Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-31 00:00:00

THE CALCUTTA AND CHINA MAILS.

We have been favoured by the Peninsular and
Oriental Company with the following message,
received by them from Marseilles.
The steamship Vectus, with tha Calcutta and
China mails, arrived at Marseilles on Tuesday
night.
The mails left for London at 10 on Wednesday
morning.

COMMERCIAL GENIUS.—Fond parent(to his son)—"yes,
New York is the Wale to get to in. Look at Jamez ; he
started without a penny, and has lately failed for a
hundred and fi ty thousand dellars. Of course, that's an
extreme case. I don't expect you to do as well as that.
Still, with honesty and industry, I sea no reason why you
should not, in a few years, fail for fifty thousani dollars."
N. Y. Picayune.
INSTRUMRNT OF TORTURE, ALLEGED TO BE OF BIRMINGHAM
MANUFACTURE.—IdoIs for Africa, and false coins for most
parts of the world, have given Birmingham some celebrity,
but all that is surpassed. if the Gazette is to be believed,
by an instrument of torture made here and used by the
King of Delhi. It is one of the most horrible inventions
ever heard of, completely crushing the victim under a heavy
weight.—Birmingham Press.
TAE IRONMASTERS OF YORKSHIRE.—The dispute between
the master and men at the Park Gate Ironworks and
Midland Iron Company is at an end. The men returned
to their work on Monday at former prices. Th 3 attempted
reduction of 10 per cent. will, however, take effect without
further notice, should wages suffer a corresponding reduc-
tion in the Staffordshire districts. Reductions of from
20 to 30 par cent. have been made in the wages of those
engaged in the iron trade of Wales and the north of
England.
DUELLING IN ALABAMA.—Among the oaths adin'nistered.
to G vernor Moore at his inauguration was the following:
—" Do Sou solemnly swear that you have not, directly or
indictly, giver, accepted or knowingly carried a challenge
in writing or otherwise, to any parson losing a citizen of
this Sate, to fight with dead'y weapons, either in or out of
this State ; or aided or abetted in the same since you have
been a citizen thereof ; and that you will not, directly or
indirectly, give, accept, or knowingly carry a challenge to
any parson, being a citizen of this State, to fight, with
deadly weapons, either in or oat of the State, or in any
manner aid 07 :Ott the same during your continuance in
office ?"—New York Journal of Commerce.
RFDUCTION of 'IIIE SHIP LETTEit RATE OF POSTAGE.--
On the let of Jaeuary next and thenceforward, the
British rate of postage upon letters despa` clied from any
port of the United Kingdom by a private ship, whether
steamer or sailing vessel, will be reduced to 6,1 the half
ounce, in ail cases where it new exceeds that sum. The
charge upon letters above half an ounce in weight wiil
increase according to the scale for charging inland letters.
Lath ra conveyed by private ship from this country to
France or Baygium will continue liable to a combined
British and Foreign rate of fourpence the half-ounce ; and
letters conveyed by private ship to Holland, Hamburgh,
or Bremer, will still be charged with a combined
British and Foreign rate of eightpenco the half-ounce, as
heretofore.

TIIE Crrunco-RATE CONTEST AT Gremaxwictr.—The poll
of the ratep iyers of the parish of Greenwich has terminated
in the triumph of the churchwardens. At the close of the
poll, last evening, the votes were declared as follows :
For a church-rate of one penny in the pound, 921 ;
against the rase, 381 ; majority in favour of the rate, 540.
A meeting of the Anti Church-rate Committee, appointed
at a public meeting on Saturday, has been held, and it
was decided to dispute the legality of the rate, on the
grounds that the rev, chairman, at the vestry, called for
making the rate, refused to pat an amendment for an
adjouroment, in order to revise the estimates, and it is
contended that the celebrated Braintree case decided the
right of a vestry to vote upon every item of the estimates ;
a decision which is supported by the opinion of Mr. Baron
Bramwell, Sir Fitzroy Kelly, and other eminent lawyers.
IMPERIAL GIFT TO THE SourH KENSINGTON MITSEUM.--
We have much plensurc in learliing that Prince Napoleon
has transmitted to the CismnoiVee of Council on Education
a very int resting specimen of Gobelia tqestry, the subject
being " Arria presenting the dagger to her husband Pallls,
after having stabbed herself." This piece of work was
commenced under Louis XVI., was completed during the
republic, and received its border in the early days of the
first empire. It was given on his marriage in 1807 to
Jerome, King of Westphalia, by the Emperor, his brother.
Prince Jerome his just given it to his s:11 Prince Napoleon,
in order Vint it might be presented to the Mus:lint of Art
at South Kensington, as some proof of the interest which
they both took in that establishment. Viewed for its
money worth, this specimen must have been valued at
above £2,000 ; but, looking to the curious facts of its
history, it is of far higher valve, vs an evidence of the
friendly relations which have sprung up between the two
countries, net merely in politics, but in the promotion of
the arts.

STATE OF TRADE IN FEtNCE.—The report of commer-
cial affairs for the past week may be regards 1 as rather
more satisfactory. In Paris a very fair amount of business
has been done daring the wee‘e, and the small dealers along
the boulevards already seem tolerably well satisfied, which
implies that they must have sold a large quantity of their
wares. At Havre, the demand for cotton has bean active,
the sales of the week amounVng to 5,500 bales, and the
arrivals to 7,500. The stock of cotton now on hand
exceeds 81,400 bales, being 33,700 more than at the
corresponding period of last year. Prices have undergone
but a trifling alteration since the last report. Several
purchases of printed calicoes have been made at Rouen for
abroad, but the prices have been generaky rather low.
Business at Mulhausen shows some improvement, several
orders from the south having been receives; prices were
becoming firmer. At Roubaix, business was also more
active, and some considerable purchases had been made.
At Lyons the demand for silk goods shows a decided
improvement, and sengeine hopes arc entertained that a
favourable reactien in business is on the eve of taking 'lace.
—Galignani.
SINGULAR AND DIiTRESSING ACCIDENT.—We have to
announce, with deep regret, the loss of one of the most
respected members of the legal profession in this town, by
a very singular though easily to be explained accident,
Mr. Cambridge, senior, whose reti-ement from the
clerkship of the Court of Guardians, which he had held for
so long a pert )d, we recent'y noticed, had breakfasted at
his usual hour on Sunday morning, and afterwards went
out to look at his o'geros. kept i i a loft to which there
was access from the laurdry by a ladder and a folding
trip-door, Mrs. Cambrilge having jest left him to prepare
for accompanying him to church. A short time atte-, Mrs.
Cambridge, passng through the launiry, observed him
with his head between the trap-doors, and at first supposed
that be was listening to the pigeons, but as he did not
answer she went nearer, xvh n to her horror, she found
him suspended between the flips of the trapdoor, having
either lost his footing on the ladder from the trapdoor
falling unexpectedly, or hiving pulled down the shutters
upon himself in coeseqecnce of losing his foothold. Mrs.
Cambridge and her servant, in their agitation, were
unable to extricets the lifeless body, but an alarm being
given it was taken down, and found to be quite dead.
We lately remarked that Mr. Cambridge's Inn; conaexion
with our parochial affairs was distinguished by his careful
avoidance of litigation ; and this honourable trait was
especially noticed by the coroner as having marked his
general practice. Mr. Cambridge was in the 72. ad year
of his age.—Bury and Norwich Post,
SERIOUS ACCIDENT YESTERDAY MORNING —newly
ESCAPE or Foust MEN.—A fearful amount of excite-
ment prevailed yesterday morning, at ton o'clock,
in the locality of Canning-place, Sailor's Home,
in consequence of a report that a portion of the
new Custom House Bazaar had fallen in and killed several
men, who ware at work on the !milling. The place enig.
immediately crowded, and the deepest anxiety was raani-
fest. We are glad to say, however, that no lives, Were
lost, although it seems almost a miracle how the men were
preserved. The facts are these : —At the time stated, four
men, named Philip Bond, foreman bricklayer; Ite°_deli
Woods, William Ward, and John Carron, three joine'
wore engaged at what is termed " striking the centre of eifit
arch ;" that is, taking away the props and stilled
of the arch, thinking the masonry work was set"..
properly. It 'would seem otherwise, for on ...
moving one of the main props, the whole lnagfs
bricks, wood, and i-on came down with a terrible cra'at'i
burying the four men in the ruins. Bond and Vtrc)°_e
were thrown into the c. liar, and for a moment all consideT;
the men were smashed to pieces, as the weight f tpiri
materials that fell on them was enormous. Police-office
Joseph Isaacs, 327, and John Dill, 54, were instantly on
about
the spot, and with the assistance of the mentar
to the place, and a portion of the pubic, set vigor°
to work to extricate the sufferers, and eat
great exertions, through a large mess ef debris, they
the poor fellows out alive. They were at once conveyed
rebid
to the Southern gospital, when every attention was no
to them. They are dreadfully bruised, bat it is swan
bones are broken. Looking at the place and thehiel
of the accident, it is quite astonishing how
Of
pron 7.
escaped being crushed to atoms, bat the hand t-
about
done* was about them. There are auroral rumours
the accide4tl but we do not give publicity to any
of
these,