The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-23 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

The London journals furnish us with the following in-
formation upon railway matters which will be found of in-
terest:—The extensive railway contractor, Mr. George
Rennet, canto before the court of bankruptcy yesterday for
his last examination. The accounts which have been filed in
the court are extremely voluminous, and show an immense
amount of transactions. The sum owing to unsecured
creditors is stated at £343,342 and to those holding security
at £79,392, besides £16,919 of liabilities. The assets are
also large, consisting of £80,786 in property, and £66,521
in good debts. Mr. Rennet had a surplus, on the Ist of
January, 1849, of £146,342, and his losses are stated at the
enormous sum of £301,887, £49,860 of which is from bad
debts. The assignees are understood to have expressed their
approval of the accounts, and it is expected that the bank-
rupt will pass his last examination without opposition. This
is the largest case that has come before the court for several
years..
. _ _

Yesterday was also appointed for the last examination of
Mr. Thomas Hutchings, another railway contractor, also in
an extensive way of business. His unsecured debts amount
to £53,966, and the assets in good debts, property, and
amounts receivable on works, are stated at upwards of
£60,000. Both the cases will be heard before Mr. Com-
missioner Fane.

We are informed that the accounts received at the Lon-
don agency of the Great Western railway company of
Canada are most satisfactory. It is stated that the local
traffic, so far, is double what the managing director calcu-
lated upon, and when the whole line is opened early next
month, the traffic will no doubt be very great.
GitEA.T NORTHERN RAILWAY.—Return of traffic for
week ending Dec. 11, 1853 :—Passengers mails, £6,627
I ls. 3d. ; merchandise and minerals, £11,277 9s. lid.
catt:e, £550 4s. 81—Total, £18,455 ss. 10d. Corres-
ponding week, 1852, £14,402 53. 11d.

LONDON AND NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY.—Return 01
traffic for .the week ending Dec. 18, 1853 :--Passengers,
parcels, carriages, '
horses, and mails, £23,502 ls. 3d. • mer-
chandise, £22,159
Is. Bd. ; cattle, £1,382 Bs. Od. Total,
£47,043 10s. 11d. Corresponding week, 1852, £45,791
-9s. 11d.

LONDON AND SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY.—Amount of
traffic for the week ending Dec. 17, 1853:—Passengers,
£7,525 12s. 2d., goods, £3,291 ss. 6d. Total, £10,816
178. Bd.

CHRISTMAS BENEFACTIONS TO CLERGYMEN
WITH SMALL INCOMES.

At this season of the year a considerable sum of money is
annually distributed amongst poor curates and other clergy-
men of the established church by the governors of the ancient
corporation of the sons_of the clergy, and on Saturday the
17th inst., they held their usual meeting for the purpose at
the corporation house' No. 2, Bloomsbury-piace.—Sir Robt.
Harry Inglis, Bart., M.P., the senior treasurer, took the
chair.

The cases of 93 poor clergymen in England and Wales were
investigated, and sums from £lO to £2O were given to 80.
The benefactions thus seasonably distributed are mainly
limited for curates in actual, duty; but as there are always
a large number of clergymen applying in po.session of small
benefices, the governors have resources to a "special fund,"
to meet such cases. Thus, on :the present occasion, whilst
£Bl7 was given from the appropriate funds to 56 curates in
actual duty, £235 was awarded from the "special fund" to
24 other clergymen. The applications came from all parts
of England and Wales.
Having relieved, as far as the funds would allow the
several cases of distress amongst the clergy, the governors
Rroceeded to consider applications from the widows, aged
single daughters and children of clergymen, and ap-
proprtated amongst them £3Bl in donations, educational
grants, outfits, an apprentice fees.

Gounocx.—Sir Michael B. Shaw Stewart, Bart., has
subscribed the handsome sum of two hundred pounds to-
wards the endowment of Gourock chapel.
C 'MACH BUILDING IN LONDON. —According to the fol-
lowing statement from the Daily News, the good people of
Paddingbrn pay dearly for their churches, even when they
are said to be built by subscription :
The old church, St. Mary's, was the first church ever built
in Paddington by the parishioners, all previous churches
having been built and supported out of the rectorial and
other revenues inherited by the bishops of London and their
lay lessees. This church was built by the aid of two special
acts of parliament, and by a heavy church rate.
St. John's was professedly built by subscription, but it
has cost the ratepayers upwards of £4OOO raised by church
rate.

St. James's, now the parish church, was also professedly
built by subscription, but it has cost the ratepayers a like
sum, also raised by church rate.
Trinity was subscribed for by the present incumbent most
liberally, it having cost him upwards of £5OOO, but it has
cost the ratepayers upwards of £13,000, also raised by
church rate.
All Saints—the last new church—was almost entirely paid
for out of the church rate, and has cost upwards of £BOOO.
In faCt the ratepayers of Paddington have paid, and will
have to pay, what with principal and interest, upwards of
£50,000 for the five churches which now exist.

Several counterfeit florins are now in course of circula.
ion.

The Turkish minister had an interview with the chan-
of the exchequer yesterday, at his official residence
,n Downing-street.

A woman is at present an inmate at Ballymiglish work-
house who has been married to the seventh husband, and
what is still more remarkable, they were all weavers, and
worked at the same loom, which is still in operation i 2 her
former house. she is m . full possession of her mental
faculties.---Munster News.

A melancholy occurrence took place at Turin some nights
ago. General Raffaele Poerio, a Neapolitan, who served
many years in the French army in Africa, and_io. the Sar-
dinian army during the last compaigns, was seized at M. de
quiche's (the French minister) sotree with an attack of
apoplexy, and little hope is entertained of his recovery.
It is now said that Major-General Wetherell will re-
lieve Major-General Rawan in, command of the troops in
Canada, and will be succeeded es Deputy Adjutant-General
at head-quarters by Colonel Torrens, whose place as Assis-
tant-Quarter-gaster-General will be filled by Lieutenant-
Colonel. Cunynghame.
REMARKABLE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—An accident of a
most extensive . and dangerous character occurred on the
Exeter and, Crediton railway on Monday night.,. The heavy
rains which fell durine• the whole of Sunday and Monday
lensed all the streams in the neighbourhood to rise with a
rapidity unknown for many years, and towards the evening
of Monday the water.
.began to rise over the rails, a short
distance from Crediton, and swept forward with so much
force that it was found utterly impossible to run over the
line between Crediton and Newton, a distance of about four
miles. Unaware of the state of things, the (3.35 p.m. train
left Exeter for Crediton, .and proceeded as usual with the
passengers to the Newton, statio,n, when, finding the line
blocked up, the engine was.reversed, and proceeded back to-
wards Exeter. It had not gone far, however before the
earth
_which supported the railS gave way, and the engine
was embedded in the mud. The fright of the passengers
weer heightened by the darkneSs of the night grid the rush-
ing of the waters,e which swept by with.great force. Every
exertion was used by the officials 'to extricate the carriages.
Horses were procured as quickly as possible, but With. great
difficulty, and the passengers were ultimately drawn back
to Newton, but not till after midnight. The rain all this
time fell in torrents, and the water continued to pour down
the valley with increasing force. Fortunately, none of the
passengers were seriously injured.
• REPRESENTATION OF SOUTII STAFFQ43.DSHIBE.—Lord
Paget has. issued his address to the eleetors.,.lie,says :---" If
elected, I shall give my cordial support to a liberal policy. olit.
government."