The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-25 00:00:00

DISTRESSING CASE.

About two months ago a poor Irishman, named
Bernard Connor, left his native village, near Elphin,
county Roscommon, with his wife and four children,
for the purpose of procuring employment at the Scotch
harvest. They came by Donaghadee to Portpatrick,
and travelled by short stages to Strathavon, when the
wife, burdened with a delicate infant at her breast,
becoming unable to go on, except at a very slow
rate, it was agreed that the husband should push
for ward to East Lothian in the hope of obtaining
immediate employment. The farm of Setonhill, in
the parish of Gladsmuir, was appointed, as a rendezvous ;
and thither the poor woman, with her helpless family,
dodged on in the hope of finding her husband, and
obtaining from him such assistance as his means
could afford. On arriving at Setonhill, however, the
husband was not to be found ; and as she had heard
of his intention to go to England, she wandered after
him till, when within a short distance of the English
border, she learned from an acquaintance whom she
accidentally met, that her husband was then at work
at Ballincrief, within three miles of Setonhill.
Thither she retraced her step, and arrived at Ballin-
crieff just as he had been laid off work by an illness
which was believed to be fever. In the fear •of that
grievous malady, no one would give him lodgings ; and
after a few days' delay, the whole family setoff to Had-
dington, a distance of not more than four miles. With
great difficuty, and assisted by his wife and
their eldest boy, he got to Haddington, where, on
waiting on a medical gentleman, he was told his com-
plaint, though not fever, was a fatal one ; and was
recommended to get home as fast as he could, as there
was no chance he would ever recover. The poor
family turned their faces westward, and after a weary
day got only a mile out of Haddington, and next
night no farther than Spittalrig, about three miles
from the former town, when, in utter exhaustion,
he lay down in an open shed, where he remained
from Monday till Thursday last, when Mr. Brash,
farmer at Spittalrig, kindly dispatched a cart with him
to Edinburgh, in the hope of getting him placed in
the Royal Infirmary. The fatigue of the journey,
however, was too much for him, and he breathed his
last just as the cart entered the Water Gate. The
body was brought to the Police-office, and the widow
and children were accommodated in the Night
Asylum. She was pointed out to the writer of
this on Friday, seated on a hcap of stones at the
door of the police dead-house, rocking herself to and
fro after the manner of her countrywomen, with
her three clildren clinging about her—the whole
group in an agony of grief too deep and too bitter to
admit of comfort. Ever and anon she started from
her cold seat, and looked earnestly and anxiously
through the darkened window of the apartment where
her dead husband lay, in the vain hope of obtaining
another look at him ; and, after many tears, was pre-
vailed on to take a temporary shelter in the adjoining
night refuge. She and her children are in extreme
nakedness, and in a state of the most utter helpless-
ness and misery, and is is hoped this notice will at-
tract the sympathy of some humane persons willing
to contribute a trifle to relieve the family from utter
destitution.—Caledonian Mercury.

THE WEATHER AND Caors.—The weather was
fine till the afternoon of Friday last, when a drizzly rain
set in, which, with short intervals, continued till the
evening of Sunday. The Tay and Almond came down
in fuller stream than at any time since the spring ; and
as the rain has been quite general, it will prove very
seasonable to the country millers. Harvest operations
were of course stopped ; but, although Monday was a
remarkably fine day, Tuesday lowered with occasional
slight showers. Farmers will now require to be on the
alert ; as, although not much to cut, there is calculated
to be nearly half the crop still in the field, much of
which, it is alleged, might have been secured.
The first favourable accounts of the new crop
are confirmed by each succeeding week. Oats
are mealing well ; eighteen to twenty pocks to the boll.
Barley will average about 521bs. to the bushel ; this crop
is very unequal, some parcels so low as 471b5., and others
up to 551bs. the bushel. The public here are not reaping
the benefit of the low markets, most bakers still con-
suming the foreign wheat, which was imported during
the summer at a considerably higher figure than the
present rates in the home market.—Perth Courier.

CLEVER CASE Or SWINDLITIO.—A respectable citi-
zen, in the oil and colour trade, was waited on last Thurs-
day, by an Englishman of venerable and genteel appear-
ance, who represented himself to be from the house of
Messrs. Macintosh and Co., of London, the eminent
waterproof manufacturers; and stated that he had a com-
mission to dispose of for the sale of a liquid capable of
rendering cloth of all kinds waterproof ! Having de-
scribed the articles, and mentioned the conditions
upon which the house was willing to deal with an
agent, he offered the gentleman the commission, and
furnished him with a printed note of the terms, which
were to the effect that Messrs. Macintosh and Co.
would allow one shilling of commission upon every
bottle sold. The gentleman thinking the agency not out
of the way, and satisfied with the respectability of the
house named, at once accepted the agency, which was
forthwith to be advertised in the principal Scottish news-
papers. On being requested, moreover, he rashly ad-
vanced a sum of money to the stranger to account for
future transactions, there being left with him an ample
specimen of the marvellous liquid. Soon after the Eng-
lishman had retired, the newly-appointed agent pro-
ceeded to test the virtue of the liquid, when, to his
amazement, he found it to contain nothing better than
coloured water, and himself to be minus the sum ad-
vanced ; of course, the promised advertisements have
not yet appeared, while the clever swindler has, as might
have been expected, effectually disappeared.—Glasyow
Argus.
A CHANGE INDEED !—The large and beautiful
chandelier which had graced the banquetting-room of
the Cork Mayoralty-house during the old corporate
regime, was purchased on Tuesday., for the use of the
Franciscan Church (Broad-lane) in this city. It cost
originally 50/., but was knocked de'wn at the auction for
5/. 15s.—Cork Examiner.
A few days since a cow belonging to a farmer at
Eyssartie, in the Correze, died of hydrophobia. The
animal had been bitten by a mad dog four months pre-
viously, but showed no symptoms of hydrophobia until
within four days of its death. Three days after the
death of the cow its calf also died of the same disease,
although it had not been allowed to suck its mother's
milk from the moment the malady had made its appear-
ance.—French paper.

. .
SERIOUS ACCIDENT AT THE NEW HOUSES OF
PARLIAMENT.—Between seven and eight yesterday
morning, Edward Carter, one of the masons' labourers,
employed in the building of the New Houses of Parlia-
ment, while at work on a scaffold, about thirty feet high,
overbalanced himself and fell to the ground on to a heap
of stone rubbish. When raised up blood was profusely
gushing from his mouth and ears ; be was immediately
conveyed to the new Westminster Hospital, and wag
found to be suffering from injury of the brain of such a
r severe nature that his surviving is utterly despaired of.
The unfortunate man was about thirty-two years of age
and has a wife and two children.

HOP INTELLIGENCE.
MAIDSTONE.—The hops in Mid Kent are going off
with the red mould; in some gardens it is getting
very bad, and they want picking. It will make the
very best samples more valuable. The hops: called
Colegates keep by far the best this year. The pick-
ing will not close this week. We shall have very few
fine in colour; there will be some very good bags.
EAST FARLEIGIL—The hops are, as usual in this
parish, very good, but in almost every cas they seem
to come down short of what was expected.
BRENCIILEY.—Hop-picking is favourabl' ,rdgre=s-
ing in this vicinity, and if the weather conies fine,
will last ten days or a fortnight from this- time. The
quality and crop are equally good. We hear of no
sales of .Brenchley hops at present. Our corres-
pondent says—" You have heretofore reminded your
friends of the propriety of keeping a tub of water
handy to their oast-houses. This is customary here,
by which fires have been extinguished when first dis-
covered."

lIURST-GREEN.—The accounts from most of our
hop planters is, that the hops came down much faster
than was expected, many grounds not producing one
cwt. per acre, and in general of a very inferior quality.
Some grounds, that have not been affected by the
blight, will produce very good samples. The duty of
130,0001. is thought much too high by our most ex-
perienced men.

lloasmozaDEL—Picking in this pari..ll is going on
rapidly, and some few small planters have finished. If
the weather proves favourable it will be nearly ended
this week. The shortness of the fall may still be at-
tributed to the winds, notwithstanding they weigh
well, and are ofgood quality. Our correspondent adds—
As respects prices, it has been said in former years that
the planters have it all in their own hands. 'that being
the case, how is it now? Supposing the mouldy and dis-
eased samples of the weak districts to contain 60,000 of
the duty, there is only 80,000 left of sound good hops
fit to brew India ale, &c. These, added together
make nearly 30,000 short of a year's consumption.
Not to "spoil a ship for a pennyworth of may
be applied with as good a reason to not spoiling a
hogshead of beer, good and strong, for a shilling ; as
the uttermost cost price would not be more than 2d.
per gallon, at a good, fair, remunerating price to the
planter. I hope that those who can hold back a ill
take this argument into consideration.
TICEHURST.—The hop picking is brought to a close
on several farms in this parish. The general opinion
is that it commenced too soon, as the hops are not
fully ripe, in consequence of which several persons
who have not finished have delayed for a few days, so
that it may be said we are hop-picking at intervals.—
Maidstone Gazette.

BATTLE.—The crop here is decidedly short even of
the small estimate at which it was put ; the picking is
finished.

BURWASH.—As the hop-picking proceeds, we find,
as we last week anticipated, the crops in nearly all
our plantations considerably less than they were esti-
mated at previously to its commencement. The
weights, too, are not so good, generally, as they were
last week, more than 70 bushels having been, in some
instances, required to the cwt. We have heard, yet,
but of two sales—one lot at six guineas, the other at
71. Picking will be finished this week.

EAST 110ATRLY.—Honicking is now in full force
in this and the neighbouring parishes ; they for the
most part come down shockingly bad, with some
exceptions, as some few plantations will prove to be a
fine average crop. With regard to weight they come
pretty well to the scale.
EAST PECKHAM, &c.—Though the samples front
the villages in this district will not be of very fine
quality, yet in quantity they will rather exceed what
was expected previously.
FARNHAM.—Hop-picking is now at an end in this
neighbourhood, and the planters have sec7red an ex-
cellent crop, quite equal both in number ar quality to
their expectations. A few pockets have i!en sold at
101. 10s. per cwt.
MATTIELD.—The hop-picking will be brought to a
close this week, and the crop will fall shore one-third.
The hops that are picked fully supported the calcu-
lations of the supposes deficiency—not one solitary
instance but must verify this. There have been some
sales effected at 61. per cwt., and that is as much as
can be expected, the samples being very imperfect or
indifferent as to quality ; but they weigh remarkably
well, requiring not more in some instances than 45
bushels to the cwt.—some years it wants 80.
PEMBURY.—Though, upon the whole, we believe
that we shall average last year's growth, yet it now
seems a good deal more damage had been done by the
high winds than was expected, particularly, of course,
in the more exposed parts of the parish; in others the
hops came down in excellent order, and quite as well
as was expected.
SEVENOAK.S.—The hops here are coming down of
a capital colour, and in good condition ; in the neigh-
bourhood the picking is also going on as well as can
be expected.

TENTERDEN.—The crop here is scarcely anything
worth naming, and what there is is very bad.—Stusex
Advertiser.

FATAL OCCURRENCE.

An extraordinary and fatal circumstance occurred
on the shore, near Hest Bank, on Tuesday last. On
the morning of that day Mr. Adam Clark, of Hest
Bank, and a man of the name of John Teesdale, who
is from the neighbourhood of Appleby, and has for
some time been living off and on in the neighbour-
hood, were returning along the shore from eel-spearing,
and had arrived so far home as within about 200
yards of the ascending footpath that leads from the
beach to the high land, and thence over the canal
bridge to the hamlet of Hest Bank. At this spot
grows in considerable abundance the deadly night-
shade, atropa belladonna, a perennial plant with her-
baceous stem. The fruit has a berry as large as a
small grape, and a dark purple colour. Two elderly
women, one of the name of Sandham, and the other
Betsy Wainhouse, and both residing in Lancaster,
were standing amongst the plants and eating the ber-
ries when Mr. Clark and Teesdale came up. Mr.
Clark inquired what the berries were, and on being
told by the females that they were blaberries or bar-
berries, he began to gather and eat also, as did Tees-
dale. The parties separated, Mr. Clark and Teesdale
coming up to the Hest Bank Hotel (which belongs to
Mr. Croskell, Mr. Clark's father-in-law), and bring.
ing with them several of the berries, which were im-
mediately pronounced by Mr. Croskell and a neigh-
bour (Mr. Knipe) to be poison. Finding this, Mr.
Clark swallowed a dose of such medicine as was at
hand, and that, luckily for him, served all the purpost
of an emetic. Nevertheless he was seized with an
alarming illness—parched tongue, dizziness, difficulty
of swallowing, swollen face and eyes, and delirium.
Mr. Ellery, surgeon, of Bolton, was sent for, and by
the unremitting attention of that gentleman, Mr.
Clark was eventually brought round in the course of
the following morning, and he is now quite restored,
but still exhibiting some effects of the deadly charac-
ter of the poison. Meanwhile the two v.'omen, who
had come out from Lancaster merely to enjoy a little
excursion on the seashore, made the best of their way
home, but they had not proceeded far before the
symptoms described above began to manifest them-
selves. Parched and thirsty, the great desire was for
drink, but one of the two having heard that drinking
ought to be avoided in such cases (for they had sus-
picion they were poisoned) had the fortitude to abstain.
They succeeded in reaching their dwelling in Bridge-
lane, in this town, and one of them instantly repaired
to Messrs. Reston and Leack, surgeons, and those
gentlemen were in immediate attendance. The con-
dition in which both the patients were was most alarm-
ing, and but for the constant application of remedial
measures, and the great exertions of the medical gentle-
men, no doubt both would have died. They were in a
state of mania throughout the night, but eventually
the means adopted proved successful, and after much
suffering the poor women both recovered. It should
be mentioned that the one who abstained from drink,
though she had eaten most, suffered the least. One
ate about a pint of the berries, and the other only
about a dozen. Mr. Clark thinks he could not have
swallowed half-a-dozen at most. The tragic part of
the story remains to be told. The poor fellow, Tees-
dale, had been missed very soon after his arrival at
the Hest Bank Hotel, which would be about noon on
Tuesday. He was nowhere seen, and the wonder was
where he could be. The day and the night passed away,
and he did not make his appearance. It happened
that Mr. Croskell had a load of straw coming home,
and it arrived about eleven o'clock on Wednesday. In
order to prepare a place for its reception, Mr. Croskell
went up into the hay-loft, and began to clear away the
old straw, when he discovered Teesdale lying stiff and
insensible, with his body swollen to an extraordinary
size, eyes closed, &c. Mr. Croskell returned imme-
diately to the house, gave the alarm, and Teesdale was
carefully brought down from his retreat and put to bed.
Without loss of time Mr. Ellery was sent for again, and
again that gentleman applied himself with praiseworthy
diligence. Every means were taken to neutralise the
effects of the poison, and, in fact, Mr. Ellery stopped the
whole night with his patient. After some time the
medicines answered their intended purpose, and there
was a considerable rallying, so that at or.e time there
appeared some hope of recovery. However, the pa-
tient again grew worse, and on Thursi lay Dr. de Vitra
was sent for from Lancaster, but human aid was of
no avail. The poor fellow lingered on through Thurs-
day night, and on Friday morning, between six and
seven, breathed his last, in a state of perfect exhaustion.
The deceased was about sixty years of age, and of
robust constitution.—Lancaster Gazette.

IRE AT A CIIAYEL.—About noon on Monday the
Wesleyan Chapel in the City-road was discovered on
fire. The chapel is a large one, and is situate opposite
to the Bunhillr-ow burial-ground. The fire was caused
by an escape of gas from a pipe in a closet containing
the gas meter, beneath the gallery stairs. Though
several engines soon arrived, it was not found necessary
to use them, as the neighbours and firer.-.En were able to
extinguish the flames without mechanical aid. The
damage dole is trifling.