The Express.
London, England, 1846-12-22 00:00:00

SCOTLAND.

IN THE WESTERN ISLANDS // population of fully 50,000
is bordering on starvation. The number of deaths from
dysentery and cholera is increasing with fearful rapidity
among the cotter class : and the small crafters are fast ex-
hausting their small stores of corn. Most of them, says the
Scotsman, now restrict themselves to one scanty meal per
day; and the children and aged persons continue the greater
part of their time in their miserable beds for the sake of
warmth, and that they may require less food.
UPROARIOUS MEETING FOR RELIEF OP THE 1110H-
LANDERS.—We regret much to state that an uproarious
meeting took place in Edinburgh on the 18th inst., although
the occasion of it (that of affording relief for the destitute
Scottish Highlanders) might have led to the antici-
pation that a pacific conference would have been the result.
The cause of war we believe to have been somewhat as fol-
lows. At the resent meeting of the Free Church Commis-
sion it was resolved to raise collections in behalf of the High-
landers from the members of that body ; and they took up
the cause in such good earnest, that before any other parties,
civil or ecclesiastical, had moved in the matter, the Free
Churchmen had raised some seven thousand pounds. Desi-
rous, however, of making the appeal to the country general,
a deputation from the Free Church waited on the Lord Pro-
vost and requested that he should call a public meeting for
the purpose of deliberating on the best means of exciting a
, general movement, which his lordship declined to do, on the
ground, it is understood, that the deputation had not fur-
nished him with proper statistics regarding the distress.
Soon after a written requisition waepreseated to the Provost,
containing the names of a great many adherents of the
I Established Church, some other Dissenters, but no Free
Churchmen, and on receiving it his lordship called a public
meeting, which took place as a.bove stated, in the Music
Hall. The Free Church party attended in large numbers in
the body of the hall, and after two speeches had been de-
livered from the platform by the Rev. Mr. M'Leod and
Lord Cunningham, Dr. Candlish rose from his seat, and com-
plained of the treatment received by him and his brethren.
The provost replied, and considerable excitement was the con-
sequence, and after Lord Murray, Mr. Sheriff Speirs, and
Mr. Craford, advocate, &c., had spoken, the two latter
espousing the cause of the Free Church, it was ultimately
resolved that a cub-committee should be appointed fur the
purpose of naming a general committee of all denominations
to devise measures of relief. Where practical benevolence
is concerned, rival sects are well engaged when they com-
pete with each other, but still it is strange that even in
matters of charity the apple of discord comes into play
amongst ecclesiastical communities. The provost of Edin-
burgh belongs neither to the Established nor ts; the Free
Church, but from his public position he cannot avoid In ing
involved in their disputes, and he were an unfaithful chroni-
cler who would aver that in avoiding Scylla his lordship has
always kept clear of Charybdis.

PROVINCIAL.
STAFFORDSHIRE.
A CABE of SUPPOSED Multugg has occurred at the house
of Mr. Briscoe, a magistrate residing at liushhury, t ear
Wolverhampton. The gardener employed by that gentle-
man was found dead in the green-house on Wednesday last,
under circumstances which led to the belief that he had been
murdered. An inquest was commenced on Thursday, and
adjourned till Tuesday (this day).
GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
I MVOILTANT CONVILTION FOE ILLEGAL SALMON FIBBING.
—At the Thornburg petty sessions, held on Saturday lust,
Dec. 19, Mr. Aaron Taylor, fishery proprietor and farmer,
was charged, on two informations laid at the instamo of the
Association for the Protection of the Fisheries of the Severn
and its Tributaries, with taking salmon front out of the river
Severn during the " fence " season, which, for this county,
extends from the 14th September to the Ist January. The
case was one of great importance to the public, for hitherto,
in consequence of the neglected state of the fisheries, the
salmon was becoming very scarce in the river until the as-
sociation co b.menmd operations three years ago. Since that
period the fisheries have very considerably improved. Both
cases were clearly proved against the defendant, who was
fined iii the full penalty of 101. fur each offence, the magi-
strates being determined to punish all cases of this kind with
severity. One of the fish produced in court weighed 331b5.,
and in the height of season would have been worth M. in
London.

HAMPSHIRE.
ANDOVER UNION.—A special meeting of the guardians
was convened by the clerk for Tuesday last, to take into
consideration the present state of the destitute and unem•
ployed poor throughout the thirty-two parishes in this
union. Nearly thirty of the guardians, with the Bev. C.
Dodson, their chairman, attended. On the chairman show-
ing the great weekly increase of applicants for admission or
relief, it was proposel and carried that the building known
in:Andover as the "Pest-house" should be engaged and fitted
up fur the reception of all the young women now in the
house, to the number of between thirty and forty. They
are to be removed as soon as the building is got ready for
them. The vacated female ward in the union house will be
in future used for male paupers ; the number in the house
at this time exceeds 300, or more by 130 than there were at
this period last year.
BERKSHIRE.
PREVALENCE OP TYPHUS FEVER.—Mr. Brenchley, of
Aston, near Wallingford, has published a letter in the
Medical Gazette, having reference to the statements which
have lately appeared in some of the papers on the subject of
numerous cases of fever at Upton :
The real causes of the great mortality be says) may be Mimed
without much difficulty, and we need not go abroad to look for then
in the forest, when they maybe found at home at the very threshold,
for they exist in the dilapidated and wretched state of the
cottages, which subjects the inhabitants to cold and damp ; also,
in the scarcity of food, which always prevails among the
poor when the harvesting is finished, and from the want of proper
I attention to cleanliness among the people themselves; and
in proof of this, I would instance a circumstance which has lately
occurred in a neighbouring village. The Poor-law guardians, think-
ing the fever mfglit be checked by whitewashing and cleansing the
cottages, procured pails and brushes, with a quantity of lime, for this
purpose. They then sent notice to the people, that whoever called for
these might lure them to whitewash and clean their own cottages ;
but after waiting for some time not n single person came to request
them! Yet still in this neighbourhood (I moron the adjacent villages of
Newbury., Ilagbourne, and Upton) the ravages of the fever have
been frightful, and the village belie are tolling almost every
day in the week. It attacks both old and young, but more
especially those from six to twenty years of age, and whom
circumstances are impoverished. In one case, our pervious
bare died in one family ; in another ease, after the mother had nursed
her husband and four children with the fever, and brought them
through it in safety, she herself caught it, and died
the
with a
fifth child; and at this time there Is an Instance where the father,
mother, and four children, are MI ill with this Salle fever. The great
feature of the disease is the horrible diarrhava. The fever commences
with drowsiness, shivering, pain in the back and limbs. headache,
sickness, and thing, the pulse brine small and quick ; the skin is hot, and
the tongue also is hot, brown, and furred. About the sixth day, in the bad
cases, commences the dreadful diarrhea-a, which soon reduces the person
to a skeleton. When totemrhosa has been established for a
few days, the patient s insensible for hours or days
together; blood is evacuated in large quantities, and brought up
in large quantities also by the mouth. In this latter stage of
the fever, nothing can present a more horrible picture thous the poor
patient; reduced to a skeleton, totally insensible; blood issuing from
the mouth at interval', and the mouth and nostrils clogged
with black blood; the pulse is scarcely to be felt; the
tongue is covered with • thick black fur —is bet and
dry, and the whole surface of the skin is bot, dry, and
cracked. In some instances, abscesses form all over the body.
ESSEX.
THE REGISTERS for this county, just published, show an
increase of 85 voters in the Northern, and a decrease of 40
in the Southern Division, as compared with the numbers on
the preceding register. The numbers registered are—North-
ern Division, 5,461 ; Southern Division, 5,326. The num-
bers last year wet e precisely alike in the two divisions-
-5,366. DEVONSHIRE.

11/418T-OFFICE ROBBERY AT iiVON PORT.—For acme time
put several letters containing money have been missing from
this post-office, much to the great regret of the respected
postmaster. A strict look-out was kept, and, suspicion fall-
ing on one of the letter carriers, on Wednesday he was de-
tected with two letters not belonging to his best, both con-
taining cash. On searching him, three letters were found,
with their contents extracted. His name is Rodgers, and be
has been in the situation about 12 months.

gbt Drama.
HATMARKET.—The new piece called " The Round
of Wrong," which was produced at this theatre on Saturday
last, and repeated last night with great applause, is one quite
refreshing m these days, in which the morality of the ballet
is everywhere triumphant. What, indeed, is a modern
opera buts ballet sung? A modern drama of the French
school, but a ballet acted ? More select, perhaps, but not
less gross in substance, nor km licentious in suggestion.
Now, the author of the piece under consideration, has actually
been singular enough to write with a moral aim, and so little
afraid of yawns or laughter as to indulge now and then in
sentiments such as our grandmothers wept over, and our
grandfathers greeted with lengthened plaudits. What is
more odd still, he has been successful. Perhaps
he would have been equally successful with Jar
less trouble to himself, if he had sought to show
how remarkably interesting a pre-eminently depraved per-
son may be, especially if a female. He has chosen, however,
the more ancient method of the English stage, and will meet,
we trust, with followers. The three principal characters are
forcibl conceiv-a, an their essential qualities depicted with
a daring and free hand . The first is Sir Arthur Foljambe,
a father who is glad to own a child whom, as well as her
deceased mother, he had formerly deserted, because in her
beauty, gentleness, and accomplishmenm, he sees the means
of obtaining an alliance that shall rescue him from ruin.
The second is Reuben Gwynne, a farmer, who gave shelter
to that child and deserted mother; brought it up, en-
riched the gifts of r.ature with the gifts of education, till the
girl ripened into a woman, and his love for her purified his
soul, weaned him from evil, and filled his
child,
mind
with aspirations for good. The third is the
long motherless, now a woman, betrothed to her
benefactor, and but lately made acquainted with the
rights and the wishes of her father. In the first act. Sir
Arthur Fulicunhe succeeds; he threatens to commit suicide
unless his daughter will leave her rustic lover, and go with
bins to London, there to form sonic wealthier connexion;