The Press. — London, England, 1854-09-23 00:00:00

806 jesty's Plenipotentiary, shows the imports during the year 1853 to have been valued at 1,045,1411., and the exports 3,250,2031. Sir John Bowring was expected to leave for Hong Kong via the other ports, a week after the Barracouta, and the United States steamer Suequehannah on the 15th. Numerous pirate fleets are cruising all over the east coast ; one numbering fifty junks, crowded with men, had lately congregated within forty miles of Fu-chan. It is stated from Ningpo that the Portuguese cor vette Dom Joao, with fifteen lorchas, had been firing the town and plundering some war junks. A private letter gescribes the country inland as perfectly qui escent politically, whilst commercially the utmost activity prevailed in the tea market betwixt the groirers and dealers from Shanghae. Rumours of the war betwixt Great Britain and Rtissia were cur rent among the Chinese, who seemed assured that England would have the worst of it. tout wall jastion. HER MAJESTY'S JOURNEY TO BALMORAL was com pleted on Friday week under the most satisfactory auspices. From Edinburgh to Aberdeen the most complimentary demonstrations on the pup of the population marked ber progress ; and as the royal train passed the castle of Starling a salute was fired from the batteries. At Forfar Lord Panmure paid his respects to her Majesty, and at Perth the Earl of Mansfield awaited her arrival for, a similar pur pose. The local authorities were of course on the qui viva, and attended the Queen through the dis tricts subject to their jurisdiction. The youthful princes were attired in the highland costume, and the national colours were also prominently displayed by the Queen and the princesses. A detachment of the depot of the 09th Regiment, stationed at Aberdeen, bad been expected at a village on Thursday evening, to form a guard of honour to her Majesty. They, however, did not arrive, having been countermanded for some reason or other. Fortunately a guard of honour was not allowed to be wanting. About four o'clock fifty of the clan Farquharson (of Invercauldl, commanded by their chief, Mr. George Farquharson, of the Scots Fusilier Guards, preceded by the sound a the bagpipe, marched into the village and took up theirlaosition near where the royal cortege were to halt in order to change horses. These men, arrayed in their highland costume, had a fine picturesque tip• pearance, and the manner in which they executed their movements was highly creditable. About half-past five the royal cortege drove to the inn. Her Majesty, with ,much condescension, acknowledged the homage which the assembly were proud to render her. The royal party having changed horses started for Bal moral, which they reached within an hour. The new royal residence at Balmoral has advanced rapidly during the summer. On the ground floor of the west and north sides are the public rooms, and over them are the principal bedrooms and other accom modations for the royal family. The other two sides are three, stories in height, and will be reserved chiefly for the accommodation of the suite. This part of the building is intended, we believe, to be ready for being occupied by the time of her Majesty's visit to the Highlands next autumn. On the east side a wing is being built seventy feet in length, and in connection with a very prominent part of the edifice, viz., a tower of forty feet square, which will be about eighty feet high, with a circular staircase pn one angle, making the height 100 feet The louse is in the baronial or old English style of archi tecture. The south and west fronts especially are very , handsome, there being some very fine carving and moulding in the details. There are very fine oriel windows for the principal rooms Queen's sitting-room, bedroom, dressing-room, with turrets on the .angles. The whole is to be fireproof, according to Barrett's patent. It will be understood that there are two buildings, the servants' accommo dation being distinct, the space occupied by which being more than equal to that of the principal building. There is besides in the plan a ball room, to supersede the present iron one, and the dimen sions of this will be 09 feet by 25. Her Majesty the Queen and his Royal Highness the Priuce walked out on Saturday morning. The royal children took their usual riding and walking exercise. In the afternoon the Prince, attended by Major General the Hon. C. Grey and Colonel the Mon. C. Phipps, had the wood driven for deer. As at present arranged her Majesty the Queen and his Royal Highness Prince Albert, accompanied by the younger branches of the royal family, and at. tended by the ladies, and gentlemen of the house hold, will arrive at Windsor Castle on the oth of next month tor their usual autumnal sojourn. TON CALORIC ENGINE invented by Captain Ericsson has been finally abandoned, and is to be taken out of the ship bcaring his name, steam boilers being substituted. From the beginning this result has been foreseen by practical and scientific men, notwithstanding the alleged complete success of the experiment. 1 4 1 it PRESS. 3rtiant. Musa PRIVY COUNCIL—At a Privy Council held on Saturday at Dublin Castle, the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of Dublin, and the Right Hon. Sir Edward Blakeney, G.C.8., were sworn Lords Justices during the absence of the Lord Lieutenant. ONE OF THE MOST ATROCIOUS ACTS of mingled bigotry and villany on record was perpetrated in Derry on Friday week. It aimed at nothing less than the destruction of nine hundred Orangemen at a single blow. The means chosen was the upsetting of a railway excursion-train, on its return from Londonderry to Enniskillen, where it had conveyed the number above mentioned of Enniskilleners to fraternise with the 'prentice boys, a return for a similar visit paid some weeks since by the Derr" boys to Enniskillen. The 900 Enniskilleners, headed by Lord Enniskillen, reached Derry at ten o'clock, welcomed by a large array of Derryites and others, with Sit Robert Bateson at their head. When these Enniskillen and Derry columns had effected their junction, they moved in combination round the walls to the place where Walker's Pillar stands. Here there was plenty of shouting, and spouting, and enthusiasm, of Kentish tire, and waving of banners, on which were inscribed the words " Derry," " Enniskillen," " Aughrim," and " Boyne." Then Sir Robert Bateson made a speech. Then there was a lunch and toasts and more speeches, and more Kentish fire ; and the whole assembly roared out, " No surrender ! " In the evening (says a contem porary) the visitors left Derry. Two engines being placed to the train, the journey was accomplished without anything occurring until the train, after passing Dromore, in the county of Tyrone, reached a townland named Stranagomer, near the crossroads leading from Trillick to Lowtherstown, when a sudden shock, preceded by a slight jumbling of the engines, took place, and immediately down went.the engines, flying off, as it were, at right angles. The second engine, on which, along with the engine-man, were Lord Enniskillen and one of the , railway officials, Mr. George Younger, ran into the first, jamming his lordship between the engine and first carriage, from which perilous position he was rescued by the joint exertions of seven or eight of the Enniskilliners, who had left their carriages when the concussion took place. His lordship was but very slightly bruised, although one of the engine drivers was killed, and another had a leg broken. . This man, we understand, is not expected to live. A third man, belonging to the company, is suffering also very much from a dreadfully mangled thigh, off which the flesh was completely torn. At the hour the accident occurred it was, of course, quite dark, and there were, we have learnt, but two lamps avail able. The cause of the accident was found to be several stones—one of them weighing close upon three cwt.—which had been placed by some fiendish miscreants upon the line, and these were preceded by a few smaller ones, evidently designed to throw the engines off the rail before coming to the larger block, in the hope that the latter would then the better turn them down a precipitous steep of about thirty or forty feet in depth, caused by the earth which had been thrown in at this spot to raise the line to a proper level, and at which there is no parapet or protecting wall. As a train had passed along the line about twenty minutes previously, it is manifest the fiendish concoctors of this diabolical scheme, which exceeds anything we ever read of in murderous intention, were lying in wait some time to accomplish their purpose, and that the object of their deadly intention was the more numerously freighted train containing the Derry visitors; and, so solicitous were they that failure should not attend them, that about a mile further on the line was similarly obstructed. Happily at the time of the collision the engines were proceeding rather slowly, to which may be attributed, in a great measure, the slight nature of the casualties ; for had they been going at a rapid rate, and turned off down the em bankment, taking the carriages along with them, few could have escaped with their lives. As it was, the scene of confusion is indescribable, and to add to the terror inspired at the moment a rumour was raised that another train would be likely to come up with them. Shortly after the occurrence took place a crowd of country people assembled, and, although we blush for our common humanity when we pen such a sentence, yet the truth should be told, which, as we have been informed by an eye witness, is most dis creditable to the peasantry of that district. Our in formant states that hardly one of those who came up would condescend to put a hand in order to render the slightest assistance ; and although one fellow was paid liberally for bringing a little water, and another was paid to bring a door to carry off the poor sufferers, neither of these fellows returned. That such an occurrence should take place in a Chrissian country, and be characterised with such hardheartedness in the hour of need, will scarcely be believed, and, God krows we write it more with feel ings of regret than indignation. Our readers can all gAtifii3At. - , I-. better conceive than , we could relate the peculiar feelings of between. Boo and NO persons thus thrown out into a strange district, in the dark, and at a dis tance of twelve miles from their homes. The small village of Ballinamallard lay before them on their tonte, distant about four miles, and thither most of the passengers straggled in groups, as best they could. We understand Lord Enniskillen took up his abode in a peasant's house fin- the night, and about half-past nine o'clock the next morning Lady Ennis killen passed through the town from Florence-court, to quiet her anxieties by a sight of her husband. When the news reached Ballinamallard, where a large concourse had assembled in expectation of the train at the usual hour, a numerous party set out to render what aid they could; and some jaunting cars were got ready for the conveyance of the ladies. Many of our fellow townstneh did riot get home till six o'clock on Saturday morning, and all seem im pressed with a due sense of that providential inter position which alone rescued them from one ot the most fiendish attempts At wholesale massacre that ever took place in this or any other country pro fessing to be Christian. We trust that befdre long the guilty persons will have been made amenable for their heartless and crael conduct. We learn that a number of navvies, who were seen lounging in that direction, have been arrested on suspicion. AT a meeting of the committee of :he Downpatrick Protestant Association, held a few (lays past, the following reso:ution was unanimously agreed to : " Resolved,—That the members of the Down Protestant Association have seen, with great satisfaction, a public, recognition of the value of our Protestant Constitution by the Right Hon. ,Bertjamin Disraeli, M.P., in the House of Commons, on the 3rd of August, 1854 ; and earnestly hope that one of such transcendent qualities as Mr. Disraeli, rightly seeing that all other political questions are of secondary importance campared with the great Protestant question, will come boldly forward early next session of Parliament, should God spare him, and fulfil those hopes 'kWh lit Jete speech his eicited in the Protestant mind of the country, by himself bringing forward some measure which , will vindicate the Protestant Constitution of this country, and prove that the enduring existence of our Protestant Coustituticn is consistent, not only with civil and religious liberty, but is the only guarantee and security we have for its in estimable blessings. " Resolved,—That the Down Protestant Association desire to express their warm admiration of Mr. Spooner's untiring exertions in the cause of Protestantism, in en deavouring to put an, end to the parliamentary grant to the College of Maynooth ; and also of the steady and con sistent support which .he has always given in the House of Commons to Protestant opinions and Protestant Institutions; and the Down Protestant Association trust that Almighty God will long spare Mr. Spooner to continue his exertions in behalf of the Protestant cause, and that they will ultimately be crowned with triumphant success." i•totialq. ARRANGEMENTS have been all but completed for the purchase of the Theatre Royal and most of the adjacent buildings for the site of the new post-office. No site could be more suitable or convenient, and few could be found which would afford so much room for the exercise of architectural talent and taste ; it is to be hoped, therefore, that no Mistimed and misplaced economy will prevent the erection of a building worthy of taking a place among those other structures of which Edinburgh is so justly proud. THE excitement caused by the attempts of the Kelso folks to destroy the toll-bars of their bridge con tinues. A lengthened correspondence has been pub• lished between the Sheriff of Edinburgh; the Coininissioner of Police, and the civic authorities on the subject of sending a large body of police to Kelso without the authority of the magistrates, and in which Mr. Sheriff Jamieson distinctly requires that the Men may remain in the disturbed town. The Lord Provost is highly indignant, and tells the Commissioner of Police that he has no doubt that counsel will be able to point out a course by which the law can be determined authoritatively as regards his (the superintendent's) powers and duties, and by which he or any other superintendent of police will be prevented from setting the authority of the magistrates of the city and the comniissioners of police at defiance ; and by which the force provided and paid by the inhabitants of the city for their own pro tection shall not be improperly removed from the city. Kelso still continues in a state of siege, and the same injudicious and reckless conduct on the part of the county officials, which seems to have contri buted so much to the excitement, continues to ex hibit itself in novel and very dangerous forms. Further accounts state that the Kelso disturbances have at last received the proper check from th proper authority. At the Circuit Court of Justiciary, opened on Thursday week by Lords Cowan and lituidysitie, Thomas Wild, John Robson, Abraham Rodger, and John Cameron M'lntosh, were placed at the bar, charged with mobbing, rioting, and assault ing, in having formed part of a mob of riotous per-