round the deck (when they could) and died generally raving mad."

17. LANCASTER ASSIZES.James Evans, aged 27, was indicted for the wilful murder of Thos. Price, at Manchester, on the 3rd of February last. [See p. 18.] Mr. Scarlett, Mr. Ashworth, and Mr. Starkie conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Sergeant Cross, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Jones the defence. The trial lasted from eight o'clock in the morning till nearly ten at night, and upwards of fifty witnesses were examined. The deceased, Mr. Price, was a calico-merchant, resident in Manchester, and he occupied, for the purposes of trade, two floors of a building in Manchester-square. The prisoner, who was a clerk or warehouseman, and a woman of the name of Mary Price, who was a cutter, were employed on the premises. It was the custom for these two individuals, as well as the deceased, to go to dinner each day at one o'clock, and on that occasion the doors of the two warehouses were locked, and the keys deposited in the counting-house, which was also locked, and the key of the counting-house was kept by either the prisoner or the deceased, just as it might happen. A room which led to the counting-house, and in which Mary Price worked, was also locked, and the key of the last-mentioned room was always left at an office on the ground-floor, which was occupied by a Mr. Gibson, who was the secretary of a savings bank. On the 3rd of February last, this key was not left at Mr. Gibson's, and at about a quarter past one on that day a fire was observed in the highest of the rooms occupied by the deceased. It was supposed VOL. LXVIII.

that all the parties belonging to the warehouse were at dinner, and a number of the neighbours assembled sent for the fire-engine, and, with some difficulty, broke open the door. When the smoke had cleared away, it was discovered that the room had been on fire in two places; that a great quantity of pieces were piled up in the middle of the floor; and that the obstruction, which had been offered to the opening of the door, had been occasioned by a number of pieces so placed as to form an effectual barricade. It was at first a matter of surprise how the person, who had placed the pieces against the door, had contrived to get out of the room; but it was afterwards explained, that that end might have been effected by placing the pile of pieces at a small distance from the door, in such a position as to recline against it, by which means the door might have been opened sufficiently wide to allow a person to pass, and then, upon being closed on the outside, the pieces would fall down against it, and thus form a barricade. As soon, however, as it was safe to do so, the party assembled, which had then been joined by the prisoner, proceeded to search the room, and upon lifting up the pieces in the middle of the room, the body of the deceased was found quite dead. There was a quantity of coagulated blood on the floor, and the head of the deceased displayed several wounds, the principal of which was a fracture of the skull behind the left ear, through which a quantity of brain had protruded. The body was carried to the infirmary, and at first, some of the medical men were inclined to think that the deceased had died D

of suffocation, and received the wounds on the head afterwards. On dissection, however, from the quantity of blood which was found between the scalp and the skull, and also from the quantity of blood which had evidently flowed from the wounds of the deceased, the surgeons were unanimously of opinion, that the wounds must have been inflicted on the deceased when he was alive. The situation in which the deceased had been found having been detailed, a train of evidence, purely circumstantial, was shown, to connect the prisoner with the murder. The prisoner, as before stated, was a clerk in the warehouse of the deceased, and a witness proved that the night before the murder, the deceased had complained, in the presence of the prisoner, of the manner in which the prisoner had kept the books. Mary Price, the woman who worked on the premises, then swore, that the prisoner had been on the premises during almost the whole of the forenoon of the 3rd of February, going up and down stairs frequently, and that she had not observed the deceased go out, though she thought that, if he had gone down in the usual manner, she must have observed him. She said that, about one o'clock, the prisoner locked up the doors, and she went to dinner. It was then proved, by a friend of the prisoner, that he had met him on his way to dinner, at about five minutes past one, and had observed that there was some blood on his shirt collar. Lavender, the police officer, proved that he apprehended the prisoner, on the premises, at about four o'clock in the afternoon of the 3rd of February, and that the prisoner wore then a clean collar and a

clean cravat, spread in such a manner as to conceal the shirt. Lavender lifted up the cravat, and then observed some stains of blood on the breast of the shirt. Prisoner was asked how the blood had come there, and at first said that he did not know how; but afterwards said that he had got it in assisting to remove the deceased to the infirmary. It was proved that the prisoner had not assisted in the removal. Lavender then searched the lodging of the prisoner, and found, in a clothes bag, a collar slightly stained with blood, and a cravat, which on being unfolded, also displayed some spots of blood. It was also sworn, that whilst in custody, he had said, "If I had known of this yesterday, I would have been in a different county to-day:" and afterwards, "After all, it is but suspicion, and they can prove nothing against me." A hammer which had been kept in the warehouse was proved to have disappeared about the time of the murder.

The prisoner, in his defence, put in a written paper, which was drawn up extremely well, and which contained some very ingenious arguments in his favour. It urged that no sufficient motive had been shown that could have induced the prisoner to commit such a crime, and that, in point of fact, he had been a great loser by the death of the deceased. He suggested that, as it would be proved that the firemen had used their axes, it was probable that Mr. Price had first been suffocated by the smoke, and then received the wound on his head from the axe of one of the firemen. He would call evidence to show that the deceased had been seen on his own premises a little before one, and then, if they re

membered the evidence of Mary Price, and of the person who had sworn that he had met him at five minutes after one, they would feel certain that he could not, by possibility, have been the murderer. Witnesses were called, who proved that Mr. Price had been seen at different times on that morning, between twelve and one o'clock. One witness swore to having seen him at a quarter or ten minutes before one. None of the witnesses, except the father of the prisoner, were known to or connected with the prisoner's family. They were, for the most part, clerks in mercantile houses at Manchester, who had called upon the deceased on business. It was proved also that the fireman who first entered the warehouse which was on fire, had returned to the engine, and taken his hatchet, and again entered the room. It had been before proved that the wounds on the head of the deceased might have been produced by the axe of a fireman.

Mr. Justice Bayley summed up the case with great care, and the Jury almost immediately declared the prisoner Not Guilty.

18. THE FUNERAL OBSEQUIES OF THE EMPEROR ALEXANDER. (Translated from the Russian.) -This being the day appointed for the arrival of the funeral convoy with the remains of the late em peror, from Zarskoe-Selo, at seven o'clock in the morning, three discharges of guns, from the fortress of St. Petersburg, announced to those who had any official part to sustain in the solemn ceremony, to prepare to assemble at the Moscow barrier. For some days preceding, every arrangement had been made in the capital to heighten the effect of the mournful scene, and render

it as impressive as possible: all the streets through which the procession had to pass, from the barrier to the Kasan church, displayed the zeal of the inhabitants to pay every tribute of respect to the memory of their late sovereign, nearly each house having black draperies and festoons suspended in front. The Gostinnoi Dvor, and other public edifices, were profusely adorned with sable decorations, on which were displayed the Emperor's cypher in silver. In the Newsky Perspective the front of general Sabir's residence was hung with black; and the portico of the Roman Catholic church in the same street distinguished itself by the simple, but tasteful, style, in which it was fitted up on this solemn occasion. Upon its being announced by the guns at the barrier that the funeral procession was approaching the city, the heralds and the masters of the ceremonies began to arrange in due array all those who were to join the cortège. Various regiments of troops lined the streets the whole way; and, from a very early hour, all the windows and scaffoldings (which latter were erected wherever there was an open space) were crowded with spectators. At half past ten the Emperor, accompanied by the grand duke Michael, the princes of Orange and Prussia, the duke of Wellington, and a numerous suite, reached the barrier, and shortly afterwards arrived a carriage drawn by eight horses, in which were the two empresses Alexandra and Maria, the princess Maria of Wirtemburg, and the young heir-apparent, the grand duke Alexander: on one side rode prince Dolgoruki, on the other count Modin, and, behind, the master of the horse. This carriage was followed by several others,

each drawn by six horses, in which were the ladies of honour, and other persons of the imperial suite. On the approach of the funeral cavalcade, they all advanced to meet it.

At half past eleven, the signal was given by a triple discharge of artillery for marshalling the procession to the Kasen cathedral; upon which the bells of all the churches began to toll, and minute guns to be fired. The procession having been properly arranged, the mournful pageant commenced its march. The funeral car, which consisted of several tiers rising one above the other, was covered with black velvet, decorated with silver eagles, and several other devices: the wheels, likewise, which were adorned with a considerable quantity of carved work, were richly plated with silver. Above the car itself was a magnificent canopy, supported on gilt pillars or rods; the cornice, which was of silver, supported gilt helmets, with plumes of ostrich feathers, and the summit terminated in an imperial crown. Within the canopy itself was the emperor's cypher embroidered in gold, and surrounded with golden rays. The coffin was covered with gold stuff, and enriched with gilt ornaments, representing the double-crested eagle, &c.; the pall likewise was of cloth of gold. On the steps of the car were four major-generals; and the tassels and cords of the canopy were supported by eight officers of the same rank. On each side of the car, rode the adjutants and aids-de-camp of the late emperor, and each of the horses of the car itself, was led by an attendant. Next followed attendants leading the late emperor's own charger and parade horses, all

of which were splendidly caparisoned, and ornamented with a profusion of white plumes.

After them came the emperor Nicholas as chief mourner, with the duke of Wellington, count Tolstoi, &c. as his supporters; then the grand duke Michael, the princes of Orange and Prussia, the duke of Wirtemburg and his sons, with a train of military officers and others; and lastly, the carriages of the imperial cortège.

The effect of this magnificent spectacle was greatly enhanced by the

long train of distinguished persons and their assistants bearing the regalia, and various orders of the late Emperor, on cushions of cloth of gold. The former consisted of the imperial crown, and four others, viz: those of Taurida, Siberia, Astrakhan, and Kasan, with the sceptre and orb imperial. Of the latter there were twentyseven foreign, and eight Russian orders. A solemn march, composed expressly for the occasion by Derfeldt, was played by the kettledrums, trumpets, &c. which preceded the procession.

As the car proceeded along, the military presented arms ; and at intervals this salute was accompanied with music from the different bands. At the portals of the various churches which the procession passed on its route, stood the ecclesiastics habited in their richest vestments.

Beneath the portico of the Kasan cathedral, the foreign ministers and other individuals of rank, were waiting the arrival of the procession, which reached the church at about half-past one o'clock. coffin was then taken from the car and borne into the church, where it was deposited within the sumptuous catafalco, where it was to

The

lie in state for six days, until it should be finally removed for interment in the cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul. Nothing could exceed the magnificence with which the church was fitted up on this occasion. The walls were entirely hung with black drapery, decorated with silver crosses of colossal dimensions; the granite columns were likewise covered with the same, and edged with silver; while the frieze was decorated with the arms of all the provinces and governments of the Russian empire. In various parts were erected trophies consisting of standards taken by the Russian arms, and placed upon pedestals decorated with wreaths of laurel, and the medal of 1812; -eloquent and affecting memorials of him who had been the liberator of Russia, and the pacificator of all Europe! In the midst of this lugubrious pomp stood the catafalco: this splendid structure, which was erected after the designs of the architeci Rossi,* was intended to represent the temple of glory; and blazing with almost inconceivable splendour, being lighted up by no fewer than 1700 tapers, formed a strong contrast with the surrounding gloom and funereal array. The ascent to this catafalco was by fifteen steps, on three of the sides; at the foot of which, on each side were statues of angels in a mourning attitude, resting upon shields bearing the imperial arms. The six upper steps, and the platform to which they led, were covered with red cloth; the others with black.

Six

teen columns painted in imitation of verde antique, and decorated

The architect of the magnificent new palace of the grand duke Michael at St. Petersburg.

with silver escutcheons, supported the cupola of this shrine; upon which were four weeping genii: on its summit was a colossal golden eagle, bearing in its talons a thunderbolt, and standing upon a splendid diadem, from which was suspended a rich crimson drapery, embroidered with golden eagles, trimmed with gold fringe, and lined with white. Upon the sides of the catafalco were suspended the keys of the various cities taken by the deceased emperor; and around were placed 42 tabourets, on which were deposited the cushions with the regalia and orders. The lights were arranged in 28 candelabras, 32 lustres, 16 vases, 12 tripods, 32 girandoles, and 8 standards, each bearing 28 tapers.

Throughout the whole of the period during which the body lay in state, a funeral service was celebrated every day at eleven in the morning, and eight in the evening, in the presence of the imperial family, and such persons as were admitted by tickets: at other times admission was freely given to all classes, who crowded to pay the last tribute of respect to the ashes of their sovereign.

At an early hour on the 25th, preparations were made for the final ceremony that was to take place that day. By nine o'clock the military had taken their stations along the streets leading from the Kasan cathedral to that of St. Peter and St. Paul: the scaffoldings which were erected along the Sadovoi (garden) street, and the palisading of the summer garden were occupied with spectators; but orders had been given to the police not to suffer the people to assemble upon the the ice was not sufficiently strong, Neva, as it was apprehended that and some accident might ensue.