The Express.
London, England, 1852-02-02 00:00:00

THE STRIKE.

LONDON.
During the lest few clays a conclaco of employers
has been sitting to oonsider the time when and the condi-
tions under which the shops should be re-opened. It is ru-
moured that the conference was much divided in opinion'
and that one of the largest employers in the metropolis
stated to a member of the Amalgamated Society that in all
probability many of the closed establishments would be soon
re-opened, although some of the larger ones might sustain
the contest fur some time longer. The workmen state that
they hare good grounds fur believing that many of the smaller
masters will be ruined should their machinery remain idle
for any considerable length of time, as they have no capital
to fall back upon to meet the current claims of creditors.

The position of the workmen remains unchanged ; they
evince no symptom of regret fur the step they have taken.
The number of nice out of employ in the metropolis
remains nearly the same as last week—viz., about hOO society
and 170 nun-society men. A large number of munldtrs
discharged from l'enu's factory, at Greenwich, lave, how-
ever, obtained employment elsewhere; and the limn who
formerly worked for Messrs. Easton and Amos, Southwark,
who have been soliciting for the establishment of a shop for
their own employment, have succeeded in olitainhig suited,'
premises in the Mile End-rovd, and uw now actively at
work on their own account.

The London trade societies have generally promised to
contribute toward. the support of the movement ; and it is
expected that a large amount of subscriptOus will be this
week received.

Although a few districts of small importance have sent
no returns relative to the I0,00:Y. grant fur Cu-OJvnitiro pur-
poses, the grant is, we understand, considered as affirmed,
and measures arc being quietly taken towards carrying out
the proposition of the executive council of the Ansalga•
mated Society ; end, in fact, the undertaking will, in all
probability, be proceeded with even in the event of a
speedy settlement of the dispute; u it is felt that the
existence of extensive co-operative establishments would, in
any event, colder great benefits upon the op; halves con-
nected with the iron trades.
_ _

Upwards of 1,f400 memhers of the society are employed at
the different railway locomotive works, and as the men did
not solicit any alteration in their system of labour, it was
thought that they would be retained in their situations as
usual. Such, however, it would seem, is not to be the case.
The Eastern Counfica is the first railway company to open up
a dispute with its enginctrin4 workmen, and 1.1111, 900 men
will in the course of a week or so be turned out nu this line,
that number of members of the Amalgamated Society
being employed in the several engineering sheds of the
company.
MANCII ESTER.

The Manchester i;;;;;dra;saYA--7—Therc is still no
change in the relative positions of the [writers awl the men ;
nor does there appear a likelihood of one occurring, until
the shops are opened. A meeting of the executive council
of the Central Association of Employers was held in Lon-
don on Thursday, at which a deputation from the Man
cheater society attended, the object being to come to a defi-
nite arrangement as to the opening of the workshops,
and the terms to be agreed to by the men before being
' engaged. On Friday evening, a meeting of the Manchester
society was held at the offices in Cross-street, at which it
was expected that the deputation would have been present,
and reported what decision had been come to. this dtpu-
tation was not present, however, as they were detained in
London. In reply to a telegraphic meisage, all that the
Manchester secretaries learned was that it was resolved
that the chops should, if possible, be opened on Monday
week, the 9th instant, in order to afford work to as many '
non-society men and labourers as might be desirous of ob-
taining it. Wu may state that since the closing of the
shop., on the 10th inst., not more than 20 men, who may be
supposed to have been thrown out of employment thereby,
have applied to the relieving Officers for the township of
Manchester. We sincerely trust that work may be offered
to the men—especially the nun-society men and labourers,
who must idinost of necessity be the first to feel the pinch-
ing of hunger—before any considerable number of them
are driven to seek parochi.d relief.

LIVERPOOL.
A deputation, consisting of the Mayor, Thomas Little-
dale, Esq., and Messrs. Hugh Hornig and J. B. Lloyd,
two influential members of the town council, have con-
sented to wait upon Messrs. Forrester and Messrs. Fnweett,
master engineers, in order to elket some arrangement be-
tween them and the workmen, about 11 in number, whom
they have discharged, and refuse to reinstate in their shop.
unless they renounce all connexion with the Amalgamated
Society. This the men arc unwilling to do, as they would
thus have to forego their claim to assistance from the funds
of what they contend is a benefit society. The deputation
in to meet the employers this day.

ESTABLISHMENT OF A RIFLE CORPS.—CHELTEN-
HAM, filkTUßlOAT.—There has been a public meeting held
here, at which a rifle corps hits been established to " act
under such organisation and rules for practice as her Ma
jesty's government may thin!. fit to provide." The chair
was taken by E. G. Ilallewell, Esq., M.P. The following
resolution was adopted .—" That in consequence of the un-
settled state of affsirs on the Continent of Europe, it is
deemed expedient that the population of this kingdom
should place itself in an attitude of national defence, and
that as the recent improvements in the rifle are likely to
render it a most important arm In future warfare, a corps
should be formed in Cheltenham, to be called tho 'Chel-
tenham Rifle Corps.' " A committee and officers of the
club were also appointed, including a chaplain.--an office
which was suggested by the lies. Francis Close, who also
offered to undertake it, and his offer was accepted,
RIFLE (AMPS AT PORTSMOUIII.—Actirc measures
are being taken at Portsmouth to form a rifle corps among
the inhabitants. 'lwo clubs are being formed. A prelinie
nary meeting of one of them is to be held on Monday, at
the residence of a county magistrate, W. Grant, Esq., of
the firm of Grant, Gillman, and Long, the bankers, of
Portsmouth • and a similar meeting of the other is appointed
for Wednesday neat,. Fifty members hare already enrolled
themselves in this latter club, and many others have pro-
mised to do so.

MURDER IN SCRItEI'.—A most tragical event has
just come to light. A man named Keene, who wax for-
merly for some time in the employment of the South
Eastern Railway Company, at bhalforil station, as an en-
gine cleaner, was marred to • native of Albury, whose
maiden name was Jane Brootuer. While ringle, about
I May, 1848, she was confined of an illegitimate child, the
putative father of which was stated by her to be a police-
man. It was after this period she was married to the man
Keene, and it is alleged that one day, when walking out
together on the Downs, ho took the child from her and
walked away with it, loving absent front her, according to
the statement, about three quarters of an hour, when he
returned, bringing the shawl the child was wrapped in,
and giving it to his wife, stating that she would
never again want it for the same purpose it had
been used (or. This happened about ten months
ago. She then states that she made frequent
inquiries of hint what he had done with the child ? which
she must at last have elicited from him; for about a week
since it is said, she disclosed to her mother the sad secret
that her husband hail thrown the child down a well,
situate in the warren, in this parish. This appears to
have been most astounding to tho poor old woman, and of
course of too serious a nature for a moment to be kept secret.
She accordingly, in the anguish of her mind, communicated
it to one of her sons, who soon made it known to the proper
police authorities at Guildford. They immediately took
Keene and his wife into custody. Superintendent Hadley
and one of his men came to Shore, on Tuesday afternoon
last, and procuring some well tackle, proceeded with proper
assistance to the well pointed out by the woman Koene.
A man of the name of William Edscr, who was acci-
dentally pausing at the time, and who had formerly assisted
in digging this well, undertook to go down. The depth is
shout one hundred and eighty-se feet; when he reached
the bottom he was horror struck lb wn see ing the skeleton of •
child lying on its back—one foot across • small beam. On
trying to lift it, it fell to pieces. Ile gathered up the bones
put them into • basket, and brought them to the top with
him. The police took possession, and had them conveyed
to the Drummond's Arms Inn, where they were left for the
coroner's inquest. The child, when thrown down the well,
must have been about two years and • half old, and was
represented to have been m London with an uncle of
Keene's and to have died there of fever.—Surrey Stundard.
MYSTERIOUS DEATH OP A WESLEYAN MINISTER
AT BLACKFORD, SOKRILb ETBIII Mt.—A good deal of interest
was created at Bristol, on Saturday, especially among the
members of the Wesleyan connexion, in consequence of its
becoming extensively known that the Rev. John Evans, a
talented preacher of that denomination, and who, from his
having formerly resided in the city, was familiar to and
much respected by an eitensive circle of acquaintances, had
been found dead in the public road at Blackford, a small
hamlet in the parish of Wedmore, Somerset. The intelli-
gence of the melancholy occurrence was brought into Bristol
by two calf and butter dealers, names' Puddy and Chilcott,
by whom the discovery was first made. The rev. gentle-
man hod preached somewhere in the m ighbourhood of
Wedmore on the previous evening, and left the house of a
gentleman connected with the body for his home at Ilan-
well, to the circuit of which town he was appointed at the
last conference meeting, having been removed from Tewkes-
bury. At about two o'clock, Chilcott was driving in his
light cart, making for the Bristol market, when he saw what
he at first supposed to be a drunken man lying in the road,
with his head and the upper part of his person falling into
a ditch. At some distance front him stood a harm. and gig, '
with the wheels backed into a drain or gully on the side of
the road. Chilcott alighted and tried to arouse
the man, when Ito found that he was dead.
Ile went immediately to call fur awsistauee, and
accompanied by ruddy returned to the spot. Puthly states
that the circumstances which he noticed were of a very sus-
picious nature, and induced fears in Isis mind that the um.-
fortunate gentleman had been subjected to violent treat-
ment. Ile sap; he observed on the road near to the spot
where the hotly lay marks, as he believes, of a scuffle has Ina
taken place there. These marks extended alone the side of
the ditch for five or six yards; the clothes of the deceased
were mudded aq if be had been drw:geil along or rolled; his
hat and driving whip Icy away from him near to t':e gilt,
and in the ditch beyond where he lay was his Slaeintosh,
which was also dirty and appeared to have been trampled
on. Upon the body, as far as they could see, were no
marks of violence, and the rev. gentleman's watch was still
in his bib, so that he would not appear to hove been robbed.
The men, however, were compelled to go on to Bristol
before a proper examinatieu of the body, sic., could be
made.