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Northern Star (1837-1852), 25th January 1851, Edition 3 of 3, Page 7, ¦ *-* MIDDLESEX SEBSIONS. fc5^t ??T 3 - ...

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      J " ''' " < 'J^ Sbwe R Accident At Islin...

      _' '' < ¦ - . _*> mh _ THE NORTHERN STAB . . 7 _^ 'r I i ¦ ¦¦ ¦ *•¦ " ' ' """' ' ' T 1 ' »¦ ' ¦ ' '" ¦"" ¦ '

      ' J J^ Sbwe R Accident At Islington. -Mo...

      ' SBWE " ACCIDENT AT ISLINGTON . _-Monday an inquest was held More Mr . W . _< _w in the vestry room of St . Magnus ' s Church , _^^ . _jridge , on the bodies of George Ellis and J- t Si _Bh-ling , who lost their lives by the breakmof _ti _* bed ofthe New River _. ' on the 17 th inst , *** * V the deceased were engaged in constructing a * - ¦ into the main sewer recently eonstrncted by c _^ _Lnussionera of Sewers in the Lower-road , _** _*• J * on The bodies of both the deceased were _k ** Y _ t the mouth of the sewer at London-bridge , * _" ° - Jhecn drifted to that point hy the force of tbe l _** _* that of Ellis on Saturday , and that of Bir-** condav nig ht Mr . Frank Forster and Mr . _irtch on the part of the commissioners , were _tf 00 _t ' The Jury having heen sworn , viewed the _f-fT-ind evidence was called to prove their _Knitf "* _*^ _^ EWER ACCIDENT AT ISLINGTON .

      i € _Stf Sevan , labourer , of the Pancras-road , ¦ _ jflrttoTO at work in the heading upon _^ _faftenioon , about three o ' clock , when _theac-•^ oceaned . Mr . Kesteven had employed him _^" a drainfrom Mr . Cox ' s cellar at the Emg s £ " h _ io the new sewer . Witness had contracted ;}„ _* for Mr . Kesteven , and commenced a _fort-^ _ua- olast Saturday . He began at the cellar , _^ had snnh a shaft sixteen feet deep , and he then _* tSto drive a heading from the bottom of th e _ £ ftTowwds the sewer . He had driven this head-£ 5 Sit twenty-five or twenty-six feet , and the Swas thirty-four feet from the shaft , thetunnel _SSe Sew River being between the sewer and the SS _Theheadingwasahoutthreefeet _** ,, a « d ei ghteen inches wide . No part of it had been Sed tbe intention being to carry earthenware _Stinough . Believed he had got his headu . g

      • beyond tbe tunnel of the _* ew inver . _«« _" _- _"" _i-Self the depth of the tunnel from the road , but Sh eard tbatit was twelve feet six mches For _Sheknewhemighthaverun right into it _OnFrifyweek last , afte \ workmgafctheheadingv _hefound ¥ L ot _% feet of water standing in the shaft . He thai ceased working at the heading until Monday , when he shored the shaft in order to prevent its « _des from breaking in . The shaft had not been ex-•_ £ ed since , but he had filled it up . The heading T _. he had filled up . Did not g ive any mformation hf the matter to the commissioners , hut understood _K at Mr . Eesteven had been to them . On Friday , _E ei ween eleven and twelve o ' clock , Mr . Cox told 3 _ f Kesteven to go to Mr . Johnson ' s ofiice for leave _irVTno into the sewer , and before he came back wit-I 1

      " C - » . _it ______ _**** - * l __ _4 «* r _> A _nthrta e « went down into the sewer along with two other lea to try to make a hole through to join the eadun * that he had previously made . Nobody told iem to "O . They began to start a beading about lie _am e size as the other . He had a veiy imperfect 3 0 _ of taking levels ; it was all guess work . Be _Ijen usedau iron searcher , about the thickness of ii _ n _ er , to find ont how they were with reference 3 the position of - ° other end of the heading , and e baVnot put in above three inches when the water f . t __ to come in with great force and rapidity . vSaess was carried about forty feet hy the strength if the water , and he ultimately escaped up a shaft . _ e two deceased men were not employed in the eadine , hut had merely come down to look on ; cd thev were lying upon some struts at the time

      _irhen the water broke in . jlr . Gotxo : Upon the 3 rd January I gave leave , jpoa the application of Mr . Kesteven for Mr . Cox o nuke a six inch drain from his premises into the ! e « T . 3 Ir . Kesteven , however , -was bound to give _jon ' ce of his intention to commence the work , and hi ; he had not done . Bad he done so , a competent _>_« r would have heen appointed to watch its _protcss . It was improper , moreover , for bim to lave bee any work in the commissioners' sewer , and he iad no authority to work from that sewer , and I did lot kuow that the work was going on hy Mr . lesteven . Some further evidence having been adduced , Air . _Fobsteb said he should characterise this casstrophe more as the result of accident than

      neglience . The Coboxeb said , that being so , the Commisioncrs of Sewers being the persons who would _effr-r damage from the stoppage of their works , ic , n < i they not suggesting that blame attached to any se , possibly the jury would be ofthe same _opiiGn , and think that this was an accident . Ihe Jury concurred in this view and returned a h ___ of " Accidental Death . "

      -» He Cckfield Burglary—Apprehension Of ...

      - » HE CCKFIELD BURGLARY—APPREHENSION OF ANOTHER OF THE GANG . The six men and the woman , alleged to hare been interned in the above burglary , were re-examined l Saturday last at Tanbridge . A man named Edirds and his wife , charged as receivers , were also aced _> n the dock with them . It appears that ¦ liver having given bxr a _ _aress to the police , when "fins ; on her brother , one of the prisoners , at Tuoridge , _Dadson , an officer , proceeded to her _restscf , and in a plantation close by , where the _jr-lars lad gone to overhaul their booty , he fonnd e boxes winch had contained the jewellery taken torn the Misses Farncombe ' s house , and other porous of the property . He further found in the inae of Edwards , where Oliver lodged , a cart lead f property , consisting of silk , cotton , and calico

      ods , together with other articles , evidently tbe oceeds of a robbery of some draper _' a shop . Mrs . iwards was then taken into custody , and __ shortly xrwards her husband , in whose possession was and a watch . Subsequently Oliver ' was secured , d , on h-ing searched , there was found suspended ) m her waist , under her clothes , a cloth containing reral watches and seals , £ 17 in gold , and other fides of va _' _ne , which were proved to he part of ie proceeds of the Uckfield burglary . Two watches _feen from Oliver have proved to be the produce ' other bnrglaries ; and two fonnd on Edwards beb ; ed to the Rev . 0 . E . Tidal , who 3 e residence , at riimjton , Sussex , was broken into , in September it . Other articles answer the description of those bleu from the house of the Rev . J . H . Stewart , jrw < ifield , E _ 5 t Grinstead , on Monday fortnight .

      * police are now engaged in active search for two the burglars who are missing , and who ere wanted o for au extensive robbery at Farnham some lime ee . They and the gang generally are also _srasted of two other bnrglaries in the neighbourhood I luubridge Wis . As an indication of the mode by ich the prisoners obtained the information _necesy to carry on their operations , it may be _mensed that , in a box belonging to Brooks , one of the sang burglars , and which was found at Edwards ' s be , were found a number of email bills , headed The best price given for umbrellas , rags , broken ka ., * ' & c , for which it was stated _"B-Hayler " bid call in two hours . This personproves to have en Brooks , and the opportunities of investigation is afforded to him would unquestionably be of the atest service . The whole ofthe prisoners were

      nmitted for trial . ,. . ,, mother man , who is concerned in the recent onrries at this part of the country , has been _approved . He was taken into custody at a barn begmgtotheHon . James Norton , of _Woodhams , ir Chertsev . lie gives the name of W . Brooks , 1 is said to he one ofthe most daring ofthe gang . e _prinraer Brooks had adopted the most cautious 1 wary measures to avoid detection . A clue , ¦ c ' _-rer _. _' to his whereabouts was obtained by Morland Badson , on Saturday , January 11 . They md that he had heen at a beer-shop at _Bagshot , trey , and traced him thence to another house of same description still nearer tho borders of _impshire , and a well-known resort for thieves .

      _sha-i , however , departed from the latter place fore the arrival of the officers at that time , and & left no clue by wbich he could be followed . It supposed that he took his departure in the dead the ni ght . Having peremptory business at _Tnn-^ dge Wells , the officers left two auxiliaries in the _s ' mity , with instructions as to the course they _Duid _' pursue to recover the lost track . The plans opted were successful . On the return of Morten d D _ dson from Lewes on Friday , tbe 17 th , where _ey had been to fetch the other nine prisoners for ¦ examination , they received a telegraphic message tietffect that a man answering Brooks ' s descripmiiad been seen between "Woking and Chertsey . kvinw taken the precaution to attire themselves

      the garb of gipsies , they started at once by train Guildford , and , after some inquiries , proceeded " _u _' _okinj * , where tbey made an active search in all * low beer-houses in the neighbourhood . This _oved ineSectual , ana then they _ eganaDHntrt » resii gation of all the outbuildings in the district , » ere there was the remotest chance of tho r uftan ing concealed . Lodges , barns , stables , and _pignes underwent the closest semtiny , and attest eir efforts were attended with the success they served . They came to the barn already _menme-1 , about eleven o ' clock , and during the _examito ' on of it , they perceived , by the aid of a light e . had ia a _„_ lantern , that a piece of ; _wd had recently heen torn from the side the barn , causing an aperture sufficiently _ e for a man to creep through . The meares of the officers were promptly taken . They ade the hole larger , and hoth of tbem entered . A

      arch ensued , and the prisoner was found confaled under some straw . Knowing something of _« character with whom they had to deal , the _ficers presented each a loaded pistol to him , with _« intimation that an offer of resistance would redt in his death . Having effected his capture , they seovered in the straw , dose to where he had lain , fO tees , dispesed in snch a way as to leave no Wot of his intention as to how he would have sed them if be had got the chance . On his person "a found aknive , since identified as part of the odnceof the Chailey burglary , and , as a further ik _wnnt _& _tmgT _oi _^ vHih this affair , ifc will be _reonbered that in the possession of tbe female pri , in , Oliver , frith whom Brooks has for many -aw cohabited , was fonnd a watch , which was entified by Mrs . Hurst as a portion of theprolf ty stolen on that occasion . The officers coni yed their prisoner from Woodhams to Woking

      -» He Cckfield Burglary—Apprehension Of ...

      station , wherejtfiey awaited tho arrival of the _maiT train , and took their places in it for London . T _ _S . _« f « , ay r _" s the ° meera Proceeded to Si r _? _il ! " _»> Smiths , Hamilton , Hillyer _, Carter , Brooks , Oliver , and Morgan _£ ?• _£ n _^ S ? , f _* Journey the feUoK haved very quietl y ; but the van in which they _iITJ _? _3 scarce 1 - P assed Crowborough i £ _?/& H _?* esceed " _* g _* y violent , and most grossly insulted every one that passed , declaring that they anticipated a " rescue . " Upon remonstrating with them upon such behaviour , Brooks , who appears to be a most unmitigated ruffian , raised his heavily-ironed hands , knocked off the hat of _Dadson , and entreated the other prisoners to throw themselves oat ofthe vehicle . Hill y er immediately dashed his handcuffs against the side of the van apparently with the intention of snapping them ' but not succeeding in that , he attempted to throw station , where thev i i

      mmseii inro tne road . By this time , however , tho officers , seeing how the case stood , became most determined in their manner , and having _preaentpd their fire-arms threatened to shoot thlfiSt man that moved , which had the effect of quieting them | Before their arrival at Uckfield , the prVoners raised such an intolerable noise by hooting and yelling , that a horse which was being led by a boy _wf / K bt _^ _d ? tartedaway atamolt ten-fee rate What became of it we have not yet heard

      The Mupvder Near Mot Tram. On The Evenin...

      THE MUPvDER NEAR MOT TRAM . On the evening of the 16 th instant a diabolical murder was committed at a farm-house at HatS ley . near Wernetb , Lancashire . It appears , That the ™ R _„^ _^? J tl , e ( f - _* deed _?»*»» "known as Rose Fold , aad is situate in the township of _SKSt ? M ° ne , y _A ' andv _*_ occ _ 3 by the deceased , Mary Kmdar , aged seventy-eight years , tvvo _danghtera ( maidenladies , ) a _man-semnt and a female servant . On the above evening the daughters and man-servant were from home on some business , and a little after six o ' clock , the maid-servant went to the _sbippou , about forty yards from the house , to milk two cows , which occupied a very short time , and she returned to the house for tbe key of the dairy , bat did not see the deceased , or anyone else . She strained the milk , and again returned to the house , the whole of the time she was

      absent not being more tban half an hour . Not seewg her mistress , she says she went to look for her , and found her lying on the floor in the parlour , in the midst of a large pool of blood , and quite dead . She immediately gave an alarm , and Mr . John Sidebottom , surgeon , of Mottram , was sent for , who , on examining , found a very large wound on the left temple , the skull being fractured , and a portion of the same and the brains scattered about the floor . Death must have , therefore , been instantaneous . At present there is no clue to the murderer or murderers . It appears the object sought after was cash , as the drawers and other places have the appearance of having been ransacked , but no money was found . The search had not been very strict , as a small bandbox , which was untouched in one of the

      bedrooms , contained £ 1410 s ., but this appears to have been overlooked . On Monday an inquest was held at the Stamford Arms , Hattersley , Cheshire , before Mr . Hudson , one of tbe coroners for the county , on the body . Eliza Kisder , a daughter of the deceased , stated that her mother was in her seventy-ei ghth year , and was the widow of George Kinder , a farmer at Matley _, who died eight years ago . The deceased soon afterwards came to reside at Hattersley with her

      family . This witness stated tbat she and her sister went to spend the day * with a sister at Armfield on Thursday . On their return home in the evening , they were informed of tbe tragical occurrence . The servants were . trusty and confidential , and took their meals with tbe family . After a careful search , two purses were found to be missing ; but whether they contained money or not , she was unat . de to say . Sarah Fox , the servant , then gave the following evidence : —I am twenty-three years of age ) and unmarried . I have lived in Mrs . Kinder ' s house for

      the last five years and a half . We usually milk the cows between six and seven o ' clock in the evening . As I left the house to go to the " shippon" I found my brother near the pigcote opposite . My brother had taken three cans from the slop-kitchen . I went ont of the back door to the shippon , on the opposite side of the road . I took away the clothesmaiden by the front-door , and that wa 3 the last time 1 saw Mrs . Kinder alive . She was then seated in a rocking-chair in the front kitchen . I cannot

      say whether she was smoking or not . I cannot say what time it was when I went to the shippon . When I got to the shippon my brother was there . My brother bad a lantern with him , and a lighted candle in it . There were three cows to be milked . I milked two , and my brother milked one . He had finished before me . After be bad dene he did not go out of ihe shippon till I had done . _TVhen we had done milking I went np to the house witb the milk , leaving my brother in the shippon . I carried the milk to the bench-stone in the kitchen . I went

      into tbe house by the back-door . I went into tbe front kitchen or house-place for a light . That was the place where I had left Mrs . Kinder . I got a light from the fire . I had not left Mrs . Kinder with a candle burning . Mrs . Kinder was not then in tho room . The rocking-chair was in its place . The front-door was shut . The door leading into the front parlour was partially shut . 1 went aud sieved the milk , and then locked up the dairy . I then returned to the house by the back-door . I put the milkcans in the little kitchen or house-place . As I did not see Mrs . Kinder there I went into tbe parlour to look for her . I had a candle in my hand . The parlour doorwas a little bit open . I pushed itopen and saw Mrs . Kinder lying on the floor . She was

      lying on her face with ber feet towards the door . I thought she had fallen in a fit . She had done so before . I put the candle do wn on the table against the wall and tried to help her up . Her face was all over blood , and on the floor where ber face lay there was a large quantity of blood . She was dead , but her body was warm . I put the body down again , ran to the shippon , and called for my brother . I found my brother in the shippon . My brother followed me to the house , and afterwards brought the next neighbour , Mrs . "Williamson . When she came Mrs . Andrew , another neighbour , waa there . While Mrs . Andrew was there Mrs ,

      "Williamson and I lifted up the deceased . Mrs . Andrew said the deceased had not done it herself . Witness , accompanied by Mrs . Andrew , went up stairs and found the door of the room open where the woman slept ; the drawers were open , and clothes and other articles were pulled out of them . When I began to milk the cows my brother went ont and said tbat be was going to pnt the horses in the stable . I cannot say that I heard him putting them in the stable . ¦ I should think he was not above two minutes out of the shippon when he returned , and commenced milking a cow . There was a dog at the house , but 1 did not hear it bark that night .

      Mr . Samuel SmEBonoM , and Mr . R , Sweboxiou , surgeons , of Mottram , described the wound which caused the death . It was a fracture on the left side ofthe head , five inches long by three broad _, the wound must havo been caused by an instrument having a broad surface : The wound was a lacerated one . After such a blow death would be instantaneous . Several other witnesses were examined , after which the Coroner briefly summed up , and the Jury fonnd " tbat the deceased had been wilfully murdered by some person or persons unknown . " The inquiry lasted from about ten o ' clock in the morning till half-past five o ' clock in the evening .

      The E Kglisb- Press Is Russia.—A Gentlem...

      The E kglisb- Press is Russia . —A gentleman , last week , who has recently returned from Russia , exhibited at the reading-room ofthe Mechanics' Institution in Ipswich , copies of English newspapers which had been forwarded to him during his sojourn in that country . They bore upon them palpable marks ofthe rig id censorship exercised by the officials of the Czar over the English press . Tho ban is not confined to criticism on Russian politics , but extends even to the sli g htest allusion to the domestic intelligence ofthe country . The process of obliteration is accomplished at the Post office , where the papers upon their arrival , are narrowlv scanned , and any article or paragraph

      considered objectionable is at once most effectually dofaced , by having a land of black g lutinous composition , the width of the column , spread over it . The papers exhibited consisted of two copies of _BelTs Weekly Messenger , published in the months of October and November last , and they certainly presented a singular appearance to an English eye , the broad patches of impenetrable black imparting to tbem quite a pie-bald aspect . Fortunately a file ofthe Messenger is kept at the Institution , and the curiosity of those present , as to the nature of the offending articles , was speedily gratified . One was an article , a column and a quarter in length , headed , " The Conspiracy of Russia and Austria a _ _ainst the Liberties of Germany . " As this article commenced the second page , the whole of the first

      column was—for the _saue of convenience , we suppose—cut away , and in this mutilated condition tbe paper reached its destination . Another condemned nortion included a series of extracts from an » _rttele in the Tones upon Russian farming ; a third w _» an account of tho Polish hall at 8 uildhall , another an announcement of the state of General IXi health ; and a fifth a paragraph of a fire w _^ V _^^ _JTShI ch Cmbuiw of Los . _STASDBG f _^^ H _^ _Artlr-S _^ _Se-seant Wilton , late of Cored bv _HeuawA-rs rua _~ o tbe Honourable East *™ _JL _^* _2 _^ _Bairfe »___ Ui . - _•^ _W _^ _SS faSSf _ftS S aff ection of the meat , mffered _™ ort -ntenseiy ~ » _^^ liter , _mdigestura , and _actoessca ~ Btitution - . _peared to be _»* _M'B _* ' _^ 'f _™ _2 nf the most _emisent _^^ _n _^ the t _^ _toentrfsome o _^ tte m _^ ofthe _»«™ _aS _PUteTand this superior he was advised to try Houoway- srua , - _£ medicine has _effected _^ a _^* f " rm _IwrnkOy _tonished all that were aware of his former _aj _^ _aicmw hopeless case ,

      ¦ *-* Middlesex Sebsions. Fc5^T ??T 3 - ...

      ¦ _* - * MIDDLESEX SEBSIONS . _fc _5 _^ t ?? T 3 _- J ° nme _^** er -I _l-arter sessions , Sr > _2 _™ nlS mo erafor tne coW of Middlesex , commenced on Tuesday . _mS _^ _SS _** _? / ICKp ocKeis . -Henry Jones , a _prinoZf , * fnT _. tod a _ tfie ] a 3 fc "M--M Of Picking eonvie J 1 , 5 _T ed thab he had oeen _* - fore SS _S _tt once , and the court sentenced bim to be transported for seven years . _fhfp _^ - r man convicted _*> _P'ohinff pockets at the Paddmgton terminus of the Great Western SS ?* & ™* x ? 8 , ht nP for _iudgt-ent , and sentenced to six months' bard labou el ( '

      r . * -i _ _5 _^ T _^ _* _- y , man named Cross , convicted at the last session of larceny , was also brought np for jud gment .-The prisoner was a person ot some notoriety , from his great eccentricity of manner in tbe streets , from being almost continually intoxicated , and from tho fact of his being a perambulating teacher of the French language . Formerly he had been an assistant snrgeon in a regiment serving in Portugal . The officers proved that too prisoner had been convicted three times summarily , and a doubt having been expressed , as to his sanity , a certificate of Mr . Wakefield , the prison surgeon , was put in to . show that he was not of unsouud mind . He was sentenced to three months ' hard labour . —Prisoner : My lordthree months ! Can ' t

      , be flogged , or something of that sort ? I'd much rather that than go to prison , I would indeed . ' ( Laughter . )—The learned judge said he could not comply with the request of the prisoner .-Prisoner : Well , I ' m sorry for it , my lord , for I assure you I ' d rather be hung , flogged , or anything else , than go to prison . Anothing but prison for me . ( Loud laughter . ) The prisoner was then removed , RoBBEnr . —Georgo Luck , 20 , George Sands , 23 , Thomas Cox , 21 , and Henry Cooper , 10 , were indicted for a robbery upon Thomas Howell . —On tbe 2 nd inst ., the prosecutor was at the Griffin public house at Whetstone , where for three or four hours he was regaling himself and other persons with

      beer , and though the prisoners were not there when he first . went into the house , they subsequently formed part of tbe company , and the prosecutor " tossed " them for beer . Having spent all his silver money he obtained change for a sovereign , and immediatly afterwards some of the prisoners challenged him to toss for money , which he declined , though afterwards he tossed for more beer . One of the prisoners tauntingly told him , that the reason he did not toss for money was , that he had no money to toss with , upon which he took out of his pocket the change he had received , and held it out

      m ma hand . The prisoner Luck then struck his hand , and the mouey was scattered about the floor , and a general scramble took place . The case against the prisoners was , that they were all parties to this transaction , and that they each had an intention to possess themselves ofthe prosecutor ' s money . In cross-examination the prosecutor said he went out outhe night in question to enjoy himself , the period ( 12 months ) for wbich he had taken the pledge as a teetotaller having expired the preceding day . —The learned Judge summed up , for an acquittal and . the jury found the prisoners " Not Guilty , "

      Thief Tbaixiko . —The Thieves ' Kitchen . "William Bristol , 28 , a desperate looking fellow , was indicted for a , misdemeanour in having attempted to steal from the person ofa man whose name was unknown . — -Archer , a detective officer , deposed that on the evening of Saturday , the 11 th inst ., he was on duty with Fisher , another officer , in Gray ' sinn-lane , when he saw the - prisoner , who was in company with a well known thief and prostitute , lift up the coat-tail of a man who was just by Foxoourt , a notorious spot , and . put his hand into it , bnt before he had time to take out anything tho pocket might have Contained , the woman called out " Here ' s that Archer and Fisher in plain clothes , " whereupon they all ran away rapidly . Witness

      followed tbe prisoner , whom he captured in a tobacco shop . —The prisoner , in answer to the charge , said he was quite innocent , and that the evidence ofthe officer was quite false . —Archer said that tbe prisoner had been convicted of felony at Guildford Assizes , and sentenced to nine months' hard labour . A short time ago Mr , Yeomans , gun contractor to the East India Company , was robbed of nine muskets and bayonets , and soon afterwards he ( witness ) apprehended two persons for being unlawfully in possession of some of the property . On searching the prisoner ' s bouse one of the bayonets was found , and there was no doubt of his being

      concerned in that robbery . The witness added that Fisher could inform the court what sort of character the prisoner wag . —Fisher then made a statement similar to that wbich appeared in our Police Report last week . —The learned Judge said he most sincerely regretted tbat tbe court had not tbe power of passing such a sentence as would rid the country ofthe prisoner , and he might think himself fortunate in having been convicted of misdemeanour only . For that misdemeanour tho court could not sentence him to transportation , and the sentence was that he ba kept to hard labour for eighteen calendar months .

      Charge of Robbixg a Sailor . —Philip Barker , aged 30 , the chief mate of the brig Delta , of Stockton-on-Tees , was charged with having robbed John George Hancock , a seaman , of nine sovereigns , four half-sovereigns , and ten shillings . —From the testimony ofthe prosecutor it appeared that he belonged to the brig Mandingo , now lying at the London Dock buoy , and that between ten and eleven o ' clock on the night of Friday last , as he was making his way to his ship , he was accosted by a *• lady , who at once placed her hand upon his breast in such a manner as to induce him to push her away . He pursued his way , but discovered that he was being followed not only by the woman , but by two men who were with her . One of these men

      he could swear was the prisoner . The woman again accosted him , and while she kept him in conversation the two men passed and repassed several times . Eventually he felt a hand forced into his right-hand trousers pocket , when he instantly put his own hand down , and laid hold ofthe hand , which proved to bethat of the prisoner then at the bar . ne thereupon seized the prisoner by the breast , but he broke from him , and ran away . He pursued , and soon overtook Wm neartoa public-house . The prisoner then turned upon him , and , forcing his fingers in between biscravatand his throat , nearly strangled him as he dragged him violently along towards the public house , into which he succeeded in pulling him . Just prior to tbe prisoner ' s hand having been forced

      into his pocket his purse , containing £ 11 10 s . in gold and some silver , was safely there , hut when the hand was withdrawn upon his laying hold of the intruder , he found that the purse had been taken . It was , of course , unnecessary to add that he had never seen either purse nor money since . When they were in the public house a policeman was sent for , and upon bis arrival the prisoner wanted to give him into custody upon a charge of attempting to steal his ' watch . The prosecutor , however , explained the transaction to the policeman , and , making a charge against the prisoner of having robbed him of his money , that functionary at length took the prisoner into custody . —A number of witnesses were then called , when it appeared from their

      statement that as the Delta was to weigh anchor at an early hour on the following morning , the prisoner was with several of them that night taking his grog at the Swan public-house . Among the company was his brother , and be left the room soon after eleven o ' clock , the prisoner accompanying him part of his road . The latter , however , on his return to the Swan , was collared by the prosecutor , who said he had robbed him . The prisoner ' s ire rose at tbis unfounded accusation , and he therefore dragged him to tho Swan for the purpose of seeing who he was . In the " struggle the prosecutor laid hold of the prisoner ' s watch-guard , and , therefore , when the policeman came , he charged bim with an attempt to rob him of his watch . It was further

      proved , that the prisoner had not been absent from tbe Swan more tban three minutes . —The learned Judge ' having summed up the case , the jury Acquitted the prisoner , stating , that in their opinion tbe prosecutor was mistaken as to the identity . Charge op _Stealisg Boots . —Joon Turner , a respectable looking young man , was indicted for stealing a pair of boots , value 3 s . 6 d ., the property of John Millwood . —A woman named Jacobs , deposed that she saw a person take a pair of boots from a shop door in Knutsfordford-place , and she swore that that person was the prisoner , —Mr , ' Payne , for the defence , urged that this was a case of mistaken identity and called evidence ,. which showed that he was a man of excellent character ,

      a tailor by tirade , and in constant and respectable employment . —Acquitted . A _Yorae Thief . —Benjamin Crutchley , a boy eleven years of age , pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a scarf , the property of Henry _Pascoe . — The prisoner had been summarily convicted four times , and he was taken into custody upon the present charge with two more prisoners , who were convicted , but he contrived , it was stated , to escape from the person who took him into custody . —the learned judge said this case illustrated the working of the Larceny Act , the evils of which were palpable to all save members of the House of Commons . The prisoner was sentenced to nine months' hard labour .

      Income Tax.—It Is Not Generally. Vknown ...

      Income Tax . —It is not generally . vknown how small a portion of the people pay the " property-tax . Mr . William Ray Smee says , in his pamphlet on _theincome-tax , that out of the twenty _milhonB of wbich our population is composed , only pw , m pay this impost . The same writer remarks that the * houses charged with tho window-tax are only fourteen percent , on the total number , * and that were the malt-tax taken off , the ale now . sold at 6 d . might he retailed at 2 d . a quart . These facts are startling and suggestive to a Chancellor witb a surplus revenue . The consumption of cotton , in the last year , at Manchester , it is stated was upwards of 170 , 000 , 000 1 _. & _, or a & wt 1 , 000 _tooa nee day ,

      'D ™??It .S^T 0p Tae -Polish. And Commit...

      ' _™?? _it . S _^ T 0 P _taE -POLISH . AND COMMITTEE MEmoFOLl _™ TRADES ' . _M * _^ tb , 1850 , to Jan . 12 th , 1851 . < _E ? So _v x , _Receipts . £ B . d . Sept . 12 .-From the City of London Ladies' Shoemakers , per Mr . Greenslade ... ... ... 1 0 0 ,, _—Oollecti-d in the parlour of the Bull and Bell , per Mr . Greenslade ... 0 6 0 " . " ~ _* x 1 l i the Committee-room 0 10 15 . —Collected by Messrs . King and Antill ... ; ... ... 0 10 6 _"„ -, *~ 5 y Subscri ption Books ... 0 1 a 6 22 . —Ditto ... 0 5 4 Oft T \ _-l _**• * _' * ... " _O _ 29 . —Ditto 0 10 2 Otc . 6 . —Proceeds of a Prize Shoe by Scotter ... _.- . 119-' ' 1 o ~ - ? _- yi 5 ubsc _*' ption Books ... 0 2 0 ¦ w . —Second subscri ption of the City of London Ladies' Shoema * kers ' , per Mr . Greenslade ... 2 0 0 „ —From tho City of London Boot Makers , per Mr . Stevenson 2 0 0 _•* _. _„ —By Subscription Books ... 0 8 0 20 . —Ditto ... 0 8 . 27 _,-Ditto 0 3 7 Nov . 3 . —Ditto ... . ; . 0 9 0 4 . —From Box ' s Society of Ladies ' Shoemakers , per Mr . Burn 10 0 10 . —Second subscription of the - . Bull and Bell parlour , per Mr . Greenslade ... ... 0 3 6 „ —First division of the City of London Bootmakers , per Mr . Ladd . % . 0 7 0 „ —Second ditto per Mr . Wynn ... 0 10 1 „ —Fourth ditto ditto ... 0 2 0 „ —From the Progressive Society _ofCarpentors , per Mr . Ferris 0 7 8 „ —Harmonic Meeting , Rising Sun 0 8 7 „ —From the Borough of Southwark Boot Makers , per Mr . Cambridge 0 10 0 „ —A Friend per ditto ... 0 0 3 „ —By Subscription Books ... 0 11 2 17—Ditto , ditto 0 12 2 _£ 2 _—HarmonioMeeting , Rising Sun 0 3 2 „ —From Mr . Harney , per the Red Republican ... ... 3 3 7 „ —By Subscription Books ... 0 2 10 Deo . 1 . —From the Progressive Society of Carpenters , per Mr . Ferris ... ... 0 -1 0 „ —Fourth Division of CityofLondon Bootmakers , per Mr . Mahoney ... ... ... 0 _ . 4 ,. —Harmonic Meeting , Rising Sun 0 2 10 "; ,, —By Subscri p tion Books ... 0 5 C „ 8 . —Second Division ofthe City of London Bootmakers ... 0 7 9 „ —From Mr .. Harney , per i ? eo 3 Republican ... . 19 2 „ —Harmonic Meeting , Rising Sun 0 2 2 „ —From the Borough of Southwark Ladies' Shoemakers , per Mr . Fox ... 0 9 0 „ —By Subscription Books ... 0 2 7 „ 15—Harmonic Meeting , Rising Sun 0 17 „ — -Second Division of City of London Bootmakers , per Mr . Wynn ... 0 5 0 „ By Subscription Books 0 _ 5 _J „ 22—Harmonic Meeting , Rising Sun 0 3 7 „ —From the Progressive Society of Carpenters , per Mr . Ferris 0 i 0 „ —Bj Subscription Books ... 0 3 10 . ' 29—Harmonic Meeting , Rising Sun 0 1 8 1 S 51 . Jan . 5 . —Harmonic Meeting , Rising Sun 0 2 0 } „ —By Subscription Books ... 0 7 Gj „ 12 . —HarmonioMeeting , Rising Sun 0 1 8 i „ —From the City of Lincoln Boot and Shoemakers -... 0 5 0 „ —By Subscription Books ... 0 2 1 £ 23 0 _Sj 1850 . expenditure . £ s . d . Sept . 12 . —Two days' pay at 4 d . per day each for 39 men . 16 0 „ —For wine , for one of the Refugees that was il ! 0 10 15 . —Two days' pay atM . per day ¦ each for 39 men 16 0 Oct . 3 . —One ditto at id . for 39 men ... 0 12 8 5 . —Two ditto at 4 d . for 39 „ ... 1 6 0 9 . —One ditto at 4 d . for 3 D „ ... 0 13 0 10 . —One ditto at 4 d . for 44 ,, ... 0 14 8 13 .-Oneditt 0 iit 4 d . for 36 „ ... 0 12 0 20 . —One into at 4 d . for 50 „ ... 0 Id 8 17 . —One ditto at * 4 d . for 50 „ ... 0 10 8 19 . —Oae ditto at-id . for 50 ¦ „ ... 0 16 8 20 . —For Subscription Books ... 0 0 Hi [ 26 . —One day ' s pay at 3 d . per day each for 54 men 0 13 0 27 . —For Subscription Books and Paper 0 0 9 Nov . 4 . —Ono day ' s pay at 3 d . per day each for Gl men ... ... 0 15 3 6 . —Ono ditto at 3 d . for 66 men ... 0 1 G 6 11 . —Ono ditto at 3 d . for 69 „ ... 0 17 3 13 . —One ditto at 3 d . for 71 „ ... 0 17 9 22 . —One ditto at 3 d . for 73 0 18 3 21 . —For printing bills for a Public Meeting 0 2 6 „ —Paid one of the Refugees for waiting on Mr . Harney ... 0 1 0 25 . —One day ' s pay at 4 d . per day each for 58 men 0 19 8 26 . —One ditto at 4 d . for 55 men ... 0 18 4 28 . —One ditto at id . for 55 „ ... 0 IS 4 30 .-One ditto at 3 _ d . for 55 „ ... 0 16 0 J „ —Paid Br . Frith , hy ths _*«» h of the Refugees ... ... 0 10 0 Dec . 4 . —One day ' s pay at 3 d . per day each for 54 men 0 13 6 „ 8 . —Paid Gd . each by 54 men for washing , 17 6 „ 11 . —One day ' spay at 3 _ d . per day each for 56 men 0 10 4 „ 0 . —For printing 500 addresses ... 0 5 0 „ 23 . —Paid the Refugees 0 7 0 „ 24 . —Ditto 0 3 0 „ —For postage stamps , Envelopes , and sealing wax for addresses to bo sent to the country trades ... ... 0 6 0 30 . —Paid the Refugees 0 10 0 1851 . . „ A Jan . 6 . —Paid to the Refugees ... 0 8 0 „ —For subscription books and paper 0 0 11 £ 22 11 10 | £ _e . _dT " Total Received 23 0 81 Total Expended 22 11 10 } Leaving a balance in hand of 0 8 10 _Wji . H . Btm » , Secretary . Johs Sootier , Treasurer . Committee Room , Rising Sun , Calender-yard , Long-alley , Moorfields .

      The Act For Preventing Colliery Accident...

      The Act for Preventing Colliery Accidents . _^ -Mr . Badger , the coroner , on opening a late inquest , called the attention of the jury to the act of the last session , instituting an authorised inspection of coal mines in Great Britain . The provisions of this act cannot be too strongly impressed , upon all parties connected with the management of collieries , as the history of the Yorkshire coal-field abundantly proves . By section I power is given to the Secretary of State to appoint fit and proper persons for the inspection of coal mines , and to remove them , notice thereof being given in the London Gazette . By section 2 power is given to tho inspector to enter mines . at all reasonable times , and to inquire into the state and condition of , tho

      mine , the ventilation , the mode _oflighting , & c .: and if anything is found defective therein , or likely to tend to the bodily injury of any person employed in or about the same mine , the inspector is to summon the manager , who , if he fail to atten ' d _. 'br do not satisfy the inspector concerning it , the inspector is to serve a notice of the defects on the manager or owner , aud report the same , to the . Secretary of State . The owner , ( section 3 ) when required , is to produce a map or plan of the mine to the inspector , or if one is not produced , or is found imperfect , he may require one to be ' made at the expense ofthe ownor , on a soale of not less than two chains to one inch . No land agent or manager of a coal mine ( section 4 } td be employed' to act as inspector .

      Notice of all accidents . occasioning loss of life ( section 5 ) in any coal mine , 'is to be sent by the manager or owner within twenty * four hours thereof to the Secretary of State , or , in Scotland , to the Lord Advocate , and he his bound to give any further information relating thereto , that the Secretary of State may requiro , under a penalty of not less than £ 10 , nor exceeding £ 20 . Section 6 " provides for the giving at least two days' _notice to the Secretary of State of the holding of an inquest in case of death arising from accidents in mines ; and the coroner must adjourn his inquest , if he find that such notice

      has not been given ; and section f imposes a penalty of from £ 10 to £ 20 oh any . person _obatructing ari inspector in his duty . Section 8 provides for the recovery and application of penalties , and the last _threearethecustoraJaryclauses . _^ SAe _^ Wrjmeii ' Cabdinal _WisBifAw . —It is stated ( says a correspondent ) that the ' Cardinal . ' Archbishop of Westminster has received , nbtice .. that . a bill of indictment for a misdemeanour will he presented against him forthwith _^—The NewryEmmker states that a certain Major Sterne , ' of-Gola- Castle , Fermanagh , " boasts that he has written to Cardinal Wiseman , to say that if ho puts a foot in Font Royal he ( the major ) will _ea < w ( - hhn as dead && a-gutted herring ,.

      ;. National Reform League. I ~^^M The Fi...

      ; . NATIONAL REFORM LEAGUE . i _~^^ m The fifth quarterly _meeling ol this body was held at the Eclectic Institution , Denmark-street , Soho , on the 13 th inst ., when a report was read , from wbich we give the following extracts : — " Since our last meeting . we have added some staunch members to our body . We are promised the accession of several more in a short time . Mr .

      Hart , Mr . Swift , and Mr . O'Brien , have lectured upon our principles and objects in various parts of the metropolis , and , though in consequence of the known political apath y that prevails , their audiences were not numerous , the principles of our programme were everywhere well received , and the leading democrats of London have already—almost to a man ¦ —adopted our theory of social ri ghts , as laid down iu our prospectus , and in the seven propositions we have so widely propagated .

      " A still more striking proof of our progress , is the gratifying fact that the new Executive Committee of tbe National Charter Association has deemed it necessary to recommend , in emphatic terms , that in the future conducting ofthe Chartist movement the questions of social rights shall be continually kept before the public . " " Facts like these , your council submits , are _unmiBtakeabie " evidence tbat the public opinion is beginning to move in the right direction j and it is an indisputable fact , that great numbers of influential minds amongst the trading and working class , who , not a year ago , would hardly tolerate the' mention of social rights , have since come completely round to the princi p les of the Leagua . " " You are doubtless aware that , some week 3 ago ,

      a Conference of delegates was held Vat the Johnstreet Institution for the ostensible purpose of amalgamating the various sects of Political and Social Reformers known to exist in this country , and to form out of the whole one single association which , it was hoped , might supersede , all the rest , Your council , at the request of its promoters , sent delegates to that Conference , in the hope tbat a general nnicn' of all the democratic and social societies ruijht be thereby promoted , without detriment to the integrity and principles of our . own body , which , in accordance with your previously expressed opinions , we were _resolyed to preserve intact . In that hope your council was disappointed . The only terms upon which such an union appeared to us pi acticable were rejected hy a majority of the Confeie . ice . "

      " The policy on which the League bas acted ta that every society , whether political or social , shall be left free to work out its own special mission , in its own way , to the best of its ability ; but that all should invariably act in harmony together to accomplish the one great measure on which all are agreed , namely—a full , fair , and free representation of the working classes in parliament upon the principles laid down in the People ' s Charter . " " Another great fact , which a short time will demonstrate . Tbe hall we are now assembled in

      is a gratifying proof that obstacles are giving way before our perseverance , and thus one great impediment to our continued progress is removed . We hope also speedily to be enabled to announce that ws have established a newspaper or periodical , hy which we can establish a better communication with our brothers in the provinces , and rally tbe country round the new standard we have raised up . To accomplish this design it is necessary that we shouid _leceive tbe strenuous support of the rank and file of the Association . " '

      Money And Passengers For India.—Amongst ...

      Money and Passengers for India . —Amongst the cargo taken out by the Indus , which left Southampton on Montby with the Indian mail , was specio to the value of £ 300 , 000 , destined for India . This is tho largest quantity ever taken out by an Alexandrian steamer . It was contained in 1 , 250 boxes , weighing forty-five tons , and arrived at Southampton on Saturday in eleven railway wagf ons ; one hundred men wero employed in embarking it , who were guarded by all the officers in the Peninsular fleet in the Southampton docks . A very strong guard , was placed over it on Saturday , Sunday , and Monday morning , during tho time the Indus was alongside the dock quay . The specio consisted of gold and _silver but principally silver , a great portion of whioh was in' Indian rupees , The Indus took out also nearly 130 passengers , most of them first class , About twenty of tho latter were cadets in the Bast India Company ' s service . The transit

      of Indian passengers and cargo across the Egyptian desert , the management of wliich has beeif in the hands of the Pacha of Egypt about four years , has just begun to be remunerative to his highness , and the management bas never been so satisfactory to the public as it is at present . The Nile boats have been increased in number , and the accommodation on board of them has been much improved . The horses , about 300 in number , employed in drawing the carriages across the desert , are in good order , and aro exceedingly well harnessed . Great complaints used to he made by tho Indian passengers on account of their being hurried away from Cairo as soon as they landed from the Nile , although they had , perhaps , to wait at the uninteresting and illprovided town of Suez for the lied Sea steamer . Abbas Pacha has attended to these complaints , and tho passengers are now allowed ten hours' stay in Cairo to refresh themselves and see the place before they start for the desert . i

      Loss of 7 , 000 Dollars . —The Ripon , which left Southamption with the Indian mail on the 20 th of December , took out amongst her cargo some specie , a portion of which , consisting of a box of gold , nearly 7 , 000 dollars value , was lost . Tho Ripon returned with the . Indian mail on Monday . She made a rapid voyage from Malta , and arrived in Southampton Water with the homeward , just as the Indus was preparing to start with the outward . Indian mail—a rather unusual coincidence . As soon as the ltipon came close to the Indus the yards Of eftCh ship were manned , and the crews on board both

      ships cheered each other immensely . The Ripon then proceeded to the doeks ; in the centre of the docks she laid to , according to secret orders , until Captain Engledue , the Oriental Company ' s Southampton superintendent , returned from the Indus . The superintendent , assisted by all tho officers of tbe Peninsular vessels in the dock , rapidly enclosed a space on tho dock quay with barricades , and from which all hut the _Post-offiee and Admiralty authorities were rigidly excluded . The superintendent of police , and somo assistants , wero secreted in one of the dock buildings . The Ripon was then allowed to come _alongside . No communication was allowed

      to take place between the crew and the shore . The erew were mustered on deck , and their clothes minutely examined , and when this done each man was sent a shore . Every cabin and part of the ship was inspected , but not the slightest trace of the missing gold was found . Chasqes in tbii Patent Law . — Tho following official orders havo just been issued : — " The Attorney-General , with the consent and concurrence of the Solicitor-General , hereby gives notice that from and after the 15 th day of Jan ., 1851—1 . Every outline , description , and drawing deposited with the Attorney and Solicitor-General must be signed and dated by the person applying for tho patent , or his agent . 2 . Every person who shall have deposited an outline , description , or drawing

      of his invention shall be at liberty , at any time previously to the enrolment of the specification , to cancel any portion of such outline , description , or drawing ; and for this purpose to deposit a fresh outline , description , or drawing of his invention , omitting tho cancelled parts . 3 .. Every person who shall have entered a caveat against the granting of any patent , and shall , upon the hearing of his opposition , induce the Attorney or Solicitor-General not to make any report upon the application for tho patent , shall deposit , with the Attorney or Solicitor-General an outline description or drawing of his invention in respect of wliich be opposes tho granting of the said patent , such outline description or

      drawing to be approved by the Attorney or _Solicitor-General . _ . After the specification Shall have been enrolled , any person shall beat liberty , on production of . a certificate of the enrolment , or after , two days' notice , and pay ment of one shilling , to inspodt the outline , description , ' or drawing so deposited with the ' Attorney or Solicitor-General as aforesaid ' , ' of the invention in respect of which the specification shall have been so enrolled , as aforesaid ; arid ariy person sball . be at liberty to obtain an office copy of such outline description from the office of the Attorney or Solicitor-General , on' payment of the accustomed charges . '—( Signed ) John Romilly . "

      Assassination . —We have received information of the melancholy death of Mr . James Joseph Fryer , of York , under the following very painful circumstances : —He had gone . out to California , and on the 30 th of October last be was cruelly murdered at a place ' named Humboldt , having fallen pierced with fourteen wounds by the Indians . . His companion ( Mr . Sproxton , ' son of the incumbent of Trindoh ,. Durham ) with his own hands dug a grave and buried him . He then headed a party in pursuit of tbe assassins , and poor Fryer ' s murder waa avenged

      by the death of eighteen of his murderers . Mr . J . J . Fryer was the eldest son of the late Mr , Fryer , of this city , proctor . —York Herald , Feminine Longevity . —There is now living at Milson , near Cleobury Mortimer , an aged female named Penny , who has nuodbered ninety-nine winters , ' and is now , considering , her age , in good health ; hut more singular than-this is the fact , that this aged lady has a niece now living , a Mrs . _PasseyJ'also'in good health , who has reached the . patriarchal- age of _onehundred arid one years _, j Snch a coincidence in a family is surely not upon I record . —Wmtdtr Journal .

      Authorised Bloodshed On Railways

      AUTHORISED BLOODSHED ON RAILWAYS

      ( From the Spectator . ) We have awaited in vain the report of the " full investigation" tbat was to take place into the collision of the 4 th inst . at the Boxmoor station of tbe North Western Railway ; but the Coroner ' s inqust , t into the accident at tbe Ponder _' s End Station of the Eastern Counties Railway fully shows that it must be classed among those which mi ght have heen foreseen .

      The guard of the special train which slaughtered Lodwick , the night inspector at Ponder ' s End , has been committed tb Newgale . for heedless driving ; but the verdict of manslaughter against him was accompanied with an expression of censure on the imperfect arrangements and irregular practice of the Company . To us , indeed , it appears that the " accident" is less fairly ascribable to reckless driving than to the despatch of the special train without adequate precautions .

      The evidence shows that tbe arrangements at the station where the collision occurred were not sufficient to secure the safety which they professed to aim at , and that a rigid calculation would bave demonstrated their inadequacy beforehand ; that the arrangements at the station from which the special train was sent were not siiflicient to secure safely in _the-despa'ch of that special train ; and also that tbe arrangements , inadequate as they were in their nature , were not completed even in form by the officer who sent the special train .

      The arrangements at the London station were not sufficient to guarantee safe despatch of the special train . A Hertford goods train had left London twenty minutes too late ; the night inspector of the telegraph department in Shoreditch telegraphed down the line to keep clear ; but it appears that the arrangements for drawing attention at the telegraphic stations are so incomplete that there is . frequently great delay in obtaining a response , and frequently no _response at all . The telegraph offices of some intermediate _siations—Lea Bridge , Water * lane , Marshlane , and _Chesunt— " are supposed to be shut up after dark . " Here , then , we find gross unpunctuality in the despatch of an ordinary train ; the delayed train is a slow train preceding a fast train ; the telegraph means for clearing the line ate imperfect in their nature and in regularity of attendance .

      Such as tlley were , the precautionary arrangements were not completed in form . The imperfect working of those means were manifest at the London station ; whether the telegraph night inspector knew it or not , it must bave been known to somebody that the Hertford goods train had started late . The t'legraph inspector received instructions to > " speak" with all the stations between London and Cambridge at only five minutes before six o ' clock . " 1 first spoke with Tottenham ; ten minutes elapsed , however , before I could attract their attention . The next station I communicated with was Ponder ' s End . It was then about four minnlea past six o ' clock ; I continued calling for ten minutes , and , finding no attention was paid , I called at _Waltham , and there also no reply was given for some lime . "

      The inspector was to announce at these stations thai a special train for Cambridge had started ; it had started at ten minutes before six o ' clock . Tbe precautions to secure the safe despatch of the fast train were not commenced till after the train had started ; and they were no sooner commenced than their total incompetency in tbe working made itself appear . The arrangements at the station where the accident occurred were in their nature insufficient to secure safety . Now observe what happened at this station . In reading the _evidenc- * , the _lact first in point of time is , that the Hertford goods train reached Ponder ' s End about six

      o clock ; stopped to leave a truck in the aiding ( which would take three raiuutes ) _, and departed : " about five minutes past six . "~ _so says the guard j but he had sent his watch to London for repairs . The guard of the Norwich up goods train states tbat he arrived at his usual time , ten minutes past six o clock-, the Hertford train was ihen partly on the siding and partly on the main down line . As soon as it had completed its operation , the men of the Norwich up train hegan theirs ¦ which was to detach a truck and " shunt ' it across the down line

      on to the siding ; it is said to take ten minutes thus to shunt a truck across tbe line . The Hertford train had departed about three minutes when the special train came up , dashed against the truck ; which had not yet got clear of the line , and inflicted those frightful gashes of which Lodwick died . Lodwick evidently knew nothing of the special ( rain ; and , as the driver of the Hertford goods train knew nothing about it until he reached Waltham , it is very probable that if the truck of the Norwich train had escaped , the special train would have overtaken the Hertford train .

      Such are the facts as tbey happened ; now what were the standing arrangements at the station ? At four stations on the line there is a level crossing ; but of those four Ponder ' s End is the only one where it is necessary to shunt from theup-line across the down line io a siding : " it takes not more tban ten minutes" to effect that particular sort of shunting . During the rii ght there is only the night inspector at the station ; but as soon as tbe train arrives the men belonging to it are under the orders of the night inspector . It is his business to attend to the trains , their shunting , the signals ,

      the telegraph , and the gales of the level crossing . It is a rule that when there is an obsiruction on the line , a man is to run back six hundred yards behind the obstruction , and to put down a percussion signal ; but as that manoeuvre would take about twenty minutes , and as the stoppages at Ponder ' s end are very short—say five or ten minutes—it is the standing practice to disregard that rule . The rule is said to be observed at other stations , but not at Ponder ' s End—the only station where there is a level crossing conjointly with tbe necessity for . a transverse shunting .

      From the facts it appears , that while the telegraph inspector at Shoreditch was engaged in trying to > draw the attention of Lodwick , Lodwick was engaged in shunting the truck . It would also appear , tbat _betweeu the commencement of the telegraphing to Ponder ' s end station and the actual arrival of the special train at that station , no sufficient time was allowed for a man to be sent back six hundred yards along the line ; therefore , even if Lodwick ' _s atten _» tion had been attracted at the moment when the telegraphing began , it would have been too late to stop the special train .

      The simple facts recorded m evidence irresistably establish these conclusions—that the precautions to prevent accidents at Ponder ' s End were incomplete , and in their nature unworkable ; that tho precautions available at the Shoreditch station were in their nature imperfect ; that they were not taken before the special train started , which made it impossible to repair omissions ; and that they were begun absolutely too late to allow time for obeying unler 3 at Ponder ' s End , and therefore too late to prevent that very disaster which was confessedly

      foreseen when the precautions were colourably begun . To state the case moire simply , the Norwich goods train arrived at Ponder ' s End in the due course of duty , and its arrival about that time should have heen foreseen ; the shunting was an operation in the regular course of duty , nnd should have been provided for ; into the truck crossing the line Jthe special train was sent to dash without forewarning ; the simplest decree of correctness would have sufficed to prevent the _diaaster , by ascertaining that the line was not free , aud keeping ha _^ k ' the special train until it had been made free . '

      We are justified therefore in _recsoning the Poo der ' s End slaughter , among those which are per formed by authority .

      A Monster Ship.—We Learn That Jabez Will...

      A Monster Ship . —We learn that Jabez Williams and Son , shipbuilders , _^ Williamsburg ' , ' are to commence early next Spring a clipper ship for > mercantile house in this city , engaged in the Liverpool trade , of ' tho enormOua' size _; of 2 , 800 tons . Her length will be 230 feet , or seven feet ' longer than the United _Statesship-of _* the- _) ine Pennsylvania . ' In this'respect , however , ' her dimensions did not exceed , those of the . great ship which has'just been commenced hy William H . Webb for _CL . ; ahd G . _Gi-iswold ; hut , in consequence of an increasing depth and breadth of beam , Bhe ' will' be sbmetwo hundred tons larger . . No merchant vessel has ever been built at all approaching ht _* riih . point of magnitude She is'to have ' three decks and . will bo able to carry a , vast number of passengers , ' ** - f ttHtf rorife Journal of' Commerce . ' '" ' ' '

      Representation op GiAMOsoAissninB . —A rumour is abroad to the effebt that Mr . . Henry Thomas * who for many years has heen vice-chairman of tha quarter . sessions ofthe county of Glamorgan , will be put forward in the Liberal interest as a candidate for Glamorganshire ' , " oh the vacancy occasioned by ' Earl Duhraven accepting the ChiJtera Hundreds . ¦' " _' . • „ The Emperor of Austria has raised Charles ana Joseph Poniatowski , _'sons'of the Polish Stanislaus Poniatowaki , to the dignity of princes of taa Austrian empire _.

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 25, 1851, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_25011851/page/7/