The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

THE MURDER AT WHITTLESEA. John Green and Richard Smedley, labourers, were put upon their trial before Mr. Baron Martin, at Cambridge, on the 17th inst., the former for the wilful murder of Elizabeth Brown, and the latter as an accessory after the fact. Mr. Kean and Mr. Markby conducted the prosecution; Mr. Metcalfe defended the prisoner Green, and Serjeant Tozer appeared for Smedley. On Wednesday night, the 11th of March, there was a dance at the George and Star, a small public- house in Whittlesea market-place. The deceased, an unmarried woman, about thirty-six years of age, was there, and in the course of the evening both the prisoners were seen in the room. Smedley, it would seem, left the public-house and went home, but whether this was early or late in the evening was left in doubt by the evidence, which was entirely contradictory on this point. It was agreed on all hands, however, that Green was the last seen in company with the deceased. They left the house together about half-past one o'clock in the morning, and as they turned to go away the prisoner Green said to a female companion, Come along with us, we are going to have some beer." The invitation was declined, and from this time all traces of the deceased were lost until the following morning, when her charred body, terribly crushed and mutilated, was found in a burning malthouse. This building ad- joined the public-house where th e parties concerned had been spending the evening. Both Smedley and Green were maltsters, employed by the owner of the malt-house, and access to the building at night could only be obtained in the ordinary way by keys, of which Smedley alone had charge. On the following morning, soon after six o'clock, a cry of fire was raised, and when the people who were in the street at that early hour ran up, they found Smedley standing at the entrance of the malting, which was on fire. On the settle opposite the furnace was a heap of burning sacks, which apparently had been put there to make a kind of bed, and huddled up near the kiln door, which was also burning, lay the body of the deceased, her ribs smashed in and por- tions of them missing, the thick bone of the left arm broken, and part of it also gone. The frac- tured ends of the bones were broken, and the woman's clothes were still burning when she was discovered. A few buckets of water sufficed to extinguish the flames, and by the aid of a boot, which was unconsumed, and her house key and empty purse, which lay by her side, the deceased was recognised as Elizabeth Brown. The corpse was removed into another chamber, and was examined by Mr. Robert Henry Crisp, a local surgeon. His evidence was, that the woman had been first strangled, and that then a deliberate attempt would seem to have been made to break up the body and consume it. The amount of vio- lence which had evidently been used could be accounted for in no other way. The burning, the surgeon thought, must have preceded or imme- diately followed death, and he hazarded an opinion that for a short time at least, probably just before the alarm of fire was given, the body had been thrust into the furnace. Altogether, he concluded that the body must have been burning some two or three heurs, or probably longer. The evidence against Smedley was such that the judge directed his discharge. The case against Green was not concluded when the court rose. The Court sat again at nine o'clock next morn- ing, and on its constitution, both prisoners being placed at the bar, his lordship summed up. His lordship occupied an hour and a quarter in his address, and, on its conclusion, the jury retired. They were absent about twenty minutes, and then returned into court with a verdict of "Guilty" against Green. Being asked what he had to say in arrest of judgment, the prisoner replied, I'm an innocent i man, sir." His lordship, assuming the black cap, expressed his entire cbncurrence in the verdict of the jury. He besought the prisoner to entertain no hope of mercy, to pay the utmost attention to his religious duties, and to prepare for the awful change await- ing him. His lordship then passed sentence of death in the usual form. The prisoner again exclaimed, I'm an innocent man, sir! and retired from the bar in charge of the officials. He is a tall, well-made man, with no indications of ferocity in his countenance. His demeanour throughout his painful ordeal was firm and respectful, betraying nothing like hardi- hood. Smedley was then called upon the charge of arson, and acquitted. Green's father was in court during the whole of the summing up, but a merciful and timely hint was given him to retire before the sentence was passed. The poor fellow, however, evidently un- derstood its meaning, and retired, weeping bitterly.

EXTORTING INCOME-TAX. A correspondent of a contemporary endeavours to expose a manner in which persons might be robbed by a tax collector :-A gross attempt at extortion, he says, has lately come under my notice, and although the attempt has in the result proved unsuccessful, yet from the flagrant nature of it, and from a desire on my part that, should any similar attempt be made upon any of your readers, a perusal of this letter may assist them to avoid it, I beg to trouble you with the following lines upon the subject:—Early last year, at a great deal of trouble, a tradesman of my acquaintance rendered to the proper authorities a detailed account of the profits of his business, showing a return of .£119 odd gross, and considerably less net. The authorities, as is usual with them, assessed the tradesman at the gross amount, viz., £ 119. By the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer's last Act, incomes over < £ 100, and under .£200, are to be relieved by a reduction of .£60, upon which no duty is payable. In order that this relief should not be afforded to the tradesman in question -or, in other words, that the Act above referred to should prove a dead letter"—the authorities this year, without requesting any further return of profits (which were, in fact, considerably less than last year), or in any way communicating with him, informed him that he was assessed for 1863.-4 at = £ 160 less £ 60," in other words, giving him the benefit of a reduction of .£19 odd instead of < £ 60. On the representation of the facts of the case, and a remonstrance to the authorities, they informed the tradesman that he would be assessed at < £ 120 less £ 60," which is obvi- ously the proper amount, having regard to the assess- ment of last year. Now, had the tradesman in the first instance quietly submitted, which many of his brethren undoubtedly do from inability to interfere, trouble, and other causes, he would have improperly paid to the revenue this year Cl 3s. 4d. If this state of things continues, we shall see in the columns of your valuable journal that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is constantly return- ing, instead of receiving, "conscience money" from unfortunate and over-taxed property tax-payers. Do the authorities connive at this system of extortion, or does it arise from a greed for commission on the part of the tax collectors, not caring whether the extra tax is payable or not ? Perhaps one of the latter class may be able to throw some light on the subject.

DISTRESS IN BLACKBURN: EMPLOY- MENT OF THE OPERATIVES. The report of the borough surveyor shows that during last week there were 800 operatives employed by the corporation under the provisions of the Public Works Act. Of these 510 were engaged on sewerage works, 14D on streets and highways, and 130 were en- gaged at the improvements in the park. The corpora- tion also employ a large staff on permanent works, and expect to find more employment for unskilled labourers during the coming week. Of these, 500 are paid by the Labour Committee from a joint fund of the Board of Guardians and the Relief Committee. The Labour Committee last week employed 132 other operatives upon private contracts, and granted them in lieu of relief J2236 9s. 9d. in money and = £ 46 16s. 9d. in kind, comprising 7,2001b. of flour and 9601b. of oatmeal. It will thus be seen that by both sources employment was found for 932 unskilled labourers last week. The Manchester Central Committee have recently urged the local Relief Committee to throw the whole of these employed operatives upon the funds of the cor- poration, that each may be remunerated accord- ing to the work which he performs, indepen- dently of further aid. Strong objection is, however, raised to this proposition, and it has been decided that Sir J. P. K. Shuttleworth shall visit Blackburn in the course of next week to examine and report upon the system of labour provided here, prior to any decisive steps being taken by the Manchester Central Com- mittee. A sub-committee of the local body has been elected to meet Sir James, and aid and explain the system he has to investigate. The mothers' kitchens, introduced last spring by Mrs. J. G. Potter, and which were productive of much good, have been again in- troduced. Ten are already in operation, and another is in formation. They provide 500 dinners daily (Sunday excepted) for married women having infants at the breast, and gruel for the children, where it can be taken. The returns of the relieving officers of this union for the week ending last Saturday indicate an increase of destitution in the Blackburn relief district only. In the two other districts matters remain in about the same condition. The total number of persons relieved last week was 5,953 with < £ 32413s. Id., against 5,784 with .£323 10s. 9d. in the previous week, and against 16,757 with .£887 5s. lid. in the corresponding week of 1862. Of those thus re- lieved, 4,439 belonged to the Blackburn district, and were relieved with .£232 7s. 4d. 868 belonging to the Oswaldtwistle district received .£54 14s. 3d. and 649 belonging to the Darwen district re- ceived .£37 lis. 6d. In the same period the relief committee granted relief in money and kind to 652 persons, or 144 families, to the amount of £ 29 4s. 3d. The total income of these persons from other sources was stated to be £10 2s. 3d., which sum the com- t mittee augmented to about Is. 3d. per head. The committee also granted, in lieu of relief, .£31 Is. 8d. to 118 needlewomen employed in the sewing-classes making up clothing, &c. Since the 27th of October, when the distribution of clothing was commenced, the clothing committee had, up to last Friday evening dis- tributed to 7,290 individuals, numbering 1,830 families, 15,218 articles at a cost to the committee of above < £ 2,400. During this and next week it is believed that this charitable committee will be enabled to supply every person who has applied for clothing. That done, it is suspected that the depot will be exhausted, though it has been repeatedly filled within the last two months, and we regret to hear that the state of i he funds leave little hope for another supply being ob- tained when the stock on hand has been distributed. The store is in Darwen-street, to which parcels of cast-off clothing sent will be gratefully received and properly distributed. The Punishment of Death.—Mr. William Tal lack, secretary to the Society for the Abolition of Capital Punishment, has delivered a lecture on the above subject at Maidstone. The Rev. R. E. Maclellan occupied the chair. Allusion was made by the lecturer to the recent local exemplifications of the non-deterrent -effect of capital punishment. Thus the murder at Chatham by Burton, last spring, was speedily followed by Holden's crime, and the latter by a third murder in the same town. At the trial of Burton there was an objection raised against empannelling any Maidstone men on the jury, on account of the known prevalence in that town of decided opposition to capital punish- ment. Such a feeling has been repeatedly strengthened by the special opportunities afforded by an assize town for witnessing both the non-deterrent and demoralising effects of the gallows. On the motion of Mr. Frederic Wheeler, a resolution disapproving of death punish- ment was carried unanimously in a large audience.

STATE AND PROSPECTS OF CHINA. The Taepings are very bad; they slaughter men, women, and children, and torture the Tartars; some- times they burn cities when forced to leave them, and are like locusts on the land, devouring everything upon it. But there was one atrocity they did not commit, and it remained to be taught them by a civilised soldier. They did not wantonly destroy the mulberry trees when they scattered themselves over the silk districts. Perhaps they had their reasons for this. Perhaps they dreaded the despair of the inhabitants, and even a Taeping might be supposed capable of an unwilling- ness to undertake a devastation which would be at the same time laborious and unprofitable. Burgevine, however, publicly announces that this was his plan of operations. He has published a long statement in the China papers as a defence to charges of drunkenness and violence brought against him by his own com- rades, and in answer to imputations of treachery cast upon him both by Imperialists and rebels. In this paper he avows, and even insists, that it was because the Taepings refused to lend themselves to this dia- bolical design of destroying the industry of millions for twenty years that he planned the enterprise of stealing the steamship entrusted to his charge and going back to the Imperialists, from whom he had deserted. Yet this Burgevine when in the Imperial service was reported to be a well-mannered, quiet, determined man. If he had been placed in independent command with a given object assigned him, he might possibly have done great service to the cause of order in China, and might have run an honourable career. Unfortu- nately for him, he was but the mercenary soldier of a provincial governor, who left his forces without pay or sustenance, and exercised a jurisdiction over him that thwarted all his plans. But no man is fit for such work as Burgevine undertook unless he can endure as well as achieve, and he has made, perhaps, the worst that could have been made of an originally false posi- tion. What he will now do, whether he will go back to the Imperial service, and serve again under some provincial mandarin, is not of much importance. The only interest we take in his fortunes is the interest which attaches to him as an example of what must happen to every soldier of fortune who submits to take the position which, in Chinese estimation, is attached to a mere partisan chief. He must become either a pirate or a victim. It was to avoid such rocks as these that public opinion in England sanctioned the expedi- tion which went forth some months since under the command of Commodore Sherard Osborn. It was felt that our relations with China had reached such a stage of importance that we had, perhaps, a greater national interest in the security of the country than even the mandarins of Pekin themselves. The sudden flood of trade which occurred upon the opening of the Yang- tze-kiang astonished and almost bewildered even those who were borne on by it to fortune. Our merchants looked on in apprehension while such masses of treasure were afloat upon unknown and unguarded rivers, and upon pirate-haunted coasts. In former days we should have made a dash at territory, and should have followed our commerce and protected it by dominion. But modern England has renounced the inconveniences and immoralities of conquest. To undertake the responsibility, of keeping order in a kingdom where we had no authority to do justice was plainly inadmissible. But when Mr. Lay, the European Controller of Chinese Customs, reported that he was collecting for import duties alone more than three millions sterling, and that this was an increasing sum -when, moreover, it was made clear that with ordi- nary management of the salt monopoly and of the other established sources of revenue the Government of China must be one of the richest in the world- it was felt that China could afford to pay for a respect- able force to secure the trade from which she, as well as ourselves, was deriving such large profits. It was for this purpose that we were ready to lend the Imperial- ists our best naval skill and our European appliances of war. Not that we desired to uphold a Tartar dynasty, or any other particular dynasty, but that we looked for security from the only Government that appears possible. We fear that the Court of Pekin has somewhat misunderstood the motives of the English Government, and of those Englishmen who have already done so much to infuse new life into the decrepit Chinese body politic. When Mr. Lay and Captain Osborne arrived at the Chinese capital they found that the statesmen of Pekin were willing, indeed, to give sufficient guarantees for the payment of the English squadron, and content to allow these pay- ments to be made out of the ample customs' revenue collected by Mr. Lay; but they insisted that our naval officers should act under the orders of, and as subor- dinate to, the Chinese governors of provinces. Until this point is thoroughly settled Captain Osborne de- clines to put his force in action. If the Pekin authori- ties should prove obstinate in this matter, he will ask instructions from his own Government as to his future course; but he, of course, will not place himself in the position of such adventurers as Burgevine, nor accept a responsibility to any Chinese superior except to the Supreme Council of the Empire. This, as we understand it, is the only difficulty at present existing at Pekin. It has probably arisen in a great measure from the unfortunate acci- dent of the absence of the British Minister in Tartary. Upon his return to his diplomatic duties at Pekin we trust that the energy and tact of Sir Frederick Bruce will set this straight. It is hardly to be supposed that even Chinamen can be so obtuse as not to see that the aid which is at hand is not a mere proffer of hands and ships to be hired at a price, but a great and decisive alliance with the representatives in China ef the moral and physical force of the Western nations.— Times. Heatley, the man who, passing himself off as a military officer, endeavoured to utter a forged bill on the Marquis of Anglesey, and whose case excited con- siderable interest when it was before the police-courts, was tried at the Central Criminal Court, on Tuesday. He was found guilty, and sentenced to penal servitude for six years. Abolition of Turnpikes.—In addition to the metropolitan turnpikes to be abolished on the 1st July next, an Act of Parliament was passed at the close of the last session, to continue until the 1st November next, and "no longer," nearly eighty Turnpike Acts, unless otherwise directed bv Parliament. Playing with the iFire."—One afternoon last week, a woman living in a court in Fitzroy-market, with a family of six children, left her room (an attic) for a few moments. Before she reached the street the cries of her children brought the mother hastily back. A child of two and a half years old had set fire to the bed-clothing, and then, as if for fear of punishment, hid itself under the bed. The other children fled. or were all got safely out; but the poor little fellow who caused the mischief was, from his hiding, overlooked, and so "burned to a cinder." The familv are named Warner, and struggle hard for a livelihood. The Tricks of Servants .—Bridget Jones an Mary Kingston were re-examined the other day, at Hammersmith, on a charge of pilfering. The prisoner Kingston was cook in the service of Dr. Hill, the proprietor of a lunatic asylum, at Earl's Court House, Kensington, and the other prisoner was employed as charwoman. In consequence of information Dr. Hill received that he was being robbed, he communicated with the police, and a plain-clothes constable was employed to watch the prisoners. Jones was caught leaving the premises with a quantity of bread, meat, and milk, which she said the cook had given her. On searching Kingston's box a quantity of Dr. Hill's tea was found. Kingston was committed for two months' imprisonment, and Jones for fourteen days for the unlawful possession. Double Railway Accident.—During the greater part of Friday the traffic on the Great Northern Rail- way was impeded by an extraordinary double accident. About half-past ten o'clock on Thursday evening a coal train was travelling on the up-line when two miles from Corby the drawing up bar between two of the trucks broke, causing the train to part. The pin buried itself in a slanting position in a sleeper, and the hinder part of the train running upon it was thrown off OR to the down line. Under the superintendence of Mr. Dance and a staff from Peterborough, the lines were cleared, and the traffic resumed about seven o'clock on Friday morning. This had scarcely been effected, however, when another accident more serious than the first occurred. The traffic was being worked on a single line, between Bytham and Corby. Six trains had been successfully passed, and a cattle train was waiting' its turn, when a coal train, running past all the signals, dashed into it. The shock was so severe that many of the cattle were killed, and others jerked out of the trucks; a drover was injured, and the driver of the coal train was also hurt. The damage to the trucks, &c., was very great, and these disasters threw the traffic of the line into the utmost confusion, the trains from the North having to be passed round by way of Sleaford and Boston.

A YOUNG MAN FROM THE COUNTRY. One day last week, as the court at the Mansion- house was about to rise, a respectable-looking man, barely twenty, who said he was a native of Armagh, applied for assistance in a state of distress, having, he said, been defrauded of what to him was a considerable sum of money, and all he had in the world. He was on his way to Otago, in New Zealand. A few days ago he called at an emigration office in Leadenhall- street, to take a passage out. but finding that the ship in which he had intended to go had left, he bespoke a. berth in another vessel, which was to sale on the 10th of-January. As he was leaving the office, an elderly man, whom he had not seen before, engaged him in conversation, and stated that he, too, was about to sail in the same ship for New Zealand, and they might go together. The applicant assented, and a day or two afterwards met by appointment, at a tavern near Kmg's-cross, the man whose acquaintance he had so made. On entering a room there the man appeared to recognise a Yorkshireman, and all three presently got into conversation. The Yorkshireman took from his pocket what appeared to the applicant to be a lot of sovereigns, which he began to count, observing as he did so that he had recently had a considerable sum of money left him. He also produced two new canvas bags, such as are used by bankers, one of which he offered to give his ac- quaintance, adding that he would "hansel" it, too, by putting a sovereign into it, which he apparently did, taking one from the lot on the table. He said he should not mind giving the young man the other bag, meaning the applicant, which he did. The applicant then took from his pocket X- 1,4 in gold, which was all he had to pay his passage, and which the Yorkshireman professed to put into the bag that he had given him. They had something to drink, and eventually agreed to dine there, fixing a time. The Yorkshireman and the other man then left the house together, promising to return at the hour appointed, and leaving applicant in the room. They did not return, and, after waiting; some time for them, he left and on reaching his lodgings he found eighteen counterfeit sovereigns in the bag instead of the .£1'J, in gold, which he had ex- pected to see. He had not seen either of the men since, and he, now in a penniless state, asked for a sum to pay his passage to New Zealand, stating that on his arrival there he should meet with friends who would assist him. He had deposited his luggage at the East India Docks, in proof of which he produced a. cor- responding ticket. Mr. Goodman declined to pay his passage to Otago- out of the poor-box, but as the next best thing he undertook to bear the expenses of his return to Armagh. The applicant accepted the offer, and left the court..

SEVEN PERSONS DROWNED AT LYTHAM. A most melancholy occurrence took place at Warton, near Lytham, a few days ago, by which seven human beings lost their lives by drowning. For three weeks past there have been staying at Mrs.'Harrison's, 35, East Reach, Lytham, Mr. Sugars, a merchant, of Manchester, together with his wife, two sons, and' three daughters. The sons, Henry and Thomas, were aged respectively about 21 and J 6 years and the daughters, Jessie, Laura, and Mary, were 21, 15, and 10 years old. With them has been, during their visit to Lytham, a Miss Eliza Wilson, a young lady of about 20; and the party were joined by Mr. Walter Wilson* brother to Miss Wilson, aged 23, who. it is believed, was betrothed to the eldest of the Misses Sugars. About eleven o'clock on Taesday morning all the party, with the exception of Mr. and Mrs. Sugars, proceeded to the river for the purpose of hiring a boat and shoot-- !ing birds. They were in the highest possible spirits,, and were accompanied to the water's edge by Mr.. Sugars. None of the youths were accustomed to row- ing but as there was a little wind blowing, although the tide was beginning to flow, no danger was appre- hended. They stated to the owner of the boat, a man named Parkinson, that they intended pulling as far as the docks, and left with a pair of oars. Soon afterwards two of the youths were observed on one of the sandbanks with their guns, but were not no- ticed later; and nothing more was heard of them until a telegram was received by Mr. Sugars* stating that they had gone to Preston with the tide, and would return to Lytham in time for dinner at six o'clock. As they did not arrive at home at that hour, Mr. and Mrs. Sugars became very anxious, and a boat's crew was dispatched up the river in search of the unfortunate party; but after proceeding as far as the Naze Point they had. to return without any tidings of the missing youths, beyond what they had learnt from the men on the dredge, who saw them pass homewards about half-past five o'clock. At daybreak next morning the search was renewed, when the boat in which the missing party left Lytham' was discovered opposite Warton, and soon afterwards the body of Miss Laura Sugars was found on the sand. All further search which was prosecuted throughout the day on both the Lytham and Hesketh sides of the estuary proved fruitless, although the crow of the lifeboat had made every exertion to discover the bodies. Of course, nothing is known, and never can be known with cer- tainty, of the cause of the fearful casualty; but it is supposed that the boat's keel must have caught on one of the net stakes below Warton. If such wore the case, as the tide was receding with great rapidity, the boat would probably be instantaneously upset, and the whole engulphed without the least warning or hope of rescue. The greatest commiseration is felt for Mr. and Mrs. Sugars, who by the calamity have been deprived of the whole of their offspring.

VERY »HARD CASE," AND ITS RE- SPONSIBILITIES. A local contemporary gives the following account of a parent's reproach to his children:—"Mr. John Hutchinson, the well-known Sunderland shipbuilder of Lechmere-house, who recently gave £ 300 to the Polish national fund, and is distinguished for his munificence to local charities, has resolved to build a group of almshouses for decayed, members of the fra- ternity of shipwrights. A portion of Mr. Hutchinson's family, with whom he is at variance, have, it seems, arrived at the sapient conclusion that this extraordi- nary munificence is proof positive of insanity, and., their angry expressions having attracted attention, the public of Sunderland were startled yesterday by the publication of the following manifesto, by Mr. Hutchinson himself, in the form of a handbill: It has come to the knowledge of the public, and a para- graph has appeared in your newspaper, that I intend to establish almshouses. I have therefore no hesita- tion in stating that such is the case, and I have pur- chased a plot of ground for the purpose. But an attempt is made by some of my family to prevent me carrying such intention into effect, and my son Edwin, who is a law man, I am informed, has signified his intention to go up to London and make an application to the Lord Chancellor to have me declared to be insane and incapable of managing my own affairs, which would enable them to take my money, and lock me up in an asylum. I think I can confidently appeal to all my friends in the town, with whom I have done business for so many years, whether they have ever found me incapable of transacting my business, and they will admit that, having worked hard for my money, I have a right to dispose of it as I think fit. I am sorry to be compelled to declare that out of my eight children, if I have one from whom I have re- ceived any kindness, or can place any confidence in, that is all, as they have been brought up by their mother from their infancy to deceive and disobey me. It is necessary for me to put down at once any attempt on the part of my son Edwin to control my intentions, otherwise, I suppose, I should have to consult him before distributing any of my charities for the time to come.' The affair is now the sensational topic of the scandalmongers of the town, and has created much surprise, as most people knew nothing of the matter until the appearance of the handbill." ♦ Carlisle Relief Committee.—At the ordinary monthly meeting of the Carlisle Relief Committee held in the Town-hall in that city, it was reported that since last meeting some additional subscriptions had been received, and that the ladies' committee of the Carlisle sewing schools, deeming it undesirable to re- open the schools at present, had remitted £ 150 to the relief committee, to aid them in carrying on their operations for some time longer. But for this aid, the fund of the relief committee would have been now nearly exhausted. The receipts up to this time have been £ 7,718, and the expenditure >. £ 7,532, leaving a balance of .£186 on hand. During the past month the number of recipients on the books has beer rather under 200, and the weekly cost of relief has been about .£16. A vote of thanks to the ladies' committee for their consideration was unanimously passed.

FIRE AT WINDSOR CASTLE. On Thursday morning, a few minutes before two o'clock, a fire was discovered in the Prince of Wales's Tower, which is situated but a short distance 'from her Majesty's private apartments, and near the eastern end on the north terrace of Windsor Castle by the police. An alarm was given, and a good supply of water having been promptly procured, the flames were quickly extinguished, without giving any alarm to the Queen, or doing any material damage to the tower and its contents. It is no doubt owing to the height of the tower above the level of the terrace that the fire was so soon discovered, and thus probably a large destruction of valuable property, if not a number of lives, prevented. As it was, however, the fire was con- fined to the roof. The origin of the affair is at present enveloped in some obscurity, though it is supposed that during some recent plumbing repairs a quantity of the old dry timbers of the roof of the tower had been left outside on the leads and had become ignited by particles of burning soot from the chimneys of the flues. The flames soon melted the lead on the roof, beneath which some cook boys were sleeping, who were abruptly aroused from their Blumbers by the water which was being poured on the fire above them from the engines. The damage is confined to the roof gin and some of the furniture, which is slightly damaged by water.

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE OF A BOY. On Thursday, Mr. H. Raffles Walthew, deputy- coroner, held an inquiry at the Hare Tavern, Hare- street, near the Bishopsgate railway station, respecting the death of Henry Thomas Grew, a lad only fourteen years of age, who committed suicide with great deter- mination. Richard Grew, 2, Latham's-buildings, Little Bacon- street, the father of the deceased, said he was a weaver. The deceased was only fourteen years of age and worked at a cabinet-maker's. Last Tuesday morning he went to work as usual at eight o'clock. He com- mitted suicide at about nine o'clock. Witness could not account for the act, but he supposed deceased was not in his right mind. John Wilkinson, 85 A, said that oR Tuesday morning he was called in and found that deceased had hanged himself, and had just been cut down. Deceased had got a piece of timber which he had cut long enough to insert between the rafters of the water-closet. He had then attached to the timber a strip of webbing of the sort used by cabinet-makers, and hanged himself by its means. The wood had been very carefully fitted between the rafters, and everything seemed to have been done wikh great deliberation. Dr. Gayton said that he was called in to deceased and found him apparently dead. Dr. Silvester's pro- cess was tried for half an hour, but animation could not be restored. Death was the result of strangula- tion. Mr. Pillows, cabinet-maker, Little Bacon-street, said that deceased was a steady, well-conducted lad, much liked by his fellows. He had not threatened to destroy himself, and he did not seem strange in his manner. He had, however, once or twice complained of pains in the head. The coroner said that it was a most singular thing that a boy of so young an age should deliberately hang himself without any apparent cause. Verdict—" Suicide while of unsound mind."

MURDER BY AN ENGLISHMAN IN HOLLAND. A criminal charge which has excited great sensation throughout the country, has just been heard by the chief criminal court of the province of Guelderland. The accused, George Hornidge, alias Henry Charles Somerset Lee, aged seventy-one, a British subject, was charged with having maliciously and wilfully mur- dered his neighbour, Captain Van Dongen Francke, of the Netherlands army. From the evidence it ap- peared that the prisoner, who had been an officer in the British army, had fought, in 1824, a duel, in the parish of Blessington, county of Wicklow, with one William Wallace, and had killed his antagonist under circumstances which induced him to fly his country. During several years he led a roving life, and at last settled in this quiet town of Arnheim, entering him- self in the town registry as Henry Charles Somerset Lee. Here he lived quietly for many years, seldom visiting, seldom visited by his neighbours. His next door neighbour, Captain Van Dongen Fran'cke, had at first been on terms of friendliness with-him; but owing to a misunderstanding, arising in a great measure from idle gossiping, a sort of cat-and-dog feeling had gradu- ally arisen between them. Francke and his wife were, it would seem, aware of the irritable temperament of their neighbour, and taxed their inventive faculties in finding out means of annoying him. This effort was not unretaliated by Hornidge. When the one wanted to take his nap the other would knock at the partition wall or work at a pump, so as to shake the very bouse in which he lived. When people study to be dis- agreeable there is no limit to the means they can employ, and these two neighbours seem to have availed themselves of every opportunity to annoy and exasperate each other. At length, on the 20th day of last July, Francke, it seems, irritated at the abuse Hornidge had lavished upon him a short time before, disturbed his neighbour in such a way as made his blood boil with fury. Arming himself with deadly weapons, he went into his garden, and, forcing his way into that of his neighbour, whom he found near the pump, he inflicted upon him such severe wounds as in a short time after caused his death. The prisoner pleaded in extenuation of his crime that his passion had overpowered him-that he had been so exas- perated by the petty annoyances inflicted on him, more especially by the wife of the murdered man, that he had lost all control over himself. Sentence deferred. Throughout the trial the court was crowded; while the aged prisoner seemed bowed down with a grief which won for him the commiseration even of those who felt most strongly the condemnatory character of the evidence elicited by the prosecution. The opinion generally entertained is that the evidence is not of a character that will permit the court to be influenced by the counsel for the defence, and that sentence of death will accordingly be recorded. The King, how- ever, almost invariably remits the extreme sentence into imprisonment for life. A few years ago, too, an aged Dutch officer was convicted of poisoning his mistress, but his sentence was remitted into a life- long imprisonment, and therefore it is not probable that a petition to his Majesty in this case will be made in vain.

THE CONDEMNED MURDERER, TOWNLEY. After sentence of death had been passed upon Townley, on Saturday, he was removed to a private room in the County Hall, where he made a hearty dinner immediately afterwards. Townley's mother and aunt were in the sheriffs' gallery during the trial; but when Mr. Baron Martin was bringing his summing up to a close, Mr. Bourner, the acting under-sheriff's clerk, made a communication to them, and they im- mediately withdrew, proceeding to the County Hotel, close by. On the intelligence being broken to Mrs. Townley she was completely prostrated, and Mr. Gis- borne was called in to attend her. The condemned criminal was got away from the court by a rnse on the part of the governor, and his departure was not witnessed by the dense mob who had congregated outside the court. On arriving at the gaol his clothes were taken from him and the prison dress substituted, and he was conveyed to the condemned cell, where two turnkeys remain with him day and night. His condemnation has not made the slightest alteration in his demeanour. He partakes of his meals heartily, sleeps well, and repeatedly asserts that he was per- fectly justified in taking away his victim's life, and that he feels no remorse for the deed. It is under- stood that his friends are actively engaged in getting up memorials to the Home Secretary, not only from Derby, but also from Manchester. Of course the royal clemency is asked for cn the ground of insanity, and it is stated that the memorial will be infiuentially supported by medical men and the general public. The high-sheriff has fixed the execution to take place at noon on Friday, the 1st day of January (New Year's Day), the interval between the sentence and execution being rather more protracted than is usually the case.