The Express.
London, England, 1847-04-06 00:00:00

14011THUMBEItLAND.

TUN Eorcertote;:CilatZLOn Thursday evening, the
25th ult., a meeting was held at Bentham, at which the Itev.
Messrs. Rogers end Shaw, and also other gentlemen, spoke
in oondeennation of the government scheme, and a hck•tile re-
solution was moved and seconded. Before, however, it was
put from the chair, Mr. Robb, of Rexham, stepped upon the
platform, and vindicated the measure of the government.
Oa a show of hands, the numbers were so nicely balanced
that it was difficult to say on which side there was a pre-
ponderance, but a correspondent states that the resolution
was lost. " Take it, however, which way they like," he
observes, " the opponents of the government plan at Ben-
ham must look upon themselves as defeated, and that upon
their own ground."

.....
TEE FORCE or CREDIILITY.—At Stockport last week
Hannah Butterworth was charged with using abusive lan-
guage to Elizabeth RoLimon. There had been a difference
between them for some weeks, arising from an impression
entertained by the defendant that the complainant bad a
ring of hero A police-officer was applied to, and by ocular
demonstration the defendant was convinced, at least for a
time, that the ring worn by the complainant was not hers.
Still haunted by the old impression, however, she applied to
a fortuneteller, who told her that complainant had the ring,
and, relying upon this statement, her prejudices against the
complainant were so stimulated, that she continued the abnse
with doable vigour, and hence the present summons. Legal
' gentlemen were engaged on both sides, but the matter was
I at last settled by the defendant paying the costs, and pro-
milling not to offend again.

THI DIME 07 P OSWI:WIZ L6n Sunday evening a
servant arrived at the Chesterfield station with a message,
to be conveyed, per electric telegraph, to Sir Benjamin
Brodie, in London, requiring that gentleman's immediate
attendance on his grace, in consequence of sudden and
serious indisposition. Sir Benjamin arrived at Chesterfield
in conseptence;the following morning about eleven, pro-
, ceeded to Welbeek, and departed again tor London yesterday,
the noble duke being much better.—C/iesterjtelel Courier.

LINCOLNSHIRE.
SINGULAR Crsrau.—An exception to an old rule took
place at the pariah church of Cantor on Sunday se'nnight.
For very many years it has been the custom in that parish
church to have a gad whip, with a purse tied to its lash con-
taining half-a-crown, flourished over the pastor's head
during the service every Palm Sunday, by a man from
Brooghton. This custom, however ridiculous wee under-
stood to be necessary, or the church, it was mid, would low f,
an estate, left on condition that the custom be at all times "
kept up on Palm Sunday]. Sir Culling Eardley Smith, and
several other influentiil gentlemen, formerly tried to pre-
vent the gad being cracked, but finding it could not be
legally laid on one side, they withdrew all opposition. How-
ever, on Sunday ae'nnigbt the gad was there, and the man
was there ready to perform the usual ceremony, which
caused an unusually large congregation to he thereto wi'ness
the exhibition ; but through the interference of an individual
it was not allowed to proceed. Thus ended a curious ens-
tom: whether legally or not, our informant cannot decide.
LEICESTERSHIRE.
AN AWKWARD PREDICAMENT.—On Friday evening
week, about dusk, a man named Mugg, of Burton-on-the-
Welds, having been to eec his brother, at Sherwool, near
Nottingham, an returning home on the Flood-road, took it
into his head to jump over the wall opposite the skinner's
house, and mistaking the locality he fell, not upon the bank,
as he intended, but into the canal. The water et that place
is very deep; and, as he was unable to swim, his situation
was one of extreme peril. He contrived, however, by dint
of much struggling, to reach the side; but being near the
*even arches, there is a smooth wall down to the water's
edge, so that he was unable to get out. Fortunately, he
found a corner in which there was a ledge sufficiently low
for him to cling to ; and in that position he remained for
tee or three hours. His shouts for help were not noticed
by the paten by; or the place where the poor fellow
was fixed was so removed from sight that it could not be
ascertained whence the cries proceeded. At last, a
person discovered Mugg's " whereebout," and immediately '
went to the Trent Bridge Inn for assistance. It was now
quite dark, but four young men procured from the Trent
side a light skiff, and launching it in the canal, proceeded to '
fetch him off. Some time was thus lost, for the boat had to'
be carried a good distance over land ; and when they arrived
at the spot, they found that some persons had let down a
rope from the bridge close to him, hut he was so benumbed
as to be quite unable to grasp it. He was, in fact, in the last
stage of exhaustion, and there can be no doubt that had
assistance been only a few mioutes later. he would have
slipped from his hold and been drowned. He was with con-
siderable difficulty lilted into the boat and conveyed to the
Union Inn, where he was put to bed. He had, however, so
completely lost the use of his limbs that he was obliged to be
earned into the house; nor was he able to utter a word.
Every attention was paid him, and he at length recovered.
HAMPSHIRE.
HELPING SHE Poore.—H. Cook, Esq.. of Tithaley, last
week bought a number of seeks of potatoes, at 18s. a sack,
resolving to furnish each poor industrious man with one
saik of three bushels; the land he allows them to have rent
free. The only stipulation he makes with the recipients is,
that all shall be planted, and if the crop be good the quan-
tity furnished to he returned; if not, the poor will have
nothing to pay either for land or seed.
sieeeseissiiimre

ErAcrioN GOSSIP.—Two of the sitting members for this
county are, it is said, desirous of retiring, and Col. Calvert,
Mr. Hale, Spencer Cowper, Sir E. Bawer Lytton, and
Mr. Bosanquet have, according to the Hertford Mercury,
declined the honour of being placed in nomination. nevi-
sitions are now in course of signature, to be presented to Ur.
Brand, • gentleman of Whig politics and much respected in
the county; and should he consent to be a candidate his re-
turn is regarded as certain.