The Express.
London, England, 1847-12-21 00:00:00

SOUTH LANCASHIRE ELECTION.

Yesterday the election of a representative for South
Lancashire, to supply the vacency crated by the determina-
tion of the doubly-elected Hon. C. P. Vl!lers to sit for
Wolverhampton, took place at Newton-in-the-Willows.
There was a large attendance of freeholders present, and,
among other gentlemen, were—W. Gale, Esq., High She-
riff ; F. Yarker, Esq., Under Sheriff; W. Brown, Est; ,
M.P.; R. Cohden, Esq., M.P.; W. Rathbone, Esq., and
C. Rawdon, Esq. (Liverpool); (*.Wilson, Esq.; A. Henry,
Esq. (the candidate); T. Bexley, Esq.; S. P. Robinson,
E•q. ; W. M'Cell, Eel.; W. M'Carthey, Esq ; and W. R.
Wood, Esq. (of Msnchester). The usual forms having been
gone through, and a fair hearing having been claimed by
the High Sh• riff for all parties,
Mr. R. Conoarr, M.P., rose amidst great cheering, which
was wound up with a" three-times-three," and spoke nearly
so follows:—Mr. High Sheriff and brother elector,—We
are here to return to parliament a representative for the
southern division of the county of Lancaster, in the place of
the Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers, who was well described
in that writ which has been read to you, a. " our well-
beloved and faithful Charles Pelham Villiers"—(lond
cheers)—who has not, for reasons which have been ex-
plained to u., taken the seat which we tendered him en a.i
former occasion. Gentlemen, deeply as 1 regret the decision;
Mr. Villiers has felt it his duty, on public ground., to tale*:
on this questio , I do not regret that the southern diviait
did itself the honour, and him the justice, to return him as
their member on a former occasion—(cheers)—beconse
at least it has enabled you to perform your duty in the ferns
of the country and of the world in testily ing the high esteems
and gratitude you feel to him ; for never were grateful feel-
ings mere strongly deserved by faithful services in a good
cause. Gentlemen, we are met to find a proper substitute
for Mr. Villiers, and I frankly say it is not an easy task. I
beg leave to submit to your notice a gentleman who is well
known in Manchester, and I believe in Liverpool, as one of
the most extensive merchants, and who has cootribeted pro-
bably more than tiny other person during the last 20 years to
give employment and activity to the staple industry of this
country—a gentleman not only of great wealth, but who has
had the wise discretion to employ it always beneficially—a
;gentleman known as amiabl.• in all the relations of private
life. But these are not the qualifications I should have con-
sidered sufficient to entitle him to your suffrages if he had
not pomesstd others. The gentleman whose name I am
going to mention is well known to all those who hare taken
a more prominent part than be has in the political affairs of
Manchester and in South Lancashire, to have always felt the
strongest riymoitthy in the political, social, and moral pro-
per of his fellow-countrymen ; as one who on alt occasion.
has been ready to give the most substantial proof
of his zeal for the onward movement And if ho has not
been foremost to take part in our proceedings and share in
the triumph., why I take it as the greater proof of his sin-
cerity and disinterettedngss that be has aided the public cause
and left to others the into!. I beg leave to propose to you
Mr. Henry as a fit and proper person to represent this divi-
sion of the county is parliament. (Cheer..) It will be in
the recollection of messy gentlemen here present, that on a
former occasion there was a meeting held at Manchester, not
so numerous as this, at which the name of Mr. Henry was
proposed and adopted as a candidate for this division of the
county. That meeting comprised the names of all those
gentlemen who had subscribed themselves as Mr. Villiers's
termer committee. Circulars had been sent to all those
gentlemen inviting them to attend ; and I mention this that
it may not be supposed that anybody in Manchester, or that
Manchester itself arrogates to itself the right of nominating
a candidate far this division of the county. (Hear.) We
did thick that that committee—which comprised, I bell! ye,
nearly 2,000 namts of gentlemen who had been supporters of
Mr. Villiers—was a fair bode to nominate a candidate in the
plain of Mr. Villiers. And I must say I think it not an invi-
dious proceeding in any way, if as •colleague for Mr. brown,
the moat extensive merchant of Liverpool, and who, in him-
self combines not only all the qualities of private
qualities we could wish.- a thing most essential in a repre-
sentative—but the largest experience in mercantile affairs.
I say if, in addition to our tried friend Mr. Brown, we sent
along with him a gentleman equally eminent as • merchant,
a gentleman equally fitted by his merest tile experience, I
think there is nothing invidious in Manchester and Liner.
pone sending their two first merchants to represent South
Lancashire. (Cheers.) Since I had the honour of sub-
mitting the name of Mr. Fleury as a candidate in Man
chester, Mr. Henry has become better known to the electors
of South Lancashire; he has seen many of the leading
friends of free trade and of liberal principles, and they have
had the opportunity of testing his views on political subjects.
He has talked to them of civil and religion. liberty. He has
talked to them of the ballot. (Cheers.) I am glad to hear
that cheer for the ballot. I never heard any rational objec-
tion to the ballot. To be sure I have heard it said that it is
un•Englith; but then I find that those people who call it
un.Eoglish in our debates in the House of Commons have
just come from the Carlton Club, or from the Bank, or fr !tn
the East India Howe, where they themselves elect
their members by ballot. (Laughter and cheers.) I
believe the ballot has been stigmatised as republi•
can and revolutionary ; but then, gentlemen, I cannot
believe they are Denims, because, if that were the
case, the Carlton and Conservative Clubs must be revolu-
tionary too, since they always elect their members by ballot.
(Cheers and laughter, and a Voice " How do you like
that, Mr. Brown I" followed by renewed laughter.) It is
not in America alone that they elect their representatives by
the ballot. I was travelling in Spain during the election of
their Cortes : they always voted by ballot. And when I
was in Russia I found they always vote et their pariah or
municipal elections by ballot : they have both universal
suffrage and the vote fey ballot in all the empire of Russia.
(Cheers.) Gentlemen, somebody said to Mr. Brown, " How
do you liko that 1" (Laughter.) Well, then, I believe
that Mr. Brown's view of it is this—he cares little how soon
you hare the ballot, but he has his doubts as to the conse-
quences. Now, I do rot argue by predictions at all. Accord.
big to my humble apprehension a great deal of pain and
suffering to a large portion of the constituencies of this
community would he averted by the ballot. (" Hear, hear,"
and cheers.) That is all I wish. The electors would be
able to vote for those they liked heat without the fear of
pains and penalties. (Hear, hear.) Now, gentlemen,
our friend Mr. Henry has stated his views on
other points. He is a church and state reformer.
(Hear, hear.) Well, gentlemen, the best way to
preserve every institntion is to reform its abuses. (Hear,
hear.) Mr. Hilary is not an enemy to the church; he
wishes to reform it, and I find that there are a great many
influential churchmen themselves in Manchester wbo are
anxious to reform the apnoea which have crept into the
pecuniary affairs of the church at Manchester. (Hear,
hear.) Well, he has declared himself the uncompromising
advocate of free trade, and not merely in oorn. He is pre.
pared to carry out his views upon every cemmerciel subject,
beyond the queslien of the corn laws, ut all its ramifleltions.
He has an experience which will enable him to deal with the

tariff upon all articles Then we shall have other questions
which will come before us the next 'melee—the quinine of
the eavigetion laws—(hsar)—upon which Mr. Henry and
our friend Mr. Brown will be able to bring their experience
to hear. Then we shall have the sugar question. We want
firm hands to deal with and to pre vent any tampering upon the
sugar duties. There le a cry from the colonies for an increase
of the auger duties; they want protection back again to help
them out of their diMeulties. Why, what brought them
, into their difficulties t Have they not had protection? Wien
could you adduce better ea a proof of the inefficiency of pro-
tection than the present state of the West India interest
The West Indies have been the child of protection for the
lest thirty years : look at the condition of the planters, and
you will dud the true worthlessness of that rotten prop, pro-
, tection. (Cheers.) But there is another vie. of the Bee
trade question, which I venture to say Mr. Henry will take.
You want not only free trade in corn, and sumer, and "hip-
ping—l don't want merely the putting of cheap bread and
cheep sugar into our months—l want the spirit of free trade
to enter into the hearts of our community—(hear)—l emit
to see our legislators alive to the great moral revolution
which free trade, properly understood, would produce in
other respects if it was believed in. What is it 1 We propose
to abolish or greatly modify our navigation laws—to gave
a free entrance to ships from all parts of the world bringing
all kinds of produce ; to throw open our ports to the pro-
duce of all parts of the world. (Cheep.) Well, gentlemen,
what don that imply ? A growing dependence and sym-
pathy between the people of this country and the whole
civilised world. Tv what must that conduct us 1 Does it
not conduct us, if we are right i our principles, to a spirit
apace, of friendship, and amity throughout the world
If that be the moral tendency of our principles—and I
should never have given teeth.* months attention to the
question if I had not thought it would—what is the use of
talking about the increasing of our armaments? (Chien.)
I ventured at Stockport to allude to that subject, and what I
said there has been greatly misrepresented. It has been
stated that I proposed to sine the country seventeen mil-
lions annually by taking off the army, navy, and ord-
nance. I tad not promise anythisg to you so good as
that. What I said was, that if we are right in our
free trade principles, we must be very wrong in beginning
the year after to put up fortifications all along our coast.
(Cheers.) I said, moreover, the great item of (our expendi-
ture in DID country upon which you could makes • re...lac:ion,
if you attempted to make any reduction at all, was that
great expense of the seventeen =Woos fur army, navy, and
ordnance; and I said then, as I say now, it you cannot
make • reduction of tit t you cannot make any reduction
that will he felt as a tensible reduction of the taxes. (Hem.)
Well, since I have been in this room a gentleman has put
into my hands a paper on the *abject of the tea duties. I
have not read over very attentively what it contains, but
thick I can guess : they want a reduction of duty upon tea
to ls. Ronan of 2s. Well, and it is a very necessary and
very proper change. (Cheers.) Then comes the question,
" How will you make up the revenue ?" I perfecdy agree
that it would be to the auvantage of the country to make
treat reduction. I go farther, and I say it would do far
more good in. extending the trades to China than
sending two or line-et-battle ships, or taking poser siren
of some new in the In;lian Archipelago, as a sort of
half-way Is for our shipping. (" Hear, hear," and
cheers.) ii, gentlemen, you want the money; you
want the us to enable you to do without the money;
and I • nobody come forward with any propmition or
scheme fo lassectieg the taxation. They have diffennt plans
of taxation for sbifuog it, but shift it as you will the load will
gall your shoulders. (Cheers, and laughter.) lam ®e who
believes that this country has nothing to fear from any
foreign country, so lone as she advances on the principles of
fair commercial enterprise. One great evil has arisen from
the grasping disposition of this country to seize upon unoc-
cupied territory, in order to monopolise the exclusive trade
of that territory ; but so long as you throw open your ports,
and throw open those of your colonies—(for they.claim it
now)—the moment you throw them open the feeling of the
whole civilised world towards you changes. (Hear, hear.)
I don't speak, therefore, as a Utopian. People will
try to identify me with Utopia. The views I am ex-
pressing now first made me acquainted with the peop:e of
Lancashire—l moan certain pamphlets which I published
twelve years ago, in which I first put forth the principles
I have since advocated. Free trade has only been a labour of
love with me, that I might carry out those views. 1
believe we are fast tending towards the time when the whole
community will come to the conviction that it is not by
warfare—it is not by armaments, by brute force, that we
are to maintain our friendly relations with other countries.
I am one of those who would slab not to hold out the nettle
—the stinging nettle—by which our diplomatists have too
Ruch :attempted to effect this object. I wain us to hold out
the olive branch. (Loud cheers.) And, if we do, our in-
fluence will be such that you may depend upon it the rest of
the world will be ready to do the same. (Cheep.)
There is not a country of the civilised world that
is not groaning under these immense armaments.
Take France for instance. France has • large standing
army, but compared with the extent of her frontier coasts
she has not • larger army, perhaps, than Russia, Prussia,
and Austria; they are all armed, because the same spirit of
fear towards each other pervades their governments. France
D as mace.), under her immense burden of taxation from this
cause as ourselves, or as Austria, Rued", or Prussia. Now,
I have a great mission for English statesmen I wish Reg-
land to take the leading position in the disarming of all the
powers. (Loud cheers.) I want England, instead of sending
diplomatists to the email, of the continent to quarrel about
the merriage of boys and girls, and to squabble over invite-
' 'ions to dinner —I want her to send her diplomatist* to say :
" We have been pursuing a foolish coarse • we have been
building more ships, and you have been doing the same ;
we have been increasing oar army, and you have done the
same ; we are only at the same point where we began ; now
let us agree to a pro rata reduction of our armaments.
(Loud cheers.) We shall still be on the same footing;
; we shall be saving our respective people the expense we are
now incurring, and if unfortunately we should ever be
plunged into war, we shall all be relatively as well prepared
for it as if it happened under present circumstances."
(Loud cheers) Well, now, gentlemen, do you think there
is anything Utopian in that? (Cheers.) It is common
sense, and I !Teak from an acquaintance with the leading
and most practical men in Europe on this subject. I believe
it would. be practicable to lead Europe back into that course
from which they have passed, as respects standing armies,
with no benefit to themselves, and to the scandal of Chris-
tianity. (Cheers.)
W. RATHRONE, Esq., of Liverpool, seconded the nomi-
nation, speaking chiefly of education, to which he rejoiced
to and their candidate was a friend.
ALEXANDER Haeltv, Km. then addressed the meeting,
and was received with great enthusiasm. He said I con-
sider it no small honour to have been proposed' to you by
I that distinguished philanthropist who has so nobly, through
good and evil report, advocated and established the prin-
ciple of free trade, upon which I now stand before you.
Aud allow me further to say, gentlemen, that I am very
sensible of the deficiencies under which I labour, for no per-
son holds a more humble opinion of the abilities I pesetas
then myself ; but I trust that if in me you find an honest
determination, and an honest perseverance to carry into
effect the great pr:nciples I awn; unced myself as holding
when 1 came forward I hope you will not be
unwilling to overlook def. cts of less esiential im•
portance. Gentlemen, its consenting to become a can-
didate for the representation of this intelligent and im-
portant community, I at the same time determined I would
not palter with you in a double sense, or profess to be that
which I am not; I therefore stated plainly and distinctly
' what I now beg to repeat—that I am the friend of civil and
religious liberty in the largest acceptation of the term; fa-
vourable to the utmost d;ffusion of education, without regard
to sect or party; an advocate for the utmost extension of
commercial treedom ; and for the abrogation of all monopo-
lies and exclusive privileges. These principles I believe ere
becoming the sentiments of this greet constituency,
and if it be your ph genre to send me to parlia-
ment, my votes and my efforts there will be con-
stantly directed to carrying these principles into effect. They
necessitate the passing of just and equal laws—the
enlightenment and moral improvement of the people—the
abrogation, as I said before, of unjust monopolies, and the
admcsion of the principles of free trade, the cultivation of
peace arid goodwill, the practice of rigid economy in the
public expenditure, and the bonnet endeavours of the legis-
lature to improve the condition of the people. (Applause.)
These sentiments, gentlemen, are, as I said betore, the
opinions of a large proportion of the electors of this county,
as I have • right to assume from the result of my canvas..
When was it ever before known such principles should
appear before you without exciting the fiercest opposition ?
How did it happen that the humble individual that has been
brought forward on this occasion, without influence, without
county connexion, s'iould thus he permitted to heroine the
representative of this great, thin intelligent, this enterprising
commuoite, without a contest ? lhe answer is to be found in
that which pays the highest compliment to your own good
sense : you are becoming tired of party politic., and apply-
ing the same good sense to polities which you display in the
conduct of your private affairs. You are no longer to be
governed 4 rabid tontines, but are disposed to give a trial
to the principles I have before abuded to—those of free trade.
In visiting the different districts, and seeing so many of the
electors, I was received in the kindest and most courteous
manner by many who are generally opposed to me in their
political opinions, and many of whom promised me their 6111).
port if we should go to a contest. I observed, gentlemen, in
these visits there were three subjects upon which the public
mind bad been intent first, the diffusion of education and
the instruction of the people ; second, the doing away with
all monopolies and exclusive privileges; and thirdly, the
determination to return to parliament men who are part and
parcel of themselves, men who by their habits, information,
and experience, may be supposed to have a knowledge of
the interests of the community, and these, I believe, are be-
coming the sentiments of some of the more intelligent and
generous-minded of the landed interests. (Loud cheen.)—
After some questions, which Mr. Henry answered aatislac-
torily, ne was declared by the high sheriff duly returned.

IRELAND.
Drum Dec. 19.
Special commissions will soon be in active operation
in three provinces. In Limerick thirty cases of the
most aggravated descriptioo, chiefly capital felonies,
have been selected for the new tribunal. There are
120 prisoners for trial by the commission, and in all
not fewer than 420 in the gaol of Limerick. Having
organised his procedure, and prepared the train for
indictment, Sir Matthew Barrington has crossed the
Shannon, and made a descent into Clare for the same
purpose. There, too, is ample work for the high
commissioners. While this extraordinary mode of
punishment is matter of general notoriety, and
might reasonably be supposed to produce some effect
in the direction of tranquillity, it appears to have '

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 21, 1847.

created no impression whatever beyond a continuance
of crime. On Thursday last a tenant of the Earl of
lienntare was murdered, within one mile of the town
of Hospital, his °fro)°, cons • ' in an anxiety to
pay his rent, which he had 7 made up by the
tip
sale of his produce, on that y, in Bruff. He was
first plundered, then shot dead.

The Limerick Chroxicle, on behalf of " prudent
consideration" and " sound policy," suggests that the
jury panel for the commission should be enlarged by
an amalgamation of the town and country lists. There
can be little doubt, from the well-known character of
the Limerick county juries, that they would in no
case hesitate to Rod on the evidence ; but it would be
scarcely fair to subject them to danger, when the
responsibility may he divided with the town juries,
which are free from all perils of personal violence.
This would be preferable to a change of venue, and
would equally ensure the ends of justice.

Archbishop M'Hale has addressed another long
letter to the Premier. It has little of the figurative
vehemence of his old style, although not devoid of
sarcasm, which wouli have been mom pointed had
the country not been in a condition almost to invite
repressive measures. His grace attacks in bitter
language enough the " maligners of the priesthood,"
and declares that t-, them society has been mainly in-
debted for its existence. The letter altogether is far
more feeble than the usual missives of the archbishop.
The first fruits of the new and " vigorous policy"
are to be a special commission early in January to
the disturbed counties. The clerk of the crown and
crown solicitor of Roscommon are holding commu-
nion on the preliminaries, and in Limerick the
multitudinous staff of Sir Matthew Barrington are
re-organising and preparing to open a serious cam-
pain in Munster. The delay of a special commission
until the reported period is not very intelligible, fur
there is no connexion between that extraordinary
tribunal and the Coercion Act. However, the govern-
ment may be disposed. to attribute some powerful
effect to the operation of both influences working
together.
A proximate estimate of the quantity of land laid
down with green crops in Ireland during the past
season has been made by a Limerick seed merchant,
and considering the practice heretofore subsisting of
abstaining almost entirely from that sort of cultiva-
tion the result is very promising. The quantity of
turnip seed imported into Ireland from England and
Scotland during the past season was 10,000 bushels,
which, at 41b. to the acre, would sow 120,000 acres
with turnips. Probably it would hardly be too much
to say that an equal breadth was laid down under
various other green crops, such as mangel warzel,
parsnips, carrots, vetches, tfte. ; but estimating the
quantity at two-thirds only, we have a breadth of
80,000, or in all of 200,000 acres under green crops.
Next year we shall certainly have one-half more at
the least.

FEARFUL STATE OP THE COUNTRT.—There are symp-
tom, enough indicative of the misery of the people in this
day's journals. The stealing and slaughtering of sheep and
cattle are of ordinary occurrence, and wherever meal, flour,
or potatoes are in store, they can hardly be saved by any
vigvance. There is no doubt at all—neither gentry no
journals deny that these plunderings are prompted by Rrt-
miuguted destitution, and men frequently 101 l in the streets
and on the highways, weakened by long fasting.
SHIPWRECXB.—The Mystery, Port Maddock, went ashore
in Tremor. Bay on Monday last in a fog. Since then she
has gone to pieces. The Energy, of Limerick, went ashore
in the storm of Thursday, at Torbert, on the Shannon. It
is expected she will be got off safely. Tha Limerick
Chronicle thus describes the stor:n of Friday lut:—" Be-
tween twelve and one o'clock yesterday morning a furious
gale of wind set in from the southwest, and continued from
live to six hours, accompanied at intervals by frequent
violent squalls and heavy floods of rain. Such was the force
of the storm that Pat Garrigen, driver of the Duhlin mail,
was blooll off the box-seat of the mach at Carrigatober hog,
near Ninagh, and sustained some injury, not of a character
to prevent him regaining his Mat. Fortunately for the
other passengers, Mr. William Dubbin, Pelted hold of the
reins and kept the horses and vehicle in clear trim, but the
coach arrived late at the put-ollice in this city one hour."

SCOTLAND.
EDINBURGH, DEC. 18.

As this city is not a trading town mercantile ca-
sualties seldom affect as, but owing to joint-stock
speculations, particularly in that of the Ayrshire Iron
Company, the Gazette has this week been unusually
full—the number for Tuesday containing 15, and that
of Friday 18 sequestrations. More are compounding,
and na the number of solvent partners in the above
scheme decreases the penalty will fall so heavily on
the rest that it will take some time to ascertain the
real extent of the damage. Besides bankruptcies
publicly announced some parties have made private
arrangements with their creditors.
An anti-game law meeting is to be held in Edin-
burgh on the 29th inst., with a view to the formation
of a national association for the repeal of the game
laws. Mr. Cowan, M.P., is to take part io the pro-
ceedings. The rumours of legislation is gradually
telling on proprietors—the last case being the Earl
of Stair, who has given his tenants permission to
shoot hares on their own farms.

Mr. Pagan's plan of road reform is advancing in
public opinion. Of thirteen road trusts in the neigh-
bourhood of Glasgow, the representatives, ail except
two, have agreed to it. Thirty public bodies through-
out the country have testified approval ; twelve peti-
tions have been sent to parliament, and eight
members of the House of Commons have expressed
themselves favourably towards it.

EDINBVROH CHAIR OF CLINICAL SURORRT.—The can-
didates are Professor Miller, professor of surgery ; Dr.
Duncan, lecturer on clinical surgery; and Dr. Handyside,
lecturer on anatomy, &c.—all in Edinburgh.
EDINNVROH II anasw CHAIR.—The first diriiion of the
Court of Session has unanimously confirmed the decision of
Lord Robertson, that the presbytery of Edinburgh wero not
entitled to apply fur an interdict against the admission of
Mr. M`Divall; and they hare also unanimously affirmed the
second decision of his lord.hip, granting interdict at the
instance of the moat's, academicus and minority of the town
council. Mr. NPDousll cannot now, therefore, be inducted,
unfree the House of Lords reverse the decision of the inner
court. . .

GLASGOW ATREN /SUM SOIREIL—This flee will take place
on the 28th, Mr. Dickens in the chair, witen be will be sup-
ported by the elite of Glasgow and E.linburgh. The chair-
man and hi. lady aro to be the guests of Sheriff Alison
during thcir visit to Glasgow.
SIR JOHN GLADSTONE has been presented with the free-
dom of Surntisland, tor his exertions in establishing a ferry
bawcen that port and Granion.

PROVINCIAL.
LANCASHIRE. _

COLLISION ON THE MEREIET.—On Sunday morning
the Flambeau steamer left her moorings at the Albert Pier,
for the purpose of proceeding to sea; the Wirral, Woodside
Ferry boat, was at the same time coming from Woodside,
and, when little more than half-way across the riv.r, the
two vessels came into collision. The Flambeau was struck,
or struck herself, on her larboard bow, and was so much
injured that she rapidly filled, and shortly afterwards sunk.
The Thomas Stanley steamer, which was lying near, drew
her moorings to avoid being drifted against, and, before
the vessel went down, took the crew on board. The
Wirral, which, strange to say, had not sustained the
slightest injury, attached a rope and towed the disabled
vessel, in hopes to reach the pier, but did net suc-
ceed in conveying her far before she totally disappeared.
At the time of the occurrence the tide was running in, and
the broad daylight was unclouded by fog. We (Liverpool
Albion) bare heard the most conflicting statements as to the
cause of the collision. The crew of the Wirral affirm that
at the time their engine was stopped, and the helm put hard
a-port. As, however, it is a law of mechanics that, other
things equal, the body which has most velocity is the one
most likely to escape unscathed, it is difficult to reconcile
with their statement the little injury which the Wirral has
sustained. The crew of the Flambeau of course maintain
that the other party were entirely to blame.

THE SA/111'AV/ COMMITTEE OF Tug DONCARTER
TOWN COUNCIL hero commenced a vigorous and well.orga-
nised attack upon the nuisances of the town. It is intended
to thoroughly examine every alley, and court, and ereet,
with a view to expose the sources of fever and disease. For
this purpose the police forte have been engaged to visit every
part of the town, taking specified districts successively, and
they are ordered to make a report of every nuisance that
mimes under their observation. The reports thus derived
will be laid before the sanitary committee, and form the
basis of future messores. The plan adopted by the com-
mittee appears sexy judicious. The police force are neces-
sarily well acquainted with the most obscure and noisome
localities, besides having opportunities of observing mi-
nutely the every day habits of the people amongst
whom illness most frequently and most fatally
prevails. This general inspection will be attended
with other benefits beyond the remedial measures which may
be the mere immediate consequences of it—it will tend to
convince the most sceptical (by no means a small proportion
of the inhabitants of most towns) of the real dangers by
which they are surrounded, and thus cause them to receive
with more complaisance and deference than many of them
are inclined to manifest at present—the suggestions and pro-
positions regarding public health, which are intended to be-
nefit the community at large.

WARWICIUMISE.
PAINFUL DZATH.—On Saturday se'nniglit, the Ser-
vants of Mrs. N. Wright, of Coombe-fields, were much
alarmed in consequence of an intolerable omen, which, upon
examination, they found proceeded from the parlour, where,
to their great consternation, they found Mn. Wright lying

before the fire, literally ►outing, but not dead. They imme-
diately removed the unfortunate lady to the sofa, and pro-
cured the sasietatuse of a surgeon. But death was inevitable,
her hands, arms, breast, and face, being severely burnt, sad
the latter also greatly disfigured; the nose and hair sere
burnt off, and the can reduced to a cinder, requiring the
greatest care to prevent them from falling off. In answer to
inquiries as to how the sad affair took place, she replied she
had not the least idea. She did not appear to feel so much
pain as might have been expected; in short, she appears to
have lost the sense of feeling in the arms, chest, and face,
but she was fully sensible of diuolution, which occurred in
24 hours after. It appears, is the former pert of the
evening, she had been paying the labourers in her service,
and afterwards retired to the parlour to read the news-
paper, where it is conjectured she was taken in a fit, and fell
from her seat. An inquest has been since held. Verd:ct.
Ate.ideatal

CHILD MURDEIL—On Tuesday last a report gained
circulation at Aldeuham that a child kad been murdered by
its mother, which unfortunately proved too true. On in-
quiry, it was found that one of the maid servants of a lady
named Gibbs, living at Aldenham-bouse, had on Monday
delivered htrarlf, and afterwards destroyed her offspring, and
that she was still at the house in the custody of the police.
On Thursday an inquest was held, but it is stated that, for
the purpose of secrecy, the jury were all selected from the
persons who were at work at Aldenhun-house, and that, to
make up the number, the coachman was called from the
stable into the servants' hall, where the it qul'y was held.
Application was made by a repor er to be prevent, but be
was refused admi-sion. with a mesasge directing him " to
leave the premises." The jury having beard the evidence
returned a verdict of " Wilful murder " against the mother.

FO lIT U NAT E EBCA E:LAB the five o'clock train
from Salisbury was panning over the viaduct near Romsey,
on Friday evening, the engineer fanci.d he heard nom. thing
drop from the engi,,e. On arriving at the nest station he
gave information of his suspicions. Two porters were sent
with lanterns, and about midway on the vteduct (which is a
quarter of a mile long), two large pieces of iron, sufficient to
overthrow any train, were found across the rails. But for
this fortunate discovery the consequences might hove been
most serious to tne mail train, whien would have come along
the viaduct neat.