The Express.
London, England, 1863-01-06 00:00:00

CHRISTMAS TIME AT ROME.

A letter from Rome says :—" It is customary to
erect in a large number of churches at Rome cradles in ho-
nour of the Infant Jesus; but the church which is distin-
guished among all others by the magnificence of its deems-
tion is that of Bt. Mary. The Franciman monks who pea-
-1 form the service in this church possess a treasure greatly
venerated by the Roman people : this treasure is the Santo
Bambino, as an Infant Jerre, rudely sculptured in wood, airs
fully wrapped up and enriched by the piety of the [alibi ul with
• quantity of jewels and precious stones, is called. The tradi-
tics states that when this piece of carving, which/was executed
with • knife by • Sicilian shepherd, was terminated, its
author wished to paint it, and went to • neighbouring town
to fetch the necessary articles, bat was surprised to dis-
cover on his return that angels had accomplished the
work in his absence. The monks of St. Mary's have
invented several means of profiting by this miraculous
treasure ; it is carried to the bedside of women in labour
to facilitate their deliverance, and it is also presented
to sick persona. In the latter case, if the cheeks of
the Bambino are tinted with • pale red colour,
the sufferer is saved; on the contrary, if they grow
pale, all hopes ere abandoned. The Santo Bambino
figures with state in the exhibition got up on Christmas-
day in a chapel converted into a theatre. Among the per-
sonages who appear in the display are always seen Augustus
and the Sybil, as it is said that the revelation of the birth
of the Saviour was made to that emperor, on that very
spot, while one day consulting the Sybillioe book. Those
two personages—Augustus and the Sybil—occupy the front
of the stage, one on each side ; then is seen the Santo
Bambino in his sacred cradle having the Madonna and
Saint Joseph beside him, and receiving the adoration
of the shepherds. Behind that is seen • verdant
country, studded with animals, in the midst of which may
be distinguished some men wearing costumes somewhat
' resembling those of the Pontifical 7.oa•ves. At the back is
the humble village of Bethlehem, represented as a magoifi-
sent city filled with cupolas and minarets ; above all th►t
is an immense Glory splendidly painted, with the Eternal
Father surrounded by a multitude of angels, cherubim
seraphims, hr. This superb exhibition would be sufficient
to excite the admiration of a devout and enthusiastic people,
but, in addition, • platform is erected in the central nave,
on which children of from six to twelve years of age snows-
sively appear and recite pieces of poetry and prom on the
subject of the birth of the Santo Bambino."

THE LATE Rzv. A. num—Thera has been a
singular fatality attached to the family of the lamented
Chaplain Fuller, of the 16th Massachusetts Regiment, who
fall at the battle of Fredericksburg. Three of the family
have relished by untimely deaths. Eugene Fuller, one of
the sons, was drowned on the voyage from New York to
New Orleans in 18.59, the 'wiper that the mother died.
Margaret Fuller, Countess of Oesoli, perished by shipwreck,
an Fyn
Island, near New York, in 1800. She was returning
from Italy to her native land, from which she had long been
absent. Her husband and child were lost with her. And
now Arthur B. Fuller has been killed in battle. In every
instance the surviving members of the family received the
sad tidings by telegraph. Gov. Andrew, in 'a letter to the
brother of the deemed. writes :—" My long intimate ac-
quaintance with him and all your family render this instance
of bravery and of affliction' ooe of animal interest, u it really
is of unusual pathos. His conduct was worthy of his state
and his blood. It will be for ever remembered. Nor was
it too soon for a good man to die, falling, as he did, in
splendid devotion to a sublime idea of duty, adventuring
his life beyond the necessities of his position or the coca.
siun of his office, but not beyond the dictates of an ardent
nature, nor, in my judgment, beyond the highest and best
idea of the example and decorum of the occasion."
PRESENTATION BY THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT
TO • BRITISH CAPTAIN AND HIM Orncres. —At the
monthly meeting of the Council of the Liverpool Chamber
of Commerce yesterday, Captain Brown, of the British ship
Treholgen, was presented with a gold medal for himself,
sod three silver medals for the officers of his ship, the
medals having been forwarded for presentation by the Queen
of Spain. Mr. Chilton, president of the chamber, io making
the premier tattoo, stated that Captain Brown rescued 35
men—officers and crew- ef the Spanish ship Reyna del
00011160, when that vessel was on fire, keeping them on
beard his ship for four weeks, treating them with the
greatest kindness, and ultimately landing them at St.
Helena. The men were rescued from certain death, for at
the time Captain Brown came up there wee a very heavy
sea running, and the Reyna del Oceano had no boats which
would have enabled her crew to reach land or to float
about until some ship came in sight. Captain Brown
incurred considerable nak in launching his own boat. to
the rescue.

DISTURBANCEB ON BOARD HER MAJINTIeB SHIP
CORNWALLIB, AT SM.—Dining the put few de. the
the
sailors of her Majery's ship Crowell* lying at Hu have
coeducted themselves in • very riotous manner. It a the
practice for the Hull police to apprehend those tailors who
are on shore beyond their leave. These meta are called
stragglers, and the police take them ou board to he dealt
with by the commander of the vessel. A few days ago,
therefore, when several policemen took on board the vessel
numerous stragglers whom they bad apprehended, they
were received with groans from the crew, and r two polio..
men were passing along the deck. a sailor, who lad • small
hose with which be was washing the vessel, suddenly
turned it on the officers of the law, and gave them a sound
drenching. The officer on duty ordered the sailor in cus-
tody for this freak, but the constables were again assailed
with a shower of missiles from the port bolas as they were
leaving the vessel. One of the officers was struck
in the back by a large piece of stone. This condor was im-
mediately brought under the notice of Otptain Grentell,
and he has taken the necessary steps to punish the
cdeadan.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT PLYMOUTH.

A terrible fire commenced at Plymouth shot*
after midnight in the property-room of the theatre, if*
the Christmas inuttonsime was closed. The interior of th
building is almost entirely consumed ; the llamas cone
skated by the roof with the card and club rooms of th
Royal Hotel, both of which are gutted. The ballroom ste,
cue is burnt ; the handsome arembly•room, and the ta,
nem below it, are also partially destroyed.

The eastern sod of the quadrangle is uninjured by th
ere, and Mr. Paine, the lessee of the hotel, in reph4iit
his furniture.

The thick wall between the theatre sod the hotel do,
not rise higher than the exterior walls, so that the 1.,,
soon communicated from the roof of oae building to of
of the other.

That portion of the hotel next the theatre consists of the
eard-room, connected with the hall-room. The cardloci,
eoetained the samples of Maus. Blumberg cod Co., R..
(Ignore-street West, rained at 1,0001, which are sob*
lost. From the card-room the fire went across the inug
slain:ass to the splendid ball-room.
The entire property, which belongs to the corporation d
Plymouth, forms the noblest specimen of architecture"
the Wert of England.

The military, marines, and seamen of the royal awy
wino in full attendance, aiding the civil authorities.
The Royal Hotel and Theatre were finished in Idl3, ets
oat of 60,0001. The north front is 270 feet long.
The roof of the splendid lonic portico is consumed.
The buildings are insured by the corporation with rte
Atfsaofice. Mr. Parsee is insured in the General. th.
Newcombe, the manager of the theatre, is uninsured. ge
recently expended3,o3ol. on the fittings and scenery. Sees
valuable dresses were saved.

A fire occurred in the property-room on the 26th d
December lest, which wee promptly extinguished.

A CLERGYMAN CHARGED WITH FORGERY,

At the Blackburn Town Hall, yesterday, the Rer.
Joseph Wood, incumbent of Clayton-le-Moon, four mile
from Blackburn, wee charged, before Masan. Boole eat
Barnes, with having forged and uttered • mend fie
4016/. upon the centenarians!, for the »donna d
the national debt. The prisoner was two years ice
the object of au ecclesiastical inquiry for drnk.
minces, brought by some of the parishioners in relate*
to his marriage with • young woman out of
Sunday school. Be is respectably connected in the mnes,
and in his office as incumbent of Clayton-le-Moon was Ai
president of the Clayton-le-Moors Friendly Society, mob,
Wished in connexion with his church in 1840, sad ink
the management of • committee, whose rights are verb& is
trustees, of whom he is one. The members are trans)
junior and senior, and ere entitled by their wthecripoww
from id. to 2d. per week, to from 3. to 4s. per week in tau
of sickness. and au &Howson, at death. A few months rat
the committee agreed that 4004 of their surplus fele
should be invested with the oomminiooers for the ream

tion of the national debt, and the treasurer was instructed
to invest the money. instead of di isg so himself, ha
speed with the primmer to do it in behalf of the society,
and placed the money in his hands. Some days after.
the prisoner laid before the committee a receipt
purporting to be from the commissioners of the ea
tional debt for the sum of 4001., and it was accepted
as bona fide. On the 26th December last, he sett
for Thomas Stuart, one of the trustees, told him that Is
bad only sent 2001. of the MO/. to the commissioners, sad
that he had kept 2001. for his own use. The matter vie
made known to the committee. and be last Monday ad
them, telling them the same tale, and assuring them that
the receipt for the 4001. which he had given them was a
fictitious one. They communicated with the authorities es
the subject. and found that his statement was true, sad as
Saturday last be was arrested.
On the application of Superintendent M'Nab he yr
remanded for a week, to give time to comp/eta the care
against him.

Tai LAIN FATAL EXPLOSION AT • FINNWOIX
MmweAcrom—An inquest was held yesterday maim
by Mr. H. B. Walthsw, deputy.corooer, on Mee Helm
Clitheroe, aged 23, and Samuel Pelham. aged 24, whe
lost their lives through an explosion of fireworks at the
manufactory,Weaver-street, Bethtud.areen. The
particulars of the explosion, which took place on Tuesday
week, have already appeared in our columns. A witness
named Willett stated that when be rushed into the hems
after the explosion he saw Mime Clitheros standing in the
centre of the room in a soma of dames ; fire wasbantirg
forth from underneath a bench where the gas-meter was kept.
Mr. Clitheroe was also in the room, but was unable to aged
his daughter, being partially disabled by an accident which os
curred previously. Witness therefore took her is hie erne
and carried her out; when he reached the street be put
her down, and tore her clothes off, but her flesh peeled
off with them in strips ; blankets were wrapped round her,
and she was removed to the hospital. Pelham, who was a
workman, rushed out of the house dreadfully burnt. Mrs.
Clitheroe, who wee an invalid, was rescued by two men, who
stood on witoeses shoulders. Mr. Powell confirmed the
preceding statement ; and, in reply to a question from the
coroner, stated hie belief that IL,. Clitheros had a license
which enabled him to have • large quantity of fireworks ca
his premises. Mr. Clitheroe was sot expected to survive.
The account be gave of the occurrence was, that when the
gas was turned off in the streets, the iecremed pressure ca
the gas in the factory caused sparks to fly about, which ex.
ploded the fireworks. The coroner having summed up the
evidence, the jury returned a verdict, " That the domed
lost their lives by misfortune through the explosion of as
Cain fireworks."

FATAL FALL PROM THZ MAROATE CLIFF.-011
Saturday last, about noon, the body of Robert Pridham,
ay-driver, was found under the cliff near the Fort steps.
ne deceased was observed about the town during the
morning, bat nothing strange was noticed in his man.
oars. He went into the Crown public-house about
12 o'clock, and there had a pint of beer and • peony.
worth of bread and cheese, and afterwards up on the Fort,
at the Britannia Inn, be was treated with • pint of beer
by Mr. John Sony, and shortly after partaking of which
he proceeded along the cliff, and, on arriving et a spot
between the Sebastopol Goo and the Fort steps to the
Sands, he fell over—the fence and • portion of the cliff st
the spot having been carried away during the late ple. lle•
ceased's father and brother committed suicide, the latter
about fifteen years ego. An inquest was held at the town•
ball. yesterday (Monday), before W. H. Payn, Req., 0:0
roper, and, the above facts having been deposed to, the jury
re turned the following verdict :—" That creased came by
his death by a fall from the cliff but then is no evidence
to show how he came there ; and the authorities are cen.
surable for not taking steps to defend or protect anyone
from falling over the cliff."—Kentish Gazette.

DARING GAROTTE ROBBERY Nail NOTTINGHAM".
A daring highway robbery, accompanied with violence, took
piece at the village of Buford, three miles from Notting-
ham, on Saturday right last. Mr. Charles Brown, of Bar
ford, left ao Odd Fellows' lodge in the village about half.
past 9, and when within 150 yards of bin owu Imam three
men soddenly rushed upon him. The foremost of the met
knocked him down with a bludgeon, std the others fell
upon him, seized him by the throat, and strangled him.
They then dragged him from the highway into a narrow
lane, and riled his pocket. of nearly 41. Before leaving him
the robbers kicked him violently io the aide and other parts
of his body, rendering him insensible. A person named
Pendleton passing by soon after the robbery heard gnaw,
and soon discovered Mr. Brown. Assistance was imme-
diately procured, and the unfortunate man conveyed home.
No clue has yet been obtained as to the perpetrators of the
outrage. A bag which contained the money was found
a neighbouring field on Sunday morning.
THE HIGHWAY ROBBERY AT CLIFTON, NOTTS.—
At the quarter sessions held yesterday, at the Shire-
hall, Nottingham, before Lord Belper. Jumes Flood, aged
63, eerier, wee charged with violently assaulting and rob'
bine Joseph Tortola, gamewatcher to Sir Robert
I too, on Barton-moor. Mr. Mellor prosecuted ; the pri-
souer was undefended. The prosecutor said that on the
morning of the robbery he called at a public-house
Gotham, when the prisoner came in beggiug. He gave
him some tobacco and beer, and they left together oa the
road to Nottingham. On their way the prosecutor became
I alarmed, and requested the prisoner to leave him, but he
refused to go. They then walked op to Barton-moor, when
prisoner said, " You have got a watch." Prosecutor
replied that be had, and he meant to keep it. Prisoner
then knocked bim down, beat bim on the head, and tem
doted him insensible for a short time. Upon recoverinz
himself he found the prisoner upon him rifling hie pocket&
A violent struggle tookaq when a man named Price
came up, and succeeded, with the prosecutor, in rep'
turing the prisoner. whomthey took into custody. The
jury found him guilty, but recommended him to mercy.
His lordship, however, refused to nosh.* the recommetsl+-
tion, as the prisoner had been previously convicted eleven
times, and sentenced him to ten years' penal servitude.
SALMON IN IRELAND. —A fish-walk has been
made for two miles over the rocky ground between Lou;b
emeriti and Lough Mask, in the county Galway, at a onto(
16501. By this means salmon are now enabled to pan up and
down freely. The Galway Express *aye :—.• Within the
put four weeks Mr. Miller has collected and deposited so
leas than 770,000 salmon ova in the streams of Lough Mask,
in addition to those of last year. making a total of 1.429,0t0
ova. But in addition to this large supply, Mr. Miller hat
conveyed forty adult salmon alive a distance of twenty•
three miles in a large tub of water, aid, by frequently re-
nosing the water on the way, they arrived as lively at the
end of their journey as they were at the beginoing. Thor
were the grit salmon that had ever been known to inhabit
the river Robs, a tributary of Lough Mask, which covers •
area of ground thirty miles by ten."
Boom Kmaturiorox Mussuu.—During the week
ending Jea. 3, the visitors have been as follows :--1%
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Monday,' and Saturd.,
tree days,opso teas 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 12.571; on Ili-
day,q students' day (admission to the public &O, olr
from It, a.m. till 4 p.m, 298 ; total, 12,80. From the
°ponies of the museum, 3,661,185.