The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-25 00:00:00

THE WIGAN OUTRAGE.

The attack upon the house of a Wigan collier, which
was lately reported in our columns, seems to have
been even a more serious outrage than was at first sup-
posed. Two men are in custody charged with throwing a
bottle of gunpowder, with intent to do grievous bodily
harm, and on Monday they were taken before the.magis-
trates at the borough • petty sessions and remanded,
without any statement being made as to the naturo
of the evidence against them. The names of the men are
John Jolly and Alexander Shepherd, both colliers. The
man who was so wantonly attacked on Saturday morning
is named Joseph Johnson, and he resides with his wife and
nine of his family of elevenchildren at a house in 'Whelley.
Johnson, apprehensive of an attack, fitted up shutters in-
side the windows of his house, and not content with this
precaution, on Friday evening he did not retire to rest with-
out leaving his wife and son on guard. The first attack was
about midnight, when showers of stones were thrown at
the windows. The son went upstairs to awaken his father,
and When in the upper storey he slid back the shutter a
little to endeavour to discover the assailants, upon which
a gun, apparently loaded with shot, was fired at the place.
This discharge and the showers of stones were successful
in breaking twenty or thirty panes of glass. For the next
hour or so there was quietness, but the inmates of the
house were still on the alert, and about a quarter to two
they heard a missile strike against the framework
of the window, and then fall upon the stone in front
of the door. Immediately afterwards a flame shot
up to the height of several yards, and there was a loud
report. With the object of frightening the miscreants, a
gun and a pistol were now fired from within the house,
and these reports, together with the noise of the explo-
sion, attracted a police-officer to the spot, and the family
were left in peace for the remainder of the night. A
subsequent examination sheaved that the missile which
struck the window was a gingerbeer bottle, which had
been filled with gunpowder, and to which was attached
a lighted fuse inserted through a wooden plug in the
neck. The bottle was shivered into a Ciousand pieces.

THE CASE OF SCALDING IN A CONVENT.

At the Westminster Police-court, on Tuesday, Margaret
Walsh, a teacher at the school held at the convent of the
French Sceurs de Charit4 de St. Vincent de Paul, Ashley-
place, Pimlico, was finally examined, charged with assault-
ing Ellen Brown, a child of the tender age of 4 years, by
scalding it in a copper.
Mr. W. D. Smyth, solicitor, of Rochester-row, appeared
to prosecute for the Society for the Protection of Women
and Children, 20, Haymarket ; Mr. Bury Hutchinson
defended ; and Mr. Millar, of Clifford's Inn, watched the
case for the convent authorities.

The facts of the case have been often detailed ; the pro-
secution not endeavouring to get a conviction on the more
serious charge of feloniously wounding, with intent, &c.,
but merely prosecuting for the common assault.
The evidence had been very conflicting, and Mr. Smyth,
on the last occasion, could not give an idea of the injury
the child had sustained ; therefore, the case was remanded
for the attendance of the surgeon from St. George's
Hospital, who was summoned, and his evidence copied in
deposition for committal for trial.
It must be borne in mind that the school is in no way
connected with the convent, nor the convent with the
school. It was formerly held in Westminster, but the
premises coming down for the railway, the Rev. Father
Kirke, the principal, leased or rented part of the convent
to carry on the school temporarily. Since the occurrence
the defendant has left the school.
Dr. Fisher said : I am a surgeon at St. George's Hospi-
tal ; house surgeon. I have had under my care at the
hospital a child of the name of Ellen Brown. The first
time I saw her was on the 4th of March ; she was scalded
from just below the knee to the ankle, not the feet. The
scalds were of the same height to within half an inch.
The child was in danger three or four clays from fever con-
sequent on the burns. The child is out of danger now, and
will be well probably in a fortnight.
Mr. Arnold : There is always some danger of a relapse,
and I cannot complete the case until the child is able to
leave the hospital. I think under the circumstances there
would be no objeotion to adjourn the case for a fortnight,
and extend the bail.
No objection was made, and the case was adjourned tilt
that day fortnight.

The fears as to a dissolution of Parliament this years
should the Government be defeated on Mr. Gladstone's
resolutions, are gradually disappearing. When threats
are held out as to an appeal to the country and to the
constituencies, the Times asks what is meant by " the
country," and by "the constituencies ?" Why, an appeal
to the £lO householders in boroughs and the £5O
tenants in counties—an appeal to the electors of
Honiton and of Tavistock to send up once more
their two members apiece to determine the policy
of the empire. It is sufficient to state what is meant by
an " appeal to the country " at the present tlme to demon-
strate its absurdity. The moral competence of condemned
constituencies cannot be greater than the moral com-
petence of a moribund Parliament. It quotes Lord
Stanley's argument on this very point when speaking
against the separation of the franchise from the redis-
tribution of seats two years ago. Looking forward
to the chance of a dissolution before the work
of Reform had been perfected, he pointed out
"in what an extraordinary position the House and the
country would be placed." " If you appeal," he said, " to
the old constituencies, you make your appeal to those whom
the House has by its deliberate vote already condemned,
and from whom it has transferred political power ;" and if
an appeal were made to constituencies imperfectly
reformed, it would be an appeal to " an electoral body, the
creation of an accident, never intended to be the depository
of political power."
The bill for the abolition of compulsory church rates has
gone up to the House of Lords with a majority of 103 in its
favour. The 28 dissentients included three members of
the Cabinet—Lord John Manners, Sir Stafford North-
cote, and Sir John Pakington ; and five members
of the Government outside that select circle. These
were the Solicitor-General, the Hon. Colonel Lindsay,
Mr. Sclater-Booth, Admiral Seymour, and the Attorney-
General for Ireland. The others consisted of old and
staunch Conservatives like Sir Brook Bridges and Mr.
Henley, and uncompromising Orangemen like Sir Charles
Lanyon and Sir J. M. Stronge. In the majority were
such Conservatives as Mr. Henry Barnett, the member
for Woodstock, Sir H. Edwards, Mr. Milnes Gaskell,
Mr. Kavanagh, Sir Graham Montgomery (the Scotch
Lord of the Treasury), Mr. Neville-Grenville, Mr. F. S.
Powell, Mr. Samuel Waterhouse, and Mr. W. Wynne.
ACCIDENT IN THE HUNTING FIELD. —Mr. Loftus
Arkwright, the master of the Essex hounds, has met with
an accident. The field met at Loughton, and after break-
fasting at the mansion of Mr. Howard, proceeded to hunt
the forest. In crossing a ditch Mr. Arkwright's horse fell
and threw him, and brought down its hind feet on his
breast. Medical assistance was at once sent for, and a car-
riage having been obtained, the injured gentleman was
conveyed to Epping, and afterwards to his home at Har-
low. It was found that no bones had been broken, and it
is believed no serious injury has been sustained.
CRTJELTY TO A GIRL. —A man named Thomas
Cook, a chimney-sweep, has been sent to prison for six
months by the Birmingham magistrates, for cruelly beat-
ing his stepdaughter, a girl only six years of age. The
prisoner, sitting at home, had filled his pipe with tobacco,
and asked the child to give him a light. Whilst she was
holding the burning paper towards him the flame touched
her hand, and she, of course, let the paper fall. For that
very grave offence the man took the child upstairs and
beat her with a horsewhip. The child was produced in
court, and the magistrates inspected the bruises which
the prisoner had made with the whip. Lumps and bruises
were found on her head, and her arms were coveree
with wheals and bruises, from which blood was issuing.
The man's only excuse was that the child was impudent.

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HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, March 24.
The Queen went out this morning, accompanied
by Princess Christian.
Their Royal Highnesses Princess Louise and
Princess Beatrice rode in the Home Park.

The Princess of Wales drove out, attended by
the Marchioness of Carmarthen, yesterday.
The Prince of \Vales, attended by Captain Ellis,
visited M. Val Prinsep's studio a few days since.
Madame Van de Weyer gave her second small
dance last evening. It was honoured by the presence of
their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales,
the Prince and Princess Christian, and Princess Louise.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cam-
bridge t.nd the Princess Mary Adelaide of Teek left town
yesterday, attended by Lady Geraldine Somerset and Lord
Frederick Paulet, for Bolvoir Castle, on a visit to the Duke
of Rutland. Their royal highnesses will remain at Bolvoir
till Monday next.

The Earl and Countess of Derby and the llon.
Fi ederick Stanley, M.P., and Lady Constance Stanley ar
rived in town yesterday from Knowsley.
The Earl of Carnarvon has arrived in town from
the south of France, and the countess is daily expected to
arrive from the Continent.

Viscount Gilford and Lady Gilford have arrived
at the Queen's Hotel, Upper Norwood.
Count F. de Lagrange and Monsieur E. Fould
have arrived at the Clarendon Hotel from Paris.

THE AUSTRALIAN SHIP GENERAL

GRAA 7'.

WELLINGTON, Jan. 17.

The particulars of one of those romantic sea ad-
ventures which illustrate how much stranger truth
is than fiction have just been made public. The
Auckland Islands, situate about four degrees due
south of New Zealand, have of late years obtained
much notoriety by reason of the shelter they have
afforded to shipwrecked crews. They ought to be
out of the course of vessels returning to England
from Australia, but occasionally ships are driven
into those stormy latitudes, and four or five of them
are known to have been lost within as many years.
Eighteen years ago the islands were made the depot
for the whaling ships of an English company, ori-
ginated by the Messrs. Enderby, and a relative of
those gentlemen was then created Governor. After
a few years' trial the company was broken uPI
and with ,Governor Enderby's departure all at-
tempt at settlement was finally abandoned.
Two or three hundred Maories had found
home there for several years, but the region was e°
inhospitable that they also were eventually obliged
to forsake it.

In 1865 a shipwrecked crew was taken off by 3
homeward-bound vessel, and the islands were
thoroughly searched in October and November of
that year by the colonial steamers Victoria and
Southland, both of which left goats, rabbits, poultry,
and sowed the commoner vegetables in various
places. Three men, wrecked in the schooner Graf-
ton, had, earlier in that year, succeeded in reaching
New Zealand, after having existed on the islands
nearly 18 months, the boat being so small and leaky
that the fourth man had to be left be-
hind. Besides rescuing the veritable Crusoe
traces of other wrecks were discovered, but from
that day to this, although several homeward-
bound vessels have been missing, no further
visits have been made to the islands either 1/
men-of-war or others. The wreck of one of these
missing vessels has just become known, and ten of
her passengers and crew have been taken off, after
eighteen months of much hardship. The General
Grant, of Boston, a fine ship of 1,095 tons, Car
tail Loughlin, sailed from Melbourne, on the 4th
of May, 1866, for London, with a crew and pas"
seugers numbering 83 souls, and a cargo consisting
chiefly of wool and six boxes of gold. ou the
13th, the weather being thick, the Auckland Islands
were sighted close ahead, and the ship was imme-
diately hauled on the port tack. The wind being
light, and a strong current setting in shore, the ship
struck heavily under some almost perpandicular cliffs,
carrying away her jibboom and rudder. A boiling
surf prevented any attempt at escape until next day'
after the ship had been in the darkness drawn into
a cave about 250 feet deep, but not sufficiently high
to admit her all standing. The foremast went first,
and then her maintopgallautmast, both bringing
down huge pieces of rock, which stove in the fore-
castle. When the day broke the ship was still strik-
ing heavily forward with 25 fathoms under her
stern. The pinnace was first launched, and three or
four men sent in her to lay out lines and a kedge,
and then the gig was lowered from the stern with
the chief officer and four men. Up to this time the
wind was light and the tide had been falling, but
now both setting strongly into the cave, the YeSSC
forged further, up, and the maintopmast coming
into contact with the lessening roof, caused the
keel to start the ship's bottom, and she began t°
fill. The women were hurried into the long boat?
one of whom (Mrs. Jewell) the stewardess fell from
the whip into the sea, but was rescued by her lies'
band jumping after her and reaching the gig. TWa°
other passengers followed Jewell's example, an
were also picked up. The sea had had now risen,
considerably and swept the poop. The long boat
was seen to float with about 40 persons, but so°
getting into the breakers filled and sank. The gig
had made an ineffectual attempt to return to the
ship, and, now, with the pinnace, watched outside
the breakers, in the hope of rescuing such stroll
swimmers as in their agony might force themselves
into smoother water. Three such were picked 01/'
and then the ship was seen to go down, CaPtalciti
Loughlin, with one man by his side, eau
er
ing in the mizentop waving a last farewell. Aft,
laying-to until all hope of rescuing any more Ill'
island'
•
was gone, the two boats made for one of the is
and next day effected a landing in " Sarah
.
Bosom," which is, I believe, the original and evill
popular name of the harbour marked on the chart:
as Port Ross. Here these sixteen people appear ti
have remained until the 22d of January, 186
living principally on seals, limpets, mussels, ell:t
occasionally catching a pig or a goat. On tl3:
date the chief officer, three of the crew, and a pa'
senger left the island in one of the boats for
Zealand. Hope of a successful voyage died out ia
those left behind, after waiting in vain from we°
to month for succour, and they rightly conebidet*to
that the chief officer and his companions, to 'if°
the
they had already owed so much, had perished in
''
attempt. One of the shore passengers died fro
dysentery, from which they all suffered severe;lth
and this appears to have impressed them wi
many gloomy forebodings ; all were, however, fer;
tunately obliged to exert themselves daily in gett.la
nz,
wood for signal fires, keeping a look-out, huDa a
for food, and turning the sealskins into clothlerl'ig.
At length, on the 21st of November, the whaling e.he
Amherst was attracted by the signals, and toolcciej
nine men and one woman on board, and lal3ot,
them at the Bluff (Southland) on the 13th inst
er),
Their names are :—Passengers.—Jas. 'Ter (Se eh.
Patrick Coughey, Nicholas Allan, David Ash b
Crew.—Mary Ann Jewell (stewardess), eA.
Jewell, Cornelius Drew, William Forgus°l3,;eo.
Haipman (Hayman), and A. M. Saguall ('
gelly). An official inquiry has been hehlrrs-
the magistrate at the Bluff ; but the 13 tele,
tive above given is wholly drawn from the ros.
grains received by the Government and the P3lO
No mail has yet reached 'Wellington front the, tot
since the Amherst arrived there. It is thoughb .' re,
e,
some of the cargo of the General Grant may to do
covered, and sending a steamer to endeavour
so is talked about. It is to be hoped that the too
vernments of Australia and New Zealand will
ib A
the islands to be visited at stated intervals/ 19 e
10
res
view to the speedier removal of any future of
who may be unfortunate enough to get east
there.

'
THE BRITISII ASSOCIATION.—The Rigby ij
the
00
W. E. Gladstone, ALP., has consented to preside o 7 tije
Statistical Section at the approaching meeting ° TA°
British Association for the Advancement of Sciellee.
meeting will be held at Norwich in August next,