Apr. 27,] 



THE NEWSPAPER. 



unequivocally shown on the last occasion, the reluctance j 

 of individuals to encounter heavy and certain loss is not 

 much to be wondered at. It is to be hoped that means 

 will be adopted to secure to the charity the average re- 

 venue derived from such meetings. 



Leicester. — The trial of John Britton, the horse-dealer, 

 whose apprehension last September, at Walton, in this 

 county, attracted some notice at the time, took place at 

 the recent Somersetshire assizes. He was charged with 

 having assaulted and robbed James Bartlett, as far back 

 as August, 1826, at a fair at Priddy, near Wells, and 

 several facts were adduced apparently forming strong 

 evidence against the prisoner. Numerous witnesses, 

 however, gave him an excellent character, and the Jury, 

 considering the question of identity not clearly made out, 

 returned a verdict of acquittal. 



Liverpool. — The local papers state that at the conclu- 

 sion of the present assizes, on Saturday week, Mr. Baron 

 Rolfe, after sitting at Liverpool for nearly three weeks, 

 observed to Mr. Wortley that it was almost more than 

 human nature could endure to go through the labours of 

 the northern circuit. 



Oxford. — The contradictory reports that have been so 

 long current on the subject of the disputed headship of 

 Pembroke College are now set at rest by the acknowledg- 

 ment of the validity of Dr. Jeune's election.— On Thurs- 

 day the Rev. R. G. Macmullen read his first exercise for 

 the degree of Bachelor of Divinity before the Regius Pro- 

 fessor of Divinity and a numerous body of members of 

 Convocation. The subject was — u The Church of Eng- 

 land does not teach, nor can it be proved from Scripture, 

 that any change takes place in the Elements of Consecra- 

 tion in the Lord's Supper." Mr. Macmullen's Exercise 

 was rejected by the Regius Professor, as contrary to the 

 doctrines of the Church of England on the Eucharist. 

 On Saturday the candidate proceeded to read his second 

 Exercise. The subject was — M It is a mode of expression 

 oalculated to give erroneous views of Divine Revelation, 

 to speak of Scripture and Catholic Tradition as joint 

 authorities in the matter of Christian doctrine." This 

 Exercise was accepted by the Regius Professor. — The 

 magistrates who committed Elliott for trial on suspicion 

 of being concerned in the late coach robbery have been 

 called upon to admit him to bail. Two London tradesmen 

 offered themselves as his sureties, and were accepted. 



Sunderland. — The local papers mention, as a sign of 

 the times, that while the population of Sunderland is 

 steadily on the increase, the consumption of animal food 

 in that place is sensibly diminishing. The number of 

 cattle, &c, now slaughtered for the town, is believed, on 

 good evidence, to be less by 25 per cent, than in the year 

 1841. The conclusion is, that numbers of men, women, 

 and children who formerly ate animal food now live upon 

 potatoes. 



Swindon. — The Dorset Chronicle states that a decision 

 was given last week at the Swindon petty sessions, which 

 is of some importance to agriculturists. Mr. Myers, of 

 Langford, summoned Mary Hiles, keeper of the Westrop- 

 gate, Highworth, for having demanded and taken 2s. for 

 toll of a waggon laden with draining-tiles. Mr. Myers 

 observed that draining-tiles, being used for the improve- 

 ment of the land, were exempt from toll, and stated that 

 the magistrates at Fairford ihe day before had so decided, 

 having convicted the gatekeeper of the Lechlade-gate, 

 whom he had summoned for taking toll for the same load 

 of draining-tiles. Mr. Brace, of Highworth, who attended 

 on behalf of the trustees, contended that draining-tiles 

 were not exempt, not being named in the Act ; and 

 although draining had been practised for the improve- 

 ment of the land for years previous to the passing of the [ 

 Turnpike Act regulating the tolls, no mention was made 

 of the materials used for such a purpose among those 

 things enumerated as being exempt, viz.,—" implements 

 in husbandry, or any dung, compost, or manure, employed 

 in husbandry for manuring or improving land, or any 

 other thing employed in the management of any farm or 

 lands ; " and he submitted that the latter sentence ought 

 to read thus — " or any other thing (of a similar kind) 

 •employed," &c. ; for to read it otherwise, the meaning 

 would appear so general and indefinite that a farmer might 

 put his account books relating to his farm into his gig, 

 and claim exemption, as having a thing or things in his 

 gig used in the management of his farm. The magistrates 

 ooncurred in this opinion, and decided that draining-tiles 

 were not legally exempt from toll ; and consequently Mr. 

 Myers had to pay the expenses. 



Windsor.— A trotting match for 251. a side came off on 

 Monday between a light bay galloway, 13 hands, and a 

 bay cob, 14 hands high. The parties to whom they 

 belong reside in the neighbourhood of Dorset-square. The 

 distance was from Regent's-Park to Windsor, 24 miles. 

 The galloway was ridden by its owner, the cob was driven 

 in a heavy gig. The match was won by the saddle horse, 

 which completed the distance in 1 hour and 25 minutes, 

 beating the one in harness by two minutes only. The 

 winner was immediately taken back to town by railway, but 

 the other died four hours after its arrival at Windsor, in the 

 greatest tortures. The Society for Preventing Crueltv to 

 Animals have taken steps for prosecuting all the parties. 

 Railways. — The following are the returns for the past 

 week :— Birmingham and Derby, 1476/.; Birmingham 

 and Gloucester, 2229/. ; Eastern Counties, 4474/. ; Edin- 

 burgh and Glasgow, 2209/.; Great Western, 15,621/.; 

 Grand Junction, 7607/.; Glasgow, Paisley, and Ayr', 

 1334/.; Great North of England, 1518/.; London and' 

 Birmingham, 16,415/.; South-Western, 6o"77/. ; Black- 

 wall, 774/.; Greenwich, 2051/.; Brighton, 4721/.; 

 Croydon, 2641. ; Liverpool and Manchester, 4185/. ; 

 Manchester, Leeds, and Hull, associated, 6533/. ; Mid- 

 land Counties, 2625/. ; Manchester and Birmingham, I 



3425/. ; North Midland, 4429/. ; Newcastle and Carlisle, 

 1300/. ; South-Eastern and Dover, 3745/. ; Sheffield and 

 Manchester, 792/. ; York and North Midland, 1694/.— 

 Meetings were held last week at Derby and Birmingham 

 for the purpose of considering the draft of a bill now 

 before Parliament for consolidating the North Midland, 

 Midland Counties, and Birmingham and Derby Junction 

 Railways. The shareholders of the three companies were 

 unanimously in favour of the amalgamation, and the draft 

 of the Bill was therefore agreed to. — The London and 

 Birmingham Company have directed their engineer, Mr. 

 Stevenson, to make the necessary surveys on which to 

 found an application to Parliament next session for a Bill 

 to construct a line of railway communication to the district 

 in which the towns of Warwick, Leamington, Rugby, and 

 Oxford are situated, connecting it, by way of Banbury with 

 Birmingham and the north of England, as well as with the 

 south. The directors have also instructed Mr. Steven- 

 son, with a view to the further extension of railway com- 

 munication, to make surveys of the country preparatory 

 to the formation of a line of railway from Oxford to the 

 town of Aylesbury, from which latter town there is a 

 branch line to the Birmingham Railway. — Exeter must 

 now be considered a railway town, as a locomotive engine 

 last week, for the first time, made its appearance within 

 that city. On Wednesday the 17th, the first complete 

 passage of an engine from the terminus at Beambridge to 

 the new station at Exeter took place, the engine convey- 

 ing Mr. Brunei, and several of the assistant engineers. 

 The arrival of the engine was hailed with much interest 

 by the Exonians, hundreds of whom were assembled to 

 witness this novel visitor. In a few days this will become 

 an ordinary sight, as no doubt is entertained that the pub- 

 lic opening of the line will take place on the 1st of May ; 

 and there will then (with the exception of a slight break 

 between Bristol and Gloucester, which will be completed 

 in the course of a few weeks), be an unbroken railway 

 communication from Exeter to Newcastle-on-Tyne, a 

 distance of 300 miles. — The half-yearly meeting of the 

 Preston and Wyre Company, held last week, showed more 

 satisfactory results than were expected. It appears, taking 

 the accounts of the year, that the increase of receipts of 

 1844 over 1843 amounted to 3847/. 0s. Id., while there 

 has been a decrease in expenditure of 1738/. 8s. lid. The 

 progress of works in the neighbourhood of the under- 

 taking, and the improvement of property, will, it seems, 

 do much to increase the traffic of the line, independent of 

 the revenue derived from the steam communication esta- 

 blished between this and the Irish coast. The return of 

 traffic the week previous to the holding of the meeting 

 was 233/. against 143/. at the same period last year. 



IRELAND. 



The State Trials. — On Saturday, shortly before the 

 rising of the Court, the Attorney-General entered, and 

 stated that in consequence of the affidavits filed by the 

 traversers and their solicitors, he had thought it right to 

 send copies of them to the Clerks of the Peace of the city 

 of Dublin, and their deputy, Mr. Magrath. Those affi- 

 davits were connected with the charge of fraud in the 

 construction of the jury-lists. They contained no specific 

 charge against any individual ; but, as the general charge 

 of fraud was made against some person or persons un- 

 known, and as the traversers and their solicitors denied 

 that they are privy to that fraud, the Attorney-General 

 thought it right to require that the only persons who 

 could have committed that fraud should deny it on their 

 oaths — that is, all persons in the office of the Clerk of the 

 Peace who were cognizant of or connected with the forma- 

 tion of the jury-lists. The Attorney-General stated 

 accordingly, that as no affidavit had yet been filed on 

 behalf of any of these persons who had been served with 

 notice to do so, he considered it but fair towards the 

 traversers not to press on their motion on Monday, but 

 to give them sufficient time to inspect those affidavits 

 when filed. Under these circumstances, he should 

 move that the order for Monday be discharged and allowed 

 to stand generally. The moment the affidavits were filed 

 the fact would be communicated to the traversers or their 

 attorneys. Time should be given for their consideration ; 

 and, as it was expected they would be filed that evening, 

 he supposed Mr. Whiteside would be able to bring on his 

 motion on Tuesday. He wished however that the motion 

 should be allowed to stand generally. The Court assented, 

 and the order for Monday was discharged. On Monday 

 the Court was crowded from an early hour both by the 

 public and the members of the outer bar, from an expecta- 

 tion generally prevailing that some step would be taken 

 during the day which would throw light on the mystery 

 which has pervaded all parties as to the course about to 

 be taken by the Crown in connection with the Attorney- 

 General s application on Saturday evening for a postpone- 

 ment of the proceedings. The Clerks of the Peace were 

 in attendance, and Mr. McGrath, the clerk in their office, 

 in whose especial department was the preparation of the 

 Special Jury list which has been such a prolific source of 

 confusion throughout the proceedings. In the course of 

 the morning Messrs. Archer and Dickenson, the Clerks 

 of the Peace, were sworn by the officer of the Court to 

 affidavits respecting the charge of mutilating the Jury list ; 

 and Mr. McGrath also swore a very voluminous affidavit, 

 exculpating himself from any criminality in the trans- 

 action. The New trial motion commenced on Thursday. 



Dublin.— Mr. Hugh Gray, one of Lord Fortescue's 

 stipendiary magistrates, and who was reduced, but sub- 

 sequently reappointed by the present Government, 

 has had his name struck off the roll of stipendiary magis- 

 trates. This step has been taken on the ground that Mr. 

 Gray induced, as it was alleged, and through the agency 

 of one of his own policemen, a printer in Kilkenny to 



print a seditious ballad, in order to getup~a~nr ^ 



Mr. Gray, however, has appealed against the dec * 001100 ' 

 the subject is still under consideration tl- 810n »*l4 



the subject is still under consideration. This c ZT*' 

 said, is to be followed up by another Governmentln 2J- 

 into the police spy system in the King's countv Kh, 

 police officer and some subordinates are charged •itk * 

 conspiracy to get up Ribbon prosecutions. On Wed * 

 day week the Crown Solicitor made application toi£ 

 magistrates at the Shmrone petty sessions, for the » 

 pose of having summonses issued in order to inveihVj 

 the charges, but the magistrate refused to sign the i^* 



mon 



ses in the absence of Sir W. Lyner and CoS 

 Lloyd, before whom the charges are said to have heal 

 originally preferred. Wednesday last was fixed for tl* 

 commencement of the inquiry, and Sir W. Lyner th 

 stipendiary magistrate, who had been in Dublin, was di 

 rected to be in attendance. — The weekly meeting of the 

 Repeal Association took place on Monday, Mr. Mther 

 M.P. for Tipperary, in the chair. Mr. O'Connell ia 

 handing in contributions from the Catholic clergy of B*l- 

 lina and from Wexford said that on this occasion he would* 

 undertake the office of prophet— he would become the 

 Pastorini of the Association — but without the bigotry of 

 that celebrated personage. He had consulted the throb- 

 bing heart of Ireland ; he knew its bravery, but he knew 

 also its power of patient endurance ; and his prophecy 

 was this, that the prosecution will be replied to by 

 doubling the funds, and proclaiming the undeviatior 

 fidelity of the people. Give him now but eight months 

 of tranquillity, and he would certainly work out the re- 

 generation of their country. With respect to the State 

 prosecution, it was well known, he said, that its sole object 

 was to put a stop to Repeal. Their prosecutors would 

 make peace with them — with regard to law proceedings— ia 

 one hour, if they would agree to give up Repeal ; but there 

 must benocompromise — no half-measures. He wouldagain 

 tell all Ireland that peace and perseverance, and wearing the 

 a Repeal button," would be the answer to the prosecution, 

 and this line of conduct would be continued till Ireland 

 became as she ought to be, " The first flower of the earth, 

 and first gem of the sea." Mr. J. A. O'Neil then an- 

 nounced that he withdrew the notice of motion, touch- 

 ing the dissolution of the Association, which he had given 

 at their last meeting, as he was now of opinion that such 

 a motion was unnecessary. It was his opinion that the 

 Association could never be put down by force or by threat, 

 and he feared that the law of kindness, which might have 

 that effect, would not be used towards it. He had no 

 hope of such a thing. However, he added, we shall have 

 the Queen amongst us this year, and she will open every 

 prison door. Let the Repealers, then, encircle her Ma- 

 jesty, and show her, by their conduct, that they are wor- 

 thy of having that domestic Legislature which they solicit. 

 Mr. W. S. O'Brien read a long letter from Mr. O'Far- 

 rell, of Dungannon, which entered into a minute detail 

 of some local disturbance between Orangemen and Re- 

 pealers. On this Mr. O'Brien took occasion to eihort 

 Repealers to be very forbearing towards Protestants, and 

 to conciliate them as much as possible. He said it was 

 absolutely necessary to have Protestants united with them 

 in seeking Repeal. Protestants had many idle fears on 

 the subject. They dreaded the reclamation of the forfeited 

 estates ; but this was an unfounded apprehension. The 

 property which he (Mr. O'Brien) possessed was acquired 

 by purchase, although he was of the pure, ancient Mile- 

 sian blood. Would he then seek Repeal if it would oe 

 likely to endanger his estates ? He looked to the time 

 when Protestants would join them and fully adopt tne 

 principle which he proclaimed, namely, that the Uueen, 

 Lords, and Commons of Ireland alone have a moral ngw 

 to legislate for the country. Mr. O'Connell declared to« 

 his two brothers had considerable property— every men 

 of which was " forfeited." With respect to himseli, M 

 was nearly in the same predicament— facts which oug™ 

 to give courage to some timid persons. Mr. John RJ' 

 nolds read the report of a committee on banking, com 

 plaining of the exclusive privileges of the Bank oiir 

 land : a revival of the agitation on this subject seemed i 

 be determined upon. Counsellor Doheny next reaa 

 report of a committee on the municipal franchi&e. . 

 rent for the week was 290/. 



^- ato * The Sw 



Central Criminal CoxjRT.-The Will Forger le S --~ T Vr . 

 tence.—On Monday morning the Judges, Mr. 1 Baron u tJjeJr 

 Justice Williams, and Mr. Justice Maule, nav ig ^^ 



seats upon the bench at the Central Criminal Court, tedW 

 rose and said that his client, William Sanders, had ii ^ 

 him his wish to retract his plea of "Not uu |«>' of Mary 

 "Guilty" to the indictment against him m "ie . in ^ 



Hunt; and, after careful consideration of tne e» , e t0 the 

 case, his learned friend Mr. Stone and nims»en : « a ^^ tf tte 

 determination that the result must be the sarnt . Lor d S hips 

 trial should be proceeded with. He wished tne bich ue 

 would permit him to advert to the condition in , in* q{ in(ert or 

 prisoner moved, and to mention that he was * c0 urse o£ 



education to the other prisoners, and that alter ^ en led y 

 misfortune, having been twice an insolvenr, iv . which J« 



men of superior judgment to commit the onero. np0Q tw 



was charged. The clerk of the arraigns then t & cert$ » 



prisoner, and told him he was charged w«th 'new t * e Ust inU 



evil-disposed person to forge a will P"^. 1 " 1 * hetbe r he ple*J« 

 and testament of Mary Hunt, and asked him wn ^^^ Mr. 

 Guilty or Not Guilty. Sanders— I wish to P' , the onej*J 

 Wilkins said there were two other cases -to be w ^ be c0 y* 

 mentioned, and also another against Mr. Barn , ^ he *m 

 only say on the part of his client, Mr. Bam ^ tried, »•* 

 particularly anxious that those cases shorn hi3 c uc*» 



that he should, in reference to the cf e on * ||efe wj'* 

 had been convicted, use every constitution* r appealing'" 

 the law allowed him to render it nupator >, J^ gentle*** 

 the highest tribunals in the land. T !\f' trials were •»<* 

 expressed his conviction that the reason these not dar e £ 



be proceeded with was that the pr°. seCU "°" n0 w to ad*** * 

 proceed. Mr. Erie said it would be improper n - ^p. 

 his convictions in reference to this case, w t0 tl jw 



whether it was the intention of the learned c ^ g ^UeF^ 

 acquittal in regard to the other prisoners, or 



