5 FEBRUARY 1853, Page 2

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St. Martin's Hall was filled to overflowing on Wednesday evening, hy egatheringsf the working classes who support the proposed opening of the Crystal Palace on Sundays. The meeting was .called by the trades delegates, alleged to represent 92,520 working men • the delegates them- selves mustering about one hundred strong. They elected Mr. Henry Mayliewle the chair, Who-delivered an essay-on-the Sabbathsabser.vanste question, to show that the opening of the Crystal Palace on Sunday would not violate the Divine command to keep that day holy. He read a declaration, averring that the working mend° not question theauthority of the decrees upon which the institution of the Sabbath is founded; that it is a social institution designed eeperiallyforthe.benefit of the labourer ; that they are aincimis to guard the day of rest from.ntimecessary encroach- meats and desire no -infringements upon it moresthat physical and intel- bawl necessities recieirp ; that-physical recreation on the Sunday is as necessary as food and drink;. and that "refined and intellectual enjoy- Went; is v-iai as the means of obtaining inthrmation, are even more ne- cessary to the working man than physical recreation" ; and that " if these necessities be denied them on the present day of rest, then two Sabbaths must be appointed in-the week, one to be observed as a.day of mere repose, and the other as a day for the recreation of his mental and bodily ener- gies." The principal speakers were Mr. Prideaux, cabinetmaker, Mr. Wil- liam Newton, engineer, Mr. Ferdinando, silk-weaver, and Mr. Read,baker. A resolution adopting the declaration was carried with -great heartiness. Soinedistarbance arose out of an attempt of the Reverend Mr. Bailey, Secretary of the Lord's Day Observance Society, to address the meeting. As it.was purely a working man's meeting, his intrusion was objected to. Mr. Bailey said he was a working clergyman ; and he was permitted to speak for some minutes, till cries of " Time ! " " The Bishops I" and other noises, drove him Toni the platform. For many years tithes had,not been collected in the parish of St. Mary Wlspechapel, when in-1848'th° patrond of the_ rectorship, Brazenose Conhgt Oxfclittl, sought to enforce payment. At a inciting held in that year, Sffi-Riectof, the Ite"ieferid W. W: elsamprieys, declined that rather than disturbIlie peace-Ortheparlithewould-resign the Tying. In 1849 a bill for commuting the tithes was -brought into Ptudiament, and rejected on the ground that the right to- tithe was not legally.tsstatllished. tin- willing, however, to drop their claim, Brazenose College determined to try the right ; and the Rector was prevailed upon to permit a bill to be filed in Chancery against seven parishioners for one yeses tithe. The seven, affrighted at the prospect of a Cheacmy-suit, .peici the amount claimed, without contestingthe rightfulness of the claim ; and the,College authorities, emboldened by success, gave notice to twenty parishioners, that dthe tithe were not paid in ten days, similar proceedings would be taka:Ilut-this provoked resistance ; Mr_ Champneys was induced to with- chaffitherfatices ; and a Vestry meeting-was Veld on when reso- lutions wire passed-expressing "vehement indignaticm " at the elitidnet of the Collage authorities, itrrd a • determination to 'support the-clidset twenty victims. The parishioners believe-that the patrons have to right to tithes from the parish of St. Mary.

At the last meeting of theRoyal Geographical Society, held on Monday, under the preaidence of Sir Roderick Murchison, a paper of some interest was read, giving a brief account of a journey petfonued by three Moors and a caravan across the continent of Africa from Zanzibar on the East to Benguela in Angola on the West. Six months, only, were occupied in the transit. According to their own statement, they had exchanged most of the articles they had with them by the time they got to Cazembe, then found it difficult to get back, and so they went forward, trading on their way in ivory and slaves. But it is conjectured that they had know- ingly laid out their goods in the purchase of slaves, the best market for

7:- row is on the West coast. At all events, the journey is a remarkable one. . - — At length the Achilli case is term, staff: Mr. Newman appeared in the Court of Queen's Bench, to receive judgmeift, on 'Monday. Lord Campbell, Mrsaniiice Coleridge, Mr Wi;htman, Var. Justice Erle, were on

therewith ; weenber /banisters inns was very great ; and the

crowdrin at previsse stages of this protracted trial, took the court by

storm soon a e doors were opened, and,asked itself into the

hefted ipace. gment was prayed by Sir Frederick esmer. Upon this affidavits in extenuation were read. The gist of them was, that Dr. New- man believed the truth of the charges set forth in the libel, and further be- lieved that their publication was for the public good ; that he had no per- sonal acquaintance with Dr. Achilli, and no private malice against him; and that he hall mend great difficulties in the way of collecting evidence to prove the charges. It was further stated on affidavit, that imprisonment would have a serious effect on the health of Dr. Newman : among the medi- cal affidavits, were one from Sir Benjamin Brodie, and one from Dr. "lobs, the Regius Professor at Oxford. The counsel for Dr. Newman then ad- dressed the Court in mitigation of punishment; and Sir FrederierTheeiger, who described the libel as " coarse, ribaldiy," and the • motives of Dr, Naar- man as " rancorous," was heard with Sir Fitzroy Kelly in appositisp. Sir Frederick raised a point as to whether the Court had the right ,to look to the evidence and question the Jury's finding ; but Lord Campbell laid it down that the Court, -under a recent act, not only had the right bat was bound to look to the evidence, and see how far the plea of justification might be held to mitigate or aggravate punishment. Before the Judges had con- eluded a conference on the sentence, Dr. Newman rose, mid, holding a paper, said he wished to address the Court. But he was induced by Lord Camp- bell to forbear. Lord Campbell asked Dr. Newman, whether it would be inconvenient for him to stand while judgment was passed ? Dr. Newman lied that it would not; and accordingly he stood -while Mr. lustierCole..

ge the senior Puisne Judge, delivered the sentence.

After hearing the affidavits, and looking to the circumstances of the case, Mr. Justice Coleridge expressed the sentiment of every member of the Court when he said that they were eatisfiediDr. Newman honestly believed the truth ef the allegations-he made against Dr. Achilli-[A murmur of applause] -that it was not a belief recklessly and unthinkingly taken up, but that some person- he respected had led Dr. Newman to think he had. good grounds for that belief ; and that he did not compose and publish the libel from per- sonal malice, but because ns Sela/li.had assailed a religion Dr. Newman held dear, and had done so in Birmingham, where it was extremely im- portant his authority should be lessened. Then came the consideration of the truth or falsehood of the allegations put forth in the plea of justification. There was great improbability in the story, as one _could hardly believe that a man so wicked as Dr. Achilli was represented to be could have been ca- ressed, honoured, and trusted with the most delicate employments in the Romish Church until he lapsed from its faith. The motives of the -witnesses might also be questioned. One of them spoke to her having been directed to give evidence for the honour of Holy Church-41nd the Mother of God. Then it was almost impossible for Dr. Achilli effectually to contradict the stories circulated against him. He was under a sentence of the Inquisition, and it would have been almost impossible to get witnesses to speak in his favour. Yet the Court wasmcit entirely satisfied with the finding of the Jury. "The trial and every step of these proceedings have been so anxiously at- tended by sush-a numerousselass of people, that it is quite inipeesible to say that some may not have come here supposing this was a question between the two Churches of England and Rome. Any considerate man, however, *be `thought of the matter for a Moment, must have seen that' the Church of England, at least, had no interest whatever in the matter. If you had been shown to be, what the information alleged against you, a wilful, and wicked, and bitter slanderer, the Church of England might have said, with regret I speak it, that you weremo longer within her fold. She might have gone further; she might have appealed to writings, in my opinion at least, invaluable, which proceeded from your pen whilst you were one of her mem- bets, in which, greatas was their ability, sound as wathtivdoctrine, -urgent as was their teaching to holiness of life, nothing was more remarkable than the tenderness and gentleness of spirit that pervaded the whole. Nay, she might have gone further, and even in those controversial writings of which you were the 'author, on her behalf, while you were still among her mem- bers-although the argument might sometimes be severe because it was just and unanswerable-even in your writings on matters of controversy-there- was nothing like pemsonal bitterness. .1f, on the other bend, Dr. &elfin- was all that yen represented him to be, the Church of England might still have said that he had not been born within her fold ; that he lad not been taught in her schools ; it was not 'her discipline that had formed him. She might have painted with regret to.another Church, and aid, however bad he may be, I at least am perfectly free from any blame with regard to him. And she 'might have gone further, and said, that though he had left the Church of Rome, yet under wintever cir- cumstances he had done so' the had not been honoured or trusted by her." Passing from the matter of libel, Mr. Justice Coleridge said ametisiiig.irith regard to the manner and spirit in which it was expressed. "I do confess, that when, long ago now, my attention was first drawn to the pages which are before me, I read these words with infinite shame and disgust. It ap- peared to me, I must say, as a mere matter of taste, that you had totally de- parted from the usual style of your productions, and, what was much worse than that, that you had used a scheme- and an arrangement in setting out these charges one after the other, and that you had closed them at last in a way which has exposed you to -the strong observations which I hope you have heard today with surprise as well as with regret. One of the advocates for theprosecution has stated, for the second time today, the impression pro- duced upon his mind by the manner in which you have desoribedehe lest charge made against Dr. Achill' i. I am sure no such, thing was _intended ; but that you a master as are of the art of writing, should have ex- pres-sed ydbrself in- this way, 'lays you open- at least to' the imputation of great recklessness in-the manner in which you put forward the charge. It is sad to see that, *Takings& the Reformed Church, you should commence with a sentence-such as this-' In thq,midst of outrages such as these, my brothers of the Oratory, wiping its month, and clasping its hand; and turn- up its eyes it-La-edges to the Town-hall. to shear Dr. Achilli expose the Inquisition.' gurely that was not language in whierPooriehould bave spoken of-a church of whichyoutad been so long a member. 'And the Whole course of these pages which he before me is conceived in the same way ; partly in what may be called ferocious merriment, partly in triumph, partly in-exultation over the unhappy man whose foul offences you wereproducingboforeyour hearers. Surely, if you have felt yourself called upon to net as the judge and as the executioner upon a men so -foul, so wretched, as you described Dr. Achilli to be, you should have approaohed that task with feelings of sorrow and sad- ness, and executed it with tenderness and witheonsideration. Judges do not pass sentence upon thefoulest criminal without some emotion-sometimes, in- deed, an emotion difficult to control. Human nature shudders when we hear of an executioner branded for exulting in the ingenuity with which he tortures and destroys a criminal. But you have made and repeated these expressions as if they were matter of exultation and merriment, and as it seems to me, with utter recklessness of the great importanee and the serious -nature of the charges you have made. I have now, I believe, however im- perfectly, stated the different points of the case Which seemed to me to de- serve observation. I hope that even in this crowded court there is not a single individual who looks with triumph upon the spectacle before him. I am sere that the Court addressed itself to this duty tin .no spirit of exulta- tion, The sentence which it is about to pronounce by myanouth is not in- tended to be a cause of exultation to one party or the other. It will be meted out to you simply and solely upon eonsideration of the ante that you have done and the motives which impelled you to do them. I have spoken of the feelings of the Court, and 1 am sure I participate in those feelings. Firmly attached as I am, and I believe I ever shall be, to the Church of England, in which I have lived and in which I hope to die, there is-nothing in my mind in seeing you now before me but the deepest regret. I can hardly expect that you will take ingood part anany.of the observations which I.have felt it my duty to make. Suffer-me, however, to ray one or two words more. The great controversy between the Churches will go on, we know not, through God's pleasure, how long. Whether heneeforward you shall take any part in it or not, it will be for you to consider. But I think the pages before me should, upon calm consideration, give you this warning—that if you engage in any controversy, youehould engage in tit .neither personally nor bitterly. The road to unity is by increase of holiness of life. If you, for the future, sustain' as you may think you are bound to do by your:pub- lications, the cause of the Ohara. of.Rome, I entreat you to-do it in a spirit of charity, in a spirit of humility, .a spirit worthy of your great abilities, of your ardent piety, of your holy life, and of our eommon Christianity. The sentence of the Court upon you is, that you do pay tto her Majesty the fine of 100/. ; and that you be imprisoned in the first class of ,mtede- meanante in the Queen's-Prison until that fine be paid." As the Judge spoke the last five words, loud laughter arose in the Court ; and, amid the noise-of departing feet, Dr. Newman's attorney wrote-a cheek for the amount of the fine, handed it in, and they both departed.

In the same Court, on Wednesday, an.action:for breach of promise of mar- riage was tried, brought by a Miss Goodwin of Battle against a Mr. Pegge of Hastings. Her father being reduced in circumstances, Miss Goodwin and her sister set up a dressmaker's shop at Battle ; and there, in 1841, Mr. Pegge was introduced to the ladies by a Mr. Young. He made love in ap- proved fashion, and walked -with thelady, on Sundays, in the park. By and by Miss Goodwin made an excursion to Brighton, and a child was born, which died; subsequently another child, which is stillalive. All this time Pegge promised marriage ; but at length -he deserted this mistress, and per- fidiously married for money. Miss Goodwin then brought the action.'The promise was admitted, but it was alleged in defence that'Mies Goodwin had lived an improper -life, and so there was good reason to break the engage- ment. Mies Goodwin's sister declined to answer questions regarding-her ge- neral continence. It was proved that young men frequented- the dress- maker's shop, smoked cigars, and drank brandy and water. One witness deposed that he was on the most intimate footing with the sister, and that he had sat in the, plaintiffs lap. Nevertheless, Lord 'Campbell discounte- nanced the defence, and the Jury awarded Miss Goodwin 501. damages.

A judgment of more than usual interest and importance was pronounced by Mr. Commissioner Fume in the Court of Bankruptcy, on Friday last week, in the matter of James Holmes, the shawl-warehouseman of Regent Street. We stated the particulars of theiankruptoysome time ago ; andalso that the application of Holmes for his certificate-was opposed by the-assignees. Mr. Fane attributed much of the bankrupt's misfortunes to the private arrange- ment which -followed his bankruptcy in 1818. In passing, he stigmatized private arrangements generally, as inducing the bankrupt to purchase secrecy by the promise of a higher dividend than his assets wilhallow, and as unfair to future creditors. To these motives for secrecy-the-law adds the expensiveness of bankruptey„ But how can bankruptcy be otherwise than expensive, under a system straich taxes only those who use the courts es- tablished for protection, and exempts private arrangements from taxation. "The bankruptcy system, indeed, goes further, for it throws on the actual suitors not only the expense of the court itself, but the burden of compen- sations long since granted. to retired or displaced officers ; and hence expense is constantly diminishing, the number of public bankruptcies, and substi- tuting for them private arrangements. If our legal reformers were desirous of discovering some palliation for this evil, .I think they would find it in. im- posing a moderate charge on all insolvencies settled under private deeds, and applying the proceeds for the maintenance of the courts.; for such charge would diminish the burden on .public and increase that on private insolvencies, and thus diminish the temptation to privacy by making publicity less dear and privacy less cheap : nor -would there be any injustice in this, because the creditors under private insolvencies are indirectly protected by the existence of those courts for whose protection they at present . pay nothing." In the present case, -Holmes owed, in 1848, 15,9071., and had 41511. -available assets; but the -ar- rangement specified that he should pay not five shillings but tenehillings in the pound. Of course the extra five shillings could only come from the fu- ture profits of the business. Then he had agreed to, pay the dividend by in- stalments extending over a space of eighteen-months. Yet to some he. had paid twenty shillings and fifteen shillings instead of ten shillings in the pound, and others he had paid in fifteen days instead of eighteen months. Air. Fame censured him for extravagant personal expenditure-8001. a year. He also adjudged him guilty of obtaining forbearance of debts by fraud; the fraud being concealthent of his dealings with the -money-lei:Wens, to the amount of 6518/. Holmes likewise, when sued in Juno 1852, instead of meeting his creditors, as he should have done, being insolvent, had pawned seine valuable shawls sent him by a-Trench merchant on sale or return. That was a violation of commercial integrity. "The judgment of the Court is, that the certificate of the bankrupt be suspended for three years from the date of the bankruptcy, without protection, and when granted to be of-the third class. If he should be imprisoned, I shall be willing to release him after three months' imprisonment. Imm sorry to be compelled to pronounce so severe a judgment against a person Who had such excuse'forhiserrors as the circumstances of -1848 furnish; and if all -his creditors should abstain from exercising the power of punishment which the law gives, it will not surprise me, for I have seen in my judicial life quite enough to convince -13113 that the severe creditor is-the rare exception to th.egeneral rule."

At the Central Criminal Court, on Wednesday, William Hawkins Adams, receiver of bankers' parcels at the General Post-office, was convicted of em- bezzling small sums of money received as postage for parcels : he accounted for less than he received for the parcels. He had been twenty-four years in the Post-office, and had a salary of between 3001. and 4001. Sentence, fifteen years' transportation.

Moffatt, the clerk to Mr. Barlow the engineer, who forged and uttered checks in his master's name, pleaded guilty. Sentence, fifteen years' trans- portation.

Wainsen, the young man who entered the rooms of Merton Williams, an old carpenter at Shoreditch, demanded his money, and when a struggle en- sued cut the old man with a knife with which he was defending himself, was convicted of "unlawfully wounding." Williams is eccentric, and it seemed probable that Wainsen entered his house for a " lark " : but when he slashed him with the knife he carried his ill-planned joke great deal too

far; and Mr. Justice Cresswell sentenced him to nine months' Imprisonment. l the people who sent them out to beg, On Thursday, John Parrott was tried for the murder of his wife, in Spital- fields. There was no doubt that he shamefully misused the poor woman; but there was a doubt as toliis intention to kill her. So the Jury gave hien the benefit of the doubt, and convicted him of manslaughter only. Ile was sentenced to be transported for life.

Mr. ,Ridley Wilson, the merchant skipper, was tried-for wilfully siuking the ship Essex Lass. The particulars of the evidence have been stated re- cently. Cross-examination by no means exalted the credibility of the testi- mony of the chief witness. trial was carriedthrough, but then the Jury at once acquitted the accused.

Elizabeth Vickers, a middle-aged woman, of great physical strength. •is in custody on a charge of murdering Mr. William Jones, her master. She .was examined at Lambeth Police 'Ocoee on Wednesday. A Coroner's Jury had pronounced that Mr. Jones died from an "accidental fall" ; but the evi- dence on Wednesday supported stronglythe charge of murder. Mr. Jones was eighty-four years old; he lived m Acre Lane, Brixton; Vickers had been his housekeeper for fourteen years. She had obtained a complete con- trol over him, excluding his relatives and friends from his house, or only allowing them to .see him in her presence. Whenever she threatened to leave him, the old man was greatly alarmed. He purposed that she-should suceeed to his property. He had transferred 10001. in the Funds to -the joint -names of himself -and Vickers. Yet this woman treated him with the greatest cruelty. She would go out for hours, locking him in the house, and return very drunk. On these and other occasions she savagely beat the old man ; the neighbours heard quarrels, cries, sounds of blows and falls ; and Mr. Jones was seen with marks of frightful blows on his head and face. When Tickers announced that her master was dead, a surgeon found the body extended on a couch ; she told an improbable story of his sudden death after-drinking some water. A post-mortem examination detected the marks of numerous blows or falls and cuts on the face, head, and body ; death had been caused by a blow or -fall on the temple, which had produced an effuelon of blood on the-brain. The marks were not of wounds just inflicted ; they had probably been received from six days to a fortnight before the surgeon saw them. Clothes that were bloody were found in the house, though at- tempts had been made to wash out the stains. All the circumstances de- tailed by the-witnesses led to the conclusion that the poor old man had been murdered not accidentally killed. When a policeman attempted to arrest Vickers, she fought so furiously, that but for the aid of a second constable the officer would have been worsted. The Magistrate was prepared to com- mit the prisoner on the capital charge, but remanded her for a week, that her trial might not come on so suddenly as to prevent her solicitor from pre- paring her defence. Vickers treated the matter with a nonchalance amount- mg to impudent levity.

Thomas Hackett, a bricklayer's labourer, was produced before the Mary- lehone Magistrate, on Tuesday, on the charge of murdering Eliza lee, a young woman who had lived with him for six years. He had recently mar- ried another woman. Eliza Lea was drowned in the Regent's Canal on Monday night ; her cries were heard ; Hackett was met coming from the canal; he returned with two persons who had heard the cries, but he sneaked away before the body was got out.--Remanded.

A daring highway robbery-has been committed at Brixton. Mr. Smith, a butcher, was going -along Brighton Terrace about eight o'clock at night; .a respectably-dressed woman asked him where Dr. Williams lived ; Mr. Smith replied that he knew no such person ; at that moment two men came up, one of whom exclaimed, "You villain ! you are insulting the woman," and immediately knocked him down. On recovering from the blow, 11r. Smith found he had been robbed of nearly .201.

Mr. George Burgess, who called himself a "gentleman," was charged be- fore- the Bow-Street Magistrate for assaulting .11r. R. 0. Potts. At-seven o'clock in the evening, Mr. Potts left hiswifo walking in Pall Mall for a few Minutes while-he called at a club ; in his absence, Burgess accosted the lady, put his hand-into her muff, -and behaved-with the impertinent gallantry that he would have shown to a street-walker. Mr. Potts came out and found his wife crying; Mr. Burgess walked away ; but the husband brought him bank. He offered to apologize, but in explaining what he had done, he again put his hand on Mrs. Potts's wrist. The husband -was very angry, and tore up the card Burgess -tendered to him. Then-Burgess struck him, and a struggle ensued. The defendant's counsel pretended that it "was not un- natural to mistake w lady walking in that locality alone, at such a period of the evening, for one of the Blass who ply for hire." The Magistrate cen- sured this defence : the hour was seven o'clock ; and he said it was a mon- strous thing to allow that an unprotected lady is liable to molestation by any gentleman who maythink to be excused by making an apology. lie in- flicted a fine of 51.

John Stevenson, otherwise Stewart or-Johnson, who is very clever but not verytparticular lit what he does, has been charged before Alderman Wire with victimizing certain persons. Stevenson , pretended that he had dis- covered a mode of obtaining oil from London clay ; and his manner and tales were so plausible-that he induced several persons to believe that he really had made a discovery. -But, like many other geniuses, Stevenson admitted that he was poor ; if the persons he applied to would only pay for the appa- ratus he required, they .should see what wonders he would perform. Seve- ral consented to pay for the neceesary articles if- Stevenson-ordered them to be sent to their houses. -The inventor immediately ordered electrical appa- ratus at a manufacturer's : when sentato the places directed, the dupes paid the sum charged ; and then Stevenson attained the object of his roundabout proceedings—a commission of 20 per cent from the manufacturer of the ap- paratus for recommending the customers. Mr. Alderman Wire pronounced that- the accused, while approachiug as■near as possible to legal criminality, had yet managed to keep just clear of the law ; and he was obliged to libe- rate,him. The " inventor " Stevenson had served twelve months in prison for some former offences : Mr. Keating, the chemist of St. Paul's Ch.urch- yard,--said, he' had defrauded a friend of his of 201.-for a pretended apparatus to make gum amble out of beet-root. Mr. Stevenson replied—"Ify Lord, this is one of the cases for-which I have paid by the imprisonment of my body for twelve months, and which the public have been informed of until they were quite sick of the business."

The neighbourhood of the Bank has of late been infested with children in a half naked state soliciting alms ; and their miserable appearance has

moved the charitable to give them money, which it appears was not really applied to relieve their own necessities. Sir Robert Carden, the active Alder- man, put the matter in its true light at Guildhall Police Office on Saturday ; when he charged Annie .Dawson, eight years old, with begging. The-tittle - tatterdemalion had admitted to him that she was one of six children wheal/- her aunt sent out daily to beg, of course receiving the money from the troop. A:Policeman went to the aunt's; and from what he saw and heard it would seem that Mrs. Dawson and her husband enjoy a good living in idleness by means of the alms extorted by the apparent distress of their own children 41214 their nieces. Mary Anne, sister of Annie, and Mary Anne ,Smith, an itteor. rigible offender, were charged with begging, by a gentlemanwhel lives in Tokenhouse Yard, where these begging-girls are a great nuisance. Alder, man Hooper remanded the three, and ordered summonses to be iseued against

The Lambeth Magistrate has not been able to commit " Captain " John- son on any other charge than that of defrauding Mrs. Stewart; and the Re- corder has ordered the trial to stand over.

The Coroner's Jury on the body of John Gaywood, the little boy who died in Greenwich Workhouse, attributed the death to water on the brain, but found that it had been accelerated by the ill-treatment of Mary Ann Old- ham, the nurse who put a live coal in his hand : so they returned a verdict of " Manslaughter " against her.