The Press. — London, England, 1854-01-21 00:00:00

JANUARY 21, 1854. on.• , because, co mmon carriers, it was decided failed t h a t they had no right to make one person pay more than another for the same description of service. Notwithstanding this, .however, the company con tinued to put obstac les in the way, by declining to transm it the obnoxious parcels, or those which they chose to regard as such, beyond the limits of their own Brie, which terminates, as respects Glasgow, at Presten, and as respects Sheffield, at Rugby. It woo shown, however, that they continued to book all ordinary parcels to those towns in the usual manner, under an arrangement with the connecting lines ; and the point has now been settled that, as common carriers, they are not justified in making the at timpted distinction. " They cannot," it was observed by the Court, "say they will carry for ninety nine person s to Sheffield,. and as respects a particular erson that they will only carry to Rugby." A s c arriers to Sheffield for everybody else, they must t arry in the same manner for the parties in question. actibtnts and (Ofhas. A FRIGHTFUL CcraansiontE, resulting in the death of two workmen, happened at the old Excise build ings, in Broad-street, on Monday. The edifice is in irocess of demolition, and owing, it is believed, to a 1 1 , any pile of bricks being allowed to accumulate upon the floor of a large room on the fourth story, tie crossbeams gave way, pulling after them a lrrge pile of the masonry, when the whole mass broke completely through the lower floors to the bottom of the building, receiving of course a fresh accession of pondrous debris as it descended. There were 200 men employed about the edifice at the tiM3, of whom six were at work in the apartment where the accident commenced. These were preci pitated along with the wreck and buried by it, as were two other workmen who happened to be under neath. Most of the men suffered severe injuries, two being found dead when extricated from the rubbish. An inquest was held upon the bodies on Wednesday, resulting in a verdict of "Accidental death." ANOTHER SUFFERER from the collision on the Eastern Counties Railway, reported last week, died on Tuesday, making the sixth victim to that unfor tunate catastrophe. THE BOILER OF A LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE exploded on Sunday morning at Keyworth, on the Midland Railway. The engine at the time was waiting in readiness to convey some goods waggons to Nottingham. Both driver and stoker were terribly injured by the explo sion, and the former was removed in a hopeless Atte to the Derbyshire Infirmary. The engine was completely wrecked. SEVERAL DESTMUCTIVE FLEES have occurred during the last few days both in London and the provinces. At Attencliff, near Honiton, on Monday, a conflagra ti in destroyed an extensive barn and some valuable fain produce, under circumstances which led to strong suspicions of incendiarism. Mr. Woodgate's school at Honiton was burnt to the bare walls on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately the pupils were away for the holidays. Two large schools at Tot teaham were visited by fire on Wednesday morning. ole was a Catholic establishment, and became a to al wreck, the inmates and a few articles of furni ture being hastily removed to a place of safety. Ad joining this was a private school, to which the flames extended and committed much injury, but were stopped by strenuous exertions before the building was totally destroyed. On the evening of the same (lay a hatter's shop in New-street, Covent-garden, was gutted, and the whole house much damaged by fire. Nearly thirty persons were in the building at the hour, ten p.m., when the fl ames w e re discovered, /Hail of whom co uld not escape until they had en dured several minutes of agonising suspense. THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE FIRES IN LONDON during 18b3 was made by Superintendent Braidwood on Saturday last. The sloctunent, which is extremely voluminous, states :—" The fires in 1853, as com pared with 1852, have decreased by 23, but on the average of 20 preceding years the increase is 24. The number of fires in the list of totally destroyed' shows a decrease of 5 as compared with 1852, and on the average of the 20 years a decrease of 5 7 ; but, when the increased number of tires is taken into acccunt, the decrease on the average of the 20 years is 10. The number of fires from the Ist .ban. to 31st Dec., 1853, was as follows :—Fires at which the premises were totally destroyed and considerably d amaged, 201 ; ditto slightly ditto, 639; making a total of 900 fires. The chimney alarms have been 9 0, and false alarms, 72, making 162; the total Calls, 1,062." Serazous GOLD DUST is being offered in consider able quantities to money-changers in London. It e9RBiB4l of small pieces of some hard kind of earth electrotyped so as not to be discoverable by chemical teB tA• Some parcels are so cleverly made as to be com p l etely undistinguishable from genuine gold 4114 : except by friability and want of weight. THE PRESS. JUVENILE DEPRAVITY IN DUBLIN at the present moment is stated to be appalling. Of committals to the gaol in 1859, there were 1,036 children under 10 years of age ; 4,221 between 10 and 15 ; and 8,468 between 15 and 20. Numbers of other persons have been in prison no less than 20 times in the one year; and two women are mentioned who had been in gaol no less than 112 and 113 times. Of 51 persons transported in 1852, 8 were under 10 years of age ; 26 from 16 to 20; but only 3 from 30 to 40, and only 1 WAS over 40 years old. Of those 51 persons, it was the first conviction upon only 31. The rest had been repeatedly in gaol. TUE 'form: Loss of the John o' Gaunt has been reported at Liverpool. She was bound to that port from China with a valuable cargo of silk, sailed from Canton on the sth of last August, and, after having almost completed her voyage, was wrecked upon the rocks at Ithoyswlyn, near Holyhead. Her captain had died during the passage. His widow and part of the crew were saved, but several hands perished. The John o' Gaunt belonged to Messrs. R. Glad stone of Liverpool, and was a favourite ship in the China trade. AN ATTEMPT AT SELF' -STARVATION was discovered at Luton, in Bedfordshire, last week. One Adams, an eccentric character, who lived by hawking and dealing in miscellaneous goods, had shut himself up for several days, when a constable was applied to who broke his door open, and found the old man in the last stage of starvation. The windows were all nailed down and the door fastened, and, but for the constables interference, the unhappy man would have died in a very few hours. Adams had earned considerable notoriety as a street-preacher against drunkenness. Visallanta. THE officer whom Prince klenechikoff sent from Odessa to St. Petersburg with the despatches announcing the victory at Sinope spared no exertion to accomplish his journey with unusual speed, and on arriving at the capital was, according to Russian custom, immediately ushered into the patience of the Emperor, to whom he delivered his despatches, saying," I bring Sour Majesty intelligence of the successful issue of a considerable action." The Emperor, much gratified, took him into his cabinet, and seated himself to peruse their contents. When he had finished he found that the officer, worn out with fatigue, had fallen asleep, nor was he to be aroused by any ordi nary means. With quick appreciation of human nature the Czar called out roughly, So and so ! your horses are ready; " and the zealous courier at once started up to his supposed duty. The Emperor then inquired of him what rank he held? " Kapitan." " Well, then (to an adjutant in attendance), tiling me a pair of epaulette ; I promote you on the spot to be Podpolkowitick (lieutenant-colonel). Embrace me ; " and, when the astonished officer had availed himself of this rare distinction, the Czar kissed him on his cheek. Since then no ruthless razor has been allowed to profane the check hallowed by the Emperor's lips. A FARMER of Resquita, near Rodez, was in the habit of cruelly ill-treating his horse. A few days ago the animal, being left loose, rushed ou him, threw him down, trampled on him, and bit him severely. He uttered loud cries, but it was some time before they were heard, and when at length some persons went to his assistance he sas quite dead. BY THE NEW TARTFF OF CUSTOMS DUTIES OF BUENOS AYRES gold (coined or in bullion) is admitted duty free ; wrought gold and silver at an ad valorem duty of five per cont. ; wools and furs, ten per cent. ; raw and sewing silk, twelve per cent. ; woollen, flax, cotton, hardware, and paper manufactures, fifteen per cent ; clothes, boots and shoes, saddlery, sugar, coffee, tobacco, tea, olive oil, and generally all edibles, twenty per cent. ; spirituous liquors, twenty live per cent. ; wheat and Indian corn, small fixed duties. Among articles of export, horse skins are charged with a duty of one dollar each ; sheep skins,three dollars a dozen ; other skins four per cent. on their marketable value; salt tongues, four seals a dozen ; tallow, twelve seals an arroba ; hair and wool, two dollars an arroba ; horns, four per cent. on their value. All other products of the province, and in general all the fruits and productions of the Argentine pro- tinces, duty free. The introduction landwards of foreign merchandise is prohibited. The tariff is subject to annual revision. AN UNDERTAKING called the " Paris Building Land Company " has been formed, with a capital of 1('S,0001. in 51. shares, of which 62,1,000/. is to be subscribed in London. The plan consists in the impro►ement of some neglected freehold ground in the Quartier Rollin, by the construction of three new thoroughfares, and ultimately of a leather market, supposing a concession be obtained for that purpose. A dividend of five per cent., and the ultimate repayment of the principal, with twenty-five per cent. bonus, is colla terally secured by additional mortgages on the part of the vendor of the property. A PaosEcurioN is about to be instituted against an agent of the Anglo-Continental Telegraph Company, upon the charge of altering a despatch front Marseilles, by substi tnting the words" St. Petersburg, Czar," for " Constanti nople, Sultan," and thereby falsely circulating the news that the Emperor of Russia had accepted the propositions of the Vienna conference. _ _ DIED, at Great Bentley, on the 10th instant, James Lon• don, aged 100 years. The deceased, who completed his 100th year in August last. preserved to the dart a beautiful head of hair of raven blackness. 59 THE Uu><s OF Fatima has granted to his Prime 111iniste Baron Ward, the privilege of eon , ,tructing a railway from Piacenza to the mountain of Penult, partly fur locomotives and partly lualiontea. AL - VICES EltoM Sr. Erti:N:cr., the Co‘entry of France, state that the prompt:lity at the ribandnumufaeturers during the past year has been beyond all former precedent. The quantity of silk "conditioned " was also greater than in any former year. THE ('OJIMERt lAL AGENTS OF THE PERUVIAN GOVERN. MEhT have given notice that, in consequence of the supply of guano not being equal to the demand, they are compelled to refuse any fresh orders until further supplies shall arrive from the Pacific. Au INHASITAXIC 0/ Ataxaur., named Marion, has been condemned to line and costs for having given to his child the name of Robespierre. The civil officer who registered that appellation has also becu summoned and tu►ed. THE diligence traversing between Alcoa and Alicante, in Valentin, encountered a tempest which for several days raged in the district and occasioned many disasteis. For two days and part of a third the vehicle was stopped en route, being able neither to proceed nor return ; and during that whole time the sixteen passengers which it carried remained without help or food, saving a few vial's fit chocolate that one of thew happened fortunately to hurt) with him. UNDER THE RESTORATION it was calculated that the ex tent of laud covered with wood in Frame amounted to be tween 6,000,01 k) and 7,000,0000 f hectares (lb or 17 million acres). Sum then the quantity him considerably diminished, but its exact extent is not known. At present means are being taken to obtain information on the sub ject, and for that purpose the provincial mayors have been directed to stud in precise returns, not only mentioning what portion of each connnww is planted, but specifying the kind of trees in every part. Me. a BECKETT has decided that the driver of a hackney carriage was not necessarily obliged to knock or ring at the door of a house when directed to stop by the hirer. ABBAS DACHA derives a handsome revenue how the transit through Egypt. The amount paid to hint by the Peninsular and Oriental Company alone for the transit of goods and passengers iu 161)3 was 72,2131., that of the previous year being 52,6751. This income is over and above the product of the local traffic, the amount taken last year in Alexandria alone on goods and passengers to Cairo and Suez being 14,500/. FROM 171)3 to the beginning of 1853 there were coined in France gold to the amount of 1,020,00,839 f., and silver to the amount of 4,512,494,206 f. THE EMPEROR lAPOI.EON, some time back, gave dime tious to the Minister of War to prepare snort giving an exact detail of the present situation of the b'reneli urinj, accompanied with a statement of the number of men that France could, if necessary, place without delay on a war footing. This paper, it is sa►d, has been lately sent in, and the number of men which could be employed as just stated is set down in it at 1,260,000. A FEMALE INMATE of the Hanturk Union Workhouse lately gave birth to three male children. One of the infants had a large tooth in the front of hiomonth.. A lIEMARNAULE INSTANCE ol• I.ONOEVITY IS recorded in the .I.mrnal de Rt. Pelersbourg. M. Pierre Sosnovsky died in November last, at Moscow, at the extraordinary age of 122 years one mouth and twenty-five days. He was born under the reign of the Empress Anna loannovna, on 4th August, 1731. At ten years of age he was placed in the► School of Painting at St. Petersburg. lie remained there until 1785, and was distinguished as one of the best pupils. At the age of fitly-seven he entered the army as suteofileer, took part in the second war with Turkey, and was present at the taking of Otehakoff. He quitted the service on Ist January, 17110, with the rank of captain. lu 1812 he entered the militia of Moscow, and was present, when eighty years of age. at the battle of Tionslitio. WILD SPECULATION IN WIILAT AND FLOUR is said to prevail in Liverpool. Even boys and penniless adventurers of every description have managed, by degrees, to get large quantities bought for them on a very Rawl/ deposit—which becomes the nucleus of increased purchases—so that the " operator," who at first had only 10/. to give the broker to buy him 100 barrels of flour, by degrees finds; it increased so much that he figures for thousands. A glimmering of peace, or heavy receipts into the American ports, would act like a bombshell among this little army of speculators who now laugh at 1b47. Die American Coarirr gives some examples of what it terms the "curiosities of the Patent-office" which have been lately registered in the United States. A harpoon is described which makes the whale kill himself. The more he pulls the line the deeper goes the harpoon. An ice making machine has been patented, which goes by a steank engine. In an experimeetal trip it froze several bottles of ice of the size of a cubic foot w hen the thernionieter was standing at 80 deg. It is calculated that for every ton of coal put into the furnace it will make a ton of ice. Seven new machines that spin, twenty that weave, and seven that sew, are also described. Among various new electrical in ventions is an electric whaling apparatus, by which the whale is literally " shocked to death." Another is an electro•ma:metic alarm, *Melt rings bells and dimplayi sig nals in caw of tires or burglars. Another is an electric clock, which wakes you up, tells you what time it is, and lights a lamp for you at any hour you please. There is an invention that picks up pine from a confused heap, turns them all round, with their heads up, and sticks them in paper in regular rows. Another goes through the whole process of cigar-making, taking in tobacco leaves and turning out the perfect article. One machine cuts chrism ; another scours kuives and forks ; another blacks boots ; another roeks the cradle ; and seven or eight take in washing and ironing. There are a number of guns patented that load themselves ; a fish-line that adjusts its own bait; and a rat-trap that throws away the rat, aid then baits and sets itself, and stands in the corner fur another. i 13 I