Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-12 00:00:00

WEST COAST OF AFRICA.

ARRIVAL OF THE ATHENIAN.
The African Company's royal mail steam-ship
Athenian arrived in the Mersey on Tuesday, with
the mails from the West Coast of Africa, and 4,053
ounces of gold dust, together with a large miscel-
laneous cargo, and full complement of passengers.
Her dates are :
Benin Nov. 24 Sierra Leone. ....Dee. 21
Fernando Po Dec. 1 Bathurst . „ 25
Cameroons

Old Calabar „ 4 I Lagos
Brass „ 5 Accra
Bonny „ 7 Madeira Jan. 2
At Benin the health of the residents was good, and
trade brisk. The screw steamer Fideliter, Sea Flower,
and Benin loading.
Fernando Po was healthy, and the new Spanish
governer was-doing much in the way of improving the
island. Ships at Clarence Cove :—United States gun
boats Sumpter and Mystic ; British schooner Eliza, of
Bristol ; and Hamburgh barque, William Oswald.
The Camereons was healthy, but trade rather dull.
The natives were quiet, and the recent disturbances had
been amicably settled. The dry season continued very
long this year, but rain had fallen previous to the
Athenian's departure. The Montezuma and the Eliza-
beth Emily were in the river.

Brass laver was unhealthy, and trade was stagnant.
The Express, Arabian, Florence Nightingale, Orient,
and Bell were in the river.

At Bonny trade was rather dull, but the health of the
place was good. The Grand Bonny arrived in the river
on the 3rd December, and the Valleyfield sailed for
Liverpool on the same day, frill of oil. The ships Mis-
sissippi, Empress, Adventure, Mary Black, MarY)
Fanny, and Pomona, were loading.
LAGOS, Dec. 10.—Healthy. Trade brisk. Reeeived
240 casks of oil. Outside the bar—Her Majesty's ship
Medusa, United States gunboat Sumpter, Prussian
Eagle, Palma, Galatea, and screw steamer Fideliter.
The new British consub, Mr. Brand, was pleased "IP
the place, and in good khealth.
CAPE COAST CASTLE, Dec. 14.—Healthy. Trade
brisk. A serious riot took place, on the 24th of Novem-
be-, between the people of Intins and Bentil quarters,
or companies into which Cape Coast Castle is divided.
In consequence of some misunderstanding their old
feelings of jealousy and mutual hatred broke out, and
they went out to a plain about two miles from Cape
Coast to fight. The authorities of Cape Coast when
they heard of these proceedings lost no time in marching
to the spot with as large a force of regulars and municipal
volunteers as could be raised. Lieut. Williams marched
boldly between the two rival parties and the Chief Justice
went about amongst them endeavouring to persuade
them to retire. He at length read the Riot Act but
without effect. With the exception, however, of a few
shots, no actual fighting took place, and the troops
retired for the night. Next day the battle began in
earnest, the Intins numbering 3500 and the Bentils not
more than 700. The latter, notwithstanding their
inferior nambers, fought with great courage. The
arrival of Lieutenant Williams and his force about nine
a.m., put an end to the combat, but not before fifteen
men had been killed and forty wounded.

CAPE PALMAS, Dec. 6.—No news. - -
SIERRA LEONE, Dec. 21.—Her Majesty's ship Sharp-
shooter arrived on the 20th, and sailed southward on the
21st; her Majesty's steamer Surprise, undergoing re-
pairs ; the Garland, of Plymouth, and Phoenix, ditto.
The African royal ,mail screw-steamer Cleopatra sailed
on the 17th December.

BATHURST, Dec. 25.—Healthy; the inhabitants keep-
ing up Christmas in true English style.
Tniinnarrn, Dec. 31.—Ship James Shepherd. No

news.
MADEIRA, Jan. 2.—Placed in quarantine, the African
royal mail screw, steamer Armenian.

LIST OF PASSENGERS.—From Brass : Mr. Mitchell.
From Bonny : Lieutenant Glover, R.N., and servant ;
Mr. Walker, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Watts, four seamen.
From Accra : Mr. Moffatt. From Cape Coast Castle :
Mr. Small, Serjeant-Major Broadhurst. From Sierra
Leone : Mr. S. M. Carter, Mr. John Levi, J. Cuddy
(distressed seamen). From Bathurst : Captain Brown,
late Ist West India. Regiment, C. A: Morphew, do.
From Madeira : seven distressed seamen from the
Madras, and four from the Flying Foam. There were
also three Portuguese, whom the Athenian, being placed
in quarantine, the authorities would not allow to land,
but requested Captain Lowry to take them to Liverpool,
and hand them over to the Portuguese consul there. .

CATTTION.—An instance of the danger attending cer-
tain presents frequently offered to children has iust oc-
curred at Lyons. The concierge of the Grand Theatre
there had presented his son, a boy of about ten years of
age, with a box of paints as a new year's gift. Greatly
delighted with his acquisition, the little fellow passed
the whole evening in colouring a,large portrait of Gari-'
baldi. Most probably he wetted his pencil or paints
with his tongue, for in the middle of the night he was
attacked with a violent cholic, and died in a few hours
from poison.
THE LATE MARCHIONESS OF BUTE.—About three
years ago the Marchioness of Bute was made the execu-
trix and residuary legatee of her uncle, the late Captain
Hamilton Fitzgerald, R.N. That benevolent officer
munificently left a legacy of £lO,OOO to the Royal National
Life-boat Institution, and the like sum to the Seamen's
Hospital. The gallant captain died in Brussels, but his
will had been previously executed in London ly Messrs.
Clayton, of Lancaster-place. The Belgian Govern-
ment made, we believe, a claim of £l5 per cent. or more
legacy duty on the whole of the captain's property,
amounting to about £60,000. The English Government
made also a demand of £lO per cent. on the same. So
that between the two Governments the legacies of the
two benevolent societies would be reduced one-fourth.
However, tile Marchioness of Bute resolutely dis-
Amted the claim of the alien 'Government, and
her litigation continued • for nearly two- years with
them. In the meantime her ladyship, most con-
siderately, had deposited the £20,000 at the London
and Westminster Bank. During a portion of the
period of its lodgment there, the money actually bore an
interest of £8 per cent., and an average of more than
£5 per cent. on the whole term. At last the Marchioness
succeeded in completely frustrating the Belgian Govern-
ment, and in having the satisfaction to pay. the legacies
nearly in full to both institutions, exclusive of legacy
duty. At that period the National Life-boat Institution
was struggling hard to pursue its course of usefulness in
the cause of humanity, and its committee decided at once
to spend, if necessary, the whole amount of the legacy
in placing additional life-boats on the coast. Since then
the boats have been built, and have often been instru-
mental in securing scores of lives from a watery grave.
ALLEGED ILLEGAL MARRIAGES.—The Bishop of
Exeter has issued a commission to the Rev. Chancellor
Martin, the Rev. Prebendary Woolcombe, the Rev., C.
Worthy, the Rev. H. Sanders, and the Rev. C. C.
Bartholomew, directing them to inquire into certain-
charges made by
.the Rev. Robert Pinckney, vicar of
Collumpton, against the Rev. Reginald Neale Shatte,
Rector of St. Mary Steps, Exeter ; these chargei being
that the latter had married George Luxton and Lydia
Burrows and John Hornsey and Ann White, neither of
these two parties having dwelt in the parish of St. Mary
Steps for the period of three weeks prescribed by
the act of Parliament. Mr. Leigh, solicitor, appeared
for Mr. Pinckney, and Mr.' Gidley appeared for Mr.
Shutte. The inquiry was held on Thursday and Friday,
in the Chapter-house Of Exeter Cathedral. The facts
adduced showed that a curious system of marriages' had
for some time prevailed in the parish of St. Mary
Steps ;_ for it appeared that when out-parishioners
wanted 'to be married there they were taken to
certain lodging-houses by a woman connected with the
church,Jo the keepers of which they paid 2s. for
three weeks' lodgings, the general practice being never
to occupy the rooms for a single night. The proprietor
of the lodg,ing-houses gave a certificate of residence on
the day the' lodgings were taken and paid for, and
under this certificate the clergyman married the parties.
When Mr. Shutte commenced his incumbency, how-
ever, it was proved that he had taken pains to stop
these practices, and it was stated that he had suc-
ceeded in diminishing the number of marriages by
one-half. In the present two instances, however,
Mr. Shutte did not make any personal inquiries,
but left them to his parish clerk, in whom he had great
confidence. It was proved that neither of the parties
had resided in the lodgings provided for them, although
the lodging-house proprietor had given certificate of
residence to the parish clerk, under which they were
married. The commissioners decided that there was a
prima' facie ground for further proceedings against Mr.
Shutte, and in delivering the judgment, Chancellor
Martin referred to a decision of Lord Eldon, contained
in Sir A. Stephen's work on " The Laws Relating to
the Clergy," in which the dictum of a personal inquiry
by the clergyman at the houses of the persons applying
to be married was Atrongly laid down, •

HEALTH CommirrEE.