The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-06 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 6, 1868.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

MARLBOROUGH STREET.

SAD CASE—ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.—EIiza Riddell,
a poor, dejected-looking female, was charged before
Mr. Tyrwhitt with attempting to commit suicide

by taking poison.

Police-constable George Boyce, 85 F, said that
he was called to the Charing-cross Hospital last
night to take the prisoner into custody for attempt-
ing to take her life, when she said that she was
very sorry, that she had been parted from her hus-
band for two years, and that he had taken two of
her children from her.

Mr. Francis B. Besley, surgeon, of No. 16, St.
Martin's-court, said that yesterday evening the pri-
soner was brought to him by her husband, who said
that she had taken laudanum. He gave the pri-
soner, who was very excited, an emetic, and as she
became very drowsy, and her husband declined to
take charge of her, he (Mr. Bosley) took her to the
Charing-cross Hospital, and left her in the charge
of the house surgeon. From inquiries he subse-
quently made he ascertained that the prisoner had
purchased a pennyworth of laudnaum at a chemist's
in the neighbourhood, but that was not sufficient
to destroy life. He believed the prisoner had been
greatly upset, and that a divorce case or something
of the kind was going on between her and her hus-
band.

The prisoner said she went to her husband to ask
for some money to get some clothes, so that she
might get a situation, and he refused to gire her
any, and he had got two of her children away from
her.

Mr. Tyrwhitt said the best thing he could do
would be to send the poor woman where she could
be well attended to for a week, and by that time
they would know more about her, and whether any-
thing could be done for her. _ _

The prisoner asked what was to become of her
baby. It was in Judd-street. If his worship
would send for it elle would be so much obliged to
him.

Mr. Tyrwhitt said the child should ,be sent for
for the prisoner, and remarked that the present
case showed how often it was that medical gentle-
men were the only friends people had.

SOCIAL SCIENCE *CONGRESS.

BIRMINGHAM, MoNDAT,

The fault of the addresses of the heads of departments
at the present Congress is their excessive length. No
sane person believes, whatever he may say, that " you
cannot have too much of a good thing ;" and I am sure
we all should be perfectly satisfied if the many excellent
things which the various presidents have to tell us were
told in fewer words. Much listening, as well as much
study, is a " weariness of the flesh," and an address
occupying *the best part of an hour and a half in its
delivery has a tendency to send you to the day's work in
the sections somewhat enervated. Dr. Rumsey's prediic•
tion this morning—a summary of which appears below—
though full of excellent matter, and treating a subject of
vast importance in a really practical way, would have been
far better if compressed into half the length. In the
opinion I have expressed I am by no means alone, and if
I have sinned in uttering it, there are members of the
Council itself who share in my guilt.
Yesterday afternoon the members of the Association
were granted admission to the Royal Botanical Gardens,
where a magnificent specimen of the Victoria Regia in full
bloom proved a great attraction. Special services in con.
nection with the Congress were held in St. George's
Church, which is situated in one of the suburbs of the
town. The morning preacher was the Rev. Dr. Thornton,
head master of Epsom College. In the evening the rector
occupied the pulpit.

As I have already mentioned the large number of ladies
taking part in the present Congress, it will not be inappro-
priate to notice that strenuous efforts are being made to
get up a series of morning lectures for ladies and for
Birmingham and the neighbourhood, and that the idea
seems likely to take well. The present proposal is for a
course of lectures, to be delivered by Mr. J. W. Nales, M.A.,
Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, and Professor of
English Literature, at the Ladies' College, Bedford-square,
London, on " The English Literature of the Elizabethan
Era." The fee for the course will be a guinea. A paper
explanatory of the scheme, and detailing what has been
done in the same direction in Liverpool and Manchester,
will be read in the Education Section to-morrow, by Mr.
Myers. _ _

The interest in the various sections has been well sus-
tained to-day. To-morrow will be entirely devoted to
voluntary papers, and on Wednesday tha concluding
meeting of members will be held. The soirse takes place
in the Town Hall to-night.