Mr OVEREND, addressing the jury, said he had to invite their most careful consideration to a case which was of the greatest importance to the public and of the greatest possible importance to the prisoner. The prisoner was charged with one of the most serious offences know to our law – the crime of wilful murder. That murder, as was suggested on the part of the prosecution, was committed by him on Saturday the 15th of November last, and the person whom he murdered was Thomas Simpson, a gamekeeper or watcher in the employ of Mr Fetherstonhaugh. The murder was said to have taken place at Eden Banks, which was a field adjoining the river Eden, with the manor of Nunnery and Armathwaite, and within the parish of Ainstable. The deceased was a married man, somewhere about twenty-six years of age, and on the night of the 15th of November he had been about the preserves of Mr Fetherstonhaugh watching the game. He came to his home, which is about a mile from Eden Brows, at about nine o’clock. He got some tea, and while he was getting it some shots were heard, which it was supposed were over the water, on the property of Sir George Musgrave. In consequence of hearing those shots deceased put on his great coat; and took with him a stick and single barrelled pistol, which he put in his breast pocket. He had in his pocket a silver watch and some pieces of money, one of which was a new shilling. Having so prepared himself he went out into the garden and never returned again alive. In consequence of his not returning, his wife went up to the Hall, between eight and nine o’clock on the following morning, to inform the servants; and the coachman and a person named James Elliot, and a number of other persons went out to search for him. They did not discover him, but it would be told to the jury that the night before had been very frosty and there was good a deal of hoar frost on the ground. However they found nothing till they came to a field called Crowdy Knowe, near Eden Banks, and there on top of a gate they found the great coat of the deceased. That was all they found on the Sunday. On Sunday night in consequence of deceased not coming back, information was sent to Pharoah, a constable, and he on the following morning prosecuted the search very vigorously. Elliot and Pharoah went in the direction of Crowdy Knowe and came into Eden Banks, which is a rough piece of ground sloping down to the river Eden. When they had come to about fifty yards from where the coat had been found, they saw on the ground a large quantity of blood, some brains and a small piece of skull. They proceeded towards the river, and on the way observed marks of blood sprinkled here and there all the way, and from the marks on the ground it was evident that some heavy substance had been dragged from where the blood was first discovered to the very verge or margin of the stream. They looked into the river, which was remarkably low and clear, there having been very little rain, and there in water about three or four feet deep they found the body of the deceased. The place where the body was found was 313 yards from where the blood marks were first discovered on the ground. And here he (the learned counsel) should tell them that although the blood was not discovered till the Monday there had been a great many persons there on the Sunday, but the ground was covered with hoar frost, and the marks had escaped observation. From the position and appearance of the body it was evident that it had been dragged by the legs from the place where the marks of blood were first seen, through the furze bushes to the river. His watch was stopped at half past twelve, thus indicating pretty nearly the hour at which the murder had been committed. His money, his coat, his hat, his jacket …have not been found.. . A search was made in every direction. The water was perfectly transparent and clear; there had been very little rain, and the river was low; but although it was searched by a great body of people for upwards of 2 miles the pistol could not be found., nor had they any trace of it.