Monmouthshire Merlin

FAWITE If anyone speaks evil of you, let you life be so that none will believe him. That course is cheaper and more effectual than suing him at law. UNLWDKY PEOPLE.—It is part of the great fact of luck—the indubitable faet that there are men, women ships, horses, railway engines, whole railways, which are lucky, and others which are unlucky. I do not believe in the common theory of luck, but no thoughtful or observant man can deny the fact of it. And in no fashion does it appear more certainly thap in this, that in the case of some men cross-accidents are always marring them, and the effect they would. fain produce- The system of things is against them They are not in every case unsuccessful, but what- ever success they attain is gained by brave fighting against wind and tide. At college they carried off many honours, but not much luck ever befel them as itiat some wealthy person should offer during their days some special medal for essay or examination, which they would have gained as of course. There was no extra harvest for them to reap they could do no more than win all that was to be won. They go to the bar, and they gradually make their way but the day never comes on which their leader is suddenly taken ill, and they have the opportunity of earning a brilliant reputation by conducting in his absence a case in which they are thoroughly prepaied They go into the church and earn a fair character as preachers but the living they would like never be- comes vacant, and when they are appointed to preach Upon some important occasion it happens that the ground is a foot deep with snow.-Fraser's Magazine for August. :9 FEROCITY OF THE LEOPARD.—Two boors return- in from hunting the hartebeest (th.e aistelope babalis), fell in with a leopard in a mountain ravine, and im- mediately gave chase to him. The animal at first endeavoured to escape, by clambenng up a precipice, but, being hotly pressed, and slightly wounded by a musket-ball, he turned upon his pursuers with that frantic ferocity which, on such emergencies, he fre- quently displays, and, springing upon the man who had fired at him, tore him from his horse to the ground, biting him at the same time very severely on the shoulder, and tearing his face and his arms with his claws. The other hunter, seeing the danger ot his comrade, sprang from his horse, and attempted to shoot the leopard through the head; but, whether owing to trepidation, or the fear of wounding his friend, or the sudden motions of the animal, he un- fortunately missed his aim. The leopard, abandon- ing his prostrate enemy, darted with redoubled fury Upon this second antagonist, and so fierce and sudden was his onset, that, before the boor could stab him with his hunting-knife, he struck him in the eyes with his claws, and had torn the scalp over his forehead. In this frightful condition the hunter grappled with the raging beast, and struggling for life, they rolled together down a steep declivity. All this passed so rapidly, that the other man had scarcely time to recover from the confusion into- which his feline foe had thrown him, to seize his gun and rush forward to aid his comrade, when he beheld them rolling together down the steep bank, in mortal conflict. In a few moments he was at the bottom with them, but too late to save the life of his friend, who had so gallantly defended him. The leopard had torn open the jugular vein and so dread- fully mangled the throat of the unfortunate man, that his death was inevitable and his comrade had only the melancholy satisfaction of completing the destruction of the savage beast, which was al- ready much exhausted by several deep wounds in the breast from the desperate knife of the expiring huntsman.—CasielVs Popular Natural History. AMERICAN NEWS' BOYS.—The little news boys had their stock of political, commercial, serious, and humoristic literature carefully stored up in some cor- ner, and as soon as everybody was comfortably seated and the train in motion, undertook from time to time an excursion through the flying community, and whenever they saw anybody yawn, immediately pre- sented their epticing wares, and apparently did a Sood stroke of business. They very often bring with tj also a selection of the newest books, and afford tT»fling assistance in the diffusion of the hnnk<s ar*e vn li,terary productions. The American f°r Quick and convenient use ^l'lr lvtobe helni ot*ler situations where the reader f "eatljWd buy in the most inconvenient foTm^oSbl'e^ame^ in loose sheets, and then have to wait a fortnight for the binder. Ouce there came hurrying past our car- riage a little fellow, with flying hair aiuj a quan»jtv of printed quarto sheets hanging over his arm vvhJ threw them right and left, into the lap of every pas- senger. I read the paper and found it contained a collection of notices and praises of the book of a Certain well-known traveller in Africa, taken from ^Uny newspapers and periodicals. ad scarcely Sot through the many variations oil the one theme, "aniely that there could be no more inteiesting em- ployment in the whole world than to read this gentle- man's book all through, when the little literary Gany- Jnede aforesaid made his appearance at the opposite door to the one where he had formerly presented himself, but moving with rather less freedom and celerity than before, for he was carrying a whole Pile of volumes, radiant in new gilding, and preseut- 109 them as he had before done his criticisms, right and left. What is that ?" I asked.—" The Afaican Travels,' sir, that you have just read the praises of- costs only half a dollar the copy."—Travels in Canada Ac?*, York, and Pennsylvania, by G. Kohl, i

BREACH OF PROMISE OF MAR RIAGE. COLE V. WELCH. -(Before a special jury.)—At the Bristol assizes, on Friday, before Mr. Justice Keatjng, this action was tried. Mr. M. Smith, Q.C., and Mr. Thring were counsel for the plaintiff; and Sir P. W. Slade, Q.C., for the defendant. The de- fendant pleaded that he had not promised, and that the plaintiff had released him from his engage- ments. Mr. Smith stated that the plaintiff was a young lady about 24 years of age, the daughter of a respec- table farmer. She had been adopted by some maiden cousins named Hill, who lived in a cottage near Wells. The defendant was a farmer residing in the some neighbourhood, and had lately had £ 30,000 left liim. Both plaintiff and defendant taught in the Sunday school, and thus became acquainted. An intimacy sprung up between them, and after some time the defendant took apartments in the house of Miss Hill, and went and lived there, and it was evident that they were engaged. The plaintiff used to read a good deal to the defendant, and they sat with their hands clasped together. He also con- sulted her upon his affairs. In the latter part of 1868, the defendant became capricious in his atten- tions, and Miss Hill spoke to him upon the subject, when he said that undoubtedly he had engaged him- self to Miss Cole, but he feared he could not fulfil his engagement, as some former luve of his had writ- ten to him, and had claimed the fulfilment of a for- mer promise. The lady was a Miss Gray, to whom the defendant was now married, but that marriage had been kept so secret that it was only within a few days that the plaintiff had heard of it. The defen- dant endeavoured to induce the plaintiff to release him from the engagement, and as he' could not suc- ceed, he had sent his sister to try what she could do. Miss Cole, however, was very fond of the defendant, and would not give way. The plaintiff had no alter- native, and brought her action to recover some compensation for the serious injury she had sustained in consequence of the defendant's conduct. She bad lost a good position in life and had suffered very much, and he now asked the jury to give her such damages as they thought her entitled to. Miss Hill stated that in 1858 she spoke to the defendant, and asked him if he had promised to marry Miss Cole, and he said he had, and at the time he thought he was a free man, but Miss Gray had written to him, and had called to his recollection a promise he had made to her, and he should there- fore be obliged to break his engagement with Miss Cole; he thought it his duty to remain single and not marry at all. She told defendant he had better go and tell Miss Cole, bpt he said he could not do it, as it would hurt her feelings. He left the house and ceased his attentions. Miss Cole was very much distressed in mind, and kept very much within the house, keeping in the room for days together. She oftentimes felt it even now. He used to sit with his arm round her waist and frequently kissed her. Sir F. Slade Was not Mr. Welch a good catch ? Witness: We had no reason to think that, we did not covet his land; Miss Cole was one of ten children. Evidence was then given to show that defendant was a man of considerable wealth, possessing lands and personal property to a large amount. Sir F. Slade, in addressing the jury for the defen- dant, said the sympathies of the jury were no doubt with the plaintiff, but they ought to be with the de- fendant, who was nearly falling a victim to a deep- laid scheme. He said that Miss Cole knew very well that the defendant was attached to Miss Gray, whom he had subsequently married, and in common compassion to that lady she ought not to have en- tangled the defendant in the way she had done, and especially she had no right to bring an action against him after so entrapping him. There was nothing in the evidence which showed that an engagement really existed, and the object of the ladies with whom plaintiff lived was to get for their cousin, who was dependent upon them, what they naturally considered would be a most desirable match. He would show by letters which Miss .Cole had written, that she was perfectly aware at the time the intimacy commenced between her and Mr. Welch, that he was engaged to Miss Gray, and, if so, what right had she to bring an action, and to ask for X15,000 damages, which was the sum laid in the declaration. The learned counsel then read the following letter, commenting at intervals upon the nature of the language used, and which he characterised as cant and hypocrisy:— Tuesday, 31st August, 1858. My dear Miss W elch, You are, I beHeve, acquainted a little with your brother John's difficulties, but perhaps you do not know how far he has carried things with me. Indeed I have always on his account beeu reluctant to speak to you or your family. on the subject. You are aware that he has lately seen, and also written to, one whom he once showed an attachment for. Now, my dear Miss W., I think you will agree with.me, that your brother ought not to speak but candidly his mind, and openly tell her that he is engaged to another; this, per- haps may appear harsh and unkind, but believe me I am sincere when I say that had he done so six mouths ago she would have been better satified than for her mind to be kept in a continual suspense. Mr. W. did promise me he would tell Miss Gray when she was leaving tor Wales that she must think no more about him, as he was going to marry some one else. He did not say exactly so, for he deferred the last part until intending to do so in a little time after. You must not think me unkind, or that I do not feel for her; believe me, I do. for shortly after your brother came to lodge with us, although he had then hone of my affection, I advised him to write her a kind letter, and marry her if he could. This he could never bear the idea of, and said he never could nor he never would. Your brother intended marry- ing me in the spring, if, he said, he could not settle his business till then, be would marry some time this year. As, lung as he remains single her mind will never be easy, but as soon as your brother married she would know then another cared for him. Do not think dear, 'tis for my Own cornfort or happiness that I write you this letter, u' do so feel for all parties that I oould not rest until I » k00 ?0* would be an unreasonable thing for |Um k°j ever to think of leaving bis home, neither C°« m k k'8 mind to be burthened with two would be too much for him. Mr. W. is "in a difficulty, and does not know which way to think or do, but I sin- oerely hope ere soon the Lord will direct himi" the path be should go. i r^0^101?'00 ^tta' Wednesday, and from her letter I should think_ she was only deceiving herself, for what good can your brother's writing be to her-to me, it is only adding troub.e to trouble. She seems to be antici- pating the Ple"ure °f him shortly. I know not what your brother said when last he wrote to her, but he wishes now he had a copy to show me. I wanted vour brother to allow me to write to Miss G., but he would rather I would not, but I might write to you if I liked. Now, dear, as you know the person, think best what can be done for her. I am aure I feel deeply for her, and earnestly do I pray that God will strengthen her to bear this trial, and God will 111 his own good time I hope raise her up another, though, perhaps, now she could not hear such a thought. Hoping all things will work together for Believe me, dear Miss Welch, affectionately yours, M. COLE. In continuation the learned counsel said that not con- tent with writing to the defendant in this way, she brought to bear against him a copy of verses. Verses generally came from the gentleman, but in this in- stance they came from the lady. They were as follows:— THE PLEDGE OF FLIGHTED LOVE. Oh say was this forboding truth, And wilt thou break thy vow And wilt thou blight my pining youth A must I, must I now Meet death's embraco for that chaste kiss, That holy kiss, yon vow'd ? And must I for my bridal dress TVIA nl." ™antled in the shroud? ,iP r tried every possible endeavour to bring l, fwenHdantback t0 ^r, and finding all she had i ln1reiWas of no avail, she wrote the following letter on the 1st of March, although the defendant had received on the 16th of February previously, a letter from plaintifrs attorney, Mr. James, threaten- ing him with an action D Ms. Wm.a.Do not be afraid to com* wd i J • -r 1, 'of- speak your mind to me. I wish you would always tell me your mind. Ask God to give you strength to act aright in all things. Let not to-morrow pass over with- out coming to me or, if you receive this early enough, come at once. I think much on you, and pray God to show you the right path. I long to see you happy in prayer for you, Always yours, M. COLB. Confide in me, and rest assured my dear M r. Welch that what occurred on Wednesday will not again be mentioned by either of my cousins, do now at once and for ever forget the circumstance. Believe me it has caused much pain and unhappiness. I fear you have wearied your own mind about it. I have many an anxious thought for you. Do you go anywhere to church ?" My prayer for you is that God will draw your feet out of the net which entangles them, and give you strength and wisdom to act aright. Do you, my dear, draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you you fear God, trust him, and he will guide you in theright path. Faithful, and ever yours, Tuesday, March let, 1869. M. COLE. He confidently anticipated that the result of this in- quiry would be that the jury would consider that whatever damages Miss Cole has sustained was due to her own conduct. The jury returned a verdict for the plainti ff-dam- ages, £ 1,000. BREACH OF PROMISE OF MAR- RIAGE AND SEDUCTION. JACKSON V. WILLIAMSON.—This was an action tried at the Bristol assizes, Mr. Collier, Q.C., and Mr. Coleridge were for the plaintiff, and Mr. Carter appeared for the defendant. Mr. Coleridge opened the pleadings. He said this was an action for a breach of promise of mar- riage. The plaintiff, Elizabeth Jackson, appeared by her next friend, Sophia Eliza Jackson and James Jackson, and the defendant was James Williamson. The declaration stated that they agreed to marry one another, but the defendant refused to fulfil his promise, and married another. He pleaded first that he never agreed as alleged secondly, that she had been guilty of improper conduct, by living in a lewd, indecent, and improper manner with another person. Mr. i,Co!lier stated the case. He said the plaintiff was it young girl of no more than 17 years of age. Her father was a very respec- table man, living in the neighbourhood of Holborn, London; a master carpenter, with several cliildreu, all of whom he had brought up in a great deal of respectability. The defendant was the keeper of an inn, a man, he believed, very well to do in the world. Plaintiff and defendant visited intimately and drank tea together. Iu 1857 Williamson's wife died, and-he went out of business for some time; but in the beginning of 1858 he wished to resume business. Early in that year he called on Mr. andTMrs. Jackson and asked them to allow their daughter, then a girl of 15, to go and live with him as an upper servant or barmaid. They had a good deal of objection to that, not liking her to go to a ptiblic house but he was very pressing, and said, I assure you it is a very good thing tor the child. I will take the greatest care of her, and she shall be treated by me as a father." Then most unfortunately, they parted with this young girl and allowed her to go into the service. of the defendant. It proved her ruin; to make a long story short, lie seduced her under a promise of marriage. The poor girl for a long time concealed her shame, and it was only after she had been in the family-way for some months that her-mother discovered it. The learned council entered at considerable length into the facts of the case, which will be found detailed in the sub joined evidence. The mother of the plaintiff was first called. In reply to Mr. Coleridge, she, said: I am, the wife of James Jaekson, foreman carpenter in a large build- ing firm, and live in Long Acre-, the plaintiff is my only daughter, but I have seven sotis; she was 17 in January; in 1856 we became acquainted with the defendant, and used to go sometimes* to see him. He was then at the Sugar Loaf, Drury-laue, which was burned down in that year. My husband was fore- man. at the l'ebuilding. We became very sociable with the defendant, who was then married. His wife died in August, three years ago. Defendant afterwards took the Three Tuns, in Fetter-lane, At the end of 1858, shortly before going there, he called upon us, and said he should like my daughter to go to attend on his children, and look after the bar. She was so young we did not like to let her go, and said we would consider it. He said we might rely upon it it would be all right; he would look after her as if she was his own, and see that no harm came to her. He called several times, and then we reluc- tantly let her go. She was to have £10 a-year to find her in clothes. I went to see her every week. They were generally in the bar together. He treated her very kindly, and they bad their meals together. He soon moved to Grove-place, Camber- well, which was a larger house, and there I visited her weekly. In January, 1859,1 observed something peculiar about her, and she acknowledged being pregnant. We went at once into the bar parlour, and saw Mr. Williamson. I said, Mr. Williamson, are you aware that Elizabeth is in the family way P He said, "Yes, I'm very well aware of it; it's all right." I said, What are you going to do ? Are you going to marry my daughter ? He said, Yes." Afterwards I said to him, Of course you are aware that my daughter never knew anything of any other gentleman before you took advantage of her,' and lie said he was quite satisfied of that. He said he would marry her shortly, as soon as he could. I told my husband of it, and he went to the defendant, and he still promised to marry her; he said we need not worry ourselves, he intended to make her his wife, that he would go out next day and buy the ring, and put up the banns. He said he would give her a ring to blind my neighbours with, when she came home. He gave her a sovereign on February 14th, and on the Sunday gave her a ring to put on the money was to buy a dress he said he would give her; on Fehruary 28th she was confined at our house. Defen- dant called, and continued to promise her marriage. He kissied the baby, and took it in his arms. He called several times, treated her very kindly, and still continued promising to marry her. He left Camberwell, and he said he would marry her as soon as he got into business again. He got into business, but when he came to see her, he told her he was not in business. That was in January. I saw hi n next at Bow-street, when applying for him to maintain the child; at that time he sneered and laughed at my daughter, and said he had done away with all other proceedings, and then he told her she could not make hiro pay more than £ 50 lbr the promise of marriage. I have not seen him since till to-day. This testimony was corroborated. The only witness who had been subpoenaed for the defence, and who was to prove that he had had illicit intercourse with the plaintiff, did not answer to his name when called upon. Mr. Collier consequently summed up the evidence given for the plaintiff, and characterised the cause as an undefended one, observing that it had been satis- factorily shown to the jury that the defendant had again and again promised to marry the plaintiff. The jury, after a very brief consultation, gave a verdict for the plaintiff—damages, jClOO. The deci- sion was received with applause.

A MEETING Ili Tlir, AIR.-On Monday tait a meet- ing was held on the top of St. Paul's, Mr. Godwin (in the chair), Professor Donaldson, Mr. Norton, Mr. Pen- rose, Mr. Porter, and Mr. T; Hayter Lewis being pre- sent, when the various towerg and steeples were examined, with the view of saying which should be preserved. The sight was wonderful, and those present found few spires to the destruction of which they were willing to assent. A memorial was agreed on, and being afterwards signed by the President of the Insti- tute and such members of the Council as could be found, was presented on Tuesday night to the House of Com- mons on behalf of many of the towera and ateeplea.- guilder. '&

EXECUTION AT WARWICK. Francis Price forfeited his life on the gallows at Warwick, on Monday, for the murder of his sweet- heart, Sarah Pratt, at Birmingham, on the 18th of Ajjpril last. It may be remembered that the prisoner, who was of the same age as his victim (24), had been paying his addresses to the deceased, who rejected his suit, and that, as she refused to be reconciled and make it up," he cut her throat with a shoemaker's knife, which he had sharpened for that purpose. He was tried at the Warwick Assizes on the 4th of August, found guilty on the clearest evidence, and sentenced to death by Mr. Justice Williams. Since his condemnation he has, under the ministrations of the Rev. T. Collins (Wesleyan), manifested great penitence and contrition, constantly praying for for- giveness of his sins, and sayiug that Sarah Pratt had gone to glory." He frequently exhorted his fellow- prisoners to lead a better life; he also managed Bible classes, and drew up for his minister the par- ticulars of his career as a shoemaker, soldier, run- away apprentice, and professional runner. It was expected that the execution would take place on Friday, but the warrant did not arrive until Saturday, and the extreme penalty of the law was carried into effect at ten o'clock on Monday. At that hour the executioner, who performed the same office upon Palmer, came on the scaffold in front of the county gaol, and placed the noose round Price's neck. The criminal, while on the brink of eternity, prayed fer- vently that God would forgive his sins. The custo- mary signal was given, the bolt withdrawn, and, after two or three convulsive movements, the murderer's body was left hanging motionless from the beam. There were about 1,500 persons present. The hang- man (George Smith) received some rather rough treatment before returning from Warwick. It ap- pears that Price failed to give the customary signal, by dropping his pocket handkerchief, and Smith, wishing to complete his work as soon as possible, withdrew the bolt without it. Hence the indignation of the crowd, some of whom violently assaulted him at the railway station. Mr. Chiltern, the station- master, rescued him from the mob, and locked him up in the second-class waiting-room, until the next up-train arrived. The fury of the people was mean- while pent, and the executioner was quietly taken to Dudley. ———— THE WALWORTH MURDERS. Very shortly after the conviction of the prisoner, William Godfrey Youngmaa, arrangements were made for his removal to the county gaol of Surrey, Horse- monger-lane, where the sentence will be executed, the offence having been committed in that county. He preserved his coolness to the last, and when he was taken back to his cell after his conviction he merely expressed a wish to have his supper, saying that he was hungry, and be partook of the food that was given him with great heartiness and apparent relish. He did the same in the middle of the day when the Court adjourned for refreshment, the first thing he said being to ask for his dinner. He has been very taciturn since he has been in Newgate, and has not been visited by any one except his solicitor, Mr. Waghorn, and it appears that he never upon any j occasion alluded to the crimes of which be was ac- cused to the prison officers. After the trial and con- viction of the prisoner, and when it was known that he was to be removed to Horsemonger-lane Gaol, a crowd of persons assembled round the door of New- gate, and as there seemed to be a strong feeling of exasperation against him it was considered prudent to have a cab brought inside the yard belonging to the Central Criminal Court, and he was brought through the passages of the court and then placed in a cab. When the vehicle got into the Old Bailey the pri- soner was recognized by the crowd, and was greeted with a tremendous yell. He shrunk back out of sight as much as he could, and appeared relieved when he was out of the sound of the mob. The exaspera- tion of the people appeared to be so great against him that if these precautions had not been taken there is very little doubt that some attempt would have been made to inflict personal violence upon him. The prisoner was accompanied by Mr. Keue, the governor of Horsemonger-lane, and two warders, and it appears that he did not say a word to either of them, but seemed in deep thought. Upon his arrival at Horsemonger-lane Gaol, he underwent the usual search and examination, and was then placed in the cell in the new wing of the prison appropriated to criminals under sentence of death, and which is the same that was occupied by Smethurst. It is rather a singular fact that the prisoner was defended through the instrumentality of some gentlemen in the city who are opposed to capital punishment, and they sub- scribed a sum of money to enable Mr. Waghorn to conduct his defence and to instruct counsel in his behalf. When he was first communicated with in reference to his defence, it appears that the prisoner endeavoured to suggest that he was not in a sane state of mind when the dreadful acts were committed, but upon his being informed that such a defence was not likely to avail him under the circumstances, he at once consented that it should be abandoned, and as- serted that the crimes were committed by his mother, and that he killed her in self-defence. It appears, however, that the prisoner has at various times sug- gested other defences, all of which were equally im- probable, and there is very little doubt that his mind was oppressed with the weight of the evidence brought against him, and the probability is that he will make a full statement of the circumstances under which the dreadful crimes were committed. The day fixed for the execution is Tuesday, the 4th of September. ———— SHOCKING MURDER AT HOLY- ROOD. 00 Sunday morning, about four o'clock, the body of a girl named Elizabeth Slater was discovered in the Queen's Park, near Holyrood, bearing marks of violence which left no doubt that she had been the victim of a foul and atrocious murder. The deceased was respectably connected, having resided with her uncle, Mr. Andrew Slater, a slater by trade, in St. John-stieet, Canongate, Edinburgh. She left her home unknown to her relatives, about four o'clock on Saturday afternoon, carrying a bundle of her cloth- ing, and her absence from home that night led to much, but unavailing, searching on the part of her her friends, aided by an officer of police. According to her uncle's statement, she was eleven yeras of age, though her appearance would lead to the belief that she was 14 or 15. Her motive in leaving home has not been explained, her friends asserting that no quarrel or misunderstanding of any kind had taken place. The first trace that has been made of her since leaving home was her being seen about 9 o'clock in the High-street with a soldier of the 13th Light Dragoons, from Piershill barracks. She was also seen about 2 o'clock on Sunday morning by the sentries on duty in front of Holy rood Palace and at the south gate of the Palace gardens and lastly she was seen in company of three soldiers in the park behind the palace by a man whom she accosted and asked the way to Musselburgh. This man saw one of the sol- diers strike her with a switch which caused her to cry, and supposing that she wished to part company with them, he pointed out to her the way leading out of the Park at Croft-an-righ. She followed him for a short distance in the direction which )1e had indi- cated, but suddenly she turned again aud rejoined the soldiers, and was seen to go away with them, taking one of them by the arm, and all of them pro- ceeding towards that part of the Park where the body was found. At four o'clock her dead body was discovered near the row of trees that fringe the mili- tary parade ground. Her face was blackened and disfigured, the bridge of her nose was broken, and marks of attempted strangulation were found on her throat. Whether any criminal assault was made on her person remains to be cleared up by the post mortem examination. At 2 o'clock on Sunday the regiment were paraded in Piershill barracks in presence of several witnesses who had seen the girl in the soldiers company, but no one could be identified by them. Four men were at this time absent, and for these an immediate search was made throughout the town by the police, and between 3 and 4 o'clock two of the absentees were apprehended. One of them, named John Tanner, was identified as being one of the Dragoons seen in company of the deceased, and he has been committed for trial on the charge of murder, and the other, John Quin, who was not so identified, has been detained for further examination. The utmost exertions are being used by the police to clear up the mysterious circumstances connected with the affair. ————— MYSTERIOUS MURDER AT STEPNEY. On Friday afternoon, it was discovered that a murder had been committed at Grove-road, Stepney, London. It appears that the deceased was a widow lady, named Mary Emsley, aged 70 years, who up to the time of her death was in possession of immense landed property, situate at the east end of the me- tropolis. She bad a number of agents and collectors, who were carrying her large sums of money weekly, arising from rents and other property which she had ,c held since the death of her husband, a large contrac- tor, well known at that part of London for his eccen- tric habits. The deceased had not been seen by the neighbours for some days, and a collector named Walter Emms sent his son, as far back as the Tuesday morning previous, for two brass taps which he was to put on two waterbutts at two of her houses. They boy called, and each day since Emms had repeatedly sent and called, but after various visits, and knocking on each occasion loudly, no one answered the door. The impression was, that the deceased had gone out, as the garden gate was left' unlocked, and on Friday, when the collector, Emms, went, he had his suspicion aroused that all was not right, and he feared that something had happened to her, as he had called and sent so repeatedly without any one answering the front door. Emms accordingly communicated the fact to Mr. Rose, the deceased's solicitor, who, with Whittaker and another gentlemen named Faith, pro- ceeded to the house, in company with a police-con- stable. They could not make any one hear by the front part of the house, which was well furnished and commodious, and they repaired through the adjoin- ing premises to the back garden, where they climbed the wall and made an entry at the back door. They searched the lower part of the house, which seemed in considerable confusion, and upon reaching one of the rooms on the second floor they discovered the deceased lying dead, with the top part of her head forced in. There was a large wound of the scalp, and blood had flowed copiously from the injury, which had been inflicted a day or two by some hard substance. The floor was besmeared with blood. The deceased kept large sums of money in the house, although she had an account at one of the city bauks. Subsequently Inspectors Kerrisey and Haynes, of the K division, proceeded to the house and made a miuute search, and it is fully believed that the deceased had been murdered by some bur- glars, who had taken away a large sum of money. The deceased's boxes and drawers had, no doubt, been ransacked by the thieves, and a great amount of property had been removed. The deceased lived alone, and had no servants, but she was well known as of miserly habits, and as a woman who carried on extensive dealings with energy and acuteness. The solicitor and the police were engaged on Friday evening in searching over the various rooms to trace whether the deceased had left any cash, but only a trifle had been found. It was stated that several articles had been removed from the deceased's sitting- room of considerable value, and among them a print of great rarity. The deceased was in receipt of an income from her property amounting to about £ 5000 per annum. Doubts had been entertained whether the injuries on the head might not have been caused by the de- ceased having been taken with a fit, and her head coming in contact with the door-post. But a post mortem examination showed that the back part of Lhe skull had been beaten in. Then comes the question of motive for the com- mission of the crime. There is to be taken into consideration thegeneralknowlee that the deceased, who was of most penurious habits, lived by herself in the house she occupied. Secondly, the fact that she was generally disliked for her harsh conduct towards her tenantry, who are, many of them, the poorest-of the poor; and thirdly, it was well known that she was in the habit of keeping large sums of money on the premises. Although the step-daughters of the deceased, Mrs. Faith and Mrs. Whitworth, are well off, the whole of her nephews and nieces, who it is stated will come into the property, are miserably poor. I Mrs. Emsley's first husband was a shoemaker re- siding in Ratcliff. Her second husband became dust-contractor for nearly the entire East-end of London. At old Emsley's death the personalty was sworn under X40,000, but he was believed to have died worth above £ 100,000. The murdered woman I then became possessed of the property, consisting of upwards of 800 houses, of a small description, and chiefly let out in tenements to separate families. The rents were enforced from the occupants weekly, a proceeding which necessitated the employment of several collectors. The deceased herself, however, commenced operations from an early hour on Mon- day morning, and frequently did not close her labours till nine or ten the same night. She was in the habit of wearing, tied round her waist, a strongly- made apron, like that of a toll-collector, in which she placed the silver and other coins as she collected them, aud, on the Tuesday morning, the money taken on the previous day was regularly deposited in the bank. Although she was known to have gone the round and collected her rents personally on Monday last, as usual, she had not, with her usual punctuality, paid any money into the bank on Tues- day, neither has any great amount of money been found on the premises. The present impression of the police is, that the person who committed the murder entered by the front door, being in all pro- bability admitted by the deceased herself, and that this individual was one of her own tenants, who came to see her ostensibly about papering his house. At all events, it was certainly some one well ac- quainted with the habits of the deceased as well as with the nature of the premises. It is stated that afterwards one of the police sergeants, while making an examination of the walls of the top room, where the body was discovered, found splashes of blood on the walls and panels, and in one portion of the partition there was an identa- tion on the woodwork covered with blood, as if a blow had missed, and it had been struck by an in- strument. It is believed that the deceased collected somewhere about X50 orjE60 on Monday, that being about the average weekly sum. It was her practice to change her silver for gold at the New Globe Tavern, Mile-end road, every Monday evening, on her way home—generally about X25 worth-but as she was not seen there that evening, it is believed that she must have gone home first, and that those who killed her took it away. Deeds relating to various property were discovered lying very carelessly and loosely about 011 the shelves and in the cup- boards of the house, but none of them appear to be disturbed. It is stated that there are already several claimants to the property, and that an heir- at-law. has turned up in the person of a shoemaker at Bethnal Green, who was never before heard of. An inquest was opened on the body on Monday, but nothing of any interest was elicited. The iu- quiry was adjourned for a week.

THE HARVEST IN IRELAND. DUBLIN, SATURDAY.—At the risk of repetition, it is again necessary to refer to the state of the weather and the alarming consequences that are to be appre- hended from a further continuance of the drenching rain and storm which have characterised the week just closed. During the whole of yesterday there was an almost incessant downpour from break of day till late last night, when there was a brief respite, after which it recommenced, accompanied by a per- fect hurricane from the north-west, and up to post hour this noon there is not the slightest symptom of amendment. The following account from the Free- man's Journal is by no means exaggerated:- Within the memory of man a season like the present was never experienced. For the past three months not a single day has passed over without little or much rain, and we regret to say that the 'much' was much more frequent than the I little.' At the present time the most serious apprehensions are entertained for the safety of the harvest, and it cannot be denied that the long-continued wetness of the weather has done immense damage to the potato crop. The accounts from the country are most dis- couraging, as large districts of low-lving ground under tillage are all but covered with water, and the cora crops, though quite green, are generally reported to be 'lodging' fast. Great hopes were entertained during the afternoon of Monday that the weather had settled, as the wind shifted to E.N.E., and a fine hot sun burst forth for the first time this seassn. Tuesday was also fine but cloudy, and no rain fell id the earlier part of Wednesday, but anything to equal the rain and storm of that evening and night should be experienced to be fully understood. About three., o clock the wind went round to S.S.E.. and tain de- sceuded in torrents without ceasing for a moment up to four o'clock on Thursday morning. The mis- chief done by that night's rain cannot be estimated, and, unfortunately, from what we can learn, it., WIa. general. Thursday heavy showers fell in the fore. noon, and a few glimpses of sunshine appeared ia the evening, as it were, to herald another wet uighfc Hopes were entertained that the new moon of yester- day morning would bring fine weather with it, but in this we were also destined to be disappointed, as the weather looked as lowering and unsettled yesterday as at any time within the past three months. The wind, true to its old wet point, S.S.W., blew fresh,, throughout the entire of Thursday night, and a heuy ■ chopping sea was running outside. During the en- tire of yesterday heavy showers fell, and the atmoii-, phere was very cold for the season of the year. Nothing but warm sunny weather can restore tbi» crops, and it is most devoutly to be hoped thttt we are not far from the termination of this very wet season. Heavy rain, accompanied by violent sqnalte from S.W., continuedduriag last sight, and at day- « break there was no indication of a ehange for the better." 'N From the country, north and. south, the reporis are no less disheartening. A letter from Clonmeio says: Every one's recollection is taxed, without sue • cess, to discover a parallel for the present unseasoo- able weather. Since the 1st of July the country, has not been benefited by three successive days of sun- shine. liain, and cloud, and inclemency are the cha- racteristics of the season. Since Saturday last the weather has become unusually wet and boisterous. There was a brief lull yesterday morning, but about four o'clock the rain recommenced to descend in vast volumes, which for a time rendered parts of the pub- lic streets impassable. Reports from the country ate of the gloomiest description. The oat crop is gene- rally looked upon as all but lost. Except in a few inconsiderable districts it has not yet ripened, but remains perfectly green and beaten to the grousa through the violence of the weather. Wheat pro- mises to share in the calamity which generally threatens the grain crops. Little of it has been yet cut; and this crop, the condition of which inspired the most sanguine expectations only a few weeks since, is now causing farmers the deepest concern. Mr. Bagwell, M.P., annually-gives a^pfiae of 25 to the tenant who brings the first sack of grain: to the market, and it will enable you to form some idet of. the unfavourable character cf the weather when I tell you that up to the present no one has applied for this gratuity. With regard to the potato crop the general opinion is, that if the present weather con- tinue lor another month, it must inevitably be lost." An account from Limerick is equally despoDdiag; but in Cork (the Irish Yorkshire) matters are not apparently quite so hopeless. The Examiner thus: reports:— A month of steady, genial, autumn weather would ensure a very good harvest, and would add many thousand pounds to tha riches of the country but this would nearly all be obviated by rain. So iar as the condition of the crops up to the present is con- cerned there would appear to be, on the whole, very little reason to complain. Although undoubtedly in many localities indications of the blight among pota- toes have been found, still from all we can learn there: is not a radical mischief effected up to the present. One great proof of this is the rather high price of potatoes at present. A high price argues a small supply, and there would not be a small supply in market it the farmers perceived serious symptoms of decay among their crop. Besides this whave re- ceived rather favourable accounts from some quarters as to non-existence of the blight. However, them is one thiug certain; the few showers of rain we have had did not at all help anything, and least of all- po- tatoes and more of them would be especially inju- rious." ————— TBKRIBLE FLOOD IN AUSTRALIA. The Chronicle inserts the letter of a correspondent who writes from Ilawara, New South Wales, 3lst March, 1860. He says:—" You may feel interested in knowing what a calamity has befhllen the people of this part of the globe. We have recently had' tropical torrents of rain that were really fearful: But in February the floodgates of heaven setmed to be open, and all the foantain-heads of the river seemed to have burst their bonds to overflow us and these districts have been devastated by one of the most fearful floods ever known in Australia. Life and- property have been sacrificed to an extent truly- appalling. Whole families, with every living thing on their homesteads, crops and all, were swept into the resistless flood, and no one left to tell what they hive lost. At Bell's Creek diggings the claims have all been filled. The poor miners were whirled away clear over a fall of a thousand feet deep, at the bottom of which the remains of many were found. A great many individual cases of thrilling interest are related. Many a poor mother sacrificed her life in wild efforts to save her poor children. One young man in his efforts to save his mother, swam with her through the flood, and carried her across an over- flowed field. He struggled hard to reach a place of safety; he succeeded, and laid his treasure-his feeble mother-down, but only to see her die. A haystack floated down in sight, with men hanging to it. I hey were, indeed, drowning men catching at straws. Huge trees, with drowning families hanging on the branches, swept on before us. It would Bit a volume to record the details of suffering which have desolated this wrecked district. All this time the house in which we dwell seemed to be exposed. We expected it would be carried away. But the streams which we saw rise and rush towards us diverged before they reached our home, and dashed away past us, finding elsewhere enough of ruin to do for other poor unfortunates. The Government has been prompt to send relief to the sufferers. All the uninsured parts of the colonies have been raising a I ooil Relief Fund.

No TROUBLE. Quite a simple matter; no troubl.; scribbled off on Saturday afternoon," said, in my hear- ing, a man who bad preached an elaborate sermon by sa f«mj/nent ftlglictn div,ine; Th« was irresutiMc: W ell, if it eost you little trouble. 1 am aura it M>. Melvill a good deal,"—Fraser't Magmtu,

FROM BALMORAL TO BERLIN.-An interesting experi- ment was recently made to ob.ain a direct telegraphic communication between Balmoral and Berlin, a distance of nearly 1,300 miles. A short conversation took place, the telegraph clerk at Balmoral informing the Berlin clerk that the Balmoral time was 2 p.m., the clerk in the Prussian capital replying that it had just struck three, I and that the signals were as distinct as if the distance bad been only a few miles. The electric telegraph wires are now extended to Balmoral for the servioe of the Court during Her Majesty's stay in the North.