The Express.
London, England, 1846-09-25 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 25, 1846.

MUNIFICENT BEQUESTS.—The late Mr. John
Ashton, of Newton Bank, near Hyde, in Chester, a wealthy
and extensive cotton manufacturer, of Manchester, has
bequeathed to the Manchester Royal Infirmary a legacy of
6,0G0e, and, after making large bequests to his family and
others, leaves the residue of his personal estate, which is
considerable, to the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, for
the reduction of the national debt. The residue is augmented
hy the falling in of a legacy of 20,000 g. left to Mr. Wm.
Wright, his confidential clerk, and whom he had e instituted
an executor, but who died only a short tine previous to the
testator, leaving a wife and family to deplore the loss of
their sole prot,ctor, and the promised reward which seemed
within their grasp, f.r a whole life devoted by this persevering
man to the interests of the several firms enumerated by the
testator in his will, through which this trustworthy manager
hail conducted the business. It is to be hoped that this
intended bequest, as " a reward for faithful services," will'
meet with favour from the Lords of the Treasury, as the
sum coming to the government independent of this lapsed
legacy has been estimated at loo,oool.—Another less
patriotic, but more usefully benevolent testator, J. Whiffing-
ham, of Ashstead near Birmingham, has recently bequeathed
to the Queee's Hospital at Birmingham, 1,0001.; Gene-
ral Hospital, 1,0001.; Birmingham Diepensaly,l,ooo/. ; Deaf
and Dumb Institution, Edgbaston, 1,0001. To the trustees of
Ashsted Chapel, 2,000/., the interest to be expended in bread
and clothes far the poor of Duddleston and Nechells, in the
parish of Astnn • also bequeaths 2901. for the erection of a
clock to Ashsted Chapel, and that his executors shall invest
1,0001., the interest to be expended in bread and clothes fur
the poor of Wybunhury, Chester; and by his will expressly
directs that tablets shall be erected in Ashsted Chapel and
Wybunbury Church, descriptive of these gifts. There are
numerous other bequests to his family and friends.
NEWAPAPER P.:ICE.9.—stR,--As the Times news-
paper has been recently attempting to enlighten (or darken
as the ease may be) the public on the subject of the price of
newspapers, I addres-ed the following queries to that jour-
nal, with the hope of receiving some explanation respecting
them : " Why do the daily papers, both morning and even-
ing, with the exception of the Daily News and the I.:xpress,
all cost precisely the same ? Is this the effect of combination,
or is it not ? " " Also, are not these newspapers, excepting
in the alteration in the stamp duty, as dear to the public as
they were five-and-twenty or thirty years ago ? ' As no
notice was taken of my communication, I am induced to a-k
from you or your correspondents, that information for my-
self and friends which was obviously enough denied me by
the Times."—l am, Sir, your obedient servant, LUN DI N assts.
Sept. 23, ISM.
DEATII AND IMPRISONMENT FO:t DEBT.—QUEEN'S
PRISON.—Sir,-1 beg to inform you that a Mr. Schneider,
a young man of property, died here to-day, in emscquenee
of illness produced by his being imprisoned, only four days
back, in an ac, ion on a bond, which it was dishonorable to
put in suit. He was able to pay, but objected for this rea-
son, and hence his exasperation, which led to his melancholy
end. It is expected that all the facts will come out, from
the evidence of the respectable individuals who watched his
lard moments. The inquest may be held to-morrow, most
likely iu the afternoon ; but this depends upon Ow arrange-
ments of the coroner, Mr. Wm. Payne.—W. Conns.rr.

COLLIERY STRIKEi.—Mr. Editor,—ln one of your
articles of the 12th instant, on the necessity and importance
of education for the masses, you refer to the late lamentable
strike in the Northern Collieries, and state that the pitmen
thronged the Primitive Methodist Chapels to invoke the
blessing of heaven on the strike. This s-atement is net quite
in accordance with fact. When this strike occurred,
I was labouring in the Auckland district, which
is the centre of a large coal-field, where we have a
great number of chapels, and I eau assure you that not one
of them was ever thronged for the purpose you state. So
far from the pitmen being " led away through their best
feelings," it is well known that through these religious
feelings they were restrained from those acts of gross violence
with which former strikes have been accompanied. To a
great extent the last pitmen's strike was a chartist
movement. Its leaders and fomenters were chiefly of
that school. Very few of the old pitmen took
any active part in it. They were mostly new
men who were the prime movers in the affair. Far,
within the last few years, to supply the numerous new
pits, men have flocked from all parts of the country. Many
of these were restless and unhappy spirits. The late strike
has educated them, so that you need not frighten your
readers with the promise of another in a short time. A secret
system of terrorism was established, and carried to a great
extent to compel the religious and well-disposed men to unite
in the late strike. ltebecceism was practised, men's tools
mysteriously remeved, or secretly destroyed. It was not the
ignorant and religious, but the educated and vicious who
influenced these things. It is also well-known that these
movements originated generally with petty coal-pits, far
removed from the market, where the owners have not capital
or facilities to compete with their neighbours. You may
thank the Wesleyan and Primitives fur the superior moral
character of the northern miners. In their self-denying
sad arduous labour:, they have been encouraged by some
of the most respectable coal-owners. At the head
of the list place the Teases and Backhowses of Darlington.
Drunkenness is not on the increase in the pit district, though
the facilities fur getting drunk are too common. Some of
the coal-owners are large brewers, and they erect public-
houses near their pits, and thereby promote druukenneas.
lam not accustomed to write for the paper*, but your unjust
insinuations respecting the religious pitman has tempted me
to try aafew lines in reply. If I had time and inclination I
could say much on some of the points hinted at above. You
will probably allow a corner of your paper foe this note, or
any parts of it you may think necessary.—l am, yours most
respectfully, WILLIAM EmziteLLL.—Sept. 16, 'Three Elms,
Weardale, Durham.
COMMUNICATION WITII INDIA.—SIR,—IrI your
ournal of Saturday was a communication on the selection to
e made of the proposed additional route to Alexandri s, in
hich a preference of Venice, as the notJaern sea terminus,
advocated. As the statements put forward in support of
AM preference are very incorrect, and the article calculated
to mislead, I offer you the following remarks for insertion,
should you be of opinion that they are sufficiently per-
tinent to merit the space which they will occupy in your
columns. The assertions which it is my purpose to controvert,
are, that Venice is a more eligible port fur the purpose than
Trieste; that it is nearer in distance to Alexandria; mad
that the passage eats be accomplished in a shorter period of
time. To relieve myself from an imputation of presume-
tion, in undertaking the refutation, I beg to state that I
speak from an experience of the navigation of the Adriatic,
through a course of severaiyears, as well as from a perfect
knowledge of the two ports in question, and of their respect-
ively adjacent coasts. It is, therefore, that lam enabled to
advance the assertion that your correspondent has either
been misled, or that he has spoken from imperfect maps and
charts, without having any personal knowledge ofthe localities
en which he treats. That portion of the eastern coast of Italy
which extends from the Legation of Urbino to the Isonzo, its
northern boundary, nearly at the very head of the Adriatic, is
low flat, and shoaling very gradually tea considerable distance
from the coast ; insomuch that the objects on this range of
coast', which first become visible to those who approach it
from seaward are, the church spires, the houses, or the
trees ; many of the former standing some miles inland.
Between these limits, there is no other port for vessels,
drawing five feet and upwards, than Venice; and, higher
up, the small port of Lignano, situated about 40 miles to the
E.N.E. of Venice, in the swamps of the Frioul. From La
Cattolica, on the confines of Romagna, which is the nearest
moderately high land to the S.S.E. of Venice, down to
Ancona, the shores still shelve so very gradually, and to such
distance from the land, as, likewise, to present no port acces-
sible to anything above the size of the small coasting vessel.
Venice is situated about midway between the Isonzo, and
Ancona. It is hemmed in by an extensive range of sand
banks, right and left, extending a long way seawards. The
port is entered at three or four points, the entrance by Mala-
mato being the only one which is practicable by vessels
exceeding six feet in draught. This entrance is narrow, and
the approach to it is by a narrow tortuous channel between
the sandbanks outside of it, and which are covered. The
depth of this channel is very various ; but, in some places,
towards, the outer entrance thereto, there are no more than
thirteen feet of water in the fair way, although there is a
depth of 3.5 to 88 feet, within and between the castles.
The prevailing winds in the Adriatic range from the north-
east to the south-east, rendering the Italian the lee shore
ordinarily. Owing to the low, swampy nature of the land,
to the numerous lagoons, and to the extensive ranges of
shallow banks, fogs are prevalent in the vicinities of enice
during the winter, in the absence of strong winds. These
fogs being extremely dense, render a navigation within
narrow winding channels, to say the least difficult, as they
also render imprudent any attempt to approach the coast at
such times with vessels of heavy draught. The entrance to
Malamocco, nine miles from the city, is by an opening in
the " Murazzi," or, sea-walls, with forts on either hand. It
opens to the E.N.E., and, whenever the gales prevail from
the N.E. to the S.E., a heavy sea sets in, either right on the
entrance, or into, or across some part of the winding chan-
nel by which it must be approached, rendering the attempt at
an entrance, or at a departure, hazardous in the extreme, at
such period;. But the difficulties of the navigation do not end
with achieving the entrance. The canals from Malamocca to
the anchorage at St. Mark's, present such difficulties, by their
sinuosities and narrowness, and, especially, at the point where
the canal of St. Spirito branches from that of Poveglia, that
large steamers may never avail themselves of much steam
power, and at times must trust to warpsto effect their approach
to St. Mark's. It will be clear, from the preceding state-
ments, that Venice, even as a port, does not present inter-
nally the necessary conditions of eligibility as a terminus for
large steamers, tied to the utmost possible certainty,
and despatch. The distance, between Alexandria
and Venice, may be a trifle less, as the crow flies, than be-
tween Alexandria and Trieste. But the distance, by coarse,
is not so short ; for by reason of the prevalence of easterly
winds, and their occasional, nay their frequent terrific vio-
lence, as well as the nature of the Italian coast, all good sea-
men will hug the Dalmatian and 'striate coasts, if bound up
the Adriatic to Venice ; 07, admit the necessity of gaining a
good offing, or, in extreme cases, of stretching across to gain
the eastern coast for shelter, if bound down. Hence, the
vessels would have to run down two sides of an obtuse
angled scalene triangle, in place of taking the long side
alone, whereby the distance becomes actually greater. Thus,
superadded' to the difficulties already pointed out as attend.
ant on it, a material increase in the time required for the
passage will be the inevitable consequence of a preference of
Venice to Trieste. The eastern shores of the Adriatic are
high, bold, and clean,. with deep water close in, and smooth
water with easterly winds. The port of Trieste is free from
any difficulty or danger, and may be entered at all times,.
and under any circumstances of weather, by vessels of
any draught of water. Its landmarks, as well ea those
of its approaches, are distinct, aid recognisable from a
distance. Under these several circumstances, the caution
given against money misspent through a wrong selection
of the sea terminus, will, I conceive, be admitted to apply
forcibly against the scheme which your correspondent
developes. With the land route to be selected between

whicl
is