The Express.
London, England, 1848-08-24 00:00:00

Cogan was directed to examine the model, and in answer
to a juror :aid that it was perfectly passible for shutters
drawn in ono. 0--ze aganst the meter and the main gas-key to
turn the gee Aff; a violent blow might break the cock.
In answer to the Coroner, the witness said that he never
complained to Mr. _Uteri of the dangerous position of the
meter. Knew plenty of places where there were meters
situated as Mr. Loten's, but he could not say if the abutters
were placed there in the Same war—By Mr Hinds ; I am
positive there could not have been any escape of gas at tie
time I was there, brunt* I tried all the pipes, and red my
blowpipe to solder a part where I took water trees.—
Mr. Hinde begged to observe that the company were desi-
rous of showing that there ltd ht en no complaints made of
an escape of gas.
Mr. Wm. Douglas, collector to al.' eomPany. Proved that
he called on the 28th of July for payn,•set, but no complaint
was then made. It was his custom If Cc 'nPlaints were made
to make a memorandum of them and Pert them to the
board.
George B. Pettitt deposed to fixing up .the Ras fittings at
iNo. 60, Albinj-street, about nine years ego. He fixed the
'meter under the shopboard by direction of .Mr. Hatfield.
He bad fixed many meters like it, but could not whether
the shutters were taken in and nut of the at utter-box.
:When Mr. Hatfield suggested the placing of the ...Geier, he
told him that some protection of wood-work would I.' hem-
nary, and he said he would do it himself.
Mr. Richardson, the superintendent of the Imperial Com-
pany, said he had caused the main pipes of the London (..om
pony and also the Imperial to be uncovered, and he sou Ist
ware the coroner and jury that there was not the flighty%
amps of gas discernible.
This being the whole of the evidence, the Coroner ad.
dressed the jury. He trusted that the melancholy event
would teach a useful lesson to those who were in the habit
of burning gas, and that the moment an escape was found
means would be immediately taken to remedy any defect.
With reference to the fixing of theenteter, it was a matter of
congratulation—if, under the circumstances, they could con-
gratulate one another—that, although strict search bad been
made, no other meter similarly fixed could be found in the
neighbourhood.
The jury, after an absence of half-an-hour, Mumma
the following special verdict—" That the death of Nary
Bentley was caused by a mortal fracture of the skull, occa-
sioned by the accidental explosion of en admixture of coal
gas and common air in the house No. 60, Albany-street;
and that whether the said coal gas escaped into the sai,l shop
in consequence of an accidental blow given to the meter or
fitting thereof, by the removal of a certain window shutter,
there is not before jurors sufficient evidence to show."

THE SALE AT STOWE yesterday consisted entirely
of china and other household furniture, some of the lots of
which produced a high price. The total proceeds of the day
amounted to about 2,7001.
-- - .

VACANT OFFICES IN THE NEW FOREST.—III reply
to various Replications for appointments to the offices vacant
in the New Forest and elsewhere, in con& quenco of the re-
cent disclosures before Lord Duncan', committee, it has
bean intimated that it is not the intention of her Majesty's
government at present to fill up any of there vacancies. It
is understood that no appointment whatever will be made in
connexion with the Woods and Forest, pending the inquiry
and its consideration by government and tile House of
Commons.
THE NEW FOREST TIMBER RORBERIES.—At the
Queen's House, Lyndhurst, yesterday (Wednesday) after-
noon, Thome' Grant. a woodman, was brought before Mr.
Compton, M.P., and Mr. H. Sloane Stanley, the presiding
magistrates, charged with stealing two oak trees from a part
of the New Fcrest known as Bentley-wood. Major Free-
wan, the government commisaioni r, and two attorneys em-
ployed by the crown, attended to prosecute. The prisoner
was undefended. The main evidence against him was that
of a millwright named Henbest, residing at Fordinghr:dge,
who deposed that lest Christmas Grant applied to him to
build biro a cart, and said that he would supply him with
timber foe the purr's. Re accordingly went into the forest
with Grant, who showed him two oak trees, which he au-
thorised him to cart away. Witness took them into his yard
accordingly, and supplied the prisoner with a cart built of
other wood. Some days since Grant called on him, and
asked what had become of the wood, stating that be hoped
it was cut up, or it might get his friends into
' trouble. The stumps of the trees were produced,
and fitted to the stools, and corroborative evidence
was given bi the carter and others concerned in the removal
of the timber. In his defence Grant stated that he had ap-
plied to the deputy surveyor of the forest. Mr. William Reed,
for a pea of wood to build a cart. Mr. Reed said that when
his son James, who acted as his assistant, came to Bentley
Wood he should look out a tree for him. A week or ten
days after, Jamie Reed came up and asked him which tree
he wanted. He (prisoner) pointed to two, and said either of
them would do. Reed said he might have both if he liked.
Whereupon be said he would take both, and if Mr. Reed
would set a fair value on them, he would pay for them next
quarter when he came down to New Park. Mr. Reed said,
Very well; it was all right," and marked the trees. One
was a tri.e that had been rended, and another was iilmost
dead wood.—A witness named Peckham corroborated this
statement as tar as he was cognisant of the transaction, but
the mogietrates (without calling either of the Reeds) com-
mitted the prisoner for trial at Illineheeter, admitting him,
however, to bail, himself in 2001., and two sureties of 1001.
each.

THE CROPS.
The long continuance of showery weather, and lat-
terly the heavy rains which have ham, excite considerable
anxiety, net only amongst agriculturists, but with the public.
Until about ten days ago the rain though frequent, the in-
tervals of dry weather seldom exoeedmg twenty-four hours,
had not been heavy. and was to some extent partial, For
instance, in the north-cut of Hens and in Cambridgeshire a
good deal of wheat was carried in fair condition during the
time all the surrounding districts were visited by such frig.
quent showers that little torn could be carried, though a
large proportion of it had been cut. Since last Sunday se'n-
night, however, the prospect has become more gloomy. On
that night and the two following days cold rain poured down
from the north-east throughout the great pert of England,
and subsequently most districts have experienced very heavy
rains for many hours in succession and after very short in-
tervals of dry weather. The wheat is nearly all cut, and
stands in the field waiting only two successive warm days to
be carried into the barns atd stack-yards. The little
which his hitherto been stacked is in a very damp
state, while that which still remains in the fields has bens
somewhat injured with but little prospect of future improve-
ment. The general temperature hes been low, which hie
hitherto prevehtea the grain from sproutiog in the ear where
the fields ere open, but where they are surrounded by high
hedgerows anti much timber a good deal of the wheat has
already grown ; and should the wet weather continue many
days longer more ot lees of grown wheat am inevitably be
found in every field. Amongst the peculiarities of the pre-
sent season man be remarked the failure of the barometer to
denote accurately the state of the weather, some of the hea-
viest rains having occurred with a very high barometer.
This was the cue with the long-continued rains we have
before mentioned. The temperature Du been on en ;teeny
,till ten degrees lower than the average temperature of the
month of August. Toe depth of rain, too, which has fallen
in August is far beyond anything we have had for some
years past ; thus for the first sixteen 'days of August last
year the depth of rain was 0.84 inches, and in the first six-
teen days of the present month there fell no lees than 3.06
inches of rain. On i,londav, the 14th of August. nearly
three quarters of an inch was ascertained to be the depth of
rain io [settee hours. The observers and recorders of these
tuts have justly designated them a* alarming."
For farmers the aspect of the season is very di,heartenina,
for while it is certain that the great bulk of their grain will
be of inf. riot quality, it is now pretty clesey ascertained
that the quantity will hardly reach, if it does reach, an ave-
rage. Much of it will be unfit for threshing until aster
the winter's frosts, and the growers who are
compelled to sell their corn earlier must be content to re-
nivel low prices ; another of the many striking lemons the
menet semen has afforded to the British farmer is the im-
prudence of farming without sufficient capital. Everywhere
the sample will be rou,th and ot had colour, and great looses
will be sustained from the shedding of the corn in the field,
which the constant alternations if wet and dry wr ether and
long standing in the fields must inevitably occasion. From
the agricultural pat of the community we must he prepared
to hear much complaint. For the consuming public we do
not anticipate art y inch high prices as occurred in 1846, when
the first general failure of the potatoes took place. There is
a good stock of old and dry wheat in the hands of farmers ;
there are likewise good crops in ore of the most important
corn growing couprries of Europe, and in America; and
from these sources will be derived sufficient supplies of good
dry corn to mix with our damp English wheats, i.nd prevent
any material de:eriora'ion ot quality in flour ,• and these sup
plies of dry corn will, in truth, benefit the English farmer,
for without it his damp corn would be scarcely saleable.
In the north of France and Belgium the corn is stated to
have r.een pretty well gattored, and the crops at one time
though' to be abuodant are now sed to be a fur average.
I n O. rmany some of the wet we complain of bas been expt-
riveted, and t e crops are nut eve,. ; there is, hose.ver, no
fear of defici nay, and there is no fear of any such conti-
nental competition in the world's corn markets as we met
with in 1846.
It would be affectation to doubt the failure of
the potato, at el events in England and Ireland,
and we believe that the accounts to the coatrary
received from Scotland may be attributed rather to
the comp-ranee backwardness of the crop than to any pro-
bability of ultimate escape. But it is admitted that every- '
where very large breadths of potatoes have been planted, and I
that the produce is most abundant ; and, as all potato
growers now know that when the disease has shown itself in
the crop it is melees to attempt to keep any portion of it, this
esculent will be at once brought to market, and by its cheap-
ness and abundance during the autumn months will serve
to economise wheat. Hence it will most likely be found that
the present not very abundant crop of grain will carry as
tolerably well through the year. In this. way the loss of the I
potato crop will be far less felt than it was in 1846: then all
sorts ot plans were tried for keeping potatoes, and all ended I
in almost total tom; now few will try to keep them, and they
will furotth a large part of the autumn food et the most
numerous clam of the population. The operation of this is
now felt in the corn market. Thu the Mork-Ism Express,
in its review of the corn trade,
_esps—" The disease uun-
donbtedly general all over the kingdom, and has extended
to all the late as well u the early varieties Whether
any portion of the produce will be sufficiently sound to keep
lin pits is questionable ,• and, so long as a free sale can be
found, the growers are likely to supply the markets freely.
In London the quantity brought forward has not been so
great in proportion seat some of the country places, still the
' consumption of bread has fallen off a good deal in the metro,
polio; and in the rural districts the poorer classes are almost
subsistmg on potatoes. This has had the effect of lessening
th_ demand for wheat." Now, as by thus bringing the po
tato crop at race to market, a large prop,rtion will become