The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-30 00:00:00

EDINBURGH, AUG.

STOCK Exctratcar:.-The sales are-Aberdeen, 3/. 35.-
Aberdeen, Banff, and Elgin, 2/. Its. 6d.-Arbroath and For-
far, 251.-Ditto, Half Shares, 15L-Armagh and Portrush, 2/.
-Banffshire, 21. Is. 6d.-British and Irish Union, 3/. 75.-
Belfast and County Down, 3/. 15i.-Cambridge and Lincoln,
3/. 10s.-Caledonian, 10/. 10s.-•Caledonian Extension, 2/.
175.-Caledonian and Dumbarton, 3/. 17s. U.-Clydesdale
Junction, 91.-.--Direct Northern, 2/. 4s. 6d.-Dundee and
Arbroath, 37/. Is. 6d.-Ditto, New, 18/. - Dundee and
Perth, 4/. 125.-Edinburgh and Bathgate, 21. 95.-Edin-
burgh and Ghtsg,ow, 901.-Ditto, Quarters, 211. 155.-. Ditto,
New, 141. 7s. 6d.-Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dumbarton,
11. I Is. 6d.-Edinburgh, Leith, and Grantor], 26/.-Ditto,
Preference, 17/. 10s.-Edinburgh and Northern, 11. 18s. 9d.
-Ditto, New, 1/. 4s. 6d.-Edinburgh and Peebles, 2/. 16s.
-Edinburgh and Perth, 1/. 10s. 6d.-Glasgow and Ayr-
shire. 711.-Ditto, New Stock, 22/. - Glasgow and Belfast
Union, 31. 18s.-Glasgow and Garnkirk, 411.-Glasgow,
Dumfries, and Carlisle, 1/. 95.-Glasgow and Greenock, 21/.
-Ditto, New Stock, 1(3. 55.-Ditto, Preference, V. -Great
North of Scotland, 2/. 175.-Inverness and Elgin, 11. 25.-
Kilmarnock and Ardrossan, 5/. 155.-London and York, 5/.
10s.-Monkland and Kirktntilloch, 33/.-Morayshire, 1/.-
North 11.itish, ex one-fifth, 291.-Ditto, Halves, 91. 5s -
Ditto, One-fifth, 71. 155.-North Wales Mineral, New, 6'
55.-Perth and Inverness, 21. 25.-Scottish Central, 71. 148.-
Scottish Midland, 2/. 45.-Shrewsbury, Oswestry, and Ches-
ter, 41. Is. 6d.-Slainannan, 181.-South Midland, 9/. 195.-
Shrewsbury and Hereford, 11. 11s. 6d.-Stirling and Dun-
fermline, 1/. 15s. 63.-Waterford, Wicklow, and Dublin, 1/.
165.-Wishaw and Coltness, 391.

THE L A ACt:IDENT ON THE
-NIOONLIG FIT STEA 11-BOAT.
Thursday afternoon, at 3 o'clock, Mr. Bedford, the coroner,
and his jury, re-sesemleed at the St. Martin's public house,
Duke-street, Adelphi, to resume the inquiry relative to the
death of James Purcell, the lad whose chocking face has been
already noticed in this journal.
From what has tran,pired at the inquest it is manifest that
the poor boy's death was the consequence of the negligence on
the part of the crew of either the Moonlight or the Prince of
Wales steam-boat, and the chief point to which the conflicting
testimmy already elicited has reference, is the question as to
which of the two vessels was put in motion before the rope
connecting them had been unfastened.
As the captains and mates of these boats contradict each
other in their statements respecting the material fact, the evi-
dence of the passengers will be probably regarded as the most
important.
A lighterman, named Maclaren, stated that he was on board
the Prince of Wales at the time when the Moonlight came up
alongside of that vessel at the Hungerfold Tier. The head
rope of the former was thrown over and fastened to the.lar-
board sponson of the latter. After landing her passengers, &c.,
he saw the Moonlight going ahead, without having been freed
from the other beat, upon which witness called oat, " Cut the
rope," it havir.g become too tight to be removed from the
sponson. At this moment he saw the deceased boy fall upon
the deck of the Moonlight, osie of his feet, wrenched off by the
rope, having fallen into the water. He did nut see any one in
charge of the rope. He could not say if it was the appointed
duty of any one to remove the eye of the head rope from the
Prince of Wales boat, but he conceived it to be the duty of
every captain to see that the rope had been taken in before giv-
ing the comnsand to proceed.
The captain of the Prince of Wales attributed all the blame
to the Hungerford Pier Company, whose duty it was to provide
a sufficient number of hands to attend upon the boats arriving
at that pier. It was notorious, however. that there was not
half enough assistance provided for the large number of ves-
sels calli, g there. It was possible that the Prince of Wales
might have gone a little astern at the moment when the acci-
dent occurred from the action of the ebbing tide. He did not
consider that any blame was attributable to the crew of his
boat. Be had known, many similar accidents to occur in con-
sequence of the insufficiency of piermen to attend to the boats
arriving at the pier.
A discussion of neatly an hour's duration now tank place as
to the admissibility of certain evidence offered by Mr. Cat-
tarns, on the part of the Iron Steamboat Company, to which
an objection had been raised in consequence of the pretence of
the two witnesses (Mr. Simmonds and 'Mr. Flemings, passen-
gers in the Moonlight) at an earlier period of the investigation.
Mr. Coppock, the solicitor of the lad's parents, and several
of the jurymen submitted, that as the Coroner had determined
at the commencement of the inquiry to receive the evidence of
no one who had been in the room during the examination of
other witnesses, neither Mr. Simmonds nor Mr. Fleming, both
of whom had been present, could be heard.
Mr. Simmonds observed that his evidence, if admitted,
would be found of great importance to the jury in considering
their derision.
Mr. Firming submitted, that although he had been in the
room a few minutes during the former proceedings, he had no
recollection of what happened at the time.
One of the jurymen proposed that a show of hands should be
taken upon the subject, and in the confusion of talking that
followed,
Mr. Simmonds urged that, as his 'evidence had been taken
in writing before he had attended the inquest, there could be
no reasonable objection to its reception.
Mr. Coppock inquired what Mr. Simmonds meant by his
evidence " being taken in writing ?"
This was exelained by Mr. Cattarns, who stated that the
witness had called at his office, in his (Mr. Cattarns's) ab-
sence, and that his statements were taken down in writing by
his desk. But ho had not seen him personally upon the sub-
ject, and did not. know him when he was sitting in the room.
The CORONER, having been incessantly appealed to for his
opinion upon the point at issue, expressed his willingness to
wave any objection that might tend to deprive them of im •
portant evidence; but he was inclined to doubt whether the
witness could be examined after what hail happened.
Eventually the Coroner deeded on taking an opinion upon
the question before pronouncing his determination as to the
admiss:bility of the evidence.
Alexander Mills, a wood-turner, deposed that he was a pas-
senger on board the Moonlight on Monday evening,. the ISth
instant, and witnessed the accident. There were two
vessels at the Hungerterd-pier when the Moonlight arrived.
The eye of the head-rope was attached to the Prince of
Wales, and the remainder was lying in a coil in the bow
of the Moonlight. Witness saw a youth standing close to it
when the signal to " Go ahead" was given by the captain of
the Moonlight. The boat moved on, and a man seized the
rope, which he tried to jerk off from the Prlnae of Wales's
sponson. He failed in doing so, and the deceased, whose foot
was somehow entangled in the rope, was dragged against the
timber-head. Witness ran to his assistance, and prevented
him from falling overboard, but the rope had wrenched off his
foot, which had dropped into the river. No one was on board
the Prince of Wales, near the sponson, to set the head-rope at
liberty. He was confident that the Moonlight was proceeding
when the accident happened. The whole occurrence did not
last more than two or three minutes after the Moonlight had
started.
By Mr. Coppock—He did not see the Prince of Wales go
astern.
Mr. Coppoelc drew attention to a discrepancy in the state-
ments of this witness and those of Henry Tucker, one of the
Moonlight crew, who had deposed to the effect that no one
but himself was present with the rope, Which, according to his
evidence, was tightened by the Prince of Wales boat going
astern.
Another passenger named Gordon, of 17, Frederick-place,
Goswell-street, stated that he saw a lad sitting on the coiled
head-rope alter the Moonlight had arrived at the pier, and
witnessed the accident. [This witness confirmed many of the
statements of the preceding witness ; but declared his opinion
that the rope was drawn out by the Prince of Wales boat going
astern.] the Moonlight boat had not proceeded more than a
yard and a half when the cry of " Stop her " was given, and
the vessel was stationary. Witness picked up the foot of the
deceased, and assisted in taking him to the hospital at Charing-
cross.
It was announced that there were several other passengers
who wished to be examined, some of whom had been waiting
until now (eight o'clock), but were unable to remain any
longer.

The inquiry was further adjourned to Monday evening, al
six o'clock.

MILBANK PRlSON.—Thursday the second report
of the Inspectors of Millbank Prison, as presented to Parliament
in pursuance of the Act 6 and 7 Victoria, c. 26, was issued.
The prison is now used as a depst for prisoners until they are
transported or otherwise disposed of. Since the last report a
large ward has been erected for boys who were too young to be
sent to the Pentonville Prison, and too old for Parkhurst, and
when practicable they have the advantage of separate confine-
ment ' • they are inatructed in religious and moral duties, trained
to industrious habits, and taught trades calculated to render
them useful servants in the colonies to which they are sent.
It seems that of 242 boys who have been placed in the juve-
nile ward during the eight months which have elapsed since its
commencement, but three have received corporal punishment;
a eonsiderable number have never been reported for a single
violation of the prison rules. Matrons have been appointed
to convict ships, and materials for work are now supplied to
the female prisoners during the voyages. Last year 4,140
Swmhoalhesa,vaenbde3e6n2sefenmteanlceesd;
pt
oristornaen:spowr.teartei
osne.nt
There
thwe
eprrei s3o,nr,
of the number 6P5 were sent to Norfolk Island, 2,241 to Van
Diemen's Land, 150 to Bermuda, 102 to the invalid hulk at
Woolwich, 2!19 to Pentonville, 361 to Parkhurst, and the
females (362) to Vll4 Diemen's Land. The inspectors report
that the prisoners in Milbank have generally enjoyed good
health, the mortality among them has been small, and the
number of sick at no time in the year considerable. There
were 17 deaths— a less proportion than the average of former
years—and three cases of insanity, one of which was disallowed,
and the convict (Dalmas) transported,
EXTENSIVE ROBBERY AT NuTTINGIIAM.—Thurs-
day the metropolitan police received information of a man
ogroed Henry Hayes having absconded from Nottingham, on
Saturday afterncon last, after hp.ving plundered hia sister, Mrs.
Mary Anne Morris, of property to A large amount. Hayes
took with him a black leather trunk, containing a large quan-
tity of plate, a receipt on Moore and Robinson's bank for
110/., Bank of England and Liverpool notes to the amount of
155/., a yellow silk bag, containing upwards of 100 sovereigns,
two gold bracelets set with cameos, with other valuable pro-
perty.
FATAL OCCURRENCE.—OiI Thursday', Mr. Baker
held an inonest at the London Hospital, on the body of Ann
Caton, aged ?4, who was run over in the Cambride.e. road,
Bethnal-green, on Tuesday 4fterno44 a'44 apt.' r, pair
of horses, filled with persons going. to Bow fair. Particulars of
the occurrence appeared in our Worship-atreet police report of
Wodrlsday. The jilry, after hearin the evidepcp,
exonerated the driver of the vehicle from any blame, returned
a verdict of Accidental Death.