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The London Inquest.
The London Inquest. The inquiry touching the death of James Eaves and Elizabeth Wright, who expired at Guy's Hospital from injuries sustained by this fearful catastrophe, and a man named Morandi, who was killedby a tram 6n the following evening, was opened vF" noon at Guy's Hospital, before Mr. W. Payne, the coroner for the City of London and borough of South- watk. W^Ehe evidence given was similar -to^that on the pre-1 vious inquest at Belvedere.; an^ the.jury, a^ter a, brief- consultation, returned the following verdict"That the persons named in the summons met their deaths from accident, caused by the explosion of gunpowder, bat how it originated there is no evidence before the jury to show. They think that the practice of allowing stoves or lights of any description on board the powder barges should be discontinued." The iii quest on the body of Angelo Morandi, who was killed by a train at Erith station on Sunday even- ing. was then proceeded with. Edward Farnage, a porter, deposed—I was on the up platform at Erith Station at about half-past eight o'clock. There were a great number of persons wait- in» for the trains. I endeavoured to keep them back as^well as I could. There was an up train approaching very slowly. When it reached the platform there were a large number of persons endeavouring to gain the doors. I saw the deceased take hold of the door, which opened and threw him down. I lost sight oi him then. He was afterwards picked up underneath the carriages. Some other evidence having been given, Mr. Sidney Turner deposed that the deceased was brought into the hospital at half-past twelve on Sun- day night. He had a fracture of the thigh, and the lower portion of his legs were crushed. I told him that amputation was the only chance of saving him, and he said he would sooner die at once. He said that he was pushed under the carriage, and that the wheel went over his legs whilst he was lying between the rails. The Jury immediately returned a verdict of Acci- dental Death.
ENGLISH VOLUNTEERS AT THE…
ENGLISH VOLUNTEERS AT THE FIELD OF WATERLOO. he correspondent of the Morning Post, writing from Brussels, describes a visit which had just been paid to the field of Waterloo by the English volunteers who have attended the recent rifle contest at Brussels. About half-past nine, he says, one of the four-horse coaches, so well known to all visitors to the Belgian capital, left the Palais Royal laden inside and out with men wearing almost every variety of uniform known in the volunteer service. Other coaches and carriages followed, containing volunteers amongst their passen- gers; so that during the morning the inhabitants- residing in the villages leading to the field found but little leisure to attend to their ordinary occupations, so entirely was their attention taken up with watching the various vehicles as they passed along. The children who beg so assiduously of all that pass that way reaped a rich harvest, and, with their parents, will in all probability long remember the day. A halt wasgof course made at the village of Waterloo for the purpose of inspecting the beautiful church and the monuments erected therein in commemoration of many officers and men who fell in the battle. Here, again, the hospitality of the Belgian officials was displayed, for, to the astonishment of all, the custodian of the church absolutely refused to accept from the volunteers the fee of half a franc which visitors are required to pay, stating that he had received positive instructions from-Brussels to that effect. It was the same at the mound on the field, surmounted by the lion, and at the ruins of Hougomont, for at neither of these places would the persons in charge receive any gratuity whatever. Sergeant Munday, of the 7th Hussars, who took part in the battle, and who now serves ag guide, fought the battle over again with more then his wonted animation, evidently inspired by the unusual character of the audience whom he addressed. His eye fell with delight on the brilliant scarlet uniform worn by a member of the Hon. Artillery Company, sad he averred that this was the first occasion on which a red coat had been seen on the field since the immediate epoch of the battle. Of course every volunteer took back a relic of some kind, the fancy principally falling upon walking sticks, many of which were bought from the peasantry, but others were cut from the hedges around Hougomont to make sure of their authenticity, notwithstanding that a heavy fine was supposed to be incurred. The girls who sell fruit to the visitors seemed to have provided an u-nusual quantity of genuine relics, such as badges, buttons, and masket balls, but the volun- teers were to wise too be thus deluded, knowing that at Liege a large quantity of these articles is yearly pro- duced for sale on the field. The knowledge of military weapons possessed by some of the men enabled them also to detect the spurious relics for sale by the good old lady who vends schiedam and brandy at Hougo- mont, for amongst the many memorials of the memorable battle to which she was anxious to draw attention, and which she was also anxious to dispose of, were rusty percussion locks and bayonets with locking rings, such as were only introduced some ten years since. The wall around the homestead, dilapi- dated as it is from the combined effects of the French attack, time, and the relic-procuring tendencies of all who make a pilgrimage to the place famed for the gallant stand by the British, suffered from the effects of the visit, for many a piece of mouldering brick was carried off as a cherished memento and it is probable that there would have been a great demand for lead pencil, with which to add to the thousands of names and addresses inscribed on the walls of the little chapel, had not the venerable old sergeant informed the volunteers that posterity would know but little of their visit, as the walls are regularly whitewashed over every two or three years when there is no more room for autographs. Mr. Jones, an English gentle- man, who rents the shooting about the farm, also kindly welcomed the volunteers, and offered to share with them the noon-day repast which he was making- after his return from "la chasse." Sinking of the Earth in Norfolk.—A cor- respondent, writing from LoDgham, Norfolk, says:- On Thursday last a singular phenomenon took place in a field on the farm of Mr. Hastings, of Longham, on the estate of the Earl of Leicester. Suddenly, and without visible warning—for Mr. Hastings had driven over the spot twenty minutes before the ground gave way, and there appeared a chasm of thirty feet in diameter, and of more than seventeen in depth. Mr. Hastings may be said to have had a narrow escape, for if the surface had sunk, as it might well have done, beneath the concussion of his gig, he must have been buried alive. At first there were no signs of danger to the adjoining surface, but as crowds of country people have flocked to the spot, thinking that they were visit- ing the scene of an earthquake, the land, under this unusual pressure, seems likely to give way in other places. Cracks are plainly to be seen for a radius of fifty yards in every direction. From the immediate appearance of water, it is supposed that the ground has been undermined by a subterranean stream but the science at command in a country place can do no more than guess at the cause of the phenomenon. One side of tho chasm now looks as if it were the opening of a cave, the earth above which is a mere crust. There-is a sensible depression of a foot or two over quite anc acre of grouad. Perhaps the cause is to be sought in the extraordinary dryness of the land, the like of which Mr.. Hastings cannot remember dur- ing his of nalf.a centuryj' "1';
The Inquest.
The Inquest. Tho inquest was opened on Tuesday morning, at the Belvedere Hotel, about a mile and a. half from the I scene of the disaster, by Mr. Carttar, coroner for West Kent, and a jury of 17 of the most influential inhabitants of the district. The room in which the inquiry was held had almost every window smashed, and the weather being excessively stormy, the task of conducting the inquiry was by no means a plea,sant one. The inquest was held upon the dead bodies of three persons which lay comparatively entire on the around in the coach-house in the hotel yard. The remains of Mr. George Bayner, aged 40 years, the foreman to Messrs. Hall, lay on a mattress, covered up with his own coat. Next him lay those of Thomas Hubbard, aged 52, and John Yorke, a boy of only 13. Numbers of ghastly parcels were deposited on the floor of the outhouse, and their blood-stained appearance gave a sickening indisation of their contents. In them were collected different portions of human bodies, supposed to be the sole remains of the men Wrieht and Torke, who were known to have been" at work in the magazine at the time of the explosion. In addition to the men whose lives are thus known to be lost, we may state that, on board the barge Harriett, belonging to Messrs. Monk and Co., were known to have been John Dadson, captain, Daniel Wise, mate, and William Dadson, son of the captain. On board the barge Good Design, belonging to Messrs. Hall, were William Jemmett, captain, and Luke Barber, mate. All these human beings completely disappeared along with the barges, and not a trace of them has as yet been found. The° scene of the explosion can be viewed from tne Belvedere. 30G marines are still actively at work strengthening the temporary embankment, for the wind from the north-east was high and threatening. All apprehension of the giving way of the barrier is now, however, laid, and the measures still in progress are designed to render assurance doubly sure. The jury having been sworn, The "Coroner opened the proceedings with a short address. He said that the jury would find their duty an anxious and onerous one, but he was sure that so I respectable a bodv of jurymen could not fail to give satisfaction to all parties interested in the proceed- ings and to the world at large. There was do tribunal so°well qualified as the coroner's court to investigate, not only the- fact of the deaths of persons killed by great calamities, but for the inquiry into; the circum- stances attending the occurrence. It was not neces- sary for a person to be charged at the bar as in other- courts, and they were not therefore restrained from ooing into evidence that did not strictly bear upon the one point of the guilt or innocence of that person. His own knowledge of such calamities was, he was sorry to say, not limited. He had too frequently been called upon to inquire into the causes which resulted in fatal explosions, but this was the first instance in which he was concerned m the case of an explosion of a powder magazine or store-house. He would not prejudge the present case by a. word. He knew nothing of it but by the general report which was known to all. But he was confident that from Messrs. Hall and the other proprietors the court would obtain every facility for. arriving at a satisfactory conclusion, and it was for the jury to see what recommendations they might deem it useful to submit to the consideration of Government for .the regulation of such establishments. It was deemed necessary to prohibit the storage of more than a certain quantity of petroleum and fireworks, and it was hard to say why no limit should be placed utfoa the amount of gunpowder, which was the most dangerous compound of all. That was, how- ever, merely his own suggestion. Without doubt it was true that even the explosion of a very small quan- tity of powder would as effectually destroy the lives of all on the spot/as would the explosion of an enor- mous quantity. But there could be no comparison of the results in respect to the destruction to property and life and limb in the surrounding districts. In all the districts bordering upon the metropolis, houses were springing up, and the population was becoming denser year by year, and therefore the question of the storage of highly dangerous compounds was of the utmost importance, and whatever .time the court might bestow upon the matter would nob be thrown away. He proposed, in the first instance, to take evidence as to the identification of the deceased persons as far as it could now be obtained. He would then take the evidence of two or three witnesses; but (said the learned gentleman, referring to the tearful state of the room in which the jury were-assembled, and through the apertures of which the wind roared and bawled) I do not wish, after the loss of life that has already taken place, to jeopardise your lives or your health by going on with the proceedings here. If you think it requisite, we can walk to the site of the powder magazines, and inspect the,place, but I believe not much information is to be gained by doing so. Several of the jurors stated that they had nearly all visited the scene of the explosion, and it would only be a waste of time to proceed there now. Mr. Poland then rose, and addressing the court said that he appeared on behalf of Messrs. Hall and Son, _the proprietors of one the powder stores, and he wished to state that it was the desire Of those gentlemen to give every facility and requisite information to the court. If the result of the inquiry should show to them any improved method of conducting their busi- ness, so Is to conduce to the safety of all concerned, they should feel deeply thankful. The jury having viewed the bodies and returned to ^Walter Silver, who appeared at the table with his head bound, having been injured by the explosion, was called to identify the bodies. He staged that- he formerly resided close to the magazine, but his dwell- ing-house had been razed to the ground by the explo- sion. He was a storekeeper in the employ of the Low-wood, Liverpool, Gunpowder Mill Company, Limited. The establishment was formerly known as Day, Barker, and Co., and their offices were 6$, Fen- churoh-street. He then identified the bodies lying in the neighbourhood of the inquest-room as those of Geo. Hubbard, a labourer engaged in buildings erected near the magazines, and as one not at all conversant with the works. He also identified the body of G. Bayner, who was the foreman of the magazine, and that of John Yorkeaa the son of Win. Yorke, under storekeeper, who is missing. Mr Sydney Turner, house-surgeon of Guy s Hospital, was next sworn and said = I have under Dtf .dare some of the persons injured by the explosion. With the ex- ception of Eliza Osborne, who is m a dangerous state 2f the rest are doing well. The youngest is six and the next is a girl of nine years of age, who is sufficiently well to be examined, and indeed could be examined to-day. Edward Singleton has a fractured humerus, and cannot be examined for a month. Emma Wright a woman of forty, has a fractured collar-bone, and will not be able to be examined for three weeks. Mary Torke, who has a fractured thigh, is not likely to be able to be examined for six or seven weeks. Another 1Uloor my charge is Harriet Rayner, the widow of the man who was killed, and she is suffering from a severely contused shoulder, and cannot be examined ^Thomas Wharton, of Erith, sworn, stated that he was a surgeon, and described the condition of some of the mutilated portions of bodies, part of which, he believed, belonged to one of the unfortunate men n^med Wright. He also described the condition of two children, one six years of age named Sims, and another named Torke, twelve years of age, very ^The^roner then stated^ that his .Object m taking this evidence was to ascertain when it would be possible to proceed with the inquiry, and obtain a narrative of the occurrence from the mouths of those who actually experienced its effect. Police-sergeant 15 B stated that seven persons were vet irissing, of whom no tidings could be obtained, five of them being from the barge, but, subsequently one of the leaal gentlemen present in the room said that one of the missing parties had since turned up and was SaThts bein^'ali the progress that could be at present made, the inquiry was adjourned till next Tuesday, at the Avenue School-room, Erith.
Public Meeting" at Belvedere.
Public Meeting" at Belvedere. On Thursday evening a meeting of the most re- spectable inhabitants of Belvedere and its vicinity was held at the Belvedere School-room, the object being to take into consideration the necessity of petitioning the authorities against the re-erection, and for the re- moval'of such dangerous factories and warehouses from such a populous neighbourhood. The Bev. J. H. Bernaa, incumbent of Belvedere Church, presided. A number of gentlemen addressed the meeting, and the following resolutions were passed:- "That this meeting is of opinion that steps should be taken to prevent the rebuilding of the gunpowder magazine, the subject of the great explosion, and to effect the removal of the magazines now existing in the Plumstead and Erith marshes and the ad;oining districts." That Mr. William Onyon, jml" Mr. Thomas Bigg, Mr. Edwards, and Mr. Strickland be appointed to co-operate with the committee formed at the meeting held at Erith to forward the objects pointed out in the foregoing resolution." H That the best and most sincere thanks of this meeting be given to Mr. Strickland, the agent of the Belvedere estate, for the zeal, activity, and promptitude he exhibited on Saturday morn- ing, the 1st of October, 1864, when the inhabitants of this district were thrown into utter dismay and confusion in consequence of the lamentable results occasioned by the ex- plosion of gunpowder in the Erith marshes; and also for the efficient means he has since adopted to remedy the in- convenience caused thereby, and that 'a copy of this resolu- tion -be forwarded to him."
Funeral of some of the Deceased.
Funeral of some of the Deceased. On Thursday afternoon the funeral of three of the sufferers by this dreadful calamity took place in the quiet and picturesque little churchyard of Erith, in the presence of a vast concourse of persons, who were attracted to the spot by the melancholy occasion. The funeral procession was headed by Mr. Superin- tendent Bray,, of the B division of police, who has taken a very active part in the proceedings since the explosion took place. He was mounted, and in full uuiform, and was accompanied by Inspectors Bell and Mourayan, a Serjeant, and four constables, likewise' mounted and in full uniform. These were followed by a number of constables on foot, by whom the line of wrocession was kept from the Belvedere Tavern to the churchyard at Erith, a distance of about two miles. The names of the persons interred were George Raynor (the foreman), Elizabeth Wright, and George York.
EMPLOYMENT FOR THE IRISHi
EMPLOYMENT FOR THE IRISHi The Cork Examiner publishes an interesting de- scription of the great army clothing factory of Mr. Peter Tait, at Limerick. It was stated not long Binoo"- that this establishment had turned out 60,000 suits of uniform for the Confederates, and shipped them on board blockade runners. There can be no doubt that, two long, low, white-painted vessels-, of whose desti- nation nothing could be learned in Limerick, did re- cently sail fromthenoewitih cargoes of the- kindiindi-t cated, and the belief that they were intended for the South was probably not wrong. Tait employs—under, it is said, one roof-about 1,200 hands, nearly each one of whom belongs to Limerick, and nearly each one' of whom would be utterly destitute-of resources to earn a livelihood but for the employment furnished'by Mr. Tait. In this establishment the tunics and trousers of more than half the British army are manu- factured, besides the entire clothing of every police- constable in Ireland; and, as we have stated before, the regimental suits of a large portion of the armies- of several foreign, countries. It may well be imagined, then, that considerable industry is required to pro- duce all this.- The quantity of unmanufactured mate- rial in the raw goods stores is usually very large— fully £ 20,000 worth. By an ingenious machine, worked on the scale principle, the cloth for the various portions of the garment is cut. The cut-out suits, in their several pieces, are then taken to the making-up room. In the cutting-out department the employes are all men; in the making-up department they are all women, orrather girl's. There are two making-up rooms on the different floors, in each of which there are, on an average, about 200 girls. The business of these girls is to attend to 50 sewing machines in each room—three girls being generally allotted to each machine—two to prepare by rough basting the suit brought from the I, cutting-out room, and the other to attend to the sewing machine by which the various pieces of cloth are united into a coat or trousers, as the case may' be. The coat being stitched, only one other process remains-tho finishing. This is done by hand. The wages of the male ernployésof the factory are on an average 25s. a week each, while the female workers make from 6s. to 10s. On an occasion there were in the packing-up room fully 300 bales, containing great- coats, tunics, and trousers, for armies of several nations, but chiefly for the British army and the Irish constabulary force. Each bale contained either 50 overcoats or 150 tunics and trousers. Mr. Tait is not the only army contractor in Ireland, but he is the largest contractor in England or Ireland, supplying 'the outfit of more than half the British army. A contract of such magnitude was, of course, most difficult to obtain, and Mr. Tait had to compete for it with some of the greatest manufacturers in England and Scotland, who had every possible advantage on their side. But besides his army contracts, Mr. Tait is also the largest outfitter in the kingdom. The fortune which Mr. Tait has acquired by his unaided exertions he dispenses with a munificence in keeping with his general character. His name appears as a prominent contributor to every charity for which an appeal is made; and he has always been ready to aid any movement which had for its object the advance- ment of his adopted city or the trade of the country. The natural result is tha.t Mr. Tait is one of the most popular men in Limerick—a man enjoying the esteem of all classes. Several addresses have been presented to him by various trades in Limerick, each bearing testimony to the high esteem in which he is held. Mr. Tait has an establishment in London. It is men of this class that Ireland wants—men who eschew politics and try by enterprise and business tact to incrcMc theircáDital. Emigrants from Ireland—During the-first seven months (January to July' inclusive) of the present year the number of emigrants who have left Ireland expressing an intention not to return has been as follows: From Leinster 13,371, showing an increase on the same period of the preceding year of 3,850; from Munster 35,307, which is a. decrease of 3,015; Ulster 14 132, a decrease of 380'; Connaught, 15,078, an increase of 2,461; and from provinces not specified 6 698 an increase of 1,164 on the returns for the cor- responding months of the preceding year. From all Ireland there went, during these seven months, 84,586 persons, being 4,080 more than left in the correBpond- 1HHonour £ to6a Pig.—"Up the present tiine, says the Europe of Frankfort, "ho monument that we are aware of had ever been erected to the memory of a nig. The town of Luneburg, lnHanoyer, has wished to fill up that blank, and at the Hotel de Yille in that town there is to be seen, a kind of mausoleum to the memory of a member of the swinish race. In the interior of that commemorative structure is to be seen a glass case, enclosing a ham still in good preservation. A slab of blapk marble attracts^the_eye of visitors, who find; theresn the following inscription m Latin, engraved in letters of,gold Passer-by, contemplate here the mortal remains of tho whiiili acquired for itself imperishable PfytS Pt .sptinga of Lujvebi?rg. a-An umiMv
ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT NORTHERN…
ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY. An accident of a most alarming nature, though, fortunately, unattended with loss of human life, occurred at the Welwyn Station on the Great Northern Railway on Friday night, this station, being about twenty miles from King's-cross, on the main line. It appears that the down north express left King's-cross about seven o'clock, it was a somewhat light one, consisting only of seven or eight carriages, and proceeded without stoppage to the scene of the casualty, at the rate of between thirty and forty miles per hour. At Welwyn, in common with the majority of all the stations on the Great Northern line, there are sidings for the reception of the goods trains and others necessarily shunted to facilitate the passage of the expresses, and at the time when the train from London was due a number of carriages from Peterborough and Hitchin for the metropolis, laden chiefly with grain, flour, and vegetables, were being driven across the down line to the sidings. Almost before the driver of the express was aware of the obstacle in his front his engine had dashed through the goods vans, scattering their frag- ments and their contents in every direction, and covering both the up and down lines, and the right and left of the railway, with the debris. The engine of the passenger train was thrown off the rails, but both the fireman and stoker almost mira- culously escaped with comparatively slight injury. Either two or three of the carriages next the engine were smashed, but fortunately through the train being unusually light, they were wholly unoccu- pied, or the results might have been fearful. In the other portions of the train many contusions were occasioned; but at midnight it was reported at King's-cross that the medical gentlemen resi- dent near the scene of the accident, who had been summoned immediately after its occurrence, con- sidered none to be dangerous, and all proceeded to their destination. Although every exertion was used to clear the metals, several up trains were detained for two or three hours; indeed, it is stated that a train from the north, which arrived at 12.40, was due a little after 8.0 p.m. How the-luggage train should have been allowed to cross the down rails at the moment the express was due seems inexplicable. It will doubtless form a subject for a searching investigation.
A THIEF'S CAREER: CAUGHT AT…
A THIEF'S CAREER: CAUGHT AT LAST. John Foster, alias Austin, was charged, at the Marylebone Police-court, with the robbery of a valu- able gold watch, chain, and seals. The evidence showed that the prisoner took up his residence at the Western Counties Hotel, Paddington, a week or two prior to the 23rd of June of last year. His appearance was highly respectable, and his man- ners so plausible as to throw the most wary off their guard. Whilst staying at this hotel he made the acquaintance of a gentleman, also a lodger, and got on the best of terms with him. This lodger (Mr. Collis), on the morning of the 23rd of June, was in bed, when the prisoner entered his room, and after making some remarks about the books and photographs on the table, he left. When Collis got up he missed from the dressing-table his gold watch, Albert chain, seals, and locket. Shortly previous to the property being missed, the prisoner paid his bill and left. Collis at once informed Mr. Headon, the proprietor of the hotel, of the robbery. Mr. Headon gave information to the police, and was instrumental in tracing the property, which was' pledged at Richmond for £ G by a man whom the assistant believed to be the prisoner. The prisoner was next heard of under rather peculiar cir- cumstances. After leaving Richmond, he made his way to Northallerton, in Yorkshire, and took up his abode at an hotel. Here he paid his bill, but was captured for robbing a gentleman.who was staying in the same house. He was tried and sentenced to nine months' hard labour. Immediately after he received his sentence he was photographed, his moustache and beard not shaven off. There having been numerous complaints of hotel robberies, copies were sent off to the different head-quarters of police in the kingdom. At many places he was recognised by parties who had been victimised. Whilst in prison he, with several other prisoners, was attacked with the smallpox, and removed to the sick ward, where one of the warders observed some signs between the prisoner and a fellow- prisoner named Bonner. In consequence of this the prisoner was searched, and in a handkerchief, tied up in a corner, was found a pawnbroker's duplicate re- lating to the stolen property. This was forwarded to Sir Richard Mayne,who instructed Inspector Egerton, of the D Division, to take up the case. The inspector procured a warrant, went down to Northallerton, and as the prisoner was leaving the gaol, after serving his time, apprehended him for stealing the watch. Pri- soner said he should make no trouble, but would plead guilty, and throw himself on the mercy of the court. The watch, chain, and seal were now produced, and identified'by Mr. Collis. The prisoner was committed for trial.
A CITY FIRM ROBBED OF 140,000…
A CITY FIRM ROBBED OF 140,000 BY A CLEEK. At the Guildhall Police-court, Mr. Lewis, so- licitor, applied to Mr. Alderman Challis, under the following extraordinary circumstances: He said, I apply to you, sir, on behalf of a Mr. Aafon Salomons, who is a Manchester warehouseman of Old Change, and my application is for you to grant a warrant for the apprehension of his chief clerk and cashier, who has lately absconded, having robbed his employer to the extent of > £ 40,000. His mode of operation appears to have been by copying the good bills entrusted to him to lodge at the London and Westminster Bank, with which bank he lodged the forged copies, and dis- counted the good bills elsewhere, the proceeds of which he has applied to his own purposes. The clerk, James Allen Thornley, had been in Mr. Salomons' employ for many years past, and enjoyed his utmost confidence. Indeed, the defalcations and forgeries were not found out until suspicion was aroused by him not returning from his holidays. His desk was then broken open, and a letter found from him acknow- ledging everything. He would put in the information, and then ask the court for a warrant for the apprehen- sion of the delinquent. The following information was then received: Aaron Salomons said: I carry on the business of a warehouseman, at 35, Old Change, in the City of Lon- don. James Allen Thornley has been in my employ- ment for fifteen years and upwards as confidential clerk and cashier, and amongst other duties which he had to perform he from time to time, as occasion might require, was entrusted by me with bills of ex- change to take to the London and Westminster Bank, Lothbury, in the City of London, and there deposit such bills of exchange as security for moneys to be advanced upon them. I have seen the bill of exchange for .£976 lis. lid., purporting to be drawn by me on, and accepted by, Mr. H. A. Joseph, of 1, Budge-row, London, dated the 21st day of July, 1864, and payable six months after date, which bill of exchange is pro- duced by Josiah Forsaill, a clerk in the London and Westminster Bank; and I say that I never gave the said bill of exchange to the said James Allen Thornley to take to the London and Westminster Bank, and the signature A. Salomons to the said bill of exchange as drawer thereof is not in my handwriting, and was not written by my authority, or with my knowledge. I produce a letter which I found in the desk of the said James Allen Thornley at my warehouse of the afore- said, which letter is in the handwriting of the said James Allen Thornley, and the following is a copy thereof- Old, Change, Sept. 28,1864. Sir,—It is with the bitterest sorrow and remorse that I feel at length I must confess to you that, having engaged for the last two" or three years, in extensive speculations, in order to cover payments which I had made on my brother -James's account (independent of the money you so kindly advanced to him), and these ,speculations having only rendered my position worse and worse, I am appalled to find that the total loss now amounts to above forty thousand pounds, and this sum.-J had, from time to time, abstracted from your business. The infatuation which has led me on and on it is utterly impossible for me to explain, the more so as the whole of the money, to the best of my recollection, has been paid away in the manner I have mentioned, and has not been used for the purpose or my own aggrandisement. This my banker's books will clearly show. I have always lived within my income, and, as you know, have always worked hard, and how I could have acted in the way I have done, when I look back upon the past, I am utterly astounded at myself. You will see that, within the present month, a considerable sum has been appropriated: for differences, and for' this I nowspecially blame.myselt I. may, however, state that most of the parties hold security. I had a large amount open in Spanish Stock, and I hoped, by continuing the account, to receive a very considerable sum by the Spanish Passive and Certificates, and the se-' curities would then be released. In this I am again disap- pointed, and rather than involve you and myself further, I have now taken this resolve, which would to God I had done' before I had inflicted so serious an injury upon you. At the end of 1862, the amount then abstracted was about £7,500" and in November, 1863, it had increased to £ 25,000; the deficiency to that date is shown in the green pocket-book in' my desk. I will throw no blame on any one, for I only am responsible for the injury I have inflicted upon you. I trust' you will have strength and health to go through these1 difficulties, and that prosperity will still be your lot. As for myself, life is, and can be, no longer dear.—I am your' obedient servant. JOHN A. THORNLEY. A. Salomons, Esq. That I also found in the green pocket-book belonging to the said John Allen Thornley, and mentioned in the above letter, a statement in his handwriting, as follows:—" The fictitious bills were made by tracing the writing over the genuine ones, and all were written by myself alone." Josiah Forsaill deposed: I am a clerk in the London and Westminster Bank, Lothbury. I know John A. Thornley. Mr. Salomons keeps an account at our bank, and is in the habit of sending bills of exchange to our bank, as security for money advanced upon them. I produce a bill of exchange for £ 976 lls. lid., purporting to be drawn by A. Salomons, and accepted by H. A. Joseph, of No. 1, Budge-row, London, dated the 21st July, 1864, payable six months after date, which bill of exchange is now shown to the said Aaron Salomons and Hyman Aaron Joseph, and which said bill of exchange was deposited with our bank to the credit of Mr. Salomons against advances made upon it. The said bill of exchange was deposited by the said John Allen Thornley at our bank, with others, on the 9th of September last. Mr. Hyman Aaron Joseph stated I have examined the said bill of exchange for £ 976 lis. lid., and the acceptance signed with my name is not in my hand- writing, and was not signed by me or by my authority or knowledge, although it is a good imitation of my signature. The said John A lIen Thornley was perfectly well acquainted with my signature. Mr. Lewis continued: On this information I shall ask you, sir, to grant the necessary warr,11 t for the apprehension of the man Thornley, as ever^-noment now is of great consequence, in order that the arrant may be put in force successfully. exi; Mr. Alderman Challis at once granted the wairant.
MR. WHALLEY, M.P., ON STRIKES.
MR. WHALLEY, M.P., ON STRIKES. A large meeting of working colliers and others took place at Pentre, near Wrexham, a day or two ago, and Mr. Whalley, M.P., having been invited to attend and give his advice on the proposal made to the district to aid the strike, that gentleman was called to the chair, and said:—" As you have invited me here to-day, you will, I am sure, allow me freely to express to you my views on the question before us, and will take no offence though I may ever so much differ from what you may yourselves think or may resolve upon. There is much truth in what I read to-day, that those who have been for years striving to obtain political power for the men of your class-to extend the franchise and enable you to take a part in the government of our country—are constantly met by the arguments that if you, the working men, act so imprudently, and with such wilful perversity, such disregard of what all men except yourselves deem to be wise and right, both as regards your own interests and those of others, in these questions of strikes, and yield yourselves up like sheep to be driven this way and that by those who di- rect your trade unions-driving away capital from the trades on which you depend for livelihood—in fact, killing the goose which lays the golden eggs of com- mercial prosperity-what trust can be placed in you in such high matters as concern the affairs of the nation ? and what answer can we make? You will not find out of your own class any single man of in- fluence who does not deplore and denounce in the strongest language this lamentable infatuation of the working classes in subjecting themselves to this slavery of trades' unions, but it is only a few that have such real i friendship for you to take the trouble and expose themselves to the risks of telling you so; but this M not the first time that I have shown the sincere love and regard I have for you. Apart from these delusions there is no class of men in the world that I believe are more worthy of honourrand respect than the working men of England. See what honours you have won, what praises you have received from all the world for the manner in which you have weathered the storm in Lancashire. See what efforts Parliament has been making for you to aid those noble sacrifices, by which, in benefit societies, you strive to provide out of present abundance for future want-Post. office savings banks, Government annuities-and with what liberality, too, above a million a year is given to educate your children. All this ought to satisfy you that it is not merely words when we talk of our glorious constitu-' tion, but that you really do live in a country that is willing to do you justice—that knows and recognises the fact that you, the working men, are really the heart and strength of the nation, and therefore you ought to listen to those who, like myself, in these matters, have your real interests at heart, and have shown it as I have done in many a hard-fought battle on your behalf. You are called upon by deputies from Staffordshire to support their strike by money con- tributions, and to strike yourselves if the coal masters- of this district sell coal in Staffordshire—and you are met to-day to carry out the arrangements for these purposes. I presume that when you invited me to take the chair you kuew that I wholly disapproved both of the strike in Staffordshire and the attempt to make you parties to it—for I so stated at the meeting in Ruabon on Monday last-and therefore you will not be angry at my giving in plain language my reasons. As to the Staffordshire strike, it arises upon the attempt of the masters to reduce 6d. per day—so I am informed—and the men prefer exhaust- ing all their past savings, and abandoning all future hope of that independence which they might y easily secure, rather than submit to it. I have no right to speak to the men of Staffordshire on this occasion; but what a high position you men of Wales would take -what credit, what honour, what profit you would confer upon our country here-if you would be the means of restoring these Staffordshire men to their work, and rescuing them and their "/ives and children from present privation and the degradation from pauperism in the future. Why cannot you say to the deputies who are here to-day what every one but your- selves will know, and keep on repeating one to the other wherever two men meet in the street, in the railway carriage, or at home ? Tell them this-that the iron which they refuse to make in Staffordshire is being made in Belgium and France, and sent to this country. They cannot stop the works in Belgium and France; and every day that they keep out operates upon the trade, so. that the capital which is here to-day is to be found sinking mines and building forges in Belgium and France to- morrow, and that when, by-and-by, they return to their disposition to work, the capitalists will be no longer here—they will have gone elsewhere- not, perhaps, the individuals whom they knew by name, but others, whom they never heard of, will have seized the opportunity of supplying the markets which you have been the means of closing against our own country, equally to the ruin of those who have hitherto found you work, and to yourselves." After earnestly urging the men to keep aloof from the struggle in Staffordshire, Mr. Whalley said: I know not what are the merits of the ques- tion in Staffordshire, but you here have nothing to complain of, and though you are, of course, entitled to say that what has happened there may reach you next, let us see whether, even if it should do so, and admitting that the reduction of wages there is unjust, and that, unless that is resisted, your turn will come next, the question is whether some better remedy can- not be provided instead of this ruinous system of strikes. I believe it can, and that the co-operative system is that remedy, and that it may be made as available for this purpose in the coal trade as it has been found to be in other trades., The co-operative system means that you shall by union be your own masters, a joint-stock union of workmen, carrying on for your own benefit the manufactures in which you have hitherto had only the wages of workmen, whereas by this system you would discover and enjoy the profits of masters. I cannot now enter into details or speak with certainty as to how far this may succeed in the case of collieries: no doubt they are very dif- ferent from trades, but it is done daily in a small way, such as the exploration of lead mines in this district. If any of you think fit to organise a co-operative society to try this experiment, I will do everything else im my power to assist in giving it a fair trial; and as it is my belief it would succeed, I and you would have the agreeable satisfaction of having thus shown that there is a much better remadyfor your grievances than PIO ."J A
INDECENT BATHING: THE AUTHORITIES…
INDECENT BATHING: THE AUTHORI- TIES FINED. A curious case was tried at Edinburgh last week. It was an appeal against a conviction by one of the sheriff substitutes of Forfarshire of two or three respectable lads for bathing in the Northesk, near Brechin Castle, a residence of the Marquis of Dal- housie, better known as Lord Panmure. The sham crime of which they were convicted was indecent exposure of the person, to the annoyance of the lieges," and their punishment was a fine of ^62 each, or ten days' imprisonment. The Lord Justice Clerk and Lord Neaves, however, reversed the sentence of the sheriff substitute, and ordered the fines to be repaid, and found the fiscal who had prosecuted them liable in twelve guineas of expenses. They pointed out that, while indecent exposure in private for the purpose of destroying the morals of young persons, or in public to the disregard of modesty and shame, was criminal, yet undressing was not so in all cireum- stances, more particularly where bathing was the object. The Lord Justice Clerk asked if it would be an aggravation of the offence if, in going to bed, one were to forget to look the door; and Lord Neaves, in a humourous sentence or two, in the course of a rather philosophioal speech, described exposure of the person as in many cases laudable, and observed that, in his opinion, a bather did not require to take exces- sive care that he should not be seen. "If he were bathing a mile or two along the shore from any house; and a lady chose, through a reconnoitrer glass, to look at him from motives of physiological curiosity, or other motives, it was her own fault if she saw what she ought not to see."
. PASSPORTS IN FRANCE,
PASSPORTS IN FRANCE, A correspondent of the Times, writing from Paris says:- "I arrived yesterday at the French frontier at Sbrasburg from Germany. An official very politely, but formally demanded my passport. On my replying that as an Englishman it was not required for the purpose of travelling in France the reply was that Messieurs les Anglais generally carried one neverthe- less, but that a visiting card would do. Not caring to dispute the point and thereby be detained in Strasburg for a whole day, as the express train was just about to start, I of course produced my card, which was read and politely returned. Now, sir, this may be all very well for one who is a tolerably old traveller and a pretty fair linguist, but I submit that for any one who is neither, or for a lady alone, a demand such as this, which it may be impos- sible to Comply with at the moment, is no trifling matter. Either passports are required, and therefore legally demanded, in France or they are not. If the former let us be informed of it at once, and be provided at our peril accordingly; if the latter, why are such demands made as'it may not be in the traveller's power to comply with P A question was asked in the House of Commons by the hon. baronet the member for Ludlow this year, with what result those who read or heard Mr. Layard's answer-a mass of confusion—may remember. Surely our Foreign Secretary, if he cannot distinguish himself as a diplomatist, might at least give us information on official authority which would set this matter at rest."