Leader (1850-1860), 22nd December 1855, Edition 1 of 2, Page 1220

Page 1220

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  T gg o % : T H E L , E A D E R . [ No . 300 , Saturday , . ¦ _ t i _ ^ J ^ . maw T ^ a izvtrJ-AfO in 4-. ll A on fti ^/» irlATI +. i \ n * f * VlA . ^ t-. T * Tflflf ; A +. T * a . lTI WfU dTflfffliTIO ^ "fill A oTlflflfVa + rtt ^ rr Tfatva-n ^ a *\ n »» t- im ^ rAM ^ nJA J . 1 * ^ iflu admirable and grapKic letters in thean accident on the 7 th inst . A train was crossing theobservatoryRegent ' s parkunder date the 18 th
  
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  _ Mr . Russell ' s 2 A 2 tew - Screw Steam Gun-boat . —The Cheerful , 2 screw steam gun-boat , Lieutenant William Hector ¦ RaBon commander , arrived at Sheerness on Saturday , from Woolwich , having had her compasses adjusted at Greenhithe . She proceeded on a trial of speed and steering qualities . At present " she draws under five feet water , and is the first of the new class gun-boats built to be available , with her armament , to consist of two long 32-pounder guns and two 12-lb . howitzers . With a pressure of 601 b . on the square inch , she made 216 revolutions per minute , obtaining a speed of 7 ' 97 knots per hour . Her steering qualities are admirable ; she turns perfectly round -within her own length , and . is capable of carrying her full armament and stores at a veiy light draught of water . Four more Gun-boats . —Orders have been received at Pembroke Dockyard , from the Admiralty , for the immediate construction of four more gun-boats . They are to be built with all possible despatch , and as many men as can well be employed upon them will at once be set to work . The 1 st of March has been fixed for their completion ; and , in order to finish them within the three months , the mechanics have commenced working the long hours . These boats are to be 100 feet in length , 22 feet in width , 6 £ feet in depth , and about 200 tons burden ; and their draught will be very Blight . Soldiers' Remittances to jtheir Families . —Major Powys writes to the Times to complain that , though most of the married soldiers in the Crimea " remit money to their wives , there are some who positively refuse to do so , knowing , as they do , that they cannot be compelled to support their wives and families . " The Major says that the difficulty in remitting money has lately been slightly decreased ; but that , nothing will fully meet the case , except compelling the soldier to do his duty to those who depend on him . He encloses , however , a letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Warre , of ¦ i . he 57 th , stating that in that regiment the conduct of the men has been admirable . Thb Army Works Corps . —Five hundred artisans , handicraftsmen , and navvies , very carefully selected for the duties which they will have to discharge , embarked on Wednesday , with their officers on board the Jura steam transport , and proceed at an early hour to-day direct to the Crimea . They form a portion of Sir Joseph Paxton ' s Army Works Corps .
  
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  MISCELLANEOUS . Lobt in a Coal-pit . —Two coal-miners , named John Logue and John Anderson , went dfywr . t ! l » Bu » fp HltC Ci-orc Jf it , on the morning of Tuesday , of th « *?> . of Decemh *^ fertile purpose of commencing their labour . The ^ two men left their homes about three o ' clock in the morning , descended into the pit , and were not heard of again during that day . The hour had long gone past when the men should have returned home , hut no tidings of them could be heard . Several miners volunteered to explore the pit , but still the men could not be found . At length the circumstance was made known to Lord Lonsdale ' s chief colliery agent , who placed himself at the head of a numerous staff and descended into the mine . The miners , acting on his advice , divided themselves into parties and proceeded in different directions . After searohing every part of the pit , the men were discovered sitting in utter darkness almost at the Utmost extremity of the mine , their lights having gone out soon after they had entered the pit , and they had ¦ wandered about , vainly attempting to find out the shaft by which they descended . They were restored to their homes about nine o ' clock on Wednesday morning , after having been upwards of thirty hours in the mine . —Carlisle Patriot . Mrs . Buller , wife of Mr . J . W . Buller , chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bristol and Exeter Railway Company , has died from the effects of a serious accident . Stepping out of her carriage , she fell nnd ruptured a blood-vessel , in consequence of whioh she expirod after lingering for a few days . Royal Agricultural Society of Enoland . —The annual general meeting of the members of this society took place on Saturday , when the report for the year was read , and a financial statement was brought forward , showing a balance of £ 2 , 683 in favour of the sopiety . After a short disoussion , leading to no praotibal result , on the subject of advances for land drainage , &c , the meeting separated . Railway Aooidbnts , —Henry Smith , while joining a line for the electric telegraph on the London and Blookwall Railway , was caught by the step of one of the carriages of an advancing train , and thrown against a wall , from whioh he rebounded , turned round , and fell on his back . Something then caught him , whioh knocked him several yards forward , and the wheels of the ourrioge passed over hia legs . He was struck on the head , and the engino turned him OY « r * uad over , and then dropped him , and went on . He -waa picked up quite dead . A man who was working with him had a very narrow escape . —A man named Beattio , switchman on the North Kent line , has boon committed for trial , on a charge of causing
  
  points leading to the Bricklayers' Arms station , when , before it had entirely passed , Beattie discovered that it was going on to the -wrong Hue . He therefore inconsiderately . re versed the points ; the latter part of the train took a contrary direction to the first part ; the coupling chains were broken ; and some of the carriages were driven against a wall , injuring several passengers . The Hackney Church-Rate . —The poll with respect to this contemplated rate closed last Saturday afternoon by a majority of 417 against it ; the numbers being : —For the rate , 882 ; against , 1 , 299 . The majority of persons was still more decisive , being 503 for ; 1 , 001 against . Testimonial to Mb . W . Downing : Bruce . —A meeting was held at Anderton ' s Hotel , on Saturday evening , to forward a subscription that has been entered into for presenting a testimonial to Mr . W . Downing Bruce , the originator of the Civil Service Gazette , a gentleman with great claims on the gratitude of civil servants , in having discovered that the five per cent , withheld by the Government from their salaries , to form what was called a superannuation fund , was not so applied , no such fund being in existence . The money already subscribed for this object had been mismanaged , and some even , it was thought , had been misappropriated . Certain arrangements having been made with respect to future subscriptions , the meeting separated . Attempted Suicide in a Railway Carriage . — A farmer , named Gascott , residing in the neighbourhood of Exeter , was recently arrested on a charge of stealing sheep . While in gaol , he attempted to . cut his throat ; and , on being conveyed by rail to Exeter for examination , endeavoured to leap out of the carr iage window , but was prevented . The Diplomacy of the Green-room . —The following anecdote is narrated by the musical critic of Galignani's Messenger .- — " It appears that Madame Penco , being somewhat indisposed , and , moreover , fatigued by the daily rehearsals of Fiorina , acquainted the director that she was unable to sing in II Trovatore on Tuesday night . M . Calzado , naturally desiring not to interrupt the run of his most attractive opera , proposed to Madame Frezzolini to supply her place . She consented . There was an excellent house , and all went merrily until the hour of eight , when the director received a message that Madame Frezzolini desired to see him . He hastened to the lady ' s dressing-room , and found her attired for her part , and looking charmingly . In a few words she told ^~ c ' nat he ~ jiroiessional yank did not allow her to become the do'Uuliire oi any o ' &ner artiste , and that she would only go on the stage for the part on condition that she should retain it throughout the season . -M . Calzado , considerably taken aback at this bold and quite unexpected move , proposed some negotiations on the subject , but the fair Leonora , drawing a written document from her pocket declaring her the sole representative of the character during the period Bhe had stated , politely required his signature , the alternative being that Bhe would immediately undress and quit the theatre . What was M . Calzado to do ? The public waiting , and the orchestra ready to begin , he signed the document , and the gentle diplomatist remains in possession of the part , no doubt to the great mortification of Madame Penco and the displeasure of the director . " The West Coast of Africa . —Intelligence from the west coast of Africa , dating from early in November to the close of that month , has just arrived . Fernando Po and Liberia were healthy . Business was slowly improving at Mellicourie River . The disturbance at the Sherbo River was not settled . Several native villages had been destroyed , and the spirit of disaffection was spreading over the whole country . Lamma Toule , king of the Nalons , in the Rio Nunez , is reported to have died lately . This event is expected to lead to further tumult there . Fire at Bristol . — - ^ A very extensive fire broke out at Bristol in the early part of the present week . The premises of a silversmith and jeweller in St . Augustine ' s Parade were entirely destroyed , and several of the adjoining houses were greatly injured . A woman and two policemen were seriously hurt , and Captain Fisher , the superintendent of the police force , hod a very narrow escape from the fall of a burning floor . The Sieoe of Kars . —Mr . James Wyld has published a plan showing the positions at the late siege of Kars , and the repulse of the Russians on the 29 th September by General Williams . The name of Mr . Wyld is a guarantee for excellence and carefulness of execution : we therefore need only call attention to the publication of this plan , for the benefit of those who TV ish . to study the recently conoludod operations in Asia . Sin Colin Campbell has deolined an invitation to be nominated for Glasgow , in the event of a dissolution of Parliament . The General Btivtos that his lifelong devotion to his profession has loft him ignorant of many commercial matters whioh the representative of auch a town as Glasgow should understand . A Nbw Vaiuablei Star on Small Planet . —Mr . J . It . Hind "writeu as follows from . Mr . Bishop ' s
  
  , , . inst .: —About nine o ' clock on Saturday evening , I remarked , near 84 Geminorum , an object shining as a star of the ninth magnitude , which I have not seen before during the five years that -my attention has been directed to this part of the heavens . At five o ' clock on the following morning , it appeared to be in the _ same place , whence I conclude it must be a variable star of long period recently come into view . It is , however , just possible that a small planet hereabouts might have been stationary ; and , the weather having continued cloudy since my last observation , I am induced to notify the circumstance , that the nature of this object may be ascertained as early as possible . Its mean place for January 1 , 1856 , is in right ascension 7 h . 46 m . 33-65 s ., and north Polar distance 67 deg . 37 min . 17-lsec . It exhibits the pale blue light which characterises many of the telescopic planets , and nothing of the fiery appearance often presented by variable stars . Still , I incline to place it iu the latter class . " Guano . —A guano island , very rich in that valuable manure , has been discovered by an American seacaptain in the Pacific Ocean ; and a company has been formed to work it . The island is quite desert . Fatal Furnace Explosion . —An explosion , resulting in the death of four men , has taken place at the furnaces of Messrs . G . H . and A . Hickman , Bilston . The whole of the contents of the furnace , at red heat , were projected from the furnace , and covered over a large space of ground in front of the entrance to the crucible . The iron was in a red molten state , and within its range there were , unfortunately , at the time five persons , of whom four have since died . The accident is supposed to have arisen from the sudden contact of water with the melted iron . More than five tons of molten iron and burning cinder were ejected with a force so great that portions of it , after displacing articles of great weight by which its progress was impeded , fell at a distance of about thirty yards . The survivor is seriously scalded . Disasters on the Welsh Coast . —Some very heavy weather has been experienced on the west coast of Wales , accompanied with thick fogs at intervals , and , from numerous pieces of wreck washed ashore , it is feared that several vessels have been lost . The loss of five lives is supposed to have occurred by the collision , during a fog , of the Cameleon and the Echo . They were on opposite courses , and did not perceive their vicinity until too late to avoid the collision , when the Echo was strno . lr with sn ^* rmw ** - tnat her bows were staved in , and she vapidly filled and sank . The mate , the master ' s wife , and several of the crew , saved their lives by jumping on board jihe Cameleon ; but it is thought that the master and four of the crew went down in the sinking vessel-The headboard of the Echo has since been washed ashore at Fishguard . In Milford Haven , two men have lost their lives while returning from Pater to Dale ; the boat has been found near the Stack Rock , but of the men no trace has been discovered . Miss Nightingale . —The Queen has presented a jewelled ornament to Miss Nightingale , accompanied by an autograph letter . Representation of Lincoln . — The seat vacated by the death of Colonel Sibthorp will be contested by his son and heir , Major Gervose T . W . Sibthorp , and Mr . Charles Seeley , a wealthy merchant of Lincoln and a Radical . The Major professes to be " essentially Conservative , " but in favour of " progressing with the spirit of the age , " of " social advancement , " national education , " and " civil and ] religious liberty ; " being " desirous that every religious deno ^ mination should exercise its rights free and unfettered , as guaranteed by the prudence of tho legislature . " What will the old Colonel ' s ghost say to this Radical- " Conservatism V Both gentlemen are in favour of the war . Baron Martin and the Slow-poisoning Case . — We understand , on good authority , that the observations' which have been suggested by the remark alleged to have proceeded from Baron Martin , ui the case of the Queen v . Wo . oler , have originated in a totnl misconception of what was said by the learned Judge . Baron Martin , at the close of his able and clear summing-up of a veiy difficult trial , said , we arc assured , that there wob no evidence to convict tne prisoner or any other person of the crime for whien Mr . Wooler was indicted , and that had he allowed bin imagination to play over the case , his suspicions would rather have rested anywhere than on him . Morning Post . The Post-office and the Army in the East . Tho Duke of Argyll has decided to send out immediate instructions to tho officers of tho Army I oatoffico in the East to open jnonoy-ordor offices , tot the transmission of money to tho United Kingdom , at Constantinople , Soutari , Hoad-quartors of tti « Army , and Balaklavo . Excommunication at Coblbntz . —Last summon M . Sonntag , a merchant at Ooblentz , whs commanded by tho clergy to separate from his wife , to whom »« had been married by the civil law only , and , not obeying their dooree , he haa been excommunicatea , Dean KramentB , after preaching a sermon agwnat tue
Citation
- Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 22, 1855, page 1220, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2120/page/8/

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