23 MARCH 1850, Page 7

t Truuturts.

.tffirewebnry entertained its gallant townsman Majoellerbert*Edwardes, at. a public dinner, on'Wednesday. The Mayor presided; the' Earl of 'Toads and the County Members were present. The Corporation, with "all Shrewsbury " in company, went out as far.as " LaidUill'a.column" to meet their hero, and brought him -.in.-an open landau triumphantly rthrough,the town to the Music-Hall. In his characteristic speech of

• 'thanks, Major Edwardes alluded to.this .emphatically Oriental and hos- 'pitable trait of the,reception.

By -going nut " only to-Lord. column„,you,left behind you in hospi- rtality, . by about a mile, any reception that I- ever saw given by a Native Prince to the Governer-General in India." In a rapid sketch, of his own ,career,_ he duly magnified:the -glories.of old Shropshire"; citing, _the. deeds of Clive, of Cureton, and of ,the renowned "Shropshire regiment," the Fifty- third•.Poot ; and .releindipg _his delighted. hearers that their. .countryman Sir Richard. Jenkins' .had " carried out suecoasfully at Nagpor.e the unparalleled experiment . in our . Indian empire of administering a -kingdom in trust for a minor, And . delivering -it over to. its lawful

'

:prince At the expiration of his .nonage, in a state of prosperity—with a full treasury, yet a contented, people." It.seemed, indeed, "as if the rope by which the mistress of the seas-had taken in tow that great continent were tbelayed.andanade fast somevrhere.round about the Wrelun." He attributed all his success in India to the stanch friends'Providence gave him there- llichard.Tenkins, Lord Gough, and Sir Henry Lawrence ; the last " at `'this very moment hut a Captain of Artillery, yet by his high purposes and ;indomitable energies -the foremost man in India and a bright example to -every Indian soldier." "He it- was who, through three years of British protection of the Punjanb, was my public master and my private friend ; and it was sitting at his feet, amid great political events, that I trust I learned ;that noble lesson, tolive notfor myself but for the state."

A new movement has been commenced by-the Hertfordshire farmers, rto shelter themselves from the decline in-the price of agricultural produce. „The Hertford Mercury reports that on Saturday week, the farmers as- isernbled in public meeting' "'for the avowed purpose of -reducing the pay- relents made- to tradesmen for- work . performed by them," agreed- to :resolutions -embodying a tariff of the charges they will pay to tradesmen, mud founding a society to,carry out the tariff by an organized system of eeiclusive dealing. The resolutions set forth the opinions, that "as the value of agricultural produce-is greatly lessened by the free importation of foreign. corn, farmers in general, must adopt a system of wise and vigilant economy, extending to every branch of expenditure unavoidably in- : correct "and.that "as those employed in trade are reaping considerble .advantage from the cheapness of food, -the tradesman should now be able without injury to himself tomake a considerable reduction in his charges " ; isle° that the tradesman,- artisan, and labourer, dependant on agriculture, wlwuld be made to feel that free trade is a labour question." The,redue- tions to be dictated are- - "Blacksmith ... ,ed. per shoe.

SS ,3d.-removes.

,. 6d. coulters.

(All-ordinary work' 15 per cent.) Callan-maker, •reAtuned by 16 percent. Wheelwright„ .20 per sent.

Carpenter, reduced to 3s. per day. ' Bricklayerasz per day. Tato Labourer„ „ -1s. 84. per day. Hurdle-maker „ -3s.:&/.. per doz. • Thatcher „ 9,d. per square foot.” It was resolved to organize an. emaciation for farmers in.the.parishesof Zertford and its neigbourhood, the members of which should "determine :.not to -employ, any tradesmen whose prices slo, not conform to -the tirbove scale ; ,and to request the laiidownera to assist furthering the object.

. The colliers of Aberdare are "out on strike," on points.of dispute, con- . netted with work and wages. On Monday, about 400 -of -them-gathered at Aberaraen, and marched to. the mountain near the town, to have an open-air discussion. •Dissenting ministers attended the meeting, and endeavoured to lay the foundations of a settlement ; but in vain. The ,.men balloted with white and black peas, -whether they should return to work or remain-on strike. "The peas were all black, without a single exception" • and-the men marchedlback with cheers, one of their leaders prying, "Courage, boys ; there's money-enough to support' you for six . months longer." , The meeting:lasted five houra•' regular reporters for the local press were present ; and everythingwas formally. and decorously Some - importations. of- oysters have been made into Hastings from a :newlar-discovered bed, -of some ',magnitude, lying about mid-channel off :Dungeness Pointand South-east of Hastings.

- In 1846, the late Mr. John -Owens left a splendid -bequest, amounting _ to about 100,000/., for the purpose of- founding a college in Manchester; -''and-the trustees have now published a report containing a detailed ac- mount of the general character and plan of the institution, in pursuance t-of:the directions -of the testator.

"It is recommended that the subjects of Mat:rued:mi. should hicholeolasrdeal literature, mathematics, natural philosophy, logic,-moral -and mental philoso- phy, history of political philosophy, and the English language and literature,: with the addition, as needed, of chemistry, various branches of natural his- . Wry, ',Physiology, and (with a special view to commercialeffiwation) book- keeping, the geography of commercial products, the history-and progress .of arts and manufactures, and the general principles of commercial jurispru- dence. The six moreimportant branches of knowledge are to be confined to 'es -many professors ; while the modern languages, bookkeeping, and other --sornmercial studies, may be intrusted to occasional teachers and lecturers. :The salaries of the professors, it is proposed, should-not-at-first exceed two-

third, of the expected annual income of the trust fund AM.) or 147004

exclusive of .200/. additional to one of the professors, as principal, and ot the remuneration of occasional teaching. The committee 'thin i it desirable that the'Owens College should ,be placed in connexion with the.Univeraity of London • but at the same time, they invite attention to the important sub- ject of the eatablishment in ianchester of a university, conferring its own degrees without resort to the Metropolitan University."—Leede Mercury.

In an action at Maidstone Assizes, brought by Miss Jane Emma Adams against 'Mr. Richard Gibbs, to recover damages for a breach of promise ef marriage, the defendant pleaded a peaial lea—that after making the -pro- mise of marriage ba;Miss Adams, he learned, that she was " sufferiug an in- -curable disease called consumption," which would render her "unable Ao ',perform the duties of a wife." ' Mr. Gibbs was aaeighbour.of the plaintiffis father at Wateringbury' knew her from her infancy up, and made bar. a:re- gular offer, with a full knowledge of her circumstances, in August 18413, t which time she was twenty-four and he forty-eight. Thalicence waslio and the day fixed. but on the day of signing settlements the defendant - appeared, fled to America, and never-reappeared till October 1849, when he was found in London. It seems that two sisters of the plaintiff died young of consumption, and that a brother went abroad to escape it. The medroal attendant of the plaintiff admitted his having administered eod'e-liver oil atid other remedies very suitable for consumption ',but said the plaintiff-had-net been ill. of that &mese Several -eminent Landon physicians who had at- tended the plaintiff. were. in court, attending the 'muse, but were not ex- amined; neither plaintiff nor .defendant called for their evidence.. The Jitity gave a verdict of 8001.

At Dorchester Assizes, on Saturday, fourteen hourawere occupied in-trying Mr. John Brake, a yeoman, for the manslaughter of William _Allem:a

"simple-lad," in the course of -an attack on a Free-trade mob who had .stoned the farmers at a Protectionist meeting. The lad was struck dead in the sight of several witnesaes; and there was positive swearing , that Mr.

Brake- was the person who struck the blow : his identity, however, seems to have been mistaken ; an alibi was proved; and attention was successfully directed to another person, not in custody nor enough indicated to be. taken into custody. Mr. Brake was acquitted.

111tAtToric Assizes, last week, Thomas Smnrwaite, after originally pleading ." Not guilty," withdrew that defence and pleaded " Guilty," to ihargestf -embezzling sums of money the property of the trusteesef the Scarborough Savings-bank. After three witnesses to former good character had been examined, the prisoner told the Judge he had other testimony to the same effect. Mr. Baron Rolfe observed—" It's no use multiplying evidence of this description : it only shows that once you were honest, now that you-are dis- honest. I shall not sentence you at present, as I have not decided what amount of punishment to inflict.upon you." The culprit has since.been or- dered to-be imprisoned for two years.

At Stafford Assizes, last week, .Benjamin -Griffiths was tried for bigamy. He was married to his first wife in 1840. She confessed that she had-com- mitted adultery with her husband's nephew. - He thereupon refused to live with her, took away his three children, placedthem with a person whom he -employed to take care of them and went to America. -He returned in'lt34T and married a second 'wife, hi: first being then alive and chargeable to‘the parish. The Overseers applied to him to maintain her, and summoned him

before the Magistrates for not doing so ; but the Magistrates upon hearing the case dismissed the summons against him, and thereupon the pariah au- thorities instituted the present prosecution. Mr. Baron Platt told the

that it was a shameful prosecutromand was evidently only instituted by 0 parch authorities as a kind of screw to compel an honest hard-working man to support a prostitute wife. However, a breach of the law had eleyly been

committed, and the Jury mut therefore find the prisoner guilty. The Jury thereupon returned a verdict of " Guilty," with the observation that they

thought it "aver y hard case." Mr. Baron Platt—" Everybody inust think -so : • it -is a shameful perversion-of the law. 'Prisoner, you-are fined one shil- ling, and discharged ; and the parish must pay for the 'prosecution." 'The prisoner paid the fine, and left the dock.

At Exeter Assizes, Thomas King was-found guilty of the recently-reported murderous assault upon his father and an attendant, both aged people with the .object of effecting a robbery. He was sentenced to transportation for life.

Against George Arnold, who was convicted at the Aylesbury. Assizes of shooting at Mr. Nixon, sentence .of death has been recorded. He has lately made several attempts at suicide. Since his imprisonment, he has written a diary of "reflections," and composed much poetry, both in a style that elicited praise from the Judge who tried him.

The Reverend Henry Meeres, successor to Mr. Whiaton as'llead Maeter.pf the Grammar School at Rochester, was on Wednesday last summoned-before the Magistrates, and fined 3/. with 26s. oasts for unmercifully beatin,g .and . misusing one of his pupils.

Prinks, a carter employed near Swindon, having allowed a.married woman. named Denley to get auto his cart for "a lift" on her road, offered violence to her • and when_ she resisted, brutally beat her with his whip, kicked her, . and ended by Singing her into the road ; where she was found insensible; 'She was frightfully mutilated; her jaw-bone had been broken, and a portion of it, with a number of teeth, was picked up on the mad. The wretch Hicks

,.

bar been committed for trial on a charge of attempting the two capital crimes. Abraham Lee, a young fellow of -Birmingham, became enamoured of Miss Ellen Grindall, the daughter of a publican whose house he frequented;' but

the girl disre ed him. Jealous of another young man, Lee took a.ti op- portunity of g a pistol at the girl, and a portion of the _charge lodged

in her arm, chest, and-neck : he resisted capture; and another loaded pistol was found on him, with which he said he had intended to destroy himself. Mice Gnindall is recovering.

The death of John Thomas, a ruiner, at Aberdare, by a' maliciousinjuiy, is ascribed to the colliery disputes and the strike. We mentioned that a stocking containing a packet of gunpowder, with a lighted fusee attached, was. thrown into the bedroom of Thomas's cottage : Thomas was remoeing the missile, when it exploded, end burnt him so grievously that he- has since died. At-the inquest, Thomas's wife swore that her husband had been threatened by other colliers . but on examination of several men, nothing could be made out to connect the death with any individual. But the Jury affirmed malice, by finding a verdict of " Wilful murder, - by some person unknown."

The depositors in the Aylesbury Savings-bank will not stiffer by the-dis- honesty of Stratton, the fugitive-clerk. The Commissioners for the ,Reduc- tion of the National Debt have permitted 5001. to be taken from thoeurphis fuud.of the bank towards making up- the deficiency ; and.the secretary,: Mr. James, will provide the remainder : Stratton was his dark.