The Sun. — London, England, 1859-09-19 00:00:00

MAJOR TREMENIIEERE'S REPORT ON THE MINING DISTRICT S• A report addressed to the Home Department by Mr. Hugh Seymour Tremenheere, the Commissioner appointed under the provisions of the act 5 and 6 Viet., cap. 99, to inquire into the operation of that act, and into the state of the mining districts, has just been published, dated August 8, 1859. We ex tract from it the following, relating to the South Staffordshire districts : THE BITTTY SYSTEM. In the course of the strike last autumn, which lasted about fifteen weeks, the complaints against the " batty " system were renewed by the men, and the continuance of that system was urged as the most prominent among their grievances. The " butty is a contractor, or middleman, between the master and the men. He has under him an agent, the " doggy," who superintends the work in the butty's absence. It is a complaint of long standing that the contractors and under agents take advantage of the men in various ways ; by stopping money from their wages, which they are obliged to spend in drink ; by making them work until two o'clock for half a day, or until half plot ten or eleven for a quarter-day ;by measur ing four yards for three and a half in estimating the araount of work done ; by sending drink to the pits in t i t: e middle of the week, land making the men pay for it, whether they want it or not; by paying the men late oz Saturday night, and keeping them waiting in or abozit the public-houses in which the butties are interested, in order that they may spend money in drink ; by unskilful and imprope r management of the pits, "to save money and time," whereby their health is injured and their lives endangered. These and other complaints against the batty system were urged at various meetings, attended by from 1,200 to 3,000 and 4,000 of the men (as the one at West Bromwich, on the 17th of August, 1858), where they were all enumerated; and it was added by ens of the speakers, " the man must pay whether he has the drink or not, and if the man does not drink there is little or no work ;" meaning that those Wk• do not drink are soon got rid of. Complaints of this nature have been attracting public attention in South Staffordshire for many years. About 20 years ago, as lam informed by Mr.-Phillip Williams, the chairman of the Iron Masters' Association, than whom no other is better acquainted with everything that concerns the dis trict, a county meeting was called, and was pre sided over by the then lord-lieutenant of the county, Earl Talbot, to take this alleged " grievance" into consideration. The meeting was attended by forty magistrates. Mr. Philip Williams, on being called upon, gave such explanations relating to it that the meeting abstained from farther inter ference. In 1843, Mr. Tancred was instructed by the Secretary of State to inquire into all matters affecting the social condition of the mining popula tion of this county, and in his report dwelt much upon this question. In my report of the year fol lowing, to the Secretary of State, upon the same subject, and in my reports for 1847 and 1850, I directed attention to the fact that complaints arising from this source still existed, although ap parently to a less extent than formerly, and I stated the various disadvantages, social as well as econo mical, which many enlightened persons in the dis trict believed they could trace directly to this SU lem of employment. As the question has again been raised, I deemed it my duty again to investigate it, and I have re cently discussed it with a considerable number of gentlemen representing large firms in Staffordshire and Worcestershire, employing mining labour, and whose position and experience entitle their opinions to the most respectful consideration. The cylestion is much narrowed by one or two preliminary considerations. First, the two counties, as regard.l the raising of coal, are separated into two great districts, the thick and the thin coal district. In the former the pits are for the most part ex tensive, and the number of men in each is consider. able. In this district it is more easy to do away with the butty system. and adopt that by which the colliers are in the direct employ of master. Accordingly, in this district several of the principal employers have for some years past worked many of their own pits, under the superintendence of their own agents, with results satisfactory both to themselves and their men. In the latter, the thin coal district, the pits being for the most part small, containing only from 10 to 20 or 30 men, it is alleged fo be more difficult to dispense with the system of betting the pits to con tractors (battles) ; and it is asEserted with, I believe, perfect truth, that the butty s vstem is not neces sarily attended with the evils that have been specified at the meetings above adverted to. Indeed, the character of all the principal per sons in the coal and iron trades in the whole of this important district, and that of the great majority of the small masters, stands' far too high to permit a doubt that if those evils could be sub stantiated as existing in their works the contrac tors would be immediately dismissed, or efficient means taken to remove any such causes of com plaint. In point of fact, many of the masters have again recently assured me that the men in the em ploy of their contractors make no complaints, and that they are perfectly aware that the master is at all times ready to listen to, and take immediate steps to redress, any complaint relating to any form of oppredirion that might be attemptea. But, although the question is narrowed by the above considerations, there is no doubt thatin many instances the complaints above mentioned are well founded. To appreciate the causes which lie at the bottom of the system which has become so rooted in the habits of these two counties, it is necessary briefly to pass in review certain facts, which cannot but have exercised a great influence upon their social condition. The great development of industry in this part of the country is shown by the statement given on undoubted authority at page 26 of my report for 1849, namely, that in 1806 the number of iron fur naces in Staffordshire was 42, and the annual make of iron 50,000 tons, while in 1848 the number of furnaces had increased to 151, and the make of iron to 385,840 tons. The number last year is given as 183 furnaces, and the produce, on a moderate estimate, 616,400 tons. It will readily be understood how great has been the simultaneous increase in the mining population of the district, rendered necessary by this vast in crease in the iron trade, and by that of all the other numerous branches of industry which have spread themselves over many square miles of country, from Birmingham to Wolverhampton in one direction, and from Walsall to Stourbridge in the other. Among the firms which supply the vast consump tion of coal required for these branches of indus try and for the population engaged in them, are many old established ones, both in the coal and iron trades, and also many new ones, who, as their men are well aware, would not permit of any abuse arising out of the butty system or any other to exist a day after they became aware of it, without the most decided effort to put an end to it. But out of so large a number of firms, many of them comparatively new to the occupation, there will naturally be a cer tain proportion, happily, however, as I was assured by a gentleman of very large experience in the dis trict, not employing more than one-third of the whole number of colliers and miners in it, who are from circumstances less able, or from other reasons less disposed, to interfere with their butties, upon -whose knowledge of the business and on whore c.,tpital they to a certain extent depend for a steady supply of coal, &c., and whose acquaintance with the habits of the men enables them to dep.l with them better than they could themselves. Ten years ago the number of butties in the district was estimated at about' 900. They are at present more numer ous . U n d er the butties, in each pit, is a man who superintends the work in his absence , the local t erm and , f , o d r whom is a "doggy." Both " butties" intelligent of the oggier are selected from the working The former, o ften by superior skill andinteligence, r ealise in -the course of year s considerable em sums t by th eir -various contracts, and some of th rise into the Mass of masters having pits of th e ir own. If, in South Staffordshire, in the year 1850, as I stilted iv. my report for that year (page 33), on the authority of one of the pr incipal min e agen t s , or "underground ba iliffs" of t h at count y , of the then es timated total num ber of mine agents of the district (60) under whose general direction thesebutties were employed—" who have the supervision of all the coal and. ironstone pits — who lay them all out for yfork and ventilation—who are expected to underst an d all the details of the machinery, both for pumping " &c and drawing, where shafts are to be sunk. there were some 14 or 1 5 unab le to write, and cer tainly some of them unable to read, or were so only a short time ago," and that out of the 60 " there might be 25 who were educated men," it may easily - be inferred what is the state of education among the class of butties and their subordinates, and that among so many who are in a low intellectual state t here must be many whose moral notions and whose m ode of governing their men, can scarcely fail to lea d to acts which the men feel to be unjustifiable, bark and irritating. The an industry employing such an amount of capital as' is engaged in the business ofraising minerals in this district should be under the practical man agement of,two classes of men whose general grade -of intellectual cultivation is as above described, and .that it should flourish under it, cannot but be re garded .as something extraordinary, and at the 5, \me time as affording a proof of the degree to which SOL •Ind common sense and acuteness may, undex cer- tain circumstances, supply the place of more regu larly acquired knowledge; but that it should not leave much to be desired—that much waste, many losses, and many drawbacks, economical and social, should not, in a vast number of instances, result from such a system—will scarcely be disputed. Accordingly several of the largest employers in the district have from time to time during the last twenty years endeavoured to substitute for the butty system that of working their pits, or some of them, under agents of their own, the men being directly in their employ, and being paid, not according to their day's work, but accord ing to what each man may choose to earn—the mode of employing colliery labour most generally prevalent in other districts. In the thin coal nearly all these attempts on the part of the employers failed. Those described to me by the gentlemen who undertook them had evi - dently been taken in hand with the best intentions, and the most earnest desire for the sake of their own pecuniary interests that they should succeed. The reasons given to me by those gentlemen for the failure were that they could not get the men to . . do em justice. They found that the men would not work with the same regularity or steadiness, or do the same amount of work that the butty, whose in terests are so directly involved, was able, by con stant vigilance, to induce them to do. The ill success attending those attempts made by gentlemen of high standing in the trade, at much cost, and under circumstances rendering it very de sirable that they should succeed, has greatly tended to strengthen the general opinion of the masters in the iron and coal trade, that the batty system is the one under which they can obtain their coal at the cheapest rate ; a consideeation all the more important in consequence of the increasing competition to which Staffordshire has for many years past been subjected. Nevertheless a few, even in the thin coal part of the district, did succeed, and have continued to work their coal without butties until the present time. Mr. D. G. Round, of Portland-house, Edgbaston, a magistrate for the county, and a considerable em ployer of colliery labour, informed me that nearly 20 years ago he abandoned the batty system, and is so satisfied with the results that he should never think of returning to it. A few other gentlemen also in formed me that they had introduced the other plan in some of their pits, and that they found it to their advantage, the conditions of success apparently being---,First, a very intelligent, sufficiently in structed, af ia thoroughly trustworthy agent, under whom to place the working of the pits; and, secondly, a well-selected set of men. It is obvious that those conditions could not, in the present state of the district, be combined to an extent to be capable of general application. The difficulties, however, have not deterred other gentlemen from turning their attention again to the subject. Mr. James Bagnall mentioned to me that he hoped soon to be able to make a trial with the new system in one of his numerous pits, which would be selected with reference to the facilities of working it without the intervention of a contractor. Mr. Thomas Bagnall, jun., also expressed his in tention of making a similar experiment. It is much to be desired that the result should encourage a further extension of the new system in their own and other works. But it does not follow that if the butty system were generally abandoned.—which' it could not be until after many years, even if there was a general wish among the masters to do so—the alleged social disadvantages of the system, that of keeping the men apart from the masters, and preventing that knowledge of each other which so much tends to harmonise society, would necessarily be replaced by greater opportunities of intercourse, and the benefits which flow from it. - While it is alleged on the one hand that the butty system is not inconsistent with such mutual intercourse, and that, in fact, many masters who employ butties enjoy the confidence of their men, and are well known by and greatly esteemed by them, and are always ready to attend to any reasonable complaints, it is asserted, on the other hand, that the new system would not neces sarily lead to any greater amount of mutual know ledge or personal intercourse. The most common opportunities for both parties being brought to gether are the pay days; but where the pits are scattered, or the number of men to be paid great, the payment must be made at several places, to com paratively small numbers at each, in order that the men may be detained as short a time as possible— all being anxious to be paid at an early hour, in order to have the rest of the afternoon for going to market or for recreation. The master, it is said, cannot always be present at more than one or two of such places in the course of one pay day ; and if his habits and inclination dispose him to take a personal interest in his men, he will find or make opportunities of becoming personally acquainted with them, and-of makinc , them understand him, although not he himself but the butty is the em• ployer; and that this has long been so in the in stance of many masters in the district is well known, and at times, when a question of wages arises between the batty and the men, the opinion and advice of those masters have often been effec tual in preventing a strike or leaning to an amic able settlement. The more it becomes the habit of the masters to interest themselves in the welfare of the men, and to show personal sympathy with them in the mat ters that most nearly affect them, the more they will obtain their confidence, and the more will any just ground of complaint, arising from the batty system or any other source, be removed. But the spread of improvement among the great body of the men is quite as essential towards the introduc tion of a better state of things. It is asserted by masters most desirous of promoting every good work in thel district, that the number of men ad dicted to drinking habits, and who consequently lend themselves willingly to the butty system which ministers to those habits, prevents any decided stand being made by the men themselves as a body against it ; also that the insubordinate habits of a large proportion of the men prevent their being dealt with by the master directly, as effectually as through the butty; and, consequently, that in a great majority of cases the only mode of getting the mineral ecpnomically worked is to give the butty a direct interest in it. Accordingly, to raise the general standard of morals and intelligence in this district must long remain the principal object to which the minds of all within it who look beyond the material occupa tion of the passing moment must be directed. Out of the generally improved mass will arise in greater numbers men less willing to lend themselves to a demoralising system, and butties and sub-agents more capable of being converted into trustworthy and intelligent agents, who will, as some do now, work the masters' pits more profitably than can be done by the butty system. " I keep a debtor and creditor account," said to me, one of the gentlemen who have successfully introduced the new system in the thin coal district, " with each pit. Each pit is debited with its amount of capital and machinery, horses, material, and wages. My ground bailiff measures the NS ork and it can be ascertained pretty closely whether the time keeper (the doggy) is dis honest or not, i. e., whether he favours any of the men, by marking them as having done seven days' work instead of six, &c. I get the best and most trustworthy timekeeper that I can, and check him as well as I can. I find by the results, after many years' experience, that I work the coal much cheaper than I did when I employed butties. I get steady men, men who work regularly six days a week ; I lay out the pits for work more profitably. and get the coal one-third quicker than under the old sys tem, consequently there is a so much quicker return' on the capital. I pay the men, either themselves or their wives, or a child for them, early in the after noon, about one o'clock, so that the wife can go to market early. The men can then talk over with me anything that relates to their work in the pits, and discuss the question of wages, when times arrive which require a change. 1 find them very reasonable, and much less inclined to join strikes, or to listen to those who propose them, and on the whole much better satisfied. " I don't deny that there are many respectable butties, and many masters who never allow their butties to have anything to do with public-houses, and who do their best to prevent the abuses of which the men complain, and there are many but ties who, in consequence of the master knowing his business, only obtain a reasonable profit from their contracts, such as they have a right to from the amount of capital they employ (often considerable in horses and stores), and as a remuneration for their services. " As regards this point the matter stands thus : A respectable batty ought to reckon to make as a o a n t t e r ri a remuneration for his services at least £ lOO a year. But you could not give a ground bailiff less than material a week, so th a t, as regards salary, there is no an a difference cin e in And a batty to re turn b on th e betty 's pitali c t a by his salary. it is a much wholesomer state of thing s that the master should find the l employed to work the pits, than th at a part aP of it butty. In point of it a should be furnished by the f £2OO to upwards of 1, 0 fact, many butties make from and u it has been known t they frequently only a year by their contracts, par ti a lly work the pit, in t hat order to p revent the em ployer knowing the amount of thei r profits." But a large num b er of butties either keep or i n t er ested in public - houses; and although are evade the act by p a y in g the me n n ot many actually in a public-house, but somewhere near, th e to drink ex pected to go there, an d the pe men are ex recognised quantity, and if any do not attend their iluanta • ty is drunk by the rest. The men fond of drink have, therefore, no objection to the bony system. Also when the Ray hour is late in the day, and when the !-THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVET4ING, SEPTEMBER 19, 1859. pit 8, 4 0ps from any ca-use during the week, the butty knows that many of the men will go to the public house:. The profits, arising to the butty from this sourc e enable him to take a contract to work a pit at a lower rate. Nel , ertheless, considering the idle ness and iemoralis ation to which the butte sys tem contributes, it is the opinion of many'persons that the masters lose by it in the main. As to its being necessary to get change to pay the men through the public-houses, it is an argument of no force. It is perfectly easy for the master to obtain all the change necessary to pay any number of men, if ha •desires to do so, from his banker. Many publicans ar.d retail tradesmen are also glad to hand over t'neir superfluous change, as it accumulates, to a neighbouring large employer. To send the men to the public-house, in order: to remunerate the publi can for giving to the but ty gold and silver which he would under ordinary - circumstances send to a bank, is superfluous, and an_ encouragement to drink ing habits as well. But although a few master's may have been, and a few others may be, successful in doing away with the butty system, it does not follow that under pre sent circumstances many could. If done at all, it must be a work of time. and coke from other districts. It is only necessary to add, that if the resistance to the proposed reduc tion of wages on the part of the colliers in question is founded on just and reasonable grounds, those classes of men who have already been reduced may with as much reason demand that their wages should be again raised ; a process that, in the pre sent state of trade, would speedily shut up nearly every iron work and colliery in the South Stafford shire district, and throw the bulk of the iron trade population out of employ." The resolution founded on this statement was— " That the attempt of the thick coal colliers of the Oldbury and West . Bromwich district to maintain their rate of wages at ss. a day, and the proceedings to which they have had recourse in furtherance of their object, in the face of the serious and long-con tinued depression in the state of the iron and coal trade, is unreasonable and unjust, and will be stre nuously resisted." The above " fair and dispassionate statement," and the resolution founded on it, were signed by upwards of 50 coal and ironmasters in the district. Among the names, which include nearly every firm of importance in the district immediately concerned, - are many gentlemen unsurpassed in the manufac turing world for high integrity, for an enlightened and, generous regard for the welfare of the people under them; and for a due sense of the responsibilities which belong to their position. No right-minded person iii the district would hesitate for a moment to accept as.scrupalously true the plain statement to which such a body of gentlemen have placed their. names, and as their full justification for the course they felt obliged to pursue. With the colliers themselves it had its effect, and by the following week they had nearly all resumed work at the re duction proposed by the masters, after a disastrous and ineffectual struggle of 15 weeks. It may reasonably be asked whether the facts so fully and so temperately laid before them by the masters were before unknown to them ? By no means. They were fully cognisant of them, but they preferred to listen to bad advice from persons of their own class, and others who took upon them selves to interfere, who had nothing to do with the matter—one described as a " herbal doctor," and others as little competent to direct them aright. Their conduct during this' period, when many among ahem were suffering severe privation, was on the whole quiet and orderly. The police, how ever, were strong and vigilant. If, as was thought, the general absence of violent prOceedings, such as used formerly. to occur on these occasions in this district, indicated a moral - improvement in the mass of the colliers,. it cannot be said that the course they took in determining upon a strike, under the circum stances of the case, showed that their intelligence had increased in equal proportion, or that much ad vance had been made towards the right understand ing of each otherbetween the masters and their men, and towards that mutual confidence which might be looked to as the effectual' guarantee against the per petual recurrence of these unfortunate contests. Accordingly, within a few weeks after the appa rent settlement of the question, it was re-opened ; and in the second week of November notice was given on behalf of the Oldbury and West Bromwich colliers that unless an advance of 6d. a-day was given (their previous demand having been for ls.), they would cease work. In a few cases; which were stated to be exceptional, the demand was acceded to ; but the masters as a body adhered to their resolution. No very large number of the men put their threat into execution, but by the second week in December about 1,500 men .were " on strike" in the two districts east and west of Dudley, and were addressed by their leaders, and en courage& to hold out, and'to support each other by the united action of 'the men of both districts. Again, in January and February, the leaders en deavoured to incite the men to a demand of the advance; .but gradually labour was generally re• sumed, and has so remained. • • In the meantime, during lhe' period over which these struggles extended, great distress was felt by the men and their families, and much loss was in flicted upon the masters and upon the whole com munity. When the strike commenced the iron trade was said to be "reviving ;" the men,' hoVe ever, " would not wait," but, acting On bad advice, made a premature demand for an advance of wages, which their masters could not grant, and then ; by ceasing to work, caused many orders to be lost to the district, and stimulated the supply of coal from neighbousing coalfieldss, so as to prevent the con sumers in South Staffordshire from being alto gether dependent upon the coal raised there. The natural result will be that, as soon as the demands of trade decline there will be a larger proportion of the colliers of South Staffordshire and East 'Worcestershire out of employ, and it must be some time before the trade altogether returns to its natural channels. Many shopkeepers asserted that, rather than incur again the losses from want of custom, and from extra expenses, and from contri butions to the men on strike, they would leave the district altogether. A gentleman, largely engaged in the coal trade, published an address, recommend ing a compromise, in order to put an end to the strike, in which he stated that still, in the first week in December, many collieries were closed, and many others had only a few men at work—that all interests were suffering, that .partial ruin to many was inevitable thousands of pounds per week, formerly paid as wages, having ceased to circulate —and that the buyers of coal, manufacturers, :and housekeepers, were paying dearer for their coal, either by using an inferior quality, or by an advanced price, or both. EDUCATION —PRIZE SCHEMES. So far as the raising the general standard of intallir , enee among the working colliers by a better elementary education may be looked to as one of the means of curing this state of things, much has been done for'several years past in that direction. Ample opportunities of good instruction have been provided all over the ro district, n fi v a e nd to th se e ve s u tim ye u a lii rs s of' ih the prize schemes, now existence, has been fel t every year r more and more in the greater numbers of children able to satisf y the requirements of th e examination, and the lar g er amount of sound elem entar y instruction p ossessed by the generality of the candidates. It had been feared that as the children of the working classes had to compete with the children of shopkeepers and superior artisans, an utolua proportion of the prizes would be carried off by the latter, and conse quently the children for whoa.° special encourage ment these associations were instituted would derive little benefit from them It has, however, not By making the smaller prizes tforur turned out m tore be e l e mentaryrequirements much the most numerous, an ample share of them has fallen to the children of the working daises, especially so called, and that this share has increased greatly is -shown by the fact, ascertained by Mr. Norris, that whereas three years ago one in 'seven of the prizes was gained by the children of that class, this year the proportion has been one in four. 'Nevertheless, for their greater by the encouragement, it has been deter minedhdley Association to t e EastD Dudley con fine the money prizes in future to .the children of working men in the employ of 'the iron and coal Masters and the proprietors of glass works, and to give the books and honorary prizes to the children of other classes. The prizes of these two associa tions were distributed this year on the 16th .of May, at Walsall, by the Earl of Lichfield, who occupied the chair. The Lord Bishop of Lichfield, Lord Hatherton, the lord lieutenant of the county, the Archdeacon of Lichfield, the Rev. J. P. -Norris, her Majesty's Inspector of Schools, several of the pr:ncipal employers of the district, and a large as semblage of spectators, were present ; also several working men who had accompanied their children, for the gratification of seeing them receive the re wards of their industry and application, and such encouragement for future good conduct as was given in the addresses which were delivered. The niain object of a prize scheme is, in the words of the circular of the Birmingham Educational As sociation, that the result of school attendance should be, to all the children, that before leaving school they should be able " to understand what they read, and write so as to be understood." That this result is not now attained in the case of the gseat majority of the children attending the ordinary day schools of the kingdom is well known. It is adverted to in the circular of the Committee of Council on Education to her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools of 30th September, 1857, and again in the circular of 27th February, 1858, in which it is also stated, that " this fact is made apparent from all the earlier examinations under every prize scheme." That the prize schemes are causing an increase in the proportion of those who beforeleaving school have aequired the rudiments of education to such an extent as to render it probable that they will re tain, if not improve them, is shown by the reports of the examinations. But that they reach, or are likely to reach, the whole mass of the children, in the colliery districts especially, is not, in the pre sent state of the adult pop u lation in those districts, to be expected. I find, on inquiry that although the proportion of colliers' children engaging in the ciAnpctition is in moat localities slightly increasing, it is nevertheless still small, the great majority of such children being still removed from school at or before the age of ten to go down i ltie pits. Although many good impressions may be made and much may be learnt before the age of ten, which may be also kept up and improved by the evening school, the fact is otherwise as regards the mass ; 'little is learnt, and that little is frequently lost, and but seldom improved. The effect of the prize schemes seems to be now pretty well ascertained to be, to produce a greater amou nt of exertion and consequent acquirement amoeg the more active intellects in the school, and to a certain extent to stimulate many others who dO not ultimately compete for the prizes in consequence of irregularity of attendance or of being sent to work, and further, to excite emulation among the masters, and to give them the satisfaction of seeing a recognition of their efforts in the public distribu tion of prizes and cards of merit to their best pupils. The number of boys who have thus been brought before t he eye of the public in the ten prize schemes in mining districts during the past year has been nearly 3,000._ It may reasonably be expected that out of this numb€r, which, occurring and increasing annually, presents, in the course of a few years, a considerable aggregate, there will be many whose faeulties will have been fairly prepared for further cultivation in the line of the special requirements of mining in dustry. That there is great room for a class of meta pos sessing much' higher acquirements than are now common to fill subordinate situations of all kinds in and about the collieries, is generally acknowledged. The question arises—are any means being pre pared by which an opening might be afforded to those lads who have shown ability at these prize scheme examinations, or otherwise, to receive that special instruction which would be useful to them in their callings, and might qualify them for those subordinate situations, and also by which the class of subordinate agents generally might have oppor tunities of acquiring a more scientific knowledge of the principles which they have to apply in their daily duties. ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL. ( From the Times.) Our columns of Saturday last contained the ordi nary record of the death of one of our most eminent engineers, Mr. I. K. Brunel. The loss of a man whose name has nowler two generations, from the commencement of this century to the present time, been identified with the progress and the application of mechanical and engineering science, claims the notice due to those who have' done the State some service. This country is largely in debted to her many eminent civil engineers for her wealth and strength, and Mr. Brunel will take a high rank among them when the variety and mag nitude of his works is considered, and the original genius he displayed in accomplishing them. He was, as it were, born an engineer, about the time his father had completed the block machinery at Portsmouth, then one of the most celebrated and remarkable works of the day, and which remains efficient and useful. Those who recollect him as a boy recollect full well how rapidly, almost intui tively, indeed, he entered into and identified himself with all his father's plans and pursuits. He was. very early distinguished for his powers of mental calculation, and not less so for his rapidity and ac curacy as a draughtsman. His power in this re spect was not confined to professional or mecha nical drawings only. He displayed an artist-like feeling for and a love of art, which in later days never deserted him. He enjoyed and promoted it to the last, and the only limits to the delight it afforded him were his engrossing occupations and his failing health. The bent of his mind when young was clearly seen by his father and all who knew him. His education was therefore directed to qualify him for that profession in which he afterwards distinguished himself. His father was his first, , and perhaps his best tutor. When he was about fourteen he was sent to Paris, where he was placed under the care of M. Masson, previous to entering the college of Henri Quatre, where he remained two years. He then returned to England, and it may be said that, in fact, he then commenced his professional career under his father, Sir I. Brunel, and in which he rendered him important assistance—devoting him self from that time forward to his profession exclu sively and ardently. He displayed even then the resources, not only of a trained and educated mind, but great original and inventive power. He poe sessed the advantage of being able to express or draw clearly and accurately whatever he had matured in his own mind. But not only that ; ke could work out with his own hands, if he pleased, the models of his own designs, whether in wood or iron. As a mere workman he would have excelled. Even at this early period steam naviga tion may be said to have occupied his mind, for he made the model of a boat, and worked it with loco motive contrivances of his , own. Everything he did, he did with all his might and strength, and he did it well. The same energy, thoughtfulness, and ac curacy, the same thorough conception and mastery of whatever he undertook distinguished him in all minor things, whether working as a tyro in his father's office, or as the engineer of the Great Western Railway Company, or, later, in the con ception and design in all its details of the Great Eastern. Soon after his return to England his father was occupied, among other things, with plans for the formation of a tunnel under the Thames. In 1825 this work was commenced, and Brunel took an active part in the work under his father. There are many of his fellow labourers now living who well know the energy and ability he displayed in that great scientific struggle against physical difficulties and obstacles.of no ordinary magnitude, and it may be said that at this time the anxiety and fatigue he underwent, and an accident he met with, laid the foundation of future weak ness and illness. Upon the stoppage of that under taking by the irruption of the river in 1828, he be came employed on his own account upon various works. Docks at Sunderland and Bristol were con structed by him, and when it was proposed to throw a suspension bridge across the Avon at Clifton, his design and plan was approved by Mr. Telford, then one of the most eminent engineers of the day. This work was never completed. He thus became known, however, in Bristol, and when a railway was in contemplation between London and Bristol, and a company formed, he was ap pointed their engineer. He had previously been em ployed, however, as a railway engineer in con - nexion with the Bristol and Gloucestershire and the Merthyr and Cardiff tramways. in these works his mind was first turned to the construction of railways, and when he became engineer of the Great Western Railway Company he recommended and introduced what is popularly called the broad guage, and the battle of the guages began. This is not the place or the time to say one word upon this controversy. No account of Mr. Brunei's labours, however, would be complete without men tioning so important a circumstance in his life. Considering the Great Western Railway as an en gineering work alone, it may challenge a compari son with any other railway in the world for the general perfection of its details, and the speed and ease of travelling upon it. Many of its structures, such as the viaduct at Hanwell, the Maidenhead bridge, which has the flattest arch of such large dimensions ever attempted in brickwork, the box tunnel, which, at the date of its construction, was the longest in the world, and the bridges and tun nels between Bath and Bristol deserve the attention of the professional student. They are .all more or less remarkable and original works. Ii the South Devon and Cornish railways there are also works of great magnitude and importance. The sea wall of the South Devon Railway, and, above all, the bridge over the Tamar, called the Albert-bridge from the interest taken in it by the Prince Consort, deserve to be specially mentioned, together with the bridge over the Wye at Chep stow, as works which do honour to the genius of the engineer and the country too. It was on the South Devon Railway that he adopted the plan which had been previously tried on the London and Croydon line—viz., of propelling the carriages by atmospheric pressure. This plan failed, but he en tertained a strong opinion that this power would be found hereafter capable of adoption for locomotive purposes. It is impossible, in such a rapid sketch •as this of his energetic and professional life, to do more than notice, or rather catalogue, his works. It was in connexion with the interests of the Great Western Railway that he first conceived the idea of building a steamship to run between England and America. The Great Western was built ac cordingly. The power and tonnage of this vessel was about double that of the largest ship afloat at the time of her construction. Subsequently, as the public know, the Great Britain was designed and built under .Mr. Brunel's super intendence. ship, the result, as regards' mag nitude, of a few years' experience in iron sh i p building, was not only more than double the tonnage of the Great Western, and by far the largest ship in existence, but she was more than twice as large as the Great Northern, the largest ship which at that time had been attempted. While others hesitated about extending the use of iron in the construction of ships, Mr. Brunel saw it was the only material in which a very great increase of dimensions could safely be attempted. The very accident which be fel the Great Britain upon the rocks in Dundrum Bay showed conclusively the skill he had then at tained in the adaptation of iron to the purposes of shipbuilding. The means taken under his imme diate direction to protect the vessel from the injury of the winds and waves attracted at the time much attention, and they proved successful, for the vessel was again floated, and is still afloat. While noticing these great efforts to improve the art of shipbuilding, it must not be forgotten that Mr. Brunel, we believe, was the first man of emi nence in his profession who perceived the capabi lities of the screw as a propeller. He was brave enough to stake a great reputation upon the sound ness of the reasoning upon which he had based his conclusions. Fr ,m his experiments on a small scale in the Archimedes he saw his way clearly to the adoption of that 'method of propulsion which he afterwards adopted in the Great Britain. And in the report to his directors in which he recommended it, he conveyed his views with so much clearness and conclusiveness that when, with their approba tion, he submitted it to the Admiralty, he succeeded in persuading them to give it a trial in her Ma jesty's navy, under his direction. In the progress of this trial he was much thwarted; but the Rattler, the ship which was at length placed at his disposal, and fitted under his direction with engines and screw by Messrs. Maudslay and Field, gave results which justified his expectations under somewhat adverse circumstances. She was the first screw which the British navy possessed, and it must be added, to the credit of Brunel, that though she had originally been built for a paddle ship, her perfor mance with a screw was so satisfactory , that nume rous screw ships have since been added to the navy. Thus prepared by experience and much per sonal devotion to the subject of steamnavigation by means of large ships, he, in the latter part of 1851 and the beginning of 1852, began to work out the idea he had long entertained —that to make long voyages economically and speedily by steam required that the vessels should be large enough to carry the coal for the entire voyage our wards, and, unless the facilities for obtaining coal were very great at the outpost, then for the return voyage also ; and that vessels much larger than any then built could be navigated with great advantages from the mere effects of size. Hence originated the Great Eastern. The history of this great work is before the public, and its success in a nautical point of *view. is ad• nutted, as well as the strength and stability of the construction of the vessel. More than this cursory notice of this last memorial of his skill cannot now be given. All the circumstances attending the chip struction, the launching, the trial of this great s are before the public. It would hardly be just, however, to the memory of this distinguished engi neer if we were to conclude this notice without an allusion to his private characta and worth. VeW. men were more free from that bane of professional life—professional jealousy. He was always relay tl assist others, and to do justice to their merits. It is a remarkable circumstance that in the eariY part of his career he was brought into frequent con flict with Robert Stephenson, as Stephenson with him, and that, nevertheless, their mutual re gard and respect were never impaired. Brunel was ever ready to give his advice and assistance when as ever Stephenson desired it, and the public will re collect how earnestly • and cordially during the launch of the Great Eastern Stephenson gave his assistance and lent the weight of his au thority. to his now deceased friend. Suc h rivalry and such unbroken friendship as theirs are rare, and are honourable to both. The death of Mr. Brunel was hastened by the fatigue and mental strain caused by his efforts to superintend the completion of the Great Easternu, Bt and in these efforts his last days were spent. we must not forbear to' mention that for several years past Mr. Brunel had been suffering ,from illless health 'brought on by over-exertion. Neverthe he allowed himself no relaxtion f rom his pro of °, sienal labours, and it was dur in g the perio,' bodily pain and weakness that h is greatest difffent" ties were surmounted and som e of his greatest works achieved. Possessing a min d strong the consciousness of rectitude, he pursued, -i n si le_ g hearted truthfulness, what he believed to be the course of duty, and in his love of and devotion to his profession he accomplished, both at home and abroad, on the continent and in India, works, the history of which will be the best monument to his memory. With an intellect singu larl y p and acute, nothing escaped hi s observation in owerful any branch of science which could be made avail able in his ,own pursuits, yet it, was accompanied by humility and a kindliness of heart which endeared him to all who knew and enjoyed his friend shi p . The very boldness and originality of his works, Of which he was never known to boast , while it added to his fame, added no little to his anxiety, an d no infrequently encompassed him with difficulty -- " Great was the glory, but greater was the strife," which told ultimately upon his health and st ren g th, and finally closed his life when he was little more than 53 years of age. We have left unnoticed many of his works, and many deserve the attention and study of the young engineer. They will' find their record in professional works, and in them his works will hereafter be fully described and consi dered. Mr. Brunel .was a member of the Ber l Society, having been elected at the e arl y age of 26. In 1857 he was admitted by the University of Oxford to the honorary degree of Doctor of Civ Laws, a distinction of which he was justlyproudil DECREASE OF SUNDAY LABOUR Towards its necessary preliminary above adverted to—the raising the general standard of morals and intelligence in the district—in - ach has been done of late years, and with very encouraging results. Sun day labour, which was formerly so common, is greatly reduced, and in the opinion of many of the best informed persons in the district might with a little further effort be entirely put an end to. The general practice in regard to the furnaces was de scribed to me as follows : The practice of working the furnaces in blast on Sundays has been gradually decreasing for the last 10 years. Now the furnace men are liberated nearly everywhere throughout the district from 7 a.m. on Sundays too p.m., and the Sunday is now nearly as quiet as in Scotland. In some places, however, they take advantage of the Sunday morning to do any repairing to the engine, &c., but the men get away by dinner time. This, where it exists, is certainly an evasion of the professed rule. Formerly at such works those repairs were done during a week day. Now, although the more conspicuous work of continuing to blow and consequently to feed the furnaces is discontinued, the work of the repairs, which go on without observation, is resorted to instead. It is to be hoped that these are the last relics of a practice which is repudiated by the better feelings that are becoming general, and that a sense of the contradi"- tion involved in them will lead to their abandon ment also. In another part of the district a large employer stated to me that " the Sunday here is now as quiet as in a rural parish. In the population of 8,000 in this immediate neighbourhood there has been an astonishing improvement of late year. The dis trict is no longer like what it used to be. Drunken ness is greatly decreased, as shown by the police cases. The places of worship are full on Sundays. The habits of the people are in every respect im proved. The beerhouses are respectable and well looked after." Another gentleman informed me, "We stop our furnaces from seven a.m. to five p.m. on Sundays, and we find we make as much iron in the course of the week as we did when the furnaces went all Sun day. Taking quantity and quality into account, we are no losers by the change in- a pecuniary point of view, and certainly the change, which we adopted on principle, has, we are satisfied, had an excellent moral effect. Our men are more careful and atten tive during the week. We are convinced that the Sunday labour at the furnaces had most injurious effects on the young especially." It is a circumstance deserving of especial notice, in reference to this subject, that a short daily ser vice having been established for the last two years at the above works, the only men who have never attended it are furnace men. As those men grow up to manhood under the influence of a system which, for them, made no distinction between the Sunday and any other day, it is but natural that they should show themselves less open to religious im pressions than their fellow-workmen in other de partments who had the Sunday to themselves. The daily service is held from 9 to 9-4- a.m., by the cler gyman of the parish, and consists of a short selec tion from the Prayer-book, and a brief exposition of a text of Scripture. Two other instances of the same kind exist in this district. When circumstances admit of the clergyman undertaking a duty of this kind, it must manifestly contribute greatly to the diffusion of those higher views, and principles from which every good may be expected, and to the cementing the bond of union between master and servant, the absence of which has been from time to time, and to so great a degree, the source of , enormous injury to both. SANITARY MEASURES. _ _ The local boards of health have done a great deal of late years, throughout a large portion of the district, by the various sanitary measures which promote the cleanliness and comfort of the popula tion. A full supply of water at a very moderate rate, through the recently completed South Staf fordshire Waterworks, has supplied a deficiency that has been greatly felt by the labouring classes in the district. In no part of the country were sani tary measures of all kinds more wanted. Much more, doubtless, remains to be done • and experience has shown that by a judicious outlay excellent ac commodation can be provided for labouring men and their families, at a rate which affords a satis factory return up m the capital, while by proper vigilance overcrowding with lodgers is prevented. If experiments of this kind should be made in this thickly-inhabited district, they would doubt less be attended with public benefit. As far, how ever, as the colliery population is concerned, it is asserted that some portion of it will be gradually transferred to new sources of supply, even if the seat of the production of iron remains where it is. The increase of clergy, churches, and schools has been very great during the last 15 years, and there can be no doubt that the improvement already de scribed in the conduct and habits of the population is traceable to a great extent to their influence. STRIKES. One conspicuous and lamentable fact still re mains, the liability to have the industry of this most important district, in all its numerous branches, seriously affected, and a vast amount of loss inflicted upon every interest within it, by the combinations and strikes of the colliers. Towards the end of June (1858) a strike of the " thick-coal colliers" commenced, and did not ter minate until near the end of October. The men de manded ss. a day. The masters alleged that the state of the market " made it impossible for them to give that rate." Early in October it was calculated that there were upwards of 6,000 men on strike, be longing to 120 pits, principally in the Oldbury and West Bromwich districts, but comprising many also in the west of Dudley. Much illegal interference with colliers who were willing to work had taken place, and also many acts of vagrancy and begging, ac companied with intimidation. Several meetings of the magistrates were convened by the Lord-Lieu tenant (Lord Hatherton), and active measures wore resorted to by the magistrates of Staffordshire and East Worcestershire, and the police of both coun ties for the detection and punishment of offenders , and for preserving the peace of the district, at the various open air meetings, which were attended by large bodies of colliers. The strike having lasted 14 weeks, and threaten ing to become still more serious, a meeting of the Coal Masters' Association for the two counties was called, and was held on the ith October at Birmina.- ham, the chairman (Philip Williams, Esq., High Sheriff of Staffordshire), presiding. The opinion of the meeting was stated in the following terms : " The meeting, in the first place, considers it neces sary, with a view to bring the point at issue be tween the coal masters and the colliers fairly under review, to call attention to the fact, that in conse quence of the serious and long-continued depression in the price of iron, coal, and all iron making ma terials, it was found necessary at the commencement of the present year, to effect an immediate reduc tion to an extent of about 20 per cent on the wages of every department connected with the iron and coal trades ; that this reduction was cheerfully sub mitted to by every description of men employed in the works of the district, with the understanding that on a revival of trade, and an improvement in the price of iron, the rate of wages should receive a proportionate augmentation. The men have ever since been steadily at work at this reduction, except in the Oldbury and West Bromwich districts, where they have been in receipt of the old rate of ss. per day, although the price of bar iron has since been further reduced 10s. It being found therefore ab solutely necessary that the rate of wag es there should be placed on the same footing as that paid in other parts of South Staffordshire, notice was given in June last for a reduction from ss. to 4s. per day; and at this reduced rate an ordinary collier may readily earn 28s. per week, with the usual allow ' tine° of two quarts of beer, and his fire coal in addi tion. To this reduction the Oldbury and West Bromwich colli(-rs refused to accede, insisting on retaining the previous rate of ss. per day, and they have now been out on strike about 14 weeks. Be sides refusing to work themselves, these men have had recourse to threats, various modes of intimida tion, and urgent appeals for support and co-opera tion from the colliers in other parts of the districts who have been steadily and contentedly at work at the reduction since February last. In the meantime the men on strike are endeavouring to support themselves by begging, and other appeals for sup port, whilst the large sums which should be dis bursed in wages for the benefit of the neighbour s hood are being expended for the purchase of coal IHE NAVY. The Trusty, 14, screw floating battery, has been removed from Chatham to Sheerness, preparatory to being sent to Shoeburyness, where she is to be experimented upon by guns of heavy calibre, in order to ascertain her capacity of resisting the steel pointed spherical shot when fired at her from short and long distances. The sides of the Trusty are lined, from her water mark, with wrought-iron plates of immense thickness, and the sides of the battery sloped at a very obtuse angle to resist, as much as possible, the effects of shot. At the for mer experiments made with the Armstrong gun, several of the shots penetrated the sides of the Trusty, splitting the iron plates, and one passed right through her sides. The Trafalgar, 91, screw, Capt. Fanshawe, left Spithead under canvas on Saturday morning for the westward. Wind fresh, from N.N.E. The Iberia, screw steamer, left Portsmouth har bour during the night of the 17th inst., with troops on hoard for Queenstown. Orders have been received from the Admiralty per telegraph, by the authorities at Portsmouth dockyard, to bring forward the Megrera, Iron screw troopship, for immediate service, and requesting a return of the number of troop-boats available at that port. Hands from all the departments are also ordered to be employed upon the Perseverance, screw troopship, in the steam basin, from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m., to complete „the necessary repairs to her as quickly as possible. The Pearl, 20, screw, Captain John Borlase, C. 8., has berthed alongside the Malabar coal depot, in Portsmouth harbour, to fill up her complement of coal. The Brazilian sailing corvette Bahiana, 28 guns, Captain d'Houdain, arrived at Spithead, on Satur day, from the North Sea. On bringing up at Spit head the Bahiana exchanged the usual complimen tary salutes with the Victory, flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Admiral W. Bowles, C. 8., and the garrison saluting battery on the King's bastion. The Defence Commissioners were conveyed from Plymouth by the paddlewheel steam tender Vivid, to Falmouth, where they remained the night, and returned to Plymouth on Saturday. They were accompuniccl by Colonel Pester, Royal Artillery. The screw steam corvette Scylla, 21, Capt. Lam bert, left Plymouth Sound on Thursday evening for Gibraltar. The paddlewheel steam vessel Centaur, 6, Chief Engineer Thos. Duncannon, was taken from Key ham Basin on Friday to the Devonport Dockyard, for the purpose of being fitted for sea. The lighter Rochester, J. Dyer master, with stores from Portsmouth, arrived at Plymouth on Saturday. The paddlewheel steam-sloop Virago, 6, Com mander Montague B. Dunn, arrived in Plymouth Sound on Saturday. The screw steam:frigate Melpomene, 50, Captain E wart, rejoined the Channel fleet iu Plymouth Sound on Sunday morning. The screw steam-frigate Imperieuse, 51, Captain J. B. Frere, is ordered from Plymouth Sound into Hamoaze, to repair and stop a leak. This will occupy about four or five days. The screw steam frigate Mersey, 40, Capt. Cald well, C. 8., which parted company With the Channel fleet at sea, rejoined the Admiral in Plymouth Sound on Saturday. The paddlewheel steam tender Advice, M. C. Raymond, Second-Master, from Queenstown, arrived at Plymouth on Friday. The screw steam gun -vessel Pioneer, Commander Reilly, having been repaired at Devonport, left Hamoaze on Saturday for Plymouth Sound. • The screw steam sloop Fying Fish, 6, Commander Rope, arrived in Plymouth Sound on Saturday. The following ships of war were in Plymouth Sound yesterday (Sunclay)—viz., the Aboukir, 90, the Agamemnon, 91, the Algiers, 91, the Caesar, 90, the Emerald, 50, the Flying Fish, 6, the Hero, 91, the Imperieuse, 51, the James Watt, 91, the Melpomene, 50, the Mersey, 40, the Nile, 90, the Pioneer, 6, the Royal Albert, 121, the Topaze, 51, the Virago, 6, and _the Dutch corvette Atlo, 3. The Channel fleet requj.res . about"l,2oo tons of coal. The movement's of the James Watt during the late cruise are extolled ; hilf,of their crew rtrceived the bounty (£5 to able seamen) on Friday,. and obtained leave until to-day (Monday), when the other half go on shore. The gunboat Lark is constantly on duty, attending on the liberty men belonging to the ships in the Sound. It is reported in Plymouth that 2,000 seamen and 1,000 marines are to be raised from the fleet for service in China. Rear-Admiral of the Blue John Kingcombe lets tendered his services to the Admiralty. The new screw steam cervette Clio, Capt. Thomas Miller, left Sheerness yesterday at 2.45 p.m. for Portsmouth. The Mars and Clio saluted the flag of the Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral of the Red Edward Harvey. The salutes were returned by the guardship in ordinary Formidable, Capt. Superintendent Rundle B. Watson, C.B. Mr. John Trott Butcher, the naval and military contractor at Sheerness, has received instructions from the Lords Commissieners of the Admiralty to continue to supply beef to all ships and vessels at this port under the supervision of the proper authorities for 12 months. The screw line-of-battle ship Mars, Capi. Jp.mes N. Strange, left the Nore, yesterday, at 2 p.m., for Portsmouth. The following appointments were made on Satur day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. R. P. Dennlstoun, and Lieut. W. A. K. Craven, to the Pearl ; H. H. Brqs, mate, to the Pearl ; C. B. Charlewood, mid shiptnan, to the Pearl .; and George E. G. Jaakson, master's assistant, to the Pearl. 1 TILE ARMY. Some important alterations are to be made in the East India depots now quartered at Chatham garri son, in consequence of the determination of the au thorities at the Horse Guards to remove the whole of the depots of those regiments whose service com panies are in India from Pembroke,--and station them at Chatham and at the other depot batta lions. Two depots, the 31st and 91st, have already received orders to move from Pembroke and pro ceed to Chatham. The 31st depot, which numbers about 250 men of all ranks, is expected to arrive at the garrison this day. The depot of the 91st (A rgyleshire) Regiment, which is upwards of 400 strong, is also to moire from Pembroke to Chatham, to be quartered in the hut barracks. ' The depot is expected to march into the garrison this afternoon. The head-quarters of the 91st have been in India nearly five years, having left England in December 1854. A number of the Indian Sappers and Minors have arrived at the Royal Engineer establishment, at Chatham, from the depot at Warley, having been selected by Lieut.-Col. Ross, R.E., for the purpose of acquiring a knowledge of sapping and mining, pontooning, the construction of earthworks, and other engineering operations, preparatory to•pro ceeding to India, intelligence having been received by the Hon. Council for India of the great want which is at present experienced in India of well qualified engineers for thl Indian Engineers' force. The Clasmerden, 1,598 tons,. hired troopship, (;apt. - Bennett, arrived at Spithead yesterday from Calcutta with the troops of the first division of her Majesty's 29th (Worcestershire) Foot. S'FATUE OF THE 'LATE GENERAL SIR JOHN N Er T.L. —A duplicate of the statue of this gallant officer has been auccessfully cast at the foundry of Messrs. Robinson anti Co., London. The one previously executed is to be erected in the town of Ayr, Sir John Neill's native place; thattow cast is destined for Madras. The size is heroic, nod General ;Neill is represented in the dress which he wore when he recieved his mortal wound at the gate of Luck no w. When he, with General Havelock , made his second and successful effort to relieve the heroic little garrison of that. city. At the foot bf the figure in the background is a broken cannon, which the military cloak of the general touches in easy folds. Both statues will be placed on pe destals of granite. [ADvERTISEMENTI—EPrs's (Homoeopathic Chemist) Cbcos.—This esteemed preparation is sold by the prin cipal grocers at Is. 6d. per lb., in 11b., Ph., and /lb. 'packets. Each packet is labelled " James Epps, Homoeo- Faulk chemist, London." COUNTRY MA_RKETB. There was a good supply of wheat to-day, LEICESTER-SETT• 1?• 50s rate show of other grain. Prices—White wheat, 460 to —red, 40s to 44s per 36 stone; new red realised 43s per qr.; barley, grinding, 29s to 308; malting, 40s to'43s per clr'l, the oat trade was dull, at quotations ranging front 2 6 * 35$ per 24 stone. Beans a heavy sale, at 44s to 52s per o' stone. with a mode- Fine flour, 3ls Seconds, 32s Thirds, 30s per 20 stony' NORWICH—SzrT. 17. Here, to-day, there was rather a good attendanCe of th• trade, and a better feeling. The show of wheat was fair, f i e c y r i o w r a quality t pretty aboutt at laabtoourtaltae late and prices for old and best new were is to 2s higher ; in" rates. T he White wheat. fair,4ss to 48a I Red wheat ........ 38s t 0430 Malting barley... .38s to 44s I New malting barley3Bs tc 4 0 Distilling I Oats..: ........... 24s to Os Flour, 29s 6d to 30s per sack from the miller. supply of new bar- DERBY—Sm. 17. rrYstis A good supply of wheat at market yesterday t was active, at an advance of 18 on the currency d las Oats week. Barley in , moderate ,demand, and a s dear. in retail demand, at about is under late rates. Beans were a small show, old maintaining quotations, and turn lower. White wheat, new, 44s to 46s Barley, grinding.. 288 to 305 Red do. 4os to 46s Oats, old, ...... 24s to 321 Old white . 44s to 51s New , do ...... . ... 24s to 263 Red do. 4os to 46s Beans 44, to 48 0 g Barley, malting.... 368 to 43s Beaus, new . — new the CAMBRIDGESEPT. 17. There was a moderate show of wheat, which met an im proved demand, at higher rates. White wheat, old , 46s to 48s ; ne, 43s to 41s per 36 stone. Barley in limited Van" tities at former terms—inferior, .28s to 345. Oats were a fair show, from 22s to 305 per 24 stone. Bea ns (old), a 45 to 465 ; new, 38s to 40s per 38 stone.. . STAIVIFORD—SEPT. 17. At our market yesterday wheat obtained an advance of is to 2s per qr. Barley went at eitreme prices. The oat supply was good. Boans ritther lower. Wh e at .40i to 46s Oats.... 22s to 28 White Barley .28 3 to 433 Peas to " 1 • • • NORTHAMPTON—SEPT. 17. At this corn-market wheat. was, in fair supply, and sold at fully late rates—prices.ranging from 42s to 46s for new, and 40s to 47s per 36 stone for old.. There was not niuch passing in barley. Oats,.with a fair demand, quoted at 2,4 s to 32s per 24 stone ; beans, .old, 47s to 52s ; mew, 4 6 01 to 44s per 38 stone ; barley, 32 s to 38 s pe r q r. ; It, 4$ to 68s ; rye, 30s to 36s ; tares, 7s 6d to 8s per bushel. NORWICH CATTLE—.SEPT. 17. A large supply of store cattle to •day, comprising Scots, shorthorns, Devons,-and Irish. A fair attendance, and ell • inactive business done, at fully late prices. Scots, 4s 6d to 5s ; shorthorns, 4s Od to 48 6d ; Irish, 3 0 6d to 4s 6d ; Devons, 4s 6d to 5s (estimated weight when fat). Fat beasts firm, 7s 6d to 8s 6d per stone, with a clear- ance. • Shesp—The pens were tolerably 'well filled. The best lambs in demand at 36s to 38s per head. Fat sheep, 8s to 8s 6d per stone. Pigs—A good supply. Store pigs 25s to 30s ; fat pork, 7s Od to 76:6cl'per stone. DUBLIN—SETT. 16. Our market was brisk, with a large supply of new grain, and we note the prices of best wheat as fully 6d dearer from last market. Oats were a slow sale, and nominally unaltered in price. Malting barley was in fair requkst, and also bare at Friday's currenc ies. Indian corn was almost ? without inquiry. . s. d. s. d. s. d. a. i. Wheat, white:. 22 oto 23 0 Do., new ..... 11 oto 12 9 Do red 20 oto 21 6 Bere . ~ l3 0 to 14 0 Do., new 2l 0t023 6 Rapeseed .... 20 0t022 6 Barley .0 to 18 0 Oatmeal l2 6to 14 6 Oats - 14 6t015 '6 Bakers' flour Do., black.... 14 otols 0 Indian corn New' wheat, 36s to 445. [ADVERTISEMENT.] --It' is ever a pleasing duty for a journalist to introduce to his readers spme discovery calcu lated to benefit "that vast portion of our fellow creatures which has the strongest claims upon our sympathies. It is with tLis feeling that we call the attention of invalids to the following extracts from Du Barry's interesting report of cures without medicine of indigestion ' (dys pepsia), flatulency, conatipation, nervous, bilious, and liver complaints, cough, asthma, consumption, and debility by Du Barry's ' Revalenta Arabica Food : Cure No. 52,422—Bridgehonse, Frimley, 3d April, 1854. I have suffered these 33 years continually from diseased lungs, spitting of blood, liver derangement, deafness, sing ing in the.ears, constipation, debility, shortness of breath and cough, which have been removed by your Revalenta Arabia". My lungs, liver, stomach, head, and ears are all right, InY hearing perfect, and my recovery is a marvel to all ray acquaintances. James Roberts, tim b er m erchant. En tins, at ls, 6d. ;. 11b., 3s. ; 21b., ss. 9d. ; 51b., 12 5.; 121 b., 265. The 101 b. and 121 b. tins carriage free, on receipt of post office order. Du Barry and Co., 77, Regent-street, London* Fortnwn, Mason, and Co.; 182, ; Abbis, 60, Gracechurch-street ; 4, Cheapside • 63, and 150, Oxford street ; 330 and 451, Strand ; 49' and 60, Bishopsgate street ; 85, Tottenham-court-road. Also at Dublin, Bewley and Draper ; at Edinburgh , R aimes and Co., at Liverpool, Nixon and Thew ; at Manch ester, Sharp slit! Scott; at York, Raimes, Blanchard, and Co.; at South ampton, Randall and Son. BIRTHS. BAKER.—On the 16th inst., at 21 , Brecknock-pl a ce, Cam den-town, Mrs. Wm. Baker, of a daughter. DRUMMOND.—On the 16th inst., at Fulham, the widow of Francis Berkeley Drummond, Esq ., of a daughter. Prro.- 7 011 the 15th inst.,,at 10, Camp d en -hill-road, Ken sington, the wife of Charles Peto, Esq., of a daughter. PORTER. —On the 15th inst., at Hammond Cottage, Ches. hunt, the wife of Robert Porter, Esq., of a daughter. MARRIAGES. STUART—NICHOLSON.—On the 13th inst., at Rathboyue Church, county Meath, William Stuart, M. l'., Esq., of Keropston, Bedfordshire, eldest son of William Stuart, Esq., Aldonham Abbey, Herts, to Katherine, the eldest daughter of John Armitage Nicholson, Esq., of Bakst'' , co. Meath. STANLEY —TALBOT —On the 10th inst., at St. Mary's, Lambeth, S. F. Stanley, Esq., late of H.M.'s 6 th Dra goon Guards, to Eliza Wakefield, daughter of the late J. Talbot, Esq., of Staningfield Hall, Suffolk. DEATHS. ARNOLD.—On the Kith Ju at Kamm Australia, sua iidt II e ne n da l ty,li,Ecos Esq., s Thompson econd i Grahamon of fthe Arnold , Rev. Chas. Police of Tinwell, Rutland, aged 27. CRIDLA.ND.—On the 16th inst., at Forest - hill, Kent, Arthur John Cridland, Esq., fourth son of the late John C 45. of Spring-grove-park, Somersetshire, aged A l ln ag o i ld st , ra re te ct ol DAY.--On the 11th inst., Thomas Clark Day, Esq., of the firm of Day and Watkinson, of Huddersfield, aged 56. ROLT.--On the 14th inst., at M erton, Surrey, Jas. Rolt, Esq., aged 66. STEpHENs.—On the 14th inst., at Coblentz, the Right Hon. Sir James Stephen, K.C. 8., Professor of Modern History in the University o f Cambridge merly , and for Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, aged 76. _ .. WALHOUSB.—On the 1 3 th inst., at Halkin-terrace, te_l, grav e -square, Miss Walhouse, s i s ter of Lord Hathert u aged 70 __—....-.rrff borrnoN : Printed and Published by I'AIJIWO YOUNG, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sur. Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the county of N iddle:3oi, Monday, September 19, 1869. f; R'h ii th e reni "rt t rtrid the tea , Star SIC ru n tir e tion