16 AUGUST 1851, Page 2

Zht Ottrogolio.

Alderman Salomon was entertained at Greenwich by his supporters on Wednesday. He made a speech acknowledging their hospitality, and referring to the political circumstances of the Jewish oath question. There are agencies most potent at work [public opinion] which, he be- lieved, will save all agitation and all trouble; but if these were not suffi- cient, he would make it his business to go through the country and call meet- ings, for the purpose not of agitation but of full and enlightening discussion. "Supported by you, I shall not be got rid of. Supported by you, we will occupy a brilliant place in the history of England. I am as nothing in the contest. If I am supported by you, and feel that I have your confidence, all my energy as an Englishman, all the power I possess, all the intellect God has gifted me with, shall be placed at your disposal ; and whatever I may undergo, whatever sufferings I may endure, will be more than com- pensated by your smiles and approbation."

At a small meeting of the parishioners of St. George Southwark, held recently, to consider the erection of parish baths and washhouses, an amendment in opposition to the erection of baths by the single parish of gt. George was carried by a narrow majority. An equally small and very noisy Vestry meeting was held on Tuesday evening, when various resolutions about correspondence and reports were carried, which seem in effect to have left the matter where it stood : Sir George Grey declines to sanction a vote of a former Vestry to erect baths, a Mr. Archer having written to him declaring that there were irregulari- ties; and Sir George suggested that the business be taken up de novo.

For the first time, last week, the reduced fee of half-a-crown was levied on the Saturday visitors to the Great Exhibition. The number of those who entered was 18,348; and the sum taken was 15841. 158. The highest number this week was on Monday, 58,634; the lowest number on Wed- nesday, 41,817; the receipts ranged from 28291. 108. to 22881. Yesterday, at the half-crown fee, the numbers were 91p468, and the sum taken was 2051/. 7s. Among the traitors yesterday came a party of four Iroquois Indians, who, besides toweling the interior of the building, had a " palaver" with An Execution Committee, and were less reserved and more sensible thawasight haw leen expected, from the representations of the Indian in American romance. They ',Tressed great astoniehment, not at the Koh- i-noor itself; but at its value.; and the whoop which they raised when Mr. Catlin, their guide, told them this, for a moment suggested misgivings for the safety of the policeman who guards the treasure. The machinery in motion also produced a strong impression upon these wild men of the woods; and when one of the self-acting "mules" was suddenly arrested in its course, "the manitou" or "great spirit" was assumed to be the

cause,

The French municipalities are sending bodies of chosen workmen to the Exhibition, free of expense. Paris has sent ninety foremen ; and about thirty Chambers of Commerce and twenty Chambree Consultative' have acceded to the wish of the Government and furnished it with lists of first- rate workmen who will be sent to London. The foremen of the national manufactures at Beauvais, Sevres, and Gobelin, and of the professional schools at Chalons, Aix, and Angers, will be sent. The funds for this purpose will be partly supplied by subscription, partly by municipal sub- sidies, and partly by the state grant of 50,000 francs.

The Executive Committee have notified to exhibitors their intention to form a museum, containing specimens and drawings of all the objects of interest in the Crystal Palace, to remain as a national record of the Ex- hibition.

Among the American contributions to the Exhibition of industry is one which has engrossed much interest as the harvesting season has approached —a machine for reaping corn by horse labour. Mr. Meehi has made trial of it in cutting wheat on his celebrated farm, and has reported to the Times a favourable opinion of its practical performance. Writing on the 11th instant from Tiptree Hall, he said- " The American reaping-machine, by M'Cormick, has been at work all day on my farm, cutting a heavy crop of wheat, very long in the straw, partially laid, and estimated at five quarters per acre. I have arrived at the follow- ing conelusions. That it will act perfectly on level land, with a standing crop. That it will cut from ten to sixteen acres per day, according to circum- stances. That the quantity cut depends more on the activity and strength of the man who has to remove it by rake from the board on which it falls. It is hard work for a man to remove one acre and a quarter per hour. That our open furrows and deep-water furrows are much against the perfect ac- tion of the machine. That the paddle-wheels do not in any way heat out or in- jure the corn. That certain trifling modifications in its details will be re- quired where (as in my ease) the straw is very long. That it will cut Isid corn where it falls towards the machine. That where it falls from it, it is desirable to cut such portions by hand. That a proportionate number of hands to bind the cut corn will be required according to the crop. The ma- chine will be cutting all day tomorrow. I should wish to have finished my harvest with it, but the proprietor desires to try it in other Counties. In conclusion, I feel a conviction that allow reaping will soon be done by horse or steam machines."

The machine was tested on Wednesday upon the farm of Messrs. Deane, Dray, and Co. " The field of wheat selected for the experiment was steep, situated upon the side of a hill. The machine, drawn by two horses and attended by two men, cut with ease at the rate of one acre per hour."

Two of the absconded St. Albans election witnesses—Thomas Birchmore, aged seventy-two, and James Skegg, aged sixty-eight—were brought before Alderman Moon, at the Mansionhouae, on Wednesday, by Clarke, an officer of the Thames Police. Mr. Unsworth of Fish Street Hill, a passenger from Boulogne to London, gave inforination to the Police-officer; who thereupon brought up the prisoners, in the hope of getting the reward for their arrest offered by the Crown at the instance of the House of Commons. Alderman Sir Robert Carden, the unsuccessful candidate against Mr. Jacob Bell at St. Albans, was present during the examination. In reply to a number of searching questions put by Mr. Alderman Moon, the Police-officer Clarke stated, that he had made inquiry if any warrant for the apprehension of the prisoners was still in existence; and Inspector Heckles, who is stationed at the House of Commons, told him he had "received instructions not to take any further proceedings in the ease." He had inquired at the office of the Speaker, "but could get no information." The bill offering the reward was printed by the Queen's printers, Messrs. Eyre and Spottiswoode, and it re- ferred applicants for the reward to the Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury : but on application to Mr. Mau/e, the Solicitor to the Treasury,. he told Clarke that he knew "nothing at all about it." Alderman Moon—" The date of this reward, which has been offered for the appre- hension of the prisoners, would have a great deal to do with it ; because, Parliament being prorogued, I should have thought they would have been discharged from cus- tody if they had been apprehended. The question is, whether it is a Magistrate's warrant or a warrant of the Speaker of the House of Commons, or whether there is even a warrant in existence at all. The same power that issues a warrant might cause it to be withdrawn. The question is, whether there is any charge against these men. The officer who apprehended them states that he has applied at the office of the Secretary of State for the Home Department; that he has also applied at the office of the Speaker, as well as to the Soheitor to the Treasury and the Inspector of Police ; and that he has not been able to hear of the existence of any accusation against them. I wish to know how long this bill has been posted at the Mansion- house l" Mr. Goodman—" The proclamation was made about two months ago. It was a proclamation by the Queen in Council."

Alderman Moon—" I imagine that when Parliament is dissolved this reward ceases. It appears to me that we have no right to detain these men."

The prisoners were accordingly liberated.

A curious action was tried at Croydon on Wednesday, by Chief Justice Jervis and a Special Jury. Mr. Soltau, a City merchant, residing in New Park Road, Clapham, sought damages from M. De Held, the superior of a Roman Catholic society called the Redemptionist Fathers, which has a reli- gious house close to the plaintiff's residence, for the annoyance and injury to his property caused by the perpetual noise of the bells used by the society in their religious observances. A bell was put up in 1848, which was tolled so frequently from morning to night as to be a serious nuisance to the plain- tiff. Remonstrances were politely received, but disregarded. But after- wards a regular belfry was built, and a whole peal of bells commenced a daily clangour, which turned the plaintiff's house into an unbearable purga- tory. Renewed remonstrance produced the information that a reference had been made to Cardinal Wiseman ; and that it had been considered, as religious considerations were involved, that the bells could not be stopped unless by the law. The parties were formerly on very friendly terms, but the be have raised a local ferment ; the question of nuisance or no nuisance, injury or no injury, was therefore now referred to a jury. 'Elizabeth Adams, the plaintiff's servant, gave evidence as to the extent of the grievance. The small bell originally put up was rung all the year round at five o'clock in the morning. It rang for five minutes, loud enough to awake everybody in their house ; and it was a long time before she got used to it. This bell was also rung at five other different times, and sometimes seven, during the day—at five, at a quarter to seven, a quarter to nine, at twelve, at seven, and sometimes at three in the afternoon. On Wednesdays and Saturdays it was also rung at half-past six and eight. She remem- bered the new belfry being built. The first peal of bells she heard was on the 13th of May. They were rung at six in the evening. They were also rung the next day, but she could net say how many times ; and sometimes they had been rung con- tinually both on Sundays and week-days. Chimes were also rung on the Sundays. The small bell was rung at five in the morning, and then a larger bell was rung at a quarter to seven. At half-past seven the small bell was rung again, and then the large bell rung at a quarter to nine. The effect of this continued ringing was to cause such a confusion and noise in her master's house that they did not know what they were about ; and they could not hear when the house-bells were rung. The plaintiff is an elderls.gentleman ; and his family consists of a daughter, two sons, and three grandchildren. The daughter is in ill health, and she has been removed to Uxbridge. The largest bell was the worst of all; it made a very dreadful sound. She only heard this bell twice a week. Rer master had a bell, which was rung by hand, to give notice at meal-times this bell did not annoy her at all. The Chief Justice—" It was much more likely to annoy those who were probably fasting next door." Mr. Chambers—" Did the holy brethren ever make a complaint of your master's dinner-bell "

Witness—" No, Sir."

Many witnesses gave evidence to the effect that the bells are generalr re- garded as a kcal nuisance; and Mr. Gadsden, of the firm of Musgrove Lord Mayor) and Gadsden, gave his .professional opinion that the value of the plaintiff's house would be depreciated by the bells, on a new letting, from the present rent of 1301. a year to the reduced rent of 80/. a year. Chief Justice Jervis summed up, with an explanation of the law, and sug- gestions tending to Retire an impartial verdict. By the common law, churches of every denomination have a full right to use bells, and it is a vulgar error to suppose that there is any distinction at the present time in this respect. Bells may, however, undoubtedly be made use of in such a manner as to create a nuisance ; and in that case a Protestant church and a Roman Catholic one are equally liable. The mere fact of ringing bells so many times in the day does not in itself constitute a nuisance : the nuisance must be of an enduring and substantial character, not such as would give offence and annoyanee to a nervous mind, but such as is calculated to cause permanent inconvenience and disturbance to men of ordinary mind and nerve.

TheJury considered two hours, and then returned a verdict for the plaintiff, with 40s. damages. The Judge gave his certificate entitling the plaintiff to costs.

Mr. Hitch has obtained, at Croydon Assizes, 1500/. as a compensation for hurts received at New Cross station. The defendants were the Brighton Railway Company, though the train that ran into the one in which Mr. Hitch sat belonged to the South-eastern Railway. Mr. Hitch was proceed- ing towards Croydon in a " pick-up" train, which was started from Loudon between an ordinary Croydon train and a Dover one ; the interval between the last two being small. At New Cross it was necessary to shunt the "pick- up" train across the line ; while this was doing, the South-eastern train came up, at its proper time, and ran into the other train_ It was proved, even by the witnesses on behalf of the Brighton Company, that the fault lay with them : the signals exhibited to the Dover train were green—" caution," not red- " danger " ; and the clock at a station where many trains stop or pass was four minutes too slow. The man who winds the clock has no means of knowing if its time is correct. A witness said he was not aware that a train was to be shunted,—a process occupying from seven to ten minutes,—or he would have exhibited the danger signal. Chief Justice Jervis severely com- mented on the manner in which the clock was neglected, where the varia- tion of a minute was of so much importance.

The Greenwich Police Magistrate, Mr. Seeker, was employed for hours on Saturday in hearing what was mainly the repetition of a ease previously brought before Mr. Trail, except that this proceeding was by summons. Lord Ranelagh and Mr. Rowand were charged with assaislting two railway- officers' and obstructing them in the discharge of their duty. Sergeant Price, Widdows a porter, Sergeant Carpenter of the Metropolitan force, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, and Tracy, a person employed at the railway, swore that Price and -Widdows were assaulted by the accused. The men assaulted now added that Lord Ranelagh used very foul language : they had not mentioned it before—Priee' because at the station his Lordship had complimented him on having done his duty; and Widdows, because he did not like to soil his lips w th the expression. Lieutenant-Colonel Sir James M'Dowall, Master William Lowther Mrs. Florentine. Jennings, (alias Signora Fiorentini,) Cap- tain Jennings, Lord Arthur Churchill, and Mr. Swinburu, gave evidence for the defence. It appears that when the railway people were attempting to close the door to shut out the defendant and other passengers, Lord Bane- lagh had Mrs. Jennings en his arm, and she was so placed that she was in ininiindut peril had the door been pushed to:. Lord Ranelagh used his strength to keep it open; the policeman collared him ; he did not use any foul language ; he did not strike the railway men. Mr. Seeker inquired if all Lord Ranelagh's party had tickets; and was informed that they had. TheMagistrate's decision was that the railway men were nod in the execu- tion of their duty ; Lord Ranelagh and his party had received tickets, had passed the outer barrier, and had a right to expect that they could proceed to the platform to enter the train: Mr. Seeker therefore tlismissed the complaint. On Wednesday, Lord Ranelagh, in his turn, made charges against the railway people, and against Sergeant Carpenter. The witnesses were not again examined but Lord Ranelagh, and. Mr. Carlisle, a tea-broker,orkll evidence. Mr. Seeker sent each case for trial at the Sessions. Mr. Bodkin stated that the Beltway Company intend to proceed against Lord Ranelagh

at the Sessions. •

At the llansionhouse on Monday, Henry Page, a young man of respect- able appearaire, was Lamed with firing a loaded pistol at John Francis Ilache, with intent to murder him. }Riche stated that he Ma bootmaker of Boulogne, On*Saturday he came from that place to London Bridge. In the evening, he met the prisoner near the wharf ; they conversed together. " We walked about twenty yards, and I suppose he stood behind a yard or two ; I then, finding that he was not alongside of me, looked back to see where he was, when I saw a pistol in his hand, which he immediately fired at me." In the skirts of Ilache's coat were two holes made by shot ; but the wearer was not hurt. It seems that Page had been paying his addresses to Madame Elizabeth Thourin, a widow daughter of Mr. Unsworth, who keeps a. coffee- house on Fish Street Hill. He had an idea that Bache had supplanted him, or that by his means the widow had discarded him; and he became mad with jealousy. Bache protested that he had not the least cause to be jealous of him. In Page's possession were found a miniature of the lady, and a letter addressed to her, upbraiding her as the cause of the criminal deed he

I

was about to commit. It was proved that he bought a pistol and powder and shot on Friday. At his examination, he accused Bache of having ruined and blasted his prospects. He was committed for trial. It was whispered aboutthat the unhappy man had tried to strangle himself at the Police station. A man employed in Lower Northampton Street having been charged with breaking windows and endangering the safety of persona in houses round hie master's yard, by throwing large stones, pieces of coal, and other missiles, the Clerkenwell Magistrate dismissed the charge, as the man threw the things from the yard, and not from " a public thoroughfare," as required by the act of Parliament. But on Wednesday, the stone-thrower—Laven- der, a journeyman brass-founder—was eharged with a specific assault. A heavy piece of coal was thrown through Mr. Latchford's window, it struck him on the throat, and cut the skin. Two Policeman who had been set on the watch saw the prisoner throw the coal. Lavender was committed.

The St. Paul's Shadwell regatta was cut short on Monday by a fatal acci- dent, resulting from the use below London Bridge of the boats called " out- riggers." No fewer than three were upset, plunging their occupants in. the stream ; and John Skeers, a young man, was drowned.

Mr. Joseph Barton, a clerk in the Bank of England, has been drowned, by the upsetting of a boat in the river Lea : his cousin fell into the water at the same time, but was rescued by two gentlemen who were passing. The boats on the Lea are said to be of very slight construction, requiring skilful' management.

There has been a narrow escape from a serious accident in the Westmin- ster Road, near the bridge, on the Surrey side. Passengers in vehicles felt a rolling motion, and at length a horse's foot struck through the road. It was found that an old sewer of large dimensions had become so decayed, the crown having fallen in and been washed away, that if a very ponderous vehicle had passed over the thin crust of earth, it would most probably have broken in. A very large and deep cavity was found beneath the road.