Aug. 24,] 



THE NEWSPAPER. 



[1844. 



the letter being afterwards duly delivered, or forwarded, 

 e case may be. It ii also proved tbat bets to a 

 largt ^fpaount have been laid by several of the parties 

 implinic^, and as the inquiry progresses from day to 

 day, otWr and more startling facts are brought to light, 

 and adoftional revelations made, culpatory of other 

 carriers -a#d sub-sorters who have either directly or Indi- 

 rectly be.£n engaged in the transaction. Rumour states, 

 that thulot was thus discovered. Two letters, open, 

 were found on Wednesday last upon the seat of a 

 letter-earner, directed to well-known sporting cha- 

 racters, Irot with which be had no business, as the 

 parties did not live upon his district or walk. Upon 

 being closely questioned he admitted that such letters 

 had frequently come into his hands, and even- 

 tually he gave such information concerning the opening 

 of the letters, the use made of their contents, and the 

 parties connected with the affair, that six other letter- 

 carriers and one sub-sorter were brought up for examina- 

 tion. Two or three of these men have been several 

 years in the service, and all of them are persons of up- 

 wards of four years* official standing. The mode by 

 which their object was accomplished was this: — The 

 letter-carrier delivering letters upon a certain walk, who 

 appeared to be the leading member of the clique, would 

 obtain from one of his colleagues (of course by mistake, 

 if discovered,) the correspondence of some celebrated 

 member of the turf. The letter was then opened, it 

 appears, by him or some one of the party who happened 

 to possess the greatest facilities, and the opinions of the 

 writer ascertained with reference to the qualities of the 

 several racehorses, or the state of the odds upon a race. 

 This being done, the letters were transferred to their 

 proper districts, and eventually delivered ; the value of 

 such information to the letter carrier, either as a dis- 

 posable article for a given sum to a low gambler, or as 

 a ground for betting upon his own account, can be only 

 estimated by those who are in the habit of paying for the 

 accommodation. A rigid inquiry into the circumstances 

 is instituted daily ; and up to Saturday afternoon there 

 were suspended, until the decision of the Postmaster- 

 General upon the whole affair can be known, the letter- 

 carrier who delivered the letters of Lord George Ben- 

 tiuck, the one who delivered those of Mr. Tattersall, 

 besides four others employed to deliver those belonging 

 to other sporting characters, and the sub-sorter who 

 had connection in some way or other with the transaction. 

 The Tartar Chieftain.— A Tartar chieftain has ex- 

 cited some attention by exhibiting the usual exercises of 

 the soldiers of his nation to the public in Hyde-park on 

 Saturday, and again at Col. Fox's villa at Kensington on 

 Monday to a select party. He is a good-looking man, ap- 



Jiarently between 25 and 30 years of age, of an athletic 

 rame, with considerable squareness of limb, but with no 

 superfluous flesh. He stands about 5ft 10 in height, and 

 may weigh about 13 stone. He was dressed in a tight 

 tunic of rose-coloured silk, wadded, and capable of re- 

 sisting a hard blow ; very loose trousers, drawn tightly 

 round his legs just below the knee, and met by tight 

 black boots almost resembling long gaiters. On his 

 head was a sheepskin cap of black wool, similar to those 

 worn by the Persians who were in the suite of the Per- 

 sian ambassador when in this country a few years ago. 

 He had moustachios on the upper lip. His arms con- 

 sisted of a pair of pistols, which in the course of his per- 

 formances he repeatedly discharged, and a pole about 

 ten or a dozen feet long, which he used as a lance, 

 throwing it with considerable force when galloping, and 

 with so correct an aim, that had it not been for the quick- 

 ness and agility of the gentleman who volunteered to be 

 the object of his aim, and who was also on horseback, a 

 broken head or a fractured bone would probably have 

 been the result. We believe this part of his practice is 

 what is called throwing the * djereed." The Tartar also 

 displayed considerable skill in lifting this weapon from 

 the ground without dismounting, but this he per- 

 formed without putting his horse in motion, making him 

 stand still whilst he recovered his weapon. He also 

 threw himself off his horse whilst at the top of his speed, 

 and vaulted again into the saddle with great ease. From 

 some curious particulars of his life which have been 

 published, it appears that he is the son of a Khan of In- 

 dependent Tartary, and having joined the Circassians 

 was captured by the Russians, and obliged to enter their 

 service. He deserted however at Warsaw, and made his 

 escape to the Prussian territory after many extraordinary 

 adventures, during which his horse carried him gallantly 

 through the perils which surrounded him. He has now 

 come to England with the view of getting back to Con- 

 stantinople and from thence to Tartary, and has been so 

 warmly patronised by Lord Dudley Stuart and other in- 

 fluential persons, that a subscription to defray his ex- 

 penses and journey to Constantinople, to the amount of 

 ♦;?/; ^ w • ? y W made ' He has the greatest affec- 

 £f«-; t J**' I grey Arab > of 6 reat beauty, and has 



few days ago by an officer of the Life Guards if he would 

 sell the animal ? he energetically laid his hand upon the 

 scalp of his head and said, « I * uld sooner cut this 

 from my head, and make my horse eat it, hair and all, 

 than sell her, my preserver ! " 



Victoria Parkin the Sheriff's Court last week, 

 398j/. was awarded to the trustees of Sir George 

 Duckett's estate for 21 acres of land, which has removed 

 the chief obstacle that has for some time impeded the 

 Commencement of operations for the formation of the 

 new park. There is another litigant holding out for a 

 greater sum than has been offered by the Commissioneis 

 but it is expected that his claim will be settled without 

 going into court. The property alluded to joins what is 



called Sir G. Duckett's Canal, a very unfortunate specu- 

 lation, being a short cut connecting the Regent's Canal 

 with the River Lea navigation. It was expected by the 

 trustees that this would have been purchased by the 

 Commissioners as an ornamental water for the park, in- 

 stead of merely constituting one of its boundaries. 

 Bishop Bonner's Hall, which was the subject of much 

 litigation and delay from its proprietors, the trustees of 

 St. Thomas's Hospital, will be vacated # at Michaelmas, 

 when it will be immediately demolished. Some interest- 

 ing discoveries are expected, as it was here where the 

 notorious Bishop imprisoned and tortured the first Pro- 

 testant martyrs. Although no operations have yet been 

 commenced, the surveys for laying out plantations 

 have been made, and as soon as these obstacles are re- 

 moved, and the purchased land is restored by the tenants, 

 who have been allowed to resume occupation until 

 October, active operations will at once commence. 



Trafalgar Square. — The fountains in this square are 

 in a state of forwardness, and the engine house in Hem- 

 mings-row, at the rear of the National Gallery, has been 

 surmounted by an iron tank, capable of holding about 

 30,000 gallons of water. To this building there is at- 

 tached a tower, at the top of which another iron reservoir 

 will be erected. The boring for water has made great 

 progress, having been carried down to a depth of up- 

 wards of 200 feet, and a plentiful supply of water is now 

 obtained, rising to about 80 feet below the surface. 

 Another boring is also being made in the square, adja- 

 cent to the National Gallery, connected by a tunnel with 

 the former, which is intended to convey the water. The 

 water obtained from these wells is intended not only for 

 the supply of the fountains, but for the Houses of Par- 

 liament, and the various Government offices in the 

 vicinity, and will be applicable in case of fire. 



New Royal Exchange. — In consideration of the long 

 period during which the tenantry of this edifice have 

 been out of their shops, the Gresham committee have 

 determined to forego a quarter's rent, in order that they 

 may have time to fit up their premises in a suitable man- 

 ner. This act of favour, although very acceptable to the 

 parties, falls short of the generosity of the founder, who, 

 when Queen Elizabeth made her progress to the City, and 

 caused the " Bourse" to be proclaimed "The Royal 

 Exchange, and to be so called from thenceforth and not 

 otherwise," allowed "the shoppe-keepers to have their 

 shops rent-free that yeere." 



College of Chemistry. — A prospectus has been issued 

 for founding an establishment, the want of which, in 

 this country, has been long felt by men of science, viz., 

 an institution for the exclusive study and promotion of 

 chemistry, theoretical and practical. From the days 

 when the discoveries of Priestley and Lavoisier were pro- 

 mulgated to the present moment, when the results flow- 

 ing from the researches of Liebig are occupying the 

 attention of the scientific world, a conviction of the vast 

 importance of chemistry, and of its connection with all 

 wants of civilised beings that can be comprised within 

 the scope of manufactures, agriculture, and medicine, 

 has been gradually increasing. Considering the attention 

 that has of late been directed towards chemistry, as 

 applied to the useful arts, it is considered probable that 

 the public will now regard with favour and interest some 

 well-authenticated proposal -for the establishment of a 

 college in England, similar to that of Giessen in Hesse 

 Darmstadt. A prospectus has accordingly been issued 

 from which it appears that the undertaking has been at 

 length begun. The prospectus contains the names, as a 

 provisional council, of men amongst the most distin- 

 guished in the country, for rank, character, and scientific 

 attainments. Such a council is auspicious of success, 

 and we have much pleasure in giving publicity to a pro- 

 ject calculated to confer so much benefit upon the public. 

 Mr. Dyce Sombre.— It is stated that Mr. Dyce 

 Sombre, whose remarkable cause was only a few days 

 back the subject of discussion in the Court of Chancery, 

 has a second time effected his escape from the persons 

 appointed to look after him. His first escape was at 

 Liverpool, shortly after the decision of a jury that he was 

 incapable of managing his affairs. He proceeded to 

 France, from which he returned to dispute the validity 

 of that decision by an appeal to the Lord Chancellor. 

 As our readers are aware, Lord Lyndhurst gave judg- 

 ment against the appeal. Since the arrival of Mr. 

 Sombre in London, the precaution was taken of placing 

 two or three men, either officers of the Court of Chan- 

 cery, or policemen in plain clothes, to keep watch on 

 his movements. These men lodged in the same house 

 with him, and one of them was always seen to follow him 

 when he went abroad. It appears that on Tuesday 

 week Mr. Sombre left his lodgings in the Haymarket, 

 followed, as usual, by one of these men, and proceeded 

 in the direction of Piccadilly. Near, if not in, the Bur- 

 lington Arcade, he contrived to give his attendant the 

 slip, and has not since been heard of, although active 

 measures have been taken to discover his retreat. 



Bank of England.— A novel fraud has been practised 

 upon the Bank of England by some parties as yet un- 

 known. It seems that the sum for which the fraud had 

 been committed is 1000/., and the manner is described 

 as follows : — About three weeks since a 500/. note was 

 presented to one of the cashiers for payment in specie, 

 being marked to all appearance in the usual way, and 

 having the corner torn off. It was discovered afterwards 

 that the note, although genuine, had been stolen, and 

 the number stopped at the Bank, but that the delin- 

 quent himself imitated the red ink mark of the checker, 

 and thus obtained payment. Two notes were got rid of 

 in this manner, and the Clerk's Guarantee Fund at the 

 ] Bank will, it is said, have to make good the amount. 



Balloon Ascent.— On Monday night Mr.^Ha^o» 

 made an ascent in the " Monster balloon," from White 



Conduit House, and ascended to an altitude of about 

 half a mile. The machine proceeded in an easterly direc- 

 tion, and after about 20 minutes' voyage, alighted in the 

 parish of West Ham, Essex. The voyagers then had 

 the balloon packed up, with which they arrived at White 

 Conduit House about 11 o'clock. 



Accidents. — On Sunday afternoon Mr. Edwin Land- 

 seer, the distinguished artist, whilst riding along Por- . 

 Chester- terrace, was thrown with great violence from his 

 horse, in consequence of the animal suddenly stumbling. 

 He fell on his head, which was severely cut and bruised* 

 He was carried to a neighbouring house, where surgical 

 assistance was speedily afforded him, after which he was 

 conveyed to his own residence in St. John's-wood. He 

 is still suffering from the accident, but we are happy to 

 hear that no ill consequences are apprehended from it. 



Richmond — On Tuesday morning, shortly after two 

 o'clock, a fire of a very serious character, which was not 

 extinguished until a large amount of valuable property 

 was destroyed, broke out in the Cricketers' Tavern at 

 Greenside, Richmond. The premises were three stories 

 high, of about 60 feet deep, and were bounded on each 

 side by private dwelling-houses. The tavern was totally 

 consumed, with all its contents and stock in trade, and 

 the five adjoining houses were either wholly destroyed or 

 seriously damaged by the water. Most of the property 

 was insured. Many of the inhabitants of the poorer 

 class of houses in the vicinity have also sustained great 

 injury, but no lives were lost. 



Mortality of the Metropolis.— -The following is the 

 number of Deaths registered in the week ending August 

 17th.— West Districts, 147; Northern, 1G1 ; Central, 

 177 ; Eastern, 223 ; Southern 224 ; Total, 932. Weekly 

 average for the last five years, 946. 



iprofo'itcfal Nefos. 



Bury St. Edmund 's. — Information has been sent to the 

 metropolitan police, that Leach Borley, a convict, under 

 sentence of transportation for life for arson at tb«\ Z^.s 

 assizes, has effected his escape from custody w v .»ist being 

 conveyed from the Court to the prison at Bury St. 

 Edmund's. A reward of 50/. has being offered for his 



apprehension. 



Carlisle.— On Saturday afternoon a serious accident 

 occurred to the passengers by the mail which runs be- 

 tween Whitehaven and Carlisle. It appears that, after 

 the coach had entered Carlisle, the streets being crowded 

 with people on market day, and the coach being laden 

 with eight or nine passengers and luggage, the coachman 

 was requested by the passengers to drive gently up the 

 town. Regardless, however, of the warning, he com- 

 menced whipping the horses, and increasing their speed, 

 and in turning the corner of the old building called the 

 Mainguard, situated in the market-place, the coach came 

 in contact with the buildings, and one side of it was 

 dashed to pieces. Mr. Borrer, the surgeon of Brighton, 

 was on the outside, on his way to spend the honeymoon 

 among the lakes with his wife, who was an inside 

 passenger. He was thrown off by the shock and hs 

 thigh so seriously fractured that although amputation was 

 ediately performed, the unfortunate gentleman died 



imm 



on the next day. Several other outside passengers were 

 much hurt, but those who were inside escaped with 



Ut a£-" General Tom Thumb " who has recently 

 been the object of so much curiosity in London, was 

 taking drive near this town on Sunday afternoon, in an 

 onen carriage, accompanied by his father, his g«rdian, 



a steeo hill the horse took fright, ran at tne top Ul 

 :peed?and dashed against a high , »to«e .« J * «ch 

 fo'ree 'as to break his neck .and shiver the ***£^ 

 portion of the carnage to a torn . Th ^ two in g 

 men escaped with a few slight bruises, iir 



field, preserving his charge harmless ; 



Carnar.-ort.-The local papers state bat a g^ 



tion of Calvinistic Methodists, ^^X emigrate to 

 narvonshire and Anglesey, are preparing to «»^ 

 the United States, with a view to forming 



"^tLtlx^^^ken by totf^ 





Strike which has now continuea eigui.cc" ^ »«•--, . 

 £ l 8 s e, th W e b c C onnty of Dnrham is concer n ed, £»%?£ 



m P en found their situations were being «?.**»"£ "£ 

 ^d they were unable either to , coer e o, cqoto ^ 

 Welshmen, a regular scramble took ptoce I ue 



maining situations. It is regretted that tne p 

 so late in returning to their emp £»««*» r J „,,„„,, 

 has occasioned the introduction "J^^lmt of be- 

 pursuits who otherwise would never "»«£" Uce ,t 

 coming pitmen The same result » «' KJ^^tr 

 South Shields, Haswell, and, indeed, thr oug % 



generally ; so that there will, no doubt, ■"Market. 



ful, supply of ""rth-countrj^nto^S, isl and, 

 Guernsey.— General Napier, Governor 



