ht aittruintio,
A special Court of East India Proprietors, on Wednesday, passed the following resolution- " That, as a testimonial of the gratitude with which the East India Com- pany must ever remember that the glorious career of the Duke of Welling- ton commenced in India, and that the consolidation of the British power there was greatly promoted by his brilliant achievements, a marble statue of that illustrious commander be placed in the General Court-room." The only incident of the discussion was, that Mr. Lewin, a proprietor, declared that our rule in India is hated by the native populations. He thought it no honour to the Duke of Wellington that a statue to his me. mory. should be paid for out of the territorial revenues of India. Mr. Lewm's speech met with no sympathetic response ; the proprietors only "regretting " that he should have uttered such an opinion.
An investigation into the administration of the City charities has been going on for some time, partly in public and partly in private. The presidents of the court of inquiry are the Lord Mayor and the Chief Baron; the proceedings are carried on under an act of Parliament, and they apply to charities for the benefit of prisoners. Several Companies privately passed their accounts on the 9th September. On Tuesday last, Alderman Challis, (the Lord Mayor Elect,) and Sir Frederick Pol- lock, held another sitting. The accounts of the Leather-sellers Company were looked into ; and it was found that monies under three charities for the relief of prisoners wore in Chancery, and that the sums ordered to be expended had not been expended. In fact, the whole administration of the charities had failed. The accounts of the Mercers Company were also scrutinized, and declared to be satisfactory.
Opposition to the opening of the new Crystal Palace on Sunday has ommenced in the Metropolis. At Islington, on Monday, Mr. Wilson, the healkal a meeting of inhabitants who " disapprove of the proposed --Opening ofethe new Crystal Palace at Sydenhami on the Lord's Day." About a 4ousand attended, two-thirds of them women. Resolutions denounced the project, as " utterly at variance with the spirit and letter of the Divine commandment, also with the statute law of this Christian country, and likewise with the best interests of society." A speaker appeared to support an amendment in a contrary sense ; but he was re- fused a hearing, and the resolutions were carried.
The residents at and near Clapham Common held a meeting on Tues- day, in order to express their disapprobation of the projected railway which will connect the Went-end with the Crystal Palace at Sydenham. The proposed route of the line was by the new Battersea Bridge, and through Clapham Common by means of a cutting thirty feet deep, to be ultimately covered over with turf. The residents, headed by the lord of the manor, Captain Bowyer, objected, that it would spoil the common, " the prettiest place in London' ; depreciate the value of house property; drain the wells ; fill the neighbourhood with people who are more useful than agreeable ; while on the Sabbath there would be more noise than on any other day, greatly to the annoyance of those who wish to keep it holy. All the opposition, however, was out short by an assurance from Mr. Fuller, one of the directors of the new company, that fresh surveys had been ordered, and that the railway would not pass through the common.
The clergy of the Archdeaconry of London, under the presidenee of Archdeacon Hale, met on Thursday at Sion College, and resolved to pre- sent a memorial to Lord Derby condemnatory of the proposed opening of the Crystal Palace on Sundays.
Mr. Benjamin Oliveira M.P. presided over a meeting held at his own house on Monday, at which it was resolved that a-free library for Maryle- bone is desirable ; to be established by subscription, but maintained on the self-supporting principle. A Committee was appointed to carry out the intentions of the meeting. Among the speakers, were Mr. John M‘Gregor M.P., Mr. A. A. Goldsmid, and Mr. George.
At a meeting of the London and South-western Railway Company, held at the London Tavern on Tuesday, a propoial for a railway from Salis- bury to Exeter was submitted to the shareholders. After a great deal of opposition, a shareholder asked what number of proxies had been received for and against the proposition ? The Secretary replied, that the number of proxies received was—in favour of the line from Salisbury to Exeter,
11,237 votes; it, 10,563 votes : the majority of votes in favour of carrying the ine from Salisbury to Exeter was therefore 674. The num- ber of voters was—for the line from Salisbury to Exeter, 784 ; against it, 726; majority for the Salisbury and Exeter line, 59, On this announce- ment, a proprietor, addressing the chairman, exclaimed—" Well, after that statement, how can you expect the bill to be carried ? " Subse- quently, an amendment to the original proposition, simply affirming that there should be a line, was lost, and a poll was demanded : the result would not be known till Saturday.
Cannon, who has been ineffectually punished seventeen times since 1842, mainly for brutal assaults, has this week been tried in two courts. At the Surrey Quarter-Sessions, held at Newington, on Tuesday, James Cannon, "the ruffian sweep of Walworth," pleaded guilty to assaulting Po- liceman' Thorne' while he was assisting another constable, Michael Dwyer, who was nearly killed by Cannon. He was sentenced to imprisonment for two years. Cannon was to have been indicted for assaulting Dwyer, but the punishment that could have been inflicted is inadequate ; and this induced the Treasury Solicitor to withdraw that charge, and to have Cannon tried at the Central Criminal Court for "attempt to murder." Accordingly, on Wednesday, Cannon was tried there on the proposed charge. Ile made no defence. In summing up, the Lord Chief Baron stated to the Jury, that the prisoner was indicted under a statute which made it a capital felony for a person to cause bodily injury to another by any means, with in- tent to murder him; and therefore every person convicted under the statute would be liable to suffer death. The section under which the indictment was framed was very short; it was to the effect that if any person should admi- nister poison to another, or stab or wound such person, or by any other means whatever inflict upon another bodily injury dangerous to life, with intent to commit murder, such person should be deemed guilty of felony. The question the Jury would have to consider in the present case was, whether the evidence established against the prisoner any of the acts contemplated by the section of the act of Parliament. This was certainly the first time in his experience that an indictment had been framed upon this statute where no weapon had been made use of; but at the same time, it was perfectly clear that a person of great bodily strength was quite competent to do such injury to another as would bring him within the scope of one portion of the section. If the constable had died from the injuries he received, the act of the prisoner would have amount- ed to murder; and it appeared to him, that the two questions the Jury would have to decide were, first, had the prisoner made use of the bodily strength which'he appeared to possess to cause injuries to the prose- cutor dangerous to life ; secondly, and which was certainly the most difficult of the two to decide, hai he, at the time he inflicted those injuries, the in- tention to kill him. They must be perfectly satisfied upon both these points, and particularly upon the latter, before they could convict the prisoner upon the present charge ; and if the intent was not proved to their satisfac- tion, they must acquit the prisoner altogether. The Jury, after a short de- libeiution found the prisoner guilty on the capital charge. The brutal sweep seemed astounded at the verdict. Sentence of death has been recorded against him.
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At the Central Criminal Court, on Monday, William Henry Povey was tried for bigamy. Ile was married in June 1849, at St. Mary's Church, Crawford Street ; and it was alleged that he was-married a second time in August 1851, at Edinburgh, to a Miss Graliani, his first wife being then alive. The only interest in the case arose from the nature of the evidence to prove the second marriage. Mrs. Stedman, sister of the second wife, stated that she resided in Gillespie Street, Edinburgh ; the prisoner was married on the 23d August 1851, (having been on a visit for three weeks previously,) to her sister, Miss Graham ; and after staying a few days with them, and living together as man and wife, they sailed for England. They were married by the Reverend Mr. Reid, Minister of the United Presbyterian congregation in the Lothian Road. They were married in witness's house, as it is the custom in Scotland. Witness had beard that the banns had been proclaimed in the usual way. Cross-examined--“ I was married in a private house ; it is the custom. The banns were proclaimed when I was married. My sister's was a regular marriage, I know the Reverend. Mr. Reid to be a minister ; I at- tend his church." The Common Sergeant rejected a copy of the record of the marriage obtained from a session-clerk, as not legal evidence ; so Mrs. Sted- man's testimony was the only proof of the marriage. Mr. Parry, for the prisoner, contended that this was insufficient proof : some one learned in Ideotch law ought to be present to prove that th e facts stated constituted
marriage in Scotland. For the prosecution, Mr. Deereley replied, that in a case like this, such a formal proceeding was not necessary, though customary where a question of property or descent was at issue. In " Archbold's Criminal Pleadings," by Sir John Jervis, it is laid down that a marriage, if celebrated abroad, may be proved by any person who was present ; and cir- cumstances should also be proved from which the jury may presume that it was a valid marriage, according to the custom of the country in which it was celebrated,—proof that it was performed by a person appearing and officiating as a priest, and that it was understood by the parties to be according to the rites and customs of the foreign country. The Common Sergeant said it was a case for the Jury. The prisoner was found guilty. Sentence postponed.
John Lewis was tried for the murder of Richard Stinnett, at Brentiord. Lewis is the young shoemaker who stabbed a fellow workman, on great pro- vocation. The Jury found him guilty of manslaughter only, and strongly recommended him to mercy. The sentence was nine months' imprisonment.
George Holyhead was tried on a charge of manslaughter : two boys em- ployed by him to make fireworks were killed by an explosion when they were alone. The verdict was " Not guilty."
On Thursday, Hugh Cavendish Coleman was indicted for making a false declaration before a notary-public, whereby he had obtained money with in- tent to defraud. But the prosecutors having found that they had suffered no wrong in the matter, no evidence was offered, and the accused was ac- quitted.
On Wednesday, Robert Godsmark pleaded guilty to stealing a money-letter. He had formerly kept a shop at Walworth, to which the post-office was attached he failed in business, and was appointed letter-carrier in Lam- beth. He stole two letters, and at his house were found ninety others which he had not delivered.
Watt, a solicitor, Parry, and Greensill, were indicted for obtaining money on a fraudulent check signed by Watt, there being no money at the bank to meet it. In this case also no evidence was offered : Watt's counsel stated that he had inadvertently overdrawn his account, and was on his way to pay in money when the check was dishonoured. Of course there was an ac- quittal
Wheeler, the man who cut off his mother's head, has made a murderous attack on a keeper in Bedlam. He got possession of a tailor's " goose," with which he struck the keeper on the beak of the head; a number of the patients immediately interfered to prevent farther mischief. The keeper was badly hurt.
Mr. Horswell, keeper of an eating-house on Holborn Hill, has made an awkward mistake. Mr. William Harding, a respectable man, on Saturday night tendered a shilling in payment ; Horswell pronounced it counterfeit, and gave the payer into custody. Harding was locked up till mid-day on Sunday, when he was bailed. It was then discovered that the shilling was not counterfeit. When brought before Alderman Carden, the accused was at once liberated ; and at his request the shilling was impounded by the Police, to be forthcoming should he prosecute the shopkeeper for false imprisonment.
A serious "accident" occurred at the Camden Town station to the down mail-train on Monday morning. The train had attained a considerable speed after leaving Euston Square ; as it was running through the Camden station, a goods-engine attempted to cross the main line ; this engine struck the mail-engine, broke off a buffer, grazed the sides of three carriages, then severed the train, knocking the fourth and fifth carriages off their wheels, and upsetting one. The mail-engine and three following carriages left the rails ; most of the others kept to the line. Of course the road-way was very much damaged. Several of the passengers were cut, bruised, or shaken ; but nearly all proceeded on their journey as soon as another train could be got ready. Among them were the Marchioness of Anglesea, the Bishop of Lichfield, and Lady Blayney. The disaster seems to have been caused by Ashbury, the driver of the goods-engine ; who attempted to cross the line without having received a signal from the pointsman. The pointsman had wedged open the points and left them in charge of another man, who in his turn had employed himself elsewhere ; and the driver, finding the points open, thought the mail-train had passed, and that he might cross over.
John Strong, a porter at the King's Cross terminus, has been killed by fall- ing from the platform upon the rails just as a train came into the station. Three carriages passed over him, and he died in less than two hours.
Two houses not yet roofed-in, at Sutherland Place, Bayswater, fell down, a heap of ruins, very early on Sunday morning ; showing their insufficiency before they had left the contractor's hands. The excuse offered is, that the recent heavy rains had destroyed the clayey foundation.