The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-05 00:00:00

IRELAND.

A vacancy has been created in the office of Assistant Under-
Secretary in Ireland, by the death of Theobald M`Kenna, Esq.,
which took place at his residence in Dublin, on Tuesday last.
Tun EARL OF LISTOWELL, who dined on Saturday, with
his Excellency, the Lord Lieutenant, has since been seriously
ill; but we learn that his lordship is improving.
MELANCHOLY OCCIIHRENCE.—Last week, while two lads,
brothers, of the name of M`Gettigan, were out shooting near
Strabane, county Tyrone, Ireland, the gun of the elder boy
accidentally went off as he was crossing a gate, the contents
lodging in the back of the younger, who expired on the follow-
ing morning.

CORK AND BANDON RAILWAY.—The long vexed question
between the Cork and Bandon Railway Company and the con-
tractors for the execution of a portion of their line, Sir Charles
Fox, Henderson, and Co. has at last been concluded by the
award of Mr. Brunel, C.F. The sums claimed by the con-
tractors amounted to £15,000, which the award has reduced
to £17,800. The total sum awarded by Mr. Brunel was £19,800,
from which £2,000 was deducted 'for the penalties to which
the contractors were liable, in consequence of not having the
works executed at fixed periods.
ATTEMPT TO UPSET A RAILWAY TRAIN.—On the evening
of the 27th ult., as the down train from Dundalk was passing
through the townland of Adavoyle, the attention of the engine
driver was attracted by a large stone, about two cwt., which
was placed on the rails. The engine could not be checked till
it came in contact with it ; but no greater injury was inflicted
than the breaking of the lifeguard, and knocking some of the
carriages off the line. This was, however, soon righted, and
the train proceeded after an hour's delay. The constabulary
are making searching inquiries, but the perpetrator of the out-
rage has not yet been made amenable. The passengers es-
caped uninjured.—Newry Telegraph.
DREADFUL MURDER.—One night last week, as a man
named Owen Fergus and his son were returning from the
market at Westport, they were overtaken at the school-house
of Knappagh (about two miles from town) by persons who
immediately attacked the father, and maltreated him until he
died. It appeared that after Fergus had been knocked down
the miscreants jumped on his chest and abdomen, and threw
him into the trench by the roadside, with his face down, so
that suffocation in the water aided in completing their
bloody work. Two bad characters, named Lavelle, had been
arrested, and the police had got a clue to others supposed to
have been concerned in it.
THE TENANT LEAGUE.—On Tuesday a meeting of the
Council of the Irish Tenant League was held at their rooms,
Bachelors'-walk, Dublin. The chair was taken by Mr. Edward
WEvoy. Several members of parliament were present. A
number of letters from priests were read, urging perseverance.
The report of the Council having been read and adopted, a re-
solution was passed to the effect that the tenant-right question
in the House of Commons should be entrusted to Mr. J. F.
Maguire. The general tone of the speakers was to the effect
that the cause should be defended at the next general election,
as little hope existed that any progress could be made in the
approaching session.

THE Bank of Odessa has a second time suspended its cash
payments.
THE Hon. W. F. Campbell, who represented the town of
Cambridge in Parliament for five years, is a candidate for
Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
THE NIGHTINGALE TESTIMONIAL.—The committee of the
Nightingale Fund have published a report, embodying two
letters from Miss Nightingale. The first letter is as follows :
" Scutari Barrack-hospital, Jan. 6. Dear Mr. Herbert,—ln
answer to your letter, (which followed me to the Crimea, and
back to Scutari), proposing to me the undertaking of a train-
ing school for nurses, I will first beg to say that it is impost.-
Bible to me to express what I have felt in regard to the
sympathy and the confidenee shown to me by the originators
and supporters of this scheme. Exposed as- lamto be mis-
interpreted and misunderstood, in a field of action in which
the work is new, complicated, distant from many who sit in
judgment upon it—it is, indeed, an abiding support to have
such sympathy and such appreciation brought home to me in
the midst of labour and difficulties all but overpowering. I
must add, however, that my present work is such as I would
never desert for any other, so long as I see room to believe
that what I may do here is unfinished. May I then beg you
to express to the committee that I accept their proposal,
provided I may do so on their understanding of this great
uncertainty as to when it will be possible to me to carry it
out. I beg to name the following to act as my council, in
conjunction with yourself and Mr. Bracebridge, Lord Elles-
mere, Colonel Jebb, Sir James Clark, Mr. Bowman, the
Dean of Hereford, Sir John M`Neil, Dr. Bence Jones. With
regard to the general committee, I thank my friends for the
offer of making any additions to it which I might suggest,
lam perfectly satisfied with it as it stands. Believe me to
be, yours, very truly, FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE." In the
second letter Miss Nightingale says :—" The confidence
which the subscribers to this fund have shown me has been
so generous and extraordinary that it is perhaps hardly
necessary for me to allude to a very natural letter which I
am told has been printed, to the effect that I must furnish
a prospectus of what I am going to do before I can expect
to have money subscribed to do it. I think this perfectly
reasonable if I originally had asked for the money, which, of
course, I did not. But to furnish a cut and dried prospectus
of my plans, situated as I am here, when I cannot look
forward a month, much less a year, is what I would not if I
could, and I could not if I would. I would not if I could,
because everything which succeeds is not the production of a
scheme of rules and regLitions made beforehand, but of a
mind observing and adapting itself to wants and events. I
could not if I would, because it is simply impossible to find
time in the midst of one overpowering work to digest and
concoct another • and, if it could be done, it would be simply
bad, and to be hereafter altered or destroyed."