The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-05-26 00:00:00

ALLEGED ABANDONMENT OF THE
REFORM BILL.

The Tidies announces the virtual abandonment of
the Reform Bill as an event absolutely decided,
although some time may elapse before the measure is
finally given up. The Times says it is not to be ex-
pected that the House of Commons will again grant a
vote of credit ; and it follows, therefore, that the coming
month must be given up entirely to the consideration of
the estimates. The result is perfectly obvious—if the
month of June be taken up with the estimates, the
Reform Bill must go over to July, a period which every-
body knows it will be too late to discuss it. It seems,
therefore, that incidentally, and of course without the
slightest knowledge on their part of the nature of their
own acts, the House of Commons has for this year dis-
posed of the Reform Bill, and rendered it morally
certain, that at least in the present session, no time can
be found for the task of re-arranging our representative
system. •

BOARD OF TRADE INQUIRY INTO THE
LOSS OF THE LEICESTER.

An inquiry into the loss of the ship Leicester, which
was wrecked on the 16th of this month while on a
voyage from Charleston to this port, was commenced
yesterday afternoon, in St. George's Hall, before Mr.
Raffles and Captain Harris, nautical assessor. Mr.
O'Dowd conducted the inquiry on behalf of the Board
of Trade, and Mr. Aspinall appeared for Captain
Robins, the master of the ship. From the statement of

Mr. O'Dowd, it appears that the Leicester was a first-
class vessel, registered in 1815, and of 686 tons. She
had two decks and three masts, and was the property of
Messrs. Rathbone and Brothers. She was commanded
by Captain Jasper Robins, of whom Mr. O'Dowd said
no one could possibly have a higher character in his
profession than that gentleman. He has been for a
great number of years in the service of his present
employers, and has given great satisfaction. The
Leicester sailed from Charleston on the 17th of
April last, bound for Liverpool, with a cargo of cotton
turpentine, and rosin ; and it appears from a deposition

made by Captain Robins, that after au ordinarily fair
voyage she sighted Cape Clear on the morning of the
15th of May. At noon on that day the weather was
thick and hazy, and the captain, not being able to see the
Irish coast, sounded, and found thirty-five fathoms,
which led him to conclude that he was on the Wexford

coast. About 10 p.m. the course was altered to N.E.

by E. ; the weather was fine but hazy. At 11 o'clock
the number of ships in the Channel appears to have in-

creased very much. They were looking for the Stack
light, but could not see it, and the question here arose

as to what course Captain Robins took to ascertain his

position. Unfortunately he did not at this time take
cast of the lead, and was thus guilty of that fatal and
frequent omission to which he (Mr. O'Dowd) believed
must be ascribed the majority of the losses which hare
occurred during the last four or five years. The man at
the lookout looked anxiously and carefully for the Stack
light but no light could be seen. The result was that
at one o'clock on the morning of the 16th laud was seen,
and the mate gave the order to starboard the 4441:
The yards were braced, and every possible thing was
done to bring the vessel to the westward. It was too
late; she struck in about two minutes, just outside the
Roscommon beacon, and went to pieces. She was insured
for £4,000.
Mr. Aspinall here stated that he wished the captain
to be called first. This was rather different to the

usual course; but they were not going to deny that the
fault mentioned by Mr. O'Dowd had been committed,
but only to show that every other precaution had been
taken.

ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.

Last night Lytton Bulwer's popular play, " The Lady
of Lyons," was played, to give Miss Lama Gray the
opportunity of personating the character of Pauline
Deschapelles, in which she achieved a great success. We
doubt whether it has ever been better played by any of
this clever young lady's predecessors. Ladylike, femi-
nine, impassioned, yet never exaggerated, she gave the
proud beauty, reduced or: exalted by love into a true-
hearted woman, ultimately ready to sacrifice herself to
save her father from disgrace, without the slightest loss
of consistency or apparently unnatural change of cha-
racter, and exhibited the highest reach of art in making
a few hurried scenes develope a life, without violation of
probability, or shocking the sense of propriety by sudden-
ness or abruptness. She was enthusiastically called for at
the end of the third act, when she declares she is ready to
share Claude Melnotte's fate, though that should be one
of privation and poverty. Her rebuke of Beausea ne s
infamous offer was given with a dignified and womanly
delicacy that drew forth a spontaneous burst of well-
deserved applause. She was well supported by Mr. J.
C. Cowper in Claude Melnotte. We have seldom seen
it better played. The absurdities and extravagancies
were toned down by the intensity of the feeling in the
other parts of the character. Mr. H. Neville gave his
usually characteristic representation of Beauseant, which
cannot be improved. Mr. W. Cooper made a very good
General Dumas, and the whole performance., was highly
satisfactory. To-night, Miss Laura Gray will play
Parthenia, to Mr. J. C. Cowper's Ingomar. On Thurs-
day last, she played Bose Fielding, to Mr. J. C.
Cowper's Luke, in the " Willow Copse," with great
feeling ; and the steady as well as rapid advances she is
making promise to place her soon in the highest rank
of the histrionic profession.
The other performances during the week have been
"Rob Roy," "Guy Mannering," and "Never too late
to Mend," which have been very well put upon the
stage, but did not present any novelty which would call
for especial notice in our confined space. A new bar-
lesque, " Dinorah under Difficulties :"—The rehearsal
of that celebrated opera under the difficulties which will
sometimes beset a manager, and which he does his best
to get over, and succeeds, to the admiration of the
audience. "No Song No Supper" has also been pro
duced with great success.

GARPALDT'S PLAN OF OPERATIONS.

Garibaldi is now directing all his efforts towards
Sicily alone, in order to make that island the basis of
subsequent operations against the kingdom of Naples.
Volunteers are to land in Sicily in small detachments, at
points previously fixed on, where they will be formed
into companies and battalions. As soon as a formidable
expedition can be undertaken, a descent will be made on
ejlabria. The Neapolitan Government is fully alive
to its danger. Six squadrons are to be charged with
the guard of the coast, and they will be composed
of about fifty vessels of war of all sizes. The
superior command has been confided to Count d'Aquila,
the King's uncle, who has the direction of the fleet and
of the naval affairs of the kingdom. The statement of
the .3foiri2nento, of Genoa, that Garibaldi had entered
Palermo, has not been confirmed. The first encounter
between the patriots under Garibaldi and the royalist
troops °mined while the latter were concentrating
themselves upon Palermo and Messina. General Landi
could not resist the vigorous attack, and fled to Palermo,
leaving behind him four guns, 100 dead, and a great
many wounded. During his two days' march to gain
that city, he was harassed on all sides by the population,
and hotly pursued by Garibaldi's men.

THE MYSTERIOUS BARQUE.--RUMOURS
OF HER ARRIVAL 4T fir\TWINI,.

IMPORTANT DECISION.

COLLISION IN TUE THAMES BETWEEN TWO

STEAMERS.

ADMIRALTY COURT.—THURSDAY.
(Before Dr. LUSHINOTON and TRINITY MASTERS

The screw steamship London, of liundee,;f;l2Ttons
and 140 horse power, bound from London for Dundee,
on the 15th of February last, with passengers and
a general cargo, when going down the river, observed
two steam-vessels nearly abreast of each other in
Erith Reach coming up the Thames. One of the
vessels was the steamship Wearmouth ; and, as the
master of the London perceived that on rounding Celd-
harbour Point she was approaching in a direction
which involved the risk of a collision, he put the helm
of his ship hard aport, and stopped the engines. The
London had a licensed pilot, who bailed the Wearmouth
to port her helm, and to back full speed astern, but
instead of doing so that vessel's helm was starboarded,
and she ran into the London upon her port side abaf
her fore rigging, and heeled her over on her starboard
side, by which she sustained considerable damage.
At the time of the collision the London was abreast
of and heading in towards Erith Church. The Wear-
mouth was on a voyage from Sunderland to London,
with a cargo of coals, and on the evening of the collision
she was proceeding up the Thames on the starboard
side of the river, in the reach called Erith Rands, and
lying a course west by Earth, when the Loniion w,i,

observed coming down Erith Reach. The lights of
the London were seen across Coldharbour Point, and
on the Wearmouth's starboard bow, at the distance of
about a mile and a half. The Wearmouth alleged that
she kept as close to the north shore as she could, a
steam-tug running up abreast of her and between her
and the shore' till they came near Coldharbour Point,
where a schooner was beating up the river in stays
ahead of them. In consequence of the stem-tag going
to the northward of the ad:tot:l7ler, the Wearmouth was
obliged to go to the southward of her, for want
of water. On passing the schooner the lights of the
London were seen by the crew of the Wearmouth on
her starboard bow, coming down the Essex side of the
river in the slack tide. As the London came out of the
slack tide, and lay across the river right athwart the
hawse of the Wearmouth, the latter shies helm was put
hard sport and beTenginee turned aeterp at full speed; but
notvyithstanding these pre9atitioAs, the collision occurred.
The wind was N. by W., the weather clear, and the tide
about three quarters flood. The course of the London was
about S. by W., and she was proceeding at the rate of
about eight knots an hour. The London observed the
other steamer at the distance of about a mile, bearing S.
by E. from her. The course of the Wearmouth was about
W.N.W., and she was going at the rate of about eight
knots an *tr. chl the one side the accident was attri-
buted to the improper conduct of those on board the
Wearmouth ; on the other side it was contended that it
was caused by the Loudon coming dowu Q.O the north
side of the channel in Erith Beach, and in attempting
to cross the ti-ier from. that point as the Wearmouth
was rounding it.

There was a cross-action at the instance of the Wear.
mouth.

Witnesses for both sides were e;araiued in court.
Dr. Twiss, an 4 Mr. E. C. Claris= were heard
for the.LOudon ; and the Admiralty Advocate and Dr.
Deane, Q.C., for the Wearmouth. •
The learned Judge and the Trinity Masters were of
opinion that the Wearmouth should have slowed her
engines to allow the schooner to pass her, and that her
not doing so was the cause of the collision, aid that the
London was not to blame.
Decree was given accoplingly, with costa against the
Wearmouth.