The Express.
London, England, 1847-07-03 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL.

THE COLLIERY EXPLOSION NEAR WIOAN.—The results
of this shocking accident have turned out to be much more
serious than was at first reported. At an inquest held on
one of the sufferers, John Berry, at Aspul, on Thursday
night, it was given in evidence that in all twenty-seven
persons had suffered by the tire : that instead of only one
collier being missing, as stated in the Manchester Uuarchnn,
six were, up to that time, still in the mine, supposed to be
burnt to death or suffocated : that three of these taken out
of the mine (including Berry) were dead : and that of the
remaining eighteen, several were very badly burnt, and
might no, recover. The miners had pursued a very danger
ous system in the mine—it being a common practice
for them whilst actually working with their Davy safety
lamps, as a protection against the fire damps, to
explode gunpowder to save hand labour in breaking the
coal. In this way the foul air was often ignited, but the
Same had been prevented from spreading; and on this
occasion, en Tuesday morning, after the accumulated gas
ha 4 fired,the men appear to have struggled against it for
more than two hour', and to have attempted, by building
brick wells agrees the workings, to confine it to one locality.
They s,vere at length driven from the mine by a large body
ofthe h're-damp exploding, leaving six of their number
actually s•astled up in the neighbourhood of the original fire,
which had esiumunicated with the seam of coal ! It was
stated on the Inquest that it was not known whether these
men were dead or Alive, but it was thought impossible they
could be alive; —sr. Roberts. attomey for the miners'
union, stated th.vt colliers had offered to go down
since the explosion, and try to rescue these men ;
but this statement was denied, and on. of the
owners of the collietw (Mr. John Lancaster) said the
stopping up of the mine, which was still on fire, had
been effected solely fur the purpose of preventing a_greater I
sacrifice of life ; but when the Are had abated, as at-

tempt could be safely made, parties should descend and make
search for the ail missing colliers. No witness present at the
time, in that part of the mine where the explosion occurred,
could be brought before the coroner to give the details ; but
it war stated that one of the men who Lad been badly burnt
was likely to ri cover, and might. in that case, be able to
afford some sati.fretory evidence. In this expectation the
coroner adjourned the inquiry till Thursday next. The bodies
of the other two men who have died were lying in town-
ships in the jurisdiction of another coroner, and the inquest
on them was fixed to take place yesterday; but only the same
witnesses would be obtained as h►d been examined on Thurs-
day, and whose evidence was not satisfactory, because it did
not throw any light upon the immediate cause of the ex-
plosion.
ALLEGED STOPPAGE OP THE PRESTON NEW BANK.—
It was rumoured at Manchester, yestA rday, and indeed the
fact was placed beyond doubt, that the old end highly
respectable bank of Mesas. Clayton and Co., at Preston, had
stopped payment. They are said to have been creditors to a
large mercantile concern that stopped, and this caused a run
for deposits. It is rumoured, however, that there will be nu
loss sustained by the public, beyond a temporary• suspension
of payments.

FALL OP A VIADUCT.IOII Thursday morning, at an
early hour, one of the arches of the lofty viaduct nnw in
course of erection at the Dewsbury end of the Leeds,
Dewsbury, and Manchester Railway, fell with a tremen-
dous crash, in consequence of too large a quantity of striae
having been placed on one aide before the base had been
properly backed up. No person was injured, and as the
works generally are in a forward state, the recurrence is
not likely to retard the final completion of the line.
NORTRU3IBEIILAND.
OPENING OF TILE NEWCASTLE AND RENWICK RAIL•
way.—Several weeks have elapsed since the greater portion
of this railway was opened to the public; but it was not
until Thursday last that the intervs flint( gap—from Morpeth
to Chathill—was removed, and complete railway communi-
cation established between London and the metropolis of
Scotland. At half-past seven on Thursday morning, a train
of about a dozen carriages left the Newcastle terminus, con-
eeying, besides passengers, Idr. Allport, manager of the line;
Mr. iletcher, of the locomotive department ; Mr. Benison,
the engineer ; Mr. WKay, traffic-master ; and others con-
nected with the undertaking. The train made the ordinary
stoppages at the stations, and reached Berwick—a distance
of 6.5 r miles—in three hours. There was no demonstra-
tion on the part of the company, that being reserved
until the completion of the high level bridge across
the Tyne, nor were there any symptoms of festivity at either
and of the line ; but at Lesbury, near Alnwick, flags were
exhibited, and, at other places, bodies of spectators assem-
bled. Beyond this, there was nothing which could inform a
passenger that he was travelling in the first through train,
instead of ono of the ordinary trains, which will now run
daily. The viaducts across the rivers Blyth, Wansbeck, and
Coquet are still incomplete, but temporary single line bridges
have been erected to prevent delay.
SURREY.
COMMIEdION HY THE LORD LIEUTENANT.— B. Cohen.
E q., to be deputy lieutenant.
1,11.17112 1,

COMMISSION BY THE Et/ILDEIEUTENANT.-Sir IL Paulet,
But., to be major, vice Sir J. Gardiner, North or Ist Regi-
ment of Militia.

COMMIMSIONS BY THE LORD LIEUTENANT. Sir It.
Mon, But, to be captain,:vice Paris; Sir It. Murray, But..
to be cornet, vice Meta, in South Herts Regiment of
Yeomanry Cavalry.
CORNWALL

GOOD WORK POE WAR STRAMERA.—The French war
steamer, Vanden, Capt. De Vanhelle, last from Deal, put in
to Falmouth on Thursday, on the errand of usisting, by
towing, any vessels she might meet with, grain-laden, bound
to the French ports.
__

OXFORDSHIRE.
Gams PRESERVERS.—At the Chipping Norton county
court, this week, William Busby, a farmer's lad, sued Mr.
Peel, a cousin of the ea-premier, a gentleman residing at
Broaddone.hill, Chipping Norton, and Thorned, one of hit
gamekeepers, for assault and false imprisonment. The plain-
tiff laid his damages at 101. The defendants in their plea
admitted the assault, and paid IL 21. into court for damages,
and 18s. to cover costs. This the plaintiff refused to take,
and hence the trial. It appeared that the plaintiff, an or-
phan boy, resides with his grandtather, Mr. Norwood,
of Ileythrop • Mr. Peel rents of the Earl of Shrewsbury
the nght of sporting over the manor of Heythrop.
In the agreement the tenants of the earl are al-
lowed to kill rabbits when they accumulate, but not by
shooting them. Mr. Harwood, who is a tenant of the earl,
found the rabbits very destructive to his crops, and be
directed the plaintiff to destroy them. About three weeks
ago the boy shot a rabbit. The sound attracted the defendants
to the spot, and they came to him. Thornettaaid, This is
just what I wanted to nee;" and demanded the gun of the
lad. The plaintiff refused to Rive it up. Mr. Peel told
Thornett, "togo to work." Thorned did so by throwing
the boy down. He then took the gun from him,: Another of
Mr. Peel's keepers came up ; and on thelboy's refusing
to go with them to a magistrate they bumped
his head several times against a gate, and hurt him. They
afterwards, late at night, forced him to Barton, about four
miles, to the residence of a magistrate. The magistrate not
being at home, the boy was then turned out at about ten
o'clock at night. On his way to Barton, one of the keepers,
by Mr. Peel's orders, set a dog at him. On the boy's arrival
at home he was described ss being in a sad plight, covered
with blood which had flowed from his mouth, nose, and
ears." Mr. Peel laid an information against him for shoot-
ing rabbits. This had been heard at Chipping Norton, and
the plaintiff had been fined 51. The jury returned a verdict
for 10/., the whole amount claimed, and the judge awarded
full costs. .

EARL. FITZICILL7AZ AND Fitr NCH EXE I niTtox.—The
Lincoln Mercury of yesterday says, " The noble earl com-
plained the other day in the ileum of Lords, that a fee of
2d. had been demanded of him on his going into St. Paul's
cathedral, He said, ' When he went last year into St.
Peter's at Rome no 2d. was demanded ; and he could go into
York minder without paying anything. He trusted this
discredit to the country (of demanding money for looking at
a church] would be speedily removed.'—is his lordship aware
that in his own city of Peterborough, Gd. is demanded abe
from every person on going into the minster (except during
divine service) ?—and if shown over it, ls. at least is ex-
pected. Now, if the noble earl wi-lic. to put atop to such
unholy exactions, would it not be praiseworthy and advis-
able for him to urge the long-wished-tor reformation at
home ? The practice of making the House of God a show
for lucre
is lucre, whether it he St. Paul's or Peterborough Cathe-
dral,irreverent; and henna the chinch, by producing the
reflection that is many things the pectin of the priests
smacks of rapacity, and contradicts the doctrine they arc ap-
pointed to preach."

ESSEX.
THE NEW RAILWAY.—The works of the Mahlon,
Witham, and Braintree Railway, are now assuming a very
business-like aspect. All the 11106 t difficult parts of the line
have been commenced, and there ore upwards of 1,000 men
Issioloyed. The earthworks in the Braintree direction are
for some distance completed, and a considerable length of
dm permanent rails laid down. The bridges are now in
a forward state on this portion of the line, and the but-
Moses are run up ready to Ix mire the girders at the junction,
where the railway posses under the Colchester turnpike road.
The extensive pile driving at Wickham Milli, where ti.e
Na. parses ovi r the various streams there, is also nearly
etecl. At Maldon the situation originally assigned for
the terminus has been altered, and the terminus, with
wharfs, is now to be at the northern instead of the southern
owner of Pottle Marsh. The passenger station nt the n-
uance of Islaldon from Heybridge will forthwith be com-
menced, and is to be a brick one. The contractors confi-
dently assert that the line will be completed by the stipu-
lated time, October, 1847; and this event is ver. anxiously
looked forward to, we believe, by all parties resident in the
•
lecalitier thr nigh which the railway passes.