The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-20 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL.

MANCTIESTER DS MON-
STItATION.—The Wesleyan methodists are about to get up a
great demonstration in Manchester, to celebrate the return
to parliament of two of thtir body—the members for K twee-
borough and Stockport, Mr. J. P. Westbead and Mr. Jai.
Heald. An influential private meeting has been held in
Manchester with this view, and it was determined to give •
dinner early in October to these gentlemen, which Lord
Ashley,M.P., Sir Culling Eardley Eardley, Mr. Plump-
tre, anorthe President of the Wesleyan Conference, are to be
invited to honour with their presence.
STEAMER SUNK IN THE itIVER.-011 Sunday last,
the steam-tug Edinburgh Castle, belonging to Messrs.
Spinkes and Co., sunk off the Toxteth Dock, Liverpool, sup-
posed from some of the valves being left open. The captain
and crew got on shore by the boat.
Lout) SAN DON.—A requisition, headed by Sir Thos.
Branciter, and many other leading Liverpool rut rehants, is
now in course of signature, calling upon the mayor to con-
vene a public meeting to consider the propriety of presenting
a testimonial to Lord Sivadon, in acknowledgment of his
services during the sixteen years he represented Liverpool in
parliament. Upwards of 7001. have been subscribed for the
testimonial.

GARSWOOD AontentruaAt .NIEETING.—The annual
meeting of the Garswood Agricultural Society took place on
Thursday, at Ashton-in•the-Willows, near Newton, Robert
Gerard, Esq., being the president. The annual dinner was
preceded by an exhibition of farming stock, produce, imple-
ments of husbandry, horticultural produce, &c.; and though
the weather was very unfavourable !throughout the day, the
rain falling in showers at intervals, the show was good, though
thinly attended. The dinner took place, after the dirribu-
lion of the awards, as stated above, at the Gerard Arms Inn,
Ashton; and a company of nearly 100 psr•ons pat down to
an excellent repast, W. l'ilkington, Esq., officiating u
chairman.

The Wakefield Journal announces that the revision
of the ibt of voter. for the borough will be commenced on
the 28th inetunt, before W. Grey, Esq.

CUNI!IETILAN U.

LANEncosT ABBEY.—This venerable pile, sogrently
admired by antiquarians for its Lich architectural beauties,
is now in ruins. During the hish wind of Thursday last the
roof fell in with a loud crash, bearing everything down be-
neath it, and annihilating every portion of interest it con-
tained. The unfortunate event happened durirg the night,
and is attributed to the ruined state of the rafters.

NATIONAL EDUCATION.—The Bishop of Worcester,
anxious to claim for his diocese a participation in the pro-
mised pecuniary grants for education, has originated a public
meeting on the subject. A circular, in furtterance of the
object, has been issued by his lordship to a large number of
the clergy and influential laity of the diocese.
AN ALARMING FIRE broke out at Worcester on Fri-
day night It originated in the house of Mr. Hellen, a baker
and general dealer, in Copenhagen.street. No one was on
the premises when the fire was discovered. The damage
done to the adjoining properly was not to any eeriwas ex
tent ; Hellen', premises, however, were entirely drstroyed.
The property (which belongs toe gentleman named Wilke)
is not insured ; but Millen had insured his stock of goods
and effects to the amount of 2101. He Mattes, however, that
this will not cover more than two-thirds of the damage sus-
tained by him. The origin of the fire is not known.

WARWICKSHIRE,
DISGRACEFUL OUTRAGE.—For the last twelve or
eighteen months Mr. Proctor, of Babel] House, near Bir-
mingham, has been subjected to a series of outrages by
which the lives of his family have been placed in csustant
peril. Some years ago Mr. Proctor was in the habit of
attending Trinity Chap:l, and the mode of conducting the
service having given offence to some members of the church,
many persona who continued to attend that place of worship
were subjected to much contumely and annoyance.
Although Mr. Proctor was not a member of this congrega-
tion, he was unfortunately singled out as an object of perse-
cution. The first attempt on his life and property was made
on the 4th March last year, on which night a stone bottle
charged with gunpowder, and with a fuse attached to it, was
placed on the outside of one of the sitting room windows,
together with two penny pieces, on which were engraved
or punched, "Trinity shall be fired or something worse,"
" 0— is a papist," &c. Fortunately the touch paper to which
the fuse was attached went out, and thus the purpose was
defeated. No further attempt was made until the 9th of
June lost, wken, about half-past twelve o'clock at night,
Mr. Proctor was alarmed by a loud explosion, and on opening
his door he found that one of hie windows had been shattered
by an " infernal machine," similar to the one above described.
Effort, were made to discover the author of this outrage, but
without 611Cettl, and no further act of violence was attempted
until the night of Tuesday, when, as one of the Worcester-
shire rural police wu passing by Mr. Proctor's house, he
' observed a canister on his windownill, with a lighted fusee
attached to it. Apprehensive of the consequences of
going to the spot, he threw a atone at the canister,
which falling on the ground, the match was extinguished,
and on e!tutteing the ease found
-it !"a c°Rt3in.
about nine ounces 0: powder, and ou the window ledge were
placed several penny pieces marked as before with myste-
rious warnings such u the following " Silent, not sub-
dued"—" Take care of something worse"—" No confession
to Papista"—" No church rata for a Romish madhouse"—
" Keep from apostate Trinity," &c. The whole of these
proceedings would appear to result from the heated brain of
some fanatical Bedlamite, but as there is not only method
but malice in the madness of the authors of these outrages,
an effort will be made to discover the perpetrators, and make
an example of them, as a warning to others. With this view
we understand it is the intention of Mr. Proctor to memo-
rialise the Secretary of State upon the subject, as it would be
monstrous to allow such diabolical proceedings to go un-
punished. Similar attempts have been made to injure an-
other gentleman residing in the same neighbourhood.
THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE held a meeting on
Friday evening at the Public Office, Birmingham. Mr.
Hill was called to the chair. The exponent of the association
principles was Mr. W. E. Timmins, who commenced the
proceedings of the evening by reading the rules and constitu-
tion of the Alliance, wherein the object was stated to be to
strengthen and enlighten public opinion, and bring it into
action in favour of the princip'.es and necessary details of
universal suffrage. He considered that the present system
of currency was the root at which they must stake fur the
attainment of an extension of the suffrage, and for the de-
struction of other social evils, and proceeded to illustrate this
in a variety of ways. He then went on to consider some of
the organic reforms which would follow in the train of an en-
ter sin of the suffrage; and declared it we, j' the imt'rat
of the middle and higher classes of the country that the
social system should be thus remodelled and altered. He
moved a resolution, embodying the approval by the meeting
of the principles of the alliance, which was ultimately
seconded.--A Mr. Empson then addressed the meeting in
opposition to the motion, on the ground that there were
already associations in existence which amply met the pur-
poses now sought by the National Alliance.—He was fol-
lowed on the same side by Mr. Fussell, who moved an
that the ebneett'irr°neatase feoffreetht
people were to to found in the National Chartist Anode:-
ethaattwthnemmeneet
and the meeting appeared to be generally in favour eke
existing chartist associationa in priference Yo believe
different only in name, We (Birpnittp!bans J
toifngthweerigre ohfts°oPf' opinion
arried and the meeting,
tion, and in the Land Compaq Several spotters frollored. ,
the amendment was ultimately c ,
which was not very numerously attended, broke up.
ritst_

TNOE!tTOVS SYSTEM OF SWINDLTNO bee been
brought to light at Oxford, where the offender boa been
taken into cutody. A correspondent of the Oxford