The Express.
London, England, 1853-09-27 00:00:00

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE NORTH KENT

RAILWAY.

Last night Mr. W. Payne held an inquest at St.
Thomas's Hospital on the body of Walter Chamberlain, a
guard on the North Kent Railway, who met his death
under the following circumstances :
Robert (}ladders was the first witness. He said he was
an engine driver on the South Eastern Railway, and the
deceased was guard to the train. He saw the deceased at
Woolwich Dockyard station at about 12 minutes to 10 on
Saturday night. He asked witness if his lamps were right,
and saw no more of him until he came to London, when
he heard that he had been found on the top of one of
the carriages.
George Richardson, another guard, said he was with the
train, and saw the deceased at Woolwich Dockyard. Wit-
ness blew his whistle, which wee returned by the de-
ceased. He then went to his break, and for anything he
knew the deceased went to his. The deceased was sta-
tioned three carriages from the engine. After they left
Woolwich he saw no more of the deceased until they came
to London-bridge ticket platform. There, • gentleman
looked out of • window, and remarked that as they were
going along he heard a mash as If one of the springs were
broken, but he could not tell at what part of the train it was.
He had only wished him " good night " when he saw the
deceased lying on the top of the fifth. carriage from the en-
gine, two carriages behind his break. He called to him,
but received no answer, and on looking closer he found that
his leg was broken. He was got off and conveyed on a
stretcher to the hospital. His cap was picked up at Cheri-
ton noosing-gate, about half • mile from Woolwich.
There was • bridge morass the line there which left about
two feet clear of the top of the c►imney of the engine.
Mr. Weatherhead, the station master at London-bridge
station, said he had made inquiries at every station between
Woolwich and London, and could not hear of the deceased
having been seen between those places. He thought that
the deceased is getting up had missed his carriage, and
endeavouring to make his way to it over the others had
come in contact with the bridge that crosses the line at
Charlton. Deceased was a very steady young man.
Mr. James Barnes Morton, house surgeon, said the de-
ceased was brought into the hospital on Saturday evening
at 10 minutes to 11, quite dead. The left foot was dislo-
cated and the banes were protruding through the akin.
He bad since made • postmortem esamin•tion, and found
the liver and kidneys torn, and there was also a tear in one
of the large blood vessels, from which a large quantity of
blood had been effused into the cavity of the abdomen.
That would cause death. There was • bruise on the lower
part of the back, and a wound on the left arm. He
thought the blow on the back was the cause of death, as
there were marks of it upon the liver.
The jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death."

LOSS OF THE ENGLISH SHIP CLEOPATRA.
Letters, received yesterday from St. John's, New
Brunswick, communicate the total loss of the British ship
Cleopatra, Captain Levitre muter, from Liverpool, aban-
doned on fire, on the night of the 9rd instant, off the
Banks of Newfoundland—the master and crew being
rescued by the United States war sloop the Decatur, which
fortunately happened to be cruising off the Banks at the
time. The Cleopatra was upwards of 1,000 tons burthen.
She was bound to Quebec in ballast, and was 24 days out
from Liverpool, when fallen in with by the American war
sloop, the commander of which, on discovering het condi-
tion, sent two officers and a number of hands to assist in
getting the ship into the nearest port. She had sprung a
leak, and her crew were in a most distressing condition
from incessant working at the pumps. At midnight Com-
mander Whiffing, observing a great light in the direction
the Cleopatra had steered when she parted company the
previous evening, he bore down, and shortly came up with
a wreck on her beam ends, and on tire. It proved to be the
vessel. A gale of wind had thrown the ship over en her
beams, and those in charge being unable to right her; they
lighted tar barrels to signalise asoiettnce, and in the course
of the night the vessel caught fire from the burning tar bar-
rels. The Decatur came alongside as close as possible, and
all hands were taken off in safety. In about two hours
afterwards the burniug wreck went down in deep water.
' Her crew saved nothing from the trued whatever. Ski wail
reported to be amply insured.

IRELAND.

... - ..- _

During Saturday night and theDuman greaturm part 26. of
i yesterday we had a severe gale from the tt'lat and
I north-west, the storm blowing at times ao furiously
that several large trees were torn up from the roots
in the neighbourhood of Dublin. No account of any
calamity caused by the gale on sea has been received.
The weather has become excessively cold, and has
assumed altogether a wintry aspect ; but as the
great bulk of the crops is now quite wife, the harsh-
ness of the season cannot produce any serious effect •
on our harvest business. There have not been any
further accounts of the extension of the potato blight
for the last two days.
The state of the public health in Dublin is satisfac-
tory. The Lord Lieutenant has caused the following
circular to be addressed to the several police magis-
trates of the city :
Dublin Castle, 23rd Sept., 1853. Gentlemen,—l am
directed by the Lord Lieutenant to call your attention to
the order in council, issued on the 17th inst., for the pur-
pose of bringing the Nuisances Removal and Diseases Pre wen-
tioo Act into lull operation; sad also to the rules hailed by
the Pour Law Commissioners, who now, under the provisions
of the Medical Charities Act, constitute a Central Board of
Health for the whole country, and it is of the greatest •n-
-penance at the present moment that measures of prevention
should be taken with promptitude. I am to request that
you will afford all possible facilities iu your office to the
persons whose duty it may be to carry the provisions of the
act referred to into effect. I am, gentlemen, your obedient
, MMUS LARCOM."
Oa Saturday afternoon the remain of the unfortunate
gentleman, who passed by the name of Webster, and who
committed suicide in French-street last week, were disin-
terred for identification under the following circumstances :
Oa Friday afternoon a lady of middle age and highly
respectable appearance, who said her came was Forbes, and
her residence 23, Portland-place, London, called on Mr.
Feenimore, police inspector, to whom she had previously
written relative to the deceased, inquiring among other
matters if the mark of a large scar was observed on the
right leg of the deceased. The officer replied that there
was some suck mark upon the tight leg ; but it would
appear that Mrs. Forbes left London fur Dublin before the
answer could have probably reachcdher. She now stated she
had reason to consider that the deceased was her son—
that his name was Julio Forbes, his age thirty-five
years, he had lost some of his teeth, had been a wild
young man, and fond of purchasing quantities of wearing
apparel. She stated that her son had left London three
years ago and proceeded to Australia, where the had
heard he was engaged as a shepherd; but she was not
aware of his return from that country till she saw the
report in the newspaper she now produced. She accounted
I for his taking the name of Webster from perhaps the fact
of his having cousins of that name, and his stating that he
was a native of Aberdeen might have arisen from the cir-
cumstance of the family poesessing an estate in that shire.
She then left She was accompanied on the occasion by a
young gentleman, her a in. Having received an order from
the Commissioners of Police to the Secretary of the Ceme-
tery for the disinterment of the body, she, on the following
(Saturday) afternoon, accompanied by Mr. Forbes, pro-
ceeded to Mount Jerome, and the remains were exhumed.
The coffin lid having been raised, she gazed briefly on the
face of the corpse. Neither the features nor any other
portion of the body presented the slightest symptom of
decay. After a minute or two she exclaimed repeatedly,
"'Tin he; 'tis he—that's my bey." Then, looking at his
feet and placing her bawls en:them, she said, " It is not my
boy—l think it is not my boy." Again, examining his
face, she observed, " I feel it is my boy ; lam certain ; I
am satisfied of it." Mr. Forbes said he thought the reaming
were those of his brother ; but he had not teen him for the
last ten years, he (Mr. Forbes) having been absent for seve-
ral years in India. This concluded the examination. The
body was then recommitted to the grave, and the parties
left the burial ground. Mr. Forbes gave most respectable
references both in London and Dublin, and thus the MO
stands fur the present.

THE LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY IN
QUEENSTOWN.

On the retiring of the corporation deputation, a
deputation from the inhabitants of Queenstown and the
other localities around the harbour, consisting of Messrs.
E. B. Roche, M.P.; F. B. Beamish, M.P. ; W. Fsgso,
M.P.; George Scott, Philip Scott, J. Edwards, and B.
Verling, waited on the Lords of t►e Admiralty, for the
purpose of presenting a copy of the resolutions adopted at a
public meeting of the inhabitants of Queenstown, held at
the Town Hall, on Tuesday, the 20th inst. Sir J. Benson
and Mr. M. J. Barry, having been r, quested to do so, ac-
companied this deputation.
The deputation having been received in the cabin of the
yacht,
Mr. E. B. ROCHE read the resolutions, which were sa
follows:

That a deputation be requested to wait on the Lords of
the Admiralty, and direct their attention to the imperfect
and neglected state of the naval establishment at Haul-
bowline, and urge on their lordships the expediency of
completing the arrangements for • permanent dockyard
long premised and partially carried out by their predeces-
sors when Lord Auckland held office. That the country
views with jealousy the preference given to parts in
England and Wales not possessing any of the great advan-
tages of this harbour, thereby depriving the Irish artisans
of their due proportion of government employment, and
alienating their respect and attachment from this manifest
sense of injustice. That the payment of wages to the crews
of her Majesty's ships at the Irish stations in some English
port, is a reasonable cause of complaint, withdrawing a con-
siderable sum from circulation amongst the tradespeople,
and frequently inflicting injury both on them and
the seamen with whom they have dealings. That
the electric telegraph, nearly completed from London
to Queenstown, renders this harbour es convenient sod as
near the Admiralty for making or receiving communica-
tions, as Plymouth, and the superiority of this port as an
eatlet makes it beyond all question of the greatest import-
ance to her Majesty's service. That the back adjoining
Maulbowline presents most favourable sites for docks or
gips, and that the great amount of convict labour available
and likely to increase from the change of law, would reduce
the cost of constructing such works to • comparatively
small amount, and would be a valuable and self-supporting
employment for the convicts. That the deputation be re-
grated to offer to their lordships, on the part of this meet-
ing, a cordial welcome to the south of Ireland, and to ex-
press the hope that this personal inspection of the rare capa-
bilities of the harbour may lead their lordships to speedily
improving them, to the advantage of her Majesty's service,
and the enduring benefit of this portion of the United
Kingdom.
(Signed) ° B. Vastuwo, Chairman.
" J. HAMMOND, Secretary."
Mr. FAGAN, M.P., said that in 1848 and 1847, during
the period when Lord Auckland was at the head of the
Admiralty it had been determined to construct • steam
factory sod other works at Haulbowline, on which a sum
of 15,000 L was to have been laid out, but that just then •
great outcry bad been raised in parliament, respecting
the immense expenditure at Keyham and other English
ports, wholly unsuited, from their natural disadvantages,
to the purposes for which such sums were lavished on them.
Owing to this fact, perhaps, and, likewise, to the circum-
stance that the then engineer-in-chief to the Admiralty
had introduced into his report an observation intimating
that a smithy, which would not cost more than 3001., would
answer all the purposes of a steam factory, the works
were not proceeded with. Since then the expenditure
had been very trivial; and what was sought to be im-
pressed on their lordships then was that, under the admini-
stration of his predecessor, Lord Auckland, it had been
actually determined to erect a steam factory, and to
avail both of the natural advantages of the harbour and the
buildings erected at so mush expense on Haulbowline Is-
lead. He, therefore, hoped that the present board, who,
he was sure, were disposed to ant fairly towards this coun-
try, would follow up the designs so long since formally
adopted by the Admiralty authorities in reference to this
Port.
CiaAHAN7It would be well if you (tepid give any

specific mode of public expenditure here, which would be
expedient in reference to the general demands of the ser-
vice. We are perfectly aware of the great importance of
this harbour to the naval service, and I think we have
evinced it in the strongest manner by assembling so large a
squadron here now, which is not the first time that we sent
ships of war to Queenstown. I promise you that our
=alone consideration shall be given to the subject, but I
cannot safely promise any more ; fur of course it will de-
pend on the pleasure of parliament and the other members
of the government.
Mr. FAGAN—It often happens that vessels of her Majesty's
service come in here which require refitting, but they are
obliged to be towed over to Plymouth.
Mr. BBAYI9R—We are all anxious to have • naval
school here. There is one small brig, having about 100 boys
on board, but no more.
__

Sir JA)11111 GRAHAM—Yon are circumstanced, I think,
similarly to Portsmouth and Plymouth in this respect.
Capt. lffruez—Precisely ; at each of these ports a brig is
stationed, on hoard of which 100 boys are trained. They
have no advantage over you.
Mr. Root' said that a good naval school would be most
advantageous to the service. To his own knowledge men,
of the farmers were anxious to bring up some of their chil-
drea to the sea, if they could only obtain facilities for enter-
ing them for the royal navy.
Sir J. ChLtuen—They can be entered here at all times,
on board the Sag ship, as at Portsmouth. In these respects
there is no difference between the arrangements at the dif-
ferent ports.
Mr. ROC He, M.P., would ask the particular attention of
their lordships to that point in the resolution which related
to the payment of ships of the royal navy. The Irish
traders and artisans felt it a great hardship that even the
vessels on the Irish stations were compelled to go over to
English ports to be paid off. He hoped this subject would
be favourably noticed.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM explained that the question was one
of some difficulty, but that, in fact, the entire subject of
the navy payments was now under consideration. It was
doubtful whether the present system would be continued,
or whether, instead of paying off a vessel at the end of the
period for which she was put in commission. more fre-
quent •,.ayments may not be decided en. In the latter
case what was now complained of would necessarily cease
to exist. As it was, however, both English and Irish
sailors had the power of remitting money to friends and
relatives, which would, of course, cause the expenditure
of much of their pay in the locality to which tly be-
longed.
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