The Press. — 1856-09-20 (London, England)

CAPTAIN SIR WILLIAM GORDON OF EARLSTOUN, BART., 17TH LANCERS, has been presented with the freedom of Kirkcudbright, in honour of his gallant services in the Crimea. A subscription is now on foot in his native parish of Borgne and neighbourhood, for the purpose of presenting some testimonial to the gallant baronet.  SATURDAY,  MILL Ross BONHEUR was on the tryst-ground at Falkirk last week, purchasing subjects of study. On Monday she bought two black-faced ewes and two wethers of the same stock, and on Tuesday she selected several cattle.  at an Volta.  THE TEN SHIPWRIGHTS out on strike from Messrs. Young's yard, and charged with unlawfully conspiring to prevent and intimidate other workmen front entering into the employment of Messrs. Young, were tried for misdemeanour at the Old Bailey, on Thursday, before Mr. Baron Bramwell. The question, one of great importance as affecting the relations between employer and employed, was whetheremployers should have aright to dictate the terms upon which they would give employment, and the employed be permitted to reject or accept those terms, or whether it was corn. patent for a body of persons belonging to any par• titular trade calling themselves a union, to determine and dictate to their employers the terms upon which alone they would enter their service, and be permitted to exercise power and intimidation over other persons belonging to the same calling, and prevent them from accepting employment unless upon terms which they themselves had dictated. The Attorney-General stated the case, the details of which have already anpeared, and after evidence in support of the charge had been given, Mr. Edsin James, Q.C., who appeared in defence, consulted the prisoners, and they consented to withdraw their plea of " not guilty," and to plead " guilty." Mr. Baron Bramwell, upon this, consulted with Mr. Justice Williams, add after animadverting severely upon the illegal conduct of the prisoners, on the recommendation for mercy by the prosecutor, discharged them upon their entering into recognisances to appear and receive judgment if they should be required to do so. M. Micliet., charged with a felonious assault upon one Ellen Lyons, was tried on Thursday, at the Old Bailey, and unanimously declared "Not guilty " by the jury.  TllO-31A8 NUTTER, tailor, a becoming and respectable character, was tried on Wednesday b.tfore Mr. Prendergast, Q.C., at the Old Bailey, for stealing two hams. The circumstances of the case were, that the prosecutor an the sth of September found his shop had been entered in the night and a quantity of property stolen, amongst it two Irish hams, which he could swear to in consequence of the peculiarly short knuckles they had. Upon that morning, about the time the burglary was said to have been effected, the prisoner was met near the spot in a partial state of intoxication carrying two hams, which the prosecutor now swore to as having been stolen from him. The prisoner gave two different accounts of his possession of them, but beyond that there was nothing to connect the prisoner with the commission of the offence. For the defence it was contended that the property, the most bulky and least valuable of that which had been stolen, might have been thrown away, and picked up by the prisoner, added to which the identity of the property was not very clear, and the drunkenness of the prisoner would account for his giving two different versions of his possession of the hams. Mr. Prendergast, in summing up, dwelt very strongly upon the false account given by the prisoner. Atter the summing-up the jury were for some time discussing the evidence, when Mr. Prendergast several times addressed them, commenting upon the evidence as it bore against the prisoner. Mr. M'Enteer, counsel for the detence, with much warmth, said that he did not think it at all just to the prisoner that the jury should be subjected to such continual interruptions from the bench. If the jury wanted to discuss the evidence they ought to retire. Mr. Prendergast said certainly they could, and again dwelt upon the false statement made by the prisoner, adding that, " under the old law, the prisoner would have been " liable to execution, taken as he was, carrying the " property from the very place of robbery" :  Mr. WENTEER : Then I am sure he would have been acquitted ; no jury would run the risk of such a result upon such very doubtful evidence; therefore they ought to act so in this case, and not consider the result, added to which prisoner was entitled to the benefits of a doubt, and so the judge ought to tell them. Mr. PRENDERGAST : Yes, gentleman ; a reasonable doubt. The jury decided they had a doubt about the burglary. Mr. PRENDERGAST: Then you may find him guilty of a larceny.  After some discussion the jury returned a verdict to that effect. Mr. Prendergast sentenced him to twelve months' imprisonment., and he was removed from the bar protesting his entire innocence. ~.  MR. SAMUEL SPEED homeEsjately practising as a surgeon dentist, committed suicide at his house in Seymour•street, Euston-square, last Sunday night. The medical evidence went clearly to show that deceased died from the effect of prussic acid, and that his brain was so diseased as to render him unaccountable for his acts. The jury, notwithstanding the opposition of one of their muliber, who insisted that the