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    3.40 T H E LEA DEE. * [Saturday,

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    Miscellaneous. Colonki- Sinnrom' And Thi...

    count had been inserted in the Times for the sake , of *« vilifying" him , and that he would resist the proceedings of * ' a licentious press . " He had always , lie said , treated his men with the utmost kindness , and had spent between three and four thousand pounds out of his own pocket in providing extra comforts . —Mr . Corrie , the magistrate , having calmed the Colonel ' s wrath against the " licentious press" by pointing out that the obnoxious paragraph was only a report of proceedings -which had actually taken place , and not an editorial comment , stated that he had received a letter from the Lieutenant-Colonel of

    the South-Lincolnshire Militia , from which it appeared that the opinion of the War Office had been sought with respect to paying the passage-money of the men , but that the recent complainants had refused to wait until that opinion was obtained . The authority for the payment having been since received , the passage-money had in all subsequent cases been allowed ; and the sum disbursed from the Clerkenwell poor-box would be returned . —Neither the Colonel nor Mr . Corrie appeared to be aware that the report did not appear exclusively in the Times , but in the other papers as well .

    Improvement in the Electric Telegraph . — A Swedish savant , Professor Edlund , of the Royal Academy of Sciences , succeeded last year in making an improvement in the construction of the electric telegraph apparatus , by which it becomes possible to send messages by the same wire simultaneously in two opposite directions . The principle on which this discovery is based is very simple , and altogether different from that applied by Dr . Gintl , at Vienna , which was found not to succeed . As far back as the month of August last , Professor

    Edlund made some experiments on the wires of the telegraph line between Stockholm and Upsala , by permission of the directors . These succeeded so well that Txe constructed the necessary apparatus , which was put tip in December last , and has been in daily operation ever since . As soon as the apparatus are constructed , they are to be introduced at every telegraph station In the kingdom ; and , as the alteration is not expensive , the advantages gained over the old system are obvious , as one line of wire will now do the work done formerly by two . —Daily News .

    The Russian Prisoners on Good Friday . — Emperor of Russia remitted through the Swedish Embassy a sum sufficient to give every prisoner in the Lewes Gaol 6 d . each for-hot cross-buns . —Sussex Express . Metropolitan Overcrowding . —The rector of one of the most populous parishes to the north of the City has published an Essay "On the Erection of Fire-proof Houses in flats , " in which he says there has been in his parish an addition of lOO & to the previous population of 4000 , owing to the poorer classes , driven out by the recent improvements in other parts of London , having settled there . He states that honest workmen have been obliged , from sheer want of space , to herd with the outcasts of Field-lane , & c . ; and that great evils have arisen from the want of proper dwellings for the poor . The fault , we conceive , lies in always building handsome , first-class streets upon the sites of the demolished " slums . "

    Mr . Ernest James Augustus Fitzroy , who recently madehimself notorious in-connexion with-certain riotous proceedings at St . Paul ' s Church , Knightsbridge , has been sentenced to four months' imprisonment at Chichester for uttering forged cheques . The Recorder stated that Mr . Fitzroy had commenced life in a very vicious manner , though under the cloak of religion ; and it appears that he is still liable to prosecution upon other charges of forgery . Tho first and last weeks of his imprisonment will be solitary confinement . Mr . Fitzroy , it is said , will , on attaining his majority next Juno , be entitled to 24 , 000 / . But it seems ho could not wait for this .

    A Gunpowder Explosion , by which four children have been dreadfully burned , has taken place at an oil and colour warehouse in James-street , Covcnt-garden . A boy was sprinkling some powder from a flask upon the fire , when the contents of the flask exploded , forcing out the windows , destroying tho ceiling , and setting fire to the children ' s clothes . Tho sufferers were removed to Charing-Cross Hospital in a very precarious state . Lord Dundonald no longer intends offering his secret to tho French Emperor , since , as His Majesty hns given up his design of going to tho Crimea , he fears that the plan might fail for want of a sufficiently expanded mind to carry it into effect .

    Iitrsir Emigration . —Tho " Exodus" from Ireland , still continues at a very groat rate , notwithstanding the attempts made by tho priests to prevent the people going to America , which lias fallen into great disfavour in consequence of tho " Know-nothing" agitation . A pnpor which is supposed to speak tho sentiments of John of Tuam obsorves : —" While tho Irish Catholic raco wns treated with kindness in America , wo never uttered a word of reinonstrailco or warning ; but , no ^ that all

    parties agree in complaining' of tho dreadful ]) oraccntions which await them from all tho powers of ' Know-Nothinglsm' in the hitherto boasted land of liberty , wo feel it our imperative duty to raise our voice in protest and reclamation . Dad as homo is , and cold as is tho prospect that awaits our people under a system of laws that obstinately rofuso security for tenant industry , it is better to remain and battlo with tho ills they know than fl y to others of a more revolting kind . A qiiiot death in the old land of tho saints , with tho aid of religious

    consolation in that awful hour , is better than contact with the awful demoralisation and almost total absence of religious comforts which await the emigrant beyond the Atlantic . " The Irish Roman Catholics now look upon Canada as the land where all creeds and classes may enjoy equal liberty , although under the " upas-tree " of English rule . . Early Closing Association . —A document put forth by this Society , states that it was formed in 1842 . That , previous to its establishment , the hours of employment in nearly every department of industrial life were excessive ; in many cases almost incredibly so : for instance , it was a very common practice for the linendrapers to keep their shops open during a large portion

    of the year till eleven and twelve o ' clock at night , it being often one , and sometimes even two o ' clock , before the assistants were really free . On Sunday mornings they not unfrequently were kept at work till three , four , and even five o ' clock , and numerous have been the instances of young men , instead of retiring to be ( L preferring going off to bathe , it being broad daylight when they left their respective shops . That , through the agency of * the Early Closing Association , the hours of employment in many departments of business have already . been materially curtailed . That this Society , often in the face of much discouragement , continues steadfastly to labour in this cause of social

    progress and humanity . That the efforts of the Board are at the present time more particularly directed to the case of the Assistant Chemists , whose hours of employment extend , for the most part , from about seven o ' clock in the morning till half-past ten or eleven o ' clock at night , with a liability , moreover , to their being called up at any hour in the . night , and without being able to call so much as the Sabbath their own . That it is proposed ere long to draw attention to the condition of that sadly oppressed class—the Journeymen Bakers . And that the Society at present stands greatly in need of funds . " The object of the Society is excellent ; and we trust it may procure the money assistance it requires .

    The Annual Visit op the Bluegoat Boys to the Lord Mayor took place , as usual , on Easter Tuesday , on which occasion the Duke of Cambridge was present , his arrival being signalised by the band of the City of London Militia playing the National Anthem , which was afterwards sung by the boys in the Egyptian Hall of the Mansion House .- The Lord Mayor having briefly addressed the boys , and the presentation of buns , wine , and money having taken place , the company separated , and his Lordship , the Duke of Cambridge , and several of the aldermen proceeded in procession to Christ Church , to hear the Spital Sermon preached . The Duke of Cambridge , on entering the Lord Mayor ' s carriage , was loudly cheered by the people .

    Miss Emilie Gordon . —A letter with respect to this person , whose shocking treatment of her pony we noticed last week , appears in the Times of Wednesday under tho signature of "A Neighbour to Miss Gordon . " The writer , whose communication is drawn forth by some editorial comments on the case , asserts that Misa Gordon is not accountable for her actions , and that she ought to be placed under personal restraint ; adding th " ~ ""li ^~ v ^ aries"haYe""tbo ~ lon ' g '' coiitiniied ' "tonbfl ~ alter- nately the jest , the scandal , and the terror of the neighbourhood in which she resides . I havejnot the least doubt that the mania , of which , her savage treatment of the pony was only one manifestation , has been developing itself in her mind for years past , and is making rapid advances towards-a highly-dangerous stage . "

    A IIakd Case . —Two women , wives of seamen taken prisoners by the Russians , applied on Monday at the Lambeth police-court for assistance . The men had gone out in a military transport hired by Government ; and , until their capture , the wives had received from Mr . Ferguson , owner of tho vessel , ' a certain sum per month ; but this was now stopped . Tho poor women had applied at the office of tho Lloyd ' s Patriotic Fund ; but received for answer , that , as they were not widows , nor their children orphans , relief could not bo extended to them . Under these circumstances , tho magistrate gave them 10 s . each from tho poor-box ; and it is to bo hoped that their case will bo considered by the charitable and affluent . The women stated that they had letters from their husbands , who said that they hud lost all their property , but that tho Russians treated them kindly .

    The Easter Banquet at the Mansion House . — This yearly festival took placo on Monday , and was chiefly remarkable for the presence" of the Duke of Cambridge , and tho absonco of nil tho ministers except the Chancellor of tho Exchequer . In order to do honour to the Duke , tho streets from Temple Bur wore lined with militia-men , who also formed a guard in tho vestibule of tho Mansion House . The after-dinner speeches wero of tho usual routine character . * The London SunsoiurTiON for tlio sufferers by the floods in Holland , on tho flth ult ., which destroyed 6000 dwellings iu various villages , has amounted to 1288 / ., and the committee have ninclo a fresh appeal , with tho hono that it may yet he increased .

    Accidkntai , 1 ' oihonino . —Six porsons have been poisoned at Cardigan , by partaking of some broth into which ' ' oatmeal that hncl been mixed with arsenic , for tho purpose of killing rats , had been put . One of tho sufferers died in a few hours ; ' and tho others are still in a very precarious state .

    The French Emperor and the London Corporation . —The Court of Common Council has unanimously agreed to present an address to th , e Emperor of the French upon , his visit . to London , and to request that he will " honour the City with his presence" at a grand entertainment in the Guildhall . Remarkable Su . icjdb .- —In , the neighbourhood of Marlborough , a man recently cut his throat in a house , rushed into the public thoroughfare , threw himself over a low garden wall , and shortly afterwards died . The body was found in the garden , with the head nearly severed from the body . No motive for the act could be assigned .

    Raising of a Ship at Gravesend . —The Prussian barque Samuel , of Dantzic , w hich was sunk in five fathoms water off Coal-house Point on the morning of the 8 th of March , after coming in collision witli the Westmoreland , has been successfully raised within the present week by Mr . Bell , of Whitstable , the wellknown diver . The Militia- —The rapid collapse of the militia , owing to the secession of the men who enlisted previous to the last . , continues in the greater number of the regiments , and the force'is reduced to a mere skeleton . It is . feared that recourse must be had to the ballot in re-creating , it . In the Warwickshire Militia , however , large nujnbers of the men have come forward for reattestation ; and in some of the other regiments several of the members k » ve volunteered for the line .

    Lord Palmekston an © the Commissariat . —The commissariat officers in the Crimea have addressed a letter to-Mr . Filder , which they request he will lay before Lord Panmure , and in which they indignantly deny an assertion made by Lord Palmerston in Parliament , that they do not belong to the class called " gentry , " and that they have been " wanting iu capacity , energy , intelligence , and in the accurate and zealous performance of their duty . " The officers signing this letter describe Lord Palmerston ' s remark as " a most unjust and unfounded imputation ; " assert their claim to be considered gentlemen ; and contend that they have performed their duties to the utmost of their

    power . ... The Cavan Election .- ^ -TIus el ection , winch , as usual in Ireland , has been signalised by scenes of disgraceful riot , has terminated in an immense majority for Mr . Burrowes , the Derbyite candidate . Easter MoNDAY .- ^ Easter Monday , the grand holiday of the masses , was this year rendered doubly agreeable by fine weather ; and the Cockneys came out in all their glory in their traditional Greenwich Park . We have elsewhere noticed the Easter productions at the theatres ; but we may here note that the British Museum , the National Gallery , Marlborough House , tne Vernon Collection , and other receptacles of objects of science and art were thronged with visitors . Between 8000 and 9000 persons attended at the Crystal Palace ; but the working classes did not muster very strong . The uneducated still prefer the booths , gingerbread , and

    clowneries of Greenwich . Scandal in High LiFE .-r-We quote the following from a contemporary : — " If it were not the merest waste ofdelicacy to-use-further disguise-regarding , the event which has formed for some days past , perhaps , the principal subject of conversation in society , the position of Mr . Francis Villiers aa a member of Parliament would justify that , open reference which cannot be long postponed . Without speaking more minutely of the unfortunate affair , we may state that it is of a character to create a vacancy in the representation of Rochester . On learning the circumstances alluded to , Mr . Villiers s 1 ory tho SouthEastern Gazette

    supporters , we are told by - , had a meeting , at which a deputation was appointed to wait on the hon . gentleman and call upon him to resign his seat . ' Everything had been arranged for the departure of the ' deputation ' to London , when it occurred to ono of them more sagacious than tho rest , ' that tho difficulty waa where to find him ; ' and , this remark taking every one by surprise , tho ' deputation' broke up in disgust . " Mr . VUliera ' s liabilities arc said to amount to considerably upwards of 100 , 000 / . ; and it- » understood that several persons of high rank me concerned with him in vory questionable proceedings .

    A Great Conflagration has taken place at Maidstone . It broke out in an inn standing at the corner ot tho market ; and , tho structure being old , and of wood , and containing necessarily a large amount of spirits , t no fire rapidly gained head , and was communicated to the adjacent buildings . Tho firemen were aided by a hociy of cavalry and militia ; but a largo number of civilians present refused to lend any help , because they sliouM not bo paid for their services . There was a frront de - ciency of water for tho engines : nevertheless , nltorgrais exertions , tho fire was got under . Tho loss , it is thought , will bo botween flOOO / . and 1000 ? . ; but the Hiilleieis are insured .

    Dr . Andrew Smith has delivered into the Sohnfitopol Committeo conies of certain official letters written m him , from which it appears that ho antici pated ¦ '"« " > : < '' tho evils of tho Crimean campaign . In April , Iw > ' ' / j Smith -suggested that tho dresses of the soldiers sliouia bo accommodated to tho climate of the East and to the necessities of warfare . Ho also suggested the ' «™«}» ° " of a hospital corps . 800 strong at tho least , to b rmseu immediately on tho arrival of tho army in lurkoy , as

    3.40 T H E Lea Dee. * [Saturday,

    3 . 40 T H E LEA DEE . * [ Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), April 14, 1855, page 10, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_14041855/page/10/