The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

CLOTHING FOR THE DISTRESSED LAN- CASHIRE OPERATIVES. The Lord Mayor, upon taking his seat on the bench at the Mansion-house, on Thursday, said he should like to say a few words upon a subject which had lately excited a great deal of interest in the public mind—namely, the distress in the cotton dis- tricts in Lancashire. It was well known that a com- mittee, consisting of Messrs. Cottcn, Morley, Armi- tage, Howes, Lycett, and Dilberoglue, had devoted a good deal of their time in investigating the cases of distress, and apportioning the sums of money which the liberality of the public had placed at their disposal. For some weeks the question of clothing had been before the committee and on last Friday it was again taken into consideration, and after some discussion the committee resolved that it would be very desirable if large quantities of clothing could be collected and sent to the suffering districts, as the winter was fast coming on, when the want of clothing would only be second in consideration to the want of food. The committee, however, did not feel it in their power so to apply the fund which had been sent to them for the purpose of preventing star- vation, and they decided that it could only enter into such an undertaking, which would involve a great outlay, with the assent and support of the public. That was set forth in the papers of Saturday last, and letters from several people, and among them was one from a gentleman named Miiller, of 62, High Holborn, who offered his cellar for the purpose of storirg clothing and from other letters had been received offering clothing. Sir Walter B. Riddel, Bart., had sent £.20 j and a lady, who did not wish her name to be known, had sent Y,200 for the purpose. The committee and he felt, therefore, that as regarded the pecuniary aspect of the question they would be iustified in commencing, and they had that day determined to open an account at Messrs. Smith and Payne's bank, which will be called the Cotton Distress Clothing Fund. The committee had been searching for a fit place as the receptacle for the clothing, and they had found a place in close proxi- mity to the Guildhall, and they were then in treaty, and hoped shortly to be able to announce to the public that contributions of clothing could be sent there. A proper person would be appointed to superintend it, and a matron must also be appointed, because it was desirable that clothing should be had not only for the men, but for the female aex and persons of all ages. There would be proper persons there who would carefully examine all the articles, which would be put according to their different descriptions, and when applications were made to the committee, bales would be sent from time to time to the different districts in the same manner in which the money was sent, after the committee had considered what was requisite to relieve the wants of the sufferers. He hoped that in about a fortnight the organisation would be com- plete. The time of year was fast approaching when people would naturally be thinking of providing for the cold weather, and he, with the committee, hoped that a vast response would be made from the great metropolis. From three millions of inhabitants there could hardly be a doubt but a large quantity of clothing would come in, as the want of clothing at such a season of the year was only secondary to the want of food. His lordship said lie would add that a .gentleman named Phillipps had already commenced a similar movement, and was about to appropriate his warehouse for the receipt of clothing. What that gentleman was about to do would, he had no doubt, harmonise with what he and the committee were doing. The committee would send nothing but to the districts that applied, and probably that gentle- man would do the same, and if there were twenty such places, so much the better.

PAINFUL CONCEALMENT OF BIRTH. At the Central Criminal Court on Thursday, Floretta Hemming, a lady-like looking young wo mar, surrendered to take her trial m indictment charging her- with concealing the birth of a child, of which she had been delivered. The accused remained seated in the dock during the -whole of the proceedings with her face buried in a handkerchief, and was absorbed in the deepest grief. Mr. Poland prosefcuted, and Mr. Sleigh and Mr. Montague Williams defended. Mr. Best and Mr. Kemp appeared to watch the case upon the part of a gentleman, manager of a provincial theatre, whose name had been mentioned in connection with the affair. Mr. Sleigh, in a very pathetic manner, said this case was one of a very painful nature. The prisoner whom they sawin her present miserable position was the daughter of highly respectable parents, and followed the profession of an actress, having been well educated and possessing considerable attain- ments. She had been deceived by a person under whose management she had been engaged in a base and heartless manner, a man whose duty it was to have protected her instead of having deceived her— as she was without parents. That, however, had nothing to do with the legal bearings of the case, which he submitted had entirely failed. It was the duty of the prosecutor to call Dr. Bainbridge the prisoner had not refused to see him, but had really directed that he should be called in when she was taken ill, and therefore there was no evidence to show that he was not a, vare of her condition, and that she was about to be delivered of a child, and had confided to him that fact. The Common Sergeant said that the prosecution not having called Dr. Bainbridge, entitled the jury to come to the conclusion that she had told Dr. Bainbridge. If so, there was an end of the case, as the question the jury was called upon to decide was not the final disposal of the body, but the actual con- cealment of the birth. Mr. Sleigh said there were several gentlemen pre- sent of the highest standing in the theatrical profes- sion—Mr. G. Mathews, Mr. B. Webster, who were then sitting by his side, Mr. Buckstone and others, and also Mr. Sargood-who were ready to speak to her position and character. It was a most unhappy case, and she was truly a child of misfortune. The jury, having conferred together for a few moments, said they would not trouble Mr. Sleigh to conclude his address, as they were quite satisfied, and returned a verdict of not guilty. The accused, who appeared in a great state of suffering, left the court with her friends.

GARIBALDI AT SPEZZIA. A letter from Spezzia, dated Sunday last, says :— Mr. Partridge left here this morning, carrying with him the gratitude and thanks not only of the illustrious patient he has travelled so far to visit, but of all good Oaribaldini, to whom he has brought comfort and hope. Not only the skill of the English ^professional man, but the evident sympathy of the English gentleman, have left a deep impression on the general and his friends and, lest I should be thought to flatter Mr. Partridge, I will say that one of the oldest friends and most constant at- tendants of Garibaldi, who was with me last night, expressed these feelings in the strongest terms. The sympathy of England is, indeed, a great con- solation to the captive, and, though little given to betray hu feelings, he could not help exclaiming yesterday, "The mere sound of an English voice does me good." Even Lord Palmerston," said an aide-de-camp to me, has exerted himself in favour of our wounded general." The last report of Mr. Partridge is decidedly favourable. Thepatient was on Friday conveyed into another and better room, and, though tired with the exertion of moving, yet at night was free from thesuffering which usually assails him at that time. The ancle and the heel are the seats of these pains, which have till now much dis- turbed his sleep. On the whole, there was nothing to find fault with in the early treatment of the wound, 1nd Mr. Partridge was especially struck with the womanly tenderness which the doctors displayed dressing the ancle. Ripari, Albanese, and another doctor—prisoners—watch constantly day and night by their general's bed. Prangina, who stays at the hotel here, visits the patient twice a day, and should it be necessary to use the knife for the enlargement of the wound—which is. probable-the operation will be performed by Zannetti, of Florence, whom I have ascertained from resident English and others to be a first-rate surgeon. Water-beds, slings, and various scientific inventions torelieve thepain of the injured limb, and at the same time allow the sufferer to change his position, are on their way from London and Paris. The appli- ances of leeches were not excessive, and the only error seems to have been supposing the ball to have re- mained in the wound. It has evidently never traversed the leg at all, merely struck it, broke the inner ankle, and glanced off. The general eats very little, and drinks nothing but water; the English doctor, however, recommended a more generous diet. The wound in the thigh, of which so much was said, was only a bruise from a spent ball, and the same was the case with the injury of Menotti. These were, nevertheless, sufficiently painful at the time, as many of your military readers will well know. During the voyage the sufferings of Gari- baldi were very great. All agree that the convalescence will be an affair of months, and Mr. Partridge decidedly declares that to attempt, under any circumstances, the re- moval of the patient would be fatal. So you see, amnesty or trial, poor Garibaldi is sentenced to four or five months' imprisonment—perhaps the greatest punishment that could be inflicted on that active, eager spirit. A curious instance of his stoical bearing of bodily pain was given when Zannetti first probed the wound. The surgeon knew the agony must be in- tense, but the patient did not move a muscle. Does it not hurt you, general ? asked Zannetti. "In- tensely," replied Garibaldi, almost smiling, and the operator was forced to ask him to show by some expression of his face where the severest pain really was. Generally, he lies perfectly tranquil, speaking but little. I fear the sad story of his de- sire to perish by his own hand on the hill of As- promonte rather than be taken prisoner is true, and this is why I have come to the melancholy conclu- sion In telling the following story, worthy of the pages of Tacitus or the vivid records of Plutarch, I must inform you readers that I nothing exten- uate," nor do I add one syllable to the words which, a few hours since, fell from the lips of the soldier to whom Garibaldi had revealed the secrets of his heart. It was evening, and the wounded general, after a day of great pain, had sunk, exhausted and weary, into a kind of slumber. One attendant alone was in the room—a tried and faithful friend, who had followed the fortunes of Garibaldi from the walls of Rome to the banks of the Volturrio. After a silence of some time, the general suddenly raised himself, and beckoned to the watching aide-de-camp. Mio caro," said he, "I have never yet asked one favour of the King. I think I will now do so." The aide-de-camp approached, expecting an order to write out some request. Garibaldi con- tinued. in the sad, solemn tones which are habitual to him when speaking earnestly I will beg to be shot! Living, I am an impediment to Italy, a terror to the man who rules over the French, and a clog on the progress of Italian unity. Were I dead, Napoleon might leave Rome without injury to his self-esteem, Italy might then be one, and by my death I hall have completed the labour of my life." I leave your readers to imagine the effect that this declaration, made in the most simple manner, had on the solitary listener.

LIBERATION OF REV. SELLA MARTIN'S SISTER AND CHILDREN. A letter appears in a morning contemporary from the Rev. John Curwen, of Plaistow, on the above subject, from which we extract the following:- Sir, —Nine months ago your columns diffused far and wide the interest which was felt in this eloquent young- minister, himself only six years escaped from slavery, and helped to awaken that. "British sym- pathy which," as he says, I- ervstallised into gold for his slave sister and her children." You will see by the inclosed list of subscriptions that Mr. Martin accounts for every one of the crystals without any deduction for the expenses of his visit to England, or of his living while here. After long,anxiety,throngh not obtaining answers to his letters, Mr. Martin received the following note from two Kentucky slave-dealers, who rtjoice in the euphonious names of Gault and Ketchem:— While in ubus, Georgia, the Rev John Dorson informed us that you had made him an offer for certain slaves in his pos- session, namely, Caroline and her children-a girl and a boy. He farther stated that you had the gold to pay his price of redemption. Upon the strength ot his recommendation we bought the slaves. We could easily realise for the girl, who is about sixteen, almost as much as we shall ask you for all; but as we promised Mr. Dorson to let you know that we have them, we write to YHU to redeem oar promise With fresh anxiety but with awakened hope, Mr. Martin arranged for his journey to Cincinnati; and as he was as much afraid of going into a slave state as Gault and Ketchum were afraid to bring their slaves into a free state, he had recourse to an old friend and the ambrotypes. Meantime his sister was taking a journey of n 450 miles, with slave- dealers and through military posts, but to a faithful .brother and freedom. His letter explains the rest. Haston. U.S., Sept. 6. 1862. My very dear Friend,—I got back last Friday from Cincinnati, after a most successful trip of about eight days. I had written to T. J. Martin, Esq., who was one of my earliest and most faithful friends, asking him to act as my agent in buying my sister and her children, as he had promised to take them into his employ, and he very kindly consented to do s.). I wrote to him also, should he get to Cin -innati before me, to go over to Coving- ton, a place opposite to Cincinnati on the Kentucky side (of the river, to where the traders brought my relatives, and get their ambrotypes, so that I should not be cheated in buying others than my sister and the children. He did so, and when I got them, finding by the likenesses that those were the ones I wan- ted, there was nothing left me to do but to count him- out 2,000 dollars in gold, and he went over to Covington and made the pur- chase. The day before, when he was over, he had tried to get them for less, but he found that it was impossible to do so, and so he was compelled to pay about X412 for them. He was gone about four Ijours. When the boat was about three rods from the ferry landing on this side, Caroline recognised me in the crowd, and came forward on the boat and waved her handkerchief. I soon recognised her, and, I suppose, behaved myself rather childishly, judging from the descriptionwhirh my friends give me of my actions anduttprallces. In a few moments more my sister was in my arms 0, it was a glorious meeting! She was looking but little older than when I saw her. thougll somewhat careworn. I send you her photograph with those of the children, which I had copied here ip Boston from the ambrotypes which were taken out there I spent about six hours with her and the children, who had not yet realised what they had gained Inclosed I send you a copy of the bill of sale and the letter of Caroline's former master, Mr. Dorson, as well as those ofthe negro traders. The rest of the money I will, at their request, retain till they want it. In the meantime it is in the bank.—God bless you again.—Your friend for ever, SELLA MARTIN. P:S.—I "rranged the prices in making up the full amount of purchase, so that no money should be used in the purchase Of Charles, but the Weighhouse contributions. Tell them he is theirs.—J. S. M. The photographs show that the mother's face is thoughtful and resigned. The daughter's personal appearance makes you thankful that she has escaped the slave dealer's implied threat. The bill of sale transfers one mulatto woman slave, named Caro- line, with dark straight hair, dark eyes, five feet five inches hi^h, weighs 134 pounds, and is 34 years old; also one slave girl, named Ada, quadroon, dark curly hair, hazel eyes, four feet eight inches high, weighs 109 pounds, and is 16 years old also one slave boy named Charles, quadroon, four feet two inches high, weighs 82 pounds, is nine years old, dark straight hair, and dark eyes," to J. Sella Martin, for his only proper use, benefit, and behoof for ever." Of course Mr. Martin thinks that it is altogether more just and right to escape from slavery than to pay for their manumission. The latter plan was, in this case, a degrading necessity. The letter of their master-the man who took gold for these, his dead son's only, though unmarried, wife, and that only son's only children, this Rev. John Dorson, "an old man, rich and greatly respected in his neighbour- hood "-is such a specimen of distorted religious- ness or hypocrisy that you cannot withhold it from your readers. It is darted Columbus, Georgia, June 5, and is addressed toTJr. Martin I received your letter bearing date Boston, April 9, but did not reply because I saw no way of responding to your proposal without bringing them o St. Louis, or intrusting the business to an agent. I could not do the first because such madmen as you and Wendell Phillips had plunged the country into civîl. war, and I had no disposition to do the last. I do not know whether you will receive this letter or not, but should you, you will permit me to remind you that there is another debt that you owe in this direction, which I think would be more in ac- cordance with justice for you to pay, than the one that you are to pay to get Caroline, and that is what you owe your master from whom you ran away. I learn from the papers that you are a preacher I hope you will take as the very first rule of your conduct, .the apostle's injunction, "Otve no man any- thing." From the beginning, I have felt much reluctance in parting with Caroline, not only because she has been a faithful servant, but because I feared to place her or allow her to be placed where her soul would be in danger. The city from which you write, and I suppose where you live, has alwavs been known as the den of social monsters and abolition infidels, and as I know Caroline to be a Christian, I have fearedthat God would hold me responsible for assisting to plunge her into moral and social ruin. May God save her! He alone can make her freedom a blessing to her. If such men are Christians, who can wonder at there being infidels among the abolitionists ? If the South is full of such men, what has England to do with the South ? JOHN CURWEN. Secretary to the Caroline Martin Fund." Plaistow, E., Sept. 24.

THE GLASGOW MURDER. Important Letter from Mrs. ME'Lachlan's Agents. The following letter has been addressed to the Glasgow papers by the agents of Mrs. M'Lachtan :— Sir, —We think -tt riarht, on behalf of Mrs. M'Lach- lan, tO acquaint the public With tho niror, under which the statement, read for her before sentence to-day was made to us. When we first visited her in prison to obtain information for the defence, she gave us to under- stand that the statements in the declarations contained what she had. to say in the matter. At that time she had not been made acquainted with the fact that oid Fleming had been liberated from prison, and on two subsequent visits she insisted to as that Mr. Fleming would surely clear her. At a subsequent interview we informed her, in reply to her repeating that expectation, that Mr. Fleming had been dis- charged from custody. At this she manifested great astonishment, and said she could not believe that to be true. In consequence of our explanation as to Mr. Fleming, she inquired of the matron of the prison, who could not, consistently with the prison regubtioml,. give her any information on the subject, and she thereupon sent for her husband to ascer- tain beyond doubt whether our statement was correct. Having assured herself as to this she sent her husband with the intimation that -he had a communication to make to us. Both Mr. Dixon and Mr. Stracha i were out of town, but Mr. Wilson went to see her on Tuesday, the 12th of August last. At this time we were not aware of the evidence which might be brought against her—we had not seen either the medical or chemical reports, and had not spoken to any one of the gentlemen who prepared them —we had not seen any of the articles in the hands of the authorities which the-Crown intended to produce against her; and we had no information of what these articles were. No indictment had been served, and we were not aware of the names of the witnesses which it was the intention of the Crownto adduce against her, nor had we seen any of the witnesses examined by the Crown at the trial, with the exception of Mrs. Cbassels, at-Hamil- ton, her two boys, and Wharton, the railway clerk there- We knew nothing else of the case but the news- paper reports, and no information whatever relative to any part of the case has beeu communicated to Mrs. M'Lachlan by any one of us. The indictment was not served upon Mrs. "M'Lachlan till the 30th August. On Mr. Wilson seeing her on the 12th August, she voluntarily gave him, in a general way, the substance of the statement above referred too. Mr. Wilson com- municated to Mr. Dixon (Mr. Strachan being still absent from town) on that day what she had told him, and on the following day (13th August), Mr. Dixon went to see her on the subject. The statement was repeated to him, and notes taken of it at the time. From these notes taken by Mr. Dixon on this occasion, and from further conversations with her had by Mr. Dixon and Mr. Strachan together, in regard to the details, the statement which was read to-day was written out. It was written out as nearly as possible in her own words, and repeatedly gone over with her, not with any view of using that written statement as a declaration, but for counsel's information in consulting as to the,, course to be taken upon it. The statement we received from her was immediately thereafter sub- mitted by us to counsel with a view to our being advised as to theme to be made of it in the defence. Subse- quently, after the indictment was served, and upon anxious and most deliberate consideration of the case which could be made out against Mrs. M'Lachlan, we were advised not to admit that she was present in Mr. Fleming's house on the night of the murder, by putting in the statement as a special defenoe. It was judged expedient to contest the point of h6r presence in the house that night, as the Crown evidence- it appeared to her advisers — would fail to place that point beyond doubt. It was in consequence of this decision (based upon the feeling that, in an issue. of life or death, no admission, especially one of such vital importance, should be volunteered by the defence) that the statement was not made use of at the commencement of the trial. This morning, however, before the Court met, Mrs. M'Lach- lan sent for her counsel and agents, and expressed to them her desire and determination that the statement should be made in open court; and she wished if it could not be read for her, to make the statement with her own lips. The statement was accordingly read for her, and, counsel's copy of it. signed by herself, was thereafter" lodged in the hands of the clerk of court.—We are, &c., J. A. DIXON. JOHN STRACHAN. Sept. 20 1862." W. M. WinsoN. Further Kevelations. An importamt document, which appears to be authentic, has bfen published confirming a part of the statement made by Mrs. M'Lachlan after her conviction. It will be remembered that the prisoner mentioned that on her b. return from her ineffectual attempt to obtain the whisky, for which old Fleming had sent her out, she passed a Mrs. Walker, who was then standing, in conversation with another person, whom she did not know, at the close-mouth. The editor of the Free Press, desirous to probe this story to the bottom, made inquiries at the public-house to which Mrs. M'Lachlan had referred, but without gaining any information there. He then sought an interview with Mrs. Walker and her husband, and obtained from them the following declaration:— I hereby certify that I was standing with my bonnet and shawl on at my own closemouth, 143, Elderslie-street, on Friday, July 4, at about 11 o'clock in the evening, speaking to my friend, Miss Dykes, the greengrocer, when I distinctly saw a woman dressed in a dark bonnet, light grey mantle, and dark coloured dress, whether flounced or not I cannot say, walk quickly by me, coming from the direction of Sauchie-liall-street, and turning immediately round the corner into the lane at the back of Sandy- ford-place. Miss Dykes asked whose servant that might be, out at such an hour, and I replied that I did not think she was a servant, but, judging from her appearance, some loose character. A man, following close to her heels, looked very impertinently into my face as he passed me, and I watched him, expecting to see him also turn round the corner of Sandyford-place and join her, but he did not, and went straight down Elderslie-street, southwards. My husband, who had been that after- noon at Gilmorehill Gardens, and whom I was at the time waiting for, joined me from the ParticK-road direction a few minutes after the woman bad disappeared round the corner. I remarked that that was a queer direction to come from the gardens, and he replied that he had come round that way with a friend, and that after all it was not so late. He then pulled out his watch, and said it was exactly a quarter past eleven o'clock, The woman could not have been gone by two minutes when this occurred, and I know it was on the Friday evening, because I was down the water at Gourock that very day, and had only reached home a short time previously. I was one of the first persons to enter the house, No. 17, Sandyford-place, an the Mon- day evening, and have been questioned about this statement both by,the Fiscals and by the counsel for Mrs. M'Lachlan—with whose appearance I am well acquainted, having often served her with groceries at the time when she was a servant with the Flemings. When questioned I made the same statement that I now do, but was not called upon to appear as a witness on the trial, having been recently confined of a child, and being in a very weak state of health both then and still. I have subsequently conversed both with my husband and Miss Dykes on these cir- cumstances, and their recollection of them coincides exactly with mine. (Signed) For JESSIE WALKER. September 22, 1862. JAMES WALKER. We hereby certify that this statement, so far as we are con- cerned in it, is perfectly true and correct. (Signed) JAMES WALKER. September 22, 1862. AGNES DYKES. Since the prisoner's -statement was published, three sisters residing in the city have come forward, and stated that on the night of the murder they were at a marriage in Partick; that they passed along Sandyford-place at four o'clock on the Saturday morning; and that then Mr. Fleming's dining-room was lighted up, although it was daylight. They further state that they know it was the Saturday morning in question, on account of the ma: riage taking place on Friday the 4th of July; that they then went back immediately after the report of the murder got bruited abroad, and found that the house they had seen lighted was Mr. Fleming's, and r.hat they are satisfied of the hour, because they re marked when they got to St. Matthew's Church that it was about ten minutes past four o'clock. If the Crown should deem it necessary to institute further inquiries, we understand that Professor Lister, of the University, is prepared to 3ay that the effects of such wounds as those inflicted upon Jessie M'Pherson would be exactly similar to what they have been described in the prisoner's statement, in regard to the languor, stupor, &c. We are also informed that Dr. G. H. B. M'Leod would cor- roborate him in that opinion. Petitions in favour of the condemned woman M'Lach- Ian are being signed in Glasgow. It is stated that Mrs. M'Lachlan maintains that pro- per demeanour which becomes one in her awful position. She is calm and collected, and quite docile and mild in the hands of those in charge of her, who, it is needless so say, behave towards her in the most considerate manner allowed by the rules of the prison. These, owing to the state of her health, have been somewhat relaxed in regard to her dietary. The Rev. Mr. Doram, the chaplain, has visited the prisoner regu- larly since her incarceration, and to him she givea respectful attention, as also the matron, who reads to her occasionally from books fitted to lead her mind to subjects which ought to engage her notice. Since her trial she has had interviews with several of her friends -and her agents. On Monday her brother and sister from Inverness bade her a .ast affectionate fare- well, when it may well be imagined a most harrowing scene took place. All of them were deeply affected and melted into tears. On Tuesday her husband visited her; the interview was likewise most affectionate and trying to both parties. We understand that it has been arranged lct-.t, the should bring their child from Greenock on an early day, with the view of taking him into the prison for the prisoner to see him. We believe that she has explained her stolid appearance in court during the trial by saying that she was unable to weep in court; but, after she got to the quietness and gloom of the condemned cell on Saturday night, she obtained relief in a flood of tears. Her agents, we understand, have indicated to her the nature of the efforts which are being made in her behalf out of doors, while, of course, taking due care not to raise her hopes too much. She seemed thankful for their services, and on being told that the public generally believed her statement, remarked—" Well they may believe it, for it is true It is stated that a public meeting will be held shortly, in favour of the prisoner; and the following memorial to the Home Secretary is being numerously and respectably signed:- "Unto the Right Honourable Sir George Grey, K.C.B., her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department. The memorial of the undersigned clergy- men, merchants, bankers, solicitors, and other inhabitants of the city of Glasgow and its neighbourhood, Humbly showeth,—That in the case of Jessie M'lntosh or M'Lachlan, who is at present confined in the prison of Glasgow under the sentence of death, your memorialists respectfully submit—1st, That the evi- dence adduced at the trial was entirely circumstantial, and was not such as to clear up many doubtful and obscure points that deeply affect the solution of this important case. 2nd, That an extraordinary and exceptional character had been given to the case by a declaration read by the prisoner's counsel after the verdict was returned, which declaration pur- ports to be a true statement of the prisoner's connection with the crime, and is affirmed to have been made by her to her agents on the 13th day of August last, before she had any information as to the evidence to be adduced against her which declaration was net made use of in the prisoner's defence. 3rd. That from the circumstances in which the declaration was made, the nature of the de- claration itself, and the painful excitement created on the subject, it appears to your memorialists to be impe- ratively* necessary for the interests of justice and the satisfaction of the public mind, that there be a special investigation ioto the whole matter. 4th. That, in the meantime, a respite of the sentence ba granted, and upon the above inquiry being made that the crown be gra- ciously pleased to interpose further in the case as the ends of justice may appear to demand. And your me- morialists, as in duty bound, shall ever pray." The numerous petitions distributed over the city of Glasgow praying for a respite to the condemned cri- minal, Mrs. M'Lachlan, are being largely signed. From day to day circumstances connected with the tragedy are gradually oozing out, all pointing to the old man Fleming as being an accomplice in the murder. It will be remembered (says the North British Mail) that in the Fleming as being an accomplice in the murder. It will be remembered (says the North British Mail) that in the condemned prisoner's last statement she averred that I during the eventful night of the murder, Jessie M-Pher- son told her that some weeks ago there was a gentleman in the house who had remained all Thursday night until Friday afternoon, when he went out with old Mr. Flem- ing, who conveyed him to the station, and that the old man did not return till eleven o'clock that night, when he was gie'an tipsy." A gentleman has communicated with the prisoner's agents, who says he can vouch for the accuracy of that part of the statement referring to the presence of a gentleman in the house that day, and of his parting with old Mr. Fleming that afternoon. One button, which seems to have belongecl to a shirt or nigh dress, was found among the ashes in the kitchen grate of the house, No. 17, Sandyford-place, on the night of Saturday, July 12. One of the officials from the fiscals office who visited the house was B. M'Laughlan, who, on arriving, questioned the officers in charge of the premises whether any ashes had been removed from the grate and fireplace and ashpit. On finding that no one had dis- turbed the ashes, he proceeded carefully to rake the ashes in the fire-basket and elsewhere for traces of anything capable of throwing the least light upon the bloody tragedy. The finding of what seems to have been a shirt-button was the result of the examination. It was carefully laid past, and can now be produced and gjpoken to. A servant in Sandyford-place, who says she was in company with her sweetheart, a seaman, until four o'clock on the Saturday morning in question, has volunteered the statement that, while parting with the j sailor at the back of Sandyford-place, she saw the con- j demned prisoner and old Mr. Fleming in the back garden of the house at 17, Sandyford-place, the old man being at the time carrying a shovelful of coal into the house. She asserts that ahe was afraid of losing her situation, and therefore did not make this known sooner. A woman named Mary Black, called on Thursday at the County Police Office, Glasgow, and voluntarily made the following statement: On Saturday, the 5th July, about a quarter before seven in the morning, she was pro. ceeding along Sauchiehall-stree in quest of work. When near 17, Sandyford-place a woman, Mrs. M'Lachlan she supposes, met her, and asked her if she was working. Black replied that she was not, a i1-3 tranger then said that if Black would come and a dav's work for a gentleman she lived with he would do t-r.o'.i turn for her. After some conversation Black agreed, and the two went to the house at No, 17, Sindyford-place. On enter- ing the lobby an old man came downstairs, and thestrange woman said, "Mr. Fi,ming. He asked Black if she was willing to clean the house, but she said she was not very sure, as it was work she was not accustomed to. He replied, "The house is mine, though my family is not at home." He said he would pay her well. At this time a second wo- man came downstairs, having her sieves up, apparently as if she bad just been washing her hands. This woman was taller than the first one, and stouter made about the body. She had a red mark upon her left cheek, about the size.of a man's hand, and Black thought it was the mark of blood. This woman whispered something to the first one, and looktd at Black, after which she said, Come down to the kitchen, and I will give you sticks to light a fire." She went down, accom- panied [by the woman and the old man. One of the women then took a bundle out of the room off the kitchen, where she laid it down on the floor, near to where Black was sitting on a chair at the fire. She said, There are four petticoats and a gown to you. This dark dress I will call upon you for after some time, but you will take it down and scour it. The petticoats you will get for your trouble." The woman also put a tablecloth on the floor, and put in it two short gowns and various other articles of body clothes. The front of ihe dress appeared to Biack to be very wet, and she took hold of it in her hand. The woman told her not to do that. She said that one of the servants bad had a child, and that the clothes in the bundle were those worn by the servant. She said the child was horn at four o'clock in the morning, and had put them greatlv about. The old mau said that" this was a serious matter when the like of it occurred in a gentleman's house." Black asked the old man if the woman who had been confined was his servant, and he replied that she was. She then asked where the girl was, and he said she was removed to Rotton-row, for fear of the family falling in with her. Black then said that it -was a serious matter removing a woman so soon after her confinement, and asked of the old man what doctor was pres 'nt at the delivery. He said that the' woman who had taken her (Black) into the house was the person who bad officiated as doctor. She then said that if she saw the child she would take it, as she had given her own away to the father of it a short time be- fore. The man replied that the child was dead, and that the woman who had taken her into the house had got it buried unknown to the public. At this time the woman who had taken Black into the house was in the act of coming out of the room off the kitchen from which the first bundle had been brought, having in her arms same bed-clothes, which appeared to be sheets saturated with blood-they seemed to be "dripping"—but on see- ing Black she returned into the room. Black then said she wanted to go away, but the old man put his left hand on her right shoulder and said—" Take this bundle with you, and I will handsomely reward you"—meaning the first bundle. Black observed at this time that the old man's left arm and semmet were all covered with blood. She said she would not take the bundle unless she got it in the presence of the policeman on the beat. The woman who gave Black the bundle asked the old man to give her (Black) a little money, and she would take the bundle away down the low road which led into Anderston, and that she would get a 'bus for 2d. The old man put his hand into the right-hand side of his trousers, took out a small purse, and offered Black an old £1 note, saying "Take this bundle of clothes, but you are never to speak about them, and they will be of some use to you." Black said no, that she would not have a jE20 note and take them out of the house, unless she got them in the way before stipulated. The old man's face then got very red, and he said she was not to speak of what she had 1 eard, and he would handsomely reward her all her days. He said, "Call upon me at 17, Sandyford-place; my name is John Fleming; or call at ruy offi je before fiye o'clock on the afternoon of Monday, and speak to me. Black, said she would, as she was anxious to get, awav out of the house. Black then proceeded up-stairs, followed by the old man, who urged the acceptance of the £1. The door was locked, but he had the key of it in his Docket. He again said, Girl, take the bundle, for there is something- serious in the house this morning." Black repeated, "No, I think the house does not belong to you, and that you and the two women are robbers." He replied, go, but there is somsthing serious as I mentioned before." The woman who first offered the bundle then called the old man away. Black then' asked that she might get out, for she suspected. that some person had been murdered. The old man then opened the dOlr and let her oat, and she went home to her lodgings. Black left the house in Sandyford-place at five minutes past eight o'clock. It appears that the old man Fleming has left Glasgow and gone to Dunoon, the sea-side residence of his son, whither popular indignation has followed him. On Wed- nesday afternoon a SCJoe occurred ia Dunoon which has rarely been matched in that usually quiet watering-place. Old Mr. Fleming was waiting near the quay for some of his relations, whom he expected by the .steamer, and subsequently was observed to go into a barber's to get himself shaved. While there it was discovered by a few people outside who the customer was that the barber Had got, and soon a large crowd assembled, who gave un- mistakable evidence of their displeasure at the eld man, by hooting and shouting, and calling for his expulsion. Accordingly, when the oid m"n came out, he was received with a shower of stones, and had to beat a hasty retreat. He went as fast as he could up the road leading from the shore to the parish church, and, failing to get access to a gentleman's house there, and being likely to be severely injured, a tradesman went out and pulled him into his house, where he remained until a carriage was obtained, which conveyed him home. OIl>

Venomous Flies.—Cases have lately been very frequently cited in the French papers of persons becoming exceedingly ill and even dying, in consequence of the stings of venomous Hit's, the said venemous quality being contracted by the insect from putrid substances on which it has settled. Near Soissons a shepherd lately died in four days in consequence ot one of these bitesor stings. He took no beed of the first inflammatory symptoms, and when he applied to a doctor it was too late. Two other persons in the same neighbourhood were similarly attacked, the symptoms being great swelling and inflammation, but fatal results were not anticipated. The New Poaching Act -The first case that ha been dealt with in Nottinghamshire, under the provisions of the new Act of Parliament passed for the prevention of poaching, was heard at Bnignam Petty Sessions last week, before Mr. Martin and Mr. Tayler. Two police- officers, having goo cause to suspect that game which had been unlawfully obtained wa3 being carried in the cart of one Gibson, of Hawkesworth, carrier, on Satur- day, the 6th instant, stopped it at Saxondale cross-road, about 7 o'clock in the moruing, and aaked permission to search it, which was refused, the driver applying the whip to the horse, and resolutely proceeding. The cart was, however, stopped, one of the police holding the horse's head whilst the other commenced unfastening rope which secured some hampers. Gibson denied having game in his cart, and drew the rope violently out of the hands of the policeman. He then struck the horse with his whip to urge him forward, though the other police- man had hold of the bridle. Search, as a matter of course, was effected, when six hares were discovered, and a notorious poacher namad Tom Richards, a passenger. Gibson, on being questioned as to whom the game be- longed, protested ignorance, but eventually said, "To Richards," who found it useless to deny it. The game was seized, and summonses issued for both parties to appear. Richards, upon whom service was made per- sonally, never came into court, though he was seen in Bingham on the morning of hearing. The carrier, Gib- son, was present to answer the charge of resisting the police in the discharge of their duty, which was clearly proved, and he was fined £1, and the costs, 12s. Richards, agiinst whom four convictions were recorded for poaching, and six for other offences, was sentenced to pay the sum of £5, and, in default of payment, to undergo two months' imprisonment with hard labour. As the new act expresses that offenders "shall pay any .sum not exceeding five pounds," and is silent as to the oosts of conviction, the magistrates did not think they were justified in imposing the penalty of X5 exclusive of them; the term of imprisonment would therefore be only two months, according to the first and second William [v. chap. 32, sec. xxxviii., to which the new Act refers. L'he game was directed by the justices, in writing, to be add, and the proceeds of the sale to be paid to the trea- surer of the ounty.