The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-05 00:00:00

stated that the soups, &c., taken by the deceased were
prepared by Mme. de Sablon. This, it will be seen,
is in contradiction with the statement of the temalt.
When Dr. de Sablon heard that his wife was ac-
cused of the double crime of murder and adultery, he
proposed (as hos already been stated in the Messenger)
that bath should commit suicide, and that their child
should be made to die with them. They all three
fastened themselves in a room with pans of charcoal,
and would have died, had not the husband's courage
failed him on seeing his son struggling in the agonies
of death. Letters written by the doctor on this occa-
sion to his sister and his parents were produced. The
letter to his sister was as follows :

" My dear sister,—You know that, in my last letter, I
said that if God reserved me more terrible trials than
those I bad supported, I should require greater force ;
well! the mistortunes have arrived, and the force fails
me. I see my wife and myself, perhaps, although per-
fectly innocent, menaced with an infamous condemea-
dun. I know uot, why we, innocent—as we swear we
are by our hope of salvation, which our act will compro-
mise,—should give ourselves as asight to the stupid po-
pulace, who would not fail to rejoice at seeing us sent to
the hulks or the scaffold. A voluntary death appears to
me preferable, and I hope that I and mine will be deli-
vered by it from an execrable world, in which calumny
is so powerful that no honest man can be sure of not
sharing our fate. I die with the conviction that my
wife is pure and innocent—my resolution proves
this. I have only one regret, and that is, to
be obliged to sacrifice with us a being who is so
(tear to both. But re-assure yourself, although
very young he has firmness, and accepts our proposition
with courage. Strength fails me; I can only tell you
that I regret you all, and that I beg of you to pray God
for me. I desire that out of the little wo leave behind,
a sum destined to say a mass every year for the repose
of our soul shall be taken. Be more happy than we!
Adieu for ever. " COQUET DU SABLON."
The following was the letter to his parents :
"My dear Parents,—Preferring death to infamy, and
seeing that I cannot avoid the latter, I have recourse to
death. I regret to abandon you thus in your old age,
but the conduct of the magistrate proves that my wife is
judged in advance, so I prefer to make an end. I give to
Edmund, my nephew, all that I may leave after me.
Remember, this is the wish of a dying man, and respect
it. I owe nothing to any one, except what follows:
(Here he gave some details on his affairs.) lam
very unhappy at being obliged to take such a deter-
mination, especially as regards my poor child; but I
hope God will pardon us. We are innocent, and we
can swear that at the moment of appearing before God,
who sees our conduct, aad who I hope will be merciful
to us. I request that we may all three be interred in
the same grave—my wife and I side by side, and our
child placed on us. Poor creature! my heart breaks on
thinking on the lot which I have brought on him. But
I prefer it to that which would otherwise be reserved for
him as well as for his mother. If he lived, infamy would
follow him everywhere—at least, we prevent that for him
—he will not support it. God pardon us, and you also!
But courage failed us in seeing ourselves so over-
whelmed, although innocent. The enemies who have
driven us to this sad necessity will not fail to rejoice and
to call us guilty. But what will that matter to us ? I
embrace you all, and beg of you to believe that I suffer
greatly as having recourse to such a remedy.—Your son,
" COQUET DU SABLON."

The Court then proceeded with the examination of
the witnesses, and was so engaged when the report
was sent off on Friday.—Galignani.

JURIES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—As a servant of the public, occupying a
position of great responsibility, which requires the
daily superintendence of two partners, I venture to
call your attention to the following facts, exhibiting
a state of things which manifestly calls for some
reform.

One partner is summoned on the following causes :
—" Barber v. Ward," Queen's Bench ; " Way v.
Harnet," Common Pleas ; " Moore v. Haines," Ex-
chequer. A second partner is summoned on " Queen
v. Curtis," Queen's Bench. A third partner on
" Walker v. Eldre," Common Pleas; " Way v. Har-
net," ditto; all in one week, and as the result proves
all will be required to attend on the same day.
How, let me ask, can the important business of a
banking-house be efficiently conducted where, as in
our case, there are only three acting partners ?
Let me add, that upon the circumstances being
represented to the judge presiding in the Court of
Common Pleas, his Lordship's reply was, that he had
no jurisdiction in the case, and that all must attend or
pay the penalty.
I take this opportunity of thankfully acknowledg-
ing the contributions this day forwarded by you,
amounting to 11. 155., on behalf of the widows and
orphans of the Worthing boatmen.
Your obedient servant,
217, Strand, Dec. 4.

J. D. PAUL.

PATENT-LAW REFORM.

The committee appointed by the Society of Arts
held their third meeting yesterday. The members
present Here the Right Hon. Thomas Milner Gibson,
M.P. (in the chair), Mr. Henry Thomas Hope, M.P.,
Messrs. Henry Cole, Richard Prosser, of Birming-
ham, R. S. Newell, of Gateshead, Professor Solly,
and Captain Ibbetson.
The resolution; unanimously passed are as fol-
lows :

" 1. That a collection of all the specifications be made,
calendered, and indexed, and deposited for public in-
tbrmation iu the BritLsh Museum.

" 2. That it is highly desirable that such a collection
should be printed a❑d published.
"3. That an annual report of all spncifications re-
gistered. iith proper iudcxes and calendars, be laid
before Parliament.

" 4. That it should be permitted to commence actions
for h.fringement of the rights of inventors in the County
Courts.

"5. That inasmuch as contrary to expectation very
little litigation has been created by the rights conferred
by the Designs Acts of 1842 and 1843, the Committee
is of opinion that a fair trial should be given to the
working of the proposed system of registration of in-
ventions before any special tribunal to determine inven-
tive rights be substituted for the existing tribunals."

IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE SCREW-PROPELLER.

No body of men has been more enterprising and
indefatigable than the General Screw Steam-shipping
Company in working out the advantages of the screw-
propeller, and of that body none have been more
happy in their suggestions and adoptions, and
assidious in carrying them out to a successful issue,
than Mr. Laming and Captain Ford, the active mem-
bers of the company above-named, and we may add
that among the most eminent engineers of the Thames,
and we may say of the world, including Miller and
Rivenhill, and Penn and Co., probably no firm has
devoted more time, or spent more money, or have in-
terested themselves in useful, it not profitable, experi-
ments, than Maudeslay and Field. With this intro-
duction we may briefly state that, under the auspices
of the company before-mentioned, Messrs. Maudes-
lay have fitted a new kind of screw-propeller to the
Bosphorus, the ship destined to be the precuror of
the regular steam communication between England
and the Cape of Good Hope ; and yesterday the ship,
having been completed, was taken on a trial trip
down the River so far as the measured mile in Long
Reach, several of the parties interested being on
board. The ship has always maintained a good cha-
racter with the old fixed screw, and although there
was no lack of confidence in the success of the new
patent of Maudeslay's, some natural anxiety was
manifested on its account. To the utmost gratifica-
tion, however, of both company and engineers, all
nervousness was dissipated almost at the first starting,
and, at the measured mile, the mean speed of 9i
knots, or nearly 10 2.3 statute miles, with an easi-
ness of steering that was very remarkable, esta-
blished most -conclusively the triumph of the new
principle.
We have not space to-day to give any detailed ex-
planation, and must confine our report to the state-
ment that this improvement on the old propeller is
termed Miudeslay's patent self-acting feathering
screw, which of itself assumes such a position that,
when the vessel is under canvass only, the least pos-
sible amount of impediment is offered to its being
drawn easily through the water ; and when the ship
is under steam power, it again takes spontaneously,
on the engine being put into motion, the right angle
for propelling.
iaer, to all intents and purposes, in form and
reality, with this new screw the vessel is, at the will
of the navigator, either the perfect sailing ship or
the auxialiary steam-ship ; for the screw is so fitted
that, when not required to propel the ship, it may be
said to forma portion of the lines of the after portion
of it. The important advantages of this new plan of
screw are almost self-evident, and when it is stated
that it is constructed in component parts, the im-
proved facilities it affords fur stowing or repairing
will at once be seen and acknowledged, and, we
venture to predict, will be generally adopted in all
services in preference to those at present in use.—
Herald.

REGENT'S CANAL.—The hAlf•yearly general meet-
ing of the shareholders of this company was held yesterday,
at the offices, City-road, the Marquis of Salisbury in the
chair. The report etated that during the last six months
the traffic of the canal bad progressed favourably, the instal-
ments on the new shares had been well paid up, the profits
of the half7year had been 13,499/., allowing a dividend of lie.
Gd. per share on the old and newly-created shares, and
leaving a balance of 1207. for the next half-year. The ex-
cavation for the enlargement of the company's dock at
Limehoine was going on under a contract of 2,750/. The
necessary preliminaries had been observed in order to apply
to Parliament for power to extend the new reservoir in the
Valley of the Brent. The report was adopted against only
two dissentient voices.

FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—A. collision took
place at, Birmingham on Tuesday afternoon. .The Salta
StafforLlshne train from Walsall, ilue.at 130 in Birminghain,
approached Vauxhall at its appointed time, but owing to a
.coke train "shunting" over the main line a colliiion took
place. The fireman jumped from the engine, ,hut Game ig
convict the next carriage and was killed instantly.
Several
persons were slightly injured. The E
Richard Isalor Sheil and hi§ lady were paioug46 in the "a'
but escaped uninjured.