The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-10-15 00:00:00

Lines of equal length, leading from Enniskillen, one to
Dundalk and the other to Derry, surveyed by the same
engineer, the latter can be completed for £2OOO per mile
less than the former, owing to the peculiarly favourable
nature of the country in an engineering point of view.
The saving therefore in the Derry Line will be £114,000;
and, in addition, it may be observed, that the port of
Derry is one of the most commodious and the least ex-
pensive in the empire, possessing an extensive trade, fo-
reign and colonial, especially with America, and every
desirable facility for intercourse with England and Scot-
land, particularly with the latter country, for which it is
more conveniently situated than any other port in Ireland,
except Belfast.

When it is, therefore, considered that the opening of
this Line must bring a large portion of the trade of En-
niskillen, and the entire of Omagh, Newtown, Stewart,
and Strabane, with the districts adjacent to those towns,
to Derry (Strabane being the largest corn market in the
northwest of Ireland) ; that, with the existence of an ex-
tensive water power (already referred to), there is con-
joined an industrious and orderly population, accustomed
to manufacturing pursuits ; that to the westward there
are facilities of opening several tributary railways, from
which sources alone an improved traffic is to be expected;'
and, finally, that the proposed railway is likely not to have
any rival mode of conveyance to compete with, there are,
perhaps, few lines in Ireland which hold out greater hope
than this for the improvement of the country, or for the
advantage of those individuals who may select it for the
investment of capital.
It is material to state that, on application to Honour-
able the Irish Society, who have so much interest in the
land upon which part of the line is intended to be made,
they came to the following resolution; and there is every
reason to believe that they will eventually give the land
without charge

B was resolved,—" That, in the opinion of this society,
the construction of a Railway from Londonderry to En-
niskillen will be highly beneficial to the public, and also
to the estates belonging to the society. This court is,
therefore, disposed to facilitate the formation of such a
Line of Railway ; and, upon the production of the plens
and sections thereof, to give the subject its most deliberate
and favourable consideration."

Application for Shares to be made at the Company's
Office, Moorgate-street-buildings, London; the Provi-
sional Committee, Londonderry; Messrs. J. RAILTON
and SON, Exchange-arcade, Manchester; or Mr. S.
WOODS, jun., 3, India-buildings, Liverpool.

ATTEMPT' TO SHOOT A LANDING SURVEYOR.
On Saturday afternoon last, great sensation was exci-
ted, in the first instance, in the neighbourhood of the
Prince's Dock, by a rumour (which speedily took wing
elsewhere) that apparently a cold-blooded attempt had
been made, by an individual who had formerly belonged
to the Customs, in this town, to shoot a highly respected
officer in the same department of her Majesty's service, in
open day, at the south end of the dock named. It is to be
regretted that this rumour proved to be well founded, by
the evidence of the facts taken yesterday in the Police..
court, before Mr. Rushton. What available plea may re-
main to be put forth in behalf of the unhappy prisoner,
for this attempt instantly to deprive of life an esteemed
member of society, while in the exercise of his legitimate
functions, and suspecting no such assault, we have, of
course, no means of divining; nor is it our part to offer
even a suggestion on that point,—though, for the honour
of human nature, we would fain hope that the offender
laboured under mental aberration at the time. We shall
therefore best serve the ends of justice by furnishing the
whole of the evidence, as it was proved in this preliminary
investigation of the case, without offering any comment.
On the bench, along with Mr. Rushton, sat Sir Joshua
Walensley, and the court, as might be expected, was
greatlycrowded. Mr. Brooke, solicitor for the Customs,
conducted the case for the prosecution. The prisoner,
Joseph M`Gaffey, is a stLall sized, and apparently some-
what emaciated man, of about 40 years of age. The pro-
secutor, Mr. John William Arkle, is a tallish stout man,
stated to be about thirty•five years of age. Mr. Brooke
called
Mr. Edward Jones, who, being sworn, said :—I am a
weigher in the Customs. On Saturday afternoon last I
was at the Prince's Dock Depot, and saw the prisoner
leaning against the counter in the searcher's office. I
went up to him and asked him how he was. He made me
no answer, but asked me where was Mr. Arkle. I told
him he had gone under the shed of the Prince's Dock.
He said that would do, and I saw him go to the shed.
(The prisoner declined to ask the witness any questions.)
Mr. John William Arkle, being called, said :—I am a
searcher in the Customs, and also act as Landing Sur-
veyor. I have known the prisoner as a weigher in the
Customs for about nine years. Four or five months ago
he was dismissed. I was his superior officer, end had oc-
casion to report him for drunkenness. An investigation
took place before the Inspector, and I attended as a wit-
ness to prefer the charge. The prisoner was present, and
lie rd all that passed. This was about four months ago.
He was dismissed in consequence of the report against
him being proved. He held no office in the Customs after
this. I was on Saturday last acting as Landing Surveyor.
At three o'clock, I lett the shed, on the east side, and met
the prisoner, who was on its west side, nearest the dock.
He came towards me, and I think that he saw me. He
turned suddenly round, came under the shed and crossed
it, to within a few yards of me. He stopped me, and held
a pistol opposite to me. He presented the pistol at my
person, and I saw the muzzle towards me. I observed
him take it from his person, and heard the usual noise of
(as we understood him to say) the snapping of a lock.
He pulled the trigger, I think, twice. At the second tiwse
he pulled it, I called out to a person near,—" Don't you
see he is going to shoot me !" This person seized him.
About halt' a minute had elapsed from his stopping me.
Wilson, a Custom-house officer, came up into the hut,
and I told him what had happened. He went out, and
returned with the pistol in his hand. Two police-officers
came to my assistance. One of them examined the pistol,
and found it to be loaded.
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ernin
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itacesed. Irst i:hw.
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Arkle calling out loudly. I sprang out of the
and asked the latter what was the matter. He (Mr. A.).
said " Do you not see he is attempting to shoot me,—•.o
and get the pistol from him." I ran to the door and saw
the prisoner struggling in the arms of a man who bad hold
of him behind with his arms. The prisoner had a pistol
in his right hand, and said to me—" I will give the pistol
to you, Charley." I took it ; it was at full cock • there
was no percussion cap on it. I west for the police officers,.
and left the prisoner in the charge of Mr. Bodill, the
superintendent. At the depot I probed the pistol with a
small iron rod, and found it deeply loaded. In about
twenty minutes after the prisoner was taken in charge I
returned to the dock, and on the very spot where the
-prisoner had stood, I found a percussion cap (produced.)
It was bruised as if it had been bruised by being trodden
upon. It appears to have been too large for the nipple.
I said to the prisoner " How could You think of shooting
at such a nice man as Mr. Arkle," and he said " Such
fellows deserve shooting." This was said in presence of
the police officer in the hut.
The prisoner, who again declined to ask any questions,
here remarked that with regard to the last expressions
said to have been used by him, he had no recollection of
them whatever.
Mr. John Scholfield, agent to a dyer, said : I saw.the
prisoner at the time in question approaching the shed.
He appeared to be fumbling with something in his hand,
which I afterwards found was a pistol. I saw him after-
wards present it at Mr. Arkle. He altered his position
and followed that of the pistol, and followed the gentle-
men as he retreated. Mt. Arkle cried out to me " He-is
going to shoot me—try to sicze him." I immediately
got hold of him by both arms. He attempted to get loose,
and cried " Let go," but when I got hold of hint I held
him fast until he was placed in the hands of the police.
William Bodill, superintendent of the lockers at the
Prince's Dock, said,—while I was passing I saw the
apiriidsowneerntand to
ahsesilsats.t wlittaieskssedtogtheteheprrisolnehr e
—a a
on e
,alarmhow
came you to do it ?" He said he was mad—he was de-
ranged; that Mr. Arkle made him do it, for he had taken
away his bread from him. I saw the pistol, which was
handed over to Messrs. Williams and Powell, gunsmiths,
South Castle-street. The assistant in the shop tried to
draw the charge, but could not. It was a foreign-made
pistol. Witness described the mode of discharging it, as
it appears by the next evidence.
William Summers, assistant at Messrs.-Williams and
Co's., gun arid pistol makers, said—The Let witness and
two police officers came, between three and four o'clock
on Saturday afternoon to the shep. One of them pro-
duced a pistol, which he requested should be unloaded.
I got a rod with a worm, but found the charge so firm.
that I could draw up only small portions of lead. It was
a French-made pistol of common description. I found
no wadding. I got a percussion cap and placed it on the
nipple. The nipple was shorter than that of an English
pistol, and an ordinary cap was likely to drop off, if not
put on with great care. The cap I put en was too large,
and got split. When I lifted the cock it fell off. I put
it on aga'n, and fired it at an cak board in the yard. The
pistol went off, and the tall entered the oak board, indent-
ing it about a quer t,r-of-an-incb. There were no previous
marks in the board. The ball was flattened on the side
that struck the board. It rebounded, and struck me on
the stomach, and I saw it fall. I picked it up, and gave
it into the charge of a police officer.
Dock at the time of the occurrence corroborated what had
Thomas Moorey, police officer, who was at the Prince-a
been stated as to the occurrence there, as stated by his
brother officer and others. He then said—On going to
Bridewell, prisoner said be was very sorry for what had
taker place. We put no questions to him, and cautiot el
him that whatever he might say would come out before
the magistrate and be used against him. When first
taken be said he was mad, and afterwards made ether ex-
pressions, but I am not sure of the precise words, as there
was a crowd and much confusion at the time. He said in
going up to Bridewell, he was sorry that what he had
done bad not taken effect; and on being again cautioned
repeated the expression, adding that he hoped I and the
other officer would not say anything about it.
Mr. RUSHTON (who had noted down all the evidence
as it proceeded) asked the prisoner if he had any question
to ask, or if he wished any to be asked through him, at
this stage of the proceedings—adding that he would have
another opportunity—(when the depositions formally
taken, were read.)
The prisoner answered in the simple negative, and the
magistrate stated that he must be committed for trial at
the ASSiZES.
It is somewhat remarkable that the officer (above-
named) who arrested the prisoner was the same individual
who, several years ago, apprehended Norman Welch, for
shooting Mr. Southgate, landing surveyor, in the 014
Customhouse-yard. Welsh effecter' "- ---
afterwards executed at Lancaster.

THI IRON TRADE.—Circulars
the first houses in the trade announ,
prices of iron, viz. :—Bar iron 20s

ed his piirpose, and_mis
OVAIh7
'
s.
TO, 041
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