The Express.
London, England, 1860-09-08 00:00:00

DEATHS FROM THE. INFLAMMABILITY OF

CLOTHING.

The public mind, so slow to be moved in all that
suggests the sacrifice of old habits, takes but lazily to the
idea of adopting any of the solutions recommended for ren-
dering ladies light clothing non-inflammable. Meantime a
constant suocession of deaths occur due to this sole. muse.
The total number of persons who died in the United King.
dem from burns and maids during the year 1858 was 3,125.
Of these, uo small proportion met with their deaths by their
clothes catching lire. Neither number nor rank is wanting
to emphasise the sad calamities due to the habitual
employment by ladies of light and combustible attire.
This lest week adds to the list of victima,the Countess de St.
Mamault, one of the Princess ladies of honour,
who has just expired at Paris from the effect of burns which
she had received while endeavouring to save another lady
whose dress had caught fire at a ball. Not even royalty
Las escaped these Perils ; and the severe burns some time
since collared by the Princess Frederick William of Prussia,
owing to the ignition of her dress while she was in the
act of sealing a letter, led to the institution of the latest
and most sumesdul inquiries into the means of prevent-
ing the ignition of light textile fabrics. These investi-
gations were undertaken at the express desire of the
Queen ; and it is stated by Messrs. Versmann and Oppen-
helm that the solutions of tuogotate of soda, cud
other sate which they recommend, may be employed
without risk of injury to the texture or colours of the fain ie.
Granted that there may be a tinge of partiality in the
opinions of these chemists, so valuable an immunity is
cheaply purchased by the loss of a creamy shade of white.
'mess, or the variation of a tint in the many-coloured goa-
-1 samer robes of fashion. Let our modern beauties shun the
example as they would the fate of the moth. Modern
chemistry offers them the means of decking their forms in
bright vestmente which defy the flames that may in a
moment render those they now wear more fatal than the
robe of Dejanirs. Steeped in these choreic waters, their
stuffs will crumble, but never burn amidst the fiercest
flames ; and decked in these plumes, rivalling the feather',
of the phomix, beauty may frolic secure from firs.—Lanrct.

Tea STAFFORD MURDISRLE.—The man Twigg,
who is now in Stafford gaol waiting his trial for the wilful
murder of hie wife, at Bilaton, in that county, I at written
two letters to his relations, who have now the charge of his
children, in which he refers with poignant feelings to the
cause to which his erinie is traceable. He tells his children
" never to look at drink and liquors, to knock off bed cono.
any, and prepare to meet Gol, for their wicked drunken
father's lake." To his wife's brother he writes, •'I hove
when your family and mine see liquors and drink they will
take it to be a sting from a merpent, for Icy sate." In the
second letter he fourtimes refers to the " drink and liquors"
as having influenced him to murder his wife, whom he calls
his "tender bosom friend." Again, "for his sake," he
urges his " butty workmen never to look at drink nor
liquors ;" and concludes by saying, " God knows I little
thought I should have been snatched away like this, through
drunkenness."
Amongat the passengers from Liverpool by the
American steamer to-day (Saturday) will be Mr. W. S.
Lindsay, M.P.
The Captain of the Edwin, of Padatow, from
Newport to the Gannet, reports having picked up near
Lundy, on the 4th inst., a life preserver, marked Cos.
rick,* Hull, and a portion of a cabin—a slide. A small
cask was Boating near the articles_pieked up.
CRYSTAL PALACE.--ONR SHILLING DAY.--FRI-
DAY, Sarno' aEs 7.—Admissions on payment, 4,241 ;
ditto by season tickets, 1, H 2; total visitors, 5,523.
EPPS'S 1:10l0EOPATIIIC COCOA. —.deliciour
yenta, grateful aneiothne.n. and invigneatime power have pro
area Da ;en, ral adoption as a breakfast beverage.
11'.. pockets, ana per lb., b the principal genesis,
.4.laincs Stipa. Hot idiopathic OModeS Lowden.' —Ad
rerlisemsi.