The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-01 00:00:00

whatever had taken place between the Government and
Mr. Jackson further than he had stated.

Mr. DUNCOMBE—Or tlir MYrning Herald.
SIR JAMES GRAHAM observddl that the House
must determine whether. in a case of thl descrip-
tion, it was not the bounden duty of the Government
to bring as much corroborative evidence as possible of
the persons employed by the Government, provided that
testimony was obtained openly and honourably. He
had no hesitation in avowing that a communication had
been made by the Government to the Morning Herald
and Standard newspapers, requesting the proprietors of
those papers to allow their reporters to corroborate the
testimony of the persons employed by the Government.
:After some further remarks, Mr. T. DUNCOMBE
rsplied, and the House divided, when there appeared—
For the Motion 73
Against it 144
Majority against the Motion —7l
(LEFT SITTING.)

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
OXFORD ClRCUlT.—Abingdon. Feb. 29.
Mr. Baron Parke, the senior judge of assize, arrived here
yesterday afternoon about three o'clock, and having opened
the commission, proceeded to attend Divine service at St.
Mary's. Mr. Justice Coleridge came down in the course of
the evening, and the business of the assize commenced this
morning at an early hour, Mr. Baron Parke taking his seat
in the IN isi Prius Court at nine o'clock. At ten o'clock Mr.
Justice Coleridge charged the grand jury in the Crown Court,
and soon afterwards some bills were found, and the trials of
the prisoners began.
Both the civil and criminal business of the county exceeds
the average amount. There are sixteen causes for trial, al-
though none of them are marked for special juries. On the
Crown side there are 65 prisoners, a very large number for a
Berkshire spring assize, even when the circumstance is taken
into consideration that no special commission was issued for
this county for the trial of prisoners in December last, as was
the case in the adjoining county of Oxford. With a few ex-
ceptions, however, the calendar does not present instances of
crimes of an atrocious character. There are four cases of
arson, one of shooting at with intent to maim, two of high-
way robbery, one of an assault with intent, &c., and one of
sacrilege. The rest of the offences described to have been
committed are of the ordinary character.
NISI PRIUS COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron PARKE.)
LOVEGROVE r. WILLIS.

In-this case Mr. Sergeant Talfourd and Mr. Carrington
appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. F.'V. Lee was counsel for
the defendant.
The plaintiff, it appeared, is a young woman, now twenty-
One years of age, who some time previous to the 12th of De-
cember, 1842, had gone to live in the family of a Mr. Corne-
lius Willis and his sister, all her own: near relations being
either dead or settled in other parts of the country. The.
plaintiff, however, as Miss Willis said, was " a little of a re-
lation, as Miss Willis's brother had married the plaintiff's
great aunt ;" and partly, perhaps, on this account, and partly
on the score of the plaintiff's skill in dress-making, and her
readiness and ability to make herself generally useful in the
family, she continued to reside with Mr. C. Willis and Miss
Ann from the time when she first went to live with them up
to the present period. Mr. Cornelius Willis is a draper and
grocer carrying on his business at a place called Woolstone,
in this county, and happens to be pretty far advaneed in life.
The defendant, Thomas Willis, is the brother of Cornelius,
and carries on the business of a coal-merchant at Uffington ;
and it seemed that some yet unhealed differences had broken
out between' the two brothers, and that the defendant had
taken umbrage at the plaintiff's residing in his brother's fa-
mily, he having got into his head a notion that Cornelius in-
tended to marry Miss Matilda Lovegrove (the plaintiff), who
was to receive 6001. when she reached the age of twenty-one.
Influenced by these feelings, the defendant thought proper to
indulge himself on various occasions in remarks derogatory
to the plaintiff's character for chastity ; and, as some good-
natured friend is never wanting to carry an unpleasant tale,
it was not long before these .remarks reached Miss Matilda's
ears. Accompanied by Miss Willis, the plaintiff proceeded to
the house of the defendant, and, conscious of her own purity,
demanded what he had to say against her. He replied,
that he had nothing to say, and that he knew nothing against
her; but at the same time took care to qualify the satisfac-
tion which such a declaration was calculated to produce, by
a threat that if she did not leave his premises he would
thrust her head and that of her companion, his own sister,
into the " guzzle," a word which, in the Berkshire dialect,
signifies " gutter." The ladies accordingly beat a retreat,
and the defendant, elated at the success of so vigorous a de-
monstration, suffered his prudence to go to sleep, and instead
of keeping " on the windy side of the law," as he had care-
fully. done during his brief interview with the slandered Miss
Matilda, communicated his private opinion about her to a
customer who came to his shop for coals on the 12th of De-
cember, 1842. The language in which this was expressed
was so coarse as to be unfit, in part, for publication. The
witness who deposed to the conversation, a Mrs. Tyler, who
lived at Woolstone, said that when she went on the day in
question to the defendant's coal-shed, he asked about his sis-
ter, Ann Willis, who had been very unwell for a long time,
and said that she was poisoned, as Mr. Barnett, her medical
attendant, had told him so—that she had taken enough mer-
cury to poison a lion—that " them that were about her had
given it to her"—and that " it was that little Matilda
that gave it to her." He added " that they wanted to get his
sister out of the way, in order to marry Matilda to his
brother." Upon this conversation being reported to the
plaintiff's friend, Miss Willis, the defendant was written to,
and an apology demanded, but that not being given, an ac-
tion was at once commenced by Cornelius Willis, as the next
friend of the plaintiff.—The jury found a veraict for the plain-
tiff, and give her 401. as damages. •

- -
NORTHERN- CIRCUIT.--Carlisle, Feb. 28.
(Before Mr. Justice Coummt.) -
Eliza-Hetherington, aged 24, a person of mild and pleasing
demeanour," was indicted for the wilful murder of
mate child, at Carlisle, on the 11th of October last.
The prosecution was conducted by Mr. Ramshay, Mr.
Bele, and Mr. Lawrie ; the prisoner was defended by Mr.
Matthews.
The circumstance of the prisoner having given birth to a
child, and her concealment thereof,were proved : the evidence
it is wholly unnecessary to detail.
His LORDSHIP having summed up, the jury acquitted the
prisoner of the murder, but found her guilty of concealing
the birth.
To be imprisoned twelve calendar mohtbs.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
BANKRUPTCY COURT, Feb. 29.
(Before Sir C. F. WlLLuats.)
w. BROMLEY'S BANKRUPTCY.
The bankrupt in this case is described ns a money scrivener,
dealer, and chapman, of Gray's Inn, Gray'a Inn-square, but
is better known as a discounter and annuity agent of exten-
sive business, and he appeared to-day before-the Court on his
final examination. He has failed for a very large amount,
his debts and liabilities being estimated at 140,0004 while his
assets are said to be little or nothing. The bankrupt was not
prepared with his accounts in consequence of ill health, and
an adgurnment was made to give time to arrange a balance-
sheet. The most serious charges of misappropriation are
made against him by his creditors, but till the case is more
fully catered into, a detailed report cannot be given.

VESSELS SPOKEN WlTlL—Artnetis, of Liverpool, for Val-
paraiso, Oct. 23, lat. 41 S., lon. 162 W., by. the Australian
Packet, arrived in the Downs. Mary Worrall, Liverpool to
Arica, Dec. 17, lat. 13 S. • Potentate, Liverpool to China,
Oct. 15, in the Straits of Banca ' • Emperor, Liverpool to
China, 18th, at the entrance of the Straits' of Banca ;
Britannia, Liverpool to Mobile, Jan. 30, lat. 20 N., lon.
22 W., by the Union, arrived at Liverpool. Jean Baptiste,
from Buenos Ayres, 11th inst., lat. 25 S., lon. 34 W., by the
Gem, arrived at Cork.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

...,.--
HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 29.
GREAT BRITAIN AND AMERICA via IRELAND.
Sir VALENTINE BLAKE then rose to bring for-
ward the motion of which he had given notice, for a
" Select Committee, to inquire and report how far it
may be practicable, expedient, and useful to promote a
more speedy intercourse between Great Britain and
America, by the establishment of steam carri (1,
ass
connexion with a ship canal also to be executed)
Ireland, and thence by steam communication acr
Atlantic Ocean." The Hon. Member said, as they had
been discussing the subject of harbours of refuge, he
begged to say that, without exception, the most magnifi-
cent harbour in the world was that of Cork ; and if they
wished really to consult the interests of the empire they
would best do so by employing the poor in making a
railway across Ireland to that port, and so bringing
America nearer to England than she now was. When
he first gave notice of ,his intention to bring this subject
before the House he was advised that the course he
proposed was not the proper one, and he had altered it
accordingly, in the hope to meet support from the
quarter whence the advice came. Before he entered
upon the subject, however, he wished to advert to one
little matter which was, that in the recent "monster"
debate about Ireland the Right Hon. Gentleman op-
posite (Sir Robert Peel), by the mere abuse of a single
expression had given to him (Sir V. Blake) and others
pain, which he really believed the Right Hon. Gentle-
man never inter.ded to do. The Right Hon. Baronet
said that those who agitated the question of repeal of
the union were endeavouring to obtain the dismember-
ment of the empire. Now, he (Sir V. Blake) believed
in his conscience that the persons advocating the repeal
of the union did not hope for a dismemberment of the
empire, for all who did so were rebels. He thought
that the establishment of such a line of communication
would be, not only of great importance to Ireland,
but also to the whole United Kingdom, and would prove
to the Irish nation that the Parliament of England was
not wholly unmindful of their interests. A Commission
had been appointed on the 2d of October, 1836, to in-
quire into the port on the west of Ireland best cal-
culated to form a point of communication with America,
and also the best lines for railways crossing Ireland
at this point. The appointment of the Commission had
been subsequently confirmed, but nothing had ever yet
resulted from it. After quoting from several reports
and other documents, the Hon. Baronet concluded by
calling on the House, in the most earnest manner, to ac-
cede to the motion, and thus give the first instalment of
justice to Ireland.
The motion having been seconded, .
Sir R. PEEL said he had listened with great attention
to the speech of the Hon Baronet. He thought the
present motion, if acceded to and carried .into effect,
would be more calculated to benefit local interests
than the general welfare of the country. The Right
Hon. Gentleman then quoted from the Report of the
Railway Commissioners, who were of opinion that the
two most eligible lines of railway were a south-western
and a northern line. Cork was- considered as the
most eligible terminus for the south-western line, and
that city was also considered as the best port in the
empire for a steam communication between this country
and the United States. If the House granted this Com-
mittee it would stir up a host of local interests. The
Hon. Member for Waterford and the Hon. Member for
Cork would ask for the appointment of Committees on
similar grounds. This day a deputation waited upon
him of capitalists from Manchester, Leeds, and Liver-
pool, who have it in contemplation to make a railroad
from Dublin to Cashel, and if they-had served the usual 1
notices in November, these gentlemen stated they would
be now ready to proceed in the usual form. If the pre-
sent motion were acceded to it would prejudice other
lines of communication. He bad every disposition to
give legitimate opportunities for employing the labourers
of of Ireland, but at the lame time he did not flunk