earliest stages; but Mrs. Childs took no steps for the
girl's protection. Recommended by Waldron, Louisa
Johnson accepted a situation in the house of Mr. Bates,
a barrister, and the brother of the Rector of Burnham.
Here her misfortune made itself evident, and she was
sent home. On his side, Mr. Waldron denied every
statement made by Louisa Johnson, Mrs. Childs, and
Mr. Bates. He called a witness, Mary Ann Grix, with
the view of showing that Johnson had been intimate
with one Norris, a lad. But, "Polly Grix" also gave
evidence that Mr. Waldron was on "good terms" with
her too, and was accustomed to kiss her "by way of a
joke," and take her on his knee. The Chief Baron had
Mr. Waldron called into court; he heard the statements,
and denied that he had ever kissed Mary Ann
Grix. The jury found a verdict for the defendant.

At the Middlesex Sessions on the 9th instant, two
youths were convicted of Stealing Books from the
counters of Mr. Murray and Mr. Bosworth. They are
said to be "regular book-thieves:" they were in the
habit of going to booksellers with bags in their hands,
and while the shopman was searching or inquiring for
some rare or unknown work or catalogue which they
pretended to need, the thieves whipped books off the
counter into their bags. They were sent to prison for
a year.

Joseph Smith, a militiaman, was convicted of Stabbing
a pot-companion with his bayonet, while both were
drunk. Mr. Witham commented severely on the
practice of permitting militia men to wear their bayonets,
and in some cases to have their muskets, when off duty;
while privates in the regular army are forbidden to go
about armed. Smith was sentenced to six months'
imprisonment.

Luigi Baranelli was tried on the 12th instant for
the Murder of Joseph Latham in Foley Place. The
evidence was similar to that given before the coroner
and at the police court. The defence set up was a plea
of insanity. Witnesses were called to prove that the
prisoner had exhibited "exaggerated grief" at the
death of his two successive wives; that he had magnified
diseases under which he suffered; and that he had
talked of killing himself. Dr. Baller, of Penshurst,
Mr. Henry, surgeon at Middlesex Hospital, and Dr.
Conolly, all expressed a belief that he was of unsound
mind. But other medical men were called for the
prosecution to oppose this evidence: Mr. M'Murdo,
surgeon of Newgate, Dr. Mayo, and Dr. Sutherland, all
believed Baranelli to be accountable for his acts; his
illusions were merely the result of hypochondriasis.
The jury consulted for fifteen minutes, and then returned
a verdict of "Guilty." Mr. Justice Erle pronounced
sentence of death on the convict. Baranelli was
assisted from the dock in an almost fainting state.

At the Central Criminal Court, Charles King,
formerly a plain-clothes policeman, was convicted of
Complicity in Picking Pockets. The particulars of this
extraordinary case have already appeared: King, as a
boy-thief related, was extensively engaged in training
up young thieves, going out with them on their
"business" rounds, and sharing the plunder they
obtained. He was sentenced to be transported for
fourteen years.

At Liverpool assizes, on the 14th, Mr. Peter Petrie
sued Mr. Ellis, a London underwriter, for his proportion
of £3200. Insured by a Policy of Insurance on a Box of
Gold-Dust. The case was singular. Mr. Petrie bought
a small vessel in 1852 to make a speculative voyage to
Australia; he made a good deal of money by selling
goods and conveying passengers between Adelaide and
Melbourne, and he also got something by a gold-digging
trip; when about to return to England, he wrote over
for insurances to be effected here on the ship, cargo,
and treasure. In the British Channel the weather was
bad at night, and there was much shipping about; to
warn other vessels of his proximity, he burnt a blue
light; by some means a blue light in a box of lights in
Mr. Petrie's cabin took fire; a barrel of gunpowder was
stowed there; he thought this would explode; he
managed to hurl the burning light from the cabin, but
other things had then caught fire; amid the flames, he
seized a box of gold-dust, hurried on deck, and ordered
all hands to the boats. In attempting to enter one of
these, he stumbled, and the box of gold fell into the
sea. It seems that the fire in the cabin was then put
out, the box of blue lights thrown overboard, and the
ship was brought safely to port. Mr. Petrie lost his
eyesight by entering the cabin to save the gold. As the
box had been thus lost on the voyage, he sought to
recover its value from the insurers. Witnesses were
called to support the story told by the plaintiff. For
the defence, a scientific gentleman threw doubt on the
probability of a blue light igniting spontaneously; and
Sergeant Wilkins urged that Mr. Petrie had not
satisfactorily made out that he possessed so much gold-dust.
The jury returned a verdict for the amount claimed.

A court-martial has been held at Portsmouth to
inquire into the Loss of the Tiger. The defendants
were Lieutenant Royer and Mr. Edington the master.
After a long investigation, the following sentence was
pronounced: "The court is of opinion that the ship
Tiger was run on shore in consequence of her having
been rashly conducted as she approached the coast of
Odessa; and that after the ship had been run on shore
the measures resorted to to get her afloat were injudicious:
but in respect to the surrender of the Tiger to the
enemy, that, as the ship was aground without any hope
being entertained of floating her off, and as she was
exposed to the enemy's guns, which had set her on fire,
and upon which the guns of the ship could not be
brought to bear, no blame can be imputed in
consequence of such surrender. The court is further of
opinion, that no blame is imputable to the said
Lieutenant Alfred Royer, since he acted under the
immediate directions of his captain; and the court doth
adjudge him to be acquitted. The court is further
of opinion, that Mr. Francis Edington is blameable for
the want of caution that was exhibited by him in
approaching the shore near Odessa: but, in consideration
of his previous good character and long services, doth
adjudge him to be only severely reprimanded. And
the said Lieutenant Alfred Royer is hereby acquitted;
and the said Mr. Francis Edington is hereby severely
reprimanded accordingly."

Another case of Military Outrages, under the name
of practical jokes, very similar to that of Lieutenant
Perry, has taken place at Canterbury. For some weeks
past (says the South Eastern Gazette) Cornet Edward
Picton Baumgarten, of the 6th Enniskillen Dragoons,
has been subjected to a series of practical jokes at the
hands of his brother officers, some of them of a grossly
immoral character. It is stated that this young officer
who has only been in the regiment some three months,
(and is spoken of as a quiet, inoffensive, gentlemanly
person) has been thus treated during the last fortnight,
or three weeks at the utmost. His sword was broken,
and the plume of his helmet cut to pieces; two buckets
of water thrown into his bed, and his clothes put into
the bath; water poured into the chest containing his
clean linen; six panes of glass in the window smashed,
as well as the looking-glass; the door locked while he
was in the room, and the window fastened down; and,
to complete the affair, the tail of his horse and its toppet
were cut off, and the animal, which cost eighty guineas,
so disfigured as to render its confinement to the stable
necessary. As might have been expected, this treatment
led to a challenge on the part of Cornet
Baumgarten, the supposed leader in the affair, Cornet Evans,
being the person to whom it was addressed. It was
accepted, the seconds appointed, and all the preliminaries
arranged, Saturday last being fixed for its execution.
Accordingly, by six o'clock in the morning, a
party of officers took possession of an old gravel pit in
the old park, at the rear of the barracks; a surgeon
waiting in readiness, in an adjoining field. They
were doomed, however, to disappointment, for, as
Cornet Baumgarten was proceeding to the spot,
he was quickly followed by the saddler-sergeant,
dressed in private clothes, who called upon Mr.
Collard's bailiff and two other men who were working
in the field, to detain the officer, or they would subject
themselves to punishment, as he was going to fight a
duel. The men did as directed, and the cornet was
marched off to the bailiff's house, instead of joining his
companions in the gravel-pit. The adjutant of the
regiment came up shortly after, and ordered a file of