Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-14 00:00:00

AMERICA.

• - SOUTHAMPTON, o Friday Morning.
The- Fulton has arrived with the United States
mail. She left New York April 30th.

The Africa had arrived out. - •
Mr. Cobden was staying with the President.
The navigation of the St. Lawrence had been opened.
The steamer Circassian had arrived out at St.
John's, Newfoundfand. _ .

By telegraph from New Orleans we have highly im-
portant news from Mexico. Miramon had succeeded
in penetrating the lines of the liberal forces, and
reached the capital on the 11th ultimo. He had
already, it is stated, commenced the work of
murdering peaceable foreigners indiscriminately.
He had also issued a formal protest against the
recognition of the Juarez government by the
United States, and had banished Mr. Black, the
American Consul-General, from the country. While
these occurrences were transpiring at the capital,
at Vera Cruz the British Minister had made a
demand on the Juarez government for the full
payment of all the claims of his countrymen, and
instructed the commander of the British
fleet to bombard the city in case of refusal.
The exequatur of the Spanish Consul at Vera
Cruz had been revoked. The Washington cor-'
respondent of the New York Herald says,
The intelligence of a threatened bombardment of Vera
Cruz by the British fleet, is *not believed there, for the
reason that the .claims of both the. English and French
governments were satisfactorily settled two months ago.
As on the 6th, Miramon was at Orizaba, which is 'sixty
leagues from the city of Mexico, it is considered impossible
that he could have reached the latter place on the 11th.
We learn froni. Washington that Senor Mata;the
representative .of the Juarez government, had
been forinally 'received by. the •President to-day, as
the duly accredited minister of Mexico.
We have inivices and files of papers from Utah up
the 2nd inst. The news is very interesting. Judge
Cradlebaugh's proceedings at Provo, had created the
greatest excitement 'throughout the territory. In
addition to the company of one hundred soldiers
quartered in the vicinitv'of the Court-house at the,
request of the Judge, Oreneral Johnston had sent
nine hundred more, to camp within a few miles
of the city. The inhabitants of Provo and
of Utah 'county petitioned the Judge: to re-,
move the troops, and remonstrated with
him on the course he was pursuing. Governor
Cumming demanded of General Johnston the with-
drawal of the troops, which the General refused.
Petitions to the Governor for protection were pour-
ing in upon him, and he had issued a proclamation
condemning the course of the Judge and General.
It is asserted that the Mormon leaders were
exercising every influence to preserve the peace, but
some of them had began to talk of limits to
endurance. A Washington despatch informs us that
the government, not approving of the course of the
Judge, has determined on his removal.
Advices from Leavenworth confirm previous
statements of a secret movement at Pike's Peak, for
a descent upon Mexico. Agents of this movement
are at Leavenworth and other points, urging forward
the migration to the gold region, in order to have at
Pike's Peak suffieient material for their purpose. The
leaders base their hopes .on anticipated developments
in the gold country, and the probable dissatisfaction
.of great numbers with their prospets at the mines.
The plan of the leaders is not yet fully developed,
but it embaces, it is said—first, a descent upon
Sonora, and afterwards probably upon Durango, and
`Chihuahua. Ten thousand emigrants have already
left different points on the Missouri for Pike's Peak.
We have advices from Kingston, Jamaica, to the
15th inst. The Mining news is favourable. The
provision' traders `found inconvenience from the
interpretation given by the customs officers to the
word "flour," as it appears in the new schedule of
duties. The officials intended to levy the additional
duty of 2s laid on flour, .upon wheat flour, rye flour,
and corn meal. The Nonsuch estate, in St Mary's,
with one hundred head of stock and 150 acres in
canes, together with Unity and Crawl Pen, adjoin-
ing, consisting altogether of 2,400 acres of land,
were sold for the sum of $20,000. His Excellency
the Governor has recognised Don Bruno Badan
provisionally as Vice-Consul for Spain at Kingston.
We have files from Bermuda to the 19th ult The
British flag ship Indus arrived there from Havannah
on the 15th, with Admiral Stewart on board. The
Admiral had been waiting at Havannah for thearrival
of the Mexican mail steamer, but she had notTeached
that port when he 'left. One hundred and fifty-six
convicts, whose time of penal servitude was about to
expire, had 'been Shipped to England in the 'barque
W. H. Chanifkr. The British war steamer Styx was
n port, also the Term; and the gunboats Onyx mad
iNettle.

THE SUSPECTED

CASE OT

POISONING

AT RICHMOND

Yesterday morning; W. Carter,-Esq., Coroner for Surrey,
and the .tiry previously empannelled, resumed the above
inqiiiry at the Vestry Hall, Richmond. The hall was
densely crowded. .Mr. Sergeant Ballantjne again 'appeared
to watch the'proceedings on the part of the friends of the
deceased. The accused, Dr. Smethurst, was brought from
HorsemOngei-lane Gaol, by an order from the Secretary of
State. The Coroner, in opening the proceedinr,s, 'observed,
that Dr., Smethurst would be allowed to put questions. to any
of the witnesses. It must. be observed that the present
court was simply one of inquiry, and no charge could be
entertained against any person until a verdict was arrived
at. Mrs. -Wheatley, the landlady of the house where the
deceased resided with *Dr. Smethurst, was examined at
length,' but' her evidence was a mere repetition of, that
given before the magistrates on Wednesday last. On cross-.
examination by Dr. Smethurst, the, witness stated that hiS
general Conduct to the deceased was kind, and witness
always considered that th6y• liVed -very happily together.
William Marchand, an errand-boy in the employ of Dr.
Julius, at Richmond, proved' taking Medicine to the de-
ceased. The'bottles were labelled" Mrs. Smethurst." Mrs.
Ann Robertson, the landlady of the honse aC_Riehmoncl,
then repeated her evidence, proving that the deceased
was constantly ill with sickness and Vomiting-.' 'Miss
Bankes, the sister of the deceased, was then re-examined,
'and the learned Coroner observed that he would now state
the course he intended to adopt. He had yesterday seen
Professor Taylor, and found that the necessary tests had
'been completed. It was useless to examine a number Of.
other witnesses until it was first ascertained whether death
resulted :frem natural causes, and he should, • therefore,
adjourn the inquest, for the attendance of Professor. Taylor
until 'Wednesday week next.

FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT.
AT THE WESTMINSTER: PALACE COMPANY'S

HOTEL WORKS

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE, AND SEVERAL PERSONS

INJURED,

Yesterday morning, about half-past six o'clock, an acci-
dent of a most deplorable nature, attended up to the time we
write with the sacrifice ;of five human beings, and serious
if not fatal consequences to eight other persons, happened
at the works connected with the construction of the great
hotel, situate at the corner of. New Victoria-street, West-
Minster. The immense structure, which was being built with
all possible dispatch, belonged to the Westminster-palace
Hotel Company (Limited). The contractor was Mr. George
Myers, the well-known ecclesiastical and general builder of
the Belvidere and York-roads, Lambeth. That gentleman,
in order to see that the work was being properly carried out,
was in the habit of daily inspecting the property, and giving
personal instructions as to the erection of scaffolds, stages,
&c., so as to secure the safety of the many men employed,
but it appears that, although his orders were carried out in
the first instance, some of his men, regardless of the danger,
worked counter to his, instructions, and hence the'occurrence
of the lanientable. affair which we have now to narrate.
The building had been carried up, from external appear-
ance, between 80 and 90 feet, with a quadrangle in the
centre, and in order to proceed with the work on the
outside of this department it was found necessary to have a
number of stages erected for the men •to stand upon. To
accomplish this, Mr. Myers had • one reaching from the
bottom to the top of the external wall, framed in the
following manner : At each side were heavy timber supports
placed perpendicularly, and stretching_ from those were
wooden stages, probably about 14 feet wide. One of these
stages was about the Middle' of the height of the wall, and
the other at the top of the building. The lower one was
propped up by means of heavy scaffold poles, and the upper
was similarly protected, the poles resting upon the lower stage.
The work, with these precautionary measures, would no
doubt have .gone on without the accident taking place, had
not some of the hands thoughtlessly removed the under
bearings, which, as will be seen at a cursory glance, was the
sole cause of the catastrophe. Upon the works being carried
from the first stage to the second,' the supports were taken
from the lower one, and consequently the props that rested
upon it to keep up the highest one were also displaced.
This Mr. Myers positively asserts was done without his
orders or knowledge. 'At six o'clock yesterday morning the
men went to their work at the usual places allotted to them,
amongst whom. were thirteen bricklayers and labourers
employed upon the upper stage. - About half an hour
afterwards, quite on 'a sudden, owing to the accumulation
of bricks and mortar, and the weight of the men; the stage
snapped asunder about' the middle, and the whole of 'the
thirteen men were hurled to the bottom, a distance of seventy
feet at least, falling upon each other, and covered with
bricks and rubbish. An alarm was imniediatieli given, and
men from all parts of the building came to rescue their
unfortunate companions ; and Mr. Myers being present at
the time personally inspected the spot, and gave instructions
as to the best way of getting the poor fellows out of the
debris. The whole thirteen were rescued in a very short
time, and -conveyed to the Westminster Hospital, when a
fearful sight presented itself. Not one had escaped from
being fearfully mangled ; some had broken heads, fractured
legs, .broken faces, dislocated necks, and other injuries too
frightful to particularise. The' unfortunate persons were at
once seen and attended to by Drs. Hillman and O'Dare, who
directly declared four of the parties to be dead, and another died
about three hOurs afterwards ; and they held out no hopes Of
any of the other sufferers recovering. The following is a
list of the dead : Edward Sullivan' John M•Cough, Cor-
nelius Buckley, Peter Forbes, and. John Carroll. Seriously
(supposed fatally) injured : Michael Grogan, James Caton,
'Michael Carron, Dennis Cartey, Ed. Newman, Michael.
Irving, James Mack, and a man named ,Cakill.. Mr.
Inspector Ilumphries and a strong body of the B division
of police are at the present time busily employed in keeping
many thousand spectators and friends of the sufferers out of
danger a work of no small difficulty.

LATEST PARTICULARS

It would be impossible to describe the scene of distress
in the vicinity of the buildings and the Westminster Hos-
pital. Women and children, who have not seen their
husbands and fathers return home to dinner, apprehensive
that they have perished, have completely surrounded the
hospital. taken possession of the steps, so that it has been
absolutely necessary to have a reinforcement of police to
keep the poor creatures back. Mr. Myers has given instruc-
tions that every attention shall be paid to the bereaved, but
as most of the deceased were Irish, their friends are loud
and clamorous in their entreaties to be allowed to enter the
hospital to " wake them." Such a proceeding, however,
cannot for one moment be entertained. The eight' remain-
ing sufferers are described-to be in an extremely dangerous
condition, and three, if not four, in a state of articulo mortis.