SYDENHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1817, 17 December 1879, Page 3

SYDENHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The annual meeting of the Sydenham Borough Council was held at noon to-day. Present—His Worship the Mayor (Mr Boath), Crs. White, Nicholl, Hall, Joyce, Brown, Langdown, and Charters. The Mayor stated that the meeting was called for the purpose of installing the new Mayor, and read the clause of the Act referring to the matter. The clerk then read the minutes of the lest annual meeting." Cr. Hall proposed the following resolu-tion:-"That this Council, on behalf of the ratepayers, tenders its grateful acknowledgments to the Mayor, George Booth, Esq., for the very greit interest he has taken in the welfare of Sydenham; also that the members for themselves, bog him to accept their sincere and best thanks for the efficient and cordial manner he has filled the chair for the past tws years—made the more evident by his recent forced absence through illness —they beg to congratulate him upon Ms recovery from that illness, and wish him health and happiness during a number of years they trust are yet before him." In proposing the resolution he said he felt sure that it would meet with the approval of all the councillors. Seconded by Cr. Brown and carried unanimously. Mr Booth replied in feeling terms to the resolution just passed in his honor. As a rule he did not approve of such resolutions on the retirement of a Mayor from office, as a man who took upon himself Buch an office should perform the duties pertaining to it without reference to porsonal feelings. So far as he was concerned, he had always endeavoured to do his duty in that way. However, it was exceedingly gratifying to find that his efforts had met with approval, and it was likewise a pleasure for him to be in a position to bear testimony to the general harmony which had characterised the meetings of that Council during his term of office, and he hoped his successor would have an experience as favourable. The declaration required by the Act having been made, Mr Booth retired from the chair, which was then assumed by the new Mayor, Mr J. T. Brown. His Worship, being duly installed, made a few remarks appropriate to the occasion. This was a new era in his existence, and he naturally felt proud of the honor conferred upon him, and hoped he would be as fortunate in presiding over the Council as his predecessor had been. He then referred to the work before them, pointing out the desirability of commencing with the permanent works in the borough, the present time being ■pecially favorable, owing to the with which colonial loons were placed on the English money market. This concluded the proceedings, and the .Council adjourned.

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. A determined attempt to commit m'cide was made yesterday by a Portuguese seaman named Jo«eph Barreira. It appears that Detective Neil went wit'a a warrant to Cashmere for the _ purpose of arresting Barreira, who was in the employ of Sir Oracroft Wilson as contract cook to the station hands. The charge for which the warrant was issued was one of stealing a pair of boots from Daniel Herlihy, aho in Sir Oracroft Wilson's employ. After the arrest was made Barreira went into his room, accompanied by the detective, and took an|eight-ounce medicine bottle containing a fluid resembling milk, and then returned into the kitchen, and proceeded to give a few instructions to the assistant cook SB to the nature of his duties. While doing this he poured the contonts of the bottle into a panikin and drank it off. Ho also washed out the bottle with some hot water, and then drank the rinsings. No particular notice was taken of bis proceedings by the assistant cook, as the latter waß aware Barreira had lately been in the habit of taking medicine from a similar bottle, and naturally concluded he was taking a fioal dose before accompanying the officer into Ohristohuroh. Detective Neil states that he also thought it waß medicine that was in the bottle, and so he took no steps to prevent the man swallowing it. The detective and Barreira then got into a trap and drove to Christcburon. When they had reached the Colombo road railway gates Barreira clutched Neil by the arm and said he was ill, and asked to be taken to the Hospital as he feared he was going to die. With the assistance of another man Detective Neil lifted him out of the trap, imagining that he was in a fit, but finding that he got no worse he was replaced in the vehicle and brought to the Police Depot. When there Barreira took Detective Neil on one side and told him ho had token poison. He was at once sent to the Hospital in charge of Sergeant Hughes. Mr Pridgeon resorted to the usual remedies to counteract the action of strychnine, of which the man said he had taken half an ounce, and that he had had the poison by him for a considerable time, and had now taken it because he was tired of his life. Dr. Coward, who shortly arrived at the Hospital, prescribed additional remedies, Dr. Prins subsequently coming in as well. Barreira, however, gradually got worse, and at half-past nine o'clock his condition was highly critical.