MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1876, 2 June 1863, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

The Prince of Wales, it is stated, lias ordered a medal to be struck to coinmeracrate his marriage with the Princess Alfxauri.a. Messrs. Hunt and Roskell have been intrusted with its production, and Mr Leonard 0. Wyon has been honored with a sitting, and is cow busily engaged in engraving- the medal, which w.ll be in gold, silver and bronze. Hair-dressing by machinery is being introduced into London. At the Maidstone assizes, Robert Alexander Burton, a lad of 18, was indicted for the murder of a child named Houghton in July last, at Chatham. Houghton, it will be remembered, went to play on the Chatham lines, and was found shoitly afterwards cruelly murdered. Burton gave himself up as the murderer, averring that he wished to be hanged. In due course he was committed for trial, and should have been tried at the Winter gaol delivery. He, however, declared that he should plead guilty, and bis trial was postponed that inquiry might be made into his state of mind. Those inquiries failed in de- ( tecting any symptoms of insanity, and when placed at the bar, Burton pleaded guiky. He was asked if he understood the nature of bis plea, and declared that be did. Mr Justice Wightman then urged that it would be much better that the prisoner should plead not guilty, not as denying the crime, liut as expressing a wish to be tried. Yielding to these solicitations, the prisoner, whose sole desire was said to be that he might be hanged, withdrew bis first plea and pleaded not guilty. Witnesses were then called and examined, and crossexamined, and it was made clear that the prisoner had committed the crime with which he was charged. The, jury found a verdict of "Guilty," and the prisoner was sentenced to death. He treated the matter with great coolness, and on leaving the dock said, " Thank you my lord." Since his conviction, the wretched youth has nut shown the least penitence for the crime. On the contrary, he expresses his desire to be banged, and only asks that between now and the day of his death he may be allowed an extra quantity of food, with beer and tobacco, | Death of Mr John Gully.— This wellknown sportsman died at Durham on the 9th March in the 80th year of his age. He was too conspicuous a man in bis time to be passed over in silence. In the crowd of characters connected with the ring and the racecourse, few were so famous, and not one bad passed through so remarkable a career as John Gully, He was born at Bristol in 1783, and bred up a butcher. Visiting London at the age of 21, he was thrown into prison for debt, and here he made the acquaintance of Pearce, the Chicken, which by chance brought out his latent capabilities as a piize fighter, His first h'gbt was with the Chicken, and although he was beaten, he showed such thorough game, in * battle which lasted for one hour and 10 minutes, through 59 rounds, as to raise him at once into notoriety. He was soon afterwards offered the championship, which he declined. He fought GregsoD, a man of immense size and weight, twice, and was conqueror in both battles. He then retired from the ring, with a very high reputation. He, cext, like most retired pugilists, set up a publichouse, but soon abandonned it for the more attractive occupation of betting. From being a betting-man, he became an owner of horses, and rapidly acquired distinction on the racecourse. After owning many horses, in 1827 he became prominent by the purchase of Mameluke, for which he gave 4000 guineas to Lord Jersey. He backed Mameluke for immense sums for the St. Leger, and was beaten by Matilda. Heavily as he bad. lost, he was the last man to leave the rooms, never thinking of going tili eieiy claim was satisfied. He afterwards became the confederate of Mr Ridsdale, with whom he subsequently had a personal encounter in the huntingfield, for which Mr Ridsdale brought an action, and recovered £500 damages. With Osbaldiston, too, he ha\( an altercation which led to a duel, when the squire sent a ball through his hat. " Better through my hat than my head," said Guily. He now purchased Upper Hare-park, near Newcastle, from Lord Rivers, and after residing there for some time, sold it to Sir Mark Wood, and bought Ackworth-park, near Pontefract, which led to his being twice returned to Parliament for that place in the Radical interest. The turf was his ruling passion, and he cultivated it as long as his strength lasted. Having at last sold A ck worth, he retired to Mawell-hill, near Winchester. He was visiting Durham, where be bad some coal mines, when his death oocurrred. Personally Gully was a fine man, with a somewhat grave and dignified air, and remarkably qniet manners. He has left a family of five sons and five daughters. The Pbince of Wales in "the Shires."-t-The Prince of Wales, accompanied by Lord Spencer and a party from AithorpVbunted with the Pytcheley pack on, Saturday," jFeb, 21.' Nearly 2000 horsemen assembled at .the meet. The prince rode well to the bounds^ and fairly won bis spurs. His royal hignu^SjWas again out with this renowned pack on Uhe following^ Monday, when there was such a field as perhaps was never before seen in tLe country, all the elite of the neighborhood for many miles round being present. The horse his royal highness was riding, and which was the property of bis lordsbip, bungled, and precipitated tbeprince to the ground, making the blood come from his nose. His royal highness nothing daunted, immediately remotiuted, and went through the rest of the run with increased zest and vigor. On both days the prince was enthusiastically received by the crowds that turned out to do him honor. "At every village," says the Times, " crowds were assembled, who vociferously displayed their delight at seeing their future ruler go so well in the national amusement. If, after recording the enthusiasm displayed by the squires, the fanners, the villagers, and the shoemakers of Northamptonshire, we were to enumerate the many distinguished personages whom the meets attracted, we should have to draw deeply from the lists ol the Houses ot Lords and Commons. But of masters of packs we may notice that Lord Grosvenor, from Cheshire . Lord Naas, from Ireland ; Lord Beesborough* master of the Buckhounds; Sir John John-* stone, M.P., from Yorkshire; and Lord Eglinto'i, from Scotland, represented so many bunting localities of the British Isles, and that they all, at the conclusion of the day's sport, seemed deeply impressed with the idea that a young prince who bad thus so favorably exhibited himself as a gallant young Englishman in the hunting field had chooseu the surest line to wiu at once the affeciious of his countrymen ; while all, wheiUet hunting peers, squires, farmers, dealers, sportsmen ol every grade, and the large circle interested in the animal ' horse,' went home rejoicing that the noble spott of foxbunting bad received au additional stimulus from its cordial patronage by the Prince of I Wales."

Bets on the Pbemieb. — There is a considerable portion of the public who take what may be termed a spotting interest io Lord Pal* raerstou's longevity. It is a kind of neck-and-neck race between the ordinary lows of nature and the exceptional Pahherstoniau vigor. The betting is even whether he will reach the age of eighty as> Prime Minister or not. England, never had au octagenanan leader, of the House ; lof Commons. It would be quite au eveuttioV^; our history it' he could contrive to. hold on tilt ft then. It is worth while keeping him id <iijsea£; just for the curiosity of the thing—^dtwdgy/ ; Mwieiv. "■■ ' .'"■ ; " -■"-■-• - ;'."■' : -■■'■:,;■:'-■'