The Express.
London, England, 1868-01-07 00:00:00

SHOCKING ACCIDENT.

A YOUTH SHOT BY HIS BROTHER.
A shocking gun accident occurred at Denton's-
green, wear St. Helen's, on Sunday afternoon, !whereby
a youth lost the sight of one eye and received
most severe wounds and injuries to his head
by the accidental firing off of a gun by his
brother. The brothers are sons of Mr. John
Hammill, of St. Helen's, agent, and American consul for
the town, and who resides at Denton's-green, neer St.
Helen's. About half-past 5 o'clock on Sunday evening
the two brothers—John, aged 16, and William, aged 14
had been out at the back of the premise', and on return-
ing together they passed into the kitchen, where the
younger brother washed his hands and whilst ho
was wiping them on a towel hung on the back door his elder
brother took up a gun which was in the kitchen, remarking
—" We are prepared with this for the Fenian if they
come." The gun was pointed in the direction of his brother,
and on his pulling the trigger it went off. The gun was
loaded at the time with small bird shot, a quantity of
which was lodged in the right eye of William. The eye
is completely destroyed. The right side of the face, whiat
was towards the gun, was also fearfully mutilated by the
shot. The left eye narrowly escaped, as a shot .truck
and penetrated the lower lid. The elder brother is dread-
, fully prostrated through the accident, which is most
remarkable, as the gun was not capped, and the accident
can only be,
accounted for by supposing that there must
have been some fulminating powder lodged in the nipple
' by a cap which had been removed, and which exploded
, on the hammer dropping. The doctor's report late ',ester-
' day was very favourable as to saving the life of the sof-
ferer.—Lirrrpoo/ Mercury.

The convocation of the province of C ante rbury
will meet for despatch of business on Tuesday, Feb. Is.
A FENIAN IN THE NAVY.—A court-martial,
under the presidency of Captain F. B. Seymour, A-D.C.,
was held at Portsmouth yesterday, on board the Victory,
flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Sir T. S.
Feeley, for the trial of William Read, ordinary seaman,
serving on board her Majesty's ship Irresistible, stationed
in Cowes Roads. The prisoner wax one of the
crew of the captain's galley, and on being ordered to
join the boat and arm himself with one of the revolvers
which had previously been loaded and issued for the use
of the crew, and proceed in the boat to row along the
shore off Osborne at 10 o'clock at night, hem
obey the order, declining to give a reason ; oathfollowing day, on the quarter deck,
The charge
was fully proved, and the prisoner, who read an extra-
ordinary rhapsody, was sentenced to five yen' I enal servi-
tude, which also involves that at the expiration of that
period he will be dismissed her Majesty's sersioe with
disgrace.

SUICIDE NEAU DUBLIN.-I.lr. James Chaine
respectable gentleman, 23 years of age, committed
•suicide in Dalkey on Saturday evening, at the residence
of Surgeon Lyons, of whose relati walkediss Norris, he
WAS • disappointed suitor. He into the room
where the young lady and her mother were sitting, and in
a few minutes was seen to apply a phial to his lips and
mutter something about an easy death. Mrs. Norris
dashed the phial from his hands, but be had drained its
contents before she could prevent him. He died shortly
afterwards. A. second phial was found in his pocket,
together with a pocket-book, on a leaf of which was
written :—" Mother, I go to-night. I hope you will con.
form with the wishes which I have laid down in my letter.
Do not think I am mad. I am broken-hearte& Mrs.
Lawlor (with whom the deceased lodged in Dublin) will,
suppose, when she hears of my death, send you my I ask
letter.
and, as a dying request, I hope you will do as

you.,,
"TOIL" Dtflitimits AND ace BIOGRAPITZIL—We
are unfeigeedly reluctant to check a filial effusion, or to
tell disegreeeble truths, but there are owe/done when a
sense of public duty imperatively requires them to be told.
Why did this exemplary parent die poor ? When did he
abandon the allitremests of a patrician circle? Be died
poor because be wasted • fine fortune. If he abandoned •
patrician circle, it was because be wan tired of it or
thought he could make a better thing of democracy. If
he conquered his passions, it was. like St. Evremond,
by indulging them. "Holiest Tom Duncombe '." We never
beard him so designated before except in pleasantry.
" As honest as any man living, that is an old man, and
not honester than I." We cannot go further th an
Verges; it is a stretch of charity to F. so far when •
cell to mind the magnificent reversion and bare Franck
jobs. A ruined spendthrift, although he may
temnsi
good
ezis udities, can never, strictly speaking, be
It absurd to say of him that he is nobody's
rummy but his own, with family, friends, and trades.
people paying the penalty for his self-indulgence. He
with o satisfied to be called hosourable, to be chare
with no trategression of the lew of honour, which Paley
defines es a system of rules constructed by people of
fashion, and calculated to facilitate their intercourse
withtone another, and for no other purrnae." moo
wee one quality of honesty, however, which " honest
Tom Duncombe ” did possess. He was not a hype.
arils. He was not devoid of right feeling. He had
pasair 41 good sense, and it would have given biro •
siskaing pang on his deatli.bed to think that his frailties
u perpeleated by his descendants, that te was to
wan to
pitted eat as a shining star to guide, instead of •
blasroke fire to warn. "No," he wettla have said, if he
weld have anticipated this most ill-chosen, however well-
intended. tribute. ' Spateroe this terrible irony ;do sot
gamin tie irrigable Inert. Say of mB,O yeaa° mast lay
are I woe last a ipta sum, 'bow& liming ca.
Illitiree Weft aegoesd twain sty fellow-creatnree—
I did same pod ha layigsratiss,. 014 1118 able sod
that
willing nealttine, id I bewailing
ad
waned tine,
miner, ifts, social ieus
Walk awil apple=sC: 117
saw was a failure,
swi or Aria sehesse el Ige a soeLuniely sibileks.”—.
Tina

4AL

lAN IRRIGATION COMPANY.-( THIS DAY.)
- -

t meeting of bondholders was held at noon, at
Temiiinui Hotel, Cannon•treet, for the purpose of
icing the tion stated in the following circular
by the Bondholders' Protection Association,
.',41 date the lit inst., and signed by " A. Banumy,
weretell "
em requested by the committee of Italian Irri-
bondholders to inform you that they have at length
..v...1 at the basis of a settlement of all claims upon the
pany, and that your committee have resolved to
rr com
''..amund its adoption to the members of this amens,
They have satisfied themselves, after much delibera-
.'...tfiit the basis proposed offers stone the most feasible,
". :under the circumstances, the most expedient solution
ditheulie while by rescuing the enterprise from
ail •
, avoiding the expense and delay of gation
..,tehta cArts, and adopting the prindpie of mutual
.:eetou and compromise, the property will at no dia-
.: date be restored to a condition of solvency and
~,crity. The plan proposed is as follows :—After
taide a sufficient amount of guaranteed interest to
,
the subsidiary canals, and complete the main
as determined by the award, it has been agreed on
. 'n...rt of the company that a further sum of 250,000 t.
paid to the creditors in discharge of the floating
. ,a.ouuting to about 500,0001. As a contribution to
.;:n.l, the bond and obligatien.holders are required to
~. the payment of interest for another year •; but, by
of the arrangements proposed, payment interest
loads and obligations will be reamed in July,
possible, but at latest in January, 1870. To insure
payment of the interest and the gradual re.
„,Ition of the capital of the bondholders, at b
less
,ants. I IV. per 100/. bond, a sum of not less
eterlmg in London will be specially applied
.• of the guaranteed revenues of the company,
the hoods ore criminally redeemed the amount of
annual sinking fund will be proportionally increased.
:
so the trot year there will be applicable 60,000/. for
„„ ...0.000/. for amortisation, which amount will
a
ris the charge for interest diminishes.
montane that thr :0,000 obligations now retained in the
.1.4 of tie gos aliment can be re-issued to the public, it
expectel that the redemption of the bonds will be
•,„a„.am a tay few years ; the bonds will be redeemed
:h,.1.60. of 11V., the bonus being paid by way of coin-
r....tion for arrears of interest, and the further surrender illy,
;aural' DOW recommended. Hoyt
"It, A. RAMSAY, Hon. Seo."
Irma
The chair was taken by Mr. OASSIOT.
Lora
the proceedings commenced Sir THOMAS BATE' maw
• to the presence of some gentlemen who were ma&
b•
ohdhublers, intimating that U the objection were
Para Wiye
t acted upon he should retire.
P., I lIAIKNIAN deprecated persistence in the objection Lead'
Sirs
Sawb
Iwo or three other bondholders expressed their con. abbey
re nee in Sir Thomas Bateson's objection, and their Heide
h ruination to follow his example, one gentleman Brom
....tog that the presence of persons who were not P
on ans
lholdera on the former ormanon had led to greet Lye
4olarity.
m un t1e4.0 baring remarked that, the concern being
bankruptcy, it Iva, desirable that the shareholders and
.n.lhoblera should concur,
sit T. Submit and two or three other gentlemen left

.e MOM.
Tile CHAIRS% k then observed that the oommitte.
apointea ut the last meeting had since been in almost
ally attendince. The creditors had very properly
okra care of themselves. The result of bankruptcy would
:st the best only to enable the bondholders to obtain
on or eight shilngs in the pound some years hence ;
boadholders could in no other wayobtain their rights so
. as by getting the bankreptcy superseded. The
h, ine U.S submitted was the only one that could be
..ed. and on the result of that meeting depended
.ir obtaining payment of their bonds. The committee
Ad do nothing more than they had done, and the only
~tution that could be offered was the following :—" That
Iseelbohlers here present do ratify and confirm in
:s iple the preliminary agreement of the 20th December,
as the basis of a concordat, and that a final agree-
...sm. with such modifications es the committee
al approve, be proposed, embodying thee* terms.
- man of business, having a large interest in the core
sn. he told the bondholders that it was impossible for
s so to get better terms.
Mayor CWIOIOII4 seconded the resolution.
A lloNi MINA dig remarked that the bondholders were
.0.1 to anent to a concordat which they bad not seen.
t teas impossible to collect it from the circular which
been issued.
Mr. CRENSWILL (chairman of the General Agency Corn-
soy) thought the circular did met forth definitely
0 terms of the proposed arrangement. The details
f the agreement could only be carried out by a committee.
he committee bad devoted six months to the subject, and
knew that there were parties in Italy who would
happy to as
sociation,by telegragh an account of the
istion of that as because that would put them
possession of a valuable property. (Hear, bear.) What
0; meeting was asked to do was simply to affirm the
•,inciple of the arrangement, that principle being that
S, y should be paid their debt in full after the lapse of a
• Hein time. that lapse of time being necessary for the
hachargis of prior obligations, which could not he
waded. (Hear, bear.) The committee had obtained
ise consent of the principal creditors to accept
N. in the pound, and he believed that they would all agree
that. WWI not that a principle ? (Yeer, hear.) On
I e other hand, the bondholders themselves were to receive
I •st. for 100 f. bonds, and from 1870!10,0001. sterling per
sa.sii as a mfr.' was to be set apart out of the
willies of the company tolcarry out the object. (Hear.
em.) Was not that also a principle? (Hear, hear.) 117
—suiting to the resolution they would impose on
1.. committee an instruction that the payment of
ssipons should not be postponed beyond 1870, and to
~.,vole for the payment within a few years of 115/. for
Sol UM/. bona, and in his opinion that would be a satin.
tory result. (Cheers.)
In reply to a question,
Thss CHAIRMAN said the committee were confident that
'so bankruptcy might be annulled and the plan stated in
ircular carried out.
A 1:W411110E1,ER wished to know who was to be the gua-
mor after the company had been reconstructed ?
Mr. CRFARMY.I.I. replied that the guarantor would be the
• thin government. The award declared that so soon as
works were completed the government was to pay a
• o revenue of 20“,000/. per annum.
The resolution was then passed unanimously, amid loud
Ti,, CHAIRMAN afterwards proposed a vote of thanks to
Ir, l'iorairell and the General Agency Company, which
I: t gentleman represented, observing that but for Mr.
'r. smell's able services on behalf of the bondholders in
I.d v it would have been impossible to obtain a satisfactory
ttlonent.
Mr. INHIReIt also testified to the excellent service MI-
-1.1.1 by Mr. Young, the official liquidator of the Imperial
creantile Association, for the aid rendered by him.
• Thank. were then voted unanimously both to Mr. Cress-
well and Mr. Yung.
Mr. l'reaawi II and Mr. Young having both returned
thanks, the proceedings serminated with a vote of thanks
to the chairman

The First Commissioner of her Majesty's Works,

...c., has, it is acid, decided on increasing the bathing lake
n. Vietoria•park to nearly double its present sine. The
•,.rke will be commenced immediately, and following the
1.4 precedents of the public works carried on in Lama-
..hire during the cotton distress, will be done by task work.
In this way employment will be given to many in the Bast
of London willing, but at this time unab'e to find work.
The Warsaw official Dzientiik publishes a ukase,
in which the " Kingdom of Poland" Is no longer accorded
t'.o mime it has held so long, but designated as the " Via-

i~:~

tale Province."
The travesties are now the mode at the Parisian
theatres. At the Opera Comique Madame OaDimwits
:.names the character of Friday in Robinson Crusoe ; at the
tidon, Mdlle. Jane Ruler that of Mario in the Beaus
Messieurs de ILis.DorY ; at the COW, Milne. Judith as
Hamlet ; at the Ambigu, Madame Marie Laurent as Jack
Sheppard in the Chevaliers du Brouillard ; at the Porte
St. Martin, Mdlle. Dugueret as Denizet, In the Merin. du
1.,11q9e: at the Dejazet, Mdlle. Dejaret as Bonaparte, in
B..nrtparte d Briestne. At the Boulfes, in the character of
:a athlete, is Madame Thierret, who is supposed to be one
of the famous wrestlers, masked.
A lady correspondent, writing from Nice, Jan. 2,
I wished very much to have sent you a bouquet
of Nice noes for your table to.dsy, but they obstinately
Mused to be ready when wanted this year,aod the bouquet
locos which I saw furnished for some of the high function-
:dice of Paris were nearly all atmellias and violets de
Pume. There are lots of bade on the trees, but with the
unusually cold nights they cannot open, and II feat de la
patience ' is the answer the fleuristes have for us all. In
about ten days I ezrect we shall see something."
Tnt E V.K or Umrrnn PRAYLR.—At the con-
tisli tion of the proceedings in 005111t1/011 with the Week
of United Prayer promoted by the Evangelical Alliance,
Mr. it. Tritton, the banker, presided this morning. and
there were pr,vent Mr. O'Malley, Q.C., the Rev. Canon
Conway, the Rev. W. Duncan Long, vicar of nodal-
ming, the I:ev. D. Wilson. vicar of Mitcham. The
Hon. and Rev. B. W. Noel delivered the address
in which he dwelt forcibly on the necessity for • more em-
phatic declaration of the truths of the Gospel on the pert
of all who were appointed to teach them. There was not
sufficient heartiness in the preaching and teaching of the
Present day, and many taughtthe truths of Christianity es
though its author were • myth. He . commended to
all such persons • remark of Garrick the ardor.
A clergyman said to him ease—" Mr. Garrick, bow
it it that while people go to sleep while we (the
clergy) are preaching, you can always keep people awake?"
'The reason," said Mr. Garrick, "is this : Toa tomb
truth se if it were a table ; we speak fables as though they
sere truths." The =sods/ _slaved with devotional exer-
cises. At • meeting to be haM at Frsesossoes%liall 10-
%4M Lord &Asks* will paid&

E
141L8.L
20, W.
281 B.

el.
NA.
NA.
NA
NA

6
I -
0,1

saos
Barceneter corrected and reduced to El deg. at sea level. The ma
letters r Mint, I s (steed 2), indicate direction of mai
motion of tbeuserenrywitldn lsat Thermometer exposed Tgli
in shade. they
force, with Indirection daring last 24 hotws. raj
Z.--calm. Weather: dig c.—clouds (detached) ; jiki
fog ; h.—hail; 1.-11gbeni3g ; sa—misty (hazy) ; o.—overcest
(dull): r.—rain: a—anow ; —thunder. Bain fall, mow or Ka'
ball Lzadtad), during lag In hours. Ina disturbance.
REMARKS. 1112
The atmospherical has decreased slightly In the ISM
north, and increased the south-east. The knit premium Is 11‘!
stM on the west coast of France, the highest befog In Scotland— rv;
the extreme difference Is about 2-10tha of an inch. A diminution re;
In temperature has again taken place in the south of England =
at Parts there hes been a decrease et 10 deg. since last searing. "7,
Winds have continued light from the eastward. ROOM mow
with rain has fallen at a few southern stations. Mist and fog
are reported from the 'oath and red cants

The shipments of port wine from Oporto during took
mig
1867 amounted to 34,679 pipes, of which 25,105 wen eon- lIM
signed to the United Kingdom, 6,449 to Brazil, and 9&3 to iv
Bremen and Hamburg. The principal shippers were San. lat
denim and Co., 3,413 pipes ; Rodrigo Jai) Teireirs Car- re 4
yam, 2,546 pipes ; Cockburn, Soothes, and Co., 2,302 MA
pipes ; Hooper Brothers, 1,8413 pipes ; Martinez, Camelot, a:
and Co., 1,891 pipes ; Clods and Baker, 1,630 pipes ; 3,4
Of ley, Cramp, and Forrester, 1,336 pipes ; W. and J. 1.1
Graham and C0.,1,248 pipes ; Thomas G. flandsman, 1,=2 a(
pipes ; and A. F. Menem, 1,156 pipes. All the other *0.4
shippers figure under 1,000 pipes. 901
15,(
Livzspoot, JAN. 7. —The steamer Chrysolite 10d
haa arrived here. She left Pernambuco on the 13th 2::(4
December and St. Vincent on the 23rd. The Royal Mail MA
steamer Rein was not at St. Vincent when the Chrysolite
left. She experienced dreadful weather.
JOHN MITCHEL AND THE FENIANS. —The follow-
ing letter has been addressed by John Mitchel to Colonel se:c
Roberts and Mr. John Savage :—" Gentlemen,—The tender ent
you have made to me of the presidency of the reunited 40.,1
Fenian brotherhood, though it barn embarrassed me, could 1
4.1
(
not fail to be gratifying on two accounts—first, that it
proves confidence in me personally, and next, that R..;
it marks the moment of reconciliation between two iac
bodies of patriotic Irishmen having the same object
IV *O,l
in view. On this reconciliation, brought about mainly
by your own efforts, gentlemen, allow me to congratulate 00•4
you. lint, after sufficient time taken forconsideration—after
reading the' constitution ' and holding some conversation
with leading members of 'both organisations. I must beg
leave respectfully to decline the honour tendered, sad the
responsibility which they would pay me the compliment of
impaling upon me. And I have the lees regret in coming
to this conclusion as it cannot be said to throw any obstacle
in the way of a re-union of our countrymen. That re-union
is already effected, with a provision for electing a president
in case of my refusal. It is useless to enter here into any
account of the various reasons (some of a public, some of
private nature) which compel me to decline. My country
men know very well that I have the fullest sympathy with
the object of Fenianism—that is, the destruction of British
dominion In Ireland ; and therefore I expect that they
will give me credit for valid reasons, without me entering
into detaiL With thanks for your courtesy, gentlemen,
in the execution of your inisaion, and assurances of respect
for you personally. I have the honour to be your obedient
servant, Joss Idirotst."
APPREHENDED STRIKE OF COLLIERS IN SOUTH
WALE:B.—The depressed state of the coal trade throughout
South Wales has resulted in a movement to make a re-
duction in the wages at the close of the present month.
The reduction is expected to be 15 per cent. In addition
to the coal cutters the men engaged in the iron trade,
which is in a still further depressed state, are also to be
included in the reduction. There are some indications of
the men resisting so large • reduction, and it is feared
that there will be a general strike of colliers throughout
the whole of South Wales.
DEATH ON THE SCOTCH RILLS. —James Cheyne,
en old man belonging to Sandness, lost his life on the hilla
between Walls and Sandnesa a few days ago. It seems he
had left home to meet a son whom he was expecting to
return from Lunnasting with some sheep, and after pro-
ceeding seven or eight miles without meeting him he
turned back, and was last seen at Brae:liter, on the east
side of Walls. Two days were spent i Lerchng for the
body of the old man, as it was feared hmust have
perished owing to the severity of the weather, end on
Monday the body was found in a burn which he had been
;usable to cross. His son only returned • short time after
the body of his father had been carried in. There are about
six or seven miles of mossy hills between Walla and Sand-
e and not a single house in sight all the way ; there
no road, and several persons have lost their lives in the
trackless waste.
REcREITII2O AND MARRYING.—" Does recruit-
ment," asks the Tempe, " exercise an influence on the age
at which marriages take place, or not ! Some persons
maintain that it does ; others, the contrary. Wapiene,
who may be considered an impartial statistician, says
(vol. 8., pages
0276 and 285) that in England the main
age for men is 251i4 years, and in France it is 28'41. The
ages at which 10.000 bachelors marry in the two countries
'are, according to that writer, as follows
England. France.
l'nder 20 years 117 270
HI to 23 6,307 3,071
25 to 30 2.893 3,593
30 to SA fing 1,811
35 to 40 358 721
40 to 20 212 392
over 50 46 126
Evidently, if fewer young men from 20 to 25 marry in
France than in England there must be come impediment.
The hindrance once removed things might be supposed to
resume their course ; that is to say, young men who
have passed the period at which marriage is prohibited
might be expected to hasten to make up for lost time.
But that is an error. In fact, by adding to the 3,075 young
Frenchmen aged from 20 to 2.l who have drawn •
good
number or who WWII exonerated by purchase or otherwise
the 3,596 marriages from 25 to 30, its total is only 6.671.
Make the corresponding addition for the English, and you
will find 8,140. The French, it is true, marry later—or not
at all. Late marriages are certainly a principal cause of
the smaller number of births in Francs.
A CONVERSATIONAL CATABTROFRIL—It has been
wall observed that " nothing mosso& like soosese," and,
something in the same way, it nay be said that nothing
makes
has so @Bantam dimes. is months* terrible
Janine,- has become established, its victims
against it fin vain. In vain does Ampliftryca, froffirre
bottom ci his table seticit the asides al his artist past
on the merits of thi; Exhibitkm In Trafalgarcrtare• Re
makes some guarded reply, to the effect that it is a tar
dense show ; and when premed bard be say dodo
Hassel. not woe medal cork of more than ordinary merit
on the Aordarmy walsiotliderley wawa, a the serzer,
and is iskeh • dry and tows as presides
qusetiodsg. Equally vain le attempt to draw the
traveller ed. lfe le geserally reedy useusk te hed folk
but es Ude oddities. codes be tee le deer the fatal
lased, ; and whoa rolled
dte elate Is whet perties.
be seeped • dust *e Mims d
ls Mew boot • wassi Ila•
gla. replies In
' onde is soll f and
stniglitiray loose beak into tikaas.—PrialM
for Jimmy.

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