The Principality

MACHINERY OF THE POST OFFICE. (From the Quarterly Review.) THE TWOPENNY POST. The work of this office is a wearing, wasting, intermittent fever, which, excepting Sundays, comes on regularly every morning throughout the year at 6 A.M., and which in ten cold and hot fits of unequal severity afflicts the various sets of patients, who are successively exposed to it, until ten minutes past nine at night. After a night's rest, such as only the weary in this world en- joy, the first symptom of uneasiness in this great department— by which more letters are now delivered than, before the intro- duction of the penny system, passed through all the post-offices of the United Kingdom.is the arrival, at the early hour we have named, of a detachment of clerks and letter-sorters, who, in winter often paddling under umbrellas and irl inickintc s'ies, through sleet, snow, and dark wet streets, assemble for the pur- pose of receiving, but not opening,.a tide of wojJen boxes full pose of receiving, but not opening,.a tide of wojJen boxes full f of letters and newspapers from all parts of the United Kingdom which under the influence of machinery and of an endless chain, flow in a succession of waves from the Inland Department (commonly called the General Post-ofiiee) for delivery in that portion of the London district which lies between the three and twelve mile circles. At six o'clock, the hour of the arrival of the president and his assistants, amounting altogether to ninety persons, these boxes are opened, and the contents taken out and sorted, during which operation boxes full of letters, sometimes in a stream and sometimes in a torrent, continue unceasingly to pour in through the sewer, or tunnel. While the sorting of all these letters and newspapers, in a mode we shall shortly describe, is, like the deposition of honey in the cells of a hive, going on, a number of men and boys, like bees flying from flower to ilower, are in all directions occupied in the following curious process of collection. All the letters throughout London which, if stamped or un- paid, have been dropped into the slits, or, if paid in money, have been delivered on the counters or at the windows of 259 receiving houses by a quarter before 8 a.m., are at 8 o'clock con- veyed through the streets in the hands or on the shoulders of letter carriers, either to the chief office at St. Martin's-le-Grand or to the undernamed eight branch offices, from whence they are conveyed to the main office in the following manner. From Charing Cross, by mail-cart. Sidmouth-street, cart & riding boy. I North-row, ditto, Shoreditch, ditto ditto. Portland-street, ditto. Stepney, ditto ditto. Pimlico, ditto. Southwark, riding-boy only. After the arrival of these carts, the whole force of the office is employed in what is technically termed opening collections, and as for this heavy amount of work only one larief hour is allowed, we will endeavour to explain the admirable arrange- by which the first great London district delivery, termed "the nine o'clock dispatch," is performed. 1. As fast as the red mail-carts, ornamented with the royal arms, after whisking round the north and south angles of the Post-office, suddenly pull up-or rather, as soon as the poor jaded horses, mero motlt, of their own accord, suddenly stop at the, to them, well-known entrance of the District Department —the driver of each vehicle, throwing down his reins and standing up in his cart dos a dos to his horse, hauls out from beneath his seat, one after another a series of milk-white, cream coloured, and gingerbread-coloured bags. With these thrown over his shoulders, and with his time paperin his mouth he without delay enters the passage, delivering his charge to a porter, whose duty it is to check the number of his bags. In like manner and at the same moment little riding boys, each giving to his horse as he almost brushes the corner a valedictory touch to the spur, have hardly stopped, when leaning backwards in their saddles, they quickly unbuckle one strap, while a porter in waiting, as soon as he has unloosed the other, lifls from above the panting flanks of the poor Post- office animal a leathern valise containing the bags, which are instantly carried off into the portion of the office appropriated to receive them, The drivers and boys deliver to the time- keeper their time bills," on which in one column appear certified by various receivers and time-keepers the precise periods at which they ought to have started ;—ought to have called at each receiving-house in their" road" or "ride;"— ought to have arrived and in a second column are noted the hour and the minute, at which at each station they actually did arrive. II. As soon as the forefinger of that steady man of business the post-office clock points to 8.10, a gang of men, each either carrying on his declined shoulders a huge letter-bag, hugging one in his arms, or with one or two dangling from his hands, are observed following each other through a passage into the sorting-room. Of the bags thus collected those containing newspapers only are takeji into the great sorting-office, 96 feet 4 inches long and 71 feet broad, tf a smalt table, 21 inches broad by 12 feet long, beneath which there are standing gaping in a row eight large white baskets—1 for general post; 6 for country divisions I for London district, within the three mile circle. The bags containing letters and" packets" are carried to tables IS inches broad by 5 feet in length. To these tables, which are divided into very small compartments, there are appointed ten or twelve clerks, whose duty it is on receiving each bag first of all carefully to inspect its seal; if perfect, to I cut it open, empty its motley contents on his portion of the table, and lastly turn the bag inside out to prevent being fined half-a-crown for any letter left within it. III. The contents of the bags having been thus piled in a heap before each opening clerk, his first process is to take up and examine the bill" of its contents, to see if there are any registered letters in the mass if so, he selects and despatches them to the registrar-clerk, who gives a receipt for the same. He then checks the number and amount of "paid" letters which the receivers have been required to tie up separately, to ascertain that they correspond with the number and amount in the bill. These preliminary examinations having been com- pleted, he next separates the London letters from the inland. The latter, without a moment's delay, and wi hout being stamped, are packed in a box and transmitted via the sub- terranean tunnel to the inland office. All newspapers are thrown into a basket behind him, from whence they are by another clerk separated into two parcels, liamely" London" and country"—including transmarine. Lastly, whatever parcels termed packets" may appear in the heap, whether for town or country, are selected, and forwarded to a separate sorting-desk. Having got rid of all newspapers, of all letters not belonging to the London district, and of all 11 packets," his next operation is—with a rapidity which, unless witnessed, could scarcely be credited-to divide the letters which remain into two classes, "stamped and unpaid," and "paid." Each class are by him not only separated, but are placed with their faces all looking one way; and as fast as they accumulate they are carried off in armsful to the upper end of the office by porters, who deposits all of one sort on one double desk, and the remainder on another. IV. The stamped and unpaid letters at the double desk above described, are divided among eighteen sorters, by each of whom the stamped letters are simultaneously subdivided into a double tier of pigeon-hole boxes as follows 1. General post. 2. Ten town-districts-Aaely, North-west, West City, Lombard-street, North-east, East, Southwark, Portland-street, North Row, Charing-cross, Pimlico. 3. Six country districts, namely, IIounslow, Barnet, Enfield, Wool- wich, Croydon, Hampton. The unpaid letters are transferred to a table 2 feet 2 inches by 14 feet 6 inches long, where, after being similarly subdivided, they are stamped merely as "unpaid. The paid letters are transferred to a table 2 feet 2 inches broad by 17 feet 9 inches long, where they are stamped merely as paid." V. As fast as these operations are concluded, the letters as they accumulate are carried off to a double desk, on one side of which every town-letter receives, first of all, from a stamper standing sideways a violent blow 011 its face, which cancels its stamp, and then from another stamper, posted behind the first, another violent blow on its back, indelibly marking thereon the z, hour, the day of the month, and the year at which it is to be despatched. At the opposite side of the same table the whole of the country letters are in like manner doubly belaboured by two stampers and two date-makers. VI. The whole of the letters having been thus examined sorted into districts, and stamped, they are carried into a large airy well-lighted room, called the letter-carries' office, where they are distributed among 57 letter-carriers in blue uniform coats, with red collars, seated about 2 feet 4 inches asunder, at double desks. About two-thirds of the London letters are divided among these intelligent men, who rapidly sort them into walks the remaining one-third are deposited on one long double desk; and here, without further process, they are carefully examined, previous to their being dispatched to Charing-cross and to the other principal receiving-houses—where, for the object of re- lieving the main office in St. Martin's-le-Grand, they are sorted into walks by the bl-ue-coated postmen who subse- quently actually deliver them at the houses to which they are addressed.. At the principal receiving-houses of each of the nineteen stations within the three-mile circle, as also of the fifty-three stations between the three and the twelve-mile circle,, there is established a room in which the letter-carriers assemble to receive and finally prepare their letters for delivery, by ar- ranging them not only in streets, but consecutively in the num- bers thereof. To each of these districts there is appointed a ."charge-taker," whose duty it is to attend to the accounts, 'and who, therefore, is charged with the postage on all unpaid letters. The wages of the letter-carriers are from 26.:3. to 25s. a week, those acting as charge-takers receiving an additional allowance of 3s. The letter-carriers are usually employed from nine to ten hours per day; the number of miles they walk per day averages from fifteen to twenty-four. The country letters," at six tables, each about eighteen feet long, are similarly sorted by clerks into roads," fur- merly called "rides," and are then packed into canvass or The number of collections made up by the letter-receivers pei day within the three-mile circlj amount to 2,563. The number of collections nude up by the country receivers per day within the three-mile circle 198. leathern bags. Three minutes only before the period at which these are despatched, the boys and drivers who are to convey them are called in to assist in tying up their mouths, which are 110 sooner sealed with red flaming wax by the stampers, than each driver and boy, like an ant carrying a grain of corn, hurries off with his burthen to his mail-cart or horse, The driver packs his own cart the boy nimbly hop- ping into his saddle, and leaning backwards, as before de- scribed,. is assisted by the porter, who, if he can manage to buckle the right strap of the valise quicker than the flibber- tigibbet he is waiting on can fasten the left one, exclaims gruffly, 11 Look sharp !"—which convulsively affecting the child's spur, away the poor horse starts. The drivers in their red carts, soon follow; and in a few seconds, cleverly worming their way through the variety of two-wheeled and four-wheeled obstacles that obstruct them, all are to be seen strenuously radiating to their respective destina- tions. The number of horses daily employed in this manner by the district department alone is 150. The rate at which they go may be exemplified by the single instance, that twelve minutes only are allowed from the General Post-office to Charing-cross. The interesting operation, or rather the series of operations, which we have thus faintly sketched, is, excepting Sundays, repeated during the day, for—ten "town" deliveries seven boyond the towu and within the three-mile circle five within the three and six mile circles three within the six and twelve mile circles. During upwards of 15 hours out of the 24, consequently, the interior of the London district office exhibits a succession of labour of a very exhausting de- scription while beyond its walls there are, in darkness and in daylight, exposed to every sort of weather, a brigade of men, of boys, and of poor horses, vibrating, with short intervals of rest, between St. Martin's le-Grand and their respective stations. In the rear' of the London Post-office we observe a small narrow stable, in which in rainy weath.er there are stuffed, on the principal of first come first served, seventeen or eighteen the remainder having to seek for shelter elsewhere. The drivers I and boys are selected for their duties by a steady middle-aged man, whose office it has been for many years to watch their departures and arrivals, and who accordingly, having very naturally lost his voice in such inclement service, utters his valedictions as well as his maledictions in a tone, as nearly as possible, half way between a whisper and a bark. '1 h :■ r ding boys are mostly from fourteen to sixteen years of age after which," our :professional adviser hoarsely informs ue, "they mostly grows into drivers." As regards the cutlinj of their stomachs, they are, every one of them, apparently of the French pig or greyhound breed and their clear complexions also indicate high condition and joyous health. We particu- larly noticed Richard Martin, who, we wefie half softly and half gruffly informed by his governor, is not only the best rider, but in point of conduct, the best boy in the service. A more agreeable specimen of the English countenance, and indeed of the unassuming character of a mild bold English boy, could scarcely be met with. Ever since this little fellow was eleven years and a half old, he has been riding on her Majesty's service for six days in the week—begining at a quarter before eight and ending at half-past seven-tr.irt) -five measured miles per day He has done this for two years and a half continually, with the exception of one week only, when he was sick. His journey is from the Post-office to Shoreditch church and back and, in spite of carts, carriages, cabs, busses, &c., he performs it regularly ten times a-day. Not to dwell- upon the storms of wind, rain, snow, and sleet, to which, in. daylight as well as in darkness, he must be occasionally ex- posed, his greatest trouble, and indeed danger, proceeds from the slippery state of his road in frosty and in what he termed to us greasy weather. As the poor boy had no father, and as his-mother is a charwoman, it is of course almost impossible to hurt him nevertheless, he told us very artlessly that in bad weather his horse had repeatedly slipped up with him, at often as three or four times a week; but, as Sam "Welier has very justly observed, "Who ever knowed a church yard ee there was a postboy's tom-stone, or who ever seed a deal postboy ? On the Queen's birthday these riding boys receive a hat with a fine gold band and cockade, a bright scarlet jacket, a beautiful blue waistcoat, and—just as if Joseph Hume had then suddenly clasped them round the waist—nothing more We should be sorry to implant in their light hearts a seed of discontent, yet, when we reflect on the everlasting bumping work they have to perform, we must own that, from a very slight experience in such matters, it "occurred to us that her Majesty's Postmaster-general, who, not improbably, knows some of the uses to which buckskin can be applied, might surely take an opportunity of explaining in respectful, appro- priate, but in most pathetic terms, that these fine little boys, who convey the correspondence of the commercial metropolis of the world, are unscientifically covered at the wrong end that it would be more creditable to a gre.it nation to clothe them all over, and that at all events it would be infinitely more agreeable to them to go with their heads bare" Because they've got no hats to wear, than,, as at present, the contrary.

York on the 27th ot July, arrived at Liverpool in ten days eight hours and a half, the quickest ran ever made. SIXGULAK ADVEXTUlms IN QUEST OF A THIEF.—A curious case has recently occurred, the connexion of which with our city leads us to give it a record in our paper. Early in the spring of the present year, Mr. Saynor, superintendent of the C divi- sion of the Manchester police, was made aware of the arrival in Manchester of a man named Mark Booth (well known to the police), who, it was reported, had just returned from America, enriched wich the proceeds of a robbery which he had there com- mitted. Mr. Saynor wrote to the authorities in the United States to ascertain particulars; but before his letters could be replied to, Mr. Beswick, chief superintendent of our police, re- ceived a letter from a Mr. Stephen Cropper, a gunsmith, late of Birmingham, who had recen.ly voyaged to the United States, and had settled in Philadelphia as a gunmaker. In this letter Mr. Cropper stated that soon after his landing he had met with a man named Mark Booth, who had just arrived from Manchester, England, and whom he had taken into his service. Booth and he were thus in frequent communication with each other, and this gave the former an opportunity of learning that Cropper kept his money in a carpet-bag, deposited in the bedroom at his lodgings. To this room Booth, on some pretence, during the absence of Cropper, obtained access, and, cutting the bag open, possessed himself of the sum of Z480, and forthwith absconded. The date of this transaction was the 22nd February, but it not until the 29th of April that Cropper s letter reached Mr. Beswick, in Manchester. It subsequently turned out that Crop- per, after settling in Philadelphia, had sent for his wife and live children, whose arrival in America, however, happened to occur just two days after the robbery, so that Cropper at that time was penniless, and but for the assistance of persons in that neighbour- hood the family must have starved. In reply to Cropper's letter, Mr. Beswick wrote to say that Mark Booth (whose identity was fully confirmed by a Talbotype portrait sent from Philadelphia), Was in Manchester, and had set up a beer-house and that if the necessary warrants were forwarded the man could be apprehended. Soon afterwards a warrant came over, signed by Joel Jones, mayor of Philadelphia, and William Peter, Esq., consul, certifying that a robbery had been committed, and re- questing that its perpetrator may be arrested. Owing, how- ever, to some informalities in the document, it could not be acted upon; and word was sent to Cropper by Mr. Beswick to that effect. A fortnight ago, Mr. Cropper himself arrived in Manchester, bringing with him a certificate signed by the consul, and a second one signed by the chief justice of a, Philadelphia, certifying the genuineness of the warrants, and was at once referred by Mr. Beswick to Lord Palmerston, as it was requisite to obtain from the Foreign Secretary a certifi- cate which would enable a justice in the metropolis to issue a warrant upon which Booth could be arrested. This certificate was at last obtained, and the chief magistrate of Bow-street was applied to for a warrant; but fortunately, on examination, it turned out that the warrant brought out by Cropper from the States charged Booth with committing a larceny whereas, no such term was used in Lord Ashburton's international treaty, which only spoke of robbery. The magistrate, on this tech- nical objection, refused to grant the process which Mr. Cropper had applied for and Mr. Maude, when Cropper returned to Manchester followed the example, and thus Cropper was unable legally to apprehend the man who had robbed him. He after- wards returned to Manchester but, meanwhile, Mr. Wood, liatter, of the Market-place, having heard of Cropper's arrival in this country, called to mind that that gentleman had left a large bill, which was still in his (Mr. Wood's) books, unpaid aLd he therefore obtained a judge's order, proceeded to the Blackamoor's Head, and put his debtor under arrest. Mr. Chopper, therefore, now lies at Lancaster gaol, in the enjoy- ment of abundant leisure to reflect upon his remarkable ad- Ventures in search of stolen property .lanchester ExamineJ, REDUCTION OF LABOUR ON RAILWAYS.—The reduc o, i in the number of persons employed in the construction of lim s has ben very considerable, amounting to 84,361 persons, against an in- crease of only 3,280 employed upon lines open for traffic, show- ing that 81,081 persons, who, in May, 1848, were actively employed in some capacity upon railways had been removed from this employment, and thrown upon the general labour market of the country. Of this number about 18,000 have been thrownsout of employment in Ireland. This added to the reduction in the previous year, gives a total of nearly 150,000 who have been thrown out of employment, apd which will in the course cf the current year, unless some great change takes place in railway affairs, be augmented, probably to the extent of 60,000 more, Snaking an aggregate of upwards of 200,000 persons, who may be considered as having been temporarily withdrawn from other occupations by the stimulus which railways received in lob and J.815, and who must now seek a livelihood in other ways. 4

A NOVEL MODE OF ASSAULT. -Tliom-cis Matthews, a young man of colour, who said that he was interpreter in the employ- ment of several foreigners in London, was brought before Z, Alderman Gibbs, on Friday, charged with having refused to pay two cabmen their legal demands for cab hire,—Thomas Love, cab proprietor and driver, said Last evening, at six o'clock, while I was on the Whitechapel-strand, the defendant came up and hired my cab to take him to the Haymarket. We were to go to Leadenhall-street to take up some friends of his, to whom he was showing the beauties of London but when we got into Leadenhall-street and met his friends, they refused to accompany him, and so he got off the box and wanted to cut away without paying but I told him my demand was Sd., but lie swore I had no claim upon him, and when I insisted upon being paid my fare he punched me with his head (a laugh).-Alclerman Gibbs:, With his head?—Cabman: Yes, your lordship. He butted at me like a bullock. There was no standing against it.—Alderman Gibbs: What! he didn't find any occasion to use his hands?—Cabman Not at all. He didn't want hands; he went in head foremost, and there was no use in hands against him (laughter).—Alderman Gibbs Was he s:)ber ?-Cabiiiai Perfectly sober.— William Sims, cab driver, said The black gentleman hired my cab, as well as the last witness's, on the Whiteehapel stand, to take up some of his friends in Leadenhall-street, and when I drove there he told me to go to the d 1, and refused to pay me my fare. I told him I must have my SlI., for taking me off my stands and he then squared at me with his fist, bat he' went in at me with his head, and he butted me until I was obliged to give it up. The policeman then came up and he butted him too (laughter).- T,i,- policeman said that when he went up to the spot where the row was, he saw the black man scuffling with the last witness. "When he interfered the de- fendant seemed disposed to pitch his head in to--him (laughter). —The defendant said the cabmen had determined to make a profit of him, and demanded half-a-crown each for driving into Leadenhall-street, and as he refused to pay such a sum,. they pitched in him into their way, and of course he was obliged to pitch into them in his.—Alderman Gibbs Have you any of your friends to prove that ?—The Defendant: No they went to look after the sights and as they had only a short time to stay they left me in the mess (a laugh).—Alderman Gibbs You must pay each of these men eightpence fare, and half-a-crown for his expenses, and you must also pay 5s. for the assaults, or go to prison for one month. WESLEY-AX NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION.— On Thursday, at a- meeting before the Master in Chancery (Kindersley), a dividend of los. in the pound was declared, payable to all those creditors whose claims to the extent of between £2,000 and £3,000 had been allowed by Mr. Goodchap, the manager. The divi- dend accrues out of the amount of two calls of £4 per slure paid by the contributors, and cut of the debts of the estate that have been collected. There are other claims of creditors to be settled, which, with the expense consequent on the process of winding- up, will, it is expected, render another call of E4 per share necessary, making a total of £12 per share payable by the share- holders who embarked in the undertaking. THE MINISTERIAL DINNER.—The following members of the Government (in and out of the Cabinet) dined together on Saturday, at the Trafalgar, Greenwich, preparatory to the ter- mination of the session :The Lord Chancellor; R. M. Bellow Hon. E. Bouverie j Hon. Colonel Boyle; Earl of Carlisle; A, E. J. Coekbum Sir W. G. Craig Admiral Dundas Viscount Ebrington Lord Foley; Ear. Grey; Sir G. Grey; J. Hatcaetl;. Right I-loii, W. G. Hayter; Benjamin I-lawes Lord Marcu-s- Hill; Ilight Hon. W. S. Lascelles Right Hon. Fox Maule G. C. Lewis; Earl of Mi-nto; Viscount Palmerson; J. Parser Sir J. Romilly; Earl of Strafford Marquis of Westminster:- Sir Charles Wood Sir W. Somerviile; Lord Seymour. THE East India Company entertained L:eatenant G ;n II^ir' William Gomm, K.C. B,, at dinner, on Saturday e eyi'ng~&ar j 1 honour of his appointment a; Cominuuds.-in-Ch.oi' tf fr. Baa- bay Presidency. R > "I 5 "■

clubs to Wilkes' and Smith's assistance. The object of this deception, practised by Wilkes on the officers, was to sharpen their sight and hearing, that, on the activity of those organs was to depend the warrant of Wilkes and Company for all they would be called on to do. Between eleven and twelve of that day the officers were concealed in the closet, the bed allotted to Bristol Bill was tumbled, his boots sprinkled with dust, and the room otherwise disordered, to give the appearance of occupation. Here Bristol Bill was seated by the side of a bottle of brandy, in his shirt sleeves, smoking a cigar, and ready to appear writing a letter to Margaret O'Conner, which lay already commenced before him. While things were in this condition; Thompson met Drury on Brooklyn heights. Thompson then proposed to go to Bristol Bill's room. This Ihury consented to do The conversation in the room then opened exactly as it had been laid out by Wilkes and Co.; and when Darlington communicated his pretended intentions against Warner, the countenance of Drury exhibited an ex- pression of delight. The conversation between Bristol Bill, One-Eyed Thompson, and Samuel Drury, and the acknowledg- ments or pretended acknowledgments said to have been made by Drury on that occasion, have been published heretofore, and are not necessary for us to go into at present. Shortly after this the party rose and adjourned, after a sitting of nearly two. hours, and the officers were let out of the closet. They were pale with excitement, and ready for action, but on looking round found no person to arrest.. The officers saw, however, or pretended to see, the object for which they had been brought, and communicated the horrible revelations they said they had heard. On the following evening the officers were taken before Justice Lothrop, at his private room, with the witnesses to the other branches of the case, and on the joint testimony, warrants were issued against both Samuel Drury and his son. On the Friday following, the arrests were to be made, and to bring Drury easily to the hands of Wilkes and Co., a. meeting was projected between Drury and Thompson at nine o'clock in the morning of that day, on the heights, At eight o'clock Wilkes crossed the Catherine Ferry, accom- panied by officers A. M. C. Smith, Jenkins, and Crassous. Wilketf did not intend originally, it was alleged, to take any part personally, but now that matters were drawing to a close, Wilkes wished to see the climax of his work." About nine o'clock Thompson and Drury met at Fulton Ferry, and walked up the heights together. Officer Crassous followed in sight. Jenkins ;trailed Crassous, and A. M. C. Smith and Wilkes held a post of observation in the extreme rear. Thompson turned into an open lot, on the heights, and Drury followed him, and in the space of twenty minutes came out and separated officers Jenkins and Crassous closed on Drury, who was taken into custody, and conveyed to the Tombs, in New York-. This stool pigeon" confederacy, in which Bristol Bill forms such a conspicuous part, as the associate of George Wilkes, editor of the Police Gazette, One Eyed Thompson, and others, forms no ordinary history of his career in this country. However, before the trial of the Drurys took place Bristol Bill and his mistress left the city together with M-eadows, for the quiet state of Vermont, where they settled down and en- tered into the extensive manufacture of counterfeit money atid, added by the valuable bank dies stolen in Boston, their business was comparatively easy. But a few months only elapsed, notwithstanding their extreme cunning, before their nefarious operations were known- to, the public authorities of Danville, who caused the whole party to be arrested. Imme- diately on the arrival of the news in this city of Bristol Bill's arrest, Marcus Tullius Cicero Stanley and T. \Varner posted off in great haste for Danville, Vermont, knowing full well that Margaret O'Connor would be with Bill. On arriving there,- Mr. Warner tjok Margaret O'Connor into custody on the copy of the bail bond, which had been duly made over to him. Thereupon hrgaret was brought back to this city by Warner ::iul Stanley, and placed in the Tombs for safety, until called upon to testify on the trial to come since which time Bristol Bill and Meado.vs have been tried and convicted, and the court, on Friday last, pronounced judgment, by giving each ten years' imprisonment at hard labour in the State Prison. Bristol Bill, on the judgment rendered, felt indignant at the energy ex- hibited by Mr. Davis, the State Attorney, sprang upon him in court, and endeavoured to take his life on the spot, by thrust- ing a kuife into the neck of Mr. Davis. This last act of this desparado will consign him to the State Prison for life, should Mr. Davis recover and, if not, Bristol Bill will terminate his career of crime on the gallows. THE Steam Ship, Atlantic, Captain West, whiah left New