The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-12 00:00:00

RAIT:4I%;A.i AtCltiElstlig;

;1 ;*
EXPLOSION ?HE GnEA N'or4EnX,R4.lt-
wAii.—On Thursday eN=euing:, abotif eight 6'816,1; a
terrific explosion of gas took place at the Colney
station on this line, which blevi the roof of the station
and nearly
,killed one of the guards 'on a train then.
*aftit'g at the station The a!eident was attributed to
the action of the Act tit the iron, pipes,
ACCIDENT ON THE MIDLAND ItiiA.4.-4n alarm-
ing accident, though fortunately unattended with it'sf of
life, occurred on Thursday afternoon on the Midland
line. The 125 up train left Bristol at its regular time,
add had almost reached the tunnel near Yate, when the
engird came in tottact pith a masa of rock which had
fallen oft the iitte iii front of the train, and which ap-
pedred to haie been keijaded kurti SMIK blasting °per-
, ations.AiCh NVeregoing on in the inntredlate Sleirtity:
The ekect was that the engine, flie van, and ihe Carriages
which doinposid 04, ii/afn left the rails, and ran into
the embankment. koitefei; tVe shook was a
severe one, 'the train came to a stO!i iiithonY Serious
damage being occasioned to the engine or carrlagesf
while the passengers escaped comparatively uninjured.
Information of the occurrence was at once forwarded to
Bristol, and exertions were made by which the engine
and carriages were placed on the down line, and brought
hae'k to the terminus, while the passengers were for-
-I.':a:rded to' their tespective destinations by the up express

ACurnms'is dikr fEtn Civesziza
accidents bake occurred cif this 11'116 of railitay in
Conseqkience of the frost; Mit happily Chet Mite been
Unattended by any of ihoie serious results which have
ensued irOM similar Canses on othei lines. The first
occurred to a geddi train early On Wednesday morning,
shortly after passing Ingaiesto`n6 station, on As way to
London. The rails were. in a very slipper j and dan-
gerous state by reason of the frost, and the intense tc(ld
so acted upon the iron work of the trucks, which were
heavily laden, that one of the axles snapped, and the
body of the vehicle dropped upon the permanent way.
Although travelling at only a moderate rate the hinder-
moSt carriages were, by the momentum, Brought with
fearful force upon the broken truck, which, with the
One itie/t to it, vas smashed almost to pieces, the debris
completely hioefiing the ttp-line, Fortunately the
remainder of the train remained the metals, and,
beyond a severe shaking, neither guard nor. eitinetrien
were injured. This accident rendered it necessary
to use the down-line between Ingatcatone and Brent-
wood for the early passenger traffic both ways on the
same day, and it was shortly after passing the broken-
down luggage train that the second accident occurred to
the express train from Chelnisford to London. It was
proceeding at somewhat less than its ordinary speed,
*het a loud report, like the explosion of a piece of
oitinati6e, attested the attention of the passengers, and a
large portion of the tire of one of the carriage-wheels
was seen to fly off the line, haiiing pretionsly dashed the
foot-board of the carriage to splinters. With the Most
praiseworthy promptitude the steam was reversed, and
the breaks applied so as to bring the train to a stand-
still. That the train continued upon the rails, and the
accident passed off without injury to life or limb, was
quite miraculous. With very great caution the train
proceeded to Brentwood station, where the damaged
carriage was removed, and the passengers proceeded to
London unhurt, but considerably alarmed.

SINGULAR EFFECTS CF THE FROST.—A somewhat
remarkable accident has occurred at the Chatham station
of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, which
illustrates in a singular manner the astonishing effects
the present severe frost is stated to have upon metals,
and may serve to elucidate the mystery which attaches
to the cause of several of the railway accidents 'which
have occurred during the present severe weather. A
few nights since Kelcey, one of the signalmen employed
at the station, was in the act of moving the powerful
iron lever which works the distance signal at the
entrance to the tunnel, when, on his attempting to lift
the bar, the lever snapped completely in two, as the
signal-man described it, like a tobacco pipe. What
makes the accident the more astonishing is that the bar
was of wrought iron, and no less than two and a half
inches in thickness, while it weighed only a few pounds
less than 1 cwt. The point at which the fracture
occurred shows the iron to be of good quality, and no
indication of a flaw can be detected.

LORD BROUGHAM ON SLAVEHOLDING.

A correspondent sends to a contemporary the
following extract from a celebrated oration, as
apposite to a recent letter by the same author :
" Tell me not of rights—talk not of the property of
the planter in his slaves. I deny his right—l acknow-
ledge not the property. The principles, the feelings of
our common nature rise in rebellion against it. Be the
appeal made to the understanding or to the heart, the
sentence is tilt same that rejects it. In vain you tell me
of laws that sanction such a claim ! There is a law above
all the enactments of human codes—the same throughout
the world—the same at all times; such as it was before
the daring genius of Columbus pierced the night of
ages, and opened to one world the sources of power,
wealth, and knowledge; to another all unutterable
woes—such as it is at this day; it is the law written
by the finger of God on the heart of man ; and by
that law, unchangeable and eternal ; while men
despise fraud, and loath rapine, and hate blood—they
shall reject with indignation the wild and guilty fantasy
that man can hold property in man. In vain you
appeal to treaties—to covenants between nations. The
covenants of the Almighty, whether the old covenant
or the new, denounce such unholy pretensions. To these
laws did they of old refer who maintained the African
trade. Such treaties did they cite—and not untruly;
for by one shameful compact you bartered the glories of
Blenheim for the traffic in blood. Yet, in spite of
law and of treaty, that infernal traffic is now
destroyed, and its votaries put to death like other
pirates. low came this change to pass ? Not,
assuredly, by Parliament leading the way; but the
country at length awoke ; the indignation of the
people was kindled; it descended in thunder, and
smote the traffic, and scattered its guilty profits to the
winds. Now, then, let the planters beware—let their
assemblies beware—let the government at home beware
—let the parliament beware! The same country is once
more awake—awake to the condition of negro slavery ;
the same indignation kindles in the bosom of the same
people, the same cloud is gathering that annihilated the
slave trade—and if it shall descend again, they on whom
its crash may fall will not be destroyed before I have
warned them ; but I pray that their destruction may
turn away from us the more terrible judgment of God."

THE "NEPTUNE."—Our faCetious friend, Neptune,
makes his appearance this week, and is as brilliant as
ever. We are glad to perceive that the size is enlarged,
and the price reduced to a penny—two considerations
which will, no doubt, make him doubly acceptable to
the reading public.
MR. STUART'S AUSTRALIAN DISCOVERIES. It iS
stated that Mr. Stuart, in his recent expedition, made
the important discovery of a new kind of potato growing
wild, the apples of which the natives eat, though they
have not discovered the excellent powers of the tubers.
SERIOUS FIRE AT MANCIIESTER.—A very serious fire
occurred on Thursday in the Greengate Cotton Waste
Mill, near the Victoria Station. The "mill," which
was occupied by Mr. Peter Andrew, and used as a ware-
house, was completely gutted, and Mr. Andrew estimates
his loss at about £7,000; his insurances covering little
more than half that amount.

SLAVERY IN ITS ECONOMICAL ASPECTS.— With al
these natural advantages, her land remains unoccupied,
her water power unused, her fine harbours empty, and
cities uninhabited. There is no doubt the abolition of
slaves in Virginia would cause an immediate rise in
property equal to the present value of her slaves; and
in less than twenty years we might reasonably look for
an increase of a hundred per cent. both in the population
and valuation of the State. With slavery, Northern
and European immigration is trifling ; without it,
Virginia would become the most attractive State, alike
to industrious natives and foreigners. What is true of
Virginia is true to a greater or less extent of all the
Northern tier of slave States. By the continuance of
slavery they are committing a pecuniary suicide.--
London American.

NEW TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS IN FRANCE.—A
successful trial has been made between Paris and
Amiens of a new telegraphic apparatus, which transmits
messages textually, and which reproduces line for line
the handwriting of the person who forwards the
despatch. It is expected that the Government will
shortly reduce the price of transmiting telegraphic
messages, and that the increase in the revenue will be
equal to that produced by the reduction of the postage
on letters. The number of offices in Paris for the
transmission of messages by electric telegraph is increased
from nine to 23. The railway companies have 12 tele-
graphic offices in the department of the Seine, and 23
in the Seine-et-Oise. During the four years subsequent
to the chief towns of departments having been placed in
communication with Paris, there were 1,492,500
private messages transmitted, for which the Govern-
ment received 12,550 f. Of these messages 40 per cent.
related to trade and manufactures, 34 per cent. to
operations on the Stock-Exchange, 20 per cent. to
private affairs, 4 per cent. to newspaper intelligence, and
2 per cent. to sundry other matters.
FRosT MUSIC.—I was once belated in Canada on a
fine winter day, and was riding over the hard snow on
the margin of a wide lake, when the most faint and
mournful wail that could break a solemn silence seethed to-
pass through me like a dream. I stopped my horse and
listened. For some time I could not satisfy myself
whether the music was in the air or in my own brain.
I thought of the pine forest which was not far off; but
the tone was not harplike, awl there was not a breath of
wind. Then it swelled and approached; and then it
seemed to be miles away in a moment; and again it
moaned, as if under my very feet. It was, in fact,
almost under my feet. It was the voice of the winds
imprisoned under the pall of ice suddenly cast over t►.em
by the peremptory power of the frost. Nobody there
had made air holes, for the place was a wilderness ; and
there was no escape for the winds, which must moan on
till the spring warmth should release them. They were
fastened down in silence ; but. they would come out with
an explosion when, in some still night, after a warm
spring day, the ice would blow up, and make a crash
and a racket from shore to shore. So I was told at my
host's that evening, where I arrived with something of
the sensation of a haunt !d man. It had been some time
before the true idea struck me, and meanwhile the rising
and falling moan made my very heart thrill again.—
. Om a Break.