The Press.
London, England, 1857-08-29 00:00:00

VrabintiaL

THE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND, in carrying out
his benevolent schemes for the improvement of the
moral and spiritual condition of the merchant sea-
men visiting the Tyne, has requested the Bishop of
Durham to appoint a clergyman to conduct rt ligious
►service in the home, and to visit the crews of vessels
on the river. The Tyne Sailors' Home, built it the
sole expense of his Grace, is proving eminently suc-
cessful, is a " real home " for the seamen, and
happily is ruining the trade of the crimps and low
lodging house keepers in the port.
THE TOWN HALL, BIRMINGHAM, is to be thrown
open on Tuesday evening next for a devotional
meeting, in reference to the affairs of India. The
services are to be conducted by the Rev. Dr. J. C.
Miller, Canon of Worcester and Rector of Birming-
ham ; the Rev. Isaac Spooner, Vicar of Edgbaston;
the Hon. and Rev. Grantham Yorke, and other
clergymen of the town and neighbourhood.
THE ELECTION OF A HI AD MASTER for Rugby
School. in the loom of the Rev. Dr. Goulburn, who
has intimated his intention of resigning at Christ-
mas, is appointed to take place on the 12th of No-
vember. It is required by the Act of Parliament 17
George 111., cap. 71, that the masters of Rugby
School shall be Protestants of the Church of Eng-
land," and shall have taken the degree of Master of
Arts ►n the University of Oxford or Cambridge.

THE HERRING FISHERY along the east coast of
Scotland and at Wick is as yet much under the
average of the last seven years, and fears are now
entertained that the take will be a short one.

THE POTATO DISEASE I)SS appeared in various
parts of the counties of Banff, Moray, and Aberdeen,
during the last week. The tubers are slightly
affected.

THE RIYEII CLYDE was completely stopped up last
Saturday, by the grounding, this side of Renfrew,
of the large new steamer Australasian while being
towed down to Greenock. A strong ebb tide running
at the time swang the ship rapidly broadside on,
and there she lay for the afternoon and night, com-
pletely blocking up all entrance or exit. Nothing
could pass her. Fortunately. by Sunday morning the
ship was sufficiently lightened to be gQt off At 11:gh
tide.

MISS MADELEME SMITH lett her borne last week,
for the south of Etgland. It is said that before
leaving Scotland she had received by letter no less
than ten offers of marriage.
THE REV. MR. WEST, curate of Hemel Hemp-
stead, has been suspended, for refusing to read the
form of thanksgiving ordered by the Government for
the birth of a princess in April last. The Arch-
bishop of Canterbury has confirmed the act of the
bishop of the diocese.
A GREAT SEIZURE OF TOBACCO was made just out-
side Southampton, last Saturday morning. A
Custom-house messenger, one Atkins, residing about
t Fro miles from the town, early in the morning
noticed a cart driven past by two men. The
owner's name, with " Landport," a place some twenty
miles distant, painted on the cart, was also noticed by
Atkins, who, with that intuitive sagacity an employ-
ment in a detective atmosphere naturally gives,
immediately suspected that the cart could not have
come that distance so early in the morning, and that
therefore all was not right. He ran after the cart;
one of the men ran away; Atkins seized the other,
and found the cart to contain a ton and a half of
contraband tobacco. It has since been seized by the
proper authorities, and Atkins no doubt will receive
a handsome recognition of his services and sagacity.

A GOOD CROP OF RAILWAY ACCIDENTS are re-
ported this week. First of all, we have a Brighton
passenger train running into some gocds-waggons
being shunted off—just time enough to be too late—
st the Redhill station. No blame was to be attri-
buted to any of the officials on the spot, for the
passenger-train was before its time, arid the danger-
signals were " dead against" the driver of the up
train. It appears, from the preliminary examination
which has occurred, that the driver and fireman were
both putting on coke at the time of reaching the
viaduct at Reigate; that hence they did not observe
the danger.signal, ran past it, and, roused by the
guard putting on the breaks, shut off the steam too
late to prevent the concussion. Several of the pas-
sengers were severely hurt, though no lives were
lost. In the train were some persons of rank. The
Duchess of Inverness and the Bishop of Oxford
were both in the same carriage, and were both more
or less shaken. The bishop, however, was very
active in calming his fellow-passengers and in ren•
dering gencral assistance. The train was delayed
about one hour and a half.—On the same afternoon
the 2.24 mail-train from Aberdeen to London met
with an accident close to Montrose. One of the
axles of the engine broke, the train was thrown off
the line, several carriages turned over an embank-
ment, and, though no persons were killed, several
were most severely injured.—On the same evening
a pointsman, one Henry Holloway, employed at the
Wolverhampton station, was run over by an engine,
horribly crushed, and died in a few hours.—On
Saturday evening, on the West Somerset Mineral
Railway, a dreadful accident, evidently the result of
grass carelessness, occurred. Two engines tra
versing the same line of rails came into collision
about a mile from Watchet. One man was killed on
the spot and two others died in a few minutes after
their removal, while six or seven more had their
arms and legs broken.--And, to conclude, a Mr.
George Cox, a bookseller, was killed at the Colney-
hatch station of the Great Northern Railway, on
Thursday week. On reaching the station the train
passed to the extent of several carriages beyond the
usual resting point, seven or eight carriages having
passed the platform altogether. Several of the pas-
sengers then alighted upon the platform, one of
whom, a Mr. Wilson, a solicitor, residing at South-
gate, saw the deceased open the door of the carriage
and come out. As it appeared evident that the
train must back in consequence' of having gone so
far, he called out to the deceased not to get out.
He had, however, taken a second step, when the
train being rut in motion, he lost his footing,
fell between the platform and carriages, and disap-
peared. The train was immediately stopped and
the unfortunate gentleman was taken up, but death
must have been instantaneous, the head being lite-
rally crushed. A verdict was returned of " Accidental
Death," coupled with some severe animadversions
upon the conduct of the station authorities.
Ma. FRANCIS BATEMAN, a resident of Bath, was
accidentally drowned at Teignmouth last Saturday.
He appeared to have had a fit while swimming.