The Express.
London, England, 1851-10-30 00:00:00

MEETING OF REFORMERS AT OLD:

A meeting of the constituents of Mr. W. J. Fox,
M.P., and of reformers generally, was held at Oldham, on
Monday evening, to hear from that gentleman a review of
the proceedings of parliament during the last session, and
an exposition of his views on the leading questions likely to
engage attention on the re-assembling of the legislature. .
The chair was taken by JOHN PLATT, Esq., and oa the
ntsof
otifiethclebnodrionugghr.eformers and
on rising to address the meeting,
mPlosittibnareopeerretareblen inhabitants
w Vas . J.
receivedt OXw, Esq.,ithenthMu.sPiae"tic eheering,which continued for
above a minute. The hon. member congratulated the
people of the borough on the evidences of general progrees
in which they, es a portion of tffe community, shared; a
progress which should have its effect upon the educated
claws, and upon those who aspired to rule, no that the
latter might legislate with a due regard to the present chit,
teeter of those they legislated for, perceiving that they well
not a horde of slaves and savages, but forming in the ag-
gregate a free and intelligent nation. Ile thought the main
Cause of that progress was free trade, which, having placed
the means of getting food abundantly with greater ease in
the hands of the people, had enabled them to devote more
time to the cultivation of intellect. That free trade had
been wrung from parliament, however, after many
years of agitation ; and lie asked if :t parliament
I which so reluctantly emelt d to the demands of
right and justice, did not stand in need of reformation P
The events of the last session had strerigthetie l the
deep conviction with which lie entered the tweet., that it
was not adapted to the progresaivo intelligence of the
people. Much of last session had been occupied with
what ought never to have had a place in the house-e•
theological discussions. It seemed at one time as if this
Council of Trent had risen from the dead to hold an
aggregate meeting with a Praise-God Bareboues
rent. (Laughter). The honourable member rapidly re-
viewed the acts passed in the last session of the elect public
import, and especially offered for the support of his consti-
tuents the proposal to establish partnerships cat coatatatalits
as established in France, because of the service he believed
they would be to frugal and skilled workmen, and to young
men of skill and integrity. Naming Mr. Gibson's conunittee
oe the stamp duties, lie declared that the advertisement
duty was a dirty way of raising money for a great nation to
adopt, and that the stamp duty was a very practical censor-
ship on the press, as under it the Bolted of Inland Wrenn*
had very large and very arbitrary powers to determine
what should and what should not be considered a news-
paper, the government actually raising a duty by the exer-
cise of that censorship. Respecting the income-tax, his own
opinion was that property wits a proper object of taxation,
but he was opposed, with Mr. Hume and others, to the in-
equalities, inquisitions, and injustice of the existing income-
tax. lie would suppress the Excise altogether, believing
that it was wrong to enhance the price of articles of food or
luxury by indirect taxation. lie would repeal the malt-tax,
of course, in abrogating the Excise, but he would not do it
on the plan proposed last session by certain parties, who
merely wished to shill the burden and place it on industry....
parties who were not siacere in their di sire for the mitelione-
tion of the condition of the people, fur they voted s. ith the
government in every proposal for extravagant outlay. lie
was not prepared to exchange the duty on beer for one on
bread—(cheers)—as they desired when they put forward the
moderate fixed duty on corn proposal. lie had voted fur the
admission of Mr. S.doinons into the House of Commons, and
he looked forward to a court of justice overriding the deci-
sion of the Commons in reference to that important matter.
Who should parliament treat London and Greenwich in the
same way as they laud treated Sudbury for gross corruption,
by depriving them of their members ? Ile hail voted against
the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill, which he believed would prove
a dead letter. Ile looked with hope on the proceedings of
the session witlt regard to the question of education, and ho
referred, apparently with peculiar plea.ure, to what he con-
ceived to be the altered tone of the dierussioit wheat his bill
was before the house. The plan which had been sanctioned
by the Bishop of Manchester and hit clergy claimed to be
vastly superior to the opposite plan, beeuuse it included
the .• religious bases." Ile denied that he had C‘er said
that a child ought not to be religiously tilueatisl ; he
only denied the right of the State to interfere with this.
parental right and duty to teach religion. The new Man-
chester selteive, though it made some provision tier et ligioue
teaching, made none fur the improvement of education.
or for raising it to a higher standard. Ile eulogised the Irish
system of education, given under governmental sanction,
as producing proper effects, such us were not presented
in thin country. The educational system in that country,
which did, fu fact, entrust the secular anal the reli-
gious part of the training to separate halide, raised up
that barrier against crime which the state of }MOM& gaols
showed was not set up by education as given in England.
In this country the per ventage of criminals who had Inca,
educated wits increasing, hut in Ireland it was decreasing,
anal he held that to he a Let distinctly proving his view of
the comparative merits of the two systems ; for more chil-
dren were being educated in Enalaiti, yet more gut into
gaol. Ile objected to the Manchester new scheme that It
did not provide tor graituateilinstruction, and that, therefor*,
it would he inellicient, while the school rats would become
little more than a large and additional endowment to the
church, which had already several millions a year for
teaching religion to the people, anal per cent. of the
national grant for education. The hon. member sae*.
quently referred to his well•known ,views on electoral i•e
form, and concluded a lung speech amid much applause.
It was thou resolved unanimously: That the thanks
of this meeting be given to Wan. Johueon Fox,
M.P., for 116 very able and eloquent address; and thug
meeting testifies its approval of Mr. Fox's parliamentary
conduct, and pledges itself to support him in any future
election."

Alter a brief response from Mr. Fox, and a cute of thanks
to the eliairut.in, the proceedings terminated.

THE FATAL EXPLOSION NEAR
MANCHESTER.

In the Express of Tuesday we gave n short
account of an explosion of gunpowder at a shop in Pendle-
bury, near Manchester' by which a Mrs. Musgrove was
seriously injured. She died on almulay afternoon, from
the edicts of the injuries she had received. The inquest
upon the body of the deceased was held at the Royal Oak
lon, Pendlebury, yesterday afternoon, before Mr. W. S.
Rutter, county coroner. After the jury had viewed the
body, the following evidence was taken:—
Robert Atkinson, Peuillebury—The deceased lived oppo-
site to where I do. About half-past six o'clock on Friday
evening last, I was in my kitchen. I heard a loud report,
and in consequence ran nut to see what it avow from, and
saw the house of deceased falling down. I went to it, and
then heard a scream from the deceased, who was amongst
the ruins, but could not see her. There was a smouldering
of tire amongst the ruins, as of clothes burning. There had
been a shop attached to the house' and the sound I heard
appeared as if the deceased was between the counter and
the Willi. I raised up the counter, which Was nearest to me,
and the deceased then put up her arm. I took huld of it at
the dhow, but my hand slipped down in consequence of
the skin cooling off. I then took hold of her shoulder, and
pulled her until others could get hold of her as well, and
shc was got out and carried into the Royal Oak public-
house. The deceased screamed when we pulled her out, bat
said nothing. tier clothes were burned off up to her
waist, and her legs were shockingly burned.
Nathaniel Wardle—l live near to where the deceas. d did.
On Friday night, I was leasing work and heard a loud re-
port like the sound of a cannon. That was followed by
two similar sounds immediately afterwards. I then ran,
and 54W that the house of the deceased lied Mika down.
No one was to be wen, but I heard the deceased scream, and
could sec that her clothes were burning. I helped to re-
move the bricks until we saw her, and then I assisted 10
pall her out. She called out, " Don't pull me." After
getting her out of the ruins, we laid her down and began
to put out the fire. She was then brought to this 110U141.
After that I saw the youngest of the children got out appa-
rently from behind where the deceased was. It was burned,
and was brought here, as was also the other, upon being
found shortly afterwards.
James Cropper—l live about 20 yards from Musgrove's
shop. On } riday night last, whilst sitting at nay tea, I
heard a noise like a laid falling. I run out and found the
road full of smoke. Five or six of us stood, and iu a little
while we heard some ono making a noise, but could not tell
where it was. In about 10 minutes the smoke cleared away,
we heard the deceased screaming, and then we went to-
wards where she was. When we got to the house we found
that it was blown down. We found that the deceased was
behind the counter, and some of them broke it down and
pulled her out. There was a great smell of gunpowder; 110
strong a smell that it made me go away. After she was
taken out the deceased was brought here. I did nut OW
anything of the children.
John Musgrove, shopkeeper, Pendlebury—The deceased,
who was my wife, was 32 years of age. One of the children is
between three and four, and the other between seven and
eight years of age. At the time the accident happened I
should be about Windsor-bridge, on the road to Man-
chester. I arrived at home about eight o'clock. I imme-
diately went tone my wife. I said to her, " Sarah, how-
ever has this happened ?" She replied, John, I don't
know." I asked her if she had been weighing gunpowder,
and she sail that she had not at the time, and that then
was no customer:in the shop. She haa not told Inc how it
happened, but has several times said that she did not know.
I kept gunpowder. The unopened casks were kept in
the store-room, over the shop, where I never went with
a light. The cask from which we were selling was
always kept on a shelf in the shop. There was in the
shop at the time of the explosion, about 161 b. or 171 b.
I had two other unopened casks, neither of which
exploded. About 21b. of the powder in the shop
I was in a cask, another portion in a I age jar with a lid,
both of them being upon a high shelf. The remainder
of the powder was in a glass bottle with a patent cork,
and that was kept on a shelf near the window. We
used gas in the shop. I had no other explosive matters In
my shop. I had some spirits of turpentine and oil in the
cellar; but that is all safe. Dr. Davenport has attended
the deceased. The deceased was over venturesome, and
rather headstrong in dealing with the powder, and I hare
often blamed her myself. About twelve months since she
told me that she had dropped the candle into a cask of
powder and took it out again without the occurrence of an
accident.
_ _

The coroner having briefly summed up, the jury, after
very little consideration, returned a venl iet of " Accidental
death from the explosion of gunpowder."
The two children of the deceased are still lying at the
Royal Oak Inn, in a very precarious condition, and but
slight hopes are entertained of their recovery.