The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-20 00:00:00

THE CHARGE AGAINST THE

MASTER OF THE ANDOVER UNION.
ANDOVER, SATURDAY NIGIIT.—This morning, at an
early hour, much excitement was caused in the town of
Andover, by the re-arrival of Mr. Parker, assistant-
eommissioner of poor-law inquiry, who had been sent
from London for the purpose of investigating certain
charges of a serious character alleged against the
master of the Andover Union, who, it was stated, had
been the chief instrument in causing the poor under
his charge to collect bones for crushing, upon which
they had subsequently most ravenously fed, and he was
also accused of peculation in the discharge of the duties
of the office to which he had been appointed. On the
4th of the present month a preliminary inquiry had taken
place, and since the result had been reported to the chief
commissioner it has been deemed necessary, in conse-
quence of what was then elicited, and from what has
subsequently transpired, to continue the investigation.
The previous examinatim of several persons, including a
labourer in the employ of a farmer (one of the guardians
of the Andover district), and of Dr. Westlake, the me-
dical officer of the union, to whom frequent complaints
are said to have been made by the paupers of their not
having received the necessary requisites ordered by him,
but which have been charged, it is stated, in the master's
report book, have been the real causes which have led to this
further inquiry. Pending this, however, the ratepayers
dissatisfied at being excluded from hearing the facts of
the case, have in considerable numbers addressed the
assistant poor-law commissioner and board of guardians
for leave to be present at the inquiry, so that they, in
common with the press, might have the opportunity of
hearing the facts of the case. Upwards of 250 signa-
tures were attached to this memorial, and, upon the
guardians having assembled, the Chairman, the Rev. C.
Dodson, of Penton, near Andover, and a large body of
guardians being present, the memorial was presented,
when in answer to its prayer, it was decided, after a
long deliberation, that the memorialists should have the
opportunity of being present in a large room sufficiently
capacious for the purpose of holding the whole body of
ratepayers, on some future day, to be decided before the
board broke up. The body of facts collected since the
last meeting of the board with the commissioners was
then gone into, and after a considerable conversation,
and the testing of a variety of testimony, it was decided
that the whole case should be gone into on Monday, the
24th of the present month. Mr. Etwall, M.P. for the
town, was present, and several of the most influential
men in the neighbourhood connected with the board of
guardians were waiting to bear the result.

FEMALE PUGILISTS.—At Southwark Police-court, I
on Monday, two women were committed for fourteen days each,
for fighting at Newington Causeway, and thereby disturbing
the public peace.
THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.—Yesterday was
fair throughout, and on the whole was a tolerable harvest-day.
In the afternoon a change of wind from the west to the north
brought a corresponding change in the atmosphere ; but as the
atmosphere was clear, dry, and breezy, it may probably indi-
cate the commencement of good weather. A few patches of
barley on early spots have been cut, and some samples were ex-
hibited in our market on Wednesday. The crops, however,
have made little or no progress for the last fourteen days ; and
although a favourable change of weather would now bring them
forward with great rapidity, until the change occur no one can
hazard a guess as to when the harvest will be generally com-
menced. The heavy rain of Sunday has lodged a large portion
of the crop, which is thereby in greater danger than ever ; and
it is now quite certain that the harvest can only be a favourable
one by an immediate and decided change in the weather. The
markets are rising steadily and rapidly ; and it is almost safe to
predicate that, except under circumstances more favourable
than we are warranted at so late a period of the year to look
for, the present prices are almost certain to be maintained.
How much higher the markets may go depends altogether on
the weather which may follow.— Scotsman of Saturday.
THE DANGER OF EATING MUSCLES.—On Monday
morning, a man and his wife, named Walters, residing
in Crown-street, Soho, together with their child, were
attacked with most alarming symptoms, in consequence
of having eaten profusely of muscles, their bodies and
heads being swelled in a frightful manner. Medical as-
sistance was procured, and the contents of the stomach
were ejected by the stomach pump, and antidotes admi-
nistered, with the desired effect, to the man and woman;
but the child, a boy of about four years of age, is still
in a precarious state.