24 MARCH 1860, Page 5

Trunintial.

The two Liberal candidates for Norwich are Sir William Russell and Mr. E. Warner ; the two Conservatives, Mr. W. D. Lewis, Q.C., and Mr. W. Forlonge. The Mayor has been endeavouring to induce the heads of the Liberal and Conservative parties to pledge themselves to abstain from bribery, but the latter have, at present, refused to meet their opponents, who, they contend, are the really guilty persons. Re- crimination on each side appears likely to be the only result of the Mayor's exertions. The old city is in great excitement from the con. filet of political interests now going on.

For Exeter, Mr. Alfred Seymour stands as candidate in the room of Mr. Divett. In his address, Mr. Seymour avows himself favourable to free trade, to the abolition of church-rates, and a lodger franchise.

At the next general election, Sir Henry Ainslie Hoare, Bart., of Stour- head House, is named to contest the Eastern Division of Somersetshir. e, in the Liberal interest.

Mr. Stuart A. Donaldson, of London, late Colonial Secretary and Minister of Finance and Trade in New South Wales, has issued an ad- dress to the Leeds electors, in anticipation of the passing of the Reform Bill, by which a third member is given to Leeds. Mr. Donaldson fronds his claim to the candidature on his extensive colonial experience in poli- tical and commercial life, and his liberal opinions. He avows himself a churchman, but says he is in favour of perfect religious equality, and op- posed to churchrates. Mr. Forster, candidate at the last election, has since issued an address.

The Town Council of Sudbury held a meeting on Saturday-, to consider a petition to Parliament on the subject of the total disfranchisement of thatborough, proposed by the Reform Bill. An effort is to be made to reinEtate the borough in its old position with regard to its Parliamentary representation.

The Chatham Volunteer Corps has been broken up. The Chatham News of Saturday gives a full account of the circumstances which gave rise to this proceeding. They may be stated in a few words. An F.n- sign Stevens gave great offence to the corps by his peremptory conduct and offensive language. The corps held a meeting to select a captain, anli took occasion to censure, in strong terms, the conduct of the Ensign. Mr. Stevens, then, notified to the majority of the corps, that unless they retracted or explained their share in the censure to which he had been subjected, he would strike their names off the roll. Forty-eight of them, not complying with this request, were consequently erased. When the proceedings were notified in the proper official quarter, the Lord- Lieutenant's clerk replied that the fifteen remaining were insufficient for either a company or a sub-division, and that he must in consequence re- commend the Secretary of State to dissolve the Company.

The Chatham News of today favours us with further particulars. A church parade was arranged for Sunday. Some of the " forty-eight " signed a retraction of their vote of censure by way of "healing the breach," but upon conditions which frustrated their intentions. "Dis- charged Volunteers cannot call on any effective officer to resign, and the condition annexed [to the offer of retractation] would, in itself, be equi- valent to a vote of censure." Forty volunteers went to church and pa- raded afterwards, headed by the High Constable. Ensign Stevens, hav- ing found that the main body of the corps were not willing to reassemble under his command, intimated that he should take out warrants against the dismissed volunteers for detaining their shoulder-belts, the property in which is vested in the commanding-officer, unless the volunteers should in the mean time return them : the belts were returned on Tues- day. Subsequent movements to effect an amicable reunion have been futile, and it is now believed that the Lord-Lieutenant will set matters to rights by appointing a new commanding-officer to this unfortunate corps.

An action was tried at Maidstone on the 15th instant, brought by Mr. James Lewis, the late Town Clark of _Rochester, against a Mr. Foord, to re- cover damages for alleged libels on him, by reason of which he had been dismissed from his office. Under the Conservative regime in Rochester Lewis and his father had held the office of Town Clerk from 1831 to 1859. Ultimately the Liberals obtained a majority, and, in a speech, Mr. Foord talked of the necessity of removing the "insignificant men" who had robbed the burgesses and traded upon their interests, and who had never lost an opportunity of "slipping them into law, in order that they might put costs into their own pockets." Foord presented a memorial at the quarterly meeting of the burgesses praying for the dismissal of Lewis, on the ground that he had "put the city to enormous expense for law in order to put costs into his own pocket," and, had also, through wilful neglect, disfranchised more than 800 burgesses. Lewis was dismissed. In evidence Lewis said that both he and his father had been engaged on behalf of the city to recover certain corporation dues, which were recovered, though at an enormous expense. The disfranchisement of the 800 burgesses arose from the fact that the overseers had delivered to him the lists of burgesses entitled to vote, so late, that it was impossible to get them printed in time. The object of the plaintiff in bringing the action was to clear his character from the very serious imputations that had been cast upon him. An un- derstanding was come to between the counsel on each side, freeing Lewis from any stain upon his personal character, and deciding that his official conduct was bona fide and honest. A juror was then withdrawn.

At the Derby Assizes, on Monday, the Reverend Henry Godden Garrett was brought up on the charge of embezzling 18/. 3s. 9d. belonging to the Church Missionary Fund, of which he was treafurer. Mr. Justice Willes refused to entertain the case as one for a criminal prosecution ; "it is a case of civil liability." He was acquitted on this charge, but again arrested as he was leaving the dock, on a charge of embezzlement at Cardiff, and a second officer was there with a warrant against him.

A verdict of wilful murder was returned against Joseph Castle, at the Bedford Assizes on the 15th instant, for the murder of his wife at Luton. In summing up the evidence to the Jury, Mr. Justice Williams asked them to consider three questions—Did the decease die by the hand of the prisoner ? If she did, was his offence murder or manslaughter ? If she did, was he entitled to an acquittal on the ground of insanity ? That which was most strongly relied on as evidence of insanity was the expression said to have been used by the prisoner, that he "could not control his feelings," but if that were so, such a state of mind would not excuse him. The jury retired but ten minutes to consider their verdict of guilty. Castle, it is reported, has made a full confession of his crime.

At the Stafford Assizes, on Monday, two men were tried for digging up the dead body of a woman in a burial-ground at Wolverhampton, under the temptation, it appeared, of obtaining the jewellery she was supposed to have been buried with. Their prosecutor was said to have been drunk on the night in question. The prisoners received good characters, and were ac- quitted. Mr. Claydon, on behalf of the prisoners, set up the plea that "there is no law to make it criminal for any person to open a grave for the purpose of taking anything from it. It cannot be said that the prisoners are guilty of felony, because they have stolen nothing;" and he submitted that what the prisoners were charged with was an offence unknown to the law.

At the Taunton Assizes, on Wednesday, the Court adjourned for a quarter of an hour during the trial of a case, and when the Judge had returned and taken his seat a juryman was missing. After an hour and fifty minutes he came into court, and gave, as the reason for his absence, that he had come from home without his breakfast, and had gone to take some refreshment, as he had understood two hours were allowed. Baron Channel fined him 201. for his conduct.

An inquiry into the death of several soldiers on board the ship Great Tasmania, was opened by the Liverpool borough coroner on Monday and concluded on Thursday. The vessel left Calcutta on the 9th of last Novem- ber with 1023 souls on board. When they reached St. Helena on the 22d

January, anuary, the sick list numbered 892, and there had been fifty-two deaths. The passengers were principally the soldiers who were disbanded on the ex- tinction of the East India Company. The surgeon who attended them states that they were for the most part sickly when they same on board ; they had sold their clothes to purchase drink. On reaching Liverpool, the sufferers were removed to the workhouse hospital. One man died on his way thither. He was so miserably clad that "the clothes on him only weighed one pound six ounces." On the showing of all the witnesses, ths cause of the great sacrifice of life was, the bad ventilation of the ship, the wretched provision' or rather no provision of clothes and sleeping accommodation for the men, and the bad food which was provided them. The Government authorities did not visit the ship after the men were on board. The bread was condefuned before the ship started. When they had been to sea about a fortnight, large quantities of biscuit were condemned and thrown overboard. Beef and beer were in the same manner condemned and destroyed. During "all the voyage" the beef was stinking, the biscuit full of maggots ; the milk in the cans bad, and the lime juice was diluted. After the scurvy attacked the men, they showed a great disinclination for food. "I had great diffi- culty," says the medical officer, "to prevent men from dying of starvation." The post mortem examination of five soldiers exhibited livers "wholesome and healthy. None of them exhibited any signs of having been injured by habitual drinking." Such food as that served on board the Great Tasmania, says Mr. Prytheroh, a Liverpool surgeon, "would have precipitated the disease of which they died."

A letter front the Governor-General of India states that "in consequence of the great number of troops proceeding from India to England and else- where, it was impossible to supply the transport ships with fresh provisions instead of salt, and consequently salt provisions were issued to the troops. At the conclusion of the evidence, the coroner exonerated the captain and crew of the ship from all blame, as he did also the owners of the vessel. The jury, after two hours' consultation, returned the following verdict :—

" 'That Thomas Beach died from natural causes, and that his death was accelerated by necessary removal to the workhouse." In the ease of the other six, they found that they "died of scurvy, brought on by bad food and exposure to cold on board ship." The jury further found, "That the provisions supplied by the Government as stores for the use of the troops were bad, and unfit for human food, with the exception of the tea, pork, pickles, and rice. That there was an entire absence of proper disinfectants, and that the lime juice had lost its medicinal properties when put on board. That the officers who signed the 'General Inspection Report' are the cul- pable parties, so far as the quality of the stores is concerned. That the cap- tain and officers of the ship are entirely free from blame, and that the ship's contract was satisfactorily fulfilled. That the military officers and the sur- geon did their best, under the circumstances in which they were placed, to promote the health of the men under their charge." The foreman also made the following presentment on behalf of the jury :— " The jury think it an imperative duty to urge upon the Government the necessity of such a change in the system of military inspection and supply of clothing before soldiers leaving India or any other foreign country, whether they are still in the service or have had their discharge and are re- ceiving a Government passage home, as shall prevent men in future arriving in England in cold weather so insufficiently clothed as the men who have arrived by the Great Tasmania."