The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

THE NEWS BUDGET. Importing German Girls to England.- The emigration officers at Rotterdam have recently given information to the Prussian Consul in that city, that from time to time small troops of German girls, of between the ages of fifteen and twenty, have come to Rotterdam from Germany, unaccompanied by either parents or any members of their families, but accom- panied by a woman named Brehm, whose husband keeps a public-house of bad repute in Rotterdam. The girls were usually shipped to England on the fol- lowing day by the woman Brehm, who always crossed the Channel with them. The Prussian Consul com- municated with the Government at Berlin, and already the necessary measures have been taken with the Dutch authorities. Mr. Bass's Music Act at Fault.—A determined looking, strongly-built Italian, who gave the name of John Kerridge, aged 33, described on the charge-sheet as an "organ-grinder," residing at No. 3, Great Saffron-hill, was charged at the Clerkenwell police- court with wilfully playing an organ to the annoyance and danger of a sick person at No. 11, Albert-street, Islington, after being requested to desist. He was also charged with using threatening language, and at- tempting to strike Mr. Charles Colvill—a builder, of No. 32, Brydges-street, Covent-garden, the person charging-with a stick at the same time and place. The magistrate having ascertained that Mr. Colvill was the complainant, and that he was not the agent or the occu- pier of the house, No. 11, Albert-street, Islington, dis- charged the defendant, at the same time telling the complainant that he did not come within any of the sections of the act (i)f parliament. Singular Application for a Licence. — At the annual Brewster sessions, held at Altrincham, an application was submitted to the justices on behalf of Mr. Irving Hill, for a licence to sell spirits in bottles for consumption off the premises of less size than the reputed quart bottle, as defined by the act 24 and 25 Vict., cap. 21. The application was made by Mr. Nichols, and opposed by Mr. Marriott, solicitor, Man- chester. The point of law involved in the discussion was one of general interest to the trade, and the court was crowded. The Secretary for the Manchester and Salford Licensed Victuallers' Association was in at- tendance to watch the proceedings.—Mr. Marriott con- tended that the 9th Geo. IV., cap. 61 (the Licensing Act) vested the magistrates with discretionary power only to grant or refuse a licence to an inn, alehouse, or victualling house; and where provision was made for travellers, a licence therefor on conditions at variance with law the magistrates had hot power to grant. It was also stated that other applications of like kind would depend upon the justices in the present case. The result was a matter of importance affecting the trade, and of the legal powers of the magistrates. The licence was refused. Housebreakers detected by a Parrot.-At the Birmingham Public Office, two young men named Henry Hill and Henry Brockington were brought up on remand, charged with breaking into the dwelling- house of William Freeman, a coal dealer in Summer- lane. The case was a singular one, inasmuch as the first intimation of the robbery was given by a parrot, 1, a pet bird left in the house, whose loquacity described one of the thieves and led to his apprehension. P appeared that Mrs. Freeman left home to pun ha«e some meat for dinner, and on her return she found, the door locked and everything apparently safe as; when she left. A parrot, which was in a cage in the house, no sooner saw Mrs. Freeman enter, than the bird, in apparent alarm, screamed out, "Oh, missus, you shouldn't have left the house; Brock has been with another rogue and stolen all the money." The name "Brock" is commonly used as an abridgment of Brockington, and that individual was not unknown to the bird from his former visits to the house, and indeed the prisoner Brockington had already suffered three years' penal servitude for a robbery on Free- man's promises. Of course the woman, on missing a silver watch and 10s. from a cabinet in the house, gave information to the police, and Brookington and Hill were apprehended at a public-house, when 10s. in silver (part of which coin was identified by Mrs. Freeman) was found in Hill's possession. Evidence was given to show that both prisoners were seen near the house on the morning of the robbery, and although the sagacious parrot was not called as a witness, the bench thought the evidence sufficiently conclusive to warrant them in sending the prisoners for trial at the sessions. A Strike amongst the Colliers.—Eighteen thousand miners are now on strike in the mining dis- tricts of Staffordshire, and that number is rapidly. increasing. A procession of about 1,069 colliers started.! from Tipton on Thursday morning, as early as four I o'clock. The procession was preceded by bands of music, and MÇKnight (deputy chief constable) was in;, attendance with a body of ninety armed policemen. > At Princes' End the procession was joined by another, t and an aggregate meeting was held. The strike was discussed, and .resolutions were carried not to go I at the reduction. After the meeting was over, two processions were formed, Major M'Knight going before the larger in number, and Superintendent M'Cree before the smaller. Everything passed off quietly, and there was no attempt at violence on the part of the men. MajorM'Knight, the deputy chief constable of the county, acting for Colonel Hogg, the chief con- stable, issued on Thursday night a notice to the effect that—Whereas large numbers of persons had met together at an eaiiy hour in the morning, in the neighbourhood of the several collieries when the men were proceeding to tiheir work, aRd. had thereby ille- gally interfered with such men, notice was given that such meetings were illegal, and that the police had orders to summon and bring before the magistrates all persons who, by means of such meetings, molested, or in any way obstructed, such men. Bad News for the Whalers.—The steamship Polynia, Captain Gravill, has arrived at Dundee from the whale fishing. This vessel comes home clean, after an absence of about five months. -She reached "the fishing ground in May, and continued to shift from one place to another up till two or three weeks ago, when she cleared the ice. During the whole time one whale was only sighted, and some very bad weather Was. experienced. Captain Gravill reports h aving seen the Active, of Peterhead, which had no whales, but rtheoil of 657 seals. The Sir Colin Campbell, of Feter- lead, was also spoken by the Polynia, and had at the time one whale and about 360 seals, which would yield about fifteen or twenty tons of oil.' The crew of the Bolynia caught twenty-two brown bears, some of them of considerable size. Two have been brought home alive, and the ,others have been preserved for their hides. Captain Gravill states that he scarcely ever saw worse weather, and never during the many years he has gone to the whale fishing did he move about so mush and meet with so little success. Attempted Suicide by a Monomaniac. William Chapman, a saiior, who appeared in a very excited and restless condition, was charged, at the Thames Police-court, with attempting to drown him- self in the London Dock.—Mr. John Harley, tofoac-j conist, of High-street, Shad well, said that, at nine o'clock on Friday morning he saw the prisoner de- j liberately jump into the water. He gave an alarm, and men put off in boats, and with grapnels and drags took the poor fellow out of the water. The prisoner appeared to be nearly gone when he was recovered from the water, and if great attention had not been paid to him he would have perished.M.r. Paget asked the prisoner what he had to say. Prisoner: The Lord ordered me to do it.—Mr. Paget; The Lord ordered you to do it? When? He order you to do this ? Prisoner Yes, sir; about nine o'clock in the morning, in the London Dock, while I was standing by the side of the water.'—Mr. Paget: Did you see the Lord ?■—Prisoner Yes, your worship, and He told me to go into the water. He was standing at the dock. He said that He had a commission for me.—Mr. Paget: How long have you had that commission ?—Prisoner: Since Saturday night last.—Mr. Paget was of opinion the prisoner was suffering from an attack of delirium tremens.-A gentleman connected with the ship to which the prisoner belongs said there was no doubt the prisoner was labouring under delirium tremens. The prisoner was drunk for many days in succession, and left off drinking suddenly on Saturday night last. -The prisoner here interposed and said: I know what you are talking about. You think I am mad, but I am not. I had a call from God. I must obey commands there.-Mr. Paget remanded the prisoner to the Clerkenwell House. of Detention, and directed that an inquiry should be made into the state of his tnind.-Th.e prisoner, as he was leaving the dock, said, You had better mind what yon are about, or you will be brought up for judgment." Throwing Vitriol over a Person. -John Johnson, an in-pensioner cf Greenwich Hospital, wag charged at the Greenwich Police-station with throwing a quantity of vitriol over Margaret Bayley, of 28, Trafalgar-grove, Greenwich. It appeared from the evidence of the complainant that some five or six weeks since the prisoner's wife quarrelled with her upon some trifling matter, but this had passed away without further notice. On Wednesday evening last, on returning home from an errand, a young woman called upon her and sai.4 that a person wished to see her at the Man-in-the-Moon public-house, in the neigh- bourhood. She went there, but had no sooner entered the door than she was struck in the face by the young woman who had called upon her, and also by another female. The prisoner, who was sitting behind the door, then raised his arm, and threw something at her, and on attempting to leave the house he again threw something at her, at the same time calling to the women present "to give it to the as he had got money, and could afford to pay for it." On re- turning home she found her dress burnt through, and she had since taken it to a chemist, who said it was caused by oil of vitriol. The gown was here produced, the front of which, near the neck, was burnt through very considerably, as well as various other portions. Police-constable Robinson, 215 R, one of the warrant officers of the court, said he apprehended the prisoner, and on telling him the charge, he asked how the com- plainant knew it was he who threw the vitriol. Wit- ness told him she had seen him do it, and the prisoner replied, "She will have to prove it before the magis- trate." The prisoner, in his defence, said he was drunk, and recollected nothing of the affair. He was willing to make the complainant any compensation she chose to name. Mr. Traill said an abominable assault had been committed, and had the liquid been thrown a few inches higher complainant must have been de- prived of her eyesight. The prisoner was then com- mitted for trial. A New Way to Get Rid of a Siva).—An officier-de-sante, named Allezard, was last week tried bytheConrtof Assizes of the Haute-Loire on a charge of attempting to murder a young man named Bonfils, residing at A uzon; Allezard's servant, a young woman named Mestre, was also charged as an accessory before the fact. It appeared from the indictment that the female prisoner entered Allezard's service in the sum- mer of 1863, and that an improper connection was soon established between them. Among the persons who visited Allezard was a young man named BODfils, whom the former soon begun to suspect of an amour with his servant, and to prevent aaay communication between them he locked the girl in her chamber evory, night, and sealed a sts-ip of paper on her window, so that it could not be opened without his knowledge. These precautions, however, did not satisfy his jealousy. I Under the pretext that robbers were always prowling, about his premises during the night, he begged his neighbours to assist him in watching, which they'did for several nights without making any discovery. Having thus paved the way for his design he advised his servant to give Bonfils a rendezvous in his stable &t eleven o'clock 'that night, under the pretence that "she had something important to communicate. Bonfils 'went at the hour appointed, and was just entering the stable, when Allezard, who was watching at the window, fired at him twice and wounded him severely in the leg and thigh. The wounded man's cries soon brought the neighbours to his a.id, and he-explained that he had gone there to meet Allezard's -servant by her own appointment. She and her master were accordingly arrested. The girl at once confessed that she had made an appointment to meet Bonfils, but that her master had that night locked her up as usual. She protested that she had no suspieieaof what hersmaster intended to do. The evidence having clearly proved that the whole thing was a plot devised by AJlezard to get rid of his supposed rival, the jury found him guilty of wilfullyirrotinding, and the court sentenced him to four years' imprisonment. The female was ac- quitted. Advantage -of the new Folice Uniform!- James Connor, s. great stalwaHr'Mlow, described as a eostermoncrer, was charged before Mr. Vaughan, at Bow-street Police-court, on Thursday, with assaulting Police-constable James Boyee, 55 E, in Holbom. The assault took .place on Wednesday, but the prisoner was too drunk to admit of his being examined the same day before the magistrate, and the constable also was too much hurt by the peculiar nature of the assault t@ be in attendance. From the evidence of the officer it appeared that he was,on duty in ;Holborn, between ten and eleven o'clock on Wednesday morn- ing, when he saw the prisoner very drunk, creating a, J disturbance and annoying the passengers in SMolborn. Witness urged him to go home quietly, and'failing in this, threatened to take hirn into custody. The pri-; soner instantly seized the nonstable by the truncheon- :■ case which, in the new uniform, hangs invitingly from i- the belt behind, and swung the officer liter ally over his shoulders., carrying him some distance, amidst the derision and laughter of the mob, with ibis feet; suspended in the air. Eventually the case became unbuttoned, and the staff fell out, and the eoastable, who said he thought he should have been killed, was released from his perilous and ridiculous position. Guoh, however^ was the strength and violence of the risoner that it took five policemen to convey him to the station. The prisoner, in answer to the-charge, said that he was so drunk that he knew nothing at all about it. Mr. Vaughan, after remarking that it was â very violent and cowardly assault on the constable, fiaed him 40s., and in default committed him for twenty-one days.. An Exciting Chase and Capture of a Sun Fish. {Titration Mola.)— A (large specimen of this exceedingly rare fish was recently captured off the Start Point, in the British Channel, by the crew of the yaeht-'Night Uhought, --3L D. Lee.IEsq. Attention was first drawn to a large dark object on the water. On a boat being sent it was soon discovered to be the back fin of a very large fish, apparently asleep. A chase,ef a very exciting nature oommenced, extending over an hour, the crew the meanwhile battling with harpoons, boat-hooke,.&c., the fish several times trying to upset them by getting his back under the boat. At length a line was thrown over its head, and the fieh, being weakened by the struggle, was towed alongside the yacht and hoisted on board and slaughtered. The yacht ilmt into Dartmouth, and the crew sold their prize to Mr. H. Humphreys, of that place, of whale notoriety. The fish ha-s been preserved by Sir. Henry Nioholls, of Kingsbridg-e, and is exhibited in that place:; from thence it will be taken to other-towns for; the same purpose. Yarreil, in Ms work on British; Fishes, states in reference to-these fish that "the largestfare about three owt. but this specimen weighs, six ewt. They are found occasionally in the tropical seas of large dimensions, but those found in the Channel -seldom if ever exceed from one to two ewt. The peculiarities in regard to these fish, are that they have no bones, hut the whole of the formation is of cartilage, which can easily be cut with a knife. The skin is cartilage .of about an inch and a half thick, under which there is no back bone or ribs. This speci- men is one of extraordinary dimensions, it being fire feet ten inches in length, and seven feet from the tip of the dorsal to the point of the anal fin, and weighs, t'J:; before stated, abomt six cwt. Post-office SaVin gs-b ar, ks„—A return made up to the end of March, 1864, shows that at that date! there were 372,955 accounts open at the Post-office: Savings-banks, and £ 4,<097,492 due to the depositors. This sum is aborat a tench of the deposits in the old; savings-banks, but in numbers the depositors in the Post-office banks are more than a fifth of the number who have accounts with the old banks, the average amount of the deposits in the Post-o&ee banks being less than half the average for the old banks, and not reaehing £11, even including the deposits of friendly and other societies. It seeaas, therefore, to be more especially the small savings-bank depositors who avail themselves of the Post-office banks. The chief business of these banks is in England. The deposits in Ireland are but £160,756, in Scotland < £ 10,7,931, in the Channel Islands £7,.598, in Wales < £ 121,029. In England there were in March last 327,346 depositors, and C3,700,176 due to them, and in November last England had 1,283,495 depositors in the old savings- banks, with < £ 34,516,325 due to them. The counties in which Post-office banks have the largest deposits are Middlesex with £741,383, and Warwickshire with £ 526,098. At Birmingham the deposits amount to £ 367,535. The expenses of the Post-office savings- banks for their two and a half years of existence (a large proportion of them, however, of much more recent establishment) appear from this return to be about £ 62,000, and the return shows a surplus of assets over liabilities, after paying interest and all expenses. Time will show whether there is as great ° liability as in the old savings-banks to losses by sale; of stock having to be made when the price is low, in order to meet an unusual number of withdrawals when money is in demand. There has been loss amounting to el,093 by defalcation of a postmaster at Beverley, but that sum will be reduced to the ex- t tent of the amount recovered from his sureties. It is i of interest to observe that although the deposits in the Post-office banks exceed 0£4,000,000, the deposits in the old savings-banks were, when the accounts were made up in November last, only about £600,000 less than at the time when the Post-office banks were started. Disgusting Cruelty to a Rabbit.—At the bordugh police-court, Barnstaple, last week, Edward Elliott, proprietor of a travelling show van, on ex- hibition in the square of the said borough, and a man of colour answering to the name of "Allah," were charged, the latter with cruelly torturing a rabbit, and the former with aiding and abetting in the same offence. Mr. E. T. Fernandez, who appeared on behalf of the Secretary to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, stated that in com- pany with Mr. Stone he visited the defendant's show, and in the course of the performance the negro de- fendant was introduced. A young rabbit was given him, and he immediately bit it behind the head, and began to suck the blood. He tore it to pieces and ate part of it. The ra,bbit was a tame one, about half- grown. Such performances in these days he thought should be punished with the utmost rigour of the law. Mr. Stone, of the Fortescue Hotel, corroborated the above. He should say a great amount of cruelty was exercised towards the animal before it was completely dead. The defendant Elliott said that he did not think there was any harm in what he had done, as the "nigger" fed chiefly on bullock's lights, and ate nothing but raw meat. The chairman, Mr. Cotton, inquired if he had not been turned out from Teign- mouth on account of the same performance? He replied that he had nat, but that another nigger who ate rats in a rival establishment (also in the square) had been (laughter). The chairman said the bench thought the black," who it was alleged did not understand English, was not in a position to answer for, himself, and they could therefore only impose a penalty on the proprietor, who was the cause of the exhibition. Fined £2 and -expenses. Instructions were given to Superintendent Blanchard to see that I the -exhibition left the town immediately. Death from Lock-jaw.—M. J. G, Richards, the deputy-coroner for Middlesex, has just held an inquest; at the Earl Vincent Tavern, Philpot-street, Stepney, respecting the death of Frederick Foay, aged two; z- years, who died under the followingcircumstances;- The deceased was the son of a brass finisher, residing at No. 3, New-street, Mile-end. On the morning of the 30th ult. deceased was crossing the road near the parent's house, and by seme means the wheel of Q, dray belonging to Messrs. Charrington and Co. the brewers of Jlile-end-road, passed over the deceased's ) right foot. The toes were severely'injured, but when the father carried deceased to the London Hospital the house surgeon 'dressed the injury, and told the father to bring him again on a certain day. The deceased remained an out-patient, and on Friday last, when he became worse, the house surgeon requested the father to leave the deceased in the hospital, but the latter said, "No, I -would rather my child should die at home." The deceased lingered until Monday j night, when he died. Dr. Llewellyn, of WMfceahapel- road, said that he was called on Saturday last and found deceased suffering freni tetanus or loek-jaw. The foot had sustained an injury, and the toes were contused. The deceased became worse, and fits supe-rvened, which produced death from tetanus. The.- driver was examined, and it was proved that he was' not driving improperly. No one saw the aeeident. • The jury returned a verdict to the effect "that the- deceased died from the mortal effects -of tefcanusr. brought on by being run over by a certain dray, but whether accidental or otherwise they had no evidence to prove." P. Prize Fight in Ireland.— A. letter from Bsblin says:—" The very limited portionof our 'public who have seen champion matches in England, without! acquiring any feelings of detestation for such exhibi- are OH. the qui vine:; when and where will Macs and Coburn meet on Irish-soil is the subject of much speculation among them. At the proper time, n-, doubt, the interesting information will be made known -OE. this side the channel.; but unless considerable caution is exercised, and it i0 only imparted to a select few, the fight will never take place in thi3 country. The constabulary, there is reason to believe, will strain., every nerve to prevent it. They have been so often rebuked of late, both by the press and the law judges, regarding their inefficiency in the detection of crime, that they are resolved to seise on this opportunity of proving 'that their organisation is not so generally: defective aa is alleged. The Engllsfc police are, -it Hiust be-confessed, not always successful in hindering e-neounters of the kind, and it would decidedly be; something- for their Hibernian, brethren to boast of if II they could defeat this attempt ta introduce themlaere, | and make their country the battle-ground of eachi international' contest in which one of the com- f featants, bsing an Irishman, believes he will not receive I. fair play-in England. Oar constabiilary force is feeing! stimulated to exert itself OH. this too., by a. pe-rtion of the press, which is already dilating upon the degrading character of prize fights. It remaias to' be seen wfcether the cunning of the ring will prove a match for the preparations and zeal of the constabu- r'lle Distress in "Wligan.—A .grant of is350 from theMansion-house Committee, and one of £ 700 from Manchester, have for the time relieved the Wigan committee from their embarrassments, but at "the present rate of expenditure, which they scarcely see the way to reduce, the committee will be £ 236 in debt before any further grants will be made. A meet- mg was recently held to consider the position ,of affairs, and proposals were made, the adoption of which it is believed would stili further reduce tiM ex- penditure. Several gentlemen, however, were averse to making any alteration in the scale of relief, in face of the fact -that the Manchester committee possessed £ 124f000, subscribed specially for the relief of factory operatives, who alone were on the books of the Wigan committee. As the committee were unable to under- stand on what principle the 'large grants were made to Ashton under-Lyne, it was resolved to ask the secretary to visit'that town, as well as one or two' others, to see what plans were there adopted to meet; the wants of the Manchester committee, and report the result to an-adjourned meeting. Seal-ded to Death in a Mash-tab.—James Heaton, landlord ef the Coach and Horses Inn, Church- lane, Oldham, has recently died from the effects of scalding. He arose at an early hour in the morning to brew, a.nd whilst emptying a quantity of malt into the mash-tub hefeli in, the liquid being then almost at the boiling point. The poor man succeeded in getting out of the vessel, and managed to crawl into the lobby of th hosse, where Ms groans awakened the inmates. He was found to be dreadfully sealded. Every assistance was rendered, but be died after linger- ing about sixteen hours in great agony. The deceased was thirty-five years of age, and only took the inn about two months since.. Drowned whilst Bathing. — A melancholy scene was presented at Rude, Cornwall, one day last week, in consequence of the deaths of Mr. John Prout, grocer, Sifton, Devon, Mr. Robert Prout, his son, and Mr. Loimdes, of Totnes, who were drowned while feathitig. Mr. Prout has been' blind for some years. Those three persons had entered the water, and were carried out of their depth by a ground swell., A gentlejnan, named Frost, made a very heroic! attempt, in which he nearly lost his life, to succour; the drowning men, but did not succeed in reaching them. The bodies drifted a quarter of a mile down the shore before they could be' recovered. Mr. German, surgeon, of Derby, who is staying at the Falcon Hotel, Bude, was veryjpromptly in attendance, and rendered every assistance medical aid could suggest, but without any beneficial results, life being too nearly extinct when the bodies were brought on shore. Four Persons Poisoned.—The family of John Varley, a dock labourer, residing at 11, Truman's-build- ings, Gravel-lane, consisting of himself, his wife, and two children, were attacked with most alarming symptoms of poisoning, from having consumed a quantity of mussels for their suppers. Surgical assistance was promptly obtained, the stomach pump was applied,'and antidotes administered, but they all remain in a dangerous state. It appears that Varley obtained the mussels from off a ship's bottom in one of the docks. Fatal Effects of Stone-Throwing.—A boy named Thomas Mills, aged eleven years, has been killed under the following circumstances :—The poor child was the son of a blacksmith, residing at North Woolwich, and was riding a horse along the North Woolwich-road, when a boy threw a stone at him. The stone struck the horse, which reared up and threw the deceased into the roadway on his head. He was picked up insensible, and found to be dread- fully injured. He was immediately conveyed to the hospital at Poplar, where he died from the serious injuries which he had received. The police are mak- ing inquiries to discover, the boy whose recklessness led to the sacrifice of the deceased's life.

EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE AGAINST A GENTLEMAN OF LOCKING UP HIS WIFE. At the .Lambeth Police-sourt, on Thursday, Mr. Edward Hammond, a gentleman residing at Laurel- house, Peckham, was charged with locking up and keeping in close confinement his wife, Bosalind Ham- mond, without just cause, such confinement being very detrimental to her health. Mrs. Rosalind Hammond, a wretched, dejected, but, an intellectural-looking woman, and who gave her evidence with perfect composure, was sworn, and ex- amined by Mr. Besley, of the Home Circuit. Her evi- dence was to the effect that she had been locked up alto- gether for about two years, that when she remonstrated with her husband, he laid the blame upon two female servants who lived with them, and that on one occasion, viz., at Christmas, 1832, he had severely beaten her with his fists. Mr. Bealey With his closed fist ? Witness: Yes. The women urged him 011; they saw he was under the influence of beer. Mr. Besley Were the women present ? Witness: Yes. The women were present, and urging him on to do it. Not Alien, but the other woman. Mr. Besley: Is that woman's name Emily. White- man ? Witness: Yes, Emily Whiteman. She was present, and urged him on, and told him to do Mr. Norton: Have you had any quarrel with them •?, Witness: We have had many quarrels, but not without reason. 4 Mr. Besley: Before you were taken up, had you been down to Eniily Whitemali's family ? Witness Yes. Mr. Besley: DM you tell your husband what you went to see her parents about ? Witness Yes, About her adultery. ?.;Ir. Besley-. With whom ? Witness; With him,.my husband. Mr. Besley: Did you tell your husband you had been to see Emily Whiteman's parents about his adul- tery with their daughter ? Witness Yes. Mr. Besley Was that before you were looked up ? Witness.: That was the reason I was shut üp, out of revenge. I Mr. Besley: When your husband struck you in 1862, did you suffer much from his violence ?. Witness: Yes. I suffered a. good deal-about the temple. It is a dangerous part to strike. I protected myself as much as I could with my hands against his violence. Mr. Besley: Were you subjected to violence at the hands of. other persons in his presence P Witness Never in his presence, but I have been severely knocked about the head by these two women, which I believe was unknown to him. I Mr. Norton:: How recently have you been struck by either of these two women ? I Witness I cannot count the times; they have been so often.. Mr. Norton Are you fearful of seeing the woman of whom you have been speaking as one of the persons who had assaulted you ? Witness:: Oh, no. Mr. Nerfcon: Then let Allen be brought in and placed alongside Mr. Hammond, as she is implicated ..1 in the charge. in answer to the further questions of the learned counsel the witness said "that she had had two children, one of whom was still living, and whom she had occa- sionally seen from her window, and the other only survived its birth a few hours. On the last occasion she wa,s attended by Dr. Nine, but he had not arrived until after its birth. He continued to attend her for a month, and from that time, January last, she had not seener.been visited by any medical man. Mr. Besley here remarked that Mrs. Hammond was taken away from the wretched apartment in which she had been shut up with scarcely deeent clothing on her, and but for a shawl which she had round bar, and a cloak and bonnet that had been lent to her,-she could not be removed. She was destitute of proper under clothing, and he (Mr. Besley) wished his worship would call on her to throw off her shawl in order that he might -see the forlorn condition in which a lady of the highest respectability, and who had bioujjht her husband £ 600 a year, was at present placed. The unfortunate lady here divested herself of the borrowed-cloak and shawl, and presented such an ap- pearanee- ef utter wretchedness as caused a universal thrill of horror to pervade the court; and perhaps such a squalid, miserable-looking being never came before a magistrate to demand justice. The defendant said he was unprepared with legal assistance, and time was given to him for that pur- pose. In the meantime he was ordered to put in bail, himself in i £ 200, and two sureties of < £ 50 each, to appear, and his own bail was taken for his servant Allen to be present also on a future day. On Friday evening, after the business had been dis- posed of by the Hon. G. C. Norton at Lambeth police court, Mr. Edward Hammond and Silrah Allen, his servant, having surrendered to their recognisances, the further proceedings were gone into. On the case being called, the unfortunate lady on entering the court pre- sented so marked an improvement in her health and 'general appearance, as to call forth a remark not only from Mr. Norton but all who were present. Mr. Edward T.E. Besley appeared as before for the prose- cution, and Mr. Neale for the defence. Mr. Besley, an addressing the magistrate, said—Sir, at the end of the examination of the unfortunate lady yesterdav, who was for a considerable time under ex- amination, one-or two questions arose, and a different issue had been raised on -the part of the husband. Mr. Hammond, that the lady was of unsound mind. I bes^ however, to call-to the recollection -of your warship t* opinion you were pleased to express of her close reason- ilig-the unimpaired memory and the lucid detail in which the lady gave a narrative of the wrongs she &ad sustained. It was truly surprising that a lady after being for two years secluded from society, and 'for months confined in one room, should have had the strength to be able to go through so protracted an ex- a-mination, and so ciezrlv to detail everything that had happened. Her sanity, however, having been brought in question, I felt it was my duty, as the adviser of those who have instituted these proceedings, to request that they would allow a medical gentleman to see Mrs. Hammond, in order that he mig'ht professionally give evidence as to the state of body, and the physical and mental powers of the lady who is here making such a very serious complaint. It appeared to me tha/u such a charge having been brought by Mr. Hammond as regards the state of his wife'g mind, it was our bounden duty to produce before you medical testimony. Dr. Sewell, now present, has h.d a long interview with Mrs. Hammond, and I will at once place him in the box in order that you may hear his opinion of the soundness of the unfortunate lady's intellect. Dr. Charles Brodie Sewell, of 76, Guildford-street, Russell-square, here entered the witness-bsx, and was sworn, and described himself as a member of the College of Surgeons, a Doctor of Medicine in the University of London, and had been in pra-ct-ice since 1841, and since that time had been in the daily habit of attending patients. He then described the emaciated condition of Mrs. Hammond. Mr. Besley Now, as to her mental power. Did you can verse with her for a length of time ? U Witness: Yes. I conversed with her during' the whole time of my being there. Mr. Besley: With the view of testing her mental powers ? Witness: Yes. Mr. Norton: Will you be kind enough to give us the result ? Witness: The result was that I could detect no indication whatever of any want of mental power. Her answers were rational, coherent; and nothing indicative of loss of memory or mind presented itself. Mr. Norton: Of what order do von consider her intellectual faculties to be, so far as you have had an opportunity of judging? Witness: I should say she has intellect of a very high order. Mr. Besley: Would such treatment "as has been proved before the magistrate, confining her against her will in a single room for two whole years, without permitting her to take air and exercise, be likely to injure her health and produce her present wretched l appearance? Witness Yes; such a state of things would injure anybody. Mr. Neale declined to put any questions in cross- examination to the witness. Mr. Besley applied for a summons against Emily Wakeman for the assault on Mrs. Hammond, and the ease was adjourned to next week, Mr. Hammond and hig servant being admitted to bail in the interim.

AN IMPORTANT DECISION UNDER TEE STAMP ACT. In a case which came before the London Sheriffs' Court it appeared that a defendant did not dispute the debt, which amounted to a few shillings, but in order to save trouble in proving the debt a document had been signed, which was prodused to the judge.. His Honour, upon reading the acknowledgment, said that it proved too much for the plaintiff's case. It saiii, I promise to pay, by a certain day, so much money." Clearly that was a promissory note, and re- quired a stamp. If it had been a mere IOU the case would have been different. Plaintiff's Agent, who was considerably surprised, said it was an agreement to pay a debt that had never been disputed. His Honour It is more than an agreement; it is it promissory note. Plaintiff's Agent: I thought that under <, note did not require a, stamp. His Honour: That would be in a case ol c;. goods. This is a promise "to pay money. ",Mr. Osgood (the registrar) and Mr. Aikni high bailiff) agreed with his honour as to the docu- ment requiring a sixpenny stamp. His Honour nonsuited the plaintiff, telling that he might perhaps have proved his case w i the document, but as he, had produced it the Lv ji. was compelled to take cognisance of it. This decision appears to be of considerable im- portance in the City, as many persons take acknow- ledgments of this kind, either, in the shape of I 0 U or promises to pay, in order to save their debtors trouble of attending at the court upon the day v hearing.

SEVEN 10U8FS DESTROYED B7 FIRE. A devastating fire has occurred at Tliaxted. fl s '1 town in Essex., .It appears,that George Sargent, a journeyman glazier, living in a cottage on the TC side of Mill-end, was out at work, and his wife, berrra' absent in the gleaning field, had left three children-as home, the eldest -only six and a half years old. Ohe of them, in playing with some lucifer matches, set fire to some wood andt.atra.win an outboiktiiig, and it is believed that the sides of the house were'smoulderir-g some time before it was discovered externally. Soon. however, it blazed out, and, from the dry sta,t^vojt? every material, burnt like paper; missing, in the first instance, some other cottages, it ran to the back of the thatched roof of one held by James Ramsay,, a shoemaker, who was quietly working at his business until told by his neighbours that his house was on fire. It then came to the two previously misseftf dwellings, occupied by Hutt, Turner, and Salmonf and quickly leaped over the street to a double' tenement occupied by Mr. Edmund Franklin aajfil' Arthur Perry, the. Sun Inn being only sa,ved. ljIiy; pulling down pa.rt of the stables to cut off the cbffi- munication. The fire continued to rage on both sides of the road, and took the residence of Miss Fa.r. row, Mr. Nathan Tyler, baker, and would have ex- tended to that of Mr. Joshua Willis had it not been pulled down to stop any farther spread in that direc- tion. In the meantime it had continued its cou"=3 eastwardly into Orange-street, and there consumed, r or much injured, the cottages occupied by Greenwood, Heard, Phillips, and tha Widow Wyatt, besides nume- rous outbuildings, which, as they were genera1t1.. thatched, received ignition like touch-psper. The fire first began a little before three o'clock in the afternoon, and in the short space of about Sve boar" fifteen houses were burnt down, two pulled down, and; others much injured;, a barn and stable of Mr. Nath_ h', Tyler's totally destroyed; the Sun stables much' iii-; jured, and the Star slightly so. Mr. Nathan Tyler's ten cottages, and his own dwelling and shop, I •" were insured in the County Fire Office Mr. Perry V' three houses and outbuildings in the Norwich; one belonging to Mr. Ramsay in the Royal Exchange; and two, the property of Hunt's trustees, also' in the Royal Exchange the estimated damage being alto- gether from .£2,000 to < £ 3,000.

The Corn Trade MARK-LANE, SEPT. 19.—There being a plentiful supply oi new English Wheat at this day's market, and with only a moderate demand, the currency again gave way, white sellmg at 40s to 46s, and red at 39s to 42s per crart^" a clearance not being made at the close of business, although quality and condition was generally "^ood' More foreign on offer than required, and a slio-ht fall in the value, business having been transacted"^ 38s to 48s. American met a dull sale, at 39s to 44s-the tendency being downwards; and several parcels were offered for sale. Town-made Flour still < brinsrn 33s to 40s per sack, but other sorts rather cheaper cOuntry-made selling at 27s to 29s; French, 31s to 32s; and American, at 19s to 2is per barrel. Thes- is a good demand for. barley: for grinding mid distilling at 26s to 30s per quarter with a firm market, but V malting dealt in with caution, and easily to be bought at S1 a to S7s.— A large trade in Malt, pale realising 60s to°66s av-1 brown, 50s to 56s.—Although Oats in plentiful supply generally steady in value, there being a large demand Ensb and Irish potato realised 21s 6i to 24s 6d; feed ana bb^- 18s to ^2s; Scotch, 20s to 23s Gd and Foreign 18s to 2r>- — Beans in short supply, and wanted: large English 35stc S1fe> s/s to 40s small, 41s to 45s; and Effyrtiam cos ino 3os.—A fair demand existed for Peas; rates ruling stiff, supply being- light: white and maj>le brought 33s t" 40s, and grey, 34s to 37s.—A slow trade for Maize at 28s to 30s.—Linseed has fallen in value, but many transactiSns Odessa at 62s to 6.3s; and East India, 60s to 67s.—There is less demand for Linseed Cakes town made offering at £ 10 15s to £ 11 i>er ton; New York, £ 11 to £ 11 10s western £10 10s to £ 10 12s 6d; and Marseilles, £ 10.—The value ol Rapeseed Cakes is zC5 10s to R6 5s per ton. LIVERPOOL, SEPT. 20.—Moderate attendance at market Wheat rather better demand, and prices in favour* of buyers. Flour rather easier. Indian corn dull. BELns steady. Oats and oatmeal unchanged. COTTON, LIVERPOOL, SEPT. 21.—Market remain Ull;

Cattle Market. METKOPOLITAN, SEPT. 19.There are a, few more beasts than on Monday last. The trade is brisk, and lata prices are fully maintained. The number of sheep is about the same as last week. The demand is good, and prices have advanced quite 2d per 81bs. Choicest calves are also rather dearer. From Germany and Holland there are 3 190 beasts, 7,830 sheep,,390 calves, and 200 pigs. ScotIand'~54 beasts; Ireland, 480; and 2,610 from the Northern and Mid- land Counties. Per stone of 8Ibs, B. d. e. d. Per stone of SIbs. s. d. s. él. Best Scots, Hfds. 5 2 5 4 Best Long-wools 5 2 5 3 Best Short-horns 4 10 5 2 Do. do. shorn 0 0 0 c 2nd. qual. beasts 3 4 4 0 Ewes & 2d. qua], 4 8 5 0 Calves$5 4 Do. do. shorn* 0 0 0 Pigs 4 5 0 Lambs 5 0 f- 0 Pigs 4 5 0 Lambs. 5 0 r. BestDns&J-bdss. 5 6 5 8 Beasts at-markftt. GfGSO; Sheep and Lambs Calves ■405 j Pigs, 630.

altered; sales probably about 5,000 or 6,090 bales. TALLOW, SEPT. 21. The market is quiet. Prices are quoted as follows xown t&Ilow, 40s pGtsrsburfir ~Y C on the spot, 41s 9d to 41s 6d; Octobe? to Decern"?, 42s 6d° December, ^os 3d; January to March, 44s 3d; March 44s 9d. HOP, BOROUGH, SEPT. 21.—Messrs. Pattenden and Smith report an active. demand for the new growths, at firm prices. F HAY, SsriTHFiELD MARKET, SEPT. 20.-Messrs" Harvey and Easton report trade slow at last day's prices. Prime mea- dow hay, 80s to 110s clover, old, 100s to 130s; second cut 95s to 120s; straw, 27s tc 32s. FRUIT AND VEGETABLES, CovEST-flAnnEir.—Sri> plies of most things are on the increase, especially those of grapes and melons. Apples, plums, and peaches are'abo abundant, and there is a fair supply of William's Bon Chretien pear, a fine kind at this season. Kent filberts fetch from 45s to 60s per lOOlbs. New walnuts promise to be plentiful. For Potatoes there is a heavy sale, and prices for them have a, downward tendency. Flowers chiefly consist of orchids, heaths, asters, mignonette, and roses.