The Express.
London, England, 1849-11-20 00:00:00

piastres, they have both out-lived their tirm of
eserpatien, and what is still more remarkable, the
fall of emelt of them has been caused by the °envie-
ties that he was abandosiVe plain he had
undertaken to fallow, and es the • ' ye
ot whom he bed more hat •
coatributed to expel. 1
Tan pet:sleeted exhi* -
r," I .111
Nations" hes met with ~: Ir,
lieu was reesseably be • . •
stage of the undertaking. It has been ltvemrably
mereliiMelin Jassy of the chief nianefeetweing teems
of the Mated Kingdom, and men of hawks hasp,
come forward to give it a cordial support. Morel
ihmalkis scald net be =peeled, salsa' ea the prepo-
sition retained the moms, of &sneer with whielii
in the emmesseeemmet it mast aireassarily be itivmae
It is saw time that the public should see a little fur-
Oakdale' tliKteasise, Ise ikii &Ism density
idea of what is really- prejested, sad bow it is to be
aer
r=wishimg to end fault with the "depute-
ion'. whisk baa bars somewhat pompously styled
"Prints Urines Deputation," we are obliged
to exprem an opiate°, which we fear is not
eoafkAd to ourselves, that the gentlemen
oomposieg it went forth, or were sent forth,
without any distinct notion of what they were to do,
or how meth they were to tell to the various meet-
ings assembled to listen to their statements. If we
are not mistaken, it was said on every occasion that,
so far, every thing was to be deemed " preliminary,"
and that nothing was flxed,—that in fad, the deputa-
tion were sent out to feel the public pulse,
and to aectrtain if the great pr ojeet were
' likely to And friends among those who
mime maid ensure its sucessefal aeeomplishusent
the proposition has doubtless met with
trun some cartage became it was said to have
originated with Prince ALBEIT, still there have not
been wanting strosg proofs of an indisposition to en-
ema:age the establishment of exhibitions of this
nature connested with the government, the ex-
peons of whisk were to be defrayed oat of the public
taxes. At the meeting in London Mr. Hume, ALP.,
and others objected to any government expenditure
for mach amperes, and we think with great propriety,
inasmuch as the adoption of the plan or expending the
public funds for each objects might lend to great ex-
travagance and to not a little jobbing, and would also
teed to lemon the public and popular sympathy which
it is most desirable, and even neesseary, should be
aroused on behalf of the scheme. The views ex-
pressed so opportuaely by Mr. HUMS have toad a
response in several of the provincial towns sad cities
wise, meetings have been held, and we were led to
conclude, therefore, tbat the management of the exhi-
bition was to be popular, and such as to enlist an uni-
versal sympathy in its favour.
It is time now that the point were settled, and that
elite distinct avowal were made. At the Mancheatir
meeting, Mr. BRIGHT made some suggestions on this
point which are not unimportant He asked infor-
mation as to the constitution of the committee of

management, and suggested that it should be partly
composed of gentlemen from the district or local
committees; and he further expressed a hope that
some foreigners eminent in manufactures, or
science, or art, should be invited to join the committee
to give effect to its efforts abroad, and to give con-
fidence to all who might cootribute to the exhibition
from foreign countries. To these suggestions no dia.
ticct answer was given. The deputation did net,
commit themselves to anything, and possibly they had
no powers to enter into positive declarations on any
particular points. But some declaration mast be made,
and the public must be told the object, and scope,
and mode of management of the whole design.
We are the more anxious on them pints from
certain rumours that have reached 1111. We begin to
fear that the silence of the deputation arose from the
fact of their knowledge of some armor manta then
made co• in progresr, having a tendency or direction
quite contrary to that indicated by the tome of the
speeches at the various meetings they attended. We
may be is error, and hope we are so, but we havehsard
on good authority that the Society of Arts, or he
council, have made arrangements of such a nature as
to make it quite evident that the public are to have
nothing to do with the affair but to subscribe the
funds, provide the materials for exhibition, and pay
their mosey again to see them when collected under
one roof in Hyde-park. It is sold that the council of
this society have already entered into a contract with
• arta* builder or capitalist for the erection of
the great hall for the exhibition, and that this
nutmeg has been signed by every member of
the council, with, we believe, only one exception.
We have heard the amount at which the contract is
said to have been taken, and as it approaches the /UM
sties hundred thousand pounds, we feel justified in
ceseleding from this fact, if it be a fact, that the !So-
ciety of Arta have assumed to themselves the Imps-
sibtlity of this great undertaking. and that the teed
calling in the ad rice or co-operation of the pulls Me
never been entertained at all, or if It hes bees eats&
toined,thst it is now wholly abandoned. Frouatirway in
which thiainformation has reached as wecsasetelmabtits
sorrectness, and we place it before our readers in the
hope that an explanation may be promptly given,
kr we greatly fiat that without that general and
hearty support which the public will only give to •
frank and open appeal, the project of this magnificent
exhibition of the utdustry of all nations will prove a
disastrous and ridiculous tailors.

FACTORY DEBTHOTED ET FIRE AT MIDDLETON
About 2 leek& en Thursday mornieg a Ire was disoovered
in the lame Mese mull bolesifing to John Burton, E-q., now
la the sesentedies'ef Mr. J. Pilling. It we. first new in the
third stsety. Mimeses' belonging to Salk flokwabs,
BK., BlWee prints:elks, was ate spot shortly after 3
o'clock , and resdered o;servico, by envies the gas-house
and engine-bow adjo the mill; but the whole of the
new machinery, dams, an cotton in the factory (which is 24
windows in length, and four storeys and tie attic in height)
were destreyed. Nearly the whole walls of two storeys have
fallen. Mr. Pilling has had the factory for about
tea 11111111.11 k but daring that period he has bad
ease egagioyed constantly In repairing, Lying, and
Cyew machinery, and In a few days it would have
a Ihr workhm and employing many morn hand,.
it England 6e-ongises from Oldham arrived about
Ike Alma. The females nevi/ twenty in number, left
wet at the still at six o'clock on Wedneafty evening, and a
insottanfa, sassed James Knight, and another man, named
Daniel Fletcher, were in the mill at work at half-past seven,
at which time they left when all appeared tight. There was
no watchman. The machinery belonging to Mr. Pilling
consisted of one new roving and one drawing frame,
together with the mewing of twenty-two carding engines ;
the rest belonging to Mr. Burton, the owner of the
premises, whose property, we understand, is insured. The
neWaboure ware much alarmed, owing to the gasometer being
full of ass ; hut. fortunately, John Taylor, an engineer at the
Middleton Old Hall cuiton mils,with providential forethought,
proceeded at once to the gas sad allowed it to escape. Had
this ant been done, there is no doubt but more serious injury
would have occurred. No account eta be given how the fire
originated. On the 25th of March, 1848, Mr. Pilling had a
large cone* mill burst at Nat Bank, near Heywood, by
which be sustained very heavy lota. He is • very industrious
and respectable individual, much respected by his hands and
neighbours. It is rather singular that a place like Middle.
ton, with a population et about 12;000, and where there are
Demirel cotton and silk mill, should be without a public fire-
engine. There formerly was ace, but It Is now in paws,
owing to the ratepayer refusing to pay for the »pun. The
machinery belonging to Mr. Burton was insured for 6,0001. in
the West ofEngland dam at Manchester, but this will not,
It is said, cover the amount adenine. The building was a
very long bat narrow one, and was first erected sad formerly
used far calico printing. It was insured, and was not so
wall calculated for a cotton mill as the buildings that are
now erected ; but it bad been put into excellent working
order. having undergone considerable repairs. During the
mulleins of Mr. Seberabe's workpeople to estloguish the
Saner, and prevent them from destroying the engine, and
also the building clef the gar works, two brothers, John
and Ebert Fletcher, were severely injured; the latter
had two ribs broken, and was otherwise -bruised by falling
from a window—the elder brother (John) f ll from the
roof of the newly (meted building at one end of the mill.
There is no doubt bat that if there had been another fire-
elegise at the time Mr. Schwabe's arrived, a great portion
both of the building and machinery would have been saved,
as it was the sole means of saving the new building, the
engine house, and the building over the gasworks.—Maw-
au. er Examiner.
A SLaarina PARTNER.—A man named Welch,
lately residing at Totem, in the employ of Mr. Fowler,
railway contractor, has bean robbed of 1701. by an ingenious
device. The thief, thinking Welch had money, and know-
ing in wt.at employ he had been, told him he bail taken a
large railway contract, mid wanted a partner who could
advance 2001. or 3001. Welch, before parting with any
money, thought it advisable to me what the contract was,
and tack away with him 170 sovereigns. On arriving at the
ineei.ded spot they slept together twice, and on the second
• morning Welch .memsdi his partner, and has not since heard
of him. Welch happened to have a return tick-% and so
returned home, but did not miss the money for three days.
His wile then thinking he might have sprat too much moor,
' re quested him to count his money over, when, to the great
surprise of both, the purse contained nothing bat halfpence
and farthings, the sovereigns having been ex:hanged for the
• baser cols.