The Sun.
London, England, 1829-01-01 00:00:00

surveillance and espionage, but in a want of head
and unity of system. The proposal of the late
Police Committee to supply this defect by the
establishment of a distinct office, with competent
Magistrates to adopt and regulate a better general
system, seems reasonable, and much more likely
to be of benefit than this hatel•'l idea of a public
register, by means of which the motions of every
Englishman would be liable to be watched With
more strietnefs than those of a debtor. on a day-
rule. In fact, let us not look for distant refine •
dies while we have more effectual ones at hand.
That this is the case in our Police cannot be
doubted by those who see what it is, and know
what it might be.—Morning Herald.

WINTER ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

KINGSTON, Dsc. 31.

Philip Gale was indicted for hurglarinusly breaking
and entering the dwelling-house of William James,
at Lambeth, and stealing from thence a quantity of
took, combs, and a canvass bag, containing 6/. 64. 6d.
The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty, without
any hesitation.

Mr. Baron VAUGHAN told the prisoner, that al-
though he should recommend his life to be spared,
yet be must expect to be transported for life.
John Jardine was placed at the bar, under a charge
of feloniously and maliciously administering to. Mary
Jardine, his wife, a deadly poison, called arsenic, with
intent to kill and murder her, at Newington.
Mr. LAW, on the part of the prosecution, stated
the case. The present was an indictment founded
on
,a statute passed in the reign of his present Ma-
jesty—the 9 Geo. IV. c. 31, s. 11. That Statute
repealed a former one—the 43 Geo. 111. c. 58.; hut
, the provisions were substantially the same. By the
Srattue on Which this proceeding was founded a
provision was made, " That if any person unlawfully
and maliciously shall administer, or attempt to ad-
minister, to any person, or shall cause to be
taken by any person, any poison or other destruc-
tive thing, with intent to murder such person, every
such offender, and every person counselling, aiding,
ar abetting such offender, shall be guilty of felony,
-Al being coevicted thereof shall suffer death as a
felon." The prisoner at the bar was formerly a
bombardier, and for his services had received a
pension. The wife, who was the subject of the pre-
sent indictment,and who would be called as a witness,
had been married before she became connected
with the prisoner. The children who were the
fruits of the• former marriage were, it was fair to the
prisoner to say, always treated e:th the most
fatherly kindness. They had lived together for six-
teen years, during the first thirteen years of that
period he had, he understood, conducted himself as
an excellent husband. Towards the commencement
of the last three years he unfortunately became Re-
quaiated with some women who completely es-
tranged him from his wife. She became the object
of his abhorrence, and was treated in the worst man-
ner. At length. he refused to support her, and she
was taken into the Woolwich workhouse: a part of
the pension allowed him by Government was stopped
to defray the expellees to which the parish was put
for the support of Imis wife. This the prisoner not
►iking, he made au application to the Committee of
the workhouse to allow him to take her out. This
was permitted, and the stoppage of the pension
ceased. She had scarcely got home whet, he re-
sumed his ill-treatment ; he was to have allowed her
2s. Gd. per week for her support, but this was soon
reduced to 4d. a day,, and at last to 2d. a day. The
unfortunate woman being thus brought in danger of
starvation, told her husband that unless he increased
her allowance, she must have recourse to a Magis-
trate. He told her she might go when she liked.—
She replied that she would go. The prisoner then
rejoined the following remarkable words :—" Don't'
speak too List, or perhaps you may not be able to
go." This was on the .sth of October. Ott the
morning of the Gth, about nine o'clock, she had
prepared her breakfast as usual, and for some. pur-
posOWC the room. When she returned, she found
the prisoner standing with the lid of the kettle in his
hand, shutting it down. This did not excite any sus-
picion in her mind, as he was in the habit of taking
water from the kettle for shaving. Without any
hesitation she poured the quantity of water she
wanted from the kettle into the tea-pot, end drank
about a cup and a half of the tea thus made. In a
few minutes she felt a very great heat in her sto-
mach, accompanied wi h a severe shooling pain.
Her stomach became distended,- and she ',omited
some of its contents. During this time, the pri-
soner was walking up and down the room laughing
at her. She at length became so ill, that a medical
man was sent for. The prisoner had, previous to
this, put on his hat with great unconcern, and left
the house. Mr. Boast, the surgeon, heard the wo-
man describe her symptoms, and thence he con-
cluded that she must have taken arsenic. lle made
use of the stomach-pump, and the contents drawn
out by that means showed his opinion well-founded ;
in the stomach-pemp,and on the sides of the kettle
whence the water in the tea-pot had been taken,
nearly eight drachms of white arsenic were found:
By the remedies then applied, any permanent injury
to the woman was prevented ; the parish authorities
interfered, and after an examination before a Magi-
strate, it was determined to apprehend the prisoner;
accordingly a constable was seat to the bemuse of the
prisoner, and he was taken into custody from his
bed ; he was afterwards fullycommitted for trial.
Evidence was heard in support of these facts,
when

The Jury, after retiring for about half an hour, re-
turned a verdict of Guilty.

The prisoner having then been called up for
judgment,

Mr. Baron VAUGHAN, in a very feeling manner,
pronounced the awful judgment of the law.
The Jury and almost every one in Court were so
much affected, as to shed tears during the address of
the Learned Judge.
John Doyle, a cooper's apprentice, waft indicted
for stealing fourteen pawnbrokers' duplicates of
various amounts, and a waistcoat, the property of his
master.

The case was fully established against the prisoner;
but the Learned Judge told the Jury, .that pawn-
brokers' duplicates were not such a security as could
be made the subject of an indictment, and they
must, therefore, confine their attention to the waist-
coat.—" Guilty." Sentenced to six months' im-
prisonment, with hard labour.
This decision with respect to pawnbrokers' dupli-
cates is new. In a case similar to this, two years
ago, Mr. Justice Park intimated an opinion that they
did not come within the Statute, but as the question
was not necessarily raised in the case, he declined
riving a formal opinion. In the present case they
were pronounced, without qualification, not to ha
such " warrants for the delivery of goods" as could
be proceeded criminally upon. . •

•
A French Paper, La Clinique, in noticing
the late hill of Cooper v. Wakley, says, "After a long
and solemn discussion, the author of the libellous article,
Air. Lambert, was condemned to pay a fine of 1001. to
Mr. Bansley Cooper."

A rumour is in circulation that the Speaker' is
to be raised to the Peerage, and that he is to have the
Privy Seal—that Mr. Manners Sutton will receive ae
honour usnally conferred upon a retiring Speaker—and
that, when divested of his present office, he may be eum-
mooed to the active service of his country in some Other
way is highly probable; but there is no ground, we be-
lieve, for auppming that the Rigbt Hon. Gentleman retires
at present from the station which he so admirably fills;

It is very much the fashion in this country, to
talk of the comparatively mild punishments inflicted by th-4
French tribunals. would sr•ens, however, from the sub-
joined paragraph, that the French are nut always very
lenient in their mode of punitlinteLt :—.‘ A few days ago,
the Court of Assizes of the Lower Seine condemned a man
to be sent to the gallies for five years, with pillory and
branding, fur a burglary, although he stole nothing mote
thin three eggs."—Galignani's .3lessolyer.