The Brecon Reporter and South Wales General Advertiser

PARLIAMENTARY JOTTINGS. MANY members of the House of Commons have dwriog the last few days been conspicuous for their absence, for the general election being near at hand, they are desirous of making their seats secure by an amiable affability to their con- stituents, shaking them by the hand, and telling them of the many good things they will introduce in a new Parliament. The few members who attended to the business of the House during the past few days have been principally those con- nected with the Government—metropolitan members and Irish representatives, the latter of whom watch with a jealous eye anything affecting the interests of their country. The return of members at the general election is likely to be hotly contested generally through- out the kingdom. Never was the Carlton Club more active or the Conservatives more deter- mined; at the same time, it has been said that the Reform Club and the Liberal supporters have exhibited less anxiety than has been their wont. The Ministers have been working hard to get the business of the Session over, so that there should be an immediate dissolution, but this has been slightly opposed by Lord Derby and the Opposi- tion in the House of Lords. There is nothing defi- nitely settled concerning Lord Palmerston—that is to say, whether he is prepared to take the reins of Government in a new Parliament, or whether age and infirmities will compel him to resign that high position. The Conservatives wish the nation to believe that the Government are going to the country with the prestige of the noble lord's name, well knowing that he will no longer take an active part in administrative affairs. Nothing has escaped from the lips of the members of the Treasury bench which would lead to such a conclusion, and the Opposition think that some definite statement should be made either to confirm or deny the rumour. Speaking of private bills, it may be as well to mention that these are chiefly introduced to enable private individuals, associated together, to under- take works of public utility at their own risk, and, in a degree, for their own benefit, such as railways, canals, &c. But there are other private bills, such as those of naturalisation, change of name, per- fecting titles to estates, &c. The fees on a bill for the naturalisation of a foreigner are limited to £ 100, but for all other private bills the expenses, including fees, generally amount to X500, and sometimes a much larger sum. To carry out these bills according to the etiquette of the House, so as to abide by the standing orders," a class of pro- fessional gentlemen act as solicitors, and these are called Parliamentary agents. Most of them have a thriving business towards the close of a session; tltey employ a number of shorthand writers and clerks, and at each stage of the bill they prepare manuscript reports of the proceedings. This is considered one of the useless expenditures of the age, and it is believed that an economy could be exercised in the labour, which would lessen the expenses to one half their present cost. Let me now say a few words concerning Lord Palmers ton's personal appearance. He has been on the Treasury bench almost every day during the past fortnight, and though he does not think it necessary always to stay till midnight, he seems anxious to show to the country that, old as he is, his eye is not yet dim nor Ms natural force abated." I saw him a few days ago taking notes of the proceedings (a thing he is unaseustomed to do-), without spectacles, and reading them after- wards to his colleagues as readily as a young man of thirty. When he entered the House on Monday, he walked up to his seat alert and vigorous. He moved a little stiffly, to be sure, and though the sling and the stik were dis- carded, his weak arm was held up to his breast, yet carelessly withal, as if the position was a matter of accident rather than of necessity. There was altogether an air about him so gay, buoyant, and joyous, that an involuntary exclamation of admira- tion burst out from all sides. Mr. Disraeli is said to have remarked to some friends after the noble Premier's speech on the ballot question, In all my experience in the House of Commons I have never heard Lord Palmerston to more advan- tage It is pleasant to record these testimonies of respect from political rivals, and it was plea- sant to see Mr. Disraeli, who for the nonce entered the same lobby with Lord Palmerston, walk side by side and enter into familiar conversation. My readers will notice that the Appropriation Bill" passed the third reading in the House of Commons on Monday. This bill cannot be brought in until all the estimates of the year are voted, which are consolidated into what is then called the Appropriation Bill; the object of the bill is to assign to each sum of money voted its own particular department of expenditure, prohibiting the vote for the army to be applied to the navy, or an estimate for edu- cation to be applied to any other source, &e. This bill, having been read a third time in the House of Commons, is submitted to the Upper House, and being there considered and decided upon, receives the Royal assent, and becomes law. This is always the last act of the Session, immediately after which her Majesty, or the Commissioners, in her name, declare the Parliament prorogued or dis- solved, as the case might be. In reference to this Appropriation Bill, I should p observe that the Lords ordinarily have nothing- at all to do with voting money, and this is the only opportunity they have of complaining of public expenditure. When this bill is brought to them, however, in a consolidated form, they have clause after clause read over, and have the power of re- jecting any one of them; but they have no power to alter or amend; the Commons have, notwithstanding, frequently considered verbal emendations suggested by the Lords, and made trifling alterations to meet their lordships' views. When at Parliament, on Friday, I saw a notice posted up, stating that there would be a morning sitting in the House of Lords on Saturday. I ac- cordingly wended my way thither at the appointed hour, when Lord Redesdale, as Deputy-Speaker of the House of Lords, took his seat on the woolsack, and two peers were found to keep him company. In the limited space of ten minutes about twenty private bills were supposed to be read a third time and passed, and their lordships adjourned. If I were to write a page upon the subject I could not say more. The title of each bill was read as quickly as the lips could form the words, and Those who are of opinion that this bill stall pass say Content, those who are of a contrary opinion say Noncontent, the Contents have it," was gabbled out, and the business was ended, ♦

RAPPINGS AND MEDIUMS. A correspondent of the Morning Star writes thus:- Your columns having been the means of exposing the Davenport impositions, I trust you will allow me to draw attention to the present mode in which certain so-called mediums practise on the credulity of believers in spiritualism. The mediums I allude to advertise under the names which I enclose, and are reputed to have great powei: in calling up the spirits of departed grandmothers, aunts, and other relations. A few of my friends having determined to visit these persons, I joined them, and the following is what occurred. The first medium we visited lives in a cottage some- where in Camden-town. In a few moments we were introduced to the medium, a person who reminded us of a greengrocer rigged out for an evening party. He said he would endeavour to obtain some spiritual communication for us as quickly as possible, and asked us to place our hands on a small table. We did so, requesting that he at the same time would take his feet from under his chair, and place them where we could see them. We waited patiently for half-an-hour without having a sign of any kind, at which some of us grumbled. The medium thereupon said he saw something on the top of the table which told him that it was necessary his wife should attend and sit next to him. She did so, and immediately we heard a knocking, and she said, The spirits are here," and would answer any questions we liked to ask, I then wrote on a piece of paper, "Was Caleb Plummer any relation to Queen Elizabeth?" We heard three knocks, which she said meant Yes." Are the spirits sure ? Three more kicks. This being so highly satisfactory, I wrote again, Is my brother dea-d r Yes." Are the spirits sure ? Yes." I simply remark on this that I never had a brother. I then tried the effect of a little kicking myself, and imitated the sounds so well that on asking the medium if the raps were those of a spirit, he answered, "Yes, most certainly," thinking, doubtless, that as he had not produced them his wife had. The next thing the spirits had to do was to move the small table at which we were sitting. Again placing our hands firmly on the table, we waited until the mediums had obtained a good pressure, when we suddenly withdrew our hands, and the result was that man and wife were capsised over the backs of their chairs. This was enough to satisfy us regarding the whole affair, and we therefore took our departure, rather vexed at having wasted so much time in the campany of two such clumsy performers. We next visited the other mediums, who live in the neighbourhood of Maida-hill, where we were received by' a fat old lady, who told us that her daughter would shortly join us. She related to us how she had seen sperrits," and talked to them; said that a gentle- man she knew eighty years ago suddenly appeared to her one night, that she knew him directly, and looked for him again, but he had gone. Here, too, every- thing, as in the former instance, went wrong. I was told my name was Peter, and that I was nearly related to Oliver Cromwell; my friends also received replies to their questions equally ridiculous, not one answer out of the many obtained being anywhere near the mark. The raps that answered the questions appear to have been produced by means of a battery, and in the clumsiest manner. On our telling the mediums that we had some knowledge of this manner of working, they admitted having a battery in the house, but said it was not us4 for that pur- pose. The knocks, however, pertinaciously stuck to one part of the room, where the magnet was probably fixed, and would not at our request sound elsewhere. The next part of the programme was to place a sheet of paper under the table, when the spirits would write a name on it. I did, and at the same time kept my foot on a corner of it. In a few minutes I felt a sen- sation. Immediately I conveyed a silent hint to a a friend to see to it; he, taking the hint, cautiously looked under the table, and what do you think he saw ? The bare toe of one of the mediums drawing the paper under her dress, Impulse would have said, Seize the toe," but we were restrained by a delicate considera- tion for the medium, and perhaps a wholesome dread of toe-mater" sauce from the fat old lady before mentioned. Thus ended visit No. 2.

SINGULAR CASE OF ÐEATHFROljI POISON. An inquest ha.s just been held at the White Hart, Widcombe, touching the death of Caroline Parker, a married woman, aged twenty-five, who was supposed to have died from an overdose of bitter-apple. The question for the jury was, under what circumstances the drug was taken, whether unintentionally or with a view to suicide; and the coroner, in opening the case, stated that it was reported that the drug was taken by deceased under the influence of a notion csmmon among the lower orders of women that it would enable them to ascertain whether they were in the family- way or not. The jury having viewed the body, several witnesses were examined. Julia Welby, a young girl lodging with deceased, said: On Monday evening deceased, who was in good health, ga,ve me a paper and asked me to bring her the drug the name of which was written on it, saying she wanted it for a friend. She directed me to get it from the chemist opposite. I did so, and gave it to her at the bottom of the court. The paper bore this :—' 3d. wortt of bitter apple, and 3d. worth of steel pills.' At one o'clock, on returning home, one of deceased's little girls (she has two) told me her mother was lying ill in bed. I immediately went to her and asked her what was the matter. She directed me to call a neigh- bour named Dyer, as she did not feel well; she loeked very pale. I called Mrs. Dyer, and soon after left. I saw her again at a quarter to eleven, and she asked me to get her some ginger brandy. I went out to got it, but could not, and on my return her husband was there. I then fetched her some brandy. She appeared still very ill. I stayed with her all night. She complained of a pain in the bowels. Her husband slept on the floor, and at her desire I woke him, but on his asking her if he should fetch a doctor she was unwilling, saying she thought she would be better if she had some ginger. I was with her till a quarter of an hour before death. As she wanted to be quiet I took the children away. I did not think she was dying. She was sensible to the last. She was not sick, but felt very cold. I was not aware she had taken the medicine, as she said it was for a friend." Mr. Lankesheer, chemist, Sussex-place, Widcombe, stated that the paper produced was brought to him on Monday morning, and he gave the bearer half an ounce of powdered colooynth, commonly called bitter-apple (which it was labelled), and a box of steel pills. There was no prescription as to how it was to be taken, nor did the young woman ask for any. The Quantity of bitter-apple was more than enough to kill any one, but he did not label it poison." Mr. Lawrence, surgeon, deposed: At nine o'clock on Tuesday morning I went to the house, and after hear- ing the facts deposed to by the first witness as to the fetching of the bitter-apple and pills, I communicated with the summoning officer, and received direc- tions to make a post-mortem examination, which I did the following afternoon at four o'clock. The organs of the chest were healthy. The appearance of the stomach and bowels led me to believe that the deceased had suffered from diarrhoea, and had died from exhaustion consequent thereon. She was two or three weeks. advanced in pregnancy. I have not as yet ascertained in the contents of the stomach the presence of the bitter-apple, as there has not been time. It requires an experienced micro- scopist to detect it. From the evidence and the symptoms spoken of I consider her death was occa- sioned by some acrid poison, of which bitter apple may form part. I have never met with a case of death from his poison. The medicinal dose is from two to ten grains; anything in excess of that is a poison; the quantity purchased was twenty-four times the maximum dose." After a brief delibera- tion, the jury returned a verdict" That deceased took the poison without any intention to cause death." «

'I THE ASYLUM FOB FATHERLESS CHIL- DREN, BEEDHAM. The general meeting and Midsummer election of this charity was held on Monday at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-s.treet, for the purpose of receiving a report of the domestic and financial state of the insti- tution, choosing the several officers for the ensuing year, and electing 16 children (ten boys and six girls) to the benefits of the institution out of a list of 76 candidates. Mr. Henry Harvey, sub-treasurer, took the chair, who claimed indulgence as this was his debut as a chairman of a public meeting (hear). The progress of the sooiaty was encouraging, and this was the 21st annual meeting, and now it had attained its age. But like the cases of many individuals, the event of com- ing of age was accompanied with the encumbrance erf mortgage debt. They had rapidly, however, diminished their debt. In 1862 their debt was £ 16,400; at the last audit it was -08,150, and of late they received 30 children instead of 20, as formerly. This charity had received 555 children, and there were now 196 chil- dren under the protection and nurture of the institu- tion. There had been only 16 deaths out of the total number of 555. During the last six years they had been at Eeedham only one death had occurred, and that was from an accidental cause. To Dr. Rose and the matron the hearty thanks of the charity were especially due (hear). Dr. Eose moved the adoption of the report, Mr. Twining having seconded the motion, it was carried with acclamation. Mr. Mead, in highly complimentary terms, proposed thanks to the treasurer, sub-treasurer, and honorary secretary, and that they be requested to resume their duties for the ensuing year. Mr. F. Clark seconded the resolution, which was agreed to unanimously. The Chairman acknowledged the compliment in brief terms. Votes of thanks were presented to the several medical and other officers, committee, &c., and they were requested to act for the ensuing year. These gentlemen, with the auditors, were severally re- elected.

ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO MURDER, Geo. Bowyer, a costermonger, residing at Strouds- vale, York-road, Islington, was charged, on remand, at Clerkenwell Police-court, on Friday, with felo- niously attempting to murder John Bowdell, by stab- bing him. Mr. John Wakeling, solicitor, attended for the defence. John Bowdell, whose head was enveloped in surgical bandage?" is right arm in a sling, and who still ap- peared ve:y ill and weak, said: I live at Brock's- cottage, Streud's-vale, Islington. I am a coster- monger. On the 5th of June, between ten and eleven o'clock at night, I was talking with the witnesses, dis- cussing something that had taken place in the morn- ing. Mr. Masters, another costermonger, wished to know of me if the prisoner had challenged Mrs. Masters to fight his wife. We were talking that over, and Mr. Masters wished to know if the prisoner had •'handled" his wife-meaning by that, pulling her about. I said, Yes," and the prisoner came about five or six yards up the court, next door to where I reside, and said to me, "I have been listening to you for these five minutes, you —— I will put out your light by the morning." I answered him then, Why not now?" and he said, "Because I am neither your weight nor your size." Mrs. Masters said to the prisoner, "As my husband has come home I am quite prepared for your wife now." The pri- soner turned round, went .about five or six paces, and taking another thought turned back and ran at pushing his nst in my face. I turned round and re- taliated in self-defence; I struck him in the face. It was a sort of challenge that the prisoner gave to me when he put his fist in my face. We had a round, and were struggling, and in the second round I felt a heavy blow on the head, and then I lost my senses. It stunned me for a minute or so. When I came to I felt something running down my face like warm water. I put my hand to my head and felt blood, and said, Dan, I am stabbed." I found that I had bruises on the head, one on the ear, one under the left rib, one on the arm above the wrist, a gash on my shoulder about two inches deep and three inches in length. I did not see any instrument in the prisoner's haad. I think the prisoner was sober. I was perfectly sober. I have been in the Great Northern Hospital ever since I was stabbed until last Monday night, when I was discharged at my own request. I lost a great deal of blood and felt very weak. I was so weak that when I got to the hospital I did not feel the surgeon sew up the wounds. Mr. William Hicks Bryant, M.R.C.S., surgoon at the Great Northern Hospital, described the wounds. There was a peculiarity about them which showed that they were inflicted by a sharp instrument. They were deeper at each end than in the middle. One wound on the temple might have caused death. AU the wounds, in his opinion, were inflicted by some sharp instrument. He considered the complainant now out of danger. He ought to have remained in the hospital several days longer. He let him out because he said the prisoner's wife had been to his wife and threatened to do for her. There were eleven wounds altogether. Mr. Wakeling said the prisoner would reserve hia defence. Mr. D'Eyncourt committed the prisoner to the Cen- tral Criminal Court for trial, and refused bail. The prisoner was then removed.

A batch of twenty-fcsur convicts have just arrived in the Mersey from the Government works at Malta and Gibraltar. Their time of servitude has expired, and it is understood that they will be set at liberty in a few days. Telegraphic Transformation.—Not long since a graduate from one of our theological schools, says an American paper, was called to the pastoral charge of a church in the extreme south west. When about to start for his new parish he was unexpectedly de- tained by the incapacity of his presbytery to ordain bim. In order to explain his non-arrival at the ap. T ointed time, he sent the following telegram to the deacons of the church:—" Presbytery lacked a quorum to ordain." In the course of its journey the message got strangely metamorphosed, and reaohed the astonished deacons in this shape: "Presbytery tacked a worm on to Adam." The sober church officers were greatly discomposed and mystified, but after grave consultation concluded it was the minister's facetious way of announcing that he had got married, and accordingly proceeded to provide lodgings for two instead of one.

f CHARGE OF TAMPERING WITH A WITNESS. At the Birmingham Pablic-offioe, on Saturday, before Messrs. W. Holliday (Deputy Mayor), S. Rawlins, and S. Thornton, Mr. Henry Howell, accountant, of Waterloo-street, appeared in answer to a summons taken out at the instance of Mr. Samuel Thomas, the well-known needle manufacturer at Eedditeh, charging him "that he unlawfully and unjustly endeavoured to dissuade, hinder, and prevent one Julia Eeinagle Cecil from appearing as a witness on behalf of Samuel Thomas, at the next Quarter Sessions for the county of Worcester, to be held on the 26th inst., on the trial to answer an indictment for misdemeanour." The court was crowded during the hearing, and the greatest interest was manifested with regardj to the proceedings. Mr. John Suckling appeared on behalf ofMr. Thomas to conduct the prosecution, and Mr. Motteram, of the Oxford Circuit (instructed by Mr. C. E. Mathews), defended Mr. Howell. Mr. Suckling, in opening the case, and m reply to an objection raised by defendant's counsel, said: The usual course will be for me to state my client's case. I hope that in a charge of this serious nature we shall not be met by technical objections made for the pur- pose of closing the mouths of witnesses upon fair questions, because I apprehend that a gentleman of > Mr. Howell's well-known standing will desire to court the utmost investigation for the purpose of proving that the charge is without foundation. Mr. Howell, against whom I have not the slightest personal ill-feeling, is an accountant, in the town, who has been admitted into the utmost con- fidence of Mr. Thomas, the celebrated needle manu- facturer, of Redditoh, and it seems that he has been advised, or has thought proper to prefer, or caused to be preferred, a bill of indictment against Mr. Thomas, for breach of the peace, and upon that indictment, singularly enough, Mr. Howell's name does not appear. The indictment was preferred upon the evidence of a newspaper reporter, who happened to be present at the time, and without Mr. Howell or Mr. Thomas being present to investigate the actual circum- stances. It is necessary I should state this, because the indictment stands for trial on Monday. Upon the indictment being preferred, Messrs. Browning and Son, the private solicitors of Mr. Thomas, caused a subpoena to be served upon Mr. Howell, and upon one Julia Eeinagle Cecil, to give evidence, and,. singularly enough, the name of the two witnesses appear on the face of the same subpoena, which was served on both parties about the 26 th of April last. The only con- clusion which can be drawn from this is that Mr. Howell was well aware that Miss Cecil was summoned to give evidence against him. I apprehend that we have not, on the present occasion, anything to do with the evidence which will be given by any of the witnesses upon that trial. We have simply to do with a charge of attempting to dissuade a witness from giving her evidence, which Woolrych, in his Criminal Law, says is a great misdemeanour, even though the persuasion does not succeed. The law goes even further than this, and says that anybody who endeavours to dissuade any witness from giving evidence in a Court of Justice is tam- pering with the channels of justice, and is liable to a charge of misdemeanour. When we find a gentleman seeking justice at the hands of the Quarter Sessions at Worcester-when we find him charging Mr. Thomas with a serious offence, and at the same time in communication with Mr. Thomas's principal witness with a view to suppressing her evidence—I say it is a most extraordinary combination of circumstances, and one which would be visited by the laws of the country with the severest reflection and punishment. I shall put it clearly in evidence that the letters which were written by Miss Cecil, and signed A Sister," were written by the defendant to her immediately after the service of the subpoena, and I shall leave the letters to speak for themselves. If they are not an attempt to dissuade a witness from giving evidence, I have never heard anything in the shape of an attempt. In addition to those letters, I shall offer irrefragable proof that interviews have taken place between Mr. Howell and Miss Cecil, in which he has done all in his power to persuade her not to give evidence against him. I submit, therefore, to the bench with great deference that when I have given evidence to prove the handwriting, the letters will speak unquestionably and I regret to say undoubtedly as to the defendant's guilt. A number of letters were then put in and read to the court, of which the following are specimens:— Birmingham, April 28, 1865. "Mrs. T.,—I would advise you as a sister (holding the same, position as you do), in regard to Mr. T., not to give any evidence in the case pending between that Howell and himself, without he first of all places so much money in some respectable person's hands, to be invested on your behalf, or I fear that you will find yourself deserted by him after this affair is all over, as he thinks you are untrue to him, and is only keep- ing you now to serve his own ends, after which he will show you the cloven foot,' and leave you in a state of beggary. You will wonder, I dare say, how I know so much about your affairs. I hear it from one who stands to main the same position as Mr. T. stands to you.; they know each other, and confide in each other. Take the advice of a fallen sister. You have the game in your own hands, and if you do not win now you never will. "Ponder on what I tell you. Since I commenced writifig this, from what I hear, I am convinced my ad- vice is right.—Yours, SISTER." Birmingham, May 5, 1365. Sister,—I have just seen your notice in the Gazette, in which you say 'further advice will be appreciated.' It is extremely easy to give advice upon the generality of this world's affairs, but rather difficul tin a case like yours, when all the actions are to be so taken as to please the person upon whom our living depends. If you had only yourself to please the advice is soon either acted upon or rejected: but, even with all the difficulty standing in the road, my advice to you, as a sister,' is, if it be in your power, strive all your might to stay this coming trial between Mr. T. and Mr. H., not only for the sake of Mr. T., but principally yourself. Your position in society is talked of quite enough as it is through the stupidity of Mr. T. calling you his' dear Cecilia' in public smoke rooms all over town, making himself the laughing stock of a lot of men, and setting their tongue to work upon who dear Cecilia' is, and talking of youss Thomas's kept woman, but even this is not half so bad as it will be to be placed in the witness-box, and asked before the whole world who and what you are. Fancy the following' Who are you ?' Are you married to Mr. Thomas ?' How long have you lived with Mr. T. as his concubine ?' How is it that you did not make known to Mr. Thomas that Mr. Howell had made these overtures to you from the first r' &o. &o. &e. Oh! I feel keenly your position. If you were not an educated woman, it would not so sharply cut one's pride; but to be branded in a public court, to be stared at by the vulgar herd, is bitter, bitter, bitter; and when it is all over, what is the satisfaction ? Bevenge, you will say. Poor, poor revenge, when you placa the knife in your own breast. If Mr. T. has one particle of feeling for you, he will try to prevent it tu /or the sake also of his wife and family, he must be dead to all feeling of honour if he does not try to stay the proceedings. But I am preaching a sermon that will not perhaps please you, so I will end with telling you that if you are wise you will act as I have advised. I have pondered hours over it, placed myself in your position, tried to fathom what my feelings would be if I was held up to the gaze of the world as a lost woman on earth as in heaven, and I can come to no other conclusion but this: suffer what I may, I cannot, will not blacken my already tarnished name by telling the world with my own lips that I am living a life of £ in, more especially with a married man. I by telling the world with my own lips that I am living a life of Jain, more especially with a married man. I feel my position keenly enough; but, thank goodness, my ———- is single, an if the true devotion of a woman can make him mine, he shall be so by a holy tie, and that quickly. I never until lately, having heard so much of you, and placing myself in your position, feel so keenly my stand in life. Hoping you will act for the best, I remain yours (as yet) A Sister." There were six other letters ot a similar character read, and the concluding one was not dated, but was to the following effect I am exceedingly sorry that you could not follow out the plan I advised. I wrote to Mr. Howell, saying you would not consent to see Mr. Hawkes, and re- ceived the enclosed answer to-day. If you have that spirit and determination in you that I imagine you have, there is still time, I should think, to arrange matters. You seem to fear each other. He will not, I think, offer you anything like more fair than the pro- posal for a third party to arrange the matter; but of course you know beat how the matter rests, and if you dare not trust him or yourself, why measures I sup. pose, must take their natural course. I would, if it had been in my power, have saved this fearful expo- sure, but seemingly it is not to be." Mr. Motteram then cross-examined Mr. Thomas, who said: I have been living with Miss Cecil nearly twenty years. She goes by the name of Mrs. Cecil Thomas. I am a married man, with a large family. They are all grown up. I have seven children living —four sons and three daughters. Two of the daughters are living home with their mother. I was present when the letter marked number 1 came to 37, Spring-street^ my residence and that of Mrs. Cecil Thomas. I did not at the time obtain possession of the letter. The contents of the letters were first read to me, and I then read them myself. When I read the letter I formed an opinion as to the writer of a letter, but I was not then so sure about it as I am to-day. On that day I only thought it was his, but to-day I most positively swear it is his, having examined it carefully many times since. I believe Miss Cecil did not answer the letter. I did not advise her in any way. I did not presume for one moment that she would answer it. Immediately we had the letter we had some discussion as to the writer of the letter. Mrs. Cecil Thomas said, before reading the letter, she felt so sure it was Howell s writing that she turned to the end expecting, to find the namof Henry Howell, instead of which she found the word "Sister." She wrote no letter in reply to the letter No. 1, or to any other—since the horsewhipping, if I may speak. (This answer was given with great vigour, and caused much amuse- ment in court.) We had discussion about every one 'of the letters as they arrived, and from time to to time I was still more firmly convinced that they were Henry Howell's letters. I have said to Miss Cecil that if we gave Howell rope enough he would hang himself. This was after the receipt of the first letter. I wished the correspondence to cease, but I did not communicate with my solicitor with a view to that being done. The letters were kept in a drawer to which I had access, andit was not until after numerous examinations that I came to the positive conclusion that they were in Howell's handwriting. I did not obtain possession of the letters-they were given by Miss Ceoif to Mr. Suckling on last Mon- day evening, I first consulted Mr. Suckling yesterday (Friday) week. Miss Cecil did not aooompany me. Previous to this, Mrs. Cecil Thomas made copies of all the letters she had in her possession written by Mr. Howell, I persist in swearing positively that these letters were written by Mr. Howell. I have taken means to procure evidence of this fact by apply- ing to five or six persons who know Mr. Howell's handwriting most intimately. Some of these gentle men are here this morning to my knowledge. I am prepared to take the consequences of swearing that it is Mr. Howell's handwriting. Whea I said some of the gentlemen are here, I forgot Mr. George Ward, my clerk, who is present. I won't swear that I have not applied to half-a-dozen gentlemen in Birmingham—I am sure I have not. Since this indictment was pre- ferred against me I have never said I would do all I coald to ruin Mr. Howell. I have said I would sea it out. Nor have I during the same period threatened him with personal violence. I have never publicly produced any of the letters brought forward to-day. I have shown one other letter which was written and signed by Howell, and which I produce. Mr. Howell is a married man, and his wife has stayed with my wife and family at Redditoh whilst he was with Mrs. Cecil Thomas in Spring-street. I knew that Mrs. Thomas publishad an advertisement in the paper, in answer to the letter asking her to go to a certain solicitor's office in Birmingham, totally refu- sing it. I know of, and objected to, an advertisement stating that the letters signed A Sister had been received, and further advice would be appreciated. I don't think I knew about the advertisement before it was sent, Mr. Ward, clerk to the last witness, was called to swear to the handwriting of Mr. Howell. Mr. Henry Fulford, draper, of the Pershoie-road, said, in reply to Mr. Suckling: I knew Mr. Henry Howell, and a lady who goes by the name of Cecil Thomas. I met them in company, a few days ago, in Summer-row. I believe it was on last Tuesday week. They appeared to be in conversation. By Mr. Metteram (after some consideration): I was last at Mr. Thomas's house last night (laughter). I hesitated beeause I was not sure whether it was last night or the night before. I was at Mr. Thomas's house last week, when I went to sell Miss Cecil a dress. I had known Miss Cecil far years. I was not at all jealous (laughter). It was about one o'clock in the afternoon when I met Mr. Howell and Miss CeoU-the business part of the day in that neighbourhood. I went to Miss Cecil's house in the afternoon. I did not take tea with her (laughter). I may call upon her as a matter of business, and that about twice a month. On the day before yesterday Mr, Thomas called on me on business, and I told him what I had seen. I know Mr. Howell well, having received money from him. [This witness gave his evidence in a manner which caused much laughter, and on resuming his seat sat upon his hat, which he smashed, amid roars of laughter, which were renewed as he put the battered castor" into some- thing like order.] Miss Julia Reinagle Cecil, otherwise Mrs. Eeinagle Cecil Thomas (who objected to removing her veil), was examined by Mr. Suckling, and said: I received the letters produced, and believe them to be in Mr. Howell's handwriting. I am subpoenaed to attend the trial at Worcester next week, on Mr. Thomas's behalf. I have a number of letters which I received from Mr. Howell prior to the indictment. Since being subpoenaed I have had four personal interviews with Mr. Howell. Two of these meetings took place at the Old Cemetery, one in Spring-street, and the other in Calthorpe- park. I received the letter marked No. 10 from Mr. Howell. It is—"letter to hand at 11.15 this morning. Went to place appointed at 11150. Will be there again at three this afternoon." It relates to the first of the four interviews. I met him in accordance with that note at the Old Cemetery. In the course of the conversation Mr. Howell spoke to me in reference to the evidence which I am to give next week, as a witness, at Worcester. [The witness appeared greatly distressed, and could not speak for some time. She apologised to the Court for keeping it waiting.] After a time she said: Mr. Howell expressed a wish to be saved further exposure in this matter. He suggested that I should absent myself a week before the trial came on. I said I could Not do so. He urged that I owed something to him as well as to Mr. Thomas, and should on that ground refuse to go to the court on Monday. I told Mr. Howell that I was subpoenaed, and should be obliged to go. He said, if I was obliged to go, the letters need not be forthcoming- I could suppress or destroy them. Those are the let- ters about which you have been questioning me- those which were written before the indictment. We had a great deal of conversation about the anonymous letters, signed "A Sister." He acknowledged all about them except writing them. I told him if I took the letters away Mr. Thomas would probably be imprisoned, to which he replied that if I would suppress them he would take care that Mr. Thomas did not suffer an hour's imprisonment. He appealed to me to save and protect him, and said it was in my power to do so if I would. He said Mr. Thomas was a man of wealth, and independent of the world, whilst he had nothing but his reputation to depend upon. The further conversation amounted to the same thing. The second interview took place, at Mr. Howell's request, on the 13th June. As far as I can recollect, the conversation on this occasion was of the same character We met Mr. Fulford in return- ing. The next interview took place in Spring-street, on Thursday, the 15th, at Mr. Howell's request. He called on me on this day, because on the previous occasion I had told him that neither he nor I could go into court with clean hands, and the only way to save himself was not to go into court; and, when he pressed me give up the letters, I said, If you don't want me to despise you utterly, don't press me fur- ther. I will not give up the letters, and not delegate my power to anybody." Then followed a sicnilar con- versation to that of the previous occasions, and ended in the same way. The fourth and last interview took place on Tuesday, the 20th, at half past eleven in the morning, in Calthorpepark, at Mr. Howell's request. When Mr. Howell left me on Thursday it was with the determination of withdrawing the indict- ment, and when he met me on Tuesday he told me it was impossible to, do so. He said he had had a con. sultation with Mr., Motteram and Mr. Mathews, who said nothing eould come out in court which would injure him so much as withdrawing. He then appealed to me to save him from further exposure, saying that the letters were his, being written to me in eonfidence, and he had a right to them. He said he was unre- servedly in my power, and I could save him by sup- pressing the letters. It being now four o'clock, the ease was adjourned for a week.

The coal-mine of Gerard-Cloes, near Liege (Belgium), was the scene of a dreadful accident a few days ago. A sudden irruption of water took place iu one of the lowest cuttings of the mine, and caused the death of twenty-nine persons, men and women, who were working on the spot. The miners engaged in 1 the upper cuttings were not affec ed by tile Inunda- tion

BOILING AN INFANT. A new horror in the fast-growing crime of infanti- cide has been discovered at Exeter. A man named Charles Scanes found in the canal near that city, about 100 feet from the Welcome Inn, the dead body of a male infant. It was naked; but had upon it some unusual marks of foul treatment. The body was handed over to the care of Police-oonstable Peters, of the county constabulary, and on Friday an inquest was held at the above inn, before R. n, Crosse, Esq., the county coroner. Mr. Mark Farrant, surgeon, was examined. It appeared that immediately on the child being found the officer called Mr. Farrant, who immediately at- tended, and saw the child directly it was taken out of the water an important fact, as it ultimately proved. The body was quite free from do- composition, although it had probably been in the water forty-eight hours. The trunk arms, and faoe were covered with blisters. From the appearance of the vesication it was evident that it was not produced after death, but that it was caused by the child being put in scalding hot water while alive. This indeed was the cause of death. Had the surgeon not seen the body properly, or not till the next day, when decom- position had rapidly set in, the true nature of the blisters might not have been determined with such positive certainty. As it was, the surgeon had no doubt at all that the child was killed in the dreadful way described, and then thrown into the canal. On the day of the inquest Mr. Farrant made a post- mortem examination of the body. The umbilical cord was not tied; the lungs were fully expanded, and the child was evidently born alive, and within a few hours of its birth met with its pitiful fate. This atrocious deed outdoes for its hard hearted barbarity all the horrid child murders this age has committed. There is no clue to the murderer—no suspicion as to who is the monster that has done it. The verdict was "Wilful Murder" against some person or persons unknown. ¡.. P There is a horrible popular notion that if a child be scalded to death in hot water, and then cast into the river, the mode of death cannot be determined The facts of this sad case prove the fallacy of this 'stupid notion.