The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-15 00:00:00

THE COLLIERIES EXPLOSION FUND.

Yesterday the members of the Mansion-house
Committee, for receiving funds for the relief of the
relict of the sufferers by the recent fearful and fatal ex-
plosions in Yorkshire and Staffordshire, met for the des-
patch of buaineu. The Loan Malang presided, and the
following gentlemen were also in attendance :—Mr. R. A.
Gray, Mr. George Moore, Mr. J. W. Maxwell, Mr. R. C.
L. Bevan, Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Watorlow, Mr.
Alderman Finals, Mr. Samuel Morley, Mr. Alderman
Cotton, and Mr. Sheriff Lycett. The minutes of the last
meeting of the committee were read by Mr. Gibbs, the
honorary secretary, and were ordered to be confirmed
and it was resolved that for the future the committee
should meet on every succeeding Monday, at two o'clock.
A report was presented from Mr. Ball, the cashier and
accountant, from which it appeared that the total amount
received by the committee wa519,461/. sa. Id., of which sum
15,0001, remained in the hands of Items. Bevan the bankers
of the oommittee,fby whom it was now resolved that of that
sum 13,000/Mould be placed at interest at seven days' call.
It was further mentioned, that speaking in round num-
bers the receipts in London were 20,000/. ; in Yorkshire,
10,2901., and in Staffordshire about 5,000/., giving a total
of 35,000/. In the course of the sitting of the committee,
the Lord Mayor communicated the tenor of • report re-
ceived from the local committee of the Oaks Colliery
Relief Fund at Itarruiley, from which it appeared that the
colliery proprietors had paid to the representatives of the
raised miners a full week's wages and other gratuities.
It also set forth that the great majority of the deceased
miners were members of the Miners' Association, a body
which had honourably fulfilled their engagements
toward the survivors. To the widows whose husbands had
been recovered the sum of 8/. each had been paid ; and to
those widows whose husbands still remained in the pit the
sum of 4/. each had been paid ; whilst each widow
has received Is. per week and Ia per week for each
child. AU this was from the same source, and in this way
the Miners' Association had already expended about 1,61101.
upon the sufferers from this calamity. The Lord Mayor
added that the communication from the Oak-hill Relief
Committee disclosed the following facts relating to the
numbers of the sufferers :—women, 156 ; children, 330 ;
total, 490; parent' who were supported by their sons,
4 men, 12 women, and one child ; total, 17; orphans, 4
children ; single women, 5 ; children, 3 ; total, N ; families
of men burnt, 4 men, 4 women, and 12 children, total,
20 ; and other persons, 2 women and 4 children, total 12.
These figures gave • total of 60 men, 236 women, and 362
children, total, 658 ; showing that the calamity had been
to amuck greaterextent than at first had been anticipated.
And the local committee added that to give efficient
relief not less than 75,000/. would be totally requisite,
and towards this the local committee held cash
7,9271. Ils. 6d., and they had received promises to
the extent of 2,3631. 4s. Bd., giving a total of 10,292/.
16s. 2ah Information had reached the committee from the
Staffordshire district that the total sufferers were 195.
The report from Barnsley urged that the distribution of
the funds would in no way be allowed to interfere with the
relief granted by the poor-law guardians, and they invited
the London committee to frame a system by which • per-
manent fund for relief in similar cases would be established.
After some discussion it was arranged that the local com-
mittee should be requested to send up their plans for that
object, and with this the committee adjourned. It may
be added that during the day a donation (fourth instal.
went) was received from the gentlemen of the London
Commercial Sale-rooms for 1301., and a donation of
101. 10e. from the Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer.

The following notice was issued from the General
Poet.office yesterday, via.:—Extra mails for the Cape of
Good Hope will be made up at this office on the morning
of the 22nd inst. for conveyance from Southampton by the
Union Steamship Company's steamer Cambrian. All letters,
&c., intended to be forwarded by this opportunity must be
specially addressed, "By packet Cambrian from South-
ampton," and they will be liable to the usual packet rates
I of ppst age.
NEW FOE NDLAN D MI ERA LS. —Some important
discoveries of minerals have been made on the northern
and western shores of Newfoundland, chiefly through the
enterprising exertions of C. F. Bennett, Esq. About 1,700
tone of superior copper ore have been shipped during the
past season from that gentleman's mine at Tilt Cove. But,
besides the copper, Mr. Bennett hag discovered valuable
deposits of coal and petroleum, and marble quarries of
great extent and value. He is now making arrangements
to quarry the latter on a large scale next year. Samples
of the coal exhibited in St. John's resemble that from the
Bras d'Or mines of Cape Breton. The marble is of vari-
ous colours and qualities, and amongst those is the most
valuable kind, white statuary marble, in large quantities,
specimens of which, forwarded to England, have been pro-
nounced by competent judges to be superior in fineness
and colour to the beet Carrara.—Halifax Citken.