ENGLISH MAIL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2445, 19 January 1881, Page 4

ENGLISH MAIL.

NEWS BY THE

CONDEMNED CUIMINALS. At the Central Criminal Court on Nov. 24 George Pavcy was tried for the wilful murder of u little girl named Ada Shepherd, at Acton, a short-time ago. The case was fully reported in our columns. Ho was ‘found guilty and sentenced to death. On the same day William Herbert was tried for the wilful murder of a woman named Jane Messenger, in Finsbury Park, near Holloway, by shooting her with a pistol He was found guilty and sentenced to death.—Thomas Wheeler, the murderer of Mr Anstie, nt St, Alban’s, has been hanged. It is stated that he made a full confession of his guilt.

WHAT IS AN ACCIDENT? The Court of Appeal have had before thorn the case of Winspear v. the Acci dent Insurance Company, in which the defendants appealed from a judgment by the late Lord Chief Baron and Mr Baron Huddleston. The plaintiff’s husband, who had insured his life for £IOOO, was crossing a shallow stream, when, being seized with a fit, he fell into the water and was drowned. The company refused to pay on the ground that death was not occasioned by personal injury caused by accident ; but the judges of the Exchequer Division gave judgment for the plaintiff, and from this decision the company now appealed. They contended that the insured was drowned because he could not raise his head above water from exhaustion caused by the fit, and that therefore the company was exempted from liability under the provisoes of their policies made to meet such cases. The Court, however, affirmed the decision of the Court below. Lord Coleridge said death resulted from an accident, which was drowning.

THE CLERICAL PROSECUTIONS. There is a worse scandal than a clergyman in prison, and that is a bishop in peril of bodily assault from a mob whom he has just tried to disperse with the Apostolic Benediction. This is what is reported to hare happened to the Bishop of Rochester last night. The living of St. Paul’s, Lorrimore-square, Walworth, is vacant, and the bishop is filling it up by an Evangelical clergyman. This he announced to the congregation at the end of his sermon. “ I tell you face to face,” he said, “ with my own lips, what will not surprise you, that whatever is illegal in the services here will have to be discontinued.” A great commotion instantly followed loud hisses on one side and shouts of applause on the other, with the screams of women sounding shrilly over both. “ On his way to the vicarage to disrobe,” the report proceeds, “ the bishop was the subject of a hostile demonstration, a great mob following him, hooting and yelling, and greeting him with many uncomplimentary remarks. At one point a rush was made, and but for the interposition of the police his lordship would have been assaulted. As he left the vicarage and drove away the ill-feeling of the congregation was again manifested, and his carriage was followed to the confines of the parish by a large crowd, who kept up a continuation of groans and hisses.” This pretty scene is the practical comment on the Bishop’s aphorism that “ congregational independence is fatal to the liberties oft he Church.” Assault and battery on the person of a bishop is not a good way of asserting congregational independence, but we may depend on it that means will still have to be found of reconciling the liberties of the Church with its independence before these distracting scandals come to an end. What the plain means are is now becoming very evident, even outside the members of the Liberation Society.—“ Pall Mall Gazette. HOW THE 66th FOUGHT AT MAI WAND. The following is a full text of the supplementary despatch from General Primrose, dated Candahar, Oct 1: — In forwarding the accompanying document, I would most respectfully wish to bring to His Excellency the Comraander-in-Chief’s notice the gallant and determined stand made by the officers and men of the 66th Regiment at Maiwand. The disposition of the regiment was as follows.—Fighting line—fifteen officers,364 men —all ranks. Baggage guard in rear —four officers, sixty-three men all ranks. With Smooth-bore battery four officers forty-three men —all ranks. Sick — thirty two men ; and of this number ten officers and 275 non-commissioned officers and men wore killed, and two officers and thirty non-commissioned officers and men wounded. These officers and men nearly all fell fighting desperately for the honor of their Queen and country. I have it on the authority of a colonel of artillery of Ayoob Khan’s army, who was present at the time, that a party of the 66th Regiment, which he estimated at one hundred officers and men, made a most determined stand in the garden market “A ” in the accompanying plan. They were surrounded by the whole Afghan army, and fought on until only eleven men were left, inflicting enormous loss upon the enemy. These eleven charged out of the garden and died with their faces towards the foe, fighting to the death. Such was the nature of their charge and the grandeur of their bearing that although the whole of the Ghazis were assembled around them, not one dared approach and cut them down. Thus standing in the open, back to back, firing steadily and tritely, every shot telling, surrounded by thousands, these eleven officers and men died ; and it was not until the last man had been shot down that the Ghazis dared advance upon them. He further adds that the conduct of these men won the admiration of all who witnessed it. This is the testimony of a man that witnessed the scene, and who gave the information before Brigadier-General Daubeny proceeded to Maiwand. From an examination of the ground, from corroborative evidence, and from the position in which their bodies were found, I have not the least hesitation in stating that this account is true ; and I think his excellency will agree with me when I say that that history does not afford any grander or finer instance of gallantry and devotion to Queen and country than that displayed by the 66th Regiment on July 27, 1880.