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The annual meeting of the Association for effecting the repeal of Taxes upon Knowledge, Mr. Milner Gibson in the chair, was held on Wednesday at Exeter Hall, There were present four Members of Parliament, the Chairman, Mr. Greer, Mr. Ayrton, and Mr. M'Cann. The provinces sent up Mr. George Dawson, Mr. William Chambers, Dr. Watts, and Alderman Baldwin. Mr. Gibson, in his opening speech, narrated the history of the paper-tax—imposed in Queen Anne's reign to restrict the liberty of the press, advocated its abolition on the ground that it is a tax upon knowledge, an obstruction to the education of the people ; and said he did not believe that its repeal would entail any loss *pen the Exchequer, but that if it did, the Government must meet it by curtailing the expenditure. A resolution demanding repeal was moved and seconded by Dr. Watts and Mr. William Chambers. The latter said that in twenty-seven years he and his brother have paid 50,000/. in paper duty on works of wholesome instruction. Mr. Cassell and Mr. Ayrton moved and seconded another resolution pressing upon the House of Commons to make arrangements that will enable Parliament to dis- pense with the tax. Mr. George Dawson and Mr. Greer moved and seconded a resolution to adopt a petition to the House of Commons. All the resolutions were adopted.
At the Royal Institution, on Monday, Professor Owen delivered the second lecture of his course on "Fossil Mamma]ia." He described the development of animal life from the lowest to the higher deposits. The discovery of the lowest order of mammals in the lowest strata in which organic remains of that class first appear tends to confirm the opinion of that class of geologists called progressiomsts; that there has been a progressive order in the development of life on the earth, beginning with the simplest forms and ascending to the creation of the most complex and most perfect of organized beings—man. In adverting to this subject, Professor Owen briefly pointed out some of the leading features in the progressive orders of crea- tion, as indicated by the organic remains in the successive ascending series of strata, and expressed his adhesion to the class of progressionists.
In the Divorce Court Mrs. Sarah Selina Ann Stoate prayed for a judicial separation on the ground of cruelty and desertion. The husband, William Stoate, is a barrister, rich, but "illiterate and eccentric." The cruelty began during the honeymoon, when the bridegroom threatened to throw his bride from a cliff into the sea, and gave her a black eye. After that follow- ed a series of cruelties, a state of semi-separation, reunion at Bath, where Stoate was living with a servant, more cruelties, and on one occasion the intervention of the law to restrain Stoate's violence. Stoate defended him- self by trying to destroy his wife's character. In this he failed. The jury found a verdict for Mrs. Stoate.
The Lord Chancellor sat on the bench of the Divorce Court on Tuesday. One of the cases that came before him was remarkable. Mr. Coulthart, a young man of twenty-one, married a prostitute. His father was ignorant of the match, but when informed he invited the parties to his house. Within two months they were dissatisfied with Mrs. Coulthart's conduct, and the young couple removed into lodgings. The husband speedily betook himself to America, and Mrs. Coulthart, it is alleged, betook herself to her former course of life. The husband now prayed for a dissolution of mar- riage. The Court dismissed the petition on the ground that, instead of vigi- lantly watching her conduct, her husband had deserted her. Another case was this. Two cousins, both very young, a Mr. Fowler and a Miss Sutton, of Durham county, married in 1849, against the desire of their parents, but a reconciliation soon followed. The Fowlers came to live in London. Among their intimate friends were a Mr. and Mrs. Newcomen. Mr. Newcomen is upwards of forty years old. Mrs. Newcomen died in 1857, and in 1858 Mrs. Fowler left her home and went to live with Mr. Newcomen as his wife. The Court at once decreed a dissolution of the marriage.
A painful exposure of matrimonial infelicity was made before the Court of Queen's Bench in a trial to recover from a Mr. Lyon the sum of 362/. for goods. Mr. Lyon is a gentleman of great property—upwards of 40,000/. a year. In 1848 he married at Florence, Blanch Augusta, the daughter of Lady Charlotte Bury. They remained on the continent until 1853, when they returned to England and went to Torquay. Mr. Lyon withdrew alto- gether, and left Mrs. Lyon under the care of a Mr. Deakin—" I was placed under restraint by him to a certain extent corporeally, and entirely so mo- rally.." Then a paper was brought to her which she was made to sign under
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the fluence of a threat that if she did not, Mr. Lyon would refuse her ali- mony. The paper was a deed of separation whereby a sum of 13001. per annum was allowed to Mrs. Lyon. She came to London with Lady Char- lotte Bury who resided with her ; lived at several places, visited Paris, con- tracted debts. In 1858 she instituted a suit for the restoration of conjugal rights, and gained it. But instead of taking her to his home, Mr. Lyon re- ceived her at a house he had taken in Gloucester Place. Here he received her and her alone, saying to her maid and solicitor "no one admitted here." When she was- inside he locked the door, and summoning the servants—six or seven women—to the drawingroom, he ranged them in a circle and said, pointing to his wife—" That is my wife Mrs. Lyon ; you will always treat her with respect and kindness, but you will never obey any order she gives. She will never be allowed to go out without one or other or both of you (designating two) accompanying her. You will follow wherever she goes—into whatever house or shop—and_ you will state that whatever she orders her husband will not pay for. You will not receive any letter or parcel for Mrs. Lyon without knowing whom they come from and what they contain. There will be a book kept, in which every person who comes to this house and everything brought will be put down. No one is to be admitted." I interrupted Mr. Lyon, and said, "Not my sisters. Lady Arthur Lennox and Mrs. Russell are coming here this afternoon." He said, "No one. She will only be allowed to see her mother once a week." I expostulated with Mr. Lyon, but very gently. I told the ser- vants that they were misinformed, that they had accepted a situation which they ought to have been ashamed to take, under the circumstances under which they were hired, and that it was not the first time Mr. Lyon had served me so. I protested against such conduct as not just, and I asked Mr. Lyon if he had seen the certificates of two medical men [testifying to her sanity.] He said, Yes.' I said, 'And you are acting in this manner after having seen those certificates.' He said, I am.' He gave strict in- junctions that his orders should be obeyed." When Mr. Lyon said the servants were not to obey my orders except as to my food, he added, "This is not in unkindness, but for her own sake, as when under my roof before she abused her authority to her own destruction by ordering things which were hurtful to her." It was the alleged cause of quarrel with Mr. Lyon that "I had ordered goods which were hurtful tomy health. Without Mr. Lyon's knowledge I did pledge plate and jewellery to the extent of 3514/., some of which I had bought without his knowledge, and some he had given me. Without Mr. Lyon's knowledge, I borrowed of a lady 1500/. He has not repaid it."
Mrs. Lyon had contracted debts during the period when living separated under the deed. Among her other creditors was a Mr. Mallalue, who has brought an action to recover the amount from Mr. Lyon. The defence is that there was a separate maintenance, and that it had been paid. The plaintiff's counsel contended that the deed was worthless because it had been signed by Mrs. Lyon under restraint. The plaintiff knew nothing of the deed. The case was adjourned until today.
At the Central Criminal Court, on Wednesday, Frost and Williams, two confirmed burglars, were indicted fora burglary, and for cutting and wound- ing Evershed, an officer who caught them in the fact. The story of the in- trepid combat maintained by the constable Evershed, against the two men. has already been told. They have now been found guilty of both offences charged against them. Baron Watson ordered sentence of death to be re- corded, but said that he ahould recommend its commutation to penal servi- tude for ten years. The Judge conspicuously acknowledged the bravery of Evershed who so faithfully did his duty, and "as a small reward," ordered that he should be paid 201.
The three soldiers of the Scots Fusilier Guards who appropriated a check, forged an endorsement, and got it cashed, have been found guilty, and sen- tenced, Haylor to eighteen, Horton to nine, and Fuller to three months im- prisonment.
Watts, a guardsman, who fought in the four chief conflicts in the Crimea, tried to shoot himself while standing sentry at the Bank of England on Saturday. The ball, however, glided along his great coat. He was carried to the Tower hospital, not seriously hurt.
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