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BARLtAMENTABY JOTTINGS. _....:----O
BARLtAMENTABY JOTTINGS. THE sixth. Parliament of the reign of Victoria *hioh was elected in April and May, 1859, came t.t a close on Thursday, the 6th of July. During the prorogation ceremony, which always precedes ) the dissolution, there were scarcely a-dozen peers Present; the Duke of Argyll was the only member of the Cabinet, on the Ministerial bench; of the ^mainder that were in attendance in the House Of T<ords I noticed, besides the Royal Commis- aioners, Lords Cardigan, Redesdaie, St. Maur, alld Chelmsford. The Lord Chancellor was con- spicuous bv his absence, and Lord Redesdaie, as deputy Speaker of the House, filled his place. There were a great mimber of ladies present in gallery and area of the House, many of whom for the first time had the opportunity of seeing Ithe State form of proroguing Parliament, for when this is done by Royalty the peeresses claim their tight. of the gallery to the exclusion of others; but "iea the ceremony is performed, as upon this Occasion, by Royal Commission, there is no anxiety to Witness it on their paxt. Well, to give my readers an idea of the form of Prorogation. The Gentleman Usher announces "the Royal Commissioners;" the peers rise and take off their hats, out of compliment to the Sovereign, and in stride the five Commissioners, frith big wigs and huge cocked hats, just stuck Ipon the top, and old-fashioned scaTlet cloaks. On this occasion the representatives of her Majesty were the Earl Granville, the Earl of St. Germans, Viscounts Sydney and Eversley, and ftaron Wensleydale. A general ticter was heard to issue from the Sweet lips of the ladies: as these funny-looking characters, whose features were quite concealed by old-fashioned wigs, passed along. As soon as Commissioners had' taken their seats, the clerk j the table, who, by-the-bye, is Mr. Slingsby tfyethell, second son of the late Lord Chancel- read the Royal Proclamation appointing, tiie Commission, which was all in Norman- ^renoh, not one person, perhaps, in the whole French, not one person, perhaps, in the whole Assembly understanding a word that was said. The clerk, as if cognisant of this, rattled away at railway speed, repeating the* whole in one con- tenuous sentence; after which another clerk called ) forthe "Usher of the Black Rod," and imme- 4iatelY appeared Sir Augustus Clifford, in his suit of ^^ple and gold. Let the faithful Commons be | ^^Sioned," was uttered by Earl Granville, as I Commissioner, and away went Black returning in ar few minutes, not with a scrambling lot, as is the case when an important ^Qouncement is expected in a speech, or when parliament is prorogued by Royalty; no, only a staid, steady old members, who considered j^eir seats secure, and who were determined ^see the last of the Session, amongst whom were Alderman Salomons* Colonel Sykes, Mr. I jr^bley, Colonel-Wilson Patten, &c.; the clerks of the BEouse of Commons in their wigs and gowns aPpeared to have given their presence to swell the n^»iber. The Speaker having arrived at the bar the House, Sir Augustus Clifford announced £ Eej> Majesty's faithful Commons," whereupon Granville read the Queen's Speech in a very Modest tone, far different to the solemn maimer in, whlcli it used to be read by-Lord Westbury. The Royal Speech, as my readers are aware, was a remmS of the proceedings- of Parliament: during the past Session, congratulating the mem- Wa upon passing many important measures, Which are likely to benefit the genaral commu- ^*5, &c. The allusion to the dissolution, ad- ^Bsed to the Lords, was in these words: That, 7s tke present Parliament has nearly lasted the assigned by law for the duration of Parlia- you cannot enter upon another yearly ?e8sian with advantage to the public interest; it therefore her Majesty's intention immediately ^dissolve the present Parliament, and to issue j^8 for the calling of a new one." To the Com- it was said that The electors of the United tngdom would soon be called upon again to ooe their representatives in Parliament; and Jhafc her Majesty fervently prayed that the bless- of Almighty God might attend their proceed- aad might guide them towards the attainment ^thfrobject o £ her Majesty's*.constant-, solicitude— ^'welfare and happiness of her people." At the ^°Mtxstoti of the speech the Commons bowed low to the Royal Commissioners and retired. -4s soon as the Speaker refurned to the Commons p resumed his seat, the Speech wets re-read. Im- mediately afterwards the House was formally pro- and Mr,Brand, t&e Ministerial whipper-in, the fear members who still' remained, and shook han& heaartily with the Speaker, as ïya would do with a schoolmaster going home the holidays. Tlrus tire House was closed for Session of 1865. Another formality had yet to be gone through. dissolution proclamation is prepared by the Council, and signed by her Majesty, and tbllt-there should be no delay, Lord Palmerston a select few- of the Privy Councillors awaited Windsor Castle the announcement, by telegram, ? the proceedings in Parliament, and the Lord chancellor received, in a very short time after the, ceremony of prorogation, an electric com- rftnication cony-eying the form of proclama- 5^0 of dissoluti-n. to which Lord Westbury, 4 his last act of office, attached, the Great Itis, and then resigned them to his succes- Lord Cr an worth, the newly-appointed Lord "anceflor. The election writs were the same Zoning issued from the Sarraper-offlee, and all Wttitln. form for the reconstruction of a new Parlia- "lent. The events of the next week will be solely elee- ^tteering ones.
the trial of DR. pritchabb.
the trial of DR. pritchabb. proceedings ware- resumed on Wednesday r^niag at ten o'clock. After so«ie formal evidence to articles found in the prisoner's Bouse, h "oha Campbell, manager of the Apothecaries OOm- at Glasgow, gave evidence as to the prisoner g purchased at various dates from Novemper, 9.'c.. to February, 1865, tincture of aesnite, tartarisea j^Olony, tartar emetic, and laudanum. He hatt a q7?So dispensing trade, and he was straok with the tity of antimony sold to the prisoner, and- also the quantity of tincture of aconite. He had been jjj^pensins? apothecary for twenty-three years, and r^ll his experience he had never furnished so much to any other medical man. Douglas M&clagan, Dr Littlejohn, and Dr. Edinburgh, and Dr. Pi Penny, Glasgow, gave jjTrJsace as to the result of the po -t-mortem exami- Jh i?a8 the bodies of the prisoner's Wife and 0t £ ter-in law, and as to the result of the chemical 8itK the contents the different organs. The jw 5?tauce of their testimony was that there were no itappemraiieca in the bodies capable of aecount- Qi5 death; that Mrs. Pritchard^ had taken a large vV11^^ in the form of tartar emetie in repeated doses Qitsh had caused her death, and that Mrs. Taylor had ^2° taken a considerable quantity of antimony in a of d»ses in the form ef a tartar emetic, wh had caused her death. Penny said he had found aconite in the bottle M, a^ley's solution of opiums which was taken out of "I'vylor's pocket after her death. He concluded KgJ11 hi& experiments that there- was more than five /5Qnt.? bnt less than ten per cent, of aconite in ^bottle. was of opinion that Mrs. Pritchard stcr&n doses of antimony administered in ciiedf quantif.ieg, and that Mrs.- Taylor might have lo ¡rom a dosvof antimony ad miaietered shortly be- ois eath, or eles from-some of. the sedative narcotic tVo °Q" ™^ere w%a nothing to indicate apoplexy as T)0anSO of d3ath* Patterson, of Glasgow, believed, after hearing the uen.ce, that the of Mrs» Taylor was occa- I sioned by a combination of antimony and opium; he also said that if the opium which Mrs. Taylor took had upwards of five per cent. of Fleming's tincture of aconite in it, the effect would have been much more rapid, and much mora likely to be fatal. Mr. Maobrair, trustee of the late David Cowan, of Portsmouth, proved that MrfJ. Taylor had control of £3,000 under Mr. Cowan's will, and that Mrs. Taylor had made a will leaving two-thirds of that sum to Mrs. Pritchard, and in the event of her death to Dr. Pritchard, who was to get the interest till his children should attain the age of twenty-one, and after that time he was to get the money for himself. In July, 1864, Mrs. Taylor had paid X500 to Dr. Pritchard. After some formal evidence, two declarations omitted by the prisoner were then read. In the first, made on the 2nd of March, he said his wife's last ill- ness was gastric fever, and that he gave her no medicine at all' himself, excepting wine, champagne, and brandy, to support her strength, in order to procure her sleep. He said he had given her a small quantity of chloro- form, but it entirely disgreed with her, and he discon- tinued it. He sent for her mother to nurse her, and I he ascribed his wife's decease to the agitation conse- quent on her mother's death. He said be had never given his wife antimony but on one occasion, in Octo- ber last. He applied it externally to her when she had a s welling of a gland in the back. He gave his wife a little bottle of antimony for the purpose of rubbing in behind her ear. He used antimony exten- sively in his practice, and kept it in a cupboard in his consulting-room- In his second declaration made on the 21st of April, he said that he was in no way acces- sory to Mrs. Taylor's death, that he never administered poison to her, and that he believed she died from paralysis and apoplexy. This closed the case for the prosecution, and the court adjourned at half-past fiye. The court met again on Thursday morning at ten o'clock, and proceeded with the evidence for the de. fence, which occupied two hours. John Simpson, of the firm of Duncan, Flockhart and Co., chemists, of Edinburgh, Thomas Fairgrieve, and Jatnes Thomson, gave evidence as to the purchase of thevarions poisons for Dr. Pritchard. Charles Pritchard, the eldest son of the prisoner, eleven years of age, and Jane Pritchard, his daughter, fourteen years of age, were examined very briefly, the son saying that his papa and mamma lived very happily together, and were very fond of one another and the daughter saying that her grand mamma. and papa were very fond of each other. The prisoner was much aSecbed while his children were under examination. The Solicitor-General then addressed the jury for the. prosecution. He went over the medical evidence and the history of the case, contending that it had been clearly proved that both the ladies had died of poison, and that however they came by that poison, neither the one nor the other took it wilfully. It was also clear that as the poison must have been taken in repeated doses it could not have been taken by acci- dent, as the idea of suioide; and the idea of accident were both out of the question. The jury were shut up to the conclusion that murder had been committed in both cases. He showed that the only two persons who had access to the deceased ladies, and had any opportunity t)) perpetnate the murder, were the prisoner and the servant-girl Mary M'Leod. He argued that the grailuat poisoning of the wife could not have been done by a girl of seventeen, and that in the nature of the murder they could almost detect the finger of a doctor. He noticed the facts brought out in evidence as showing that the prisoner had the means' and opportunity of committing the murder, dwelling especially upon, hifi dropping the sugar into the egg- flip which made the servant and Mrs. Pritchard sick. As to the case of Mrs. Taylor, he maintained that her death was elearly due; to the aconite which had been mixed. with Battley's solution, and that the evidence left no room to doubt that the prisoner had put that aconite in the bottle. He oonoluded. by asking a ver- diet of guilty. Mr. Clarke next addressed the jury for the prisoner. He pointed out that the prosecution had not been able to assign any motive for the commission of the crimes charged against the prisoner. He reminded the jury that they could not proceed upon probabilities or sus- picions merely, but must have proof. The prosecutor picions merely, but must have proof. The prosecutor must prove by evidence that it was not Mary M'Leod, or some one else in the house, that administered the poison, and it was only by showing that it was not Mary M'Leod that he could bring the charge home to the prisoner. After noticing the evidence as to the circumstances attending the illness and death of the two ladies, he maintained that the prosecution had not baen able to trace one case of poisoning to the prisoner's hands. In every one of the cases Mary M'Leod was concerned. All that the Solicitor-General I maintained w-aff that there were bat two persons who could commit the crime, the prisoner and Mary M'Leod, and yet, without asking Mary M'Leod whether she put- anything in the food, the jury were asked to believe that she was not guilty, and therefore that the prisoner was guilty. He concluded by maintain. ing that the whole evidence for the prosecution hung upon probability, and could never justify the jury in believing that the prisoner wa, capible of committing the unparalleled and hideous, murders with which he was charged. At half-past four o'olock the court adjourned till next-morning. The Judge's Charge and the Verdict of the Jury. The court met again on Friday morning at ten o'clock. The public interest in the trial had greatly inereaeed; and the doors of the court-room were be, sieged by hundreds of persons eager to obtain admis- sion to hear the judge's charge to the jury. The Lord Justice Clerk, after referring to the great atrocity of the crimes laid to the prisoner's charge, and the singular means' by which it was alleged he perpetrated these crimes, said there were three things of which the jury must be satisfied upon the evidence. In the first place, they must be satisfied that the deceased died by poison in the second plaee, that the poison was wilfully administered for the purpose of destroying life; and in the third place, that it was the prisoner at the bar who so administered it, or caused it to be so adminis- tered. Having^ gone over the medical evidence in regard to the first question, he said the jury would consider whether it was possible to resist these con- clusions; first, that Mrs. Pritchard died from the action of antimony alone, administered in large quantities; and, secondly, that Mrs. Taylor died from action of antimony either alone or in combination with aconite and opium. In the case of Mrs. Pritchard the evidence of the poison having been taken colt- itinuously for a period of months excluded the pos- sibility of either accident or suicide, and, there- fore, it seemed impossible to resist the conclusion that the poison must have been administered by some one for the purpose of destroying her life. ,The character and conduct of Mrs. Taylor and her general oonditioa of body and mind were such as not to suggest the idea of suicide in her case as a possi- bility at all, and whether she died through the influ- ence of antimony administered in several doses, as the chemical reports clearly bore out, or whether her death waa brought about immediately through swal- lowing some of the contents of the bottle of Battley's solution, it was very, difficult to understand how her death waa caused by accident. The jury would consider whether they could resiat the conclusion that the poison by which Mrs. Taylor was deprived of life was also wilfall? very purpose of destroying life. The third question, wiueh was one of vital interest in the case, !#r6^ ?r, ^he prisoner administered, or procured to be administered to either or both of the ladies, the ptoison by which their lives were destroyed. His lordship went minutely into the evidence relating to the illness and death of the two ladies, direoting the attention of ihejury to tne-fact, and characterising it as a very remarkable circumstance that through- out, whenever the prisoner had ocoasion to explain to anybody what he thought was the matter with his wife, he called it gastric fever, when all the symptoms indicated the very reverse her being under fever. His lordship also pointed out to the jury that the prisoner reported to the registrar that Mrs. Taylor had been under paralysis for twelve hours, which he knew was an absolute falsehood; and that the dis- ease which immediately preceded death was apoplexy, while the medical evidence had demon- strated that there was not a trace of apoplexy in the case. The jury would consider whether, in the case of a professional man like the prisoner, he could, under the circumstances, if his wife died under the effects of antimonial poison, be so far deceived as to believe she died of. gastric fever. After noticing the evidence as to the poisoned cheese, the egg flip, and the tapioca, his lordship said it appeared beyond a j doubt that some one had been practising a system of I poisoning, and that in possession of the prisoner were j the agents to carry it on. If he understood the theory °f( tlie prisoner's counsel aright, it was that Mary M'Leod was the person who caused these murders,, and that the jury must choose between her and the I prisoner at the bar by balancing probabilities; but the prisoner's counsel did not seem sufficiently to ad- vert to the possibility that both might be implicated, and if that was so they could have very little doubt who was the master and who set on the other; but he (the Lord Justice Clerk) did not desire the jury to take this theory, and he thought it quite right that they should consider upon the balance of probabilities which of the two was the perpetrator of the crimes. I Was it conceivable that a girl, sixteen or seventeen years of age, in the position of a servant-maid, could bave herself conceived or executed such a design P and if she had conceived it, could she have executed it, subject; to the vigilance of the husband of her victim, himself a medical man ? That was very hard to believe, indeed. On the other hand, if the prisoner conceived and executed the design, it was not so difficult to believe that Mary M'Leod may have been the per- feotly unconscious and innocent instrument of carry- ing out his purpose. If they were satisfied the murder was committed, the parties who had access to Mrs. Pritchard only could have done it. Some of them were plainly innocent, and in case of others the probability of guilt was reduced to two; of these two one or both of them were guilty of the deed. The jury- retired to consider their verdict about twenty minutes past one o'clock, and returned in about an hour with anunanimolls verdict of Gllilty" on both charges. The Lord Justice Clerk then sentenced the prisoner to be executed at Glasgow on the 28th inst., and in passing sentence said that the verdict of the jury pro- ceeded upon evidence which could leave no reasonable doubt on the minds of those by whom it was con- sidered. The prisoner, who had maintained great composure during the five days of the trial, seemed greatly affected when the verdict was pronounced, and leant slightly on the policeman sitting beside him, but while the sen- tence was being recorded he completely regained his composure, and after sentence was passed upon him he bowed to the judge, and also to the jury, before leaving the dock. After the convict had been removed from the bar of the Justiciary Court to the cell below, he took tea. Immediately on reaching the cell where the refresh- ments^ were set, he said to one of the policemen who had charge of him, "I'm innocent of this charge." This was the only remark he made. It appears he was so confident that the verdict would be in his favour, that on Friday he stated to those around him that he woald immediately go south, and afterwards to Italy, to join Garibaldi. On Saturday morning Dr. Pritchard was removed from the Calton Gaol, Edinburgh, to Glasgow, under the eharge of a criminal officer and three assistants. Before leaving the gaol he was shackled to the officer, and he, remained' fastened in this way through- out the journey. He appeared quite composed, and looked about him with the utmost coolness. Some feeling has been shown by the populace against Mary M'Leod. After she had left the court on the day that she gave her important evidence she walked down the High-street. She was recognised by the crowd that had assembled in the street, some of whom gave her a faint hooting, but it was not apparently sympathised in by the others. After the convict's daughter, Jane Frances Pritchard, left the court on Thursday afternoon she fainted, but speedily revived. On Friday night two rumours were current re- specting the prisoner. It was said he had confessed his guilt, a report probably arising from the public in- stinct of what it was his duty to do. The other rumour was tha,t he had poisoned himself, which doubtless had its origin in the fact that for the last two days of the trial the brother of the prisoner was not allowed longer to sit beside him; it being thought that too tempting an opportunity was thereby offered to cornmuTiioate to the prisoner some means which would anticipate and thereby defeat, the solemn sentence of the law. Confession of Dr. Pritchard. The convict Pritchard, in consequence, it is said, of the entreaties of his eldest daughter, bas confessed that he poisoned his wife, giving as the reason his illicit intercourse with Mary M'Leod. He denies having poisoned Mr?. Taylor, but admits that after her death he put aconite into her bottle of solution,
THE NEWS BUDGET. •1♦
THE NEWS BUDGET. • ♦ Murder by a Farmer.—Denis Driscoll, a farmer belonging to Mohona, near Skibbereen, the other day followed a man named Cornelias Brian, and with a soy the severed his head from his body. There are numerous reports as to the cause which led to the murder, but it is confidently believed that jealousy had a great deal to do with it. Fatal Accident.— On Saturday morning a man named Henry White was employed in working the steam-engine used in the construction of the embank- ment »ear Westminster-bridge, and, when iff habit of hoisting a bucket of water oat of the river, its ""1glQt overbalanced him. He fell into the river, and as the tide was running strong, he was rapidly carried' away, and sank. Drags were used, and after a short time his body was recovered and taken to Westminster Hospital, where he was- found to be quite dead. Violent Thunderstorm.—Birmingham was on Saturday visited with a thunderstorm of the most violent description it lasted two hours, from one to three p.m., and during the whole of that time there poured down aa immense torrent of hail and rain. The hailstones were of enormous size, and were so thoroughly frozen that they lay in masses on the roofs of buildings, which were for a time white all- over. The heavy peals of thunder and lightning, flashes followed each other in rapid succession. A considerable amount of damage was done, and one poor woman was killed. Spinning-wiieels for the Queen.—Lost winter (says the Scotsman) her Majesty was graciously pleased to favour Mr. Peter Stewart, spinning-wheel maker, Spitalfield, Perthshire, with an order for a two-handed spinning-wheel for her Majesty's use. Mr. Stewart, who is an adept in his profession,, having spent upwards of sixty years at it, has with great care and tastd executed her Majesty's order. The wheel was sent to the Queen before her departure from Balmoral. Her Majesty was so highly pleased with it that she had it removed to Windsor Castle. A photograph of her Majesty sitting at the spinning-wheel was also allowed to be taken. The maker has been instructed to manu- facture another wheel of home wood to be ready for her Majesty on her return to Balmoral in the autumn. The Alleged Libel by a Nobleman.-Ther libel case of the Rev. Charles Janes v. Lord Lifford has again been before the Court of Common Pleas, Dublin. Several witnesses were examined in support of the plaintiff's case. The rev. gentleman, on re- examination, read portions of the aermona preaehed by him, which were alleged to have given dissatisfac- tion to some of the parishioners, and explained the doetrines which fee enunciated from the pulpit with respect to tho- the observance of m 6 At the conclusion of the plaintiff's case A f *^hiteside, Q.C., addressed the jury for the noble aeiendant, contending that the document in question was not a libel, and that, even if it did come within the technical law of libel, the defendant was proteoted by the plea. of privileged communication. Some wit- nesses were examined for the defence, after which the further hearing of the case was adjourned. 1 CJompiiment to Stratford-on-Avon.—A brother of Mrs. Beecher Stowe, a Baptist teacher in America, describing in an American journal a visit to the church at Stratford-on-Avon, says:—"I cannot tell how much I was affected. I never had such a trance of worship, and I shall never have such another view until I gain the gate. The portions which most affected me were the prayers and responses which the choir sang. I had never heard any part of a supplica- tion-a direct prayer sung by a choir, and it seemed as though I heard, not with my ear, but with my soul. I was dissolved; my whole being seemed to be iike an incense wafted gratefully towards God." Apothecaries hall—The following are the names of gentlemen who passed, ia the science and praetice of medicine, and received certificates to practise at the last examination :-Tliomg,s Henry Whitehouse Davies, Chalford, Gloucestershire; John Bradley, Liverpool; Robert Arthur Jones, Carnarvon; Isaac Thomas Bridgman, CamberweU; Paul Quick Kar- keek, Pentreeve, Truro; James Wells, Nails worth; Charles James Wills, Park-crescent, Stock well; Ed- ward Cold ride Roberts, Exeter John Hackney, Royal a ree Hospital; Charles Arthur Brigstocke, Car- marthen; Jabez Thomas, Swansea; Henry Reginald Hathsrly, Derby Infirmary. The following gentlemen also on the same day passed their first examination John Williams, Guy's Hospital; William Brown Holderness, St. George's Hospital; Frederick Hop- kins, General Hospital* Birmingham; George Bain- bridge, Leeds School of Medicine. Mr. Panizzi's Resignation.—Mr. Panizzi, it is said, quits his post at the British. Museum with a special retiring allowance of XI,400 a year—that is to say, upon a pension equal to his salary (= £ 1,200), with a«: tion^l allowance of < £ 200 per annum for the official residence. A pun, it is said, made by Walpole or Dizzy, suggested first thoughts of his end to Panizzi. asked him the difference 'twixt^Jms and fines? lis 1, says Panizzi, bows low, and resigns. A Ghost in a Hailway Bridge.—Superstition has manifested itself in a peculiar way at Bayonne. Crowds go to the railway bridge of iron nightly at Mousserole, to hear the strange noises which the bridge emits, said to be by the souls of tho-e who were victims last year of an accident at this bridge and who keep up a continual din of their hammers' proving, according to this, that hammers leave for another state as well as their owners and wielders The more reasonable attribute the noises to the exten- sion of the iron under heat, and its cooling when the sun has set; but this is pooh-poohed by the good people as absurd. At any rate, we should, were we an authority of the railway, look to the matter, upon the principle of so unusual a circumstance probably fore- telling too great a strain somewhere. Meeting of Mr. Henry Sparrow's Creditors. A meeting of the creditors of Mr. Henry Sparrow, of Corbyn's-hall Ironworks and Oak Farm Furnaces, was recently held at the Hen and Chickens Hotel, New-street, Birmingham. Mr. H. O. Firmstone was in the chair, and there was a large attendance of creditors. Mr. C. J. Hayes, of Wolverhampton Mr. W. L. Harrison, of Birmingham; Mr. Joseph Walker, of Stourbridge, represented the various interests. An assignment for the benefit of creditors was made to three trustees, Mr. H. O. FirmstoTJe; Mr. W. H. Beaumont, and Mr. N. N. Solly. The liabilities are X27,795 5s. 5d. The assets are £ 12,508 Is. 7d. The deficiency is therefore- < £ 15,289 3s. lOd. Suicide by a Married Woman.-An inquest has been held in the Holloway-road, on the body of Mrs. Margaret Smith, thirty-five years of age, whose body was found floating in "the New River a°few days ago. It appeared from the evidence of the husband that deceased had recently been desponding in con- sequence at the loss of her child by over-lying some months ago. On Wednesday she left her home sud- denly, and subseauently her dead body was found 'floating in the New River. She haj left six children, the youngest only three years of age. The jury re- turned a verdict of Suicide while in an unsound state of mind." il! Capture of an Absconding Traveller.— I In April last a man named Stevenson, traveller to Messrs. Richardson and Co., Old Corn Exchange, 'Edinburgh, absconded after embezzling £ 1,800,' M'Dowall, one of the Edinburgh detectives, was sent after him, and received some assistance from the Liverpool police, in consequence of which he sailed from Liverpool in the Canadian mail steamer on the "11th of May. In Canada he fell upon traces of the fugitive, and after going as far west as Stirling, found that Stevenson had left there six weeks before. He made his way back to Toronto, and at length caught the fugitive ploughing in a field twenty miles from that city, with two cents in his pocket, the whole of the £1,800 being spent. He apprehended Stevenson and brought him back to this country, where he has just arrived in the Canadian mail steamer Peruvian. The Late Mr. Phillimore.—The will of Mr. John George Phillimore, Q.O., of Shiplake-house, near Henley -on-Thames, and Old-square, Lincoln's-inn, was administered to in the London Court by his relict, Rosalind Margaret, daughter of Lord Justice Knight Bruce, the residuary legatee, and is as follows, and in his own handwriting:—"This is the last. will and testament of me, John George Phillimore. I give all over which I have any disposing power, with the ex- ception of the edition of Clarendon given to my father by the University of Oxford, to my dear wife; and I appoint her sole guardian of my son, not doubting that she will take care that he has a classical and learned education. And I leave to my son, as an heir- loom, the Clarendon I have mentioned above, with my blessing. Dated June 19,1859." The personalty was sworn under £ 2,000. The learned counsel was called to the bar at Lincoln's-inn, 1832; appointed Reader em Constitutional Law and Legal History to the Inns of Court, 1853 was M.P. for Leominster, 1852-7; and died at the age of fifty-six.-Illststrmted London News. The Beatrice, formerly the Rappahannock, cow the property of a Liverpool shipowner, left Calais fur Southampton on the 2ud July, and Southampton for Liverpool on Thursday. On Friday evening, when off: Point Lynas, she was sighted by a Federal frigate .which- was reported on the day as anchored near the point, and refused to signal her name. The frigate made chase, and as the Beatrice made no effort to get away the former came up with her. Having over- hauled her, the frigate altered her own course and made off, and the Beatrice was allowed to proceed quietly on her voyage, arriving at Liverpool the same night. A pilot-boat offered the assistance of a pilot to the Federal vessel, but the offer was declined. I. Death of the One-legged Dancer.—The par- ticulars of Donato's death come to us from Cyragne, France, where he died on the 10th ultimo. It appears that the dancer had all along suffered from an internal wound, for which medical men could not account; and he was sent, in ignorance of his real state, to Nice. On the journey he stopped at the little town of Cyragne, intending to recruit himself, but his state grew rapidly worse, and on the 10th of June, at ten in the evening, he expired in the arms of his wife, who, it will be remembered, had been married to him under romantic circumstances' about eighteen months previously. The funeral was celebrated with some pomp. An Interrupted Shaving Operation.—One avening last week as one of the Durham county con- stabulary was taking a prisoner up Silver-street, Dur- I" ham, he went into a barber's shop to get shaved. When the operation had been half performed, the pri- -sener, thinking it would be a good opportunity for (escape, bolted out of the shop, and throwing off his dogs; made for the Market-place. The barber, razor in hand, and the policeman half shaved, with the cloth upon his breast, rushed frantically after him, to the great dismay and consternation of the on-lookers, who thought them both to be mad. The prisoner was eventually captured, taken back to the shop, and securely handcuffed till the remaining portion of the facial operation had been performed. Coal in New Zealand.—A correspondent of a New Zealand paper says: Coal, that mineral which has achieved such wonders for our countrymen at home, which expedites our mails and facilitates the extension of commerce—coal, on which the future development of New Zealand must so largely depend, will, I firmly believe, have been won within our province before my next letter leaves Nelson. Parties are now busily at work sinking a shaft at Pakawau, where coal is known to exist, and all look hopefully forward for the time when it shall be settled of what value it is for steam purposes. No less than £ 1,000 were subscribed here within a few weeks for the purpose of sinking a shaft at Pakawau, in order that the ascertained seam of coal might be reached, and some of the mineral placed in our market.' Fire and Gallant Rescue of Itfine Persons. -On Tuesday morning a fire broke out on the exten- sive premises of Mr. C. Warren, cabinet-maker Old Kent-road At the time of the outbreak the inmates were soundly sleeping, and with great difficulty were made aware of their danger. At this moment Con- ductor Boston, with his fire-escape. arrived and heard that nine persons were in the house. He im- mediately placed his escape against the burning building, and threw his fly-ladder up to the third floor wino 0 w, when he brought down two children, a boy aged twelve years, and a child six months old. He* again threw up his machine, and brought down five other children, amidst great cheering. The fire was still raging, when he again went up by his escape, and I brought down Mr. and Mrs. Warren. He also made f a search for other persons, bat was beaten back by t the flames and heated smoke. Finding that all the [ inmates were got out, the crowd again loudly cheered him as he descended. The premises were burnt out. Singular Charge of Forgery.—At the Leeds Town-hall, kir. W. Briggs, a tailor and draper, in a large way of business, was charged with uttering a forged bill of exchange for 35 188. 6d. The bill pur- ported to be drawn by Brings, at fonr months, and accepted by Stead and Cockburn, stay manufacturers, at Leeds. Frern the evidence of Mr. Cockburn and others it appeared that the defendant had transae- tioBS with the firm, that Mr. Stead had owed 439 to 3 —————-— rigg, b':lt had no power to accept bills for the firm j rf19 t?'il m question had been paid into the Leeds j c,.ailj^ °"- -he Bank of England in the usual way. otead deposed that he had accepted a bill for £ 3518s. 6cL reg,U8at of Bigg's, hut on his own private ac- count, and not m the name of the firm. The bill now produced was not accepted in his handwriting, or by thar or authority- Another witness stated lodoJ expressed to him his desire to aeknow- and it JL 4. m?^ers wer6 allowed to remain quiat» W x ^ed on the Parfc of the defence thnt X;+act,Jally accepted the bill, but now repu- ri,„,„iirB ^n8a.cfeion from fear of his partner's dis- Stead had actually accepted the bill, but now repu- ri,„,„iirB ^n8a.cfeion from fear of his partner's dis- •, ke Mayor thought the case one for a j ury, the accused would ba committed for lii'a m-n He would, however, be liberated on fu]ot £ m' and two "sureties of .£150 each. The bail was at once found. Funeral of Mrs. Arbutlirot. -This unfortu- nate lady, whose melancholy death has excited such universal sympathy at home and abroad, waa buried last Wednesday 2a the public cemetery at Berne by special permission of the State Council. The fllDe- ral was attended by the members of the British Lega- tion, by her husband, Captain Arbuthnot, his father Mr. Archibald Arbuthnot, and his uncle, Sir Robert Arbuthnot. It appears from the medical testimony that Mrs Arbuthnot must have died instantaneously. The eleotrio fluid struck her left temple, burning the. hair. It then passed downwards, blackening and twisting a locket underneath her shawl, and burning one right side and chest severely. There was nothing about Mrs. Arbuthnot's dress to attract the lightning, though her husband and their guide carried articles of iron and steel calculated ta do so. She was not siutmg under a ^ree or near any projecting rock. Ac- cording to the guide's account, he saw the lightning strike a few yards below him and run along the ground towards the spot where Mrs. Arbuthnot was seated. Her sad fate has created a great sensation in Switzerland, and for centuries to come the melancholy death of the beautiful English bride will be remem- bered in the traditions of Interlaohen. The King of the Belgians.—The subjoined is taken from a Brussells letter of the 3rd in the ^conowie of Toarnay" The King has again been ill for the last few days. He is suffering under an attack of bronchitis, which does not, indeed, present any im4 mediate danger; but the augast and aged patient, who has always enjoyed excellent health, is now so frequently subject to successive ailments, that a de- finite and complete return to his former strength can scarcely be hopedfor. His Majesty is so persuaded of the seriousness of his present situation that he has entirely altered his conduct towards his eldest son, the heir to the throne. Until recently the King had systematically kept the Duke de Brabant apart from all actual shara in public affairs; he imposed on the Duke a reserve and an abstention whish even those most familiar with the palace have failedto satisfactorily comprehead. At this moment, on the contrary, in accordance with the counsels of his father, the Duke occupies himself actively with the politics of the day. He frequeu receives the foremost men of both Chambers, without distinction of opinion. He converses with all, and endeavours to inform himself exactly of the precise tendencies of each party. His Majesty had intended to go, during the early part of July, to Ostend, but on account of the state of his health he has given up the project." Revival of the Cotton Trade.—The town of Macclesfield celebrated on Friday evening the laying of the foundation stone of what is to be one of the largest cotton-weaving sheds in the country. The Lower Heys Cotton Mill, which has been closed for a considerable period, has been purchased by the Globs Cotton Spinning and Weaving Company (limited), owing principally to the energy and enterprise of Mjfc David Chadwick, the eminent financial agent of London and Manchester, who is himself a large share holder and one of the directors of the company. Since the purchase of the property, it has been deter- mined to build a large weaving shed, and the corner stone of the new building was laid on Friday evening amid the rejoicings of the whole community. A large procession, headed by Mr. Benjamin Whitworth, of Manchester (the Liberal candidate for Drogheda),the chairman of the company; Mr. D. Chadwick, Mr. X. Chadwick, Mr. John May, Mr. Holden, and other directors, the leading members of the corporatism followed by a large number of the inhabitants, ana accompanied by flags and bands of music playing in- spiriting airs, marched to the site of the weaving shed, where the stone was laid by Mr. David Chadwiok (who is the Liberal candidate for the borough), amid the plaudits of an immense concourse of little short of 20,000 people. Speeches of an encouraging nature were delivered by Mr. B. Whitworth, Mr. J. May, law clerk to the local com-missionerg, and Mr. Holden, and the proceedings passed off amid the greatest enthu- siasm. The mill will contain 80,000 spindles, and the weaving shed 1,450 power looms. Newman Hall on Electioneering.—On Sun- day evening, previous to his sermon at Surrey Chapel, the Rev. Newman Hall delivered a short address in reference to the pending elections. He said that a Christian man's piety should be exhibited, not in his withdrawing from public and political duties, but in his upright discharge of them. Christians should be righteous politicians. It was most important for the interests of freedom, peace, progress, and religion that fit men should be chosen for our legislators. Chria- tians should select members of Parliament, not on account of mere wealth, rank, or local influence; but because they were best fitted by wisdom, experience, sound principles, and personal integrity. Perfect identity of political opinion was not enough without trustworthiness of character. It was better to ohooaa a thoroughly good man who might differ from the elector in some opinions, than one who professed exact agreement, but whose disinterestedness and in- tegrity were open to suspicion. No Christian elector should degrade himself by submitting to threats, or receiving a bribe in any shape. Neither would he in- timidate or bribe others, directly or indirectly. More- over, any candidate who sanctioned such means, and who sought votes by public-house treating and similar methods, ought to be discountenanced by good men. Special prayer was then offered that the elections might be conducted with purity and temperance, and that a Parliament might be chosen of wise, good, and patriotic men, by which truth and justice, religion and piety might be established among us. Accident to a Goods Train. On Sunday morning, about four o'clock, an accident occurred:to the goods and luggage train from London to Birming- ham, and timed to arrive at the goods dep6t, Corzon- street, shortly after four a.m. When the train had passed the bridge at Adderley Station, the engine- driver immediately felt that something had gone wrong with the wagons, and on glancing along the train he observed that one of the wheels of a truck heavily laden had fallen off. He used every exertion to stop the train, but in a few seconds a dozen or per- haps fifteen of the trucks were off the metals. The "cripple" having turned over, and been dragged along in this state, suffered considerable damage. For a quarter of a mile or better the wagons were pulled forward in a state of great oonfuaion; but the steam having been instantly shut off, the breaks applied, and the train n.ot running rapidly at the time of the accident, the engine was brought to a standstill about a quarter of a mile beyond the station. Intel- ligence of the accident was at once forwaided to Curzon-street, and a strong body of labourers was at once dispatched to Adderley. It was found that two of the wagons had been injured, about fifteen knocked off the line, but that_ the goods had suffered very slight injury. After six hours' constant labour the trucks were brought back to the metals, and a portion of the train sent forward to Curzon-streei station. The New Continental Route.-On Saturday afternoon Mr. A. Scott, the traffic manager, Mr. Godson, the traffic superintendent, Mr. W. M. Williams, the superintendent of passenger-traffic of the South- western Railway, and the principal officers of the London and North-Western and South-Eastern Rail- ways, assembled at the Waterloo terminus for the purpose of inspecting the working arrangements of the new line of railway communication between Kensington, London-bridge, and the South Coast (for the Continent), which it is expected will be opened for public traffic in the course of the week, the alterations a"ld junctions having ail been completed. The rehear- sal train left Waterloo at half-past twelve o'clock, and proceeded to the new junction between Nine Elms and Ciapham junction, where the points and signals were examined, and thence by the West London Extension to Kensington, The special then returned along the South-Western line to Waterloo, and over the Charing- cross Railway to London-bridge, the journey being performed in about twenty-five minutes, and thus com- pleting the kmg-deeired link between Waterloo and London-bridge.