The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-09 00:00:00

DUNCOMBE TESTIMONIAL.

health has for some months prevented my
attending to public business. I cannot, however, allow
the time for receiving subscriptions to the Dunconale
Testimonial to pass over without enrolling my name
a humble. contribidor—illnez,s alone kept me from taking
an active part, in Ireland, for the promotion of your laud-
able object.
If integrity, activity, acuteness, spirit, and talent—if
above all, a community of feeling with the people, entitle
a Member of the House of Commons to the confidence
and regard of his fellow-countrymen—there are no claims
on public favour paramount to those of Mr. Thomas S.
Duncom be.

His sympathy, too, with the ill-treated people of Ire-
land, and his zeal on behalf of the patriots of that king-
dom, so unconstitutionally deprived of their liberty, have,
to my own knowledge, insured to him the gratitude of
the Irish nation ; and were England to cease to appre-
ciate Mr. Ouncombe's worth as a representative, he has
only to cross the Channel to find many constituencies in
Ireland ready to prove that they value alike, and draw
no distinction between the Protestant Briton and the
Irish Catholic, when they arc equally zealous and fearless
in their advocacy of popular rights.—l have the honour
to be, Sir, your obedient servant,

Clifton; 4cpt., 1844. JOHN A. O'NEILL.
To Richard Norman, Esq., Treasurer to the
Duncombe Testimonial.

MURDER OF AN ENGLISHMAN

AT CALAIS.

CALAIS, OCT. 6.—A sad event has placed all Calais in
movement. The Commissaire of Police for Passports,
M. Salior, hell been drinking last night with a Mr.
Thorne, an Englishman, and surgeon here, at which
time they were apparently on very friendly terms, when,
about one o'clock in the morning, they went to the Com-
missioner's office together, fur what reast,n is not knonn,
when a dispute arose, and the Commissaire stabbed the
other to the heart iiith a poignard, which, after some
search, was discovered in the office. Mr. ilhorne fell on
the floor, and died instantly. He was a quiet man, who
has resided here several years, and has left a widow and
several children.

31. Suitor was a man not much liked in this town from
his habit of drinking, and in consequence he showid at
times some rudeness of manners. Such a fatal termina-
tion, of course, could not hare been foreseen, but it
ought to be a lesson to the Government not to place such
sort of persons in the difficult situation of Commissaire
of Police.

There is a report that M. Salior owed Mr. Thorne
money lost at cards. However, all is uncertain, and
probably will ever remain so, no one having been pre-
sent at the dispute. M. Salior spoke English remarka•
bly well, and had formerly been an actor. Mr. Thorne
has resided here for some years. The murderer was
given into the custody of the gees d'armes, who detained
him at his own house till the arrival of the Prucureur du
Roi from Boulogne.

H. Tufnel, Ebq , M.P., and the Hon. Mrs. Tuf-
nel, have left England fur Italy, to pass the winter
months.

THE EUTE' 'ON SOCIETY.--A grand concert was
given by the .ers of this Society yesterday even
ing, at the 8.. w a and Foreign School-room, Denmark-
terrace, Pentonville. The concert was in two parts
the first consisted of selections from the oratario of the
Messiah, and the second of portions of Acis nd Galatea,
Alexander's Feast, &c. Mr. W. Blagrove was the leader,
and Mr. Holderness the conductor. The solo parts
were executed by the Misses .Py ne, Miss Wells, Mr.
Shoubridge, and Mr. Machin. The chorusses by the
members were, on the whole, very creditable. A nume-
rous and respectable company testified their estimation
of the entertainments by repeated plaudits.
FALL IN THE PRICE OF BREAD.—NOVEL MODE OF
FORCING SALES.—Yesterday two men drove a light cart,
laden with bread and covered with placards, through the
northern districts of London, announcing that they sold
" the best wheaten bread for sixpence a quartern.' They
made several stoppages on their journey, at which they
had an auction of their bread. The lame of this novel
mode of forcing sales anticipated them in many villages,
and the bakers residing therein, resolved upon foiling
their efforts, actually labelled their bread for fivepence
the quartern, which appeared to have had the desired
effect, as the itinerant bakers afterwards found few or no
purchasers.
PERISHED Wzriz.—Before the passing of the Act
7 and 8 Victoria, eap. 25, repealing the Excise duty on
British vinegar, which has recently come into operation,
it was the practice to allow perished or sour wine, which,
from the length of time it had remained in the vaults at
the docks, or other causes, had become unfit for con-
sumption, and not worth the duty to which, as wine, it
was liable, to be delivered on payment of the duty as
British vinegar, on certain conditions, viz., that a spe-
cified quantity of vinegar be put into each cask contain-
ing the perished wine, on the open quay, in the presence
of the revenue officers, so as completely to spoil it and
render it unfit for use as wine, which being done, it was
removed to the premises of the party, and placed in
charge of the Exeitie,being mixed with stock, and charge-
able with the Excise duty on British vinegar. But since
the Act quoted came into operation, it has become a
question, it having repealed the duty altogether on Bri-
tish vinegar, to what rate of duty sour or perished wine
.so delivered should be liable ; and applicattons;2ltve been
made to the Lords of the Treasury, requesting that Wi-
der such circumstances it might, after the usual process
of spoiling had taken place, be delivered duty free. It
ha:, however, been directed that, being foreign wine, and
strictly liable to that duty, it cannot be delivered as
British vinegar without payment of any duty, but shall,
after the regulations with respect to spoiling, &c., have
been complied with, be delivered on payment of the duty
of 4d. per gallon as foreign vinegar.
THE LAST OF THE PURKISES.—It is recorded in
the History of England, that the body of King William
Rufus, after that monerch had met his death by an
arrow discharged from the bow of Sir Walter Tyrrel,
whilst engaged in hunting in the New Forest, was picked
up by a man named Purkis, who placed the corpse of
the King in a cart, and conveyed it to Winchester.
There is one very remarkable circumstance connected
with the Purkises, which is this, viz., that (or upwards
of seven hundred and fifty years tey have continued
to enjoy uninterrupted possession of the same iden•

field spot, which amounts to about two acres of ground,
situated near the village of Minstead, in the New Forest,
contiguous to which the King in question was killed.
From the earliest period of their history it is found that
the Purkises were by trade or calling charcoal burners,
which same business they have continued to carry on
from father to son up to the present time, and which
mode of employment has fortunately afforded them .the
means of preserving their patrimony entire through a
long course of generations. William Purkis, the preses't
possessor of the above humble estate, is tow en his
eighty-seventh year, and, having outlived all hi 3 relic.
tions, is now the last of the Purkivef,