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The British Museum will be closed on Wednesday next, for the pur- pose of being cleaned and receiving additions. It will be reopened tq the

public'on Tuesday the 7th September, at ten o'clock. •

Several of the stations on the South-eastern Railway now receive Greenwich time at one and four o'clock post-meridian' by means of the electric wires. All the other stations of the company will eventually be put in connexion with Greenwich, for the purpose of giving them the time twice a day.

The Lord Mayor presided at the opening of the City Soup Kitchen, on Thursday. The objects of this establishment are not confined to the im- mediate relief of persons in a starving state, but provision is made for in- structing the destitute in domestic duties, so as to fit them for " service" ; and to give effect to this instruction, a registry of servants who want employment will be kept at the institution. The soupmaking is to be under the gratuitous superintendence of M. Soyer. The House, or "Hospice," as it is called, is situated in the open space at the end of Farringdon Street, called Victoria Bridge, Holborn; and contains sleep- ing accommodation for fifty-four persons.

The Reverend J. Trevitt, and the Churchwardens of St. Philip's, Beth- nal Green, conducted a large party of working men and their wives, on Monday, to Erith, where they enjoyed fresh air and innocent amusements.

A large telescope, constructed on the achromatic principle, equal in power to the famous instrument constructed by the Earl of Bosse, is now in process of being set up on Wandsworth Common. Whether it will be successful or not, is a question which time and experiment alone can de- cide; as hitherto the construction of an achromatic telescope of such power has been deemed an impossibility. The length of the main tube, which is ' shaped somewhat like a cigar, is 76 feet ; but with an eyepiece at the nar- row end, and a dewcap at the other, the total length is 85 feet. The de- sign of the dewcap is to prevent obseuration by the condensation of moisture which takes place during the night, when the instrument is most in use. Its exterior is of bright metal, the interior is painted black. The focal distance will not exceed 76 feet. The tube at its greatest cir- cumference measures 13 feet, and this part is about 24 feet from the object-glass. The flint object-glass, 24 inches in diameter, is the work of Mr. Chance of Birmingham ; and one of plate-glass has been cast by the Thames Plate Glass Company. A correspondent of the Times gives some interesting details of the con- struction—

" The manner in which these object-glasses are fitted into the tube is a marvel of artistic invention. By means of twelve screws, numbered accord- ing to the hours of the day, they can be set in an instant to any angle the observer may require, by his merely calling out the number of the screw to be touched. The object-glasses also move round in grooves to wherever it may be considered that a more distinct view can be gained. The tube rests upon a light wooden framework, with iron wheels attached, and is fitted to a circular iron railway at a distance of 52 feet from the centre of the tower. The chain by which it is lowered is capable of sustaining a weight of thirteen tons, though the weight of the tube is only three. Notwithstanding the im- mense size of the instrument, the machinery is such that it can move either in azimuth, or up to an altitude of 80 degrees, with as much ease and rapi- dity as an ordinary telescope, and, from the nature of the mechanical arrange- ments, with fax greater certainty as to results. The slightest force applied to the wheel on the iron rail causes the instrument to move horizontally round the central tower - while a wheel at the right hand of the observer, by a beautiful adaptation Of mechanical powers, enables him to elevate or de- press the object-glass with the greatest precision and facility. So easy, in fact, is the control over the instrument in this respect, that a very slight touch on the wheel lifts ten hundredweight."

This magnificent instrument is slung beside a brick tower sixty-four feet high and weighing two hundred and twenty tons, erected on two acres of' land, presented in perpetuity by Earl Spencer in trust for the telescope. It has been constructed for the Reverend Mr. Craig of Leamington, nudes- the superintendence of Mr. W. Gravatt, F.R.S.

At the Central Criminal Court, a young man who had hitherto borne a good character has been convicted of attempting to extort money from a re- spectable tradesman by accusing him of improper behaviour in a public. place ; and Mr. Justice Talfourd has visited the offence with exemplary punishment—ten years' transportation.

At the Middlesex Sessions, William Rose, an old man, has been convicted of defrauding people of money by falsely representing that he was an officer- of the Court of Chancery, and that he could recover property for them which he said they were entitled to. He was sentenced to be transported for seven years.

Captain Shepheard, R.N., who frequently obtains lodgings in Police sta- tion-houses, and has exhibited amusing eccentricities before the London Magistrates—who has been fined for stabbin,g a man with a pitchfork, and for beating two boys—who has a trick of pulling other peoples hell} hocks, and began experimenting on the pleasure of biting off dogs' tails, but find- ing that he did not succeed well with a puppy gave up the amusement— who has been arrested for thfowing an oyster-shell through a fan-light, and has something to say about having been confined in a lunatic asylum,— this gentleman appeared at the Middlesex Sessions on Wednesday, as prose- cutor of his serving-boy for stealing a coat. There was no question that the boy pledged the coat—worth 6/. 108.—for 1/. Mr. Payne defended the boy;. and in a cross-examination of the Captain, which created continual laughter, elicited from him a very candid account of the little eccentricities which have made him so notonous. Mr. Payne urged that the accused had lived on very familiar terms with his master, frequently finding money to pay for his dinners: he did wrong in raising money by pawning the coat, but he did not intend to steal it. The Jury, he said, must consider the extraordi- nary conduct of the Captain, who appeared to be "mad as a March hare." The boy received a good character from a gentleman who had employed him for five years. The Jury acquitted him.

On the same night, Captain Shepheard again obtained lodgings in a station- house : he had got drunk, made a disturbance at a house which he wanted to enter, and struck a Policeman. The Marlborough Street Magistrate or- dered him to find bail to keep the peace.

At Guildhall Police Office, on Monday, M. Salamon de Gaeton a French- man, was accused of stealing a large number of shares of "Le gineur An- glo-Franco Californian Gold-mining Company." M. Vachon junior was the prosecutor. He asserted that the accused had been sent from Paris by the company to sell the shares in London ; he spent a good deal of money, but gave no account of the sale of shares; M. Vachon, managing director," came to London, but still could get no account; De Gaeton removed the shares frem the office of the company to his own lodgings, where they were found concealed : this was the robbery. The accused declared that he was not a servant to the company, but a partner in the scheme ; and papers seemed to show this. Sir James Duke held that there was not enough to warrant the detention of the prisoner, and liberated him on his own recogni- sauces to appear again. M. de Gaeton requested permission to explain one or two circumstancs omitted in his counsel's instructions : be was understood to assert that the English branch of "Le blineur " was established with the view of its ultimately advancing a loan of 40,000/. to the parent company in Paris. Sir James Duke said, that one good would certainly result from this investigation—the public would benefit by it, if no one else did. The Frenchman assented.

Charles Cocklin, a young man of very bad character, has been committed by the Thames Police Magistrate for attempting to murder Charles Feu], and for robbing him. Faul had been incautiously drinking with Cocklin, and became stupified ; early on Sunday morning Cocklin was seen in a field near Liniehouse, kneeling on Feel; the man who discovered him found that Paul was insensible, a handkerchief and a brace being tightly twisted and tied round his neck. When the Police came up, Cocklin tried to conceal Feel," watch, which he had taken from him ; money had also been stolen from him.

Massey, keeper of a beer-shop in the Isle of Dogs, has been fined forty shillings by the Thames Police Magistrate for supplying beer to a nomber of men at twelve o'clock on Sunday morning. From the statements of- the Po- lice it appears that Massey has frequently offended, and also that at many of the factories on the Isle of Dogs the workmen are employed on Sundays. The defendant pleaded this as an excuse—it was necessary, as the men were at work, that they should have refreshment. Mr. Yardley remarked, that the law made no exception in such cases.

Mr. Norton, the Lambeth Magistrate, after having been engaged on Sa- turday for upwards of three hours in hearing and disposing of nearly a hun- dred charges arising from Camberwell fair, observed, there could be no doubt that this fair had become a public nuisance : had it but continued a few days longer, he should have had brought to the court all the low thieves, the petty gamblers, and vicious characters in the Metropolis. Instead of being, as it used to be in former times, a place of enjoyment and relaxation for the pleasure-taking portion of the Metropolis, it had become the very centre of crime ; and it was really shocking to observe the number of juvenile thieves there, many mere children.

Two Irish beggar-women were brought before the Lord Mayor on Wednes- day for mendicancy. The officers alleged that they had begged of Mr. Sally. It appears that this gentleman is celebrated among the begging fraternity for his generous disposition—he is too generous. He cannot stir out but a gang of impostors dog his steps, and he freely gives them money. If he enters an

omnibus beggars ride on the roof, that they may pounce on him as he leaves the vehicle ! the two prisoners had thus ridden on an omnibus which conveyed Mr. Sony from his house to the City, and they received alms when he and they alighted. The Mendicity Society officer declared that the women are im- postors ; but as Mr. Solly said they had not solicited money, the Lord Mayor aischarged them ; at the same time giving Mr. Solly a hint that his over- flowing benevolence might do harm rather than good. The gentleman thanked the Lord Mayor, with a smile, and left the court apparently well disposed to set the advice at nought.

Three skittle sharpers have been committed for trial by Alderman Moon, for cheating a simple fellow of his money. They took him to a public-house, and got the skittle-ground to themselves ; the landlord suspected them, and informed a Detective ; who watched the whole course of cheating, and when the exulting sharpers were about to go off with their plunder, they were ar- rested by himself and two other officers.

The Royal Victoria Assembly Rooms, in Beaumont Street, Mile-end Road, were destroyed by fire early on Thursday morning ; and the adjoining tavern was much damaged.

With the approbation of the Commissioners, and in their presence, Mr. Levy, a publican in the City Road, has presented Policeman Alexander with a silver suutf.box,-and Policeman Bushbridgo with a silver watch ; Alexander for the early: discovery of a fire in Mr. Levy's house, and Bushbridge for gal- lantly rescuing Mrs. Levy and her three children at the peril of his own life.