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Leader (1850-1860), 3rd February 1855, Edition 1 of 2, Page 106, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      Mdiumsb at CikAOTAj ^ -On Monday , an aged widawlady , o £ independent means , was found with , Srheadbkttered to pieces . In the erf ^ r , a chopper cbveredwith blcK > d and brains was lying near sjftne blocks of wood . Elsewhere , the servant ; girl was found with her throat cut . She was not killed , however-but said that two dustmen had : come in . done the deeds , and escaped .. The neighbours saw nothing of them ; and it is said that some . of the unfortunate lady ' s rings were found on the girl . The London detectives have taken up the case , an * a coroner ' s inquest has been held and adjourned . stabbed by Cabman dispute

      A Policeman a . —A occurred between a gentleman and a cabman as to whether the vehicle was engaged * ' A policeman interfered , "whereupon the cabman stabbed him twice in the face with a clasp-knife ; Fortunately , the bone was struck , and the blade broke . The cabman ¦ was very drunk : He has been sent ? to trial . Fkailty , tht name is Woman . —Two women had a quarrel about a charitable ticket for obtaining bread . They became excited , and one of them seized a knife and : stabbed the other " more than once" in the face . She was an " elderly woman , ' and the ( possibly elderly and sympathetic ) magistrate "disposed " of the case by a fine of 5 £ , or . two months * imprisonment .

      Untitled Article

      SIB CHARLES HGTHAM'S DILEMMA . By the last mail from Australia we hear of acurioua state of things in this remarkably wide-awake colony . From > the Times we learn the peculiar "fix" in : which Sir Charles Hotham is placed by his new Convict Bill , which proposed to establish commissioners at Launceston , Hobart-town , and other places , to grant certificates of good conduct and passports to such men . Sir Charles seems to have forgotten that he was legislating out of his jurisdiction , and that the other Governments would thwart him in every possible way .

      . " The Legislature of Van Diemen ' s land has taken the matter np , aad a bill has been introduced ' for the ^ prevention of fraud by persons assuming to be commissioners for the issue of passports . ' By this bill Sir ^ C . Hotham ' s commissioners are subjected upon conviction to imprisonment , with or without hard , labour or solitary confinementj for one month for every offence . ' All persons assisting them are to be subject to a fine of 100 / . " Of course it cast great difficulty in Sir C . Hotham ' s way , and the gentlemen who surround him are not the people to aid "Mm with wholesome advice . The expedient hit upon was this ;—A member named Nicholson brought in . anew bill , and it is supposed . Sir Charles will allow his own bill to drop and accept the new one as the voice of the people .

      " While all this was going on the Council of Van Piemen ' Land was petitioning the Queen to convert all the conditional pardons into free pardons . Nicholson ' s bill meets this , by extending the penalties of the former act to persona at large in Victoria who had before been convicted of any crime . This bill will pass by large-majorities at ~ every-stage . —It-brings Sir-Charles Hotham into conflict either with the Colonial-office or the people of Victoria ; but Van Diemen ' s Land will

      throw its weight into the former scale . There is a good deal of speculation as to how Sir Charles will act . He is very close on the matter . If he accept Nicholson ' s bill , he embroils himself with the home Government , backed by Van Diemen ' s Land ; if he reject the bill , he comes into conflict with his own colony . How will he decide ? His position is certainly one of considerable difficulty—a legacy left him by the Government of hia predecessor , and one which may yet wreck his Administration . "

      Untitled Article

      FOREIGN LEGIONS IN THE UNITED STATES . Seven military companies of Boston and vicinity , composed mainly of Irishmen , have surrendered their charters and been disbanded by Governor Gardener , the recently chosen Know-nothing Executive . Tho strong remarks of the Governor in opposition to organisations of foreigners , contained in his inaugural address , led the soldiery to adopt this step . Every attempt on tho part of foreigners in that State to enrol themselves permanently in the militia has proved a failure , causing cither an outbreak of popular disapprobation or tho stinging rcbuko of same public functionary .

      Untitled Article

      MBEL—THE " TIMES" AND THE SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY . Tir e " leading journal" has been punished in the Court of Queen's Bench . Some time since , at a public meeting- of the Company , some dissension arose , and the characters of the Hon . Francis Scott , chairman , and also of the directors , were somewhat rudely assailed . The Times reported tho case in a leading article , and in ihat form of publication , every aeonsatiottlmd the effect of coming from the journal rather than from , the discontented shareholders . Th « i « jsu « w »» an action for libel—the result a verdict against the Tfmea < in the person of the printer , Mr . Harrison , ami 80 O& damages *

      Sir Frederick . Tbesigex , in mitigftthn * of punishi rnen . tv . s » id , that , " Their-lordships , in considering the sentence , would recollect that a question of great public importance was involved . The public press had clearly a right to comment on the conduct of public men ; and if the article had kept within its , proper limits , there could . be no objection . to . it in point of law , This . article , was not , a mere fabrication , but was the reiteration of . charges made at the public meetings , of the company , on which the writer had . expressed , his opinion . No person who read it could believe that malice lurked under the expressions doubtless said

      used against these directors . It would be that it was an aggravation of the offence that another article had been written , in which the accusations had not been , retracted . All that the Times in that article said was , that it was sufficient to say that they had not brought these accusations on their own authority—that the matter was one between the shareholders and the directors , on which they were incompetent to form an opinion—and that they regretted any expressions hastily written , unpalatable to Mr . Scott and his brother directprs . Could a journalist be called upon to withdraw a cnarge not emanating from himself ; and to apologise for accusations preferred by others ?"

      Mr . Justice . Coleridge , with the entire Bench , differed from this view . He said : — " While it is of the greatest importance that , the public press-of- the country should possess , the power in the fullest ,, the freest , and > even the severest senser to discuss the conduct of public individuals , yet * . on the . other hand , no one , as the consequence of hisbeeoming a public many can be called upon t » submit his private , character to . the censure : of the public press . Thecourse which has been taken , tor 4 ay * . and . not for therfirg * time by those whom you represent , is to deny that they ever intended to make any insinuation against the private honour of the prosecutors . I think it would have been more consistent in those who have made that defence today if they had taken a course which was open to \ them at an- earlier period . It may be true that the writer of the article did not intend that , it should affect the

      personal - 'honour of the prosecutors , or was ¦ actuated by malice towards them * Everybody ; however , on reading such an article , must consider , not what may be passing in the mind of the writer , but the effect on the public mindof the language used , and when such articles are written by writers of great ability in the columns of a public journal , it 13 not too much to jsay that a rule such as that to which I'have alluded must be applied with some degree of strictness .. It is also to be observed that where the language used may not impute in categorical term * any direct charge , yet it is easy to insinuate a chargeindirectly so as to make it tell with greater bitterness , and that I find to be the case , in one or two passages of this article . ( Here the learned judge read some . pasf sages . ) "We have now to consider what sentence we are to pass . All concur in representing you as a most respectable man ; it is admitted that you are not the writer of the article . Such a consideration as that could

      not weigh in the determination of the punishment , but it may influence the kind of punishment ,, and therefore , the sentence of thei " courtis ( thatyou pay " a fine" into her Majesty ' s Treasury of 3007 ., and that until that * fine be paid you be imprisoned , in the first class for misdemeanants ,, in the Queen ' s Prison . " The fine was immediately paid , and the- defendant Jefc the court .

      Untitled Article

      THE PUBLIC HEALTH . ( From the Registrar-Generafs Report . ') The present return shows that the high mortality an nounced in recent reports has undergone a further in

      crease . In the first three weeks of the current month the deaths registered in London were 1404 , 1466 , and 1549 ; in the last week they rose to 1680 . Of males , whose deaths are now returned , the number is 791 ; of females , 889 . In the four weeks that ended January 27 , the mean weekly temperature was 45 . 5 deg ., 89 . 8 deg ., 28 . 9-deg ., and ( lastweek ) 29 . 8 deg . In the corresponding weeks of the year 8 1845-54 , the average number of deaths was 1102 , which , if raised in proportion to increase of population , becomes 1212 . Hence it appears that there were recorded last week 418 deaths more than the rate of mortality that prevailed in the fourth week of tho last ton years would have produced .

      Seven hundred and eleven persons under 20 years of age , 205 at that age and under 40 , 289 aged 40 years and under 60 , 847 who- were 60 years old but under 80 , and 77 octogenarians , died last week . If these numbers are compared with the numbers at the same ages in the previous week , it will be seen that the increase Is confined entirely to persons who had completed their fortieth year , tho deaths of those in the earlier periods showing a decrease . Deaths arising from diseases of the organs of respiration , increased from 886 to 427 in the last two weeks ; the average of the ten weeks corresponding to lost week is only 264 . Bronchitis was fatal in 289 cases , pneumonia in 127 . Hooping-cough and influenza , which stand in the epidemio class , were fatal in 78 and 28 cases ; 174 persons sunk under phthisis , Scarlatina destroyed 70 lives , measles 48 . '

      Untitled Article

      A MEDICAL ABTlSEIt Un 4 > ek , the- unattracti . w . titl ( 3 o £ ! ' Tbe ,: QHeen . t ^«^ Cbbksey" we have one of the most cuniousi stories o £ modern times .. The Court of Queen ' s Bench was the theatre . Sir F , Thesiger . moved ,, on behalf of . a . widow Iddy , Mrs . Alice Payne ^ reaiding at Chipping Garoden , Gloucestershire * fox a rule ( which was . subr sequently granted ) calling , on John Alexander Cook * sey * a medical gentleman residing ; at the same place * to show cause why a criminal inforuaation for libel should not be . filed against . him . The story is- as follows : — Mrs . Payne was a widow lady , who had for some time been suffering from uterine disease , for which she had been attended by a Dr . Thompson , of Stratford-on-Avon , and Mr . Cooksey , a surgepni . of Chipping Camden . It appeared that some scandal . had arisen , which caused Mr . Edge , the clergyman of the parish , to write to the lady ' s brother , and also to the lady- herself , advising her to abstain from coming to the holy table until the scandal was removed . The lady and her brother - at once gave an indignant denial of the truth of the scandal , and Dr . Thompson and Mr . Cooksey , on being applied to ,, gave certificates which tended to rebut the charge . The clergyman , however , was not satisfied ' with the certificate given by Mrv Cookseyy as itmeralyistated that he

      had attended Mrs ; Payne foT * an enlargement of < the . uterus , ' and' he required to be satisfied-that the illness had nothing to do with , gestation . At Mrs . ¦ _ Payne ' s request , Mr . Cooksey prepared a certificate in . those terms , and then waited 1 npen Mrs ^ Payne with it , and . having exhibited it to her , he offered-to give her the means of aft once putting an end to the scandal , but only on the terms , as Mrs . Payne deposed ^ of her yielding to the wishes which he ( Mr . Cooksey ) said he had long desired to-gratify . This infamous proposal was at once rejected . Upon this Mr . Cooksey threatened that if he would

      Mrs . Payne would not yield to hia wishes forthwith make an affidavit before amagistrate to the effect that she ( Mis . Payne ) had mifkjarriedi Finding that he could not succeed in his- object , he went before a magistrate , and made the affidavit which he had threatened , and published the same libellduB charge in a letter addressed to a Mr . Kennaway * The lady now came before the court for its protection , and in the most distinct-terms-denied that there was any ground whatever for the libellous imputation upon her honour , and she produced copies of several letters written by Mr . Cooksey himself , while acting as her surgical attendant , in support of her denial .

      Untitled Article

      I VARIETIES . LORDS PALMERSTON AND ABERDEEN . The Times stated lately that Lord Pshnerston was a year older than Lord Aberdeen . " Harr ^ piensis , " writing to the Globe , says the contrary is the fact . Lord Aberdeen was born January 28 , 1784 , —Lord Palmerston , October 20 , in the same year . In September , 1796 ,. they were both at Harrow * Lord Palmerston ( then Mr . Temple ) was head of the 2 nd remove of the 4 th form . Lord Aberdeen ( then- Lord Haddo ) was the 7 th . boy of the 8 rdremove-of-the . same form ..- _„ _ ...

      Untitled Article

      MISCELLANEOUS . The Court . —Her Majesty left Windsor for Buckingham Palace on "Wednesday , and again on Friday . On Thursday the Marquis of Lansdowne had an audience by command . On Wednesday the Earl of Derby had an audience by command , and again at Windsor on Thursday . H . R . H . the Duke of Cambridge visited her Majesty on Wednesday . His Highness tho Maharajah Duleep Singh took leave of her Majesty on Monday . Baron Von Usedoin loft Dover on Saturday for Brussells . Cabinet Councils wore held on Saturday last , and on Wednesday .

      Untitled Article

      Lord Cakdioan . — A numerous meeting of the * tenantry of Lord Cardigan , residing in Leeds , met and agreed to an address of congratulation to his lordship on his return from the Crimea , and admiration of his gallant conduct those . Ciielsua . HosriTAi *—Military men say that General Sir Edward Blakeney will be . permanently appointed to Chelsea Hospital Governorship , and if so , his loss will be / severely felt in Ireland , especially in Dublin . —> -Lime ~ ¦ rick Chronicle . New ' Regimentals .- —Tho new regimental tunic substituted by Her Majesty ' s warrant far the Awallow-tailod CQftteo of the infantry is . npw-being : issued to the brigade

      Untitled Article

      - ^ < &sm £ ; & £ d ** b ,. ¦ & ******?¦

      Untitled Article

      THE GALLANT BUTLERS .. Captain C . G . Butler , died at Bombay on the 18 th of December . He served during Sir C . Napier ' s campaign against the mountain and desert tribes situated on the right bank of the Indus , early in 1845 , with a detachment of 200 men . He was Commandant of tho Military Sanitary Station at Poorundhur , and was brother of the two Captains Butler , one of whom fell at Silistria , and the other at Inkerman .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 3, 1855, page 106, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2076/page/10/