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The death of Mr. Justice Talfourd, while charging the Grand Jury at Stafford, on Monday, has been one of the gravest incidents of the week, and has awakened a corresponding feeling in the public mind. The Judge appeared in good health, and had that morning taken his cus- tomary early walk. He took his seat on the Crown side, about ten o'clock, and at once proceeded to deliver the usual charge, commenting on the moral indications of the district afforded by the calendar.

The offences were of a very painful character. There were few cases of offences against property ; but there were seven cases of rape seven or eight cases of stabbing, and no fewer than thirteen cases of manslaughter; not, however, entirely from lawless violence, for some deduction must be made of cases showing a different species of criminality arising from the neglect in the management of machinery. "But,' he continued, " that which points to the deepest moral degrada- tion—which shows what brutal passion, when aroused and stimulated by strong liquor, will produce—is the fact that there are no less than eighteen cases of highway robbery, which include about thirty persons not charged with that guilt. These crimes come—I will not say exclusively, but in the far greater majority—from that district of this county which is most rich in mineral treasure' where wages are high, and where no temptation of want can for a moment be suggested to palliate or account for the crime : on the contrary, I have observed in the experience chich I have had of the calen- dars of Staffordshire, and which as many of you are aware, extends far be- yond the period of my judicial experience—I have observed that in times of comparative privation, crime has diminished ; and at those periods when wages were high, and work plentiful, and when the wages were earned with a less degree of work, and when there was strong temptation to vicious in- dulgence, that then crime has increased almost in proportion to the state of prosperity by which the criminals have been surrounded. This is a consi- derauon which should awaken all our minds, and especially the minds of those gentlemen connected with those districts, to ascertain whence it proceeds, and seek a remedy for so great an evil. It is also not to be denied, gentle- men, that the state of education—that is, such education as can be provided by Sunday schools and other schools—in this district is not below the average of that to be found in agricultural districts. One must, therefore, search for other causes of the peculiar aspect of crime presented by these places; and I cannot help thinking that it may in no small degree be attri- buted to that separation between class and class which is the great curse of British society, and for which we all, in our respective spheres, are in some degree more or less responsible. This separation is more complete in this district, by its very necessities and condition than in agricultural districts, where there is a resident gentry who are enabled to shower around them not only the blessings of their beneficence and active kindness, but to stimulate by their example. It is so much a part of our English character, that I fear we all of us keep too much aloof from those dependent upon us, and they are thus too much encouraged to look upon us with suspicion. Even to our servants we think that we have done our duty in our sphere when we have performed our contracts with them—when we have paid them the wages we contracted to pay them—when we have treated them with that civility which our habits and feelings induce us to render, and when we curb our temper and refrain from any violent expression towards them. And yet how painful the thought, that we have men and women growing up around us, minister- ing to our comforts, supplying our wants, and continual inmates of our dwellings, with whose affections and tempers we are as little acquainted as if they were the inhabitants of some other sphere. This feeling arises from a kind of reserve, which is perhaps peculiar to the English character, and which ,greatly tends to prevent that mingling of class with class—that reciprocation of kind words and gentle affections—those gracious admonitions and kind inquiries which, often more than any book education, tend to the cultivation of the affections of the heart and the elevation of the character of those of whom we are the trustees. And if I were asked what is the great want of English society, I would say that it is the mingling of clam with class; I would say, in one word, that that want is the want of sym- pathy." . . . . "No doubt that the exciting cause in the far larger number of these cases —the exciting cause that every judge has to deplore in every county of this land—is that which was justly called in the admirable discourse to which I listened yesterday from the Sheriff's Chaplain, the greatest English vice,' which makes us a bye-word and a reproach amongst nations who in other respects are inferior to us, and have not the same noble principles of Chris- tianity to guide and direct them—I mean the vice of drunkenness. One great evil of this circumstance is, I think, you will find, looking at the de- positions one after the other, that it is a mere repetition of the same story over again—of some man who has gone from public-house to public-house, spending his money and exhibiting his money, and is marked out by those who observe him as the fitting object for plunder, when his senses are ob- scured, and who is made the subject of an attack under those circumstances which enable the parties to escape from the consequences ; because although the story may be perfectly true which the prosecutor in this case tells— although it may be vividly felt by him—yet he is obliged to confess—"

As he spoke the last word, the Judge fell forward with his face upon his book, and then swayed on one side towards Mr. Sansom, his senior clerk, and his second son, Mr. Thomas Talfourd, his Marshal, who caught him in their arms. Jr. Holland and Dr. Knight, two Magis- trates on the bench, had rushed to his assistance; and these gentlemen, with Lord Talbot and others, carried him out, still wearing his scarlst robes. But medical assistance was useless ; the attack had been so violent that in less than five minutes he was dead. Mr. Francis Tal- fourd, who had just joined the Oxford Circuit, was prevented by etiquette from being in court during the charge ; but he was immediately called in. Later in the day he left Stafford to convey the sad news to his mother. Mr. Justice Wightman was at the time sitting on the Civil aide, and he instantly left the court. In about a quarter of an hour he returned, over- come by emotion, and briefly announcing that "his dear friend and brother Mr. Justice Talfourd was no more," suspended the sittings of the Court. [The career of Mr. Justice Talfourd had been singularly successful. He was born at Reading, in 1793: his father was a brewer; his mother, the daughter of the Reverend Thomas Noon, an Independent minister. Educated at the Reading Grammar School, under Dr. Valpy, young Tal- fourd came to London in 1813, and was a pupil of the late Mr. Chitty. - Ile was called to the bar, by the Middle Temple, in 1821; and he married in the following year. Joining the Oxford circuit, he made his way to the position of leader in a comparatively short period ; and in 1833 as- sumed the Sergeant's coif. Elected in that year as Member for Reading, he sat for the borough, in successive Parliaments, till 1841; and he was again elected in 1847. In 1848, while in the Court-house at Stafford, the telegraph brought him intelligence that he was made a Judge of the Com- mon Pleas.

Mr. Talfourd's contributions to literature were numerous, and some of them highly successful. In private life he was much beloved; and among the testimonies to his character called forth by his death is one by Mr. Justice Coleridge, delivered as a preface to his charge to the Grand Jury at the Derby Assizes. He was sitting, as I do now, discharging the same duty in which I am engaged, and in the act of addressing the Grand Jury, when in an instant

that eloquent tongue was arrested by the hand of death, and thatgenerous unselfish heart was cold. Surely nothing can exemplify more strikingly the uncertainty of life. There he was sitting as I am now, administering jus- tice: people were trembling at the thought of having to come before him; but in a minute his function was over, and he was gone to his own account. Gentlemen' as he was the leader of another circuit, and I believe had never visited this as a judge, he was probably not much known to you either at the bar or on the bench. His literary performances you can scarcely be ignorant of; but, indeed, he was much more than merely a distinguished leader, an eminent judge, or a great ornament of our literature. He had one ruling purpose of his life—the doing good to his fellow-creatures in his generation. He was eminently courteous and kind, generous, simple-hearted, of great modesty, of the strictest honour, and of spotless integrity. I am quite sure that he has left a void that cannot easily be filled up."]

Three meetings have been held this week on the Reform Bill,—at Bir- mingham, Yarmouth, and Maidstone; and in each place the resolutions declared that the hill deserves the cordial support of all sincere Reformers. At Birmingham, Mr. Scholefield, for himself and Mr. Muntz, repudiated the teachings of their friends of what is called "the Manchester School" —and the meeting applauded the speaker. He also said, that although he disapproved of the "minority clause," yet "if the pinch came, he would swallow that clause rather than endanger the bill altogether." If Ministers abandoned the bill, he should deeply regret it; but he should not forget the difficulties which a powerful Opposition, and a great body of "lip Reformers," throw in their way. A meeting attended with eimilar results was held last week at Brighton.

The report of the Tynemouth Bribery Commission has been published. The constituency of the borough amounts to 883 ten-pound householders. Fully one-seventh of these are publicans, and among this class only has corruption prevailed. At the last election ninety publicans were subsi- dized, to "a lavish and profligate extent," by orders for dinners and sup- pers given by both candidates. The publicans who are non-voters received no orders. The election cost each candidate about 25001., of which 900/. was expended for colours and rosettes. The Commission reports that corrupt practices existed at the last election, but did not extensively pre- vail; and that the bribery and corruption were perpetrated without the knowledge or consent of either of the candidates.

A public meeting was held at Norwich on Thursday in aid of the movement for relief of the wives and children of the soldiers ordered on foreign service. An excellent feeling prevailed, and liberal subscriptions were begun.

The Preston turn-outs held a great meeting on Saturday afternoon at Hoghton, midway between Blackburn and Preston. The Blackburn workpeople marched to this place to meet them. The tone of the orators was as full of confidence as ever ; and those of the vast assemblage who could hear the speeches loudly applauded, but a large number betook themselves to dancing and other amusements. The funds of the turn- outs are still flourishing. The number of new hands obtained by the masters does not appear to be considerable, and many are quite unskilled in factory-work. On Sunday, a still larger meeting was held at Hoglaton. Thousands of people poured in from every direction, most of them pedestrians, but large numbers arrived by rail ; every manufacturing district within a circle of twenty miles sent its quota. The proceedings resembled those on the preceding day. The people will fight the masters with money, but will not bare their breasts to the bayonets of the soldiers, said one speaker. Others strongly urged all working men to send in the sinews of ; war—cash—to fight this battle so important to every operative. Mr. Er- nest Jones attended to advocate the views of the Labour Parliament and the propriety of holding a "mass meeting" ; but two of the committee would not permit him to speak—they were resolved to keep the wages question distinct from all others. The meeting began and ended with the singing of a hymn.

The accounts from the manufacturing districts continue to be generally favourable, in spite of the preparations for war. Birmingham is flooded with orders.

At Bedford Assizes, on Saturday, Marshall and Saunders were tried for the burglary at Leighton Buzzard, and Myers for feloniously receiving. Another man, Parker, had also been committed for the robbery ; but the Grand Jury ignored the bill against him. This was the case where the shop of Mr. Matthews, a watchmaker, was completely cleared of its contents du- ring the night. There appear to have been three men engaged in the bur- glary ; it was clearly shown by a large body of evidence that Marshall and Saunders were two of the robbers. Myers sold a portion of the plunder, and more was found at his house : he asserted that he was an innocent pur- chaser; but the evidence to the contrary was too strong for him to escape. It was mentioned that he has made a great advance in life; a few years ago he was a hawker of steel pens, but recently he has dealt largely in gold and silver articles. The Jury convicted the whole three. Marshall and Saunders were sentenced to be transported for twenty years, and Myers for fourteen.

Abel Burrows was tried for the murder of Charity Glenister, at Heath and Reach. It will be remembered that, while in an excited state, Burrows ran after the old woman Glenister, struck her on the bead with a hammer, and killed her. He exulted in the deed, singing frantically, "Glory, glory, to the Lord ! Hallelujah !" He had formerly been one of the Primitive Methodist sect. For some little time before the murder he had shown much excitement. When called upon to plead, he said he did not know whether he was guilty or not—" If I am guilty, I was insane at the time." He was undefended. In the course of the evidence for the prosecution, some sur- geons expressed a belief that Burrows was suffering from mania at the time of the murder ; and he himself wrote or dictated a defence while in prison, setting forth that he was at times insane' and that his aunt died insane. A surgeon proved that the aunt died in a lunatic asylum ; and two persons spoke to the weak state of the prisoner's mind—he often complained of his head, and was at times very violent. The Chief Baron left it to the Jury to decide whether Burrows was responsible for his acts when he killed Charity Glenister. After consulting for half an hour, they pronounced a verdict of "Guilty." Burrows exclaimed, "The Lord's will be done!" He was sentenced to be hanged.

At the last York Aesizes, Mr. Justice Coleridge refused the coats in a poach- ing case in which the Earl of liarewood was prosecutor, on the ground that those who preserve game for their amusement ought to pay all the expenses attendant upon it. Last week, two men were tried for complicity in the same poaching outrage ; they were convicted. When applied to, Mr. Baron Platt allowed the costs : he did not consider Lord Harevrood differently in

such a case from the meanest person in society, and thought he was entitled to his costs.

Mrs. Sarah Draper has been convicted at Nottingham of the manslaughter of Mrs. Phoebe Foster. The accused, a monthly nurse, after some experience in a London hospital, set up as midwife. In attempting to deliver Mrs. Fos- ter, she used such violence as caused her death ; Mrs. Foster being of a very weak and relaxed habit. Several persona spoke highly of Mrs. Draper 48 nurse and midwife. The Jury strongly recommended her to mercy. The Judge willingly received the recommendation : at the same time, he said, persons must be warned not to undertake duties for which they have not the requisite scientific knowledge. Sentence, three months' imprisonment, with hard labour.

William Taylor, a young shoemaker of Birmingham, has attempted murder and committed suicide. He had been unwell for some time, and his mind had been affected. On Monday morning, Miss Walton, the landlord's daughter, called to receive the week'ia rent ; Taylor's mother paid it : Mira Walton asked William how he did ; he immediately sprang upon her with a razor, and cut her severely. Mrs. Taylor endeavoured to save her, and received some wounds herself. The maniac then gashed his own throat, and died in a few minutes.

Stabbing is a fashionable crime at Liverpool. It is extending to the young. The other day two little boys quarrelled, and one quickly plunged a penknife into the other.

The lambing season has been very favourable in the Western counties; it has been especially so in the North of Devon, where vast numbers of Exmoor sheep are bred.