Potter's Electric News

THE CONVICT MICHAEL BARRETT. On Monday evening the Governor of Newgate an official communication from the Secretary ^tate for the Home Department respiting for seven from Tuesday the convict Michael Barrett, now n«8r sentence of death there for the murders caused y the Clerkenwell explosion. Tuesday had been day appointed for the execution, and prepara- tlon were being made for it. The prisoner, since his Eviction, is understood to have behaved with much Propriety. Being a Roman Catholic, he has been attended by a priest of that persuasion from day to and has not therefore come within the ministra- "<>ng 0f t}je Ordinary of Newgate. A day or two after sentence the Fenian convicts, Burke and Shaw, *er« removed from Newgate, to the great relief of 'hose charged with the responsible duty of guarding the prison, but the vigilance of the authorities, in- stead of being relaxed in consequence, may be said to have been increased, if possible, while Barrett re- nins there under sentence. Day and night the gaol 13 Surrounded and patrolled, as it has been for months Past, by a picked body of the city police, armed with Classes and revolvers, no two of whom are ever out of sight of each other, not to mention the special arrangements inside for its greater security. New- gate. indeed, may be said to be a fortress of itself, \nd but for the subtle characteristics of the Fenian Organization and the affair at Clerkenwell, preceded, as it was, by the rescue at Manchester, and the ^°ape of the Fenian prisoners from custody in Ire- laHd, it would never, probably, have entered into the "thorities to guard a place so impregnable of itself. that as it may, the city police, charged with the Special duty of protecting the prison, have never for a tnoment allowed such consideration to weaken their sense of responsibility, or to relax their vigilance, those who have had occasion, from day to day, observe them on duty during the recent protracted TOust have been struck by their untiring zeal /lnd devotion. Now that the trials are over, not to !^erinto details, it is due to the Sheriffs and Under- ,Griffs to state that the precautions they took from ay to day to protect the Court-house, inside and out, ]{er6 as complete as they could possibly be, though to only a few beyond themselves, and those frotily were aware of the consequent security from |°ssible danger or outrage with which every one business in Court, great and small, was hedged °ind. •gafP,RlT MOVEMENTS.—In the year 1S67, 34,661 ffo Pro°f home-made spirits were removed LERN* ^N8'A,,D to Ireland and 1,115,766 gallons were oyed from Ireland to England; 11,060 gallons C/emoved from England to Scotland, and Scot- « favoured England with 3,600,400 gallons. K°CKING ^FFAIR AT DEEBY.—For some days past *ith an^ neighbourhood have been placarded tbe be startling announcements that Mr Worthington, tjy ^ar Diver of the World,' would exhibit on the <»o7rw*nt> on Thursday afternoon and *>Qq 'owing days. Among other feats he was an- ^er°e^ *° iumP from height of 120 feet into the entertainment was announced to com- the £ e 2.20 on Thursday afternoon in a field on <jrovail^s of the Derwent between Derby and Darley ^3 y6' ^e pel former, a young man of about 22 or age, appeared on the ground at the ap- |hen tlrne, dressed in a bathing costume, and com- itjgijjj. Performing a series of feats under the water, «atinE1118 linking milk from a bottle, peeling and threw 0r!?nge» blowing a trumpet, &c. He also ^^hibitio *m° the water an(* rescued him. The Water a d v SS to c*ose wit^ the 'eap 'nto l^6 aqUa' n(* 'Worthington ascended the scaffold about HiiQaf er past four o'clock. After remaining some {Hit jies ,n making the necessary preparations, he the t- into position for diving, and jumped into iy.i \er* In his progress downwards he made three ^tions of his body, and a medical gentleman on °ank remarked to some of the bystanders that t], *»s a dead man. Worthington fell heavily on top of the water on his side, and at once sunk "e bottom of the river. The people seemed to feet that he would rise to the surface, as was his 0tn, and some minutes elapsed before any efforts of6.1!6 toade to recover the body. At last Mr Smith, ^aton> dived into the water, and after several Ifyi^essful efforts succeeded in bringing the lifeless Worthington to the surface. Four medical M^n.Drs Topham, Jamieson, Fant, and Iliffe, 4Uen,a^ been witnessing his performances, promptly on being brought to the bank in a Vt tjjJl *very means were used to resuscitate life, °pini< efforts were unavailing, as life was extinct, *°g. ^e'nf? ^at he died from concussion while geut] was a large attendance both of ladies P^sent, an?ei1' mother and two brolhei 'S were fi ea* prai • ere sPectators of his untimely death. the K6 '8 ^ue to Smith for his exertions to 'lety The height of the jump was about B AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY.— \r ^'HiarH ND ^Igges for £ 50.—A first-rate match p*?0'' place on Thursday night, at Brown's pJf Billiard Rooms, between Charles Hughes 40 p". 'gges, of London, 1000 up, Digges receiving tiC'°ck ln^8, commenced shortly after seven f She' proceeded steadily till it was called 0t1ierS an(* digges 283, and at this point the >lla(le his first break of 45 Digges shortly s s„ar^s followed suit with a break of 67, bringing Nde a'6 UP to 382* hughes getting his hand in, pother fine break of 79, and Digges getting a °* 44, brought his numbers up to 500. Hughes Vn vv'th a nice break of 88, from 238 to 326, !>e u?dy Play was the order of the day until the as"—Digges 557, and Hughes 345—whe^ the i!?*dil another fine break of 51. Digges went along to 600, when Hughes made 460. a smaH break of 22 Hughes following 'Ig a^e °ver with 28 and 21. Digges with 8 win j 3*; l°s'ng hazard put up 26, and flughes Dj failed to score getting their wind, l11 's led off with a magnificent break of 70, j, his spot strokes in succession, and at the end VS,k «? g^me was called—Digges 751, sPot Ttle Iattev soon after matle 33 with P0intStLO^es» and two winning hazards. From there were no particular breaks made till V 23 3S 803> an(^ Hughes 657, when the former °f 6fiD<* H.u8hes 33, following this up with a liH°Pp0ne H'hich brought him up to within 113 of now with even success !l 8ame» Digges 900, Hughes 800. C e»l Made l5' ^"fihes got another break W tj)j • en ■'small scores became the order of the V theQ h. —^gges 959, Hughes 937. The ake "I 1 ndled his cue with such dexterity as to th^6S' 3nc^ raost brilliant break ever wit- fl>ot ^tartineSe .rooms' an(l but seldom anywhere N o °ke ej^,Wl^h a winning hazard, he made the .VJ^ent tlmes in succession, which headed Xh r°und' f resu^ which was greeted with a » Do cision °il aPP,ause* Paying with extraordi N i^et 13' continued placing the red ball into X > CK Te' v°"him lhe 6ame' 4,'tS,SL,0oo TV Y cheered when it was called — t till h '^es ,^e st'll kept on with a °f l3g 6 ,a(^ ma(ie 46 times in succession, • John Paton, the marker called the

THE BISHOP OF OXFOI?^ ON THE CHURCH. The Bishop of Oxford latel)* attended a crowded meeting at the Town Hall, Colcheter, presided over by the mayor of the borough (Major Bishop), in aid of the Society for Propagation of the" Gospel in Foreign Parts. In his opening observations' his lord- ship said he conceived that in the settling of our race in different parts of the earth we were following the Providential law, and enabling them to repro- duce in the land of their adoption the religion of their forefathers. (Hear, hear.) Take, for instance, the hundred millions who dwell in India, and for whom the Crown of England was responsible. It was but that very morning that in answer to an argument for maintaining our own Established Church in Ireland, there was a taunt thrown out that we ought to establish our Church in India. It was as easy as possible to shew any sensible man the fallacy of this argument. It was one thing to keep and another to found. (Hear, hear.) But these things always pointed to some truth. There was never any smoke, be it ever so blue or faint a tint, but there was the smouldering of a little fire that caused it, and when men pointed out such inconsistencies as that, they pointed to truth, and that truth was this—that if the people of Great Britain were for maintaining religious establishments at home, because they believed it to be the duty of a ChristianSGovernment to maintain such aids to religion, they must be inconsistent in leaving the multitudes in India so little taught as Christianity at home leaves them at present. (Hear, hear.) His lordship then read some extracts from a letter from the Bishop of Calcutta, giving most en. couraging accounts of the stir in the native mind that was taking place in India. But what were we doing (continued the bishop) if we took from these people by giving them our own science and our own doubts, and set before them our unchristian leaven, and shaking in this way all their own belief in that which once did lift them up, if we were giving them nothing in the place of it 1 But this work could not be done by the Government or Parliament of the country, and for this plain reason-our divisions at home made it impossible-it would make it unjust to attempt to do it. The first duty of each Christian community within our common land was by earnest endeavours within itself to do that which belonged to its proportion in the whole community on the common work, according to the consciences of those who did it. Their chairman had alluded to some threatening of our church at home-to talk of dis- eitablishment and the like. Thank God it was nothing more than talk at present. (Applause.) Like many other mischiefs, it spent itself in a little talk. (Hear, hear.) Political necessities, we all knew, were very strong—if they could accomplish their work by a little talk, and we could come in afterwards and turn their talk into vapour, he thought it would be very well for us. (Hear, hear.) His lordship then alluded to the evil influences which were constantly going from this country, citing as an instance the instructions that were sent from England for the recent dastardly attempt to destroy the life of our Prince Alfred in Australia. But, .thank God, said his lordship, there had been in that Aus- tralian land a settlement of our English Church, and on the previous Sunday there were prayers offered in all the churches for the life of that young prince, and who could doubt but that angels' hands had turned aside the point of that weapon of death in answer to those prayers 1 (Applause.) THE ARMY IN INDtA-The Gazette of Friday night contains a warrant' revising the Royal warrant of Jan. 16,1851, and ordering that officers of the land forces serving in India under the rank of regimental field officer, who shall have served two years with a regiment, of which one shall have been in India, shall be eligible to enter the Bengal, Madras, or Bombay staff corps. 'COUNTY RATES.-—The annual account presented to Parliament shows that in the year ending at Michaelmas, 1867, the sums received for county "un and police rates in England and Wales. minus Anglesey, which has made no return, amounted to £ 1,446,937—an increase of £88,175 over the pre- ceding year. The assessment for the county rate \yas increased to £87,784,156, or ^10,000,000 more than in the preceding year. The result of a more correct assessment in some counties was very marked in Lancashire it advanced from £6,906,486 in 1866 to £ 10,029,967 in Surrey, from £3,367,647 to £ 5,306,359; in Warwickshire, from £1,412,104 to £ 2,664,688; in Sussex, from £1,057,195 to £ 1,793,745 in the West Riding, from £4,124,227 to £ 5,275,209. EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF SWINDLING.—At the Central Criminal Court, before the Common Serjeant, Edinund.Afatide and Herman Meyer, or Liddell, two respectably-dressed men, wereoindicted for conspiring together to steal five dock warrants, each for the delivery of a pipe of wine. Maude was also charged withstealing the warrants, and Meyerwith feloniously receiving one of them knowing it to have been stolen. The circumstances of the case were of a very peculiar character. The prosecutor, Mr Halfoid, who was not regularly engaged in business, bought five pipes v of wine, and the warrants were delivered to him on the 16th of October last. On that afternoon he saw Maude turning out of Cannon-street, and the latter told him that he was a partner in the firm of Garment, Nunns, and Co, Water-lane, and said he would buy the wine and give a bill for the amount, as he could not pay cash. Prosecutor said that was of no use to him, as he wanted cash, and he replied, I have friends in Hatton-garden who will discount it for you,' alluding to the other prisoner, Meyer, who was at that time carrying on business as Liddell and Co, at 86, Hatton-garden. The parties subsequently met, and it was arranged that the prosecutor should go to Hatton-garden and gpt the money, Maude telling him that I Liddell and Co,' were first-class people. Next morning the prosecutor met Maude at the corner of Hatton-garden. and the latter told him that he had just been at Liddell's, who was not in, but that he should be back in an hour, and suggested that they should go to the Bull public-house. They went there, and Maude asked him if he had got a receipt, to which prosecutor replied in the negative. In half an hour Maude went away, and after an absence of twenty minutes he returned, It is all right, Liddell is in now,' and he produced a receipt stamp and asked for a receipt, which the prosecutor refused to give to him until he had seen Liddell. The prose- cutor then went to Liddell's lor the purpose of getting the money, leaving the warrants lying on the table, but he was riot in. Prosecutor, however, met him in he passage as he was about to leave, and Liddell told him to come back again in an hour. Prosecutor repli-d that Maude told him he (Liddell) would give him the cash immediately, and asked him if he had seen Maude. Liddell did not reply to the question, hut asked, Where is Maude?' and prosecutor told him he was in the Bull. They then went to the Bull, but Maude and the warrants were gone. It subsequently appeared that Meyer sold one of the warrants while the transactions narrated above were taking place and that at the time he had only a few- shillings at his banker's. The jury found both the prisoners guilty, and Maude was sentenced to eighteen months' hard labour, and his companion (who was on he preceding day convicted of fraud) was ordered to be kept in penal servitude for five years.

rCOST OF THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has laid before the House of Commons an estimate, prepared by the India-office, of the expenditure for the Abyssinian Expedition. The Under-Secretary is directed to state that the information available here fot the preparation of an estimate is very insufficient, although repeated appli- cations have been made to the Government of Bomba) on the subject. The present estimate must be regarded as approximate only, ft shows that the charges in India and England to the end of May 1868, will probably amount to about £ 5,000,000. The estimate of October, 1867, giving the probable charge to the end of December, 1867, showed £850,000 to be disbursed by thelmperialGovernment, and £1,150,000 by the Indian Government. The estimate of March, 1868, shows £ 1S!$00 to be disbursed by the Imperial Government for mules, stores, &er to the 31st of March and by the Indian Government^ £ 22,000 additional for coals, and £300,000 for general expenditure to the end of May, according to an estimate made by Major-General Jamieson. auditor, besides £140,000 additional in England in the India Store Department; making a grand total of J5,351,000—viz, £1,039.000 to be disbursed by thelmperialGovernment, and £ 4,31*2,000 by the Indian Government. Major-General Jameson's estimate, dated 12th of March, is as follows;— "The preliniDary estimate, made on the 1st of October, amounted to £ 2,000,000. This, I think, may fairly stand, as far as can now be ascertainedras a near approximation to the expenditure up to the 31st December, 1867. "From the 1st of January, 1868, the monthly expense was calculated at £;370,000, as follows:— Pay of trooos, 950,000 commissariat, at least £ 60,000; rations and allowance for foreign service to soldiers and followers, £10,000; transport, £ 150.000 coals, £ 25,000; forage for cattle, £50,000 miscel- laneous, .£25,000. This gives a total of £370,000, and, excluding the pay of troops, would leave £ 320,000 per mensem to be paid by the Imperial Government. But it is found that many of these items, sea-transport especially, were very greatly under-estimated. The transport alone is now shown to be very nearly £ 400,0D0 a month. This, how- ever, might be very largely reduced by the discharge of vessels, amounting in number to 53 sailing ships, aggregating 28,773 tons, and which have been engaged in carrying elephants, camels, mules, ponies, and bullocks, as well as bulky commissariat stores, such as grain, rations, pressed hay, bran, straw, &c. At the termination of the Expedition there will be many stores, the removal of which by sea would cost much more than their worth. The provisions, grain, and hay will perhaps be consumed but, if not, it appears to me that, with the exception of the grain and pro- visions, it would be economical to abandon, or, if possible, dispose of what may be left. This remark applies to the baggage animals, with the exception, perhaps, of elephants for their transport to India would far exceed their value, and in any imaginable case it would not be worth while to keep in monthly pay a large fleet of transports with the view of even- tually carrying them back to India. The number of baggage animals that have been procured tor service in Abyssinia is, by the latest returns," 45 elephants, 8,000 camels, 16,950 mules, and 5,000 bullocks. The feeding of these animals, with the pay of their attendants, will cost on an average, at the very least, 30 rupees each per mensem, which is a low estimate considering the expense of forage and grain sent to Abyssinia. 11 z;1 Thus we have 899,850 rupees, or, in round num* bers £90,000. The fores at present consists of 3,213 European fighting men, and 7,711 native ditto and we may L- add at least 1,500 natives proceeding to join. This gives a total of 3,213 Europeans and 9,221 natives, or, together, 12,424 of all ranks. Estimating fol- lowers on the new reduced scale of one per man, it will double the above numerical amount., and estimating the rations of an European at 20 rupees per month and of a native at 10 rupees, we have a total of 280,610 rupees—say £ 28,000. "Supposing five transports to be daily under steam in conveying troops, carrying mails, &c., it would give an average expenditure of 25 tons of coal for each transport; 125 tons per diem, or per mensem 3,750 tons, at 93 10s per ton, amounting to £ 13,125. The coals required for condensing water, 27,000 gallons per diem, at Zoulla, cannot be less than above, although I have no means of ascertaining accurately, £ 13.125 making £ 26,250. The estimate of monthly expenditure might stand thus (pay of troops excluded)Sea trans- port, £ 400,000; provisions for troops and followers, as above shown, £28,000; provisions of baggage animals, 9-90,000; foreign service and staff, and allowance to the officers and troops, dEt 0,000 coals £36,250; miscellaneous, about £ 35,000. The total is £ 589,2^0. "Thus we have,—The Preliminary estimates, £2,000.000; five months, January 1st to May 31st £ 2,946,250. Provided the Expedition terminates on the 3lst of May, it would not be safe to ask for less than £ 2,000,000 and there are charges which cannot at present be estimated, such for instance as the railways, telegraphs, &c. If continued beyond the 31st of May next, it would be safe to estimate a further charge of £600,000 for every month be- yond that date."

NAMES ENDING IN "ox.—Boxed up alone in a railway carriage a few nights ago, the observation occurred to us that a large proportion of our most eminent men in their various paths bear a name ending in "on." Thus we have—Bacon, our greatest philosopher Byron and Thomson, our greatest descriptive poets; Clarkson, Buxon, and Colston, some of our greatest philanthropists Gibbon, one of our most eminent historians; Cla- rendon, not far short; Gibson, one of our best sculptors Hilton and Hay don, amongst our best historical painters; Incledon, our greatest ballad singer; Jameson, our greatest female writer on art; Johnson and Addison, our most distinguished essayists Lytton, our greatest living novel writer; Milton, our greatest epic poet; Murchison, our most distinguished geologist; Newton, our greatest astronomer; Palmerston, the most English of our statesmen Stephenson, our greatest railway en- giueer Tennyson, our greatest living poet; Wel- lington, our greatest military commander (with Napoleon for adversary); and Nelson, our greatest sea captain. As amongst men of lesser rank, Ben Jonson, Chatterton, Hutton, Wharton. Emerson, Simpson, John Britton, Alison, Paxton, Rawlinson, Bonningtoo, Watson Gordon, Noel Paton, Hep- worth Dixon, Mark Lemon, Gardner Wilkinson James Fergusson, Donaldson, Sir Thomas Watson' (our first physician,) and many others will recur to the memory. The circumstances that London may be given as the scene of their labours, and these lines were penned in Brompton, may serve curiously to carry on the terminal coincidence, though, they do uot bear on the original observa- tion. —Builder, t>