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was left in the barrel , and when the charge was rammed home , it blocked up the passage to the nipple . When the parties met on the ground , it was agreed that each party should fire two shots . Cournet fired first and missed . Barthelemy then attempted to fire , but tlie pistol would not go off . , A second attempt was then made to fire , but with the same result . Barthelemy then wished to take to the swOrds , but
Cournet would not do so , and actually gave up his pistol for Barthelemy to fire , but at first he refused , on the ground that his opponent had no weapon . Cournet insisted on his doing so , as it was his right to do . Again Barthelemy wished to continue with swords , but again Cournet refused , and insisted on his firing , which 3 he at length did , and the result is already known . It is therefore clear , beyond all doxibt , that , so far from Cournet having been unfavourably dealt by ,
it is positive that Barthelemy had the pistol which was not discharged . It is also beyond all doubt , that although Barthelemy ' s pistol would not go off , he did not for one moment suppose that anything improper took place with reference to it . After the statement made at the inquest , with reference to the pistol being so plugged up with the rag , the countenance of Barthelemy , when this part of the evidence was given on " Wednesday , was watched with the most intense interest , as it was fully expected there would be a great change in his countenance ; but so far from such being the case , he smiled , and appeared more at ease than at any other part of the inquiry .
The Chertsey magistrates , having heard the evidence , committed the prisoners , who were assisted by counsel , to take their trial , and refused to take bail .
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A GLIMPSE OF PITCAIRN'S ISLAND . Pitcaien ' s island is a rock in the Pacific . Some sixty years ago the crew of the JSounty mutinied , and eight seamen , taking up three Tahitian women , sought refuge in th is desert place . , The inhabitants of the island numbe 86 females and 88 males , who are nearly all descended of the Bounty mutineers and three Tahitian women . They are still remarkable for their moral and religious character , chiefly through the teaching and example of Adams , the chief mutineer . A President of the community is elected every ye ~ , but he has little to do . There is no penal code , for the whole community live as one family , and having no money , and prohibiting strong drinks , there is no temptation or inducement to crime . All the land is held in common , and no one is allowed to trade for himself . The coin in the island amounts to about eighteen dollars value . If every waste spot were cultivated , Pitcairn , which is about 44 miles in circumference , would maintain about 500 persons . The climate is good . The thermometer never rises to above 86 degrees , nor falls below 55 . The men and boys all bear arms , and they could defend the approaches to the island against a thousand fightingmen . No ship can approach without a pilot . The inhabitants are not so robust as the English , nor do they
live so long . They subsist chiefly on yams , potatoes , and cocoa nuts . Once a week they taste fish or flesh , which they obtain by fishing and killing the goats on the island . They chew and smoke tobacco , which they obtain from American whalers which visit thorn for supplies of * fresh water , yams , and potatoes . The island would grow Indian corn and tobacco , but neither of these is cultivated because- it would impoverish the ground . Tobacco grows wild , but it i . s rooted up as a weed . There are no springs , and the water obtained i . s ruin water , which i . s caught in n-Kwvoir . s . An English ship of war calls at the island about once a year . A number of American whalers visit it , and through them
the inhabitants get supplies to satisfy their simple want . H and learn the news of ilie world . They seldom suffer any stranger to live , on their island . If any an ! shipwrecked there they arc taken care of until the next vessel calls , when they arc sent away . By tho Orinoco , which arrived at Southampton on Saturday , came an ambassador from these people to the British government ., bearing despatches from Admiral Mareaby , who commands the Pacific squadron . He is not a native ;; but was allowed to remain on the island , where he has been for some five-nnd-twenty years . He has a wife and eleven children , and his name is Nobbs . Admiral Marosby , who was ( here in August , while lie docs justice to tho people , drawn a melancholy pictun
of their prospects : "It in impossible to do justice to the spirit of order and decency that animates tho whole community , whoso number amounts to 17 <> , strictly brought up in the Protestant faith , according to the NHtnblislied Church of England , by Mr . Nobbs , tbeir pastor and surgeon , who lian for 24 yearn zealously and successfully , by precept find example , raised them to a slate of Hie hig hest moral conduct and feeling . " Of fruits and edible roots they have at present abundance , which tbey exchange with tho whalers for clothing , oil , medicine , mid other necessaries ; but the cropH on the tillage ground begin to deteriorate ) , landslips occur with «« cU » uccocuiuK Btorm , tvud tUo dcclivitioB of tho lullw , whou
denuded , are laid bare by the periodical rains . Their diet consists of . yams , sweet potatoes , and bread-fruit ; a small quantity of fish is occasionally caught ; their pigs supply annually upon an average about 601 b . of meat to each individual ; and they have a few goats and fowls . Their want of clothing and other absolute necessaries is very pressing-, and I am satisfied that the time has arrived when preparation , at least , must be made for the future , seven or eight years being the utmost that can be looked forward to for a continuance of their present means of support . The summary of the year 1851 gives—births , 12 ; deaths , 2 ; marriages , 3 . On their return from Tahiti they numbered about 60 , of whom there were marr ied 13 couple ; the rest from the age of 16 to infancy . " . The people are Christians after the pattern of the Church of England ; they are sadly in want of a minister we are told , and the main business of Mr . Nobbs here is to get himself ordained .
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A " GHOST" AT HULL . We find in the Hull Packet of Saturday one of those stories which Mrs . Crowe would delight in . It is the account of a knocking ghost , who has afflicted a house at Hull with his presence , which must be anything but agreeable to the inmates : — "A marvellous sensation has been created in our town within the last few days , by the discovery that a ghost has taken up his quarters , evidently for the winter season , in a secluded dwelling on the Anlabyroad , where it is likely to obtain as great a notoriety as the celebrated Cock-lane gliost . Some little distance
beyond the end of Walker-street and Great Thorntonstreet , on the lefthand side of the Anlaby-road , is a qaiet , lonely lane , known by the name of Wellingtonlane , at the bottom of which stands the ' haunted house / a respectable-looking tenement , occupied by an elderly bedridden dame , her son-in-law , and daughter , and a female domestic . It seems that about a month ago the inmates were startled in the stillness of night by a sharp , sudden knocking on the walls of the room from some invisible hand . At first no notice was taken of this , but , to their great dismay , at irregular intervals , the same strange noise was repeated , a distinct
knocking upon the wall being heard in the very apartment where they sat , and when no visible hand was raised to strike . For four successive weeks the noise was repeated , until the inmates grew seriously apprehensive that some supernatural agency was at work . Their fears were soon communicated to the neighbours , and speedily reached the public ear . The love of the marvellous is the most powerful and easily raised passion of the mind , and on Wednesday not fewer than 1000 persons visited the spot , lingering in the neighbourhood and straining their ear s to catch the sound of the modest ghost , who now and then indulges them with
a solitary and muffled rap , tap , tap . For our own part , we are really apprehensive for his ghostship ' s knuckles , which must suffer materially from such constant exercise . Yesterday night , although it was dull , drizzly , and cold , crowd upon crowd besieged the spot , standing , in spite of cold and wet , 100 yards from the haunted house , anxiously discussing the nature and object of the ghost ' s visit , and patiently waiting to learn from the police , or those who were fortunate enough to get near the house , ' when it had knocked last / One or two policemen have been stationed in the house , with the view of detecting the cause ; and , although it is
seriously aflirincd that the strange noise is still heard at intervals , it baffles all ingenuity , even on the part of the vigilant detectives , to discover whence it proceeds . A portion of the roof , wo understand , has been removed , but without affording any clue . The noise is not confined to any one place , but alternately pervades different parts of the bouse . Sometimes it is a dull , heavy sound , nnd . sometimes like a sort of Hcrulch . Yesterday , 2000 or 3000 persons visited the spot , many of whom lingered until nearly midnight , a detachment of police , being present to preserve order . It i . s impossible to describe the sensation which lias been created
by tlu ; discovery of this allair , and credulity could hardly be curried further . The police declare that many would actually remain by the door of the house the wliolt ; of the night if they would only permit them . " Thin rivals Miss Squirrell !
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A VISION OF TIIK VIRGIN MARY . 'I ' ll 10 age of niiruclCH has not ceased that in , if we may credit the good folks of France , who ho frequently furnish 11 H with visions nnd supernatural appearances . Lust Sunday an old utory was brought again into the light of public , opinion by the Reverend Mr . Norfhcote , formerly of tho Church of lOngland , now of tho Church of Rome . He delivered a discourse , in which lie declared Iuh belief in a utory , of which tho following is an accurate abstract : — in the month of September , 1840 , u little peasant boy , about 1 . 1 . years of age , and a little girl about 15 , who hud boon , engaged in keeping cow » ou u wpur oi
the Alps , near Grenoble , came home and informed theirmaster that they had had a wonderful vision of the-Virgin Mary in the course of the day . The children had fallen asleep , and on awaking perceived that their cows had strayed . They soon found them , but , ou turning their eyes in the direction in which they were were dazzled by an extraordinary light . The occur- ' rence took place at noon , or thereabouts , for only an > hour had elapsed since the children had finished their humble dinner . The light they saw " was more glorified than the sun , of a different colour ; something more red about it than was to be seen about the sun .
at noonday . " The light must have been somewhat powerful to have produced such an effect at such a time , and must , we should have supposed—miracles excepted—have been perceived by some one other than themselves , even in that lonely region . There is no such confirmatory testimony ; but no matter . The children were terrified , and the girl dropped the stick which she held in her hand ; whereupon the boy the Paladin of 11 years old—said , " Pick up your stick again , for if it offers to do you any harm , I will give it a good blow . " That is , the boy was to give the "light" a good blow ; a famous Chasseur de Vincennes he will make one of these days . " By this
time the brightness was no longer so indistinct "'—it had just been described as more glorified than the sun at noonday—and the children perceived in the midst of it a lady sitting on some stones at the head of a fountain , then dry . The very same spot had been described a few lines before as one which contained a stream of water where the cows had been made to drink ; but no matter . The lady now came forward and stood , one child in one hand , and one in the other , and informed them that she had an important communication to make to them . The wrath of her Son was heavy against France for three reasons in especial , and she could not much longer hope to stay his vengeful arm . The first of these reasons was the desecration of
the Sabbath—no very uncommon occurrence in Roman Catholic countries for the last 1000 years , nor at the present day , as all travellers on the Continent can testify . The second reason that had caused this majestic lady to descend from her regions of celestial glory was that the French wagoners and plough boys were sadly given to cursing and swearing . The third little matter which required amendment was that the days
of fasting and abstinence were not observed as they should be . Inde tree—for these reasons the Virgin Mary had descended to Grenoble to give the little cowherd and his mate the benefit of a timely hint . The consequences , if this warning were neglected , would be dreadful , —first , the pommes-de-terre were to fall a sacrifice—then the corn—finally , the grapes and walnuts . Then there was to be a pestilence , which would be especially fatal to little children .
The material consequence of this vision was the building of a church on the mountain , and of a house for the accommodation of priests , besides the collection of a good deal of money , and the aug mentation oi priestly influence among the poor .
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CITY CHARITIES . Undeii a recent act of Parliament , tho I ^ ord Mayor and tho Chief Baron , Sir Frederick Pollock , have been looking into tho charities which have , from time to time , been Jelt for tho relief of poor prisoners . A sitting was held early in September , and tho accounts of tho Armourers ami Braziers' Company , tho Cutlers' Company , tho Drapers Company , and tho Sailers' Company ; also from many ol tho parishes , and from King ' s College , were deemed aatiHfactory . , On Tuesday , tho inquiry was resumed by the Lord Mayor elect , Alderman Clmllis ( who presided ) , tlio Lord Unei Baron , and threo aldermen . Mr . Wyalt , barrister , intended on behalf of the Crown ; and Mr . Secondary 1 oUvi and Mr . Pearson , tho City Solicitor , on behalf of the- < - <»> ]) oration . The first ease ijonc into was that of the jMilhn ¦ sellers' Compam / . Mr . Vinci , tho clerk of that company , stated that the ' company administered tho aHaii-H 1 ol « charity , called Robert . ' Ro ^ 'i-u'm Charity . Th <> charily amounted to 200 / ., and tbo intercut , > U ., were ( o go " > V °° prisoners in tlie CitprisonsSince IBUono payment iinviivi j 11 ii 14 t vmi 1 / 4 in % 'i «\ -- — - ¦ - ¦ ..
y . , n 'o < ' v ' <¦**¦ »» J » v .. f ^ » bad been made to mieh prisoners , except on special app " ¦ " tion . The charity was in Chancery . Tho company "'» administered a charity , called ( Jtiorgo Mumbles ( -I "" uy , tho interest of whicli was HI . a year . This charily also in the Court of Chancery . Since JH . 'Jf ., no pur > <« interest arising from the charity lintl been paid l" I prisoners ( the objects of the charity ) , excep t , in ] « ' »"'> ™ : W-. was paid to 11 freeman who had ma <\ ti a special "PI {] ^ tion . He bad not been able to examine the *' ( '' ) m ( l iiccouiitM as between tho company and the charily , « " > (> they been iiindo up since IH . 't / i . Monies had been I ^ the keepers of the prisons and particular app !" ' 1111 " ' , Ul () could not say how much . Jle had not the books
company with him . , , , . } iUyo Tho Lord Mayor elect thought the books «>! ' / f ! r l ( ; , ri , t been in court , niicl if that wero ho , another sil- "" ¦ < ly probably be Havcd . Mr . Vine said , tbo company w "; mri , . to pay iij ) lln . y «> rreiu-H that nutf lit bo duo to me ^ ^ ( , There was a charity administered by tlie w "" l" "J iiy Uarner ' H Charily ; that charity was also »\ > " ry ' aOi h bcUowo imulo l > y th « Mtwtor , ouo-tkird ol uw ^
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1034 THE LEADE R . [ Saturday ,
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 30, 1852, page 1034, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1958/page/6/
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