The Express. — London, England, 1853-01-25 00:00:00

• N have some police stationed here, about men, but Mieg ate too few to be able to discharge the heavT duties so rieed in this neighbourhood, coupled with their moo ormalvisits to the Kama. I understand that whoa Cap enia Ramabottom was here a short time ego, he was made , . tele sensible of the aeceraity of increasing the police to 60 m os, who might, as he 'emoted, be distributed at eligible distances about the neighbourhood, making this place , • a et .pquarters, and I believe he promised to submit the matter to the Civil Commimioner of Uitenhage, but I am *surely ignorant of th reult, or whether Capt. Ranishot mot kept his promise or not. Everybody knows that the • ostensive woods alluded to above are the constant resort of the tete Is when driven from the Karroo, and believe I am within the mark when I say that Mr. Hough mai Stems. Kitkwood and Phelps have lost more mettle during the war than ell the farmers of Olifant's , Nook put together. Until a post of ten or twelve men be • matiourrt to keep those extensive woods dear of the enemy, &either life nor property will ever be secure ; and the same ' reel irk is equally applicable to that notorious refuge of the p e tals, the karma, which has been strangely overlooked in the di-tribution of the police. To say, as some have eon tended, that that nursery and nest of the rebels is clear of the cm my is utterly false. Even now it swarms with them. On the 29th ult., during the time Mr. B. Iladley's people were reaping on Dr. Campbell's farm at the Ohio, they saw four rebels go in and out of an unoccupied house belonging to Dr. C., 'boat half a mile up the valley from Bushman's Riser, end on the 30th three others were seen on another part of the farm to go in the direction of the Kama. A party of the police went from this place the following day la search of the rebels , but had not the lock to meet with t e e m, There is no remedy against those marauder.,_ but the estaNishment of a post of 15 or 20 men, saat Wait's f o rm, which would give them the command of Long's and jageell Drifts and the Kerrea also, the principal entrances ' into the Hoek. You, sir, have often end very properly al lied on the farmers to show unolumbering vigilsnce, but no vigilance, however unslumhering, can prevent the farmers in the Iloek from being plundered, and their lives being in constant jeopardy while these important positions are left unguarded; and if some measure of this kind I have suggested he no adopted, and without delay, it will be impossible for the farmers to get in their crops, end the go vernment as well as the farmers will be the sufferers. You meet y our self be fully sen-ible of the truth of these re marks, arid you would confer an essential benefit on this put of the cuuntry by caliieg the attention of the authori ties to the subject, and inducing them to adopt the necessity Mower( s. Information has reached town of the plunder on the night • of Wednesday last of Mr. Memo's krall on the Karreige. The robbers succeeded in getting off with about twelve head of cattle, chiefly coca, most of them purchased at Mr. Pollard's sale a "horn time since. The spoor of two Kaffira and one club footed Hottentot w a found on the spoor of these cattle, which, it appeared, had been driven in the first Matinee down the Kurtiga towards Paarde Kraal, whence, taming abruptly round, at went back as far as Brookbui eon's Poore Here the traces appear to have been lost, and it is supposed the stolen cattle must have been driven through the Poert and from thence scram the next ridge • into the bushy kloofs of the Fish River. Accounts from Fort Beaufort state that the gallant patriot Captain Lakeman has narrowly escaped death by the hands of a rebel Hottentot. No was out shooting accompanied by only a single attendant, and was beating abash, Cantain Lawman having gone one way and his servant another, when the former was fired on at so short a distance that the concussion knocked him down. His escape seems little shorn of a miracle, as the charge was of limper', some of which gassed his face, but fortunately without doing any serious injury. The ruffian who fired appears to have got off unscathed. Lient. John Miller, of the Albany police, succeeded yes postay, with a party of his force, in retaking two oxen bum two or three Hottentot marauders, whose spoor was Mewed for several miles through the most intricate part .01 t e Kowis Bush, near Paarde Kraal. The rebels es meal. One of the oxen is black, the other black and mfaes. Beth are in good condition; one is branded with arm letters. Two Hottentots apprehended by Lieut. Hartman, of the wiese, were sent into town yesterday. They belong to ilk C. M. Rifles, and, it is supposed, were endeavouring learnt at the time they were captuted. They were 'appeently making for the uurberg, where it is thought • aotorious rebel Brander is sheltered at this moment. 111 use two men have been handed over to the military emaarities. Lieut. Hartrisan's police captured two oxen hem the enemy last week. Ileassite TOIL Tax WEBIS.—IS will be Seen by the re ' pleb given to-day that another English inhabitant of Allhet's Hoek has been waylaid and shot by rebel Hot •IMMIs. At the date of the accounts the victim was not AM& sal hems were indulged that the injuries would not pew merta However this may be, the attempt at asesosi 'isles shows the absolute necessity of continual easties, 'ad also will afford an idea of the unsafe state of the sear My Mtn two years of expensive and trying warfare. The Mialitants of the locality in question eonopieks. ii mem of not having Worded to them that misimese Cr* ea= :e eeth the wt. peltiarlistyd of f rv t i h n e g ir or k' eore Itheatim, It berm berm in mind that Olifant's Hoek is at camel y am of Mimed valuable divisions of the colony, bet diem its bushy canister and other poculimitim, it is ear of as cant dangerous. Though net ea the immediate boar, may be said •ci be connected with it by mean of dime bray ravines which stretch Rem Zeillrieed through the 711411Lewie i laneiga, and Bushmen's River—until they abut on tirs Set hosts of Olifaat's Hoek. This io a fa vourite newt of the Rears in these of war, and homes the asemesity of beet Inaba With espeeial vigilance. The lased aril whir mese la ea Thursday brought no hialessee whaler a the gemiewer's movements, nor in ha an harden whatever hem the sovereignty. The aim had brie bevy in that infection, and as no news ppm wore received either from Bless Fontein or illemalieleet it is sewed the rivers were swollen tied ormanaus ipassaaa Letters from Bei- ere the eeat. One letter before us, the ee Shb states that a report was current, to Ile abet that the Bosoms Chief Moabesb bad sent for a esalter et lissesn, se also the Wesleyan missionary, *s Zee. Mr. Giddy; stud that on their attending his surn ame be bed made arm all prisoners, despatching an intl. Malin M the gessencir that should the troops venture to 41Meelis territory the whole would be immediately put to the& ' We do not at present give credence to this report, having, es we have stated, lettere Rem the same pees of a date a visa later, tibia de net aft diode to it. Weems leseeely suppose either AM Mahe* mead vesture ipso se dupe ate a seams—ems that timid pees bit under the hem of the DAM endeeides—wilbeee, es we think, =at.them teem waft their ecetemplatsd Gamma Cadman h not a man to be ea* bf as eximblat etdds.hemmerf sad If the Be. sesta china well widesil. or dera deer of his ewe interest, be al meet his Imelkare esedliatory eat ohms wiig.w te ague wham dillbsinees dmeisfuellsk and es their town imam& eeuelts.eseire awe Hashish ere thee le has el niai learee. that le hen era kept faith with the Brithh sad that be has shown that amgrestims= am ad& diambed, ma if weeheekod Is disturb, the pew of She ammar. Time are melba *la must sue be emseedod to dames. British power nest bs pat forth in thomaielemanos aright, sad Mae& mat be taught, and tinieugh We the ether tribes 'Wrist, "that honesty is the best policy." PROGRESS OF THE GOVERNOR. An extra number of the GraAaffe's Thera 1111111111 siDa. 14 says: latormation was received oa Saturday, after oar Jarmo we at press, from the Governor's camp up to the menelsi of the 4th instant. His excellency, with his staff, esdellent asemissioens, stc., ceased the Orange River into the es .erty on Teasley, the 30tb alt., on the mamas of tibieb day, at throe o'clock, his excellency left Hee= Imp. Ifs was received on the beaks of the b 7 the British Resident, Mr. Orton, and pavers) ether orals of the sovereignty, and by a large ply of burghers, wbo fired GE thew guns in token of them joy, sad te vel em" his Excellency into the Sovereignty. On Wednesday wrung, at three o'clock, his excellency's semi wee 'gala on the move, Colonel Eyre's division moviagareeel ths river from the colonial side, as the heed Tsar tor map moved off towards Caledon ; Col. M'Dal with 74th, 2ad Queen's, and ate company of the Rile Brigade having arrived at Mr. Villigon's farm on the sweing of the day the Governor arrived at th e Orange River. no head quarter camp was pitched at Commies Drift, on the Cale dos Rivet, on the afternoon of Wednesday the lst. On Tband&e, the 2nd, Col. Eyre, with hi s divier''cia, arrived at the same place, and on the 3rd Col. *Duff with his column wind, so that the whole force, consisting, it is said, of abase 2,600 men dell arms, was concentrated at the Orleans Hirst on the evening of the 3rd, when the post left. The soap is described as extending in a line of about two miles, aad presenting a mast formidable appearance, es may easily be conceived. It is not known what his excellency's policy lbwards Moebesh will be, but judging from the governor's determined character, the best course, wader the eirewn• noose, will no doubt b e a d op t e d. All sorts of reports were rife in the camp. Some say Moshosh's men have been patrolling the banks of the Caledon for several days past ahem that his eons will try their strength with the British —whilst others, who know the native character well, say that he has already sent off the bulk of his cattle into the laseassiblo and rugged mountains, and will try the effect of duplicity and evasion. Expresses, it is said, have been Mat Mite the chiefs by his excellency, but their contents hasp not transpired. The whole force, it is said, will move la a few dy e t owar d s P laat b erg, which' is situated about 20 miler from Thaba Bossion, the residence of the Chief Hashish, and about 100 miles from Commiesie Drift. His esetliency visited Smithfield on the 3rd, and returned to his camp the same afternoon. The weather is described Obeying been dreadfully hot and oppressive, and it is the Mader of the amp how his excellency—who invariably ride at the head of his division on horseback—stands the Pit*ee and heat so well. Ile is stated to be in excellent lealth, and good spirits. The country has suffered very severely from the visitation of locusts. Dr. Fraser, of &sem Fontein, is stated to!have suffered • for of 8001. in his pore by these destructive insects. Most of the farmers have lost their crops of grain as well as vegetables, and the Pas toallt has in many places been entirely destroyed. Very lie thunder rains had fallen, however, on the 2nd and 3rd hug., so that there will soon be abundance of grass. The "wry in advance, in the direction in which the camp is reeve is described as very fine. A report had reached ?le camp that • young farmer named Nieuwenhuys has rosin lete:y murdered by Mo-he.li'. neople. We do not urn what faith can be placed in this report, nor what water's it is intended to adept in consequence. If the be correct, it is to be hoped the murderers will be _ from the chief, and executed en the spot. The following government notice has been issued, dated Coloodal Ofles, Caps of Good Bops, 15th D•cember, 1862 :—A sleek in the employment of the Colonial Govern ment having declined to answer an inquiry addressed to him by direction of the Lieut.-Governor, whether during the peri..d of such employment he had been a contributor to, or directly or indirectly connected with, the newspaper pram of the colony, his honour di.ects it to be notified, for the information and guidance of the public service generally, that the followieg principles in reference to this subject have at various times, and so recently as the present year, been promulgated and enforced by her Majesty's govern ment : 1. Public anent* ere not, under any circumstances, to be contributors of political matter to a newspaper. 2. They may contribute articles of a literary or scientific character ; but such articles must bear the name of the con tributor attached. 3. Articles, although of a purely literary or scientific cha racter, are nut to be contributed to political journals which oppose the government. Any connexion with, or concern in such journals, is regarded at "inconsistent with the maintenance of that official subordination which is essential fo► the good of the public Denim." 4. Public servants who fail to exculpate themselves from the charge of violating the foregoing rules, an liable to be removed from their offices ; and " are not to suppose that no notice can be taken of their conduct, unless the charge can be substantiated ag.inst them in the same manner as would be necessary in the case of a criminal charge brought against an indtviduel in a court of law." 6. Public servants are required to answer any question, however tategorical, which may be put to them by authority of the government, respecting their connexion with public journals; or to deny the truth" of any imputation made unon them in that respect. And "if they refuse to do so, their removal must be the consequence." By his Honour's command, (Signed) R. SOCTIIIIT, Acting Secretary to Government. VOt Court. WINDSOR, SAN. 24. Prince Albert, attended by Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps, Lieut.-Col. the Hon. N. Hood, Lord Charles Pita- Roy, Lient.-Col. F. H. Seymour, and Lieut.-Col. Biddulph went out shooting this morning. The Earl Granville, the Earl of Aberdeen, and Lieut.- Col. the 11-n. A. and Mrs. Gordon, left the Castle by an early train this morning fur London. The Duke of Wellington arrived from London to-day, bad an audience of the Queen, and kissed hands on being appointed Master of the Horse. The Committee on Education of her Majesty's Most Hon. Privy Council had a meeting yeeterday at the Council °Mee, Whitehall. There were present the Lord Pre..ident, the Earl of Aberdece, the Duke of Argyll, Lord John Russell, the Marquis of Lansdowne , the Chancellor of the Ex chequer. and the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert. The Earl of Aberdeen arrived in town yesterday from a visit to her Majesty at Windsor Castle. Captain Stanley Cart, chairman of the " Committee of Australian Colonists," end Mr. Moor, of Melbourne, had an interview with the Duke of Newcastle yesterday et the Colosial.olSee. Earl Granville arrived in town from a visit to the Qoeen at Windsor Castle yesterday. Despatches were sent yesterday from the Colonial-Onlee to the Lord High Commissioner of the lonian Islands, and the Governors of Hong Kong end Ceylon. Despatches were also sent to the Governor of Natal. ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. The usual periodical meeting of this society was held lest evening, at the Royal Institution, Albemarle street; Sir R. T, Mcacalsos, the president of thesociety. in the chair. There was a large attendance of members, The subject which occupied the attention of the society was the geography of Africa, the three papers which were mad all having reference thereto. Several new members were admitted, including Capt. Lefroy, R.N., and James Locke, Esq., M.P. Dr. HODOZIN read a paper communicated by the Cheva lier Nigri Christoloro, of Turin—being an account of the ascent of the White Nile, to the second degree of latitude, by M. Rollet, of Sardinia. The writer described the counts of the river, and gave the names of the various tribes through which he passed, with notices of their appearance and manners. In some parts the river was so narrow, that it was crossed on the trunks of trees thrown from one bank to the other. Occasionally their passage .was interrupted by cataracts, where the river seemed to Mae Dom narrow fissures of rock. Some of the tribes be tween 6 deg. and 8 deg. N. lat carried on an extensive trade in ivory. The expedition was accompanied by a Boma catholic priest, named Don Angelo, who was well with the language of many of the tribes, and M mi e:s t alletely gained their confidence. He had ascer tained that none of these tribes had an. religion or govern ment of any sort—some believed that the sun had made the heavenly bodies, and that the elephant bad made man, They were fond of dancing and licentiousness; occasionally they held saturnalia, commencing at sunset, which were participated in by 7,060 or 8,000 persons of both sexes amongst whom all restraint was laid aside. They had a superstitious fear of killing any person, believing that his death would be revenged oa their families. The soil was fertile, but through ignorance of the means of culture, the natives often suffered from famine. Dr. HoDOIIN said he bad submitted this paper to his friend Mr. Manliness, who thought that some of the mea surements given by the author were incorrect, and doubted the statement that the waives were able to travel 30 geo graphical miles in a day; his experience led him to believe that they could not seemaplish more than 12. Still the papers were exceedingly valuable and useful. All the most reliable recent discoveries confirmed the statement of Martina' Tyre, 2,000 years ago, that the Nile sprung under the equator. The thanks of the society were voted to K. Rollet, Chev. Christoforo, Don Angelo, and Mr. Macqueen. The CHAIRMAN announced that a general discussion on African geography would be taken after all the papers bad A Mr. Nom, the secretary, reed an amount of • P emcee attics, from Zansebeir on the east to Benguelao 4 :2: west crust. by a Moorish caravan, communicated by the Fareigu-odice. This expedition, it was stated, had settled the proetisabelity of time journey. The Moors had left Zsamebar, and proceeded into the interior, for the purpose of trading with the natives, exebeeging their goods for ivory_asd slaves. Their journey had occupied els months; kr 1b dap they mot with so inhabltents whatever. Their me% so defiant en the map, appeared to lie between the M mid 12th dog. of south latitude. They occupied a day end a sight in crossing Lake Tangana in a boat which they boat kr the puimosii. On the west side of the lake t wist with • tribe who are in the habit of filing their The sand vete of thanks was paned to the sonitleesan wins bad somuswaiustal the paper ; also to Kr. W. D. Coo ley who lad furnished alma remarks on the pager. Mr Dams DONDAI steed that the thanks - al the qty shoal aim be given to by Iknelleney the P twassat) Ihr OM ascatragement his go hal shear stenala pegtarbisel ditarrery. ti l i f i e ttrd mianntakelien wee a ruse Omni of two ex peditions made into Central Africa by the Pomp, com municated by Dr. Barth. Chtiesider Burrow made moo remarks on a recent expo- Atka into the interior of Mika, under the diseetioa of the =tllll,llMlNKr id : sui • understood), and expressed a at' the two bed travellers now • there would be enabled to pursue their rmearchee = 'rely. The latest accounts from them were dated in September, and he was in expectation of shortly reesiviag further information. . _ . Tit;6a:;filsanexpirsseed his belief that the most anthem tie information as to the geography of Africa would be received through the Portuguese government. He had no doubt that some interesting record. were to be found in the archives of Lisbon. (lbw, hear.) Excellency the PORTVOURSII MINISTER neat ad dressed the meeting in French. Colonel Stan• said: that Portuguese cannon had been discovered 300 mile* in the interior of Africa. Before that it had had penetrated so far into that continent. He had no doubt that the researches now making would lead to some very valuable discoveries as to the course of the rivers in the interior. The thanks of the society were due to the authors of the papers. Mr. MONTOOXIIRT MARTIN said he thought that, while so mush attention was paid to the interior of Africa, it would be well if the society would turn its attention to ca plets the interior of Australis, whereby they would confer a great benefit on the country. (Applause.) Some further discussion followed, and the proceedings terminated with the usual vote of thanks to the chairman. EARLY CLOSING ASSOCIATION.—The following " Early Shopping - Pledge" is beins signed, through the agency of the Early Cloning Association, by that numerous slam the assistant tradesmen of London : " Believing the late-hour system to be unnecessary for all purposes of bust ens ; feeling it to be a grievous burden, and • bather to oas moral, mental, and social advancement ; and, believing the custom of late purchasing to be the mainstay of that un just and oppressive system, we, the undersigned young men and young women, engaged as assistants in the various houses of business in the metropolis, hereby solemnly pledge ourselves—let. That, henceforward, we will neither purchase nor order any article at a hatter's, hosier's, jeweller's, chemist's, tailor's, perfumer's, stationer's, draper's, or an y . other kind of shop, after six o'clock in the evening excepting in cases of extreme emergency. 2nd. That we will, other things being equal, deal at those shops, of whatever trade, which elo%e the earliest in their respec • live districts. 3r d. That we will, to the utmost extent of our power, induce our several friends and acquaintances to act upon the same resolutions." It is stated that arrange ments are being made to have a similar document signed by the public generally, especially by the lain of the metro polis. It i% believed that by this means an immense im petus will be given to the movement. THE Laws OF ENGLAND.—On the re-assembling of the hose of Commons, Mr. Phillimore, M.P., is to move an "address that her Majesty wil! he pleased to appoint commissioners to digest the law of England into a code. " DESERTION OF SEAMEN IN ADS MALIAN PORTS. The following important letter, addressed to the editor of the Nydney Beepers of Nov. 9, by Captain the commander of the Peninsular and °newel Company's screw steamer Formosa, reveals a most eitraortlinary state of things in Amtrak*: Sir,—My name has been brought forward so frequently of late, in connexion with the Water Police, that I feel forced to publish a plain statement of all the facts (from first to last) concerning the Formosa's crew. By your inserting this you will not only oblige me. but lay before the public an example of the great difficulties against which the shipping interest has to combat in Syd ney, and therehy, I trust, urge them to strong measures to inquire into and root out the evil, and establish a more healthy system (in the administering of the laws relating to shipping) in the place of the rotten and unjust one at pre , sent in practice. During the passage from England to Port Phillip, the Formosa's crew, in common with all other ships coining to Australia, conducted themselves disgracefully, so much so as to compel me on one occasion to keep all the seamen in irons for three days, and the two rink leaders, till I arrived at Port Phillip, where I prosecuted them and left them in gaol. Yet not one of this troublesom. , crew did I lose at Port Phillip, a place with far more inducements for seamen to desert than Sydney, and in our case (having to coal along. side three colonial vessels Muse to the shore), it offered equal facility. I have to thank the derision and promptitude of the Water Police Magistrate at William's Town for keeping my men. On arriving at Sydney, I was aware that my men would use every endeavour to desert, and, to induce them to re main, I offered to enter into an agreement with them, to give them up to Singapore, 101. per month, in addition to the pay they had, at Southampton, agreed ti serve fur, for three years. At this time they agreed to the proposal, but in the evening I received a letter signed by 21 seamen and firemen, stating that unless I eaneeiled my old articles, and agreed to bring them back from Singapore at the terms I offered, they would "stand their chance." I then told them the, as they refused my offer, I with drew it altogether. I then made arrangements for keeping the ship in the stream during her stay in port, allowed uu liberty or visitors to the crew, and, in fact, took such pre cautions to prevent desertion, that at length they refused to perform duty at all. flum.i.onses were then taken out by me for their arrest. The official log-book was read to them, collectively and individually, ani all the legal rigmarole was duly coniormed to, and the men were lodged in the watchbouse, the water police nragirrate giving me every assistance, and info-ming me that, after the committal of the men to gaol, I could, upon due application, have them sent on board previous to sailing out of the harbour. Thus far, whilst the matter remained in his hands, all seemed in • fair way towards success. Now mark the turn given to affairs as soon as the city of Sydney became the scene of action. I attended at the Police Court by appointment, I wait patiently for my case, I am sent for by the water police magistrate, and lammed that probably my case wil. not come on till very late, but that I may get it postponed by application to the bench through Mr. Powell, the in spector of police. I apply to Mr. Powell to make the appli cation, he consents, and I leave the court. Next comes my legal adviser, Mr. Nichols, who ascertains from the oppos ing solicitor that the case was postponed ; accordingly he, Mr. N., leaves the court. down after this the case is called on. Mr. Powell asks for postponement. The bench quar rel on the subject, and at length the majority admit the crew to bait on their own recognisances. Away go the men iota the town, mid in the afternoon some half dozen of them, drunk, repair to the ship, demanding some dinner, and stating that the megierates told them to come on board and make themselves comfortable. The chief officer of course refused them admittance, well knowing the hin drance which a gang of drunken and disorderly seamen would be to a ship teen in a critical position and requiring every attention, with a number of men employed in the room of these fellows at 10s. per day each. When these facts came to my knowledge, I saw immediately that the mischief was dune, and knowing that these men, after com munication with the crimps, lodging-house keepers, and runaway sailors in the town, even if compelled to sail in the ship, would come on board so prepared as to create • mu tiny of a very serious nature as soon as we got to sea. Not being anxious to be brought before the public (as the captain of the Georgians has been), I at once deter mined to abandon all prosecution, and let the men go about their business; intending at the same time to refu-e their discharges and clothes, as they all received two months' advance on the 4th August last, and, with one exception, all left behind them a monthly note, which cannot be stopped till the 19th January next, thus leaving them in debt to the slip some two months' wages. The men, half druok, then in a body stop me in the street, and creating a great disturbance, much to me annoyance and hindrance of passers-by, demand in angry terms their discharge. 1 re rased. They then ask it I will admit them on board the ship. I reply, "Yes, to work on the original and existing agreement." They say, "No; if we come, we come on our own terms." On Wednesday last, the plies apprehended two men at Morpeth, without any warrant or instructions from me. Why these two men were taken I cannot conceive, when 16 others of the crew had been daily lcuoging about Lower George-street, and no notice taken of them. I declined prosecuting them, for the same reason as before, because they no :onger could be of any use to me, and the expendi ture of my time is of more value than the mere gratifica tion of having them lodged in gaol. I was next sued by 14 of these men in the Supreme Court for 291. each (why this exact sum was pitched upon I know not), and I found that as they sued as paupers (the lawyers and crimps I presume round the money fur the expenses), that to defend the action would cost some 3001., and then, when a verdict was gained, I could not recover 300 farthis ge. My solicitor then applied to the seamen's solicitor to stay all proceedings till the next day, when an arrangement could be made, which was agreed to. Yet after this, Thursday morning, I find six more summonses issued, and threatened, if theft were not paid, the others would not settle the affair. One of these men left Sydney in the Shamrock the day before, and could, therefore, have had no interest in the affair. I was therefore compelled to compromise, and yield to any demand the lawyer chose to make (for Jack now appears to me to have had little more to do with the matter), rather than expend time and money upon a vexatious lawsuit, and become a martyr for the public good ; and, liberal ant wealthy as the company is in which I serve, yet the diets tors would scarcely like to find that they were obliged to st ind up alone to expose an abuse which affects the whole shipping interest, and has for some time been tolerated in Sydney, and appears likely to exist still longer, if the press and public do nut take the matter up, both here and in England. I remain, air, your obedient servant, WILLIAM PARFITT. _ Steam-ship Formosa, Sydney, ii;7.1,1i32: -- P.S.—The ship is now detained for want of men, after our going to the enormous eapense of working day and night to get ready, in order to start punctually and save the mail, for the accommodation of the public. CHARM° CROSS HOSPITAL—The committee in the annual statement of the operations of the hospital state that in the course of the tut year 16,286 indigent sick persona were admitted on the books for relief, at a cost of 2,6631. 4s. Old. ; of these, 1,282 were in-patients, and 15.204 were out-patients (many of whom were visited at their own homes, and the greater part were restored to the blessings of health and to their occupations for the support of their families.) These, with the cases reported informer annual statements, make a total of 211.144 sick and needy individuals who have partaken of the advantages of the institution, from its commencement, in 1818, to the 31st December, 1852. In their last statement, the committee furnished a detail of the cases of accident and sudden inju ries which had been brought to the hospital in the preced ing year. These cases have, during the last year, amounted to 2,428; of which, 324 were so dangerous as to require to be immediately samitted in-patients. Altoge ther 16,286 patients were admitted during the last year, I,4o4;were with letters of recommendation, and 14,882 were admitted without any recommendation. AUSTRALIAN EMIGILANTB.—A brother to a highly respectable tradesman in Southampton left the Dewns on the 3rd of July last, in the ship Pavement, bound for Port Philip. He took out two nephews with bim—one 14 and the other 16 years of ego, who went out to seek their fortune. On Setarday the tradesman is question received a letter from his brother. The letter states that they had • very prosperous voyage. They sailed on the great circle principle, and as high as 64 deg. south latitude. They ex perienced no head winds, and there wee no sickness on board during the whole of the voyage. They arrived at Port Philip en the 30th of September. He sap also that he and his nephews obtained situations almost Immediately in Melbourne. He himself got into the establishment of a jeweller, watchmaker, and gold-broker. There jobbing watchmakers get from 20s. to 30s. per day. Labour of all kinds is very plentiful and provisions are enormously dear. Flour Is 461. a ton in Melbourne, and 150 L • ton at the diggings. Robberies were very nu merous and murders and hangings wtre common. Just before he landed at Port Philip he bought a pistol of a fellow passenger for 21., and told at for 121. to the boatman who landed him, and he foun I afterwards that he could have got 241. for it amber*. Revolvers which can be par chased for six guineas is London, fetch forty view in Melbourne. _ _ PEMBROKESHIRE MILITIA.—In consequence of the quota of men for the county not being attainable by enlist ment, a meeting of the lieutenancy is to be hi ld on the sth of February for arranging the ballot. The plenitude of labour on the railroads in the neighbourhood, and not the dislike of soldiering, is the cause of having thus to resort to the ballot. _ MIDDLE CLABBER FREEHOLD LAND SOCIETY.- Yesterday evening a meeting was held at Peele's Coffee house, Fleet-street, for the purpose of explaining the ob jects of the above society, and to elect trustees and receive subscriptions. This chair was occupied by one of the direc tors. The Secretary having read the report, the Chiir man said it was proposed to form this society, the objects of which were to raise, by subscriptions of members and in shares of 601. each, a fund, out of which every member should receive the amount or value of his share for the par chese of real or leasehold estate, and which he thought would prove a good investment for both We middle and the lower classes. After speaking of the benefits which build ing !societies conferred on the country and the public, ho said that this society, unlike the National or Conservative, did not care what were the p+litical opinions of its member.. After some remarks horn Mr. Rogers, the Solicitor, and the Secretary, some resolutions were pused, and three gentlemen elected as trustees and sic as arbitrators, when some subscriptions were received and the meeting sepa rated. THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 25, 1853. UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA. A special general meeting of the proprietors of the above-named company was held yesterday, at their offices in Old Broad street, Mr. CIIIIMINIP in the chair, at which the following supplemental report and statement or accounts, to Dee. 31, 1832, was read : " The directors have the satisfaction of reporting the con tinued prosperity of the bank at all its branches. The rapid expansion of the Vabilities of the banks in the colo nies, arising out of the esteut of the gold discoveries, caused in the earlier months of last year some restriction of the facilities granted to the merchants, who were engaged in making shipments of gold. The large amount of coin, how ever, sent from hence about the same period, was gradually being received at the date of the last advice., and would probably have soon rendered prudent the removal of such restriction,. The general trade of the colonies has been largely and profitably increased; and the directors are happy in being able to state their belief that the interests and operations of ft ick owners and other settlers have been on the whole far less disturbed or impeded than at firkt there was reason to apprehend. The colonies of South Australia, Van Diemen's Land, and New Zealand, have participated i . • very remsrkable degree in the general prosperity which has arisen out of the gold discoveries in New South Wales and Victoria. The manner in which the inspector has devoted himself to the hank's interests, and the general conduct of its affairs, uuder new and ditaeult circumstances, merits the marked approbation of the directors ; and it is but justice to say that he bas been ably seconded in his arduous duties by the local directors and managers of the several branches. The officers generally have entitled themselves to the approval of the directors during a very critical period. The directors have to record with deep regret the death of their much respected colleague, James ltuddell Todd, Esq., the vacancies occasion. d by which, and by the retirement of Robert Gardner, Esq , of Manchester, have been provisionally filled in conformity with the deed of settle ment, by the appointment of Robert Campbell, Esq., late of Sydney, and John Blosam Elim, Esq., of this city, who retire at this meeting in accordance with the provisions of the deed, and now offer themselves fur re-election. The , directors now proceed to submit the statement of accounts, which present an amount of profit for the six months now reported on of 107,3441. 7s. 94. (Cheers.) This profit ad mits of 106,6001. being appropriatedifor the purpose of divi dend, to apply as interest on the paid up capital, a.. 4 the same will therefore furnish a dividend by way of interest at the rate of thirteen per cent.—(loud cheers)—(fur the half year) on the anso..nt paid up, in respect of each share in the capital of the company, payable in London, free of in come tax—(hear, hear)—on Tuesday, the Bth of February, and in the colonies, with the addition of 74. in the pound, as soon as the inspector shall fix after the receipt of &deices." --------. Branch accounts Bills payable and sundry balances Profit and loss Reserve fund 200,000 0 0 Paid-up capital 820,000 0 0 £2,808,673 5 Brant& accounts Bills receivable 142,619 6 3 Government .took, and loans ou security 1,08.1,910 8 6 Open policies, &c. Cash Investment in 31 per cents.—for reserve Lund £2,608,673 6 5 STATZMIXT OP PROFIT/. Balance of undivided pro. fit at June, 1862 £94,621 0 7 From which are to be de- ducted amount toted proprietors in July, 1&52, to complete reserve fund £27,5!1 0 7 And amount transferred to deductions from Bank Pre mime account 4,784 11 3 -- 32,32.5 11 10 £62,295 8 9 To which are nrw to be added the tweets of the past half-year, ending at the Branches 30th June, and at the London Office December 31, 1862 107,344 7 9 169,639 16 6 DIDUCT : Dividend and bonus paid at Midsummer, 1862 49,200 0 0 Balance of undivided profit at Ude date Elfffi,439 16 6 The CHAIRMAN cousidered it nue-eery, in adverting to this very satisfactory report (us he had nu doubt it would be considered), to intimate to the., proprietors who had but recently come into the company, and had not therefore been in the habit of attending their meetings twice in each year for the lest fourteen years, that the prosperity of the Union Bank of Australia was not of recent date, but that in those past times when the Australian colonies were in • state of more or less distress the directors had been enabled so to manage its affairs as with benefit to the colonies and with perfect safety to the bank to divide a fair profit among the shareholders. (Hear, hear.) At ell events, he was justified in saying that they had divided • profit that was considered satisfactory, for he scarcely recollected a meeting in that room, whether crowded (like the present) or not, that had occupied more than half an hour. now, after the reports which had been just read, it needed no remarks of his to prove to those new proprietors pre sent—and there must be many of them, for there had ban extensive changes in the list of shareholders during the lass six months—that the company was in a state of great prosperity. (Cheers.) It was the pleasing duty of the directors to present to their proprietors on the present octet Mon a Christmas plum pudding, containing more than NM good plum; and looking at their position and prospeels, Obey hoped to be able to do the same annually for many yawn to some. (Cheers.) It was true that they would have is future to navigate that which was, in some respects, a eery different sea from that in whizh they had hitherto Sidled—that they would have to navigate a sea crowded with competing craft—hut with regard to that prospect of haressed competition, all he wished to say was, that he hoped the imam new banks which were being established would Anew the example of this, and by prudently regulating their proceedings secure benefit to their proprietors and to the colonies in which their operations were to be carried on. (Hear, hear.) If they did Do they might be enured they would the Union Bank neither antagonistic nor on hissdly to, but ready to co-operate in, those measures of pesdonts and caution which alone could give permanent esseass. (Hear, hear.) He trusted they would all prosper, Ass he had no doubt that in such prosperity the Union Bank .alt share. (Hear, hear.) He then proceeded at some length to describe the parsoadlogs in a Chancery suit, brought against the m he instance of two holders of shares upon which 21. lOtt. soh only had been paid, and who claimed to share equally ia the dividend with the pro prietors of those shares upon obi& 261. had been paid. The eleha was founded on a partial weadlog of sustain words in sae edit ahem is tho had 4 am" — t. and had been resisted an the sadwrity of an asked opiates given by Sir F. Kelly, Mr. Zoandell Palmer, and Mr. Oliver Farrow. Ultimately on Saturday last the plaintiff, Mr. Williemson. had directed his solicitor to withdrew the cast, which had been done, and the suit was consequently abandoned. Mr. BORHOWDALI moved the adoption of the report, and took occasion to congratulate the shareholders on the pros perous condition of the company, and especially on the sub stantial dividend which the directors had announced. He wished, however, to know whether any informatio• bad been received from the colony since the accounts had boss made up, which might in any way tell upon their future prospects ? The CHAIM/lAN replied that when a period of treat al versity existed, and the directors received information after the date of making up the accounts of circumstances which threatened to entail heavy losses upon them, and thereby curtail future dividends, he had certainly thought it his duty to make the proprietors acquainted with it; but the case was now directly the opposite. (Hear, hear.) The directors had annouaced a dividend which ought to satisfy every shareholder—(lond cheers)—and which they would n have proposed had they received any adverse news. (Hear, hear.) They had given all the information they bad to the date at which the accounts were made up, and they (the directors) had no reason to complain of anything that had come to their knowledge since, but rather otherwise. (Hear, hear.) Under these circumstances, he thought it better to say as little on the subject as possible. (Cheers.) The motion having been seconded, was carried unani mously, as was another confirming the dividend of 13 per cent. free of income tax, the latter amid much cheering. The Cnatawaie, in reply to a que tion, stated Vat 200,0001. beiog now set apart as a reserve fund, and as us more deductions would be made from profits on that account, the proprietors would in future have divided amongst than the whole profits made in each half year. A PHOPHIIIIOII—Of course a provision will be mado foe losses by bad debts in each half-year's account ? The CHM/MAN—We invariably lay aside for such par poses an amount more than saMcient to meet anything that can possibly arise. The vacancies in the direction having been filled up, as recommended in the report, a vote of thanks was, on the motion of Mr. Hoorsa, passed in favour of the chairman and his co-directors, with which the proceedings termi nated. FIRE IN PEMBROKE ROYAL DOCKYARD.-011 Sun day night, about 12 o'clock, a fire was discovered in one of the officer's cabins in this dockyard, which, from the fortunate circumstance of its early detection, and the prompt mea sures adopted lot its suppression, did little irjury. These cabins, instead of being separate and distinct stone sod worts; buildings, are very improperly part and parcel of extensive ranges of wooden seasoning sheds, to one of which, if the fire had extended, the amount of damage would have been enormous, and the possibility of arresting the effects of the destructive element problematical in the extreme. The origin of the fire remains a mystery. - - LEvEN RAILWAY.—It will gratify the friends and supporters of this project to learn that the directors of the Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee line are now prepared to recommend to the shareholders the adoption of the contract which was postponed at the last half-yearly meeting iu September. In the event of this adoption—of which there can be no doubt—this branch will be immediately pro ceeded with; and six months or loss, it is said, will enable the contrecter to have the rails ready for the locomotives.— Fife/lure Journal. CURIOUS CASE OF HYDROPHOBIA IN SHEEP. A somewhat extraordinary series of events have lately occurred in this neighbourhood, involving the loss of • number of sheep. The circumstances are as follow:—On the evening of the 17th December last, Mr. Sinclair, James street, Macduff, observed one of his sheep, which had been at pasture in • park near the town, making towards his house bleeding copiously. In examining it he discovered that the lower jaw bone of the animal had been broken. Naturally anxious for the safety of the rest, he proceeded to the field, on reaching which, he found two of his sheep I lying dead, fearfully mangled. Beside the carcases crouched a large dog, which began to growl at, and ' seemed not indisooeed to attack, Mr. Sinclair. He suc ceeded, however, in driving him off; but as the night was coming on, he failed to identify the animal. The wounded sheep was so much injured that there was no hope of its continued existence, and it was accordingly put to death. Next day information was made to the authorities by Mr. M'Pherson, farmer, Melrose, that on the same night os which the above took place his flek of sheep bad been attacked by a strange dug while in their (old, and that several of them had been destroyed. On inquiry being made, it appeared that on the night in question, Mr. M'Pherson's shepherd was aroused by hearing a peculiar sound as if of struggling, proceeding from the sheep cote. He at once got out of bed, and, taking the precaution to load his gun, proceeded to the spot. Here he observed a large deg working sad havoc, worrying the sheep in • most savage manner. Seising a favourable opportunity, which soon offered, the shepherd fired his piece and sounded the dog, which then tin off a short distance. The shepherd, again loading the gun, dis charged it at the animal, again wounding him. The savage creature now turned upon has assailant, offering serious resistance, but he was beat down with the butt end of the gun and killed on the spot. The dog was a large powerful dark gray animal, and was judged to be a cross between • bull dog and • collie. On examining the flock, it was discovered that the brute had managed to kill (our of the sheep, besides severely wounding other four. At the time the unfortunate occurrence took place, it was not suspected that the dog was in a rabid state. Next day, however, Mr. M'Pherson took the precaution to remove the four wounded animals from the rest of the fl They were carefully attended, and had in a measure regained their wonted appearance. On the 6th instant, however, two of them began to assume a restless appear ance, and refused to feed. On the Sth still more characteristic symptoms were exhibited, and the fell dis ease, hydrophobia, was only too apparent. The poor crea tures foamed at the mouth, and, contrary to their nature, became completely furious, attempting to butt the shep herd, who was at last obliged to put a period to their misera. ble exia'eoce. Three days after namely, on the 11th, another of the flock, au animal w hichi had been wounded by the rabid dog, but so slightly that it was not previously observed, also exhibited unmistakeable symptoms of being infected by the same disease, and was put to death en the following day, along with three others which were then dis covered to be in the same unfortunate condition. On the 14th, • careful examination of the entire flock was made, when an additional animal was found to be in the last stages of the frightful disease, and was immediately de stroyed. The number of sheep thus lost to Mr. M'Pher son as not less thin 11 out of a flock of 74. The carcases of the whole 14 were either buried or otherwise so disposed of that no don or other animals could have access to feed on them.—Bonffshire Journal. REVIEW OF THE FOREIGN CORN TRADE. (From the Mark-Mee laprese.) The advice, from abroad are for the moment of comparatively little interest. Prices of wheat are in most instances relatively higher on the Continent than in the English markets, and there is no opportunity of doing busi ness with advantage. The weather appears to have been similar in character over the greater part of the north of Europe to that experienced here. The roads in many parts of Germ's; had, we are informed, become almost impose , able, owing to the absence of frost and the great full of rain. This had naturally interfered wilt' the regular trans mission of supplies from the int.rior to the ports of ship ment. and stocks in warehouse having been reduced into a narrow compels by the autumn shipments, the somewhat dull reports from Great Britain had failed to shake the con fidence of !widen._ Daneig letters of the 18th inst. state that a good business had been done there in wheat, partly on speculation. In the course of two or three days about 8,000 qr. had changed hands at very fall terms, ray Ws. for Bee high milted weighing 621bs. to 031bs. per bushel, and 475. to 4.9 e. per qr. free on board for 601tka. mixed. . At KonigsbuT on the lith inst. wheat was held very firmly ; the bad state of the road had prevented supplies coming forward, and the little wheat which had come to hand had met a ready sale ; 60e. bad been paid for 614 lbs. high.mixed, 48s. for mixed, and 46,. per quarter free en board in spring for red. Stettin letters of Tuesday inform us that comparatively few transactions had taken place since that day week, end that prices had in the interval undergone no change re quiring notice. From Rostock we have advice. of Monday's date. The neighbouring growers had supplied that market rather freely, and the export demand having fallen oil prices had slightly receded, more especially for eecoudary qualities, which had been offered 435. to 465. per quarter free ou board. Barley bad not moved off so freely as before; but good 52i1bs. to (albs. emorke hod not been offered below 255. per quarter free on board. At Hamburg on Tuesday wheat was held with much ' firmness, and good red upland could not then have been bought below 48s. The commoner kinds were quoted from 1465. to 475. per qr. free on board. From out-porta there had been offers of 6111 m. red wheat at from 47e. up to 4h.. 16d. per qr. according to quality, port of shipment, Ac. In prices of spring cora no change bad taken place since the previous post.day ; 63Ibs. Danish barley had been held at 265., and 381 M. to 391bs. oats at 17s. 6 d. to 17s. 9d. per qr. free3on board in spring. In the Dutch markets prices of wheat seem to have been well supported. The greater part of the supply of New Zealand brought forward at Rotterdam on Monday sold at full terms, and red Rhine wheat was in fair request, 61ilbs. quality bringing 48s. 6d. per qr. The accounts from France are of a less lively character the last week or two than previously. The supplies of wheat from the growers appear to have about kept pate with the demand ; prices had not, it seems, varied mate rially at any of the leading markets, but the tendency bad been downwards. Should any material rise take place here it might induce shipments of wheat and flour to a mode rate extent from France; but the prevailing belief there is that if exports should be made, it would probably after wards be found necessary to import. At Paris on Wednesday, flour was dull of sale ; and se condary qu alities were in some instances sold about lfr. per sack cheaper than on that day week. Wheat was more plentiful than before, and the turn cheaper. From Marseilles we learn that business bad been much interfered with by the scarcity of vessels. Very little had been done for immediate shipment; but considerable con tracts had been entered into fordelivery in spring, at 378.6 d. for 60 lbs. to 611bs. Polish Odessa; 395. 6d. to 41e. per qr. free on board for Miuianopoli. A letter from Alexandria, dated 6th inst., informal's that above 200,000 qrs. wheat had changed hands there within • fortnight. This had caused some rise in prices; but the demand having afterwards slackened, quotations had come down again to about their previous level, viz., 33e. ad. to 365. for Shuns Seidl, and 325. to 32e. 6d. per qr. free on board for private Schein. There were about 40 vessels completing their cargoes. At Galata, on the 3rd Jan., there was not much doing. Freight to the United Kingdom was 14e. 6d. per qr. GENERAL BENEVOLENT AIIsOCIATION.—The fifth annual general meeting of this emaciation was held last night, in the London Tavern, Dr. Little in the chair. The object of the society is to afford timely relief to persons in dirress in order that they may be afterwards enabled to newer'their position by their own exertions, and prevent them from falling into the condition of complete pauperiem. The report stated that 42 eases had been relieved in the year, of which 29 had been investigated, and the reports on 14 were favourable. There were about 33 annual subscriben added to the list during the ar. The subscriptions amounted to 941. Se., donations U. 2.. The balance at the end of the previous year amounted to 1031. 91., making altogether, with loan returned, a sum of 2011. 19s. Of this SOL had been expended for purposes of re lief ; and, after deducting ether small items, there remained a balance of 1101. With a view of increasing the funds of the association and extending its operations, the committee recommended the holding of pe riodical meetings in different parts of the metropolis, feeling assured that when its objects were known it would receive a hearty and general support. Mr. Leon Isaac moved and Mr. Besse seconded the adoption of the report, which was unanimously agreed to. It was also resolved to hold meet ings in different parts of the metropolis, in order to make known the objects of the association, and a sum not exceed ing 201. was appropriated to carry out the resolution. Dr. Little was appointed president, and Mr. Wilkinson, II Mr. Bell, F.It.S., Mr. Bessemer, C. 8., Mr. Waley, M.A., wero appointed vice-presidents. The office bearers for the year were appointed, and a vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings._ LEWEN.-EXTENSIVE EARTH-SLIP ON THE BRACE Mouter.—The inmates of the Lewes Arms were awakened out of their sleep about half-past three on Monday morning by a loud rumbling noise, as though some portion of the house was falling. Mr. Emery, the landlord, immediate:y jumped out of bed, and, without waiting to dress, rushed down stairs. Finding all right there he proceeded to the back window of the dining-room, opposite to which he noticed a confused mass of earth, trees, rubbish, &c., which had fallen upon, and burst in, the roof of a small out building. It was afterwards ascertained that a large por tion of the south-east portion of the mount had given way, and completely overwhelmed the outbuilding mentioned. It is calculated that not less than from 40 to 50 tons of earth, trees, and substratum (principally chalk) have fallen, leaving a large chasm of 10 or 12 yards in length, and reaching from near the base to the summit. The damage is estimated at more than 301. The mount itself, which was formerly an adjunct or portion of the old Lewes Castle, is evidently of artificial formation, but has at some former period borne the weight of a building, the remains of which are still to be seen, immediately under the platform, on the south-west side. The eminence is celebrated for the beau tiful view which it commands of the surrounding country, and is visited by parties from all parts of the county. We trust that steps will be taken to repair the damage sus taitted.--Siisset Expreu. VOLUNTEER RIFLE CLUBS. TO TIN IDITOI OF Till WILMS. Stn,—Allow me to ask, through you, whether any thing is doing by the members of the various rifle dull* that were formed, or in course of formation, at the accession of the Derbyites to power, twelve months ago, but which were, for the time at least, checked by the sapient hut chilling decision of Mr. Walpole? I, tor one, was deeply disappointed at that decisioa, and know that, had it not been made, more than one volunteer corps would have been formed in this neighbourhood; and now that we have a government of • different, and 1 trust a better stamp, I have looked with some anxiety for symptoms of revived action among the volunteers of the south of England, which would, I do not doubt, be speedily followed by others throughout the kingdom. At the parting meeting of the metropolitan Club espe cially the resolution was very strongly expressed of con tinuing their orgmisation and practice, and awaiting, a more favourable time for again offering tteir servi es to her Majesty. Assuredly the state of affairs abroad, which suggested the offer they made, is not less precarious than it then was, and, in spite of our now having a militia, I be lieve that the call for the voluntary metiers of patriotic citizens is no less imperative ; and I think Lord l'almir ston would not be lets willing to accept them than Sir George Grey was. Has the Metropolitan applied for the sanction of government, or what do thty it.tend to do? No time should surely be lost. A year has been already wasted, which, employed by these corps in equippicg and drilling themselves, would have given us at this moment a force that would have gone tar to make successful infusion impossible. We in the country are lool.ing fur leaders, and Dupe to Iliad them in the metropolia. I am, sir, your obedient servant, ANGLUS. Manchester, Jan. i 2, 1833. A " RAILWAY POLICE." TO THE EDITOR OP THE DAILY NEWS. SlR,—Allow me to draw the attention of your readers to the following letter, sent to Lord Palmerston : A prolonged series of railway accidents has at length excited the public attention to railway travelling. I request consideration to the following propositions : The expediency of forming a Railway I'olice, similar in organization to the Metropolitan. Rail% ay property, direc tion and government are distinct from the supervision for the safety of passengers. This part of travelling cannot he private property. The companies have entered into In implied contract with the public to adopt every precaution whizh can afford security, and if the companies cannot ful fil their. engagement the public are entitled to take the matter into their own bands. Railweys should be con sidered as roads and streets, and be under the same species of _superintendence. A police is efficient in pro portion to its discipline, nor can any be effective whose disci pline is much less than military.llence a railway police should be is distinct body, under the command of experienced chiefs, and to that police should be entrusted the cure of railways. Thus police would act on all the line. der a uniform system. Suppose a division of the Metropolitan pollee to have the charge of a rail way, the instil etors or other officers being station masters, and the regulations of start ing, stopping, &c. (the times being fixed by the directors of each company), and the control of the guards (also police men) and of the drivers committed to them, doubtless acci dents would but rarely occur. At the present time our railways are under no general system and organisation; there is little discipline and sub -4toation—no unity—no central authority ; and under - •-wces accidents are inevitable. Any loss of patronage would not be put by the direcors or vimpanies into competition with the preservation of the lives of the public. The government alone can tfeetively establish a railway police. I have the honour ti be, &c., Lineoln's•inn, Jan. 21. F. 11. ELWIN. MUSIC. MR, ALLCROFT'S CONCERT. Last night Mr. Allcroft gave what he called "a grand musical festival" in Exeter Hall. It was ono of those entertainments which thin gentleman has long been in the habit of giving, and to which that portion of the public who are not much accustomed to concert-going are attracted by a hill of far,• more profuse than recherchi, and possess ing the additional attraction of great cheapness. We are far from objecting to concerts of this kind: they in duce and enable many people to bear music of a kind which prob a bly would not otherwise be come known to them, and thus tend in some de gree to improve the public taste. Mr. Alleruft brings together, certainly at no small expense, every eminent performer within his reach, and is thus enabled, in his bills and advertisements, to make a display of names which never fails to "draw." Last night. Exeter-hall was fuller than at the greatest performances of the Siered Har monic Society—it was, indeed, crowded to suffocation. The programme was of enormous length, coot iining no less than forty pieces of vocal and instrumental music ; besides • number of national ditties by the Tyrolese singers, introduced between the parts. At this season the number of eminent performers in London is but small, and Mr. Alleroft swelled his list by a good many names unknown L. , fame; but still he was able to muster, as vocalists, Madame Fiorentini, Mr. Sims Reeves, Mile Rebecca Isaacs, Miss Kathleen Fitzwilliam, Madame Doris, Madame F. Lablache, Miss Dolby, Mr. Leffler, and Signor F. Lablache ; and, as instrumentalists, Mlle. Coulon, M. Sainton, Mr. Richardson, and Mr. Case. The list incluied the name of " the unrivalled Signor Bot tesini"—a great attraction certainly ; but we du not know how it came to be inserted, as Signor Bottesini is profes sionally engaged at Paris, and could not be in London at this time. An entertainment of this kind is not a subject for criticism. The perfornera sing or play the things which they are most in the habit of singing or playing, which re quire the least preparation, and are attended with the least trouble to thentaelves; things which are familiar to the musical listener but are not, on that account, the lees agreeable to a popular audience. Such was the case last evening; every piece at all remarkable, either in itself or in its performance, was so well known as to be even hackneyed ; but the heartinere of the applause was not diminished on this account, and the applause, generally speaking, was be stowed with discriminating judgment. FATAL TERMINATION OP THE CASE OF CRUELTY AT THR 011.111NWICH UNION. —The late atrocious C2llO of barring at the Greenwich Union-house has excited much attention throughout the country, and we have now to announce that, after a most lingering illness, consequent on the injuries received, the child Gaywoiid is no more, death having put an end to its sufferings on Sunday last. The public will very naturally ask, is the farcical sentence of 14 days' imprisonment, passed by the Common Serjeant, at the late session of the Central Criminal Court, to atone for the depriving of this child of life ? If so, then, indeed, are the poor left in our unions without protection; for there can be little doubt but that the injuries inflicted have been the cause of its death. From the time the discovery was made till the day of its death the child became exceedingly ill, and such was its state on Friday last, that Dr. Sturton called in the assistance of Mr. South, the eminent surgeon of Guy's Hospital, who, on seeing deceased, at once pre nonneed the case hopeless, and that there was no chance of its recovery. The nurse, Oldham. we may mention, was liberated from Newgate on the 15th instant, and a very' few hours afterwards made her appearance at the Greenwich Union in a disgraceful state of intoxicadon, and, claiming admission, said that a gentleman had given her a glass of wine, thus rendering her in the condition she was then in. At the meeting of the board on Thursday she made her appearance before the guardians, when they unanimously resolved to expel her the house. The child, we may add, was an orphan, its widowed mother having, at the recent visitation, been taken off with the cholera, and, previous to the injuries inflicted, was one of the healthiest and liveliest in the house. The question now remains to he decided— whether the inhuman monster esa or cannot be again ar raigned, seeing that death has since resulted from her con duct, and made to answer a charge, if not of wilful mur der, at least of manslaughter. If she is altogether to escape then, indeed, is the law of England au anomaly.—Kentish Mercury. REBECCAITES IN SOMERSET.—A proceeding which has excited much attention around the district between Bath, Frame, and Warminster, took place on Thursday morning last, being no less than the forcible removal of one of the turnpike gates belonging to the Black Dog Trust. This trust, for some time past, it appears, has been in diffi culties, and under the provisions of their act the trustees, a few months ago, endeavoured to compel the parishes through which their roads pass to repair them. They failed, however, in consequence of its being shown that a former treasurer was a defaulter to the extent of about 6,0001., and that this sum had not been brought into the accounts. Accordingly, since that time, neither the trustees nor the parishes have repaired the roads, which have now beanie in a shocking state, while the bondholders, who have seised the gates, continue to take the tolls for their own security. High tolls and bad roads have caused com plaints to be incessant, and about one o'clock on Thursday morning last a number of persons quietly assembled, and not only unhinged, but carried away, the massive gates at Midford, about four miles from Bath. The firing of seve ral guns had the effect of keeping the tolltaker within doors, and so effectually was the thing done that not the slightest trace has since been obtained of the missing gates, or any clue to the persons whe removed them. THE NEW CAPE MAIL STEAMER HYDASPES reached Southampton from London, on her way to Plymouth, at 2 o'clock on Monday morning. She fired two guns on enter ing Southampton water, which being a signal for a mail packet from abroad, and the Tagus, with the Peninsular mail, being due, the government authorities wire aroused from their beds, and a special train for conveying the mills to London got ready. Every line of mail packets ought - to have peculiar signals, on entering Southampton water, no , cording to where they come from; and commanders and pilots ought to observe the utmost care in attending to those signals. The Hydaspes is a noble vessel. She is in the inner dock. The dock people were to work all last night, getting 600 tons of cargo into her. She is to leave South ampton tomorrow for Plymouth, to take the mails in. The mail screw steamer Lady Jocelyn was hourly expected at Southampton yesterday from Plymouth to discharge her cams. When she arrives there will hp four of the General Screw Company's steamers in the Southampton Docks at one time—viz., the Queen of the South, the Harbinger, the Hydaspes, an the Lady Joeels n. biter :ended her mails at Plymouth three days before they were due at the Post-office.