The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-07 00:00:00

THE SHIPWRIGHTS IN DEVONPORT
DOCKYARD.
. _

- - -
The artisans of this eutablishment have, for some
time past, been working on the job and task system in
order to hasten the completion of the St. Jean d'Acre and
some other ships in the course of erection, and on altering
needs already launched to screw steamers. The Bt. Jean
d'Acre, a 100-gun screw vessel, will be launched on the
Merck spring tides, and • vessel of similar silo and war
power will at once be laid down in themes slip. The eon-
tremor fur the new dock and basin is also urging forward
the weeks la esamtios with these most Important ad-
ditions to the sammodations of the dockyard. Within a
M meths IS will be Ismail:lto to take into dock, for the
pewee ef righting or cleaning its bottom, the largest
ship in the envy without discharging its stores. This will
be • great aenvenience, and • source of very considerable
saving in the course of the year. While there is
each activity being displayed in all branches of the
establishment the excitement and bustle menden:
consequent thereon have been considerably in-
creased by the agitation amongst the shipwrights of
thegasetion of an I•CfOrna• of wages. The readies of the
/Miry New are aware that a number of them me.
at • meeting is the early part of last week, agsmil le • 11••
tidos to the Admiralty, praying their lordships te ism se
UWE wages so as to be equal to those paid to men of iso
same trade la private shipbuilding-yards. Rarely imbed hes
it happened that • short paragraph in any London
has led to so much interest and remark withinD:=
period as ths paragraph whisk in the Dear Nam
of Thureder, relative Inks bens the shipwrights
did la this essalifehmeat an Penny easeving. Seine per-
wee eseasseed with the iakyusd Weft _semi the pew
graph fa teration is the gapes. whisk red here by es-
=tin Mout haillest ee the evening of pub-
mile a espy of fS mid.est the shipwrights entering
ve et Friday 1110 rift iln peepert was simulated, sad it
very esea became tle ealifessiemialies,estael mime
the 700 and odd ship but abs bather Mashes of
the sepiesk The of the gullibility of the
Ausbuity emptying the met of the peddles's so
literally as theite=misababitei Seek must of the people
of the sleben of eupessema-
ttsigtosi anew tie es at all on seresalle proem'. •
vezr...l reeling grew up in the course of the day, that
if an mower were really given to the petition, nearly
all the younger and meet able of the EMS meld at ones
leave government emery, and either emigre,' se
seek employment of private shipbuilding. As it is,
setwithamding the prosper* of supereameation, so
much has the sweat news from Australia operated,
that several shipwrights of this establishment have deter-
mined on emigrating, and with that view have taken
berths in ships which are to leave in the course of the pre-
sent and the neat math. We have heard of a ease in
which a fine, able-bodied man, within • few months of
being entitled to a peados of 201. • year, on being
reasoned with by one of dill damn of the yard with •
view of deterring him from going, still persisted in his de-
termination to leave. If he could insure the 201. a year by
waiting • few months, he would not obteet to wait, but
that was doubtful, and therefore he should go. With such
a plenitude of labour, and with so many inducements to
emigrate, it would be very unsafe policy to make any re-
ply to the petition which can possibly be construed so as to
weaken the attachment of the men for the government
employ.

THREATS-NED STEMS Op WOOLWICH AND DEPT-
PORD SHIPWRIG MTV. -- Nearly 600 shipwrights con-
nected with the Woolwich and Deptford dockyards have
formed themselves into • society for the purpose of emi-
grating to Australia, and have invited Mrs. Chisholm to
make ar meats for their passage out. The reason the
society hes ben formed is in consequanee of • Iberians re-
daction of the men's wages by order of the Admiralty, and
the diMeulty of obtaining say prospect of an increase.
Several representations have been made to the Admiralty
upon the subject, but no reply of any sort has been re-
turned. During the past week a large number of men left
both yards, and obtained employment on the river Thames
at g• a day, being just double what is at prima allowed
by the Admiralty, while some have obtained employment
at Liverpool and other places. Several meetings of the
men have recently been held, and it has been stated that in
the sewn of the reply of the Admiralty to their representa-
tions being adverse to their claims by far the greater par-
ties of the men will turn out.

NEWRY AND ENNISKILLILN RAILWAT.—The re-
port of the directors to be submitted at the ordinary meeting
of the shareholders, to be holden this day (the 7th inst.),
states, among other thinge,that the receipts for the last half-
year amount to 5,743 i. 14e. 2d., and the payments to
3,4801.6 e. 4d. That the snit against the Newry, Warren-
point, and Itostrevor Company, has been terminated by the
repayment of 8,0001. lent to them, with all the interest and
costs of the suit; a large portion of the forfeited shares, re-
fused by the shareholders at IL per share, have realised
nearly doable that amount, and the iron rails for the per-
manent way have been purchased at about one-half the
present prices •f such materials. Thine combined and
successiul results place the Mandel affairs of the company
is a very substantial footing, as the balance at the bankers
will be sufficient to cover all the engagements of the com-
pany for completing the line, and leave a surplus available
for other purpose,. The directors did hope that by this
time the line would have been opened for traffic, but the
wet weather which has prevailed so continuously for the last
four months may have rendered it difficult fur the con-
tractors to proceed with the works so rapidly as they ex.
paatTal lErl.
EARL OF CALEDON had a narrow escape from
• serious accident on Saturday evening last, a short
way from his own residence. His lordship had ridden out
in the morning to attend • meeting of gen'lemen at Bally-
magrane, and on his return in the evening, when within a
couple of miles of Caledon, he met one of his own tenants
driving in • gig, and the night being very dark the mare
his lordship was riding ran against the shaft of the gig,
which penetrated her and killed her on the spot. Nis
lordship was thrown, but, fortunately, little injured.

F.XPREsti. waNDlor EVENING.

lEafbibirtAus TO J. FOX. ILF.,

AT OLDHAIL

Upwards of 3,500 electors and non-elector. of
Oldham ammalie l on Friday evening (after pontaking of
tea in six separate parties), in the Working Men's Hail, to
conglatulate Mr. Fox one of their repres:ntatives, on his
re-election ter that borough. Mr. John Platt presided.
One of the most gratifying proceedings of the evening was
the presentation to Mr. Fos, by Miss Rye, on behalf of
1,646 of the women of Oldham (most of whom were pre-
sent) of a testimonial, which consisted of • beautiful crim-
son velvet purse, containing 112 sovereigns (the number
I of the majority by which Mr. Fox won the late election), a
I signet ring, having& cornelian stone, and the motto, Edu-
cation, the birthright of all," and an elegant volume, in
which the mimes of the ladies who contributed these gifts
were inscribed. The sentiments of the fair donors were
conveyou in • poetical tribute to the honou-able gentle-
man, written on behalf of the ladies by Mr. Critchley
Prism, and now read by Miss Bye.