6 FEBRUARY 1858, Page 4

311ttruptiliz.

The Prince and Princess Frederick William of Prussia received, on Saturday, deputations from the Corporation and the Commissioners of Lieutenancy of the City of London, from the Corporation of Birming- ham and the London Fishmongers' Company. They came to present addresses of congratulation to the bride and bridegroom, in which praise of her Majesty was blended with compliments td the Prince and Princess and wishes for their happiness. The Princess Frederick William an- swered as follows to the address of the London Corporation read to her.

"My Lord Mayor and Gentlemen—Your very kind address calls for my warmest acknowledgments. "I especially thank you for alluding to the heavy debt of gratitude I owe to my Royal parents. "To show myself at all times worthy of their past tender solicitude, and to emulate their example, will through life be the object of my ambition. "It cannot but afford me the greatest satisfaction to find in the senti- ments expressed by you an additional and important proof, that an alliance formed with a view to my happiness, and in accordance with the choice of my heart, meets with the joyous approbation of my beloved native country, to which I shall ever remain faithfully and devotedly attached.

"Whilst I confidently follow my beloved husband to a distant country, where the esteem and love which he so deservedly enjoys will be a security for my kind and cordial reception your assurance that you will sometimes think of me when departed will lessen the pangs of separation." Prince Frederick William's speech of thanks contained these expres- sions—

" I sincerely rejoice to find that an alliance so dear to my heart meets with the cordial sympathy of the citizens of London ; and it is to me a source of equal satisfaction to form, through this alliance, a still closer connexion with this enlightened country and kindred people." In addition to their address, the Birmingham deputation presented several specimens of their manufactures in silver, bronze, papier mache, steel, and saddlery. •

• The Committee intrusted with the teak of raising a fund wherewith to commemorate the exploits and sertices of Sir floury Havelock br the erection of a Metropolitan monument, sent a deputation to Lord Plainer-

ston on Monday to request that a site for the monument might be pro- vided in Trafalgar Square. Lord Shaftesbury and Mr. Arthur Kin- naird introduced the deputation. Lord Palmerston said he warmly sym- pathized with the object of the deputation, but he could not answer their request until he had consulted the proper persons.

The Leviathan was floated off her ways and towed to her moorings in the river on Sunday. The final measures would have been taken on Saturday had the wind permitted. But the steady breeze blew full on the vessel's broadside, driving her towards the shore ; and the water ballast that had been pumped out on Friday was pumped in again on Saturday to keep her fast in her place. The breeze fell on Sunday, and what there was of it told in the ship's favour. It was at once de- termined to float her off.

"The tide ran up with unusual swiftness, and as the flood relieved the weight upon the launching ways some of the hydraulic machines were set to work for the last time, to push the monster as far as possible into the centre of the river. She moved easily, and with such a low rate of pres- sure that a short time gave an advance of 80 inches, which showed that more than half the cradles were quite pushed off the ways and rested on the river bottom. At half-past one the men in the row-boats stationed along- side observed that she no longer rested on the cradles—that she was, in fact, afloat ; butt o' course, the transition was so gradual that few were aware of it until the tugs began steaming ahead, and showed that at last she was fairly under way. Then the cheers which arose from the yard and from the decks, from the boats in the river, aud the crews of the ships at anchor up and down the stream, spread the great news far and wide, and thus under the most favourable circumstances the Leviathan commenced her first voyage on the Thames. "Two powerful tug-boats were at her bows and two were fastened astern. Other steamers also were in attendance and rendered their aid, but the efforts of the four we have mentioned were mainly instrumental in managing her. At first the efforts of those ahead seemed to have little effect, and when at length some way was made on her it was abruptly checked by one of the paddle-wheels fouling the cradles. It took some time to clear her of this ob- stacle, but at last it was accomplished ; her head WKS let swing partly round with the tide, and the steamers began moving her slowly, but very slowly, forward, clear of the cradles. These, as our readers are aware, were com- posed of immense balks of timber, on which the vessel's bottom rested, and which her weight alone kept down. The police, therefore, had to take un- usual precautions to keep all boats clear of her while the wrecks of the cradles plunged up in tremendous masses as each was released by the on- ward movement of the Leviathan.

"It was curious to see these huge groups of beams emerge from the river, rising rapidly from the surface of the water twenty or thirty feet, with a slow, heavy movement, and then falling over with a great crash that churned the water into foam around them. Some, broken and splintered by the vio- lence with which they were thrown against each other, formed a loose tangle of timber work, and went slowly drifting up tho river in little islands, which rose some four or five feet from the water. Others, long after the great mass had floated up, came plunging to the surface, falling about in a way that showed the necessity of the precautions taken by the police, and the certain destruction that would have overwhelmed any boat within their reach."

After the ship was afloat, she fouled the barges which had been used to pull her towards the river ; and as no efforts could knock off the huge chains, the barges were scuttled. The Leviathan then made some way, and was at length moored stem and stern opposite Deptford. Crowds of boats, heavily laden with sightseers, followed the ship, and there was much cheering.

An interesting question came on Monday before the Court for the Con- sideration of Crown Cases Reserved. All the Judges were on the bench, except Baron Bramwell. At Liverpool Assizes, one Mellor was convicted of murdering his wife, and sentenced to death ; but next day it was discpvered that a person named William Thornley had answered to the name of 'James Henry Thorne, had been sworn as Thorne, had sat upon the Jury, and joined in the verdict. Under the Act 21 Jac. 1, c. 13, a mere misnomer would not have mattered. In a case where the juror answered to the Christian name of Daniel when his name was Samuel, the Judges held the conviction to be good under the act; but in the case of Norman versus Beaumont, the ver- dict was set aside, because Richard Shepherd, who had not been summoned, answered as a juror, and sat as Richard Geater, who was upon the panel. There is a solid reason for the distinction : Samuel was the man intended, and the misnomer was a mere error of naming ; but Shepherd was not the man intended. It was possible, that if Mellor had heard Thornley called by his real name, he might have known that person to be hostile to him, although he had never seen him ; and thus he might have lost his right of challenge to exclude a prejudiced juror from the box. In the present ease no such injury to the prisoner was alleged ; the appeal turned exclusively upon the point of law, and, as Chief Justice Campbell said, upon the ques- tion whether or not the tribunal was properly constituted. Chief Justice Campbell held that it was not ; that the verdict must be an- nulled, and that there must be a venire de novo. Chief Justice Cockburn agreed. The Chief Baron thought that the Court could not supersede the Court of Error ; could not declare mistrial, nor order a new trial, but could simply reverse, affirm, amend, or avoid a judgment on the merits. Mr. Justice Wightman thought that the Court could avoid the judgment ; declaring the trial a nullity, said Mr. Baron Martin, and thus leaving it to take place ab initio. In favour of the new trial were the Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Justices Cockburn and Wightman, Barons Martin and Watson ; against it, the Lord Chief Baron, Justices Erie, Williams, Crompton, Crowder, Wiles, and Ryles, and Baron Channell. The conviction and sentence, therefore, were affirmed.

A singular action for assault and defamation was tried in the Court of Queen's Bench on Tuesday. The plaintiff was Mr. William Pocock, a me- dical man ; the defendant Mr. James Nicholls, a solicitor. Mr. Pocock at- tended Mrs. Nicholls during her illness, and he had also been called in to attend her husband. Apparently, Mr. Nicholls became jealous, because one day Mr. Pocock took a seat beside Mrs. Nicholls to feel her pulse, instead of causing her to come to him. Thereupon, Nicholls not only directed Pocock to cease his attendance upon Mrs. Nicholls, but insisted that something had passed between the two ; and he replied to a denial of a charge of seduction by saying that he did not want assertions but a frank explanation of the ex- tent to which the impropriety had gone ; promising to use it only fora be- nevolent purpose. Mr. Pocock had no explanation to give. Mr. Impey, aaolicitor, called on Mr. Nicholls, to convince him of the groundless nature of his charge. Nicholls said, "He refuses to admit anything, does he ? Then I know my ground. If he will admit the paternity and take the child, I will let him live." After this, Nicholls called on Mr. Pocock and assaulted hut; and subsequently served him with a writ in an action of cairn. con. The action was not pursued. Lord Campbell said he could only account for the case by supposing that the defendant was out of his mind, He directed the Jury to find for the plaintiff. They assessed the damages at 2601., half for the assault, half for the defamation, A Jury in the Court of Queen's Bench has awarded Mr. Collins, a boot- closer, and his wife, 780/. as compensation for hurts received on the South- Eastern Railway in the Lewisham collision : Mr. Collins suffered dreadfully.

At the Central Criminal Court, on Tuesday, the Recorder passed sentence on three persons who had pleaded guilty to dealing in obscene publications. Two men were sentenced to six months' imprisonment ; but Mary Elliott, having repeated her offence, was sentenced to twelve months' impri- sonment.

On Wednesday, the prosecution against Messrs. Young and Piper for a misdemeanour in disturbing human remains in Moorfields Burial-ground was abandoned, and a verdict of "Not guilty" recorded ; all that was re- quired by the City Officer of Health having now been done by the defend- ants.

George Richard Ratcliffe, a young man, was charged before the Lord Mayor, on Monday, with forging and uttering a check for 30/. The check purported to be drawn by Messrs. Mockford and Co., to whom Ratcliffe was a clerk. It is supposed that h i

e himself presented t at the London Joint- Stock Bank : it was cashed. It was shown that the prisoner changed notes paid by the bank when in the company of two young men at night, who took two suppers. This was the instructive evidence of one of them. Mr. Charles Primrose—" I live at No. 1 Green Street, Leicester Square, and have been a midshipman. I was in company with Mr. Vernon and the prisoner when Mr. Vernon gave him change for a five-pound note. I cannot distinctly re- member what evening it was, but it was about a fortnight ago." The Lord Mayor—" Were you present at both suppers ? " Witness—" Yes, my Lord." The Lord Mayor—"Did you not have enough to eat at the first supper ? " Witness—" No, my Lord:" The Lord Mayor—" Therefore you wanted a second. What time elapsed between the one and the other ? " Wit- ness—" The first was about eleven at night." The Lord Mayor- " And at what time was the other ? " Witness—" About three o'clock the following morning." The Lord Mayor—" It is high time that these supper-rooms were closed or put under the cognizance of the police ; and there is no doubt that this will very shortly be done. If they are allowed to take in customcrs at all hours of the morning, there is no reason why public-houses should not be allowed to do the same thing. To the witness)—Did the prisoner stand treat for you all ? " Witness—" No, each paid his own expenses." The Lord Mayor—" More evil is done at these refreshment-rooms than in any other places that exist. How long had you known the prisoner before the night in question ? " Witness—" I first be- came acquainted with the prisoner the day before." The Lord Mayor- " And how long had you known the witness Mr. Vernon ? " Witness—" A long time." The Lord Mayer—" He WU a friend of yours ? " Witness- " Yes." The Lord Mayor—" And the prisoner was a new acquaintance ? " Witness—" Yes." The Lord Mayor— Where did you meet him first ? " Witness—" At a place where I dine in the City." The Lord Mayor—" And you thought that sufficient to justify you in associating with him, and sup- ping with him, first at eleven at night, and again at three in the morn- ing? How many times have you had supper in the Haymarket at three o'clock in the morning since this occasion ? " Witness— None at all." Ratcliffe was remanded.

The Worship Street Magistrate has committed Lewis Abrahams for a most brutal assault on Charles Newhouse, a groom. Newhouse was reading a paper in a public-house when Abrahams wantonly insulted him, threw ale in his face, and then bit off nearly the whole of one of his ears ! It would seem that the ruffian has committed a similiar atrocity before.

The number of successful applications to the Police Magistrates for the protection of the earnings of married women who have been deserted by their husbands, shows how much the new law was needed.