The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-17 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

A MOST DESPERATE ENCOUNTER WITH POACHERS
took place on Monday morning between seven of the
keepers employed by Sir John Harpur Crewe, Bart.,
of Calke Abbey, Derbyshire, and a gang of from
sixteen to twenty poachers, at a place called Pistern
Hills, in the parish of Smisby, and near to Sir
John's residence. Late on Sunday evening seven of
Sir John's keepers, out on watch, suddenly came
across a couple of poachers setting snares. The
keepers seized the men, but were immediately
attacked by fifteen other poachers concealed close
by. The keepers, though only armed with sticks,
faced the poachers, but of course, against such
odds, got most severely beaten. Three of them
were dangerously wounded. A reward of 100/. has
been offered for the apprehension of the poachers.
VARIOUS PUBLIC BODIES IN MANCHESTER have paid
a tribute of respect to the memory of the late Mr.
Brotherton. At a special meeting of the Manchester
Town Council, held on Saturday last, Mr. AldermAn
Shuttleworth moved and Mr. Alderman Heywood
seconded a series of resolutions expressing regret
at Mr. Brotherton's death, and admiration for his
public and private character, and condoling with his
family on their great bereavement. Councillor
Neild, Sir John Potter, and the Town Clerk made
some appropriate remarks in support of the resolu-
tion ; and the council resolved to follow the remains
of the deceased gentleman to the grave. The funeral
took place on Wednesday, when upwards of a hundred
private carriages attended.
OLD ROCHESTER BRIDGE, which has stood for
about four centuries, has been destroyed at last.
Preparations for some time past 'nave been in pro•
gress for its demolition, which was commenced on
Tuesday. A party of the Royal Engineers, who have
been employed for some weeks sinking shafts and
driving galleries under the bridge piers, in order to
blow them up, concluded their operations on Monday
night, when 300 lbs. of gunpowder were deposited
under the pier, calculated to contain some 800 tons
of solid masonry. The powder was contained in tin
cases inclosed in wooden boxes. The Royal En-
gineers were engaged at the old bridge during the
whole of Monday night in preparing the galleries,
after which the powder was deposited in the places
selected. The operation of "tamping " then com-
menced, which consisted of surrounding the charges
with materials to render the explosion more effective,
and stopping up the head of each of the galleries
with wet clay. The wires for firing the charges were
laid in wooden troughs, to prevent accidents, and, a
communication having been effected with each
gallery, the charges were exploded simultaneously
by means of the voltaic battery, which was under the
direction of Captain C. E. Cumberland, Royal En-
gineers. The wire used for conveying the galvanic
spark was the same as used by the Sappers and
Miners for blowing up the Royal george at Spithead.
The effects of the explosion were most satisfactory,
and the destruction of that part of the old bridge
most complete, the large blocks of stone of which it
was composed being rent asunder and hurled into the
river, the only sight visible to the spectators being a
violent upheaving of the water and the disappear-
ance of the large pier. Notwithstanding the immense
number of spectators present, the operations passed
off without the slightest accident. The remaining
portion of the Strood half of the bridge was destroyed
on Thursday with great effect and without accident.
Nearly 1,006 lbs. of gunpowder were used on that

A STATEMENT of a curious character has neen made
public in the Underwriters' Rooms at Liverpool. It
is said that when a vessel belonging to London, the
Kelpie, an opium clipper, was lost in ISM, in the
China Seas, all her crew and passengers were sup-
posed to have been drowned. By the overland mail
intelligence has just been received from China,
stating that a ring known to have belonged to one of
the passengers of; the Kelpie, had been lately offered
for sale in Canton, and that inquiries were instituted
which led to the discovery of the extraordinary fact
that the crew and passengers had not been drowned,
but were, at the latest accounts, living in a state of
slavery, in the island of Formosa. No I'urtli:ll- par-
ticulars are yet known.
THE LOWLANDS IN NORFOLK, in consequence of
the heavy rains, have been much flooded, and at
many points, on Sunday and Monday, nothing vas
to he seen but one vast expanse of watars. On
Monday afternoon a dense fog prevailed, and a
lamentable accident occurred at Thorpe, near Nor-
wich. A man, one Watson, from Great Yarmouth,
drove to the side of the river Yare for the purpose of
watering his horse. The stream being much
swollen, Watson missed the usual watering-place,
drove into deep water, and was drowned before he
could be extricated. The floods have stopped some
of the numerous water-mills in the county.

A PERILOUS LEAP INTO A CoALPIT was taken a few
days since by the whipper-in of Mr. Roch's houn,ls
while hunting at Bolton-hill, in PembrolceAltire.
The whipper-in, James Morgan, in taking a hedge,
jumped his horse into an unfenced coalpit, thirty
foot deep, which lay unobsoryed on the other aide of

57

the hedge. Man and horse went down the shaft, at
the bottom of which was a depth of eighteen feet of
water. Fortunately the sides of the pit had been
made sloping, so that before the horse was entirely
submerged he gained a footing on the slope, where
he maintained his hold. The rider was thrown into
the water, but on rising grasped the saddle, and thus
bald his head above water until assistance arrived,
when ropes having been procured he was safely
drawn up, and, save the shock, perfectly uninjured.
The horse was next drawn out, also unhurt.
A LIVERPOOL MERCHANT, a Mr. David King, was last
week found drowned in Georgea Dock. The deceased
resided in lodgings at Waterloo, was asingle man, and
was last seen by his partner at two o'clock in the after.
noon of Thursday week. At the inquest held on the
body on Saturday, Mr. Rimmer, the deceased's part-
ner, stated that Mr. King had been in a dejected
state owing to the death of his sister. The jury re-
turned a verdict of" Found drowned."

Miss B—, the daughter of "an eminent julge,"
has been lately turned from the faith of her lathers,
and last week was received as a nun in the Roman
Catholic church at Brighton. The ceremony was
performed by Dr. Grant, who was assisted on the
occasion by the pastor of the parish, and the Rev.
Mr. Simpson, a recent renegade from Protestantism.
The church was thronged to excess from an early
hour by a fashionable audience, anxious to witness
the ceremony. _ _ _

LIEUT -GENERAL SIR F. COCKBURN writes to Cap-
tain Smethett relative to the widows and orphans
left destitute by the loss of the Violet and her
crew:—" These unfortunates, it does appear to me,
are as fully entitled to public relief as those of the army
and navy who were killed in action or died in hos-
pitals in the Crimea. The wreck of the Violet is
quire distinct from the general class of wrecks, inas-
much as it was entirely caused by a zealous and
gallant determination to fulfil a public duty, and I
do think, if so stated in the London papers, a large
subscription would be made there. It was the desire
duly to fulfil the contract made with the country
that led to the sad result."

THE ART-TREASURES EXHIBITION COMMITTEE have
obtained permission from her Majesty the Queen to
make a selection from the works of meditetal art in
the royal collections at Windsor Castle. The selec-
tion has been made, not so much to exhibit the
wealth of the royal collections, as to illustrate by
rare and select specimens those peculiar periods and
styles of art of which examples of equal importance
have not as yet been contributed to the exhibition.
From amongst the many precious objects of the
Royal Gold-Plate Closet, the committee have chosen
some beautiful cups formed of the graceful nautilus
shell, the more remarkable one being a large shell
superbly set in gold, on which is represented the
"Triumph of Neptune," and another smaller one, of
very graceful composition, in which the cup is sup-
ported by a kneeling figure. Ivory goblets, carved
by Fismingo, and the famous " Three Graces,"
jewelled plate. the Cellini shield, a fine collection of
jewellery, old armour, sculpture, furniture, china, and
tapestry, will also be made from the royal collections
at Windsor.
THE NEW lIALL OF TI'E MECHANICS' INSTITUTE AT
HALIFAX was opened on Wednesday evening, by a
public soiree and meeting. Mr. Monckton Milnes was
present, and addressed the meeting at some length
upon the question of education with regard to its el%
feet upon our criminal population, maintaining that
the extension of education was the only means to
diminish crime. The meeting was afterwards
addressed by Lord Wharncliffe, Dr. Sandwith, Mr.
E. Baines, Mr. Crossley, end others.
A WILL FORGERY C.1.11E was tried at Edinbur4h
last week. Dr. Diony9r4s Wielobycki was charged
with forgery, as also feloniously uttering as genuine
a forged will, purporting to be of one Margaret Dar-
ling, lately residing in Rosefield place, Portobello,
who died intestate on Oct. 16, 1856, with intent to
defeat or injure the rights or claims of the children,
while he had in his possession, or had invested in
his own name, funds belonging to the estate of the
deceased Margaret Darling and to Isabella Darling
amounting to 3,0001. The evidence for the prosecu-
tion and defence occupied the court until Friday
evening, at the close of which the chancellor of the
jury announced the following verdict :—" The jury
unanimously find the prisoner guilty as libelled, but
recommend him to the mercy of the court," on the
ground of his previous good character.