The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-11 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILITARY.

ADMIBALTY, JAN. 10.—APPOINTMENTS.—Master
J. E. Chtppio, so the limpid, for service in ill* Prints.
Albert.

Chaplains and Naval Instructors the Rev. EC. Pemberton.
be the Bristol. complement incomplete the Rev. 8.. N.
Jaelmoo, to the Gladiator, •iee Pemberton.

MURDER IN STAFFORDSHIRE.
___._

Another murder has taken place in the county of
Stafford, and the offsets, was being committed within tea
milli of the gaol of that county, and within a few hours of
She time at which Robinson was hanged on Tuesday.
In this cue the victim is not a young girl, but a powerful
excavator, aged between 40 and SO, and tamed John Poole.
During the afternoos of Mooday he was in a public-house
in the town of &slogan, which is about seven miles from
Stafford, when a slender young man named George Bentley,
aged 27, mime in, and asked the landlady to give him some
beer. She said she bad no comma beer, but Poole, who wee
present, and drinking Me, sakad Bentley to sit and drink
with him. Bentley did so. At about 4 o'clock Poole left and
Galled upon the blacksmith of Boaleshall in his smithy.
Almost immediately after he left Bentley came to the
smithy, ascertained which way he had gone, and followed
him. Oa the same night Bentley wee found with plenty of
mosey in his posseelion, treating people in publie-houses,
and buying a new white slop. It then occurred to an ex-
pellee aergesat named Robinson that he was a deserter,
and on that charge he arrested him. At eight the next
morning Poole was found with bia skull smashed in, but
Mill alive, on a lovely part of the road leading from
bodeehall to Offley Brook, and about three mike from
beelealialL His waistcoat had been out from his body and
his boots taken off. In this condition he had been lying
all night, the snow falling and freezing upon him. Enough
lie was left to enable him to kick with one leg until he
had with his heel made a hole in the road. Suspicion fell
apse Bentley, who was found to be wearing the
boots and the waistcoat. The latter was cut
down the sides, &bowing that it wee taken from
the body without removing the jacket which was
worn over it. Afterwards the slop which Bentley was
wearing whets he called at the blacksmith's shop was found
In a brook about one field off from Poole's body, and it bad
blood upon it. By the side of the murdered man, who died
on Tuesday afternoon, the handkerchief, which also Bentley
was wearing round his neck in the afternoon, was found,
having a great stone in it tied tightly so as to form a for-
midable weapon. There was blood upon the handkerchief;
and there is no doubt that with the stoats so tied up the
dammed was murdered.

feeterday at tampon, at about 4 o'clock, the pima was
Drought up on the charge of bavin: murdered Poole, end
wee examined by Kr. Lyons, magistrate, and the above
bete having been depend togs wee remanded.

NORTR LONDON RAILWAY COMPANY.

Yesterday an extraordinary general meeting of
thh oompany wail held at the offices, Easton station, for the
="of paring resolutions to authorise the exercise of
aareing powers nada. " The North London Railway
Widening Act, 1861," end under section 8 of the North
London Railway Act, 1865 ; Mr. Be:Knorr in the chair.
Resolutions were proposed, authorising the raising of
33,3001. tinder the first above-named act, and 100,0004.
under the latter, on mortgage or bond.
In Ammer to Mr. FURTRIDGL
. .

The OHAIIMAN said that at the present meeting the com.
piny weld only take power to borrow money on bond or
mortgage, and it would be necessary to have another to
enable She directors to exercise the power they portaged to
3raise the money by the issue of share capital, if that cauree
should be toned moat convenient and advantageous.
Mr. Harrel oos suggested that the mode in which the
traffic of the line was now worked was very disadvantageous
to the public and the comnany, as the previous 000venienoe
which existed for the traffic from that ppwwaat was diminished
la order to promote the tattle to Brwd.street.

The OkillElNAlif said that the Weak was at present in •
transition state, end be was soared that the existing
arrangement was the beet practical under the circumstances.
Mr. ONTON inquired if the sum now to be raised was for
the widening of the line. because two or three years ago a
Legs sum was voted for that purpose; and he rather
thought that the Dresent proposition was intended more
he the benefit of the traffic of the London and North
Western than of the North London, which was called on
ho pay for it.

ill; CHAIRMAN said that the London and North Western
ked not been so prompt in the erection of warehouses
which were calculated to increase the traffic of the North
London as they ought to have been ; but it must be re-
membered that the line must be widened before the traffic
connected with those warehouses could be brought into
play. It was not the intention of the board to interfere
with the shares of the company in the market, aa might be
inferred from an observation of Mr. Onyon.
The resolution was agreed to, and the proceedings ter-
minated.

VICTORLI STATION AND PIMLICO RAILWAY.—
The directors of this company, in their report, congratulate
the proprietors on the stability and prosperity of the under-
taking. The purchase money of the house, No. 1, St.
George's-road, Pimlioo, had been paid, with interest
accrued and other charges, by the London, Chatham, and
Dover Company to this company's credit. The rent et the
line and station continued to be paid with regularity by the
three companies. The revenue account showed a balance of
8,9471., admitting of the same dividend as last half-yeer
31 per cent., or at the rate of si per cent, per annum
for the year 1865. During the current year the receipts
would provide a dividend of 74 per mot., and in 1867 the
dividend would reach its maximum of nine and • fraction
per cent. The capital account showed that 495,3831. had
been received, and 481,4261. expended, leaving a balance
of 13,10571. The revenue account for the halt-year ending
the 31st of December showed that the rents and transfer
few amounted to 14,0641., the haleness from the nreceding
mount to 1.4331., and a balm* foe general interest ac-
count to 240/.--iusaiug together 15,49/1. From ,1111 was
deducted 3,1031. for interest on debentures, 2.9251. for
dividend on 44 per met. preference shares, and 5901. for
expenses, making 6,618/., leaving a balance of 49,1191.
A NEW ARTESIAN WELL IN PARIS.—To the
two artesian wells which Paris already possesses. a third
is now being added, viz.., at the point ceded Butte aux
Oaillee, in the 13th arrondissement (Gehenna). The
perforation has now reached the depth of 82 metre., being
20 metres and • half below the level of the sea ; but before
reaching that point considerable difficulties have bad to be
overcome in the shape of intermediate Meets of water
forming as it were a aeries of subterranean lakes. The first
of these was kept within its natural bed by means of •
strong iron tube driven perpendicularly through it ; that
which followed received wooden palings, and the subse-
quent stratum being clay, the masonry was continued
without difficulty to a depth of five metres above the
level of the sea. But at this point a layer of aulo-
'aerations wu reached which let • great deal
of water escape. It thus became necessary to have
again recourse to pumps; thou employed were in
the aggregate of 20 horse-power. Owing to the bad
nature of this stratum it was resolved to protect the per-
foration by • revetement of extraordinary thickness ; and in
order that the well !night preserve its diameter of two
metres notwithstanding, the upper part has had to be
widened in proportion, so as to give it the enormous width
of four metres at the top.. After this labour the work of
perforation was continued through a stratum et pyrolithic
linsestooe. At the depth corresponding to the level of the
sea, they reached • layer of tubular chalk, all pierced with
large holes, forming so many spouts as thick es a may
thigh, through which water poured into the well with in-
credible velocity. While the pumps were at work to get
rid of this water, a cylindrical revetement of bricks was built
on a sort of wheel made of oak, and laid down flat at the
bottom of the perforation by way of • foundation, and the
intermediate space between this ovlieder and the chalk
stratum was filled with concrete, 47,000 kilos. of which
ware expended in this operation. As soon as the confute
might be considered to have set, or attained sufficient con-
sistency. the brick cylinder was taken to pieces again, and
the perforation continued to the pressure point, where a
new sheet of water has been reached, requiring ingenious
contrivances. _ -

liWNMASTERS' QUARTERLY MEETING. The
quarterly assemblies of the ironmasters of South Stafford-
shire and that district generally commenced at Wolver-
lianapton yesterday. The attendance was small, and the
amount of business transacted was on a per with it : there
were very few buyers present, and they deferred mitering
into engsgenienti until the Birmingham meeting. But not-
withstanding the quietude which prevailed, the trade is
not by any means in a satisfactory state ; it is true that the
anticipations entertained by the speculates' for an advance
have not been realised, neither are they likely to be, but,
there has been sufficient of legitimate business doing of
late to enable the makers of marks.' iron to adhere to the
list prices, and the second-clams firms have been getting
better prime thea they were three mouths ago. At one
time last year there was es much as U., and even 255. per
ton between the trade prises and that at which @skis took
place, but of late prices approximate much more closely.
As regards sheet iron the trade is dull. Tue principal
works of the district are now moat of them in fall • pota-
tion. and a fair amount is being done on account of Ame-
rica ; but as to the future of the trade, very mush dap lods
en the turn which matters may take in that quarter. There
can be no doubt that in the course of the lest two mouths •
great deal of the iron swat thither has been on mosigemeot.
It remittances are received for it in due course—well,
otherwise South Staffordshire houses, though not Sr0:11•
luting directly, rosy become compromised ; and *la is a
subject of considerable anxiety at this moment. The
market for pig iron is firm ; the forge men have had their
tern • it seems now to be that of the pigmastese. At
yesterday's meeting the best all mine iron of South Stafford-
shire was Twirl s& 41. pee ton, which is probably en outside
price. °old blast iron of Shropshire is 51. per toe. The
wen are showier some degree of uneasiness in different
parts of the district ; and it is to be feared are preparing
Eger another struggle epos any spirt is the trade.
DIATII FRONI • PAIR 01 Srrerner.tti.—On Friday
seeming. John tJauffs, awl 80, wu found, neer Ballatar,
/yin dead in a vat of blood. It appears that he had
fallen when about 200 or 300 yards from his boom, sad in
the fall he bad broken the pair of specteeles he bed on,
the glass of which inflicted • deep wound in the left eye,
and ceased death by bessonbage.—Scotnesii.