The Express.
London, England, 1846-12-10 00:00:00

YORKSHIRE.

...... . .....
RZFRESENTATION OF PONTEFRACT.—John Laurie, Esq.,
of Hyde-park-place, and late one of the sheriffs of London,
has addressed the electors of the borough of Pontefract,
stating, that being assured of Lord Pollington't determina-
tion not to offer hunrelf again for their suffrages, and having
been himself earnestly solicited to become a candidate at the
next election, he cannot hesitate to do so.

SUBNURINE EX170.9;17; IN-111EiYNE.—Monday an
attempt was made to blow up the wreck of the Lady Fever-
sham, a vessel of abeut 700 tons burden, laden with coal,
which sunk at the entrance to Shields harbour in November
last year, and has since operated very injuriously on the navi-
gation. Various attempts have been made to raise the
wreck by the Universal Salvage Company, and other parties,
but all have failed, the wreck remained deeply embedded in
sand, a constant source of annoyan :e and danger to the ship-
ping of the port of Newcastle. The corporation of New-
castle, in their character of conservators of the river, have
now undertaken to remove this obstruction, and their engi-
neer has been for some time engaged in making preparations
to blow it up on tither side of the river. On Monday morning
four of Smee's voltaic batteries were placed in the corporation
weighing machine, and moored some distance from the wreck,
over which was placed a large raft, piles being placed to
convey a wire rope from the batteries to ten magazines of
powder, which were deposited by divers under different
parts of the vessel. Two thousand feet of copper wire was
employed for the purpose, covered with cotton, and varnished
with India-rubber, the negative and positive wires being
twisted together. The canisters of powder averaged about
601bs. in weight. About two o'clock, p.m., the voltaic circle
was completed, and an attempt was made to fire the canis-
ters. From some cause or other, however, only three of the
canisters exploded, throwing up a column of water to the
height of about 20 feet, and blowing away part of the fore-
castle and deck. The engineer, who had conducted the
operation, intimated his intention of firing the remaining
canisters next day.
elvtasovol .
len

DEATHS by STARVATION are not, it appears, confined to
the metropolis. On Friday last an inquest was held at
Whitehaven, upon the body of an old man named King,
who was found dead on the morning of that day. The
ramberlarut Pacinet thus refers to the case:—" We paid •
visit to King'. miserable abode on the evening after his
death. The dwelling consisted of two small rooms, in the
first of which were two old broken chairs and • small stool
(all the furniture which the house contained), and in the
other lay the corpse of the old man upon the floor, for there
was neither bed, bedstead, nor bedding in the room, with
the exception of a rug which had been sent by one of the
guardians, and which was thrown over the body, and had
formed the only covering during the last illness of the
pour man's miserable life! The corpse was lying on a
piece of dirty sacking, and had not even • shirt on, so that
the rag which had only been sent • few days previously,
formed the only covering the poor old man posseased, and in
that state he had laid, but without the rug, for about seven
weeks previous to hie death! without even so much as a
piece of straw beneath the sacking previously alludid to. On
removing the rug the corpse presented a truly shocking
appearance. The old man had died unseen, and his limbs,
which were drawn up, had become stiffened, so that he
could not be properly laid out. The body presented a most
miserable and emaciated spectacle, and his fleshless limes had
more the appearance of belonging to an animal than • human
being. It appears that the old man and his wife had two
shillings a week from the township, and on that small sum
they contrived to subsist, until the last three weeks, when
an additional shilling was given. The relieving officer of
the Whitehaven Union was requested to attend to the owe,
and he regularly paid the scanty pittance allowed; bat
nothing was done to remove the extreme destitution of the
aged couple for want of clothing, and the sum allowed Oasts
(even with the additional shilling) was not enough to pro-
cure them a sufficiency of food. The jury returned the toil-1
lowing verdict : " That the deceased died from natural
causes, accelerated by the want of proper food and clothing,
and the jury cannot separate without censuring the relieving
officer for not having properly attended to the wants of the
deceased." Mr. Wilson, the vice-chairman of the board of
guardians, and Mr. Spencer, another of the guardians, at.
tended the court during the proceedings, and stated that the
relieving officer had orders from the board, so late as the
previous Thursday, to pay attention to the case.

WARWICIESUIRK
FRAUDS IN SILVER PLATE.—It is • fact, notorious
amongst the silver-plate manufacturers of Birmingham, and
of which many of the influential noblemen and gentlemen
connected with this town, who are guardians of the Assay
Office, are cognisant, that a manufacturer, who is himself •
guardian, and whose business transactions are of a most ex-
tensive character, has been mulct in the statutory penalties
for mixing base metal with that which bad been previously
warranted by the stamp of the officials of the Assay Office.
The way in which the introduction of base metal to the
standard plate, stamped " genuine" by the Assay Office, was
accomplished, was this In certain hollow places, such
as the feet of vases and candelabra, base metal was introduced
after the skeleton had been taken to the Assay Office, and
the whole being afterwards weighed, was sold at the price of
silver. The " irregularity" was first divulged by a work-
man, and the matter having been brought under the notice
of the guardians of the Assay Office, the party underwent an
examination, and having been found guilty, was fined in the
legal peuallY.
tvonvesmit•HlßE.

Tab OLDBI: ay ExeLostom.—The subscription for there-
lief of the widows and orphans, whose husbands and fathers
were killed by the late explosion, now amounts to 6401. The
following letter from the Home Office has been received :
Warn:nazi., One. 4.—To S. Coot, Eam, Doot..m.—Bir,—l am
directed by Secretary Sir George Grey, to acknowledge the meels of
your letter of the god instant, tranamitting to him a memorial from
IDudiey, on the subject of the late
ur lamentable accident
you from an az-1
beoege of gas in a coal mine at Oldby. lam to that air ,
Grey kw already given his anxious attention toassure
this subject,
and be has been in communication with the coroner who held the
cants on tle bodies of the persons who were unfortunate); 'Ewe%
and also with gentlemen of great practical and scientific ',,ccwiegge,
with a view to the adoption of some measures of timaution against
the recurrence of such melancholy accidents. Yi..l are, perhaps, not
aware that a report on explosion in ' which I madam, was wads
omit of the present year, by PAr de la Backe god Dr.

Playfair, and Sir George Crecy doubts whether any advantage could b
gained by turtle r inquiry; but if be ahould base reason to believe
tbet snob would be the caw, be will readily instl-ute ouch further In-
vestigation at may appear likely to lead to any beneficial results.-1(
ara,sr, yOUF ObeditTS PerTallt, S. M. ItniLurre.
lt Er /1118fitiTATION or E&NT WOUCESTERSTURE.—DROM
RICH, WEDNIMDAY.—Idr. Foley, the liberal candidate, has
accepted the requisition presented to him, requesting him to
come forward as a candidate for East Worcestershire, and
to-day has issued the following address:—
TO TOO PILKHOLUISS OF TOO P.A.TF.RN DINTISOX OP TER warts or

-
um:M.1.14
Gentlemen—Having received a requisition, signed by • numerate
and influential body of the (lectors, entertaining various pulitioal
ot,!nions, requesting me to come forward to till up the vaminey that
has uocurred in the reprerentation of the eastern division of the
county !,y the lamented death of your late respected member Mr.
Barneby, a.id the reason sesigned for that request being stated as
emanating friAn • perwnal acquaintance with myself, and the scour.
once that I shell receive support from electors of all parties.
I cannot, under such circumstances, hesitate for a moment to
comply with it. At the same time I fear that the kind
nartudity of nay friends has greatly overrated my abilities
to nerve them: but of this they may rem assured, that I than
ev, t feel grateful for the honour they may design me. and if placed in
the vow] initiation of one of your renriventativee in parliament, it
will my endeavour to seem, with the utmost attention and real.
the 1,. 'ad interitta of • county with which nay family Ms
ho, no ;wig connected, and to give my beet attention to the Remind
kusincas f the country. I think it better to abstain from all pledges,
hoping that you wilt gare me credit for a desire attentively to consider
each meanur that may be bronglit forward, both an its own merita„
a, well as in i onnezion with the public intcreitr..--1 am, gentlemen,
your faithful a, "d obedient, humbie servant, J. 11. 11. Potter.
Prcstwood, St. urbridae, Tlee..Jth, 1 fl it.
It is presumed last the eau vass on both sides will bo imme-
diately commenced. The Rev. li. B. Hone, 's*2l" of Halm--
owen, has addresmd a letter to the electors, calling on them
not to vote for any eandi.late who will not oppose the voting
of publie money on sopport of the Rotr.nn Ifathelic
in Ireland, and endeavour to rescind the Maynooth grant.

OLOUCESTEMIIRE.
Tdz MURDER OF • COULD. BT HER lATHER AT
BRISTOL.-111lIbTOL, DEC. 9.—The coronet's ioquest on
the body of the infant child, Ano Eliza Cann, so cruelly
murdered by her father John Cann, was resumed this day
at the Two Anchors TiITO/D, Guinan-street. Two women
named Elizabeth Bird Ind Esther Bennett, who resided is
the same house with the prisoner and his wife, &posed to
the former always having manifested a dislike to Ids child
from its birth, and to the infant's body having fasquently
exhibited bruises which the wife told them the husband
had caused. They had heard him, upon occasions,slap the
child, and had also heard his wife scream out, "Don't,
John, don't beat the child ; don't the chill." The
prisoner was in the habit of going out and staying. till late
hours, leaving his wife without money or Cinch The prisoner
said he never had any ill-feeling towards his child. The
coroner having summed up, the jury at once found a verdict
of " Wilful Murder " against John Cann, who was com-
mitted to take his trial.

WEST SUFFOLK AGRICULTURAL ASSOC!ATION.—The
fourteenth anneal meeting took place on Tus,day. There
was a considerable attendance. The show of *limp was poor,
but of c. the hirhly creditable. The first prize for an ox was
gained by the Marquis of Bristol, and it was afterwards pur-
chased by Mr. F. Nunn. The second prize was obtained by
Mr. I'. N unn. The other suefessful candidates were Messrs.
Rainbird, J. Clover, and 11. Crosse. For roots, Meows.
Ord. Rainbird, Phillip. , G. Steward, Capt. Parker, and Mr.
J. Kemp. The show of roots was excellent. The following
prices were realised : The first tat ox was told for 381.8 i. 6d. ;
the next, 381.; the third, a heifer, 281.; the next,
26!. Ids. 6d. There were only two sheep, half-bred Lei-
cester* and Downs, and th( y realised 81. 12s. fel. There were
plenty of buyers, but no stock for them.
BBitKelxlxt

..... -
WINDOW-BREAKING AT THE WINTSOR UNlON.—Yester-
day, five young fellows, named Hunt, Wilson, Wat‘en,
Davis, and Johnson, who had been admitted into the Wind-
sor Union as casual paupers, on the night before, were
charged before Percy Crutchley, Eq., who attendee at the
workhouse, with having wilfully broken several square+ of
lass that morning. After having been supplied with a night's
lodging and a breakfast, they refused to work, and by way
of amusement, commenced demolishing the windows. They
were committed for fourteen days' hard labour to the House
of Correction at Reading. Oa the day before, four other
casual paupers were charged More Henry Seymour, Esq.,
with the like offence, committed under precisely similar
circumstances. They were also sentenced to the like punish-
ment.

S