The Express. — London, England, 1851-12-24 00:00:00

. 1; but du hoped the Cortes will use their earnest l outs to put down that Cabralista spirit of assami aatwo shicb pervades sonic districts, parti c ula r ly T at s Red, where some new attempts at political wa der base been made. The financial deer e, of which I sent you a copy in or pant, has been received by all parties with a very b id gra ce. The Cateslistaa attempted to turn it to their own political advantage, by getting up a mob , eroccssicu to the Palace, but it failed. Three extraordinary credits have been opened by thc lint•ter of Finance, authorised by decree; one t, t e r 400,000 reit, to restore the tonnage duties to the c ustomhouses , Oporto ; another for 261,746 refs to pay, the dad= and imports in the administra tive district of iliagnesai end the other for 4,000,000 fix other incidental dawnl the two latter belong leg to the year 1849. GE ItMA NY. The following is the reply sent by the Prussian rumnt to the invitation to attend, on the 2nd ) anu ary, the Zell congress at Vienna. It is dated th e sth of Ike., so that all the announcements from the Vienna ministerial press that Prussia could send a re presentative to this congres, must have ben, since the date above mentioned, wilful misrepresenta- tjene The Prussian government ha. been, by p ea k esc h„ c kt , 0 , put in pisee on on the 2Sth nit., oi • note from the b gt „ . ,, a t g overnment, and a decree (eriap) of the I,, a ring the signature of the l'e'ans Minister Schwarz nburg, contsiuing a new Austrian Zoll tariff, accompanied by the eat e ...inn of a wish that conferences should be opened at Virtues with reference to a customs and commercial treaty with Austria, at the beginning of neat year. The Prussian pus. riiment has not el. hayed carefully to consider this corn e.uaitation, bestowing on it the mature reflection its 1111- p-ru.nee merits, and I run at present peepand to lay befere veer eseelleney in reply the following censiderations : The I. coa g a . rove lament fully acknowledges the importar.ee of MT {top shied. the Imperial government has token, by in trielnceng a new Zan system, and participates in the con eicti .n that this great project to ceten.l a commercial bond is load the boundaries of Austria, and even of Germany, wail make itself felt. It is true the brief time that has elapsed since this communication was niade has not allowed t h e Prussian government to examine on all sides the new tend in its details, but it retognio s in the abolition of ill state mo:.opolies and impost prohibitions, and prohibition. of o bject, of consumption, and in the reduced duties on raw materials, the opening of a new and promising lettere ' not only for Austria, but especially for Pretssia an I the Zoll r, in. The government aces in this relorm, the grandeur of which, can only . have escaped the unprejudiced eye through a deep conviction of the difficulties to he overcome Lae its inevitable necessity and beneficent results can he r nised, a successful move towards the recenciliation of dif fer. cat interests and circumstance!, at present, in the com mie:al world, opposed to each other, to attain which object the Prussian government has exerted and continues to exert its bat t ieleavuure. Fur these reasons his Majesty's govern ne et congratulates the cabinet of Vienna on a measure which c ae ot fail to strengthen the economic policy of all Germany. a 1,. c.a. raiment of Prussia has also remarked with lively saistaction, that the enlargement of the hounds of the Zoll verein by the treaty of the 7th September, and the corres• pond.ug moiliticatanui of the existing Zollyerein treaties, his ',aw.' sincere good wishes for their success in the Im p, rial government. The government must necessarily feel the truest gratification in finding the treaty we have con cluded understood exactly in the sense in which it was con e.u.led, namely, not as one-sided, or esclusive, but as cor e,. s..n.ive, including, as far us possible, all German itite h.,. The government lays more stress on this point, as ry ill concealed efforts have been made to ascribe motives to its conduct in this affair which it is very far (rem enter t 'lhe taritl' re form in Austria, nlmoid simultaneously will the treaty uniting the Zolt and Steuer vereins, is a fact ve v great significance with reference to the future com a rival pnaperit)• of all Germany. Of the two great diffi culties to a comprehensive commercial union, the cominciciel a , v. races of Austria front the rest of Germany, and the eieie,on of Germany itself into many Z. 311 territories, the maw is principally removed at the moment when the first au p is taken towards removing the other, at least from the creator partof Germany. Thu more confident the l'russian government is in the hope of bringing the newly-organised conunercial policy of Austria into n union with the new and enlarged Zollverein, in a manner reepundent to the general interest, so much more questionable dues it appear, whether the present nionseat is propitious for entering into uegoei shouts for the accomplishment of this object. It would have been highly gratifying to have concurred in the judgment of the imperial government on this subject, but the govern ment, after the most consciencious reflection, finds it impos. sable to do so. How matters stand with respect to the re novation of the Zullverein is well kuown. The treaty of the 7th Septembir is concluded between l'rusmia and Iluener alone ; and even with this limit it yet wants the sauetion of the parliamentary representation of both coun tries. Of the Ilanoverian confederates, the principality of bliaumburg-Lippe, has given in its adhesion to the treaty. The, adhesion of the Duchy of Olden burg is still a matter of negotiation. The Zull con federates of Prussia will only be able to pronounce their deel.ion when the congnas takes place touching the coati:nuance of the Zoilvertin. 'Wanting, then, the formal nnainty of the future extent of the &Aire rein by its junc tion with the Steuervereni, and considering Coe dependence of its commercial interests en the extension this union may take, the government is not in a position to say precisely what alteration in the legislation and institution of the Zollverein may arise out of the approaching uegotiations. 'the goveniment is in the midst of a development out of which new relations must 'melee, over which it can hays no exclusive enamel, and on which therefore it is impossible at this moment to found any certain conclusion.. The Prussian government, there fore belives that the time for opening a commercial confer. tire will be when the rennvation of l'russia's commercial fastens shall be complete, and she will be able distinctly Om hue, having her own views firmly based on facts, what Is to be expected from her. Till the • Zullverein has fully en tered into the new phase be lore it the government must decline entering into the negotiations proposed, as previously the tact, would he wanting which to consultations of this kind arc indispensable, in order to arrive at any beneficial results. The govseument consequently is unable to at. e t the invitation of the unpeeed cabinet, but it the MOM time expresses its full willingness, after the congress fur the continuation of the Zollverein shall be closed, to take part in any negotiations having for their object the establishment of commercial relations between the Zoliverein and Austria or other Gerne.:n state;. Berlin, Dee. 5. (Sign. il) The revision of the Austrian budget is completed. The credits opened to the Ministers of the Interior, of Justice, and of Public Instruction have been con siderably reduced ; those of War, Finance, and Com 111C roe are maintained. A ktter dated Vienna, Dee. 19, says: A amend meeting of the shareholden of the Austrian Lloyd wa. held at Trieste on the 15th, when .t was deter mined that the share capital should be raised from 3,000,000 to 5,000,000, and the loan from 1,500,000 to 3,000,000; that shares to the amount of 1,000,000 only should be imme diately issued, as the second million will be subsequently requisite to cover the debt in England. A vote of confi dence in the director. woo passed unanimously in regard to the mode in which the loan should be raised. This vote in cluded the prolongation of the commercial compact till N.A. At the last meeting of the bank directors of this capital it was resolved that between 3.3 florins and 40 florins conventional coin of the next dividend should remain a float ing capital, and that the Minister of Finance should fix the cipher. The interest of the Three per Cent. Central Treasury Bonds, arnountsag to 1,100,000 florins conven tional coin, was consigned to the government, and a sum of more than 1,000,000 florins was laid by with the rewire food. A correspondent writing from Frankfort, on the Pith inst., says :----•"lhe Frankfort Senate has just resolved to aced a representative to the Vienna Cus toms conference. The importance of this congress will depend almost entirely upon the course adopted by Prussia. Should Hanover remain true to the en gagements of September, Prussia will probably not bind a delegate to Vienna. It seems impossible to suppoee that the governments will ever adopt the ' Austrian tariff, as it at present stands. It is founded upon the falsest principles of ceonomy,l and calculated to protect interests which will , never do more than vegetate, and to tax the I consumer beyond measure to the profit of • few manufacturers. On manufactured articles, ot which the importation is largest, such as the bat qualities in silks, woollen tissues, and linens, the Austrian rates of duty arc triple and quadruple those of the Zollverein. 'lO adopt the Austrian system would be to deliver up our body of consumers as a prey, and to ruin a notable part of our commerce. lksides, commercial union with Austria always pre sents insurmountable difficulties. Without speaking of halt and tobacco, the imtsortation of which Austria steadfastly refuses to permit, it would be almost im possible to fix upon any suitable scale upon which the customs' receipts should be distributed among the governments, for Austria consumes, in proportion to the number of its inhabitants, much less than other countries.% The police have seized on the library presented various patriotic booksellers to the . Frankfort S•sonbly. the books are worth 12 thousand florins at the least, and were never intended by their &nets to gnttify the Diet, which was believed to been for ever dead. Waggons have been coming and going for several days to and from St. Paul's Church, removing the furniture and fittings !kled by tho Assembly, and in a few days the build- Itif will be given up to the clergy. NIVAL ATPOINTMENT.—ADMIIifLI7, DEC. Clerk Li. A. Everslield, to Eccellent. THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 24, 1851. plaining all their difficulties, they threw the responsi bility. on government, thus :—" Conformably to the new instructions we have received, and subject to them, we recommend, &c." What they did recom mend was an addition of a large agricultural dis trict, extending 7 miles from north to south, and running 30 miles all round the country. Even in this great district only 350 electors can be now obtained. I could multiply these illustrations very greatly, but I feel that in so doing I should only weary the reader without adding to the force of the facto. I shall therefore confine myself to two or three cases in which the circumstances are remarkable. _ Let me observe, in the first place, on the cue of Daoirwteit. Formerly this was a small corporation borough, under the patronage of the Foley family, who represented it almost unopposed from the Restoration down to the year 1833. The population of Droitwich is chiefly manufactur ing ; - being employed in the salt and Alkali works carried on so extensively in this vicinity. Now, my lord, Droitwich, by reason of these works and other local circumstances, is intimately connected with the town of Bronwgrove, which is between five and six miles off. Bromsgrove is also a manufacturing town. It had, in 1831, as many as 5,000 inhabitants, and 1,100 inhabited houses, and it has, no doubt, considerably increased since. Well, my lord, your Boundary Commissioners, with the instructions of the 24th November in their pockets, went down to Droitwich. They arrived there, as I am told, on a very cold day, and put up at a very comfortable inn, where they made themselves cosy. After a late breakfast the next morning they held what they called their court ; that is to say, a gentleman or two dropped in to lunch, and among the numb,:r one or two of the neighbouring landowner 4. The people of Droitwiclt did not attend, and when the Commissioner's report was published, they discovered that the conse quences of their non-attendance had been serious. The Commissioners, sitting by their fireside at tho hotel, had mapped out a borough boundary for this town, by which they included a large tract of agri cultural country upon every side of it, but excluded the town of Bromsgrove altogether! In the report which accompanied their map, the Commissioners are quite learned about the surrounding country, and talk as if thee had buried their own grandfathers and lived all their lives in Elmbritlge or !limbic:on, or some other small Worcestershire village. But the town of Broinsgrovc they scarcely deign to mention : only, indeed, observing of it, in the contemptuous sort of way that is peculiar to the Whig official, that they understand "the inhabitants are principally employed in making nails." The result of all this your lordship may anticipate. The " burgesses of the Droitwich salt springs' were at the next election nicely pickled by the tenant farmers of the surround ing districts ; and that "clever county magistrate," Sir John Pakington, who had taken the greatest interest in the arrangement, and who owns tho largest pro perty about the borough, managed to beat the Foleys, establish himself as member for Droitwich, and get a baronetcy from Sir Robert Peel as his reward. The anomalies of this boundary system are, indeed, remarkable. I have just shown your lordship tire or six cases in which no inconsiderable proportion of a countyhas been included in a borough boundary. Now, my lord. just look at what was done in the case of REI GATE. The noble patron of Reign o was particularly happy in having two friendly Commissioners sent down to survey that snug little borough. They fund it necessary, however, to go beyond the ancient boundaries for a constituency. According to the practice elsewhere, they had great variety of choice. ;hero were numbers of agricul tural parishes all abolit that they might have taken in, or there was the town of Dorking, only five miles otf, that would have been in every respect a most proper adjunct to the town of iteigate . But no,— in this case the Commissioners saw fit to recommend that the boundary of the borough be restricted to the parish. flity were the same Commis sioners who had arranged other boundaries on the principle of including at least a dozen outlying parishes; but in this case they saw no necessity to go beyond the limit of the single parish in which the town was situated. Fortunately for Reigate, the great increase of buildings in the parish, in consequence of the position which the town now ho!ds in relation to the Metropolis, is likely, at no distant day, to secure its independence. But what does occur to me re specting this and other cases is, that the practice was conflicting—that there was no settled principle of any sort—no invariable rule applying to these cases ; at least, if th( rc was one, I should like very much to have it made clear to me. Rut no,—t fear it is too palpable that the only rule which was recognised was that of en deavouring to make things as pleasant as they could be made to the disaatisfled and terrified proprietors of boroughs. It is obvious that in all these casts the borough bonndarics were regu lated with a single view to suit the objects of the aristocracy. As the boundaries of Caine were ad justed to the dimensions of Lord Lansdowne's park, so the boundaries of Reigate were arranged to take in just so much as was wanted of Lord Somers's plantations. It suited Lord Carlisle's purpose that the boundary of Morpeth should extend over a rural district nine straight miles towards the sea:—it suited Lord Lonsdale's views that tho boundary of Wbitehavcn should extend us short a distance as possible beyond the buildings of his borough. And so, my lord, with other places. Lymington is closely bounded on one side where Sir 11. Neale has no property, and is widely extended on the other side where he has property. Wycombe is neatly contrived to exclude every one's property but Lord Canngton's, and to take in just as much of his as possible. At Marlow, Sir M illiam Clayton was allowed to manage boundary matters in his own way ; and your lordship will scarcely be sur prised to learn that he bungled it immensely. Shaftesbury is carried to a distance front the town to suit the purposes of the Marquis of Westminster; Tamworth takes in just a suffi cient part of Drayton ; Richmond was arranged so as to include Aske Hall, the seat of the Earl of Zetland, and to exclude most of the other property adjacent to the town. I feel that I should be only wasting time in specifying other cases. I pass on, therefore, to illustrate the operation of this system by what I think a very remarkable example. The county of Wilts, my lord, returns no less than 18 members to the House of Commons, which is somewhere about three times its proportion, con sidering, relatively, its property and population. 1 of the 18 members are returned for the county, 11 are otherwise elected. Let us examine by whom these 14 are returned. 2 Members arc returned for Salisbury. This is exclusively a town population. 2 are returned for Devizes. Also a town population. 1 for Caine ; a borough extending into the surrounding county. 2 for Chippenham ; which has a county boundary 6 miles in extent, from E. to W. 2 for Cricklade ; a borough composed of the four hun dreds of Ilighworth, Cricklade, Staple, and Kings bridge, and part of the hundred of Malmesbury, being at least one-fourth part of the county of North Wilts. 1 for Malmesbury ; which includes 10 county parishes. 2 for Marlborough ; which has been extended over the large county parish of Preshnto. 1 for Westbury; a purely agricultural district, with a village in its centre, and no town population properly so called. 1 for Wilton; which is under much the same circum -- stances. 14 4 Coanty Members. 18 This, my lord. will show you the working of the boundary system. Its operation is not to give repre sentatives to the inhabitants of towns, but to give members to agricultural districts taken from the counties : and as the land of England is accumulated in the hands of large proprietors, the largest in propri- I eters each of these districts obtains the power of nominating a member for the House of Commons. In the foregoing illustration we see the case of an entire county which is thus cireumitanced. The six bo roughs I have enumerated arc each and all of them rotten boroughs, and, as you will see, Wilthshirc thus has not four members ret urned by county constituencies, but in reality 14 ! The total town populations of Caine, Chippenham, Cricklade, Malmesbury, Marl borough, Westbury, and Wilton, put together, would not amount to 18,000. The total populations within the limits of these different boroughs amount to 82,000; giving 62,000 agricultural to 18,000 town popula tions. In the same proportions are the electorates. Whilst them are in the whole about 3,300 registered voters for these seven boroughs (which return ten members!), not one-third of the number reside in the towns from which the boroughs take their 1 names. It is thus evident that it is not a series of small towns that are returning members to par liament from Wiltshire, but a very large Isection of that county cut up into fragments and' attached to some small village which is made to give its name to the country round about it. If I wanted, my lord, to illustrate this more forcibly, I might do it from the very singular case of the borough of Wenlock, for which your lordship is only so fur responsible as that you permitted it to go unreformed by the Reform Act. Mum WENLOCK, a dlrty little village in Shrop shire (called Muck Wenlock by way of derision), was the first place that ever sent members to parlia ment by virtue of a charter from the Crown ; and it is remarkable that the charter which was granted to it by Edward the Fourth, and which is dated 29th November, 1478, appears not to have enfranchised any town, but to have enfranchised the lands belong ing to the Abbey of Wenlock, which went from that day by the name of the " Wenlock Franchise." Now these lands arc not within a ring fence, or even within such a wide-spread boundary as the Boundary Commissioners assigned to some of the places I have illustrated. They are, on the contrary, scattered over different parts of the county of Salop, being in one case as far as 16 or 18 miles from M enlock by the road; in another ease, 10 miles off, and in two other cases, nine. To get to one of the patches which constitute this borough, you have to go through the borough-town of Bridgnorth, and nearly four miles south of it. Never was anything so anomalous or absurd. Yet you have called these 17 detached parishes " a town!' I commend these cases, with many others of the same description, to that attention which your lord ship no doubt is now devoting to the subject. You cannot but admit, I am sure, that the places I have named, and many others, were places which you never intended to continue borough towns when the Reform Bill was proposed. You will admit that they ought not to have been so continued ; that, least of all, ought they to be constituted as they are ; and I am sure you will also agree that it " the independence of voters" and the "old distinctions between town and county" are to be preserved, it will ho necessary to make a thorough change in a system by which both have been S 3 completely sacrificed. —I am, my Lord,your obedient servant, RUNNYMEDE. ANOTHER AWFUL COLLIERY EXPLOSION. On Monday morning a dreadful explosion of fire damp occurred near Wigan, Lancashire, by which thirteen lives were lost. The colliery is that of Mr. A. F. 'Unbut ton, at Ince, near Wigan ; and the explosion took place in what is called the " Deep Pit " or " Arley Mine," the shaft of which is upwards of 900 feet deep. The workings are very extensive, and run south-east and north-west from the bottom of the shaft. Hitherto they have been so free from the explosive gas, which is such a scourge to people in this kind of employment, I that the coal-getters worked with naked candles. Tht re ha, not been an explosion of nay consequence before, though there have been what the colliers term "[tubes," by which men have been slightly burnt. Firemen, however, are employed to examine the workings with lamp, before the coal-getters arc allowed to work every mornlug, and on Monday morning these men proceeded down the shaft as early as four to half-past four o'clock in the morning. They reported all safe, and at dye to half-past five nearly one hundred men rnd boys proceeded to work, dese.nding the shaft, and proceeding to their places of destination in the . sorkings. Seventeen men proceeded to their destivatione in the south-east levels, and the remainder took the opposite direetion, to a very remote part from the others. About six o'clock the report of a terrific explosion was heard, and the greatest consternation was created among the top-men and people about the sur , face of the pit, who, not knowing the extent of injury in flicted, became anxious as to the best course to be pursued under the circumstances. The signal, however, was soon received by the engine tenter to draw up some of the work men, and the greatest haste was used in extricating them. It was ultimately ascertained that the explosion had occurred lax the south-cast workings, and that the whole of the people in the other portions of the mine had escaped all injury except what was likely to result from the sulphur or choke-damp which succeeds these terrible catastrophes. From the south-east levels only four persons escaped, and these were so exhausted with choke-damp that it was with diniculty they could give say idea of what had occurred. From the account given by a boy employed as a drawer, it is pro bable that the explosion occurred in a bay at the face of the coal, about 1,650 feet underground to the south-cast of the shaft. This youth says he descended, with a cooler named Hobert Davies, at a quarter-past live ' o'clock, and soon after getting to the far end of the level, where Davies werlvd, he was despatched towards the shaft I with a tub of coal, that he had tilled, lie and his little brother had reached a shunt about 450 feet from where they L left Davies and some other colliers and drawers, when they stopped to rest, and two other drawers joined them. They had sat talkitr, about 10 minutes when an explosion was heard, and terrible gusts of air came past them with such tome that the rails on which the carriages ran were torn up, and driven past them with great violence. A piece of iron wcut so close to hat that it struck' the edge of his car and wounded it. Small pieces of coal were carried along by these blasts, and great numbers of there small particles struck his back with such force as to enter the skin. He started immediately after fur the shaft ; but, recollecting his little brother, he turned back, and, as well as the sulphur would permit, shouted for hint. llis bro ther was suffocating almost teem the sulphur, and could not reply, but laid hold of bins as he was pas-ing, and he enured the boy up and assisted him to the shalt, which they reached much exhausted. After these boys were rescued, search was made for the other workpeople, but it was near it o'clock before they were found, 13 of them dead. The following are the names of the killed :—Robert Davies, a married man, who leaves a widow and four small children; Joseph Topping, married; John Topping, son of the last•muncel collier; Henry Topping, also a son of Joseph Topping; Henry Meadoes s John Hiram, Elisha Hiram, John Whittle, married ; Vright Southern, Matthew Edge, Thomas Lushell, James Jolley, George Pigott. In all : seven men and six boys. Smne of these unfortunate men have been dreadfully burnt, especially . Whittle, who had been one of the earliest to descend the mine. The only conjecture that can he formed of the cause of the explosion—all the parties Lavine ben killed who were near the scene of the catastrophe—is from the state- ment of the youth we have already mentioned as having rescued his lirother by so mere a chance. He says that when he left Davies he had heard . Davi s tell Whittle that he should want a road dressing, mai that he directed Whittle to do it. 11., said that Whittle replied that it could not be done, or at lead that it mould take the whole day to gct the necessary props ; and that Davies then di rected Pigott and a workman named Barnett to go into en old bay close by, whence all the coal had Len taken. Supposing them to have done this, it would pro bably cause some of the loose earth from the roof to fall in, thus displacing and driving into the other workings some of the lire-damp which usually setths in these old meting., where the naked c males of the workmen would fire it, and cause the explosion mitele as that was occasioned which took place so recently near Rotherham. Ocorge• l'igott, one of the sufferers, was the fireman for that part of the pit, who lead gone to examine the state of the str in the morning, and had returned to give some directions to the colliers when the explosion took place. A good many of the sufferers are a good deal burnt, and some have had their limbs broken or disl4tated, and been much injured with the force of the blast, as well as burnt. The inquest is fixed for this nay. EAWNIARSII COLLIERY EXPLOSION. ILWILtILSII, NEAIL TuLsu.++•. A coroner's inquest was impound:eel this morn ing by Thomas Badger, Esq., of Potherb:on, coroner, to incuire into the circumstances connected with the awful explosion of the Warren Vale Colliery, near this place, on Saturday morning. The inquiry took place at the Star Inn, in two chambers connected with a hleli appeared the appal ling spectacle of 43 disfigured corpses, lying side by side in Trim array, attilvd in their tattered working dress, in the precise .fade in which they had been brought out of the pit. At daybreak the old churchyard presented a curious spec tacie. In every part busy workmen were engaged turning ' over the green sod, constructing "strong homes " for the numerous dead. Some of the graves aro huge pits, each contrived to receive several occupants. The jury having been sworn, 'the Coroner said they were aware that they hail been summoned to inquire, on her Majesty's behalf, how and in what manner the parties then lying dead, in this and the adjoining parishes, came to their death. 11e had no doubt that the Jury, like himself and the whole of the neighbour hood, and also, he was quite sure, the proprietors of the pit, would deeply deplore this unfortunate accident. In taking a review of the frequency of coal-pit explosions which hail' lately taken place In this neighbourhood, and shortly ad verting to the one at Ardsley, near Barnsley, where 70 per- sons were killed in 1847; the one at the Darley Main' locality, where 7.1 persons were killed in January, 1141; and the one at Woodthorpc ' early in the present month, he was sure they wuuld all be glad if anything could be dune to prevent a recurrence of these unfortunate accidents. lle then announced that Mr. W. Smith, jun., solicitor, Sheffield, would watch the proceedings ea behalf of Messrs. Charlesworth, the owners of the pit. Mr. John Charles worth was also present. The jury then proceeded to view the bodies, which, in consequence of the great distance at which some two or three of them lay occupied thrre hours. On their again assemiiiing, the following evidence was taken. Some of the witnesses who were caned first were absent, in attend ance at one or another of the f unerals. . . John Roebuck, of Roschill, engine tenter at the Warren Vide colliery, was examined respecting the circumstances attending the accident, and his examination was proceeding when our parcel was despatched. COLLISION IN Tilt BRISTOL TILE DUKE OF BEAUFORT STEAMER.—A collision, attended by serious consequences, occurred yesterday morning iu the River Avon, near Bristol. The morning was exceedingly thick, a heavy fog covering the river nearly to its mouth, in the Bristol Channel. The new screw company's iron built screw propelled steam-boat Severn, trading between Bristol and Newport, was coming up the river, and the Duke of Beaufort, a steam-buat formerly on the Chepstow station, but now used principally for the purpose of towing vessels, as proceeding down towards Pill, having in tow • small coasting vessel. The rate of speed at which the Severn was going is variously stated; some say that she was going with some speed, but the report of those on board is that she was merely crawling along at the rate of about two miles an hour. Owing to the thickness of the fog the captain of the screw packet did not see the Duke of Beaufort until he was close upon her. As soon as he discovered her he called out " reverse the engines, - but before there was time to execute his command the vessels came into collision with great force. The bow of the Severn took the Duke of Beaufort at about six feet aft of her larboard bow, cut into her and sunk her. Her crew seeing their danger ran forward, and succeeded in clambering over the bowsprit of the Severn, and got on board of that vessel. PROPOSED NEW hush RAILWAY.—On Saturday a meeting was held in the Rlfast Chamber of Commerce, with the view of promoting the formation of a junction railway between the Armagh terminus of the Ulster Bail way, and the town of Cavan, no as to meet the intended line between Cavan and Mullingsr, and thus complete • line of communication between Belfast and Galway. A ' deputation, headed by Lord ltossmore, on behalf of the counties of Cavan and Monaghan, attended in Belfast during the greater part of the week, hoeing for its object the pro. motion of this undertaking. There was a tolerably full attend ance of the council and members of the chamber, several members of the Barbour board, of the town council, of the local railway boards,. and some of our leading merchants. Considerable diseussien arose in reference to the merits of I tha two competing lines, viz., that from Drogheda and ?lames by RAAB, to Cason, and that from Mellinger to I Cavan; but the unanimous opinion of the meeting waathat i the Midland communication should be turned northwards, , that is to say by Mullingar and Cavan, and so on ta Armagh, , I rather than eastwards or by Drogheda and Navan. Ulti innately, on the motion of Mr. Goddard, chairman of the Ulster Railway directors, it was resolved that the Town Comunmciler,cet,heaLlar the ho utirweCe local railway Commissioners, th b e na e rd h , ana , b r.h cr oul o a f co ! each select three from their body to name the provisional committee. ro OF CATHOLIC BELLS AT CLAPHAM. THE REDEMPTORIST FATHERS. SOLTAU V. Da HELD. Yesterday (as stated in last evening's Express) Vice-Chancellor Kinder.ley delivered judgment in this case, which was argued at great length on the 9th of De cember, and two follouiog days, and fully repor ,, ti in our column,. The case stood for judgment both upon the demurrer and the motion for an injunction. His Honour delivered a very long and elaborate judgment upon both matters. V. h re spect to the demurrer, said his Ilonour, th e bill, which must for this purpose be taken as true, contained the fol'owing_ statements: — That ever since the year 1817 the plaintiff (Mr. Solite) resided in a dwelling-house at Clapham, which he held under a lease for a term of 69 years—that in 1318 the Roman catholic religious body called the Redeem. ionist Fathers purchased the adjoining house (the two houses basing been formerly occupied as one house ), and Appro priated one of the rooms on the ground floor as a char .-I, and that they caused a wooden scaffolding to be erected cotside, and a bell to be suspended from it, which was tolled repeat edly at different hours every day. That, in consequence of the annoyance occasioned by the ringing, the plamt•lf ad dressed a letter of remonstrance to the superior of th • com munity, requesting that the nuisance might be !kited, but no answer was returned to the letter. That the chapel was subsequently registered under the act relating to dis senters' chapels, and the tolling was still continued, to the annoyance of the plaintiff and all his neighbours. That a respectful letter was then addressed to Cardinal V. eman on the subject. The letter complained of the annoya• felt from the land and frequent ringing of the bell, ottin un xensouable hours, of the large and harsh-souudiog be!! !doted on the roof; and represented that this practice of riagiag was offensive to the ears and feelings of the rinion ,, auts, disturbed cite quiet and comfort or their houses, . I mo lested them in their engagements of business, MAP,' .1 Ilt, or devotion, depreciated the value of their houses , and it earnestly ildreated the parties concerned to take the natter into their ~ rious consideration, so as voluntarly t. ...dress the grievance, instead of eonstrainin4 the remote.. to have recour:e to the law, to abate what they deem. i, from all past er,,erience,wasiedeed an intolerable nuisance ..\ copy of this letter was sent to Mr. Harting, the solicitor of the Cardinal, and Mr. Ilarting replied by stating tl, d tho ringing was solely for religious performances, bin that in deference to the remonstrance, the hour of the ti- bell should be altered from five to via o'clock, but that the bre thren were unable to make any further cone.asion That the plaintiff submitted to their annoyance tie vr,:' as be could, but that shortly afterwards—in May, 18i1 rather chapel, caaable of containing 4110 persons, was cr. eil on an adjoinin; piece of land, to which was attached a • epic, at least 100 feet high, and that in the steeple was • Laced s peal of six bells, which were very repeatedly run.• every day, and that at length the plaintiff brought an Action against Mr. De Held, the superior of the Collll:,mity, and recovered a verdict, with forty shillings dosages. From the date of the verdict, down to the 9th of Nn - ember last, the bells were stopped. But on the 9th, which hap pened to be a Sunday, the ringing was renewed of all the bells. On the 10th, judgment was entered in the don. The bill then stated the amount of ringing which o , thus resumtd—and was continued for some' success,.. Sun days, up to the filing of the bill, said it hart that the defendant intruded to commence the tolling of the bells in like manner on the week day.. And, finally, the bill stated that, wh.ll the bells w( ro thus rung, it was impo,vible to read, write, or convelso in tho plaintiff's house; and that the plaintiff was oblig,4l to re move from his house a sick daughter, to whom the ringing of the bell', was intolerable. Such wits tits general case made by the bill. In support of the d, mutter ;fleas alleged that the complaint alleged was a public nuisance, fe. which the Attorney General could see. But in his fleeeures mind it was very questionable whether the mere rieteng of Malls was a public nuisance at all. To constitute a 'while neieeneo tee thing must be a nuisance to all wi.. came within the sphere of its operation—such as a marattectory producing a noxious effluvia, or the stopping up ef tho Queen's highway. On the niter hand, there might 6c thinge very disagreeable to those near them, and yet very pl. eons*. able to persons at a greater distance, as in the very. .ice of chimes. Ile could nut, therefore, agree with Mr %einem, that all bells were at all time., and under all circuit.. ,nces, disagreeable. We nll kni w the distant sound 4.! • illao bells was a fertile theme with poets, and on. •I' the witnesses in the caw swore that the sound , thole bells was to him a source of pleasure and gretiliee;ea. It did not follow, on the other hued, that because a th. !com plained of affected several persons it was, therefore . pub lic imisane.., as in the case of a wall which olistre, • ..1 the view of seetrel persons. But, assuming that ti e ' thing complained of wits a public nuisance, it might s• 'I ho a private nuisance ccpable of tiring redressed by hie. The case of "Jolson v. Moore," which had been eit .1 from Conyer's Reports, was clearly in point, although tee ded sion there was against the defendant, an the grouch' 'hat he ha I not stated the private injury pse quoit with • • fecient precision. It was true the court would not int. —re In cases of nuisance unless the plaintiff had establi ' his right at law. But that was not a ground of demurs. e and, if it were, it appeared that the plaietiff had in this . ea es tablished his I gel right. It lied been ingenioe S , sug gested, that the renewed rigning had not been so ...eel re peated or so long continued as that formerly ewe elained of, and, therefore, that the list verdict did ne, Apply to the present case. But, if that argument se Ito ac 'ceded to, there would be no end to trials upon io va rieties, of nuisance. That point, however, was set at est by the allegation in the bill, of the intention to tee o the daily ringing, and that what had leen lately repel e d was only an initultnent of whet was intended to bed le—in short, that the defendants, under the colour of tl 'r case that the hells were necessary to their devotions, be, mled to ring as much as they pleased. Ills honour therefore thought the demurrer was untenable, and he should not r :eer into the question whether the bells in the steeple were ware not illegal. Ilk honour next came to the motion fur :he in junction, and much that he had said with regard to :es de murrer would apply to the motion. The CRC mad :iv the bill was supported by the affidavits. His honour hl l'beem struck at first with the observation that more evideeeo had not been given to the nuisance. But the difliciety was removed wht n he reflected that the statements e re not contradict, (I, and then it was to ho I...marled feet tiro plaintiff had not gone to the bells, but the bells had ,one to him. The question he proposed to himself was that put by lord Justice Knight Bruce, in the case of Walter c South 15th Jur.—" Was this inconvenience of a painful nature not a mere delicacy , affecting the comfort of pen.ous, not of dainty habits, but possessing the rational and simile habits of English people ? ' And upon this question, so w. - :1 put, he thought the answer upon the evidence was agsiest tho defendant. Ms honour then alluded briefly to a point which had been urged in the argument, that if tiee inging of their bells was a nuisance, the ringing of church •ells in a parish was a nuisance. But, said his honour, in this argument it seemed to be overlooked that these chapels were not, iu the eye of the law, a church to whirl. there were churchwardens attached and bells enacted The hells were by law regarded as an appendage of the church. Those chapels have more of the privileges, in the way of ringing bells, than a church possesses. His Honour del not mean to insinuate that it was unlawful for Roman cathelice to have bells attached to their places of worship. 11, meant to leave that question untouched • but he did not rubel( that such chapels possessed the privileges of a church in that respect. Ile would, therefore, grant the injueeion to restrain the tolling of the bells in the bill mentioned. THE PREPARATIONS FOR TIIE CHRISTMAS DINN ER at the Leicester-square Soup Kitchen are (says a correspondent) being made on a colossal scale. The weight of provisions to be given away on the occasion amounts to scot rid tons; and liam-yard looks as though it had been turned into a meat and fruit market. Carpenters have been cng-iged to ' provide tables and seats for three hundred poor people to dine at one time. Contrivances have been made fur the numbers who will arrive to take their dinners home to their families, for, although each person will receive five or six different articles, it is expected that from 800 to 1,530 will be relieved each hour. M. Soycr is to superintend the affair. The under-mentioned noblemen, gentry, awl trades-. men are amongst those who contributed to the fonds for providing the entertainment:—Messes. Joseph Travers and Sons, 1 chest of tea and 1 cwt. of sugar; George Moffatt, Esq , M.P., 51. ss. ; Messrs. Ridgway and Co., 2 , .101b. of coffee and 60th. of pepper ; Messrs. I'almcr and Huntley, 1 cask of mined biscuits ; Messrs. Sidney, Wells, and Co., 100Ib of coffee; Mr. It. Cooper, 1501 b. of roasting meat ; Messrs. Countess of Cardigan, 5!. ; S. P., 51. ; Messrs. and Co., 61.; Right lion. Lord Colville, 101.; Mr. T. M. Pretioua, 11211,. of meat; Mr. C. Disney, 50111 of meat; Mr. Alderman Finnis, 1 box of rasing, sides of bacon, cheese, etc., and 4 cwt. of flour : Mr. Henry Edwards, 2 bushels of flour and a quantity of cgsppowder, value 101. tin. Id. PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OP A MIDLAND OR SENNAvonx AT NOTTINOILANI.—At a special meeting of the Nottingham Town Council, on Monday, a comatunica. lion was read from Mr. E. J. Lowe, 1.1.1t.A.5., enclosing a letter from Mr. Henry Lawson, of lath, in which that gen tleman offered to transfer his valuable collectim. of astrono mical, meteorological, and optical apparatus, to trustees with the view of founding a midland establishment or ob.; secretory fur the promotion of meteorological and astroao mical science, on condition that a sufficient sum he raised to buy or build a house, with garden, Ore., fur a resident observer to secure to such person an annual income, suita ble to his position and requisite knowledge —say 200'. a year, and to provide for the repairs and improvements which may from time to time become advisable. Mr. Law son also offered, besides the donation of the Instruments, which cost upwards of 10,0001., to contribute 1,009 guineas in furtherance of the object. The mayor (Mr. Fer.sidl ob served that Nottingham was rezarded as a most desirublo place for the erection of a midland observatory, but tho town council had not the power to vote the funds necessary fur the purpose. It was, however, unanimou , ly resolved, on the motion of Mr. Alderman heard, that Mr. Lawson's handsome off,r be accepted, provided the requisite funds can be raised by public subscription. A committc. was also appointed to devise mean; for, carrying the project into effect. THE DIABOLICAL MISCHIEF AT KETLEY COLLIERY. —Government has 06:red u reward of 50'., in addition to 601. already . offered by the lietley Company, to any person who shall give such information and evidence as shall lead to the apprehension of the pirson or persons who, on the night of the 6th instant, cut the rope of ono of the coal-pita in the above colliery, by which abominable act two men and a boy lost their lives. THE NEW REFORM BILL. (hen Os Doily Nan.) TO LORD JOILI RUSSELL Lartat VI. Mr LORD, We propose to disfranchise all towns bating lets than 2,000 inhabitants, I quote from the records of Hansard, and take my ! extruei from your lordship's speech in Parliament on introducing the Reform Bill of 1831. Hitherto the object has been merely to determine a boundary within which the clietive franchise was to be exorcised ; but now, by the information you furnish, the claims of these particular places to the posse,sion of a valua ble political privilege may be examined, and perhaps decided. Hence the be-.laity of great care and accuracy iu procuring the informatiou which has bean specified, and, indeed, of adding anything to it that may tend to exhibit the real and present condition of the town. This extract I quote from the instructions issued to the Boundary Commissioners by the direction of the government, under date, "Council-office, Oct. 24, 1:531." _ . _ At the present time, my lord, it is of particular importance that the nation should bo well in formed : First, as to how you redeemed your pledge to disfranellise all towns having less than 2,000 inha bitants. Second, as to the effect which was given to the reports of the Boundary Commissioners upon the " real and present condition of the towns." Third, as to the position at this time of the petty ♦illages which, despite your pledge, and despite the Commissioners' reports, continue to return members to the House of Commons, and thereby to encumber the representation of the country. ' I will take in the first place the borough of EYE. This is a village in Suffolk, in which many years ago there was a manufacture of what was called bone- lace. Before the Reform Bill it rasa scot and lot borough, with about 200 electors. Thu entire popu lation m 1831 was returned at 1,890; the number of 19/. housed was returned at 119 - -" many of these being occupied with farms." The Boundary Cow , miss:Goers reported of this place " that it had no pretensions to be considered a place of trade. The white-washed houses, the thatched roofs, and the unpaved streets, give it the appearance of a large, handsome agricultural village." As a Cramer of the Reform Act, you professed to require that a town which retained its franchise should have a population of at least 2,000, and qualifying tene ments not less in number than 300. Eye had only 1,590 population and 119 dqualifying tenements. The ease was an obvious ease for disfranchisement. But the borough was not disfranchised :—lt was placed in Schedule B, and the Boundary Commission ers were instructed to find a constituency fur it. The difficulty of Diogenes in his search fur an honest man appears to have had its parallel in the case of a Boundary Commissioner hunting after a constituency. What with the impossibility of reconciling local interests and carrying out the government instructions, his was no easy task. In the case of Eye, the Commissioners found that there was no legitimate or regular mode of in creasing the constituency of the totes. The only possible way of making up :;00 houses of the value of 101. was to include within the borough boundaries as much of the county of Suffolk as might be required for the purpose. They accordingly added to the parish of Eve, itself containing 4,200! acres, no less than tees surrounding parishes, containing 15,159 acres more! But great as was the space they thus included in the borough, they were scarcely able by adding all of it to make up the requisite constituency. On the 1:4650 acres there were 211 10/. houses, but of these no less than 110 were farmhouses, occupied by farmers who, as 541/. tenants at will, were included in the county franchise. The Commissioners represented this fact and observed upon it. The government, neverthe less, extended the limits of the borough over all the ten parishes; thus converting 110 .101. farm tenants into 110 101. householders, and making borough electors of so many county voters. These electors were in no way benefited thereby—on the con trary, many of them considered themselves pre judiced. The national constituency was in no way improved or extended ; and, as far as the borough was concerned, Eve was in nu way purified or freed :—on the emit' ary,the voice of the few independent towns pcopk there were was completely swamped by the tenantry of the borough patron. Before the Reform Bill, the influence of that patron was not altogether lundisputed ; since the Whom Bill, there has never been a contest for Eye, and there is not much pre sent prospect that there ever will be one. I take another case. The borough of CitnisTenunell, Hants. According to the report of the Boundary Commissioners, it contained in 1831 a population of 1,509. "No trade or manufacture is carried on here. The town presents no symptom of activity or in dustry. The houses are of a middling description, and the appearance of the inhabitants, who are thinly scattered, gives no indication of prosperity. The number of houses worth 101. a year does not exceed 130." My lord, sum up this report in two words, and those words will express " rotten borough." I am glad to quote the Commissioners' report, because it puts it out of the power of any one to say that the framers of the Reform Act acted in these eases without sufficient information. It was with this report before them—with their eyes wide open as to what they were about—that the go vernment of 1831 perpetuated this borough, and made a constituency for it by throwing in an extent of country of no less than thirty miles circum ference. Christchurch borough at the present time extends from the boundary of Lymington to the boundary of Dorsetshire. Though the town is three miles distant from the sea, you may coast along the shores of the borough for some fourteen miles, begin ning at the cliffs within the Solent, passing through the Needles, and sailing onward till you pass the spot which your lordship's good taste hasselected for retire ment and quietude—l mean the lovely bathing-vil lage of Bournemouth. - The circumference of Christchurch is 30 miles; that of PETEMIELD, in another part of the same county, is nearer 40. This town boasted in 1821 of a population of 1,446; in 1831 that popu lation, contrary to all the ordinary Malthuaan calculations, had declined to 1,423. In the interval exactly one domicile was added to' the edifices of the town ; and, considering that the population had di minished, ono would think that even this erection would have caused a panic among proprietors, and a consequent reduction in the rents. The Boundary Commissioners reported of Petersfield that there were only 84 qualifying houses in the . place, and only 262 houses of any sort! They say it has but little trade, and any consequence which it possesses arises entirely from its lying on the high road from London to Portsmouth!' At the present time I believe Peterefield lies about 20 miles off the high road from London to Portsmouth. In that point of view at least its importance since 1832 has not ' been augmented. here was another clear case of "rotten borough" with which your lordship might have dealt, and, ae cording to your pledge, was bound to deal. But no; in defiance of every principle on which the Reines Act was based: in contravention of every pledge, made to the people by its promoters, this borough was taken out of the original Schedule A, and a boundary was made for it extending 10 miles, at least, from north to south, and embracing, of course, the white of the proprietor who now exercises the power of returning himself as the bo rough representative. I know not what good, my lord, you have done either to the nation or to the locality by allowing Peterstield to remain a borough. It has, since the Reform Act, been the scene of far worse electioneering strife than was ever known in it before. It has been almost ruined by the conflicts of which it has been the theatre; and, after all the battles it has seen, it is now precisely where it was in 1830—a rotten borough of Sir Win. That exceedingly corrupt town of HORSHAM affords, my lord, a fourth illu,tration of the ill effects of the instruction of the 2 ith November, 1831. Horsham was reported by the Boundary Commissioners to be " a small and inconsiderable place, irregularly and poorly built, many of the houses being of timber, and nicely exceeding a single story in height. It is," they ear, " neither lighted nor watched, and very indifferently paved." fhe population in 1831 was only 1,921, the total number of houses 344, the qualifying houses 130. The Commissioners were, nevertheless, instructed to thud a boundary for Hors ham. It was no easy matter to get it. After ex- Ctie Court. WINDSOR, Dec. 23. The following had the honour of dining with her Majesty lost evening :—The Duchess of Kent, the Lady in Waiting to her Royal Ilighneo, the Baroness de Spetb, and Colonel Hon. C. B. Phipps. . . The hand of the Grenadier Guards was in attendance in the Castle during dinner, and her Majmy's private band attended afterwards in the evening, and pertormed the following selection : Overt - are, airs de Ballet, L'Entant " Auber. scene et (.'Coeur, Selection, . 4 Shirk Add" Carta. rackeltanz The, •• Pre aux Clercs " The Queen, with the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred, waked in the Home Park this morning. The Prine,ss Rays). and younger memben of tho Royal Family took walking and puy exercise. Prince Albert went out shnoting this morning., attended by Colonel the lion. C. B. l'idpps, Colonel lion. Charles Grey, Colonel Leurerie, and Lieutenant - Colonel Bids dul ph. General Sir Julius llartmann, Licutenar.t-Colonel Mid ler, and Captain Griii.dell are expected to arrive at the Castle this afternoon, on a visit to her Majesty. The Marquis of Ormende, and Lkutenant4.'olonel Hon. N. Hood have succe:ded Lard Wisterpark and General Sir F. Storin, as Lord and Groom in Waiting to her Majesty. Lard John RuAscii proceeded from IWitILIAOC Castle on Monday eveii;ng to his residence, Pembroke Lodge, Rich mond-park. liis lordship returned to town yesterday morn ing. Ilis Excellency the French Aral:taw:dor And an inter view with the noble lord et his official residence in Down ing-street. His lordship left town in the afternoon on a visit to the Duke of Bedford, at his scat, Woburn Abbey, The Marquis of Lansdowne (Lorl President) left town on 'Monday evening for his seat, Gowood-park, Wiltshire. I.ord Adolphus Fitrelurenco had an interview with Sir George Grey, yesterday, at the Home-office. Ilespatches were received at the Colunial.office front the Goverr.or of St. ytaterday. Mt= Lat Orbt'i Garr!'•. FOREIGN-OFFICE, 22.—The Queen has been pleased to approve of Mr. William Watson as Consul at Liverpool for the Republic of Venezuela. DOWNING-STRUT, DEC. 22.—The Queen has been pleased to appoint Major Edward From:, of the Corps of Royal Engineers, to he Son ;:or-Uenerul for the island of Mauritiu ; ulso to appoint Fraheis Lewis Shaw Mercy. ether, Esq., to be Postmaster-Giueral for the colony of New South Wales; Michael Fi•z Patrick, Esq., to be Clerk of the Executive Council of that Colony; llutenirson Mother sell Browne, Esq., to be Agent for Immigration ; and John O'Neil Bream, Esq., to bo Water Police. Magistrate at Sydney. In addition to the Rifle Brigade, now under orders for the Cape of Goad Hope, it is said that the 85111 Foot will also be sent. At present thin: are, exclu sive of the local farce, eight regiments of the line and one of Lancers in that colony, and the 43rd was shortly expected. The Cape Corps will, in all pro bability, be converted into a whi'e regiment. Rumour adds that Lord Harris will shortly proceed to the Cape, to supersede Sir Harry Smith in the civil government. The choke of such a man as Lord Harris would, it is believed, be popular in the colony. LORD JOHN RUSSELL AND THE DEPUTATION FROM THE MANCUESTER REFOIOI CONFERENCE.- Yesterday afternoon, ut a quarter past 4 o'clock, a meeting of the friends of parliamentary and financial reform was held at Newell's-buildings, Manchester, to receive Lord Jolla Rus sell's reply to the appli:ation of Mr. Milner Gibson, M.P., on behalf of the Iteforni Conference, that his lordship would name a suitable time fur au interview. The letter has already appeared in the Express. The meeting was attended by Mr. Bright, M.P., Mr. Kershaw, M.P., and others. The meeting had nut coaclailed when our report left. FURTHER INSTALMENT OF Kosstos.—The second division of the third volume of Alexander Von Humboldt's Kosmos has just issued from the German press. The new chapters treat of the circuits of,the sun, planets, and comets of the zodiacal lights, meteors, and meteoric stones. The uranological portion of the physical description of the universe is now completed. Letters from Stuttgart state that the veteran philosopher has already made good way into the fourth volume of his great work. FRENCH FACTORY IN CHINA. —lf we are rightly informed, our Minister of Commerce is at this moment projecting the establishment of a French factory in China, of the nature of those which the Dutch, the English, and other nations have formed there. This factory will be placed under the superintendence of M. de Montigny, our consul at Shanghai, and is expected to exercise the meet beneficial influence on our intercourse with the Celestial Empire.—Journal do Havre. NEW PENAL COLONIES.—The anticipations we expressed in a recent article on the 'abject of transporta ' Hon, that steps would be taken with a view to the forma tion of penal settlements and coaling stations for steamers in the Southern Pacific, arc, it appears, about to he speedily realised. We now understand that the Lords of the Ad miralty have given directions for the immediate equipment of two vessel., to proceed upon an exploratory expedition among the South Sea Islands, including New Caledonia and the Fegees, with a view to ascertain the capabilities they respectively present ter the purposes in question. We also learn that her Majesty's ships flutist and Arrow are destined for this service ; and that the Board of Admiralty, with a laudable appreciation of the professional talents and public services of Captain Mangles Denham. have appointed him to command the intended expedition. It is likewise stated, upon the best authority, that her Majesty's steamer Pluto is about to be despatched to the coast of Africa, to commence the survey of the Bight of Biafra from the point at which Captain De.nham concluded his operations in her Majesty's ship Avon a few years ago.—Eirerpool Albion. COAL Dock's 1N TIIE TYNE.—Docks for the ship ment of the immense quantity of coal annually sent from the Tyne has loag been de,ired, said on Monday the draft of a new bill was laid before the River Tyne Commis sioners, at a meeting held in the Merchant's.hall, New castle, for parliamentary posers to erect a large dock in a creek called Hayhole, about a mile above Shields harbour, for the shipment of coal from the coal field on the N.E. coast of Northumberland ; nearly a million tuns of coal— about thrte-fourth of the coal shipped in the river, being now put on board vessels at this place, by the ordinary means of staiths. The commissioners,also,seek further powers to erect two large piers or breakwaters at the month of the harbour, for the purpose of iling a greater uniform depth of water on Shields bar, and affording protection to vessels ' coming into the harbour in rough weather. It is also pro jected to form a dock of ono kundted acres upon Jarrow Slake, the funds to be raised by private enterprise. The dock at Jarrow Slake will be fur the shipment of coal brought by the York and Berwick Hailwey from the Dur ham coal field. The funds for the erection of Hayhole Dock will be raised primarily upon the ordinary dock aues ; secondarily the dues raised by the commissionersin the dock will be pledged, the eoulownen, having staiths at this place, agreeing to ship their coats in the dock for 50 years. ______l rich rrn att., the I I I