The Press.
London, England, 1855-09-15 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

NEWS has reached New York of the loss of her
Majesty's sloop Wolverine, Commander John Corbett.,
12 guns. The following statement on the subject is
published by the papers of that city :—" On the night
of the 14th a terrific hurricane swept over the Mos-
quito Coast, involving the total loss of her Britannic
Majesty's sloop-of war Wolverine. Her cutter
reached San Juan del Sur on the 18th with despatches
for the steam frigate Buzzard, lying in that harbour,
to render immediate assistance, and she left for the
scene of disaster as soon as steam was got up."
Some of the circumstances mentioned give ground
for hope that the loss of the ship may not be so
complete as here affirmed, or at least that all lives
are saved.

THE Tagus, which reached Southampton on
Thursday, with the Peninsular mail, reports the
wreck of the transport Canterbury, off Vienna, with
sixty-three rank and file, forty-nine women, and
fifty-eight children on board, all saved. She came
from Corfu bound to Portsmouth.

THERE are said to be about five firms of swindlers
in London, connected with similar parties in Liver
pool and Manchester, constantly employed in ob-
taining goods on credit. They represent themselves
as carrying on every description of trade by turns,
and groceries, ironmongery, drapery, agricultural
implements, and drysaltery find their way continually
out of the shops and warehouses of fair tradesmen
into their possession, by means of the ingenious de-
vices they are able to adopt in making their dupes
believe that the orders they receive are from bond
fide tradesmen, and persons of respectable means.
MR. NICHOLSON, organ•builder, of Macclesfield,
has met a singular death. He was " voicing" or
" sounding " a pipe, and applied his ear to it, when,
from some cause or other, a splinter flew out, en-
tered his ear, and gradually penetrated to the brain ;
after three weeks' illness he expired, suffering great
agony.
A TAH.OR living in the Rue Chariot, Paris, committed
suicide, actuated by almost as singular a motive as
that which caused the death of the great Vatel. It,
appears that he had been unsuccessful in making a
uniform for some great personage, so that it was
sent back to him and left on his hands ; and, as it
was so spoilt in the cut that there was no possibility
of making it fit., be, in a fit of despondency, suffocated
himself with the fumes of charcoal.

A YOUNG MAN, of respectable family, named Boiron,
was on Saturday tried by the Paris Court of Assizes
for forgery ; and two other respectable young men,
named Seailles and Piquet, were tried with him as
his accomplices. The case was rather curious :
Seailles and Piquet, who are students, bad to undergo
examinations in order to obtain the degree of
Bachelor of Sciences ; but, fearful of being rejected,
they got Boiron to personate them, and be passed
the examinations for them under their names, and
was passed in their place. To obtain a degree it is
necessary for the candidates to sign certain docu-
ments, and Boiron, on one occasion, signed the name
of Seailles, and on another that of Piquet. The jury
acquitted Seailles and Piquet, and convicted Bairon.
The court sentenced the latter to three years' impri-
sonment, and 100 f. fine.

Mucu sensation has been created lately in the
counties of Somerset, Gloucester, and Wilts, by the
number of burglaries which have been successfully
perpetrated. An extraordinary and ratber an
amusing capture of three fellows gives some hopes,
however, that a check will be put to the proceedings
of the gang by whom the public have been so long
kept in a state of dread. It appears that on Sunday
evening the Rev. Mr. Meade, vicar of Wingfield, near
Bradford, Wilts, went to church with his family,
leaving the vicarage entirely unprotected. About
half-past six o'clock a little boy of twelve years of
age, named Henry Gilson, the son of the parish
clerk and constable, who was playing near the
vicarage, happened to have his attention attracted
by two strange men, whom he afterwards saw enter
the Rev. Mr. Meade's premises. He immediately
went to the church and communicated to his father,
who was officiating at the time, his suspicion that
all was not right at the vicarage. Mr. Gilson at
once interrupted the usual formalities of the public
worship by declaring his suspicions that the parson's
worldly goods were in danger, and after a short con-
ference the congregation set off towards their pastor's
house, which they completely surrounded, thus
cutting off all means of escape. Some of the boldest
of them then entered, and found there a fellow
named Joseph Withy, a returned convict, and two
others of the same stamp, whom there is reason to
believe are ticket-of leave men. All doubt as to the
object of these uninvited visitors was speedily re-
moved by the discovery that a large quantity of plate
had been packed up in a carpetbag, ready for re-
moval, and would no doubt have been speedily trans-
ferred to some distant place but for the opportune
discovery, as a vehicle was driven from the neigh-
bourhood by the supposed confederates of the thieves
soon after the congregation so unexpectedly emerged
from the church. The burglars were secured and
handed over to the police.

879

ON Wednesday evening a most fearful accident
occurred on the Reading and Reigate Railway, by
which three persons were killed, and several more so
seriously injured that their lives are despaired of.
It appears that the train which left London bridge at
four o'clock, not arriving at the Reading station at its
proper time, inquiries were made, when it was found
that a fearful collision had taken place between the
down and up trains, the points having been turned
the wrong way. The crash, which happened about
two miles from Reading, was described by those who
witnessed the scene as most fearful. The first
carriage of the down train, a second-class, was coal-
rletely smashed, and all the passengers either killed
or dangerously wounded. Three men were picked
up quite dead, one an engine driver, and two passen-
gers. Surgical assistance was in immediate attend.
ance, and every aid was rendered to the sufferers.
The names of the killed are : Mr. Christopher
Bilton, Mr. Francis Beant, Mrs. Fynmore, and J.
Crosley, driver of the pilot engine. The following
were injured :—Mrs. Norton, Miss Skinner, Miss
Ransom, Miss Banning, Mr. Sowdon, H. Harrison,
fireman of the down train, and J. Fergusson, fireman
of the pilot engine. An inquest was commenced
on Thursday, and adjourned after some preliminary
proceedings.