The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-07-30 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES.---LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY.

for the readiness with which you have granted the
supplies for the present year.

MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,--.

Her Majesty commands us to congratulate you
on the favourable state of the revenue, and upon
the thriving condition of all branches of the
national industry; and she acknowledges with
gratitude the loyalty of her faithful subjects, and
that spirit of order, and that respect for the law
which prevail in every part of her dominions.

Her Majesty commands us to express her con-
fidence, that on your return to your homes you
will promote by your influence and example in
your several districts, that continued and
progressive improvement which is the vital
principle of the well-being of nations, and
her Majesty fervently prays that the blessings
of Almighty God may attend your steps, and pros-
per your doings, for the welfare and happiness of
her people.

The LORD CHANCELLOR, at the conclusion of the speech,
a copy of which was handed to the Speaker, then
declared her Majesty's royal will and pleasure, that
Parliament should be prorogued until Tuesday, the 7th
of October, and that it was prorogued accordingly.
The Royal Commissioners then made their obeisances
to each other, and thus the proceedings, closing the
session of 1856, terminated.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TIIESDAY.
The SPEAKER took the chair at half-past one o'clock.

NEW MEMBER.
Mr. G. H. Sturt took his seat for the county of
Dorset.

LEITRIM MILITIA.

Mr. BRADY asked the Under Secretary for War, why
the staff of the Leitrim Militia is not to be quartered in
the county town, in accordance with the recommenda-
tion of the Lord-lieutenant of the county ?
Mr. F, PBEL said this was a matter for the considera-
tion of the Irish government.

Mr. BRADY put the same question to the Secretary for
Ireland.

Mr. HORSMAN said he was not aware of the circum-
stances, but perhaps the hon. gentleman would put his
qaestion on a future day. (Laughter.)

THE RAJAH OF COORG.

Mr. MURROUGH moved for copies of all papers relating
to the deposal of Veer Rajinder Wuddair, Rajah of
Coorg, including copies of the correspondence between
the English authorities and the said Rajah, previously to
the deposition of the said Rajah by the East India Com-
pany in the year 1834.

Mr. V. SMITH said it was impossible to grant the

papers.

THE CORT PENSIONS,

Mr. ROEBUCK moved for a copy of the warrant in the
reign of George 111., granting a pension of £25 per
annum to Caroline Cort and Catherine Seymer, with a
statement of the deductions made therefrom, and of the
authority by which such deductions were made; and of
the warrant granting the same pensions in the reigns of
George IV. and William IV.
The return was ordered.

CHURCH RATES.
Sir W. CLAY gave notice that early next session he
would bring in a bill on the subject of church rates.

THE CONSULATE IN AMERICA.

Mr. H. BERKELEY asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether he was about to re-appoint the Consulate in

America.
Lord PALMERSTON said that no steps had yet been
taken in reference to that question,

THE LATE FATAL COLLIERY EXPLOSION
NEAR CARDIFF.

The inquest upon the bodies of the persons killed in
the recent explosion at the colliery of Messrs. Insole
and Co., at Cymmer, was commenced on Monday morn-
ing, before Mr. Overton, the coroner for the Merthyr
Tydvil district. The greatest interest was excited in the

enquiry

Mr. Thomas Evans, the local inspector of mines, was
present during the proceedings, as also were Mr. Mack-
worth, the late local inspector, and Mr. Dickenson, who
were sent down specially by the government ; Mr.
Iluddlestone, of the Oxford Circuit, attended on the
part of the owners and managers of the Cymmer
colliery ; and Mr. J. G. Owen, of Newport, attended on
behalf of the surviving colliers and the friends of the
deceased.

The jury having been sworn,
The Coroner addressed them at some leng,h, calling
attention to the nature of the accident. The recent
explosion had been the most disastrous which had ever
occurred in South Wales, or indeed in the whole of the
kingdom. He entreated the jury to discard from their
minds any rumours which they might hav;_s, heard cut of
dnors. The investigation would be of the most search-
ing character, and all the evidence that could be brought
upon the case, whether scientific or otherwise, would be
laid before them. If they found that the explosion
arose from the culpable carelessness or negligence of the
persons in charge of the mine, or in consequence of a
breach of the act for regulating collieries, it would be
their duty to return such a verdict as would ensure a
further enquiry in another court. It was unfortunately
the case that in some mines important rules for securing
the safety of the men had been neglected, and since the
act came into operation, all the accidents which had
occurred in this district had occurred in those collieries
in which the rules were lax, and in which the ventila-
tion hau not been properly attended to.
Mr. James It. Insole, the chief proprietor of the
Cymmer Collieries, was first called to prove the owner-
ship of the mine in which the accident took place. The
collieries consisted of two pits, called the old and new, in
the former of which the explosion took place on the lath
of July. He produced the rules by which the pits were
regulated. They were printed in Welsh and English
and lie had received the usual letter from the govern:
went approving them. Personally he took no manage_
meet of the colliery, but he had given directions for
placing a copy of the rules in the hands of every collier.
The persons responsible for the management of the
colliery, were Mr. Jabez Thomas, general manager ; Mr.
Edward Hay, colliery agent; Mr. David Gray, colliery
agent from February until within a few days of the
accident; Rowland Rowlands, overman ; and three
firemen named William Thomas, Morgan Rowland, and
David Jones. Witness had no communication whatever
with any of the other officers, but it was desirable to state
that he had never curtailed or impeded the expenditure
of money in order to secure the safety of the lives of the
men. On the contrary, he had always expressed a
readiness to adopt any suggestions calculated to attain
that object.

By Mr. Owen : In 1854 witness discharged two fire-
men on the representations of Mr. Thomas, The colliers
struck in consequence, but the new firemen were not
now in his employment. The strike lasted for 22 weeks.
and the law was brought upon the men for riot. The
colliers generally expressed a want of confidence in the
new men, and stood out for the re-appointment of the old
men. Considerable responsibility attached to the office
of firemen, it being their duty to see that the mine was
properly ventilated. _

By Mr. Huddlestone ; Mr. Jabez Thomas, the general
manager. is a man of great experience. He has been
twenty-six years under my father and myself in the
management of collieries, and I have the greatest con-
fidence in him.

By Mr. Mackworth : A serious explosion occurred at
the Middle Dufferin Colliery some years ago. I have
no remembrance of ever having received a letter from
you in reference to my collieries. Mr. Hay was under-
ground manager in 1854, when an accident occurred.
There were rules in existence at that time, but they
were not distributed among the men as they are at
present.

Mr. Maekworth here said that he proposed to show by
Mr. Insole that in the rules adopted at the Cymmer Col-
lieries the provisions of the act of parliament had not
been fully carried out. Mr. Insole sent a copy of a
set of rules to the Home-office in November last, in
which the regulations with regard to safety lamps were
entirely omitted.

The Coroner said it was not necessary to enter into
any negotiations that had taken place with respect to
rules. The jury already had the facts before them that
the rules had been approved by the government.
The proceedings were then adjourned.

BOROUGH QUARTER SESSIONS

(BEFORE G. HENDERSON, ESQ., THE RECORDER.)
Yesterday the proceedings of the Borough Sessions
were resumed before the Recorder, Gilbert Henderson,
Esq. The trial of prisoners was proceeded with, and
the subjoined is the result of the day's proceedings :
William Noyes, 33, porter, and Anthony Smith, 35,
porter, were convicted of stealing five casks of palm oil,
the property of Messrs. Hatton and Cookson, and sen-
tenced, the former to fourteen, and the latter to twelve,
calendar montlis'imprisonment, with bard labour.

Christopher Marmion, 39, labourer, was convicted of
stabbing and wounding James Gill, and William
Aspinall, and sentenced to six months' imprisonment,
with hard labour.

Patrick Broderick, 19, hawker (who had been out on
bail), was convicted of stabbing and wounding Mary
Ann Pemberton, and sentenced to hard labour for eight
calendar months.
James. Sullivan, 17, carter, was convicted of a like
offence on Edward Molyneux, and sentenced to nine
months' imprisonment, with hard labour.
Robert Burrow, 54, porter (out on bail), surrendered
to answer an indictment for stabbing William Durham,
and was acquitted.

THE LATE COLLISION IN THE RIVER
ADJOURNED INQUEST.-YESTERDAY.

TENTH DAY.

The inquest was resumed at ten o'clock yesterday.
Hugh Williams, master of the Tartar steam tug, de-
posed that he had a vessel in tow about a quarter to two
o'clock, on the morning of the collision, off the Sandon
basin, Saw blue lights and rockets in the river. Hay-
ing anchored his ship, in about ten minutes went towards
the signals. Arrived at the vess-1 in collision before the
other tug came up, and went alongside the Excelsior on
the port side. Saw that she was fast with another
steamer, which he afTerwards knew to be the Mail. The
head of the Mail was west south west. The vessels were
three or four cables' length south east of the New
Brighton stage. About four or five minutes before
coming alongside the Excelsior, he saw the port Hot of
the Mail. When standing on the starboard side of his
own vessel, he could not see it. It was a dim light, and
the night was dark. Mignt see half-a-mile off or so. If
he saw the light coming stem on at half-a mile distance,
would have time to get out of the way, if she did not cut
him off. If he saw a steamer's lights half-a-mile off,
coming stem on, would port his helm if he thought she
was coming right at him ; but if she starboarded her
helm, so that he saw the green light, and not the red one,
he would starboard also.

Hugh Hughes, master of the Windsor steamer, belong-
ing to the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, de-
posed that he frequently passed the Mail at sea, and con-
sidered her side lights not easy to be seen at a distance.
To Mr. Blair : If it were a clear night on the water,
would see the vessel herself half a mile off. Doos not
mean to say that her side-lights were weaker than ordi-
nary lights.
Robert Roberts, mate of the Trafalgar steamer,
deposed that he knew the Mail steamer ever since she
came out, and had often met her at sea in the night.
Met her on the morning of the 6th, about seven miles
from the north-west lightship, nearer the rock. On the
first appearance, witness reported a small light right
aliewl. She bore about west half north at the time.
His helm was ported gradually as they approached the
light. Noticed as they approached the Mail, that they
ported to the northward gradually. Passed her about
a ship and a half or two ship's length off. Never saw
her side lights at all. If the side-lights were lit, and
situated in a place where they could be seen, he would
have seen them if he had looked for them. So far as he
observed, they were as good as other lights.
Mr. John Jordan, surveyor to the Liverpool Under-
writer's Association, deposed that on the Bth of July, he
examined the lights of the, Mail, then lying in the
Trafalgar Dock. Observed the position of the place
where her lights were fixed. Examined them also from
the bow of the Troubadour steamer, which was about
300 feet ahead of the Mail. Walked along the bowsprit
of the Troubadour, until he got iu a line with the netting
of the Mail. There were then about three inches of
the edge of the box in which the light was projecting
beyond the line of the netting; went on the dock quay,
and got the three masts in a line; could not then see
the black boxes ; they were obscured by the bow of the
vessel; the vessel's draught was then five feet at the
stem, and two or three inches short of ten feet aft ; from
the midship's line of the Mail to the place where the box
was visible at a distance of 454 feet (the distance at
which witness stood), was twenty-four feet; the bow of
the Troubadour was about the same height as the bow of
the Mail.•

Mr. Thomas M. White, merchant, of Belfast, exam-
ined : Was a passenger on board the Excelsior on the
night of the sth ; was on the deck-house when they left
the dock ; was standing close behind the pilot ; there
were a great number of lights in the river ; heard a light
reported a-head ;the pilot said he thought it was a vessel
at anchor; heard a conversation about the light between
the captain and the pilot, or some of the other parties
on the deck-house ; heard a very loud shout "it is a
steamer," and then the order was given to port the
helm; saw no other light in the Mail bit her mast head
light ; had looked for other lights; knows the lights of
a steamer, but not their position.
By Mr. Bremner: No man could be more attentive to
his duties than the pilot.
By Mr. Aspinall : Saw him looking constantly at the
light through the night glasses.

-To a Juror heard no altercation between the cap-
tain and the pilot as to whose fault the collision was
owing.

To-Mr. Blair: Did not go to Belfast that night in the
Excelsior. (Laughter.)
The inquest then was adjourned to ten o'clock this
morning.