The Sun. — London, England, 1860-08-31 00:00:00

STREET RAILWAYS: Birkenhead witnessed - yesterday the formal in auguration of an undertaking which in this coun try wears all the asped of novelty. In New York, 'Boston, Philadelphia, and the chief towns of the United States, street railways—the chemin de jer dmericain of the French, but better known in England under the designation of horse tramways, have for some years been established. To the suc cess of the experiment in those places in which it has been tried, the testimony of not only the most eminent American engineers, but of intelligent travellers from all par is of the world, has been un hesitatingly borne. Encouraged by that success, attempts have from time to time been made to in troduce the system into our own metropolis, in the hope of thus remedying the serious inconvenience in its main thoroughfares which is daily caused by an overgrown traffic. A company was formed, and bills were brought before Parliament with that ob ject. Deputations waited on Sir B. Hall and Lord John Manners, - when they were at the head of the Department of Public Works, with a view to its accomplishment. The choked up streets of London made a silent appeal for some such change. It was all in vain. Objections to the scheme were raised on every side. It was con tended that it would be utterly impossible to lay down on macadamized roads the iron plates or rails on which new conveyances would have to run so as to render it certain that they would be kept on a level with the surface ; that, as a consequence, the lighter description of vehicles running diagonally against the plates would be liable to have their wheels torn off, and that the frequent occurrence of serious accidents must inevitably be the result. It was, moreover, argued in opposition to the scheme that the proposed tramways would interfere with the necessary repair of the streets in which they happened to be laid down, and that in those cases in which such repair could no longer be postponed portions of the rails would have to be taken up, so that the traffic along the whole line might thus for days or even weeks be brought to a stand still. The supporters of the contrary view ap pealed to experience. They pointed with confi dence to that which had already been effected. They drew a vi v id pi c t ure o f the miseries which an unhappy pedestrian in search of an omnibus to convey him home has to encounter on a wet day in London. They represented him as peering im patiently in a particular direction, in the futile en deavour to distinguish among a crowd of some dozen other vehicles the object—be it named " Tally-ho," or " Paragon," or " Royal Blue"—of his devout expectation. At length it draws near. He hails the conductor, but alas ! the curt response, " Full inside, sir," dooms him to a walk of some 10 or 15 minutes more through rain and mud. Fortunate might he consider himself if at the end of that time he could secure a place in an omnibus - which would bear him to his destination, although in doing so he might have to endure the by no means pleasant regards of some 10 or 11 other pas sengers as he forced his way by them, to their great inconvenience, to the further end of the vehicle and squeezed himself into a seat. Such were the colours in which our present system of street conveyance was depicted by the advocates of reform. They contrasted with such a state of things large and roomy carriages gliding rapidly and with an equable motion over little stripes of iron, and constructed on such a scale as to afford ample ac commodation, with the utmost facility of ingress and egress for nearly three times the number of passengers which an ordinary omnibus contains. They talked of making travelling through the streets of London a positive luxury, instead of, as it is in all the great thoroughfares, a tedious and disagreeable process. The picture was a sufficiently inviting one to make thousands wish for its realisa tion, bat then, strongly in opposition to that wish, rose prejudice and the fear of innovation. In this position the question of the construction of tramways in the metropolis, as well as in our chief towns, has stood for some time. It remained for a citizen of the United States to infuse renewed hope into the supporters of the scheme. To Mr. G. F. Train, of Boston, the introduction into England of street railways is mainly to be attributable. But five short months have elapsed since he laid the proposals on the sub ject before the Commissioners of Birkenhead. Two months later found those proposals accep t e d . Yes terday saw the m carriedinto practical effect. Nor was the undertaking inaugurated with a success at all inferior to the expedition with which the neces sary works had been completed. The line of rails —which has been laid down under the superinten dence of Mr. Polies, of Philadelphia, and Mr. Samuel, of London, and whicirreflects no inconside rable degree of credit on the professional skill which has been exhibited in its construction—extends from the Wc)odside Ferry, the landing place at Bir kenhead, jrat opposite the centre of Liverpool, by the Shote-road, through Angle and Conway streets, and so on to the entrance to Birkenhead Park. The whole distance is little more than a mile and a quarter; it is, however, quite sufficient to enable those who take an interest in the subject to form a good idea of the merits of Mr. Train's experiment. A junction in Conway-street enables the carriages to return from the park by Hamilton street to the point from which they originally started. Nothing can well be less complicated than the machinery which is employed for the accomplish ment of this double journey. The tramway itself consists simply of two iron plates, each being raised about an inch on the outer side, and running pa rallel to one another, as in the caseof the rails on an ordinary railroad. They are fixed upon longitudinal bearers, which rest upon transverse sleepers, and are so let into the street as to run completely on a level with its surface. They do not, therefore, in terfere in the slightest degree with the ordinary traffic. To ply on these iron plates carriages capable each of affording abundant accommodation to from 50 to 60 passengers have been built by Mr. Main, of Birkenhead. They are more than double the size of an ordinary omnibus, are somewhat similar in shape, and are provided underneath with wheels like those of a railway carriage, but somewhat smaller iu size. The plan upon which they are constructed would ap pear to be exceedingly well adapted to street traffic. Each carriage is 24 ft. long by 7 ft wide; 7 ft being also the height of the interior from floor to roof. It furnishes sitting room for 24 persons inside and as many more outside, for whose protection a handrail runs round the top. A space of two or three feet intervenes between the passengers on each side of the interior, and this it is proposed to turn to ac count by allowing passengers to stand there in the event of all the seats being occupied; handrails, with guiding 'straps attached, being run beneath the roof for their convenience. It is more than questionable, however, whether it is expedient to permit the centres of the carriages to be thus filled up, and one of the chief advantages—that of ample accommodation—which they are calculated to con fer, as a consequence neutralised. A small platform at each end of each carriage, raised about a foot and a half from the ground, and separated from the horses —which may be yoked to either end—by a contrivance somewhat resembling the splashboard of a hansom cab, affords the means of ready ingress and egress to the new conveyances on whose deco ration as well as on whose adaptation to the com fort and security of passengers great pains have evidently been bestowed. They are nevertheless fitted up in a style more luxurious than taste ful. Gaudy colouring has in their case been sot:uevehat too freely employed. This, however, is a fault which may be easily remedied, and which by no means detracts from their usefulness. It may in some instances offend the eye, but it can hardly fail to be lost sight of in that pleasant sense of freedom from squeezing and crushing in which our present system of street conveyance will so rarely permit us to indulge. In the construction of the new carriages the important question of ven tilation, it is but right to add, has not been nee glected. Each has its sliding windows, with "louvres," to prevent a draught. Each is provided also with a driver and conductor, both of whom have it in their power to control, by means of a patent break, the machinery by which the progress of the carriages is stopped or retarded. Such is the system of street conveyance which yesterday began its career at Birkenhead. As a mere spectacle its inauguration possessed no parti cular attraction. Shortly before 10 o'clock two of the new carriages were drawn out from the depot in Canning-street and placed upon the line. At 11 two horses were yoked to each, and they proceeded on their way well freighted with passengers, glid ing along the rails at the rate of about four miles an hour— a rate of speed whi c h m i g ht without dif ficulty be increased to six or seven miles an hour— smoothly and uninterruptedly, turning one or two extremely sharp curves with the utmost facility, and landing thei r p assengers at t h e i r several desti nations in security. They continued throughout the day to ply for hire with a success which must have gladdened the hearts of the proprietors, and their progress was, at different points along the route, watched by some hundreds of spectators. On the whole nothing could to all appearance be more successful than this experiment of Mr. Train's on British soil. That he will be equally successful in the similar undertaking on which he is about to enter in Manchester, Glasgow, and some more of our large towns, there seems a . t the fi rst blush to be no reason to doubt. Many of the objections which have been hitherto urged against of street railways into this country the trial at Bir kenhead can scarcely fail to do something to obvi ate. With the result of that trial before him, no one can fairly contend that they operate as impedi ments to ordinary traffic, inasmuch as the tramway a itself does not monopolise the space on which it is laid down, the track, on the contrary, being used by vehicles of all descriptions—which are under the necessity of diverging from it only when one of those passenger carriages is seen to approach—as affording greater facilities for their easy and rapid progress than the general surface of our roads. Another fact which the mode in which the new system is carried out in Birkenhead would seem to establish is, that tramways may be so constructed on longitudinal bearings that the line may without difficulty be diverted at any particular point from one side of a street to the other in the event of any necessary repairs in the street rendering such a divergence expedient. To those who witnessed the actual working of the scheme yesterday none of its features appeared so prominent as the improvement, so far as increased accommodation is concerned, which it has introduced. Travelling by one of Mr. Train's carriages, as contrasted with one of our or dinary omnibuses, is like quitti ng a narrow and confined room for a commodious and well-ventilated apartment. To ladies especially it would be a great boon that they should be brought into general use ; but whether Mr. Train will be able to accomplish that object yet remains to be seen. On the score of cheapness, it may be added, the new system pos sesses a decided advantage over that which at pre sent prevails in this country, while, so far as the question of security to passengers is involved, it will be sufficient to state that 34,000,000 of persons who travelled by the street railway of New York and Brocklyn in 1858 only 12 met with accidents. At a grand dejeuner which he gave in the course of the day Mr. Train received the congratulations of his friends on the success which he had just achieved—a success to which the indefatigable exertions of Mr. Peniston, the secretary to the un dertaking, to no small extent contributed. LADLES' FASHIONS FOR SEPTEMBER, (From Le Folist.) Notwitstanding the dulness of the weather, and the want of harmony between it and the date of the almanac, every one is occupied with prepara tions for the sea-side season, and none but light fabrics are thought of. For instance, barege is the principal article for demi-toilette, either sprinkled with small bunches of flowers, or embroidered peas, of a darker colour than the barege itself. Poplinette is much admired, and very elegantly worn; the beautiful folds in which it falls produce a graceful effect. Grey barege, embroidered in colours,with flounces bordered with the same colour as the spots, is much in vogue. Flounces have achieved a decided success, and will probably be continued during the winter. There are many different ways of disposing them. Sometimes a flounce, 15 or 16 inches deep, headed with two or three narrow ones ; or nine narrow flounces, placed by threes, one set at the bottom of the skirt, another at the knee, and a third just be low the waist. Both of these styles have their partisans, but we prefer to either of them five flounces, four inches deep, headed by a ruche, and placed so as to leave a space of about two inches between each flounce. We noticed lately a grey poplinette with one deep flounce set in box plaits, and edged with black velvet. It was headed by a narrow one of four inches in black silk, pinked. The chicore ruche is the trimming par excellence both for dresses and mantles. Shawls and scarves of the same material as the dress are generally worn with light fabrics. As to thick materials, generally speaking, such as pique, nankeen, and stuffs formed of wool and silk, they are accompanied by long basquines or paletots. The pique dresses are opened over an elegant petticoat, and should be trimmed round with a wide biais of the same colour as the pattern on the dress. With this skirt a Zouave of the same material is worn. Should the skirt be closed, a deap basque, trimmed like the skirt, is then substituted. In silks for simple dress, the Indian foulards ; plain or figured, are worn, and plain silks of rather a dark shade. Moires in light colours, and the taffetas Pompa dours, are only used for occasions when a greater attention to dress is necessary. Dress in which there are various colours require black trimmings, and a basquine or paletot trimmed with same colour. Robes for full dress are trimmed with narrow flounces or ruches and guipure, and admit only of lace shawls or white silk scarves covered with lace being worn with them. Paletots with sleeves are still worn even in jaco nets or muslins. When made in light materials, they are accompanied by a deep pointed collar, trimmed with a flounce, which is repeated round the mantle. Tight sleeves are not much in request, except for out-01-door dress. We have seen large open sleeves set, intn +ha arm, writh ono larsv boa i r./..;+, anti as tight sleeve worn underneath for out-of-door dress. Almost all dresses are made low, and worn with fichus. Sometimes a low silk body is worn with a thin dress, either over a guimpe or a tight-fitting body of the same material as the skirt. It is made with a very small basque, merely as a foundation for a ruching just below the waist. This style is very distingue, but it requires an elegant figure to display it to advantage. Bonnets are still worn very fot ward on the top. The curtains are narrower and not much orna mented ; the gold and silver ornaments are adopted by some, but are not biers portes, or considered at all in good taste. The bonnets are made in crape, trimmed with silk, straw, or tulle. White and black continue to be worn together, and are very distingue in appearance. Hats are very much worn at the sea-side and in the country, but are not allowable in town. The most stylish are made in rice straw. With these are worn long drooping feathers. We have seen an elegant hat in this material, trimmed on one side with a drooping white feather placed so as to hang over the brim, and droop on to the shoulder. It was fastened in the front by a bunch of small pink roses surrounded by black guipure. Neither strings nor bows are worn by ladies or children under the hat. Ball-dresses for young ladies are made in tarla tane or gauze, very simply trimmed ; sometimes with one deep plissé, at other times with several narrow ones. We have seen a very elegant white tarlatane dress with three deep flounces, each headed by a bouillonne lined with F blue ribbon of a light shade. On the edge of each flounce were placed three fluted frills about two inches deep. This dress was worn over a pale blue silk slip. With this skirt was worn a blue silk body with a berthe of bouillonnes and little frills, like those on the skirt. The coiffure was composed of forget-me-nots and lilies of the valley. This dress was intended for a young married lady. The bodies of tarlatane dresses are either made square or with a corsage a l'enfant. Wing sleeves are not much worn, except with fichus, but they have not entirely disappeared. Apple green is a very favourite colour, but it is not suitable to all complexions. Silks of this colour, trimmed with narrow flounces, with black guipure sewn on flat, are very elegant and recherché. A black lace should be worn with them. ' Grey dresses, trimmed with a deep ruche a la vieille of violet, placed quite at the bottom of the skirt, have an elegant and simple appearance. A ceinture a la duchesse in violet, is worn with it. The gold bands and clasps, having become common, are entirely placed on one side by the grander dames. The skirts are as large as ever, and fall in a graceful sweep from the waist, so as to support the shawl. In-door dresses are made very long behind ; out-door dresses are not worn so long, ex cept in silks, and then they are worn with a slight train. A very elegant fashion has lately made its ap pearance. It consists of a low silk body, of the same colour as the trimming on the skirt. It is trimmed, as a matter of course. We noticed one worn by a lady in mourning. It was grey-trimmed with black. The body was of black silk, trimmed round the top and down the front seams with a chichoree ruche. Down the centre of the ruche was placed a drooping trimming of jet. The cor sage had a very slight basque, slightly pointed before and behind, and merely long enough to place the chicoree trimming upon it. We need carcely say that the sleevesweieshort. The cot sage was &tended to be worn either over a tight fitting body of the same material as the skirt, or over a gnimpe and sleeves. [ADVERTISEMENT.] - Pills and medicine invariably ag aravate and perpetuate diseases ; their annoyance, dis appointment, and expense may be avoided by persons in indifferent health sending only their address to E. S. Barry, Esq., 77, Regent-street, W., London, and they will receive gratis and free by post the "IrtvA.Lins' OWN GUIDE," or Natural Restorer, without medicine or ex pense, of perfect digestion, strong nerves, sound lungs, and refreshing sleep, to the most enfeebled, insuring the removal of indigestion (dyspepsia), constipation, liver complaints, nausea, epilepsy, paralysis, debility, nervousness, palpitation, cough, asthma, consumption, dropsy, flatulency-, diarrhoea dysentery, biliousness, fevers, sore throats, catarrhs, colds, noi9es in the ears, rheumatism, gout, impurities, eruptions, hysteria, neuralgia, irritability, sleeplessness, acidity, palpi tation, heartburn, headache, despondency, cramps, spasms, sinking, fits. ronchitis.—"Unquestionably the safest Guide to health." [ADVERTISEMENT.I—HoIIoway's Pills and Ointment.— Palpitation of the Heart, Shortness of Breath.—These dis tressing affections frequently arise from indigestion or a relaxed state of the nervous system, and may be thoroughly overcome by a course of these corrective Pills. When the throbbing of the heart and feeling of suffocation harass the patient, Holloway's Ointment should be well rubbed twice a-day over the pit of the stomach and right side, It will soon bring out a rush, and on its appearance all anxiety and every unfavourable symptom will be mitigated. The use of the medicines should not be discontinued until the pa tient has been for some time free from palpitation, which 11 "ar apt to return if not radially owed. TH.II W, URDR.R. Yesterday, Mrs. Bevan, the landlay of the house No. 16, Manor-place, Walworth, in the upper apart • ments of which William Godfrey Youngman com mitted a series of the most determined, as well as the most unnatural murders that have taken place in modern times, applied to Mr. Elliott, at the Lambeth Police Court, for his advice respecting some goods still in her house belonging to John Youngman, the father of the 'culprit, and which gave the owner a pretext to come there to the great annoyance of herself and family. The applicant, who seems a very respectable wo man, said she had a son afflicted with consumption and heart disease, who had been turned out in curable from the Brompton and other hospitals, and her own health being also far from good, her hus band and herself were induced to take the house in Manor-place from the openness of the place and the benefit of the air, but she much feared the dreadful murders unfortunately committed there would lead to their total rain. They had lost all their lodgers, and the shocking state the place was in was any thing but beneficial to her health, while it was most injurious to that of her son, and the least allusion to it, or the presenee of the father of Youngman, made him much worse. Mr. Elliott—Have you given notice to the owner to take the things away ? Mrs. Bevan—l have, sir; but he has.not done so. Mr. Elliot—Having given him proper notice to take away the things, you are not obliged to keep them. Mrs. Bevan—l did not expect to see Mr. Dann here, but being present, and as he has had much to do with the case, will your Worship kindly direct him to remove the things ? Inspector Dann said that his employment in the case of the late murders gave him an opportunity of seeing a good deal of Mrs. Bevan and her family; he had no doubt whatever of the truth of her repre sentation, that the affair of the murder would lead to very serious losses on their part. Indeed, he had heard that already they had suffered a good deal, and he conscientiously believed the family deserving of sympathy, and of assistance from the poor-box. On hearing this Mr. Elliott kindly ordered the poor woman a sovereign out of the poor-box, and told Mr. Dann to see to the removal of Youngman's things from her house. From authentic sources it has been ascertained that the culprit has not undergone the slightest change in his manner up to the present moment, but that he eats, drinks, and sleeps as usual, and appears still to labour under the delusive hope that his life will not be taken, while at the same time the order for his execution at Horsemonger-lane Gaol on Tuesday next, at nine o'clock in the morn ing, is in the hands of the Governor. His only visitors are his father and brother, and at an inter view with the latter in the beginning of the week the culprit requested him either to write himself or get his solicitor to write to Captain S—, an officer with whom he once lived, to interest himself with Colonel Phipps, so that the latter might intercede with her Majesty for his par don or a commutation of his sentence. The brother, however, intimated that it was no use, and told him to recollect what the Judge had said—that ma getting away the knife from his mother, he had no need to have used it against her. Upon which the culprit remasked that he, the bro ther, would have done the same to save his own life; but the brother dissented, and said that on get. ting away the knife he could easily have held his mother by the hands until he could get assistance, and should not have thought of using it against his own mother. ~ •4X4{{ ~~~l` ' A communication has been made to Col. Phipps, and the reply to it has been, that the matter is in the hands of the Home Secretary, to whom all com munications are to be made. Mr. Waghorn, the solicitor who conducted Young man's defence, has, with much humanity, endea veured to ascertain whether the mother of the cul prit had evinced any symptoms of insanity that might be made available to his client, but he has failed in doing so ; and his last advice to Youngman is, that he devote all his attentions to the exhorta tions of the chaplain. His notions of religion, how ever, may be judged from the fact that some days ago some benevolent lady forwarded to him a reli gious tract, in which some passages applicable to his case were marked, but on taking it up he said, " I wish she Ind sent me something to eat instead, as I could do a fowl and a piece of pickled pork." on Saturday night week given by Mrs. Davis was J contradicted in some material points, though she was corroborated by some of the witnesses as to the general conduct of the deceased to his wife, owing to his suspicion of her unchasteness. The principal witness was a young man named William Wilson, who is employed at the brace and belt manufactory of Mr. Perkins, in George's-street, and according to his evidence a very serious quarrel took place between deceased and his wife on Satur day week. Mr. Perkins' workshop overlooks the yard in which the unhappy couple lived, and as Wilson was at work about six o'clock he heard the wife cry out " Murder." He opened the door of the workshop and looked out, and deceased was then pushing his wife down the steps. Deceased told her " he did not want her any more, and that she might go away," and when he had put her to the bottom of the steps he retired into the house. The wife, in a passion, took up a stone, and threw it at the window. She also cried out, " Give me the child, and I will go." The deceased came to the door and said, " I would not let you have the child to make it as bad as you are yourself." The prisoner then began to upbraid him, upon which he ran down the steps towards her. As he came up to her, the prisoner seized a mallet (weighing about 51bs., and used by Mr. Perkins' men to assist them in punching holes in braces and belts) and struck him on the head with it. She kept the murderous instrument in her hand, and did not heave it at him. The effect of the blow was to make the deceased's head bleed, for young Wilson distinctly saw the blood trickling down Willan's face. Willan then got hold of his wife by the shoulders, knocked her down, and bumped her head several times on the floor. As the prisoner arose her husband went up again into the house, and she again commenced abusing him, but finally walked away through the passage as if to wards George's -street. This was all Wilson saw of the quarrel, but deceased afterwards came out of the house and told the neighbours that he was jealous of another man, that she had persuaded him. to leave his work, and go with her about the coun try attending feasts and fairs with the hurdy gurdy, and that he had seen her speak to another man at a feast, and had been jealous of her ever since. It was evident that some information was not forthcoming which was required for the pur poses of justice, and the coroner consequently ad journed the inquest. IRE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, AUGUST 31, MOO. CLOSE OF THE COVENTRY STRIKE. COVENTRY, AUG. 30. The event which I indicated in my communica tion of Tuesday hag come to pass—the Coventry strike, which has been maintained over so long a period, and attended with so much privation and suffering to the working classes and such vast loss to the general trade of the town, is virtually at an end, For some days previous it was evident that the pressure of want was becoming too powerful for the committee to hold together the organised mass, and the resolution initiated by that body on Tues day that contract work should be resumed was con sidered by a large number of the operatives at the time of its proposal to be significative of a break-up of the strike. It was argued that, as there were hundreds who had contracts uncompleted of vary ing quantities of goods, there could be no guarantee that the weaver, under the pretext of completing a contract, might not undertake ten times its amount of new work at the same or any lower terms which he could obtain from the manufacturer. General confidence was evidently shaken, and yes terday morning its result was seen in the large number of men and women surrounding the prin cipal factories in the town, with the view of apply ing for work. At a later period of the day a meet ing of the operatives was held, when the considera tion of the resolution submitted to the meeting on Tuesday was resumed. Mr. M'Lean, one of the committee, in submitting the motion, observed that " the committee was desirous this struggle should now terminate, and he therefore hoped the resolu tion would be passed." It was in the following terms ; " That in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable that all factory hands, and all out-door hands should finish their present contracts, but that no new ones should be made except on the piece principle, in accordance with the rules of the trade ; and that all who act upon this resolution pay liberally for the support of those who cannot go to work on th ese conditions, and that under no circumstances shall weekly wages be accepted. Each person going to work to rective the authorised card of the trade." The motion, which was put to the meeting and carried, was followed by a resolution of a more sweeping character, and which seems to supersede it, inasmuch as it really permitted the operatives to consult their own discretion in reference to the terms on which they should resume work. This was also initiated by the committee, and was to the effect : " That the hands . should , treat with their_ several , em ; T ATO rjec i ro"w . eVer, being empowered to withdraw ' the hands from any factory they may select, with the view of carrying out the list of prices and the piece principle of payment." In support of the resolution the advantage of fighting the manufacturers singly was strongly in sisted upon, and it was very clearly indicated in the course of the remarks made upon the subject that the resolution was directed more particularly against those manufacturing establishments in which the system of weekly wages prevailed. In fact, the names of several of the manufacturers adopting this mode of payment were broadly men tioned by persons in the meeting of those upon whom the experiment of a "call out" would be first tried. Other resolutions, having reference to the organi sation of the " Association for the Protection of Labour," having been passed, the proceedings were brought to a close. Immediately subsequent to this break-up of the strike the operatives pressed forward in great num bers—l may say in hundreds—to offer their labour at the factories, and for some hours in the afternoon those streets of Coventry in which the factories are situated presented, in consequence, a scene of more than ordinary animation. lam assured that in every case work was resumed on the employers' terms, both as to amount of wages and mode of payment. I ascertained last evening that the hands had returned to the following factories on weekly wages :—Messrs. Hart and Co., Spencer and Hors fall, Iliffe, Peters, and J. and J. Cash; and I have been informed that to-day all the other factories have their " hands " all in, i.e.—as many as they can find employment for. In fact, the experience of yesterday and to-day must have awakened the operatives as from a dream. Throughout the whole period of the strike they seem to have acted on the assumption that there was more labour than hands to perform it. They have found that the question is - no longer one merely of " the men going to work," so much as of whether they can get work, and I regret to say that a demonstration has already been afforded in a very unpalatable shape that, as it respects the ribbon trade of Coventry, the case is the reverse of that of " two masters wanting one man." I saw last evening a number of men who informed me that up to that time they had been unable to get work. While not only the weavers, but other parties in Coventry have been standing in apprehension of the bolt that was to scatter ruin over them in the shape of the French Treaty, two events less under legislative and human control—an untoward season, and the pre ference which our countrywomen have given " broad brims" and the other varieties of the straw hat and the ribandless bonnet over bonnets with riband decorations—have done more than the treaty to bring the Coventry riband trade to a pass at which employment is scarce. During the period of the strike a large portion of the summer trade has gone by, and the trade for winter and spring goods has not commenced. I regret to say that even with the close of the strike the prospects of the Coventry trade are sufficiently gloomy to war rant us in anticipating that for some time to come there will be hundreds of operatives out of work. Should this struggle, as irdicated at the meeting of yesterday, be prolonged, it will really be a con test between weekly wages and piece -work ; and in the shape which the demands of the operatives at present assume this will, in point of fact, act as a check on the improvement of the producing power of the machinery that may be employed in the riband trade, while all the circumstances by which we are surrounded indicate that it is in bringing more skill and capital into the trade, that we have the best chance of success in that field of competi tion on which we have recently entered with our Continental neighbours. MURDER BY POISON.—The modern poisoner has discarded the rough agencies of his earlier brethren. He treats you secunduni artem ' and gives you the benefit of the latest discoveri es i n toxicology. He considers your circum stances—your little peculiarities of constitution—your habits, and then passes his arm under your own, and, with soft expressions of sympathy and commiseration, blandly edges you into your grave. He knows that the business in hand is a ticklish one. He is playing a game at chess— with poisons and antidotes for his pieces—against Mr. Herapath of Bristol, and Dr. Alfred Taylor of Guy's Hos pital for his adversaries, and must give them check-mate— or stale-mate at the least—under very sharp penalties in case of defeat. The two gentlemen named are supposed to I possess some skill at the game.—Once a Week. THE FRENCH OYSTER FISHERY.—The port of Cancale now possesses 291 fishing boats, manned by 1,700 men. There are 41 large fishery establishments along the coast, extending over a space of not less than 10 miles ; there are, besides, 1,200 parks for oysters, capable of con taining more than 80 millions of those shell• fish. The pro duce of the boat fishery (fish, lobsters, &c.) at Cancale amounts every year to about 1,700,000 f. The money dis bursed annually amounts to about 100,000 f. The Minister of Marine, struck with the importance of Cancale, has made that port the chief town of the maritime inscription of the 'district, TILE STEPNEY IifURDE.R. The police of the detective force from Great Scot land-yard, under charge of Mr. Thornton, with In spector Kerresey, and Sergeant Copping, of the K division, have been engaged since the inquest be fore Mr. John Humphreys, the coroner for East Middlesex, on Monday last, but notwith standing their united efforts, up to a late hour 'act nothing h A d tr.-iiicinrect positively tending to implicate any one in the murder of the unfortunate woman. Mr. John Stevens, the summoning officer of Mile-end Old Town, received a communication from Mr. James Wright, an auctioneer and general agent, of No. 5, Saville-place, Bow-road, who stated that he was no doubt the person referred by the female witness named George, the occasional char woman employed by the deceased. He did call on business on the morning in question, and saw a man in the yard as he passed up stairs. This infmma tion was forwarded to the office of the coroner in Spital-square, and the constable at once received instructions to secure the attendance of Mr. Wright at the adjourned inquest this (Friday) morning. The same officer has summoned a Mr. Rowland, one of the tenants and collectors of rents of the houses in Lamb's-fields, Bethnal-green. This wit ness was formerly a warrant officer of the Worship street police-court, from which place he was pen sioned off some years since. He addressed the coro ner at the close of the inquiry last Monday, and stated that he could give some important evidence, but the coroner told him to reserve his testimony nail Friday. Yesterday morning the coroner received a letter by post in reference to the murder, and calling his attention to a person who had threatened to do the deceased some harm, but the communication was so vague and unsatisfactory that little or no reliance could be placed on it. Inspector Kerresey ascertained that an old man sitting at the apple stall at the corner of the Grove road could give some evidence in the case, and he has been summoned for examination before the jury at the adjourned inquest this day. The chief point in his evidence will prove when the deceased re turned home on Monday evening after leaving the house of Mrs. Chapman in the Canal-road, Bow. Since the deceased's death the various collectors have been directed to discontinue their visits to the deceased's tenants in the several districts by order of the solicitor for the trustees of the property. A good number of persons have been to the Arbour•square police-station, Stepney, and also to Bow, with all kinds of reports, but at present there seems no chance of capturing the guilty parties connected with the mysterious grime. MANSLAUGHTER BY A WIFE AT LEEDS. We briefly stated on Wednesday that Sarah Willan, of George-street, Leeds, had been appre hended on a charge of causing the death of her husband, William Willan, by striking him on the head, and that, on being brought before the magis trates, she was remanded to allow of a post mortem examination, and an inquiry before the coroner. The inquest was opened on Wednesday at the Town-hall before Mr. Blackburn and a jury, and the evidence, which was somewhat conflicting, dis closed the following facts :—The deceased, who was a joiner, was 22 years of age, and he married the prisoner, who was two years younger, last Christ mas, by whom he had one child. At that time she was obtaining a living by playing a hurdy-gurdy at feasts and fairs, and singing at public houses, and it would appear that within a few months of the marriage the prisoner became jealous, and as the result there was constant disagreement and ill feeling between them. Two or three months ago they removed into George-street, and whilst there the wife occasionally went out with her hurdy gurdy, the husband latterly being out of work, jealousy making him reckless and indifferent. The neighbours were frequently disturbed with their quarrels, and one of the witnesses, named Julia Davis, said that the husband beat his wife daily, and so late as Saturday night last throttled her un til her eyes became bloodshot, and she had to gasp for breath. Scenes of this kind she spoke of as of almost daily occurrence, and she described a guar rel which took place on Saturday night week, when the wife threw a mallet at the deceased, which hit him over the head. They had been in the country together, and the wife having gone to the Neptune to leave her hurdy-gurdy, the deceased on her re turn home ten minutes later than himself struck her, threw her down the steps, dragged her up again by the hair of the head, and otherwise ill used her, until at last she seized a mallet, and threw it at him, hitting on the head. These broils were continued until Monday last, when the de ceased suddenly became unwell, and though Mr. Seaton, surgeon, was called in by the wife, he rapidly grew worse, and died a little after mid night. There were marks on his head, which the wife admitted had been caused by her in self-de fence, and which led Mr. Seaton to suspect that the subsequent death of the deceased was the result of violence, and hence this inquiry. Mr. Seaton was not examined, as it was found necessary to , adjourn the inquiry, but the Teraion of the affray SOUTIi KENSING2 ON MUSEUM. At the time of its publication, a short time since, we gave a brief analysis of the report of the select committee ap pointed to inquire and report concerning the South Ken sington Museum. We now present our readers with the document in its entirety : Your committee, looking to the terms of the reference, have limited their inquiries, as far as possible, to the South Kensington Museum, and have not thought it their duty to enter at any length upon the many large and important subjects involved in the institutions for promoting science and art—viz., the School of Mines, the Geological Museu'm and Geological Survey, the Museum of Irish Industry, the Royal Dublin Society, the Industrial Museum of Scot land, the 12 Navigation and Science Schools, and the 80 art schools, throughout the United Kingdom, all of which are under the Science and Art Department. The general superintendence of and pecuniary grants to these institu tions are administered by the Lord President of the Coun cil and the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education, at South Kensington ; but these institutions did and might exist quite independently of the South Ken sington Museum itself, which indeed was added to them as late as 1857. The art schools, however, have direct rela tions with the museum, in respect of the collections and books of art ; and your committee have accordingly inves tigated these relations. 1. Your committee proceeded, in the first instance, to ascertain the nature, cost, and uses of the objects deposited in the South Kensington Museum, and the reasons why they had been placed in that locality. They find that the collections consists of-1. Objects of ornamental art as ap plied to manufactures, with an art library ; 2. British pic tures, sculpture, and engravings ; Architectural examples; 4. Appliances for scholastic education ; 5. Materials for building and construction ; 6. Substances used for food ; 7. Animal products ; 8. Models of patented inventions ; and 9. Reproductions by means of photography and casting. 2. It is on behalf of the ornamental art collections of va rious kinds that the state has made the principal outlay. The system of purchase commenced as early as 1838, in ac cordance with the recommendation of a committee of the House of Commons of 1835-6. A sum of £lO,OOO was voted in 1840 to purchase examples of art, for the schools of design; £5,000 was voted to buy examples from the Exhibition of 1851; and in 1855 Parlia ment granted £20,000 to buy specimens from the Bernal Collection. It appears that the State has expended during the last 22 years on purchases of art specimens and books, now in charge of the South Kensington 'Museum, nearly £50,000. Mr. Cole produced an inventory which shows the classes of objects which have been deposited in this depart ment of the museum. They illustrate various manufactures, pottery, glass, metal-working, furniture, woven fabrics, and the like; aid their date extends from the 12th century to the present time. The committee of the House of Commons, in 1836, recommended that "specimens from the era of the revival of arts, everything iu short which exhibits in com bination the efforts of the artist and workman, should be sought for in the formation of such institutions. They should also contain the most approved modern specimens, foreign as well as domestic." This recommendation has been car ried into effect by the South Kensington Museum. The system by which purchases are made was fully de scribed by various witnesses. It is the duty of Mr. Robin son, the Superintendent of the Art Collections, to find out and select suitable specimens, which after consultation with the Inspector-General for Art, Mr. Redgrave, R.A., and the Secretary and General Superintendent, Mr. Cole, are submitted to the Lord President or the Vice-President. If they aro approved, a minute is made either for an abso lute or conditional purchase. If the purchase be condi tional the object is exhibited in the museum, pursuant to a minute passed by Mr. Henley, President of the Board of Trade in 1852, and the public criticism is invited upon it. All purchases are registered, and an inventory of them is published and sold, which enables the public ,to know the history, the date, and the price which has been paid for each article. The objects are well arranged for public in struction as far as the limited space allows. Every article is fully labelled in the museum, so that the visitors are not obliged to refer to a catalogue. The collection seems to have been economically made. Sir F. Scott, chairman of the Birmingham School of Arts, and a collector himself, considers that the objects would fetch from 7 to 10 per cent. more than has been paid for them. Mr. Webb would "like to give double the price paid for many things." Mr. Cole produced a letter written by Mr. Hope, which stated " that if Government is inclined to speculation it will realise a handsome profit on the sums originally expended." 3. Your committee have investigated a complaint often made against the South Kensington Museum and British Museum, to the effect that the officers of these institu tions compete with each other at public sales. After exa • mining Mr. Panizzi, the officers of the South Kensington Museum, and Mr. Webb, the agent who buys for both in stitutions, your committee find not only that such competi tion has never occurred, but that a concerted action has been always taken between both institutions, by the employment of one buyer for the two to prevent any such competition. The report appears to have originated from the fact, as stated by Mr. Webb, that the British Museum and the armour, the British Museum being in ignorance that the Ordnance Department contemplated such a purchase for the Tower of London. 4. Evidence was produced to your committee showing the great extent to which the public are disposed to co operate with the state in assisting exhibition. Exclusive of the Kohi-i-noor diamond, and the British pictures, the liberality of the Queen and of private individuals, during the last seven years, has given the public the benefit of loans and gifts of ornamental art, which have been esti mated at a value exceeding £160,000. 5. The objects have not been merely exhibited in the metropolis, but a system of circulation, first recommended by the committee of 1836, has been matured, and very suc cessfully' carried into effect by means of a travelling museum, the exhibition of which offers many advantages to schools and museums in provincial towns. Her Majesty has been pleased to allow objects of great value and very fragile nature, such as Sevres porcelain, to be circulated in this manner; and her example has been followed by many private gentlemen, benefactors to the museum. It is remarkable that, although the collection has travelled through the United Kingdom,and been packed and unpacked 56 times, not a single article has been lost or broken. Alderman Dunn, chairman of the Sheffield School of Art ; Sir F. Scott, Mr. M. Campbell, chairman of the Stoke (Potteries) School of Art; Mr. T. Fairbairn, chairman of the late Art Treasures Exhibition at Manchester, and seve ral other witnesses, testified to the public importance of the principle of circulation, by which the public collections are not circumscribed to a merely metropolitan use, but are ren dered national. Your committee are glad to find that the trustees of the National Gallery are willing to permit the circulation of national pictures which will not be necessary to the central collection. The Fine Arts Committee of the House of Commons ex pressed, in 1841, an opinion that, "independently of the beneficial and elevating influence of the fine arts upon a people, every pecuniary outlay, either for the purpose of forming or extending collections of works of art in this country, has been directly instrumental in creating new objects of industry and of enjoyment, and therefore in adding at the same time to the wealth of the company." Evidence, illustrated by actual specimens, was brought be fore your committee, which proved the soundness of these views, and showed how by a judicious cultivation of the taste of purchasers and manufacturers, and by their action on each other, new branches of ornamental manufactures had been created within the last few years. The art collections when first formed were placed in Somerset House, then transferred temporarily to Marl borough House, and were removed to South Kensington when it became necessary to give up Marlborough House for the residence of the Prince of Wales. 6. The collection of British pictures at South Kensington was commenced by Mr. Sheepshanks, who in giving them to the nation stipulated that his pictures must be kept either in the immediate neighbourhood of Kensington in a suitable building, or, failing this, at Cambridge. This gift of some of the choicest pictures of the British school has been valued at £52,595. It has lately been followed by a gift of water colours by :Mrs. Ellison, valued at £2,996, and other gifts to the nation are in prospect if Parliament is disposed to find room to receive them. Mr. Sheepshanks approved of tho building erected from Captain Fowke's do sign to receive his pictures, which are admirably displayed in it, both by day and night. He also expressed his desire that the local schools of art should derive some benefit from his pictures, and some of the drawings of his collection are now in circulation. The specimens of British sculpture are valued at £7,130, and have been entirely contributed by gift or loan. The collection of engravings and etchings has also been formed by gift or loan, without expense of pur chase to the public. 7. Other British pictures are exhibited to the public at South Kensington. They form part of the collections be longing to the trustees of the National Gallery, and consist of the bequests of Messrs. Vernon, Turner, Jacob, Bell, and others, together with the British pictures purchased with the Angerstein Collection. They were first exhibited in the basement of the National Gallery, in Trafalgar-square, and were then removed to Marlborough House. When it was necessary to give up possession of Marlborough House to the Prince of Wales, it was proposed to fit up the old riding -school at Charlton-terrace, and to remove the pic tures to this building, which was not fireproof. It was held to be a better plan to erect fireproof buildings of a plain and very economical character at South Kensington, and this was done at a cost less than would have been incurred by a provisional arrangement at Carlton-terrace, if the value of the land on that site be taken into consideration. The transfer of these pictures from Marlborough House to South Kensington has been attended with increased facili ties to the public for seeing them ; they are now open to view by day, every day in the week, and also on three even ings 8. The collections illustrating architecture are partly the property of the public and partly belong to the Architec tural Museum Committee. The collections of that com mittee are valued at £3,000, and were brought from some lofts in Cannon-row to commence a National Gallery of Architecture. These collections, for want of room, are at present aarraziged mud crowded. They aro Pi4cl‘ con- suited by artisans employed in architecture. The same • want of room has hitherto prevented the department from taking possession of the architectural casts obtained as models for the Houses of Parliament, purchased by the public at £7,000, and now costing the Office of Works £492 a year for the house •room at Thames-bank. 9. The collection of books, maps, diagrams; models, and apparatus, used in primary education both at home and abroad, has been made chiefly by private liberality. This collection was begun by the Society of Arts, and first exhi bited at St, Martin's-hall in 1854, and at the close of the exhibition numerous objects were presented to the Govern ment to form the nucleus of an Educational Museum. The collection remained for some time afterwards unexhibited for want of room, and was sent to South Kensington. It has cost the public £2,101, whilst the value of the gifts and loans is estimated at £5,085. It is now chiefly supported by the producers of educational works, who voluntarily send them for exhibition. The catalogue of the collection shows its comprehensive and practical nature. It excites great interest among the visitors, and is attended by clergymen and others especially interested in schools. Your committee regard it as a highly useful collection. 10. The collections of materials for building and construc tion, food, and animal products, have been almost wholly made by private individuals without cost to the State. The greater part of them were given to the Commissioners of the Exhibition of 1851" by exhibitors, and for several years were packed away in E ensington Palace until space was provided at the Kensington Museum to receive them. Whilst the State has purchased objects of the value of £371, the public has supplied objects valued at £14,290. These collections greatly interest the public, and are useful to commerce. The Rev. W. Rogers states that they espe cially attract the notice of the working classes, and your committee consider that they are well worth preserving. Whenever sufficient space is provided for the netural history collections belonging to the public, it may be worthy of consideration if the animal products collection ought not to be united with them. 11. The collection of models, of patented inventions under the Commissioners of Patents is placed in a portion of• the iron building at South Kensington, and is muds cramped for room. 12. The collections of reproductions by photography and casting have been made primarily to furnish models for the use of the eighty art-schools in connection with the Depart ment of Science and Art; they are obtained from public collections at home and abroad. After providing for the art-schools, it has been thought right to give the public at large the benefit of the photographs at cost price, for the promotion of general art-education. The Science and Art Department express a desire to avoid any competition with professional photographers by limiting their sales to photo graphs taken from Government collections, to which, ex cept in rare and special cases, the trade is not admitted ; but it has been objected by one commercial firm, enjoying pecu liar privileges of admission to collections, and by Mr. Fen ton, a photographer of eminence, that even such a limited sale by the department is an improper interference with pri vate enterprise. There is an obvious distinction betwven copying and pho tographing pictures and works of art belonging to the pub lic. Copying is attended by no very serious inconveniences, while photography almost invariably requires the removal of the object, deprives the public of the exhibition of it, exposes it in the light, to the risks of breakage, rain, &c., which can only be guarded against by great vigilance, requires a special apparatus of considerable bulk, and uses chemicals which are always unpleasant and often dangerous. Mr. Panizzi shows that the only fire ever known at the British Museum was caused by the negligence of a photographer. Under such circumstances, all the witnesses agree that a general right to photograhy cannot be conceded to all, like the right to copy. Mr. Fairbairn stated that, at the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition, the pho tographic professors were pests, and that it was found absolutely necessary to limit the privilege to one per son. In order to execute photographs in public collections there must be a monopoly somewhere. If it be proposed to grant this privilege to a limited number of competent per sons, as was at one time the practice at the British Museum, the difficulty arises, which was felt by the trustees, of de ciding who is competent. Mr. Panizzi considers it " a very difficult thing to determine who is competent ;' and the trustees were forced to say, " We will only admit our own photographer." For a public department to attempt to de termine this question in the case of every application would lead to constant difficulties and heartburnings. Moreover, the favoured persons having the monopoly among them might league among themselves to make the public pay an unfair toll for the use of their own property. These objec tions would apply all the more strongly to the appointment of a single private individual or firm, as the monopoly would be all the closer. The experience obtained at the British Museum, as well as at the South Kensington Museum, has led to the conclusion that the only feasible course for public interests is to employ one responsible public, officer ; and by harmonious co-operation between these two departments, one photographer is employed for both. A tariff of moderate prices is published, at which the public mayobtain negatives and print positives for themselves. Any publisher may thus produce and publish, at his own prices, any object in ss- - essaseh - As respects " positives " of public objects, the sale of them by the department to the public is limited to objects in public collections which is not permitted to private en • terprise Zto photograph, and to a price only covering the cost of production. Your committee consider that there is no other course so free from objections or so good for the public at large as the present system of the department. The printing of photographs stands on the same footing as the printing of Parliamentary papers, and the publishers might, as well as the photographers, complain of the low price at which they are sold. If the price were increased, there is no doubt that the sales would be greatly diminished, and the spread of knowledge of parlia mentary proceedings arrested. The trustees of the British Museum attempted to supply the public with photographs of objects in the British Museum, at the same time allowing their photographer the privilege of publishing, but they abandoned the system after considerable losses. Your committee have investigated fully a complaint of Mr. Scott, in respect of the photographs taken by him from Raffaelle's cartoons. Mr. Scott complains that Mr. Caldesi was obstructed by the officer of the Department of Science and Art in taking his photographs, and that he has been undersold by the department; but Mr. Redgrave proved that Messrs. Caldesi would have been unable to have pro. duced any satisfactory photographs unless the department had permitted them to have the benefit of the removal of the cartoons by their officer, and that as the sale of the car toons by the department cannot yet be said to be in opera tion, the apprehension of being undersold is at least pre mature. At any rate, the public have no reaton to regret that 4lr. Scott's suggestion of vesting in his firm an abso lute monopoly of the photographs of the cartoons has not been complied with. The arrangement by which a private was joined to an official photographer was almost sure to lead to disputes, and should not be repeated. 13. Your committee find that the total cost of the South Kensington Museum in its collections, land, and buildings has been £167,805. This amount is exclusive of the annual cost of management, which so far as it can be separated from the cost of the general administration of the Science and Art Department and the cost of the Art Training Schools, exclusive of the Supply of furniture and postage, and official stationery, is estimated at about £7,000 a-year. 14. Your committee are informed that above one million and a half of visitors have inspected the museum during the first three years since its opening, on the 22d of June, 1857. Such a result in so short a time proves that the museum has met a public want. This success is clearly due to the great care taken to meet the convenience of the public, especially by admission in the evening. The returns show that very nearly half the number of visitors attended in the evening, although the hours for admission in the evening are less than one-fourth of those in the day time. Much cost for lighting and vigilant superintendence arises from opening in the evening ; but as the arrangement makes the museum accessible to labouring men and their families, who would otherwise scarcely be able to visit it, your com mittee consider the money well laid out, and the experi ment deserving of imitation. The success of the museum has also shown that an institution, although it may be situated in the suburbs, may be rendered so attractive as to compete in point of the number of visitors with other insti tutions nearer the centre of the metropolis. 15. So vast is the metropolis, and so ready are the people to avail themselves of every convenient opportunity for in tellectual improvement and recreation, that similar institu tions, if properly managed, in other parts of London, hold out fair prospects of a similar success; and it would be within the means of the South Kensington Museum to faci litate the formation of such institutions by loans of objects, made on a principle similar to that of the circulating museum. 16. The principles upon which the administration of the museum is conducted have been explained fully to your committee, and documentary details are given in the appen dix. Authority for every measure is obtained direct from the Lord President of the Council, or the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education. The accounts cer tified by the vice-president are sent, monthly, to the Audit office. The rules for the appointment of officers are calcu lated to exclude incompetency. Finally, a full annual report of proceedings has been always submitted to Parliament. 17. Having arrived at the opinion that the South Ken sington Museum, in respect to its action, as well through- out the United Kingdom as in the metropolis, is exercising a beneficial influence, and that it is fully deserving of con tinued Parliamentary support, your committee next turned their attention to the state of the buildings at South Ken sington. 18. The South Kensington Museum is sivate on a plot of ground consisting of about 12 acres, which under the Act 21 and 22 Vic., cap. 36, have been reserved by the Treasury for the use of the science and art department, at the origi nal cost, namely, £5,000 an acre. The land h as therefore cost the country £60,000. The land is at present occupied by various buildings, the nature and uses of which are shown 'ey different colours on a plan attached to this report. In 1855 Parliament voted £15,000 for the erection of a temporary iron structure to receive va r i ous co l lections pre sented to the public. The object in view was to obtain the greatest amount of covered space at the least possible cost. So large a building of iron, applied for the first time to such PUrNSes, was altogether UOVOitY in this country, and ex- _~' ~ ''„~ ptrienes has shown, both in this case and at the Art Trea sures Exhibition at Manchester, that an iron building, owing to its variations in temperature and the difficulty of keeping it water-tight, is not suitable for the preservation of works of art. Mr. Braidwood, also, does not consider it secure from fire. Much expense is required to keep it in good order. The officers of the department report that the more delicate and valuable works of art suffer from cold, heat, damp, and the leakiness of the roof, and ought to be removed out of it as soon as possible. In 1856 Parliament voted £lO,OOO to remove the offices of the Science and Art Department and the Art Training Schools, the latter built of wood, from Marlborough-house to South Kensington, and this amount was expended, as well on: this object as in rendering four old houses useful for class rooms and official residences. The wooden schools are not secure from fire, and a fire has recently occurred in them. If they were not public property they would be condemned under the Building Act. The old houses are dilapidated, full of dry rot, and built hi such a way as to be extremely liable to fire ; one of them was on fire a few weeks ago, owing to the presence of IA wooden beam in a chimney ; another has had a story re*. moved to save it from falling. They should be taken down. without delay. In 1857 Parliament ♦oted £3,500 to erect a permanent building to receive Mr. Sheepshanks's gift of British pits tures, and in 1859 a sum of £8,198 was voted for fire-proof buildings to afford accommodation for the Vernon and Turner pictures, which it was necessary to remove from Marlborough .house. These are solid and convenient build ings, and have been erected as part of a general plan which was laid before your committee by Capt. Fowke, and is ap pended to this report. It results from the account above given of the state of the iron building that additional space for the accommoda tion and exhibition of the art collections should be provided at once. Capt. Fowke states that the cheapest mode of ob taining this space would be to complete the quadrangle of brick buildings, which was commenced bythe Sheepshankel Vernon, and Turner Galleries; and to glaze it over. Pie estimates that this might be done for £17,000, and by doi OS so the art collections new in the iron museum would be placed in safety, others not properly shown would be de' ciently exhibited, whilst space would be provided in the iron museum to receive and exhibit the architectural CVO procured as models from the Houses of Parliament, wt Lich at present lie unexhibited in buildings at Thames-bank/ costing the annual rent of £490. The danger arising from the use of the wooden echo ols and dilapidated houses renders it equally necessary to Te" move these buildings, and instead of them to provide!, at once safe buildings for official residences and the art treiiir ing schools. The cost has been approximately estimated.l)l Captain Fowke at £27,000. Your committee recommend these works as matters: of extreme urgency, the completion and covering in of the quadrangular court as a means of rescuing much valuabh l public and private property from a receptacle quite unfit for it, the removal of the wooden schools and the dilapidated houses from considerations of safety, and therefore of reel economy. The iron building and the temporary brick buildings your committee see no reason to disturb at pro' sent; they can be usefully employed, and may well be 'l' lowed to stand for some years to come. Your committee are by no means anxious to involve the revenue in large expenses for mere ornament. The mimeos is yet in course of formation, and they think it unwise to commit the country to a heavy expense in anticipation of its wants. The committee recommend that any plan which may be adopted for the building to be erected should he capable of being worked into a general plan which would et once fully occupy the ground, and be susceptible of a proper amount of decoration. Such a plan has been laid bore the committee by Captain Fowke. August 1, 1860. COUNTRY MARKETS. MANCHESTER-Am - 30. Scarcely a sit4ie of English wheat wasoffered, farms!. being too busily engaged. French and American were 1 0 quiet request, and finer sorts at an advance of 3d to 4d yet 701bs. Oatmeal is to 2s per load advance, and beans 6d 0 18 per qr up. Indian corn firm, at former rates. Flout 2s to 3s per sack and barrel dearer. BIRMINGHAM—Iva. 30. An inactive business was done in wheat to-day, but fair supply of English wheat offering, with no reduction ill prices for red ; white is to 2s dearer. Oats held for is morel money. Barley advanced 6d per qr, and beans unaltered Peas less in request. BRISTOL—Aua. 30. Altair business passing in wheat to-day, with a good at' tendance of buyers. A small supply of English wheat, for which farmers asked long prices, and late rates were es• ceeded by 2s to 3s per qr. Foreign in good request, and 2s up on the week. Sweet grinding barleys scarce, and 1 1 to is 6d more money. Beans and other articles remao unaltered. English wheat, red and white ...60s to 665 per 4961b0. Arrivals this week : Wheat 3,220 qrs. Barley Oats 2,054 Rapeseed ....... ••••••••• •••••• Linseed — Flour . . . 500 sacks, MELTON MOWBRAY—Aua. 28. There was a middling show of wheat to-day, with a qu iet demand, at the following quotations wheat, 650 Od to 68s Od ; red, 60s Od to 635" per 36 stone ; barley fn short supply, at 38s to 43s for malting; and 32s to 36s per qr. for grinding; oats, 30s to 36s Od per 24 stone; beans, 48s to 54s for old ; new, 495 per 38 st. PLYMOUTH—Ara. 28. The inarket has been brisk, and prices have advanced 2 4 to 3s per qr on last week's rates, namely :—English whits wheat, 68s to 695; red, 65s to 66s per qr; French do., 600 to 61s; grinding barley, Ns to 34e; oats, 25s to 275; and beans, —s to —s. EDINBURGH GRAIN-AuG. 29. Wheat on the top 3s 6d up.. average 3e 6d up. Barley on the top 28 6d up. average 2s 8d up. Oats on the top 4s Od up Beans on the top is 6d up ... .. average ls ld up. Averages per Imperial quarter. Wheat.... Barley ll7 9 3-12ths Oats 1 13 5 7-12ths Beans Total Supply and Sales. _ _ _ Wheat 7loqr; Sold 418 qrs 8ar1ey........ 72 qrs Sold 72 qrs Oats 44s,qrs Sold 415lqrs Beans 33 qrs Sold 17 qrs DERBY SMITHFIELD-AuG. 28. There was a short supply of fat beasts to-day, with a fair attendance of buyers ; the best quality in request, and at an improvement in price; inferior sorts rather a heavy sale. The supply of sheep and lambs again large, and sold well. Fat and store calves were scarce, but no alteration is prices. Pigs were numerous and readily disposed of. _ . Beef Mutton .. 74d to Bid Pork Lamb Bd to 84d Rough fat, be Od per atone. Hides, 3id to 4fd ; calf skins, 6d to 6d. THE MAILS. MAILS DUE. Australia, Ceylon, and. Mauritius (via South ampton) .. .. Sept. 18. Do. (via Marseilles) Sept. 12. Bahamas and Havana (via New York) .. .. Aug. 30. Canada, &c. (via Londonderry) .. Aug. 29. Cape of Good Hope, &c. .. Sept. 1. China, Penang, and Singapore (via S'ampton) Sept. 1. Do. (via Marseilles) Sept. 12. Gibraltar (via Southampton) .. .. Sept. 1. India (Calcutta), Ceylon, &c. (via Southampton) Sept. 1. Do. (via Marseilles) Sept. 12. India (Bombay), (via Southampton) .. Sept. 9. Do. (via Marseilles) .. Sept. 3. Lisbon, Brazils, Buenos Ayres, &c. .. Sept. 5. Malta, Egypt, and Aden (via Southampton) .. Sept. 1. Do. (via Marseilles) .. Sept. 3. Lisbon, Vigo, and Oporto .. Sept. 1. United States, California, &c. .. Sept. 8. Western Coast of Africa Madeira, Teneriffe .. Sept. 10. West Indies and Pacific, Carthagena, Cuba, &c. Sept. 14. THE FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE OF NAPLES.--NO wonder Aquila flies to his brother Eagle at Paris. in Paris, we hear is rotten—and "where the carca s e is, there we know " 6 the Eagles will be gathered tog ethe r." .— Punch. Society BIRTHS. COOPER.—On the 28th inst , at Pembroke Dock, the wife of H. Cooper, Esq., R.N., of a daughter. at Donnington P r i ory , HUBBARD.—On the 22d inst., the wife of the Rev. T. Hubbard, of a son. 1111131.LN.—On the 28th inst., at Moor -park, near Ludlow, Lady Milman, of a son. STAMER.—On the 28th inst., at the Rectory, Stoke-upon- Trent, Lady Starner, of a son, WErrTwouTa.—On the 28th inst., at 37, Green-street, Lady Harriett Wentworth, of a daughter. MARRIAGES. __ ..._... .... ........ FORBES—LONG. — On the 28th i n st., atWest Ashton, Chas. William Forbes, of Moniack Castle, Inverness-shire, to Jane Agnes, third da ug ht er o f W a lt er L ong , E sq. , M . P., o f Rood Ashton, Wi lts. DIANsRRIDGE---FLOWER.—On the 28th inst., at St. Paz eras Church, William Henry Mansbridge, of the Admi ralty, Somerset -house, to Margaret, second daughter of W Flower, Esq., of Argyle-square. DEATHS. ATWOOD.—On the 27th inst., John Atwood, Esq., solici tor, of 25, Poultry, aged 30. BROIVNE.—On the 27th inst., at Ulverston, Edmund, son of the late John Browne, Esq., of the Middle Temple, aged 28. LADE.—On the 24th inst., at Tnnbriege-wells, Joseph Cade, Esq., aged 59. CRAVEN.—On the 27th inst., at Hampstead Marshall, Newbury, the Right Hon. Louisa, Dowager Countess of Craven, aged 78. DALE.—On the 23d inst., at Bolney 'Vicarage, Sussex, the Rev. Joseph Dale, M.A., aged 74. DEN - rozi.—On the 26th inst., at Wicklow, Hughes Ridg way Denton, Esq., of the Middle Temple, barrister-at law, aged 48. LONDON : Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Difice, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, to the county of Kiddlenes, Friday, August 31, 1860.1 , r'r