used by inspectors of factories, that could be. easily ac-
counted for. Such phrases were common to everybody
residing in Lancashire, and any person writing on the
subject of factories would be sure to use them. The
letter of Mr. Horner to Mr. Heathcote was not of a na-
ture to lead Mr. Heathcote to suppose he had committed
any great offence. What motive was there to induce
him to deny it, if he wrote it ? On the other hand, Mr.
Gilbert made a solemn affidavit that he was the author
of the letter. The Right Hon. Baronet pointed to the sig-
nature of the letter—"l am, An Overlooker," and to the
resemblance it bore to the other. Why, he (Mr. Bright)
would not, to use a common phrase, hang -a dog on
such evidence. The letters " k." and "r " • were as diffe-
rent as they could well be, so that the evidence from the
letters was rather favourable to Mr. Heathcote than other-
wise. This gentleman had been in London for more than
seven months, endeavouring by every means to get hiscase
considered by the Home-office, for the sake of having
• his character cleared, if he could not be restored to his
situation. He did not believe that a man would lose so
much time and money, if he did not possess honest feel-
ings. He understood that Mr Horner would not now
object to act cordially with Mr. Heathcote ; and if the
Right Hon. Baronet could only be induced to regard the
question in a different light, there would be no difficulty
on this point. The person charged solemnly denied hav-
ing written the letter. A second person had avowed
that he was the author of it, and a third party had de-
clared that he induced the second person to write it. He
would ask whether, in any court of justice, this weight
of evidence was not enough to bear down the unfortunate
suspicion that had taken possession of the Right Hon.
Baronet's mind ?
Mr. B. ESCO TT said it was ja question whether this
was a case that ought to be discussed in the House of
Commons; but when a question of this kind was brought j
bef ire them, it being one of great importance to an in,
dividual, they ought, from a sense of justice, to express
their opinion honestly on the state of the facts. He
must say that there was one deficiency in the statement
of the Right Hon. Baronet. One of the reasons he had
given for dismissing Mr. Heathcote was, because he had
denied having written a letter, which the Right Hon.
Baronet thought he had written. Now had this gentle-
man, or either of the parties, been called before the I
authorities of the home-office in order to defend them-
selves ? He did not think the evidence of similarity of
handwriting was alone sufficient.
Mr. M. SUTTON denied that the similarity of the
writing was alone the ground or the dismissal There
was also the resemblance of the ink arid paper. He
contended that Mr. Heathcote alone had published the
ground of his dismissal to the world.
Mr. HAWES said, the question was who wrote the
anonymous letter, Mr. Heathcote or Mr. Gilbert ? The
evidence against Mr. Heathcote was, that the real letter
agreed with the anonymous one. On the other hand.
Mr. Gi.bert ssys he wrote the anonymous letter. But
then it was said, that Mr.:Gilbert's han.l-writing was dissi-
milar to the anonymous letter ; aed that Mr. tleathcotit's
real letter was similar to the anonymous one. Now, if
they assumed that Mr. Gilbert disguise 1 his hand-
writing, that would account for one great difficulty in
the else, namely, the dissimilarity in the hand-writing
between Mr. Gilbert's real letter and the anonymous
letter. Then, when they considered that Mr. Gilbert
ha 1 access to Mr. Heathe,te's office and papers, it
would not be surprising that t'ie anonymous letter should
exhibit a style of hand-writing somewhat similar to Mr.
lleathcote's. They had, en the other heed, the Positive
denial of Mr. Heathcote, that he wrote the letter, and
the acknewledgment of Mr. Gilbert that he wrote it.
He did not think that the internal evidence was r f much
value. It principally consisted of a tabular statement,
to which a person only- in the official situation of Mr.
Heathcote could have access. But then it was known
that Mr. Gilbert had access to his his office.
Mr. WAKLEY said it was one of the most difficult
things in the world to decide with regard to hand-
writing. He knew of a case in which a most distin-
guished author was provoked with some handwriting
that was shown. him, and yet it was his own. He hoped
the Right Hon. Gentleman would recollect that this was
a factory. question, and that he would reconsider his
decision.—(Laughter.) The Right Hon. Gentleman had
asked the House to reconsider their opinions on a former
occasion, and the House consented. The House now
asked the Right Hon. Gentleman to reconsider his opi-
nion, and he hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman would
consent. He did not think that the Right Hon. Gentle-
man had adopted the best means of coming to a correct
conclusion, that was, by getting both Mr. Heathcote
and Mr.. Gilbert to write a copy of the letter. If he did
that, he was sure. everybody would be satisfied with the
decision to which he had come.
Mr. MILNER GIBSON' replied. He entreated the
Right Hon. Gentleman to consider whether the evidence
of handwriting were sufficient, and, if there were any
doubt, to re-open the case.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said he only wished to say
that the question whether Mr. Heathcote had been
guilty of falsehood, or not, was a question, not raised
by him, but deliberately -raised by Mr. Heathcote
himself.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
BOW-STREET.
On Tuesday, summonses which were granted against
several persons for riots and assaults committed on a
pier belonging to Mr. Francis, at the end of Essex-street,
Strand, being made returnable, the court was crowded
with a number of lightermen, watermen, and several of
the Thames police, with persons residing in the neigh-
bourhood, who had for some time suffered the greatest
annoyance from the uproar and confusion continually
occurring in the locality, in defiance of a strong bosly of
police, who were constantly in attendance.
The case seemed to excite much interest. Mr. Twy-
•ford c =nsented to have the defendants called on c:M-
siderahly earlier than the usual hour of (lisp sing
of
assault summonses, and shortly after one u'cl ,c 1 Wil
liam Irish, George Everard, James Ererard, J
/and, and H'ikam Reeves, all of wilom 'tope ro
persons employed on and about the o-, were p'ac t
the bar, charged, at the in,tance of Hoary n
with having, on the 'no ri;ng of the 23tti in •t
assaulted him, to which they .eve•• lly a
guilty.

Mr Bodkin attended, on the part ••• h • Xe
Coeipenv, to prefer the ceeielaiat ; err
peered for the defendan s, s of wheel ea
shovel-, hammers, erew s. an
t the court if tt
• Mr. Bodkin seid it st e tit a
resolve itself tnt t a mu et as tr • -e
common assault, to be p is a •ientnery tiara !,
and if he was borne out in tee. evidence, as he : hou
he should, that it was d-•serving of ihe consideret eo eret
superior tribunal, he eh iu:d apply to the. Cou t to send
the case before a jury. The misim lerstsnding arose re
specting property belongieg to Mr. Francis, who oe. Ned
a floating-pier at the end of Essex street, in t'rout his
premises, which, for a considerable time, h.s ti-ea tto td
to be of the greatest convenience to the public. He un-
derstood that the pier was made upen a culvert, er bleak
sewer, under the jurisdiction of the Cornmissionere, whe
would, at a future time, take step. against the off-toting
parties. On the day in question the defen !aids came at
an unusually early hour to destroy the works erected by
Mr. Francis, which, being taken notice of by two or
three men left in charge, they were opposed by above
thirty persons, who succeeded in destroying the bridge,
during which assaults were committed, in addition to a
serious riot and confusion which ensued, to the annoy-
ance of several respectable inhabitants in the neighb
iur-
hood, who were present to give evidence • and had not a
person who happened to be present guard-A off the hlaw
levelled at the head -of a man in the service of Mr.
Francis, the consequence would have been of a very
alarming character. He would call witnesses to prove
the facts, and then apply to have the defendants hell
to bail for the purpose of subjecting them to be indicted.
Henry Maynard, who had his arm in a sling, in con-
sequence of the wounds he received, stated that, being in
the service of Mr. Francis, he was placed on Thursd
at the top of Essex-street, for the purpose of protecting
the bridge, which occupies one half of the steps. A"out
three o'clock in the morning he was called by Charles
Hill to the-upper part of the pier, where he saw. ehe de-
fendants, with about thirty others, some of whom were
then in court. (The witness here pointed out Henry
Collins, who was instantly placed at the, bar.) Sevt.ra!
of them came from Execution Dock, and when he came
up they were breaking down ' the steps at the pier. He
addressed- Rutland first, and. said he thought he was
more interested in the workiihan to act in such a man-
.ner, when he instantly struck him on the breast, after
driving him from the gate, saying he would attend to his
own interests before those of " old Francis." The
next assault he received was from Wm. Reeves, who
struck him three blows, merely because he was protect-
ing his master's property, while Geo. Everard held hien
by the throat to enable James Everard, assisted by Irish,
to fell him to the ground, where he received several
kicks from Geo. Everard ; and when he eared Hill to
Protect him, they threatened to do for him if he attempted
to approach. They at length succeeded in tearing tip
the platform and destroying it. The def ndalit Geerg.-
Everard held a crowbar, with which he aimed a blow a-
witness which struck him in the mouth, and had :he
blow not heon war led off by a y un t mail who was pre-
sent. he would have received a very serieus iejues.
After he was repeatedly assaulted by a twin -tamed Fitz-
gerald, and Reeve told hint th-y were pail I wh th
had done, and if he would pay thin they woald b-ti d'up
the works again. Richard Overird repeatedly 44id
belonged to the Woolwich Company, the-boats of ehich
sties at the next pier.
- Charles Hill, after confirming the tatetnent of the
last -witness respecting the a .saultS old r ot, said that-on
Monday week it was agreed, iri the praence of Inspector
Lewis, of the Thames Poice, that his olaster should in
future make use of half the way wi h rut itttorruption.
By Mr. Ralkin—The stage had b -en equally divided
when the defendants came to knock it down.
Mr. TWYFORD oeserviel that, in previrg the assault,
fe
way.
right
Mr. seemed inclined to speak as to the t
Mr. Child replied that bath parties claimed the right,
although neither had any authority granted to them by
the Navigation Company.
Mr. TWYFORD thought it. would serve a general pur-
pose to call upon the 'defendants to put in bail to answer
the charge of assault at the sessions.
Mr. Child hoped that, as the defendants were merely
engaged in a disputed right of way, their own recogni-
sances would be sufficient.
- Mr. TWYFORD said he would require them to put in
bail, themselves in 20/. each and two sureties in 10/.
eacti, to -answer the charge at the sessions.
Mr. Bodkin observed, that if the men were hired, and
there was no reason to doubt it, the persons who had
employed them ought to come forward and offer them-
selves as sureties.
The defendants were immediately provided with the
required sureties, and they were discharged.
WORSHIP-STREET, •
Tuesday .a man named Richard Cole, a well-known
character in the neighbourhood, was placed at the bar
before Mr. Bingham, charged with Cutting and maiming,
with intent to kill, Mr. Joseph Gill, the landlord of the.
George the Fourth public-house; in Old-street-road.
The prosecutor, who had his head bandaged, and was
evidently in. a very weak state, said that the prisoner
used formerly to frequent his house as a customer; but,
in: consequence of his grossly misconducting himself
whenever he came there, he had forbidden him his house
about six months ago, since which he had seen nothing
of, him until /bout eleven o'clock on Wednesday night,
the 17th instant, when he again entered the place and
began to assail him in the most abonaitiab'e language.
Witness, .who was behind his bar, requested him several
times eo. desist from hii annoyance and to leave the
house, but the' prisoner refused to do either ; and on
witness telling him.that he would put him out if lie did
not peaceably leave, the prisoner exclaimed, " Then, if
you attempt to put me out, you b--; I'll muzzle you."
Witness went to the door for a policeman, bat could
not find one, and en his coming back aga:_n, the pri-
soner told him he would make as much row as he
continued his threatening languag.e, and thrust his
face into the witness's several times in the most insult-
ing manner. Witness remonstrated with the prisoner
upon his scandalous conduct, upon which the-prisoner.
cried out; " B!---t you, I'll do for you," and got hold
of a large pewter water-jug, but the witness being for-
tunate enough to seize the handle of it, after a severe
struggle with the prisoner, he succeeded in wrenching it
from him. Thus thwarted of his purpose, the prisoner
rushed down the-counter to where two quart pots were
standing near the beer-engine, and, possessing himself
of both of them, flung them, one after the other, with
all his force at the witness's head, but witness provi-
dentially escaped them both, the pots smashing a quan-
tity of glass at the back of the bar. The prisoner, burst-
ing with rage; then swore that he would settle him, and
seizing a large thick glass tumbler, hurled that also sith
all his strength at the witness's heal, au I the glass
catching him just on the top of his foeehead, was shivered
into fragments. The blood gushed out profusely, and
the witness, who was staggering from the force of the
blow, was only saved from falling by his barmaid, who
wag near at the time, and supported him till assistance
arrived. The witness was insensible for more than art
hour, and, although the o,:eurrence took place nearly a
fortnight ago, was still under surgical treatment. The
instant the prisoner had thrown the glass, he 'exclaimed,
" D--n-yeu, I've done for you now," in a triumphant
tone, and ran out of the house.

4, leV

II

The House then divided, when there appeared—
For the motion
Against it 23
Majority against the motion —7
ART-UNIONS.
On the motion for going into Committee on the Art
Unions Bill,

Mr. WYE said the Bill, as it now stood, applied
only to the art-unions of Dublin and Edinburgh. He
proposed so to change the preimble as to make it
applicable to the art-unions of England, and particularly
to that of London.

The Bill then went through Committee, and certain
amendments were agreed to.

The other orders—of the day were then disposed of
and the House adjourned at a Quarter before Twelve.

THE MURDER ON BOARD THE
SALADIN.

The arrival of the Britannia brings us the opening
proceedings of the trial, at Halifax, of the Saladin mur-
derers.

The Court of Admiralty met on the 11th July, Vice-
Admiral Sir Charles Adams taking his seat as Presi-
dent, and having the Chief Justice and Mr. Justice Ha
liburton on his right, and Mr. Justice Hill and Mr.
Justice Bliss on his left.

The prisoners were brought into Court in custody of
the High Sheriff, and, six in number, were placed at the
bar and arraigned.
The prisoners severally pleaded not guilty.
The four first, viz., George Jones. John Hazleton,
William Travesties alias William Johnson, and Charles
Gustavus Anderson, were charged in the indictments,
which were real, with piracy On the high seas,
committed on the 14th of' April last, and ths
murder of Alexander Mackenzie, master of the
Saladin, and Robert Mitchell, the mate ; and
subsequently of George Fielding a passenger, the insti-
gator of the revolt, or a person name unknown ; and
William Carr and John Galloway were charged with
the murder of the said George Fielding, and also of
George Fielding the younger. .
The plea of not guilty was, with two exceptions,
uttered in a firm tone of voice, although the men ap-
peared to feel the awfulness of their situation. Johnson
in particular was much dejected, and on entering the
dock sighed deeply.
On the inquiry being made when the prisoners would
be readyifor their trial, Mr. Uniacke stated on Thursday,
and the Court was accordingly adjourned over till that
day.

Eliza Adams, the barmaid, fully corroborated her mas-
ter's testimony, and detailed in addition many other
aggravating circumstances.
Mr. Alfred Middleton, of Finsbury-squaw, the surgeon
who attended the prosecutor, described tin. nature of the
wound, which he said was of a very dangerous descrip-
tion, and had laid the scull bare for a considerable
distance.

Milgate, a policeman, who had been in search of the
prisoner for four days, was at last informed that he was
at a brothel in the Vinegar-ground, in the City-road,
and, on going there, found him, and took him into cus-
tody. The prisoner was in bed at the time, and on
telling him what he took him for, the prisoner said,
with great bitterness, "I wish I had killed the b---
right out."

The trial was resumed again on the 18th, the day of
the Britannia's sailing from Halifax, so that we cannot
have the result until the arrival of the next steamer.

Mr. BINGHAM asked him if he wished to say anything?
The prisoner sullenly said—No, I shall reserve what I
have to say for my trial ; but a good deal of what has
been stated is false.
Mr. BINGHAM said that the case had been very clearly
established, and fully committed the prisoner to Newgate
for trial.

-
The Right Hon. the Speaker of the House of Com-
mons, on Saturday next, gives his customary entertainment
to the officers of that branch of the Legislature, previous to
the adjournment of the House.
NEWLY INVENTED SPECTACLES, Deafness Relieved
Telescopes, Opera Glasses, &c., 39, Albemarle-street,Pic-
cadilly. Deafness Acoustic Instruments—lnvisible Voice
Conductors when fixed in the cavity of the ears are not
-perceptible, they enable individuals at an advanced age,
and of forty and fifty years' standing, of extreme deaf-
ness, instantly to join in general conversation, and to
catch the sound of a distant low speaker at church,
theatre, &c.—lt pours the conversation into the ears to
such an extent that in most severe cases deafness cannot
be observed. Also original Ear Cornets, French
German, and Spanish Artificial Ears and Improved hear-
ine. Trumpets of every description. Immediately the
Newly Invented Spectacles are placed before imperfect
vision that mist and dullness which appear before the
eyes is removed, every object becomes clear and distinct,
so that the most aged defective sight becomes bright and
brilliant, and is brought to its youthful, natural, and ori-
ginal state. Also Achromatic Waistcoat Telescopes and
Opera Glasses. Every kind of Telescopes of larger size,
with increasing powers, for S'iooting, Sea purposes, and
upon stand for astronomiCal observations, with the cele-
brated Lenses of the most clear, transparent brilliancy;
the powers are so great and the Lenses so bright and
brilliant, that minute objects at an extraordinary distance
are brought completely under the eyes.—Sportsmen, Tou-
rists, and sea-side visitors will indeed have a great treat.
Caution.—Messrs. S. and B. Solomons, Opticians and
Aurists, are not in any way connected with a person of
the same name in their immediate neighbourhood ; nor
in any part of the country. To prevent mistakes be
cautious, and observe,—Only to be had at 39, Albemarle-
street, llocadilly, opposite the Yerk