The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-04 00:00:00

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A curious case of baby-farming has been investigated by
Mr. Richards, the deputy coroner, whilst holding an in-
quest on the body of George Pocock, an infant said to be
eight months old, though judging from its size one would
have imagined it newly born. Its mother, a single woman
and a cook, put the child out to nurse with a Mrs.
Moorer, at an allowance of 6s. per week, which
was subsequently reduced to 2s. 6d. Rachel Booth?
wife of a general dealer, said that the day
before the child's death Mrs. Moorer left it locked up
in the bedroom from ten or eleven in the morning till
between six and seven at night. Witness peeped in and
saw it crying. Mrs. Moorer came home in liquor, and
told witness's little girl to mind it till ten o'clock and
she would give her 2d. Witness got a halfpenny.
worth of milk for it, and it swallowed it greedily. Mrs.
Moorer told witness, "The money is not enough to
keep the child." Witness blowed her up, and said,
"Then you should give it back to the mother or
take it to the parish, and not starve it to death."
Another witness had seen Mrs. Moorer beat the child on
several occasions. Dr. F. J. Burgess said that the child
only weighed 81b., instead of 161 b., which would have
been in accordance with its age. The child had evidently
been starved to death. The Coroner said that he did not
like to take the accused at a disadvantage and send her
to prison without giving her an opportunity of getting
legal aid. He would adjourn the case for that purpose.
Mrs. Moorer was hooted and mobbed by a large crowd of
women as she left the court.

SING THEODORE'S LETTER TO SIR R.

NAPIER.

A batch of fresh papers cennectod with the Abyssinian
expedition was published yesterday morning. It contains
selections from Sir Robert Napier's despatches, with a
variety of enclosures relative to the services of the artil-
lery, the supply and transport, the medical services, do.
Amongst the documents are two communications ad-
dressed to the commander-in-chief by the late King Theodore
after the defeat of his army at Arogee. These curious
letters, translated from the orginal Amharic, will be read
with interest:—

" No. I.

"Delivered by Lieut. Prideaux and the Dajez Alamlo
on 11th April, 18C8. Note, without superscription, seal,
signature, or date. Along with it was returned the Com-
mander-in-Chief's letter of that morning, in which the
King was called upon to submit. I❑ tho name of the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, one God in
His Trinity and Ms Unity, Kassa, whose trust is Christ,
thus speaks : 0 people of Abyssinia, will it always be
thus that you free before the enemy, when I myself,
by the power of God, go not forth with you to encourage
you Believing that all power had been given to me, I
had established my Christian people in this heathen spot.
In my city are multitudes whom I have fed: maidens
protected and maidens unprotected ; women whom
yesterday made widows ; and aged parents who
have no children. God has given you the power.
See that you forsake not these people. It is a
heathen laud. My countrymen have turned their backs
on me and have hated me, b2cauie I imposed tribute on
them, and sought to bring them under military dis-
ciplir.e. You have prevailed against me by means of people
brought into a state of discipline. My followers who loved mo
were frightened by one bullet, and fled in spite of my com-
mands. When you defeated them I was not with the fugitivcs.
Believing myself to be a great lord I gave you battle; bur, by
reason of the worthlessness of my artillery, all my pains were
as nought. The people of my country, by taunting mo with
having embraced the religion of the 1% aukß, and by
saying that. I had becotne a Musulman, and in ton different
ways, had provoked mo to anger against them. Out of
what I have done of evil towards them may God bring good.
His will be done. I had intended, if Gud had so decreed, to
conquer the whole world; and it was my desire to die if my
purpose could not be fulfilled. Since the day of my birth till now
no man has dared to lay hand on me. Whenever my sol-
diers began to waver in battle it was mine to arise and rail;
them. Last night the darkness hindered mo from doing so.
Your people, who have passed the night in joy, may God
not do unto you as ho has done to me. I had hoped, after
subduing all my enemies in Abyssinia, to lead my army
against Jerusalem, and expel from it the Turks. A warrior
who has dandled strong men in his arms like infants will
never suffer himself to be dandled in the arms of others."

"No. IT.

"Delivered on April 12, by Mr. Bender and the King's
"scribe. Notc.—Sealed with the royal seal. In the name
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, ono God:
The King of the Kings, Toodorns: May it reach the be-
loved servant of the great Queen of England. 1 tun
writing to you without bein.; able to a :dress you by name,
because our intercourse has' arisen so -unexpectedly. I
am grieved at having sent you my writing of yesterday,
and at having quarrelled with you, my friend. When I
saw your manner of fighting, ani the discipline of your
army, and when my people failed to execute my orders,
then I was consumed with sorrow to think that although
I killed and punished my colliers, yet they would not re-
turn to the battle. Whilst the fire of jealousy burned
within me, Satan came to me in the night ani tempted
me to kill myself with my own pistol. But reflecting
that God would be angry with rue if I were to go in this
manner and leave my army without a protector, I sent to
you in a Burry, lest I might die and all things be in con-
fusion before my message would reach you. After my
messenger had gone, I cocked my pistol, and putting it in
my mouth, pulled the trigger. Though I pulled and
pulled yet it would net go off. But when my people
rushed upon me, and laid hold of the pistol, it was dis-
charged just as they had drawn it from my mouth. God
having thus signified to me that I should not die, but
live, 1 sent to you Mr. •liassam that same evening, that
your heart might be made easy. To-day is Easter,
be pleased to let me send a few cows to you. The rea-
son of my returning to you your letter yesterday
was that I believed at that time that we should
meet one another in heaven, but never on earth. I let the
night pass without sending for the body of my friend Fee-
tararee Gabre, because I thought that after my death wt
would both be buried together; but, since I have lived, be
pleased to allow him to be buried. You require from me all
the Europeans, even to my best friend, Mr. Waldemaiar.
Well, be it so. They shall go. But now that we are friends,
you must not leave me without artisans, as I am a lover of
the mechanical arts."

To Sir Robert Napier the above letters app-ared to con-
tain nothing which was calculated to induce him to modify
the resolution he had formed of insisting at all hazards on
Theodore's surrender. On the contrary, they rather con-
firmed the impression that the Bing identified the idea of
friendship of the English forces with that of support against
his enemies.

Sir Robert Napier remarks, in the course of a despatch
dated the 18th of June, that the widow who died in the
English camp had been more of a prisoner than a wife.
Her father was kept in confinement till he died, and her-
two brothers till the English released them. It is said
that she herself was treated with the utmost harshness
and cruelty by her husband. She certainly did not appear
to be distressed by his death. The late Queen was the
mother of the youth Alarnaio, who accompanied Sir R.
Napier to England, and who is the only legitimate issue
of tho King. Reviewing the effect of our expedition on
Abyssinia, the gallant commander thinks it may be said that
its object has been accomplished without the rights of any
of the princes or chiefs of the country having been inter-
fered with by us, and that the prospect of Abyssinia enjoy-
iug tranquillity is at this day fairer than it was at the data
when our army landed on the coast.

A despatch from the Secretary of State for India, dated
Wednesday last, tenders to his excellency and the troops,
both European and native, her Majesty's cordial congratu-
lations and thanks, and speaks in high terms of the fore-
sight, precision, promptitude, skill, and spirit which his
excellency has displayed, and also expresses tho special
pleasure with which her Majesty has observed the care
taken to provide for the wants of the sick and wounded.
Sir Stafford Northcote observes that it is with "pecu-
liar gratification" that ho finds himself charged with the
duty of convoying Itiyao acknowledgments to the native
portion of the' army. " They have taken," he says, "a
worthy place by the side of their English fellow soldiers,
in an operation on which the attention of Europe has been
fixed, and have given to the world a striking proof of the
extent to which India contributes to the power of the
British empire." The despatch closes with an intimation
that the Government have resolved on granting six months'
donation batta to the naval and military forces.

THE LADY ELIZABETH SCANDAL —We are in a
position to state, notwitlistandirg reports to the contrary,
that John Day has not withdrawn from his action against
Admiral Rous. Messr'. Valiance and Valiance have, we
understand, this week delivered the " declaration" to the
admiral's solicitors, and the affair is progressing. The
damages are laid at £s,ooo.—Sporting Life.

In the late action between Risk Allah and tho
insurance company, Chief Justice Cockburn made use of
the following remarks in connection with the speech
delivered bySerjeant Ballantine for the defence :—"All that
sneers, all that insinuations, all that the strongest and
most energetic denunciation of the man who is a party to
this suit can do, has been done by Serjeant Ballantine,
who has spared nothing to heap obloquy and discredit on
his (Risk Allah's) character. I cannot help thinking
there was some evidence which might have been adduced
which would have had more weight than all the violent
invectives and the sarcasms and sneers that have been
heaped 931 this plales Character."..

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