The Express.
London, England, 1846-09-07 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 7, 1846.

The egthood Moth et the sheds and sauna to at eathas
ilipmathe to the eamiamity. The Wade and 001M1111111 et
the eity lave isermard toes ,meat width nib he the inter-
twines 'litho othoisipal wahsollith a ether that swan may
be allowed in the finals sad thereaultthat narling os
*single, Imes whisk se may hanikeds depth& lbw bread.
The ?wide of the °organism esehl sot be applied ea • more
metal ththot.--Gbrise.
SLWT Virms4llB.—A minas notice is paged on
the dispel door it tintawleh limpital, stating that tom-
plaint has beta watistlist may et the peadames are in the
habit of awe* dada( divine movies. The boatswains are '
theretame dkeelled to wahe them, unless they are very old
and inirsa, atimpaeleft death, the reading of the creed,
and to report aY sash Wsagens to the captain of the week.
Ta eat BOOKS PIM GRAY'S INN.—On Satur-
day lalhemothe was reosimd by the pollee, that a number of
booed valises of Acta of Parliament had been abstracted
kola the Man of Gray's Inn.
JURY Liars.—Yesterday, the list of all men quali-
fied to arm as jurors for the ensuing year, commencing the
lit Lat., were posted on the doors of the different metro-
politan churches, as required by the 6 Geo. 4, c. 50. They
will remain open for inspection till the 21st inst. All objec-
tions will be heard by the justices in petty sessions for the
parishes in the county of Surrey, at the Court-house, New-
ington-green, on Friday, the 25th inst. ; for the parishes in
the borough of Westminster, at the Guildhall in the Broad
Sanctuary, on the 24th inst. ; and for the parishes within the
Holborn Union, at the board-room of the workhouse, Little
Gray's-inn-lane' on the 29th inst.
THE NEW RAILWAY SIGNAL.—Sir,—On reading
the account in your paper of the new railway signal, it ap-
peared to me that if a solid air-tight piston, with a rod of
convenient length, was applied to that part of the tube to
which the man's month is proposed to be applied, the down-
ward pressure of the piston would force a greater column of
air through the whistle than the man coull by means of his
lungs. The simple action of forcing down a small piston
would be a good substitute for the exertion caused by blow-
ing, for even a short time. The man's attention, by this
means' would not be withdrawn from the danger which
causes him to make the signal, but which must be the ewe
while his mouth is applied to the tube.—Yours, respect-
kill, T. W.
TUE FORGERY CASE AT COUTTS'S.—CiTenMSttillee•

are stated to have transpired since the examination on Tues-
day, which will put an end to all further proceedings. It is
well known that the two officers who apprehended the pri-
soner have been informed that there is no occasion for the
present for them to make any further inquiries, besides
which, it is stated, that no letters have been received from
the two other directors, Mr. Wetmore and Mr. Stephenson,
Iwho signed the cheque, nor have those who *re now con-
ducting the prosecution been able ts communicate with
them. In the event of the non-attendance of the two co-
trustees and directors on Wednesday next, the case must
fall to the ground, for, as Mr. Alderman Musgrove re-
marked, anima they repudiated the alteration or substitution
of 5,0001. for 104. there was an end of the case. During the
examination on Tuesday last, some of the parties connected
with the company were speaking together, when oue of the
parties was heard to say that he had no doubt, before another
examination, the whole of the matter would be satiafacteril
explained, and that Captain Richardson would be •
—Weekly Chronicle,
ESCAPE OF A PRISONER FROM GILTSPUR-STREET

COMPTER.--On Saturday, between one and two o'clock, a
prisoner, named Dennis Shine, effected his escape. He was
employed to assist the workmen in making some repairs, and
while they were going to dinner, Shine availed himself of a
ladder which they had left in the yard, scaled the wall, and
escaped over the roofs of the neighbouring house:. He is a
desperate fellow, who was tried at the last London Seasiess.
and convicted of the commission of a series of rellianky
assaults at • house in Friday-street. He is described as
having light hair, fair complexion, stoutly built, 5 feet 94
inches haffh, and about 21.
THE STORY OF YESTERDAY WaB singular from the
extreme partiality of the showers. About noon, after a hot,
hazy morning, the sun burst forth, and hile shining
brightly, a sharp clap of thunder was heard over the northern
portion of the metropolis. The thunder continued at inter-
vals until rut four, and was accompanied by exceedingly
partial showers. At Islington, it rained very heavily during
nearly an hour, whilst on the south side of the City-roia
scarcely a drop fell. A severe shower came down in the im-
mediate neighbourhood of Seymour-street, Somers'-town,
whilst the back of Mornington-crescent, scarcely • stone's

throw distant, was left perfectly dry. A correspondent
assures us that one half of Blackfriars-bridge showed the
effects of a hard shower, whilst on the other half, not a
vestige of rain could be seen. Along the line of the Rich-
mond Railway the fall was copious and continuous, whilst
in Chelsea, on the north side of the Thames, no wet what-
ever was observed. _ _ _

BARTHOLOMEW FAlR.—This fair terminated on
Saturday night as it commenced, without much additional
noise or bustle in the locality in which it is held. There were
altogether but nine stalls, which were devoted to the sale of
ginberbread, &c., whose profits were anything but large;
and only two public-houses opened rooms for the former cus-
tomary revelry of balls. The only incident in the fair was
the seizure on Friday of some gambling tables, in the yard
of an adjacent public•house by the police.

OLIN AND PISTOL STOCKS.—We have on a former
occasion noticed the extensive arrivals, at times, of stacks for
guns and pistols, from Belgium, made of the weed of the
walnut tree, which abounds so much in that country, and
also that the same description of ertiele had latterly been
brought, to a lesser extent, from Holland, which was not
formerly the case. An arrival of the kind has just taken
place from the latter State, to an extent which has not before
come under our observation, by a vessel named the Alkman,
which has arrived at one of the Quays near London-bridge
from Rotterdam, having on board, in addition to a variety
of other articles of Dutch produce, the large number of
12,281 of these guns and 499 pistol stocks, consigned to the
British Government.
INQUESTS HELD ON SATURDAY.—Mr. W. Baker,
at the Black Swan, School-house-lane, &twilit', concerning
the death of a male infant, the illegitimate offspring of Mary
Ann Mitchell, a widow, which was found in the water closet.
On being taken into custody she admitted the birth, but
accounted for the death in a natural manner. Mr. Ross, a
surgeon, could not swear that the child was born alive.
Verdict " Found Dead."—Also by Mr. Baker, at the
Queen's Head Tavern, High-street, Poplar, on the body
of a man unknown, found in the river on Friday afternoon.
He was dressed in a blue jacket, light trowseri, dark com-
plexion, and about five foot seven in height. He is supposed
to have been in the water some time, and appears to be about
19 years of age. Verdict " Found Drowned."—At Bt.
George's Hospital before Mr. Bedford, on the body of
Richard Quigley, aged 31, a master plasterer. On the 27th
ult., deceased and a boy, assisting him, were plastering the
front of a house in Warwick-road, Paddington ,• the scaffold
gave way, and they both fell to the ground a depth of sixty
feet. The boy was killed on the spot, but the deceased sur-
vived until Friday. The deceased had weakened the scaf-
fold by sawing away a portion which was necessary to its
safety. Verdict " Accidental Death."
ACCIDENTS.—On Saturday, as Mr. Charles Wells,
of No. 30, James street, Covent-garden, was about to cross
over in Bow-street, a person came up with a load of potatoes
on his shoulders, and, running against deceased, knocked
him down. At this moment a horse and cart came forward,
and before the unfortunate man could be removed, the horse
trampled upon him. He was picked up in a state of insen-
sibility, and conveyed to the Charing-cross Hospital, but his
injuries defied all medical skill, and death put a close to his
sufferings at three o'clock in the afternoon. He has left a
widow and three young children to deplore his premature
loss.—On Saturday afternoon, as a large four-wheeled van
passing along Sun-street, 13ishopsgate-street, a child about
three years of age, the son of a respectable tobacconist, living
in the above street, ran across the road and was knocked
down by the horses, both wheels on one side of the van
passing over his body," crushing him dreadfully, all the
exertions of the driver, who was in the van, to stop the
horses, being of no avail. The poor little fellow was imme-
diately picked up by the agonised mother, who witnessed
the accident, and conveyed to the hospital. The child's
recovery is doubtful.
DWELLINGS FOR THE POOR.—A correspondent
of the Mechanics' Maya:ine offers the following suggestion :
—As a substitute for the late wretched habitations of the
poor in the neighbourhood of St. Giles's, and elsewhere,
might not dwellings be erected on a plan somewhat similar
to many of the "olden time," with galleries, and resem-
bling in some measure the caravanseries of the east? Some
of the advantages of such structures would be, the small area
of ground comparatively that would suffice, the cheapness of
erection in reference to each tenement, the good venti:ation
that would result, as well as the conveniences for cleanliness
and general comfort. Furthermore, the scheme would offer
a good return for investment, at a rental as low as that paid
by the inmates of the late abodes of filth, privation, and
disease. We will suppose a street of rather more than 300
feet long, and about 50 broad. Let this be divided into 2.1
distinct ccmpartments (one on each side of the street), each
having two rooms, besides a small one containing the sink,
water-pipe, and privy, and having, as a sanatory measure
ceilings of an altitude of nine or ten feet. These would supply
residence for twenty-five poor small families on the ground
floor. Upon these let two or three more stories he rated,
with corresponding compartments, and access be afforded by
continuous galleries or arcades. Two hundred dwellings,
L I dean, cheap, comfortable, and airy, would thus be provided
in a comparatively small space, possessing but one inconve-
L nience, that of ascent, which use would diminish, and which
the inhabitants of Edinburgh and Paris never, I believe,
I complain of. Connected with the street might be added an
accommodation for the collective benefit—s general wash-
house ; and that supported by a small fraction of additional
rent on the 200 tenements. The water might be contracted
for on advantageous terms, in consequer.ce of the concentra-
tion of the supply. According to the best calculation I
can make, a weekly rental of 2s. for each compartment
of two small: rooms, and an additional small one with conve-
niences, would allow a liberal return on the capital re-
quired; especially if the Commissioners of Woods and
Forests would, as in duty bound, provide the ground on
reasonable terms.
UNEQUAL PRESSURE OF POOR-RATES, AND ITS
RIIMEDY.—A correspondent to the Tines writes that a
prat evil prevails in relation to the poor-rates in large towns.
In one large parish, for instance, out of some 40,000 assess-
ments, calculated to yield 103,0001., no less than 22,000, in
amount from 26,0001. to 28,0001., are, and will be, unpaid.
In an adjoining township the proportion of defaulters is still
greater ; the consequence is, that the actual payers are bur-
dened with a rate one-fourth to one-third larger than ought
to be laid upon them. This state of things is traceable to the
circumstance of the majority of the assessments being lira
small tenements let at weekly rents of os. and under. AB
the tenants are, of coarse, legally liable, but a power is gives
to the justices to excuse from payment upon the applisstise
of the parties, should it appear . that by reason Of poverty
they are unable to pay. There is, however, no moans of

Prtimtsas eimre b 7 die
arse Imams and
usavolibrprecess esmasse and &Nem It
nay, asslgiß, sneer due the pseeseelhis Moved, and
that the imeoseed Medea ant gm the MO wealthy part I
of the asmeausity. Thh is. however. by se muse the ease, '
for the Iwimidems aid busiesteti, whoa ix work, do
pay, wham the blle, the sed. the diolresoe, almost
always ealige—shre is is sey, She first et diess=pmaz I
twist rod the eased amea, he Share lea gamed
hag, attest expressed, that the rests are high bosun then I
are no rates payable. New, for the remedy. If all land-
lords were by law made liable for the rates, which they I
would, in fact, receive back weekly in the form of rent, net
only would the parishes be relieved by a reduction of mess,
but the expense of collection would be materially reduced,
and fraud by collectors in a great measure prevented.
DIBBAsll IN POTATOF.s.—Sir : I observe in your
paper of Wednesday last that Mr. Johnston, M. C., Middle-
sex, troubles you with a few remarks on my letter in the •
Daily Nero of the 29th August, "more to point out its in-
correctaess and fallacy than to give any idea of what the
disease is ceased by." But has Mr. Johnston done so ?
potato incorrectness has he pointed out ? What fallacy has
he detected ? On the contrary, he tells you that "he will
not pretend to dispute my proposition." "If Mr. Munro be •
a practical farmer," says Mr. Johnston, " he must know a
very good reason why potatoes are not planted at least before
the Bth of April. When the young plant gets frost-bit in
the mornings, the shoot has to grow afresh from the set
potato, which throws the crop back three weeks ; besides,
this greatly weakens the set by growing a second time."
Granted. But how often is this circumstance likely to occur ?
I am not aware how farming operations are carried on in
Middlesex ; but they manage matters better in Northataptoa-
shire. Although lam neither a practical farmer nor a gar-
dener, I do a little in both ways for amusement ; lam
seldom, if ever, later in planting potatoes than the first or
second week in April, and I have never lost a crop from
being attacked by spring frosts ; besides, if it should happen
that the crop be thrown three weeks back, there is still time
enough for the tubers to perfect themselves before next
planting season. " Again, says Mr. Johnston, "if Mr.
Munro be a practical farmer, he must have observed a very
marked difference between all the failures of the potato crop
of 1845 and 1844, and the failures before those years." The
only difference I have observed is that of propressiveneas, of
increased inveteracy. When the complaint first made
itself palpable among the potatoes the universal
mode of cultivation was by that of sets, the
failures were at first partial ; in some instances the sets
failed to vegetate, and in others they did grow for a
short time, and then withered away. Still the disease kept
progressing year by year, and as a remedy we resorted to the
planting of whole tubers; this practice carried us on fur a
few years kmger, and what is the consequence now? Simply
this, that, while 30 or 40 years ago a single eye was sufficient
for the purpose of reproduction, the constitution of the plant
has been so weakened that the united efforts of the entire
tuber are insufficient to produce healthy vegetation.
" Before 1845," says Mr. Johnston, "the failures that
occurred were only when the planting season was very dry,
and particularly when the manure was not sufficiently
rotted and moist to sourish the plant, and therefore the
failure was that the plant did not grow." Has Mr. Johnston
studied farming for the last 30 years, and not found out yet,
that well-rotted manure is just about the last substance that
potatoes ought to be planted with ? Once for all, I beg
leave to state that it is not my intention to allow myself to
be drawn into a controversy upon the potato disease. I have
done the beat I could, and that from the best of motive ; and
instead of finding fault with each other's observations, let us
rather unite and strengthen each other's hands, in our en-
deavours to repel the attack of the potato enemy. Since my
letter of 29th August appeared in the Daily News, I have
had communications from various parts of the country, all
approving of what I have therein advanced. From the letter
of an eminent banker in a neighbouring county I will take
the liberty of giving one quotation, and conclude:
" I agree with you, and beg to mention a fact. Mr. —of
Northumberland, net potatoes in October. November, February,
March, and April, and used a sack in getting up. It took 45 cards of
a rig to All the sack "(those planted in April, and only SO yet!'. to the
sack of Plow planted in October, and none dimased.--I remain, sir,
' yours respectfully, .I.tam Mean.—Esston-M4udit, Sept. 2."
' P.l3.—Since writing the above quotation I have just r,
ceived by post, from a gentleman of Leicester, a copy of the'
' Tyne Mercury of Nov. 19, 1815, which contains an article on
the potato, signed L. S. D. As the communication is not
lengthy, I have taken a copy of it, and send it herewith :