Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-12 00:00:00

THE MEDITERRANEAN TELEGRAPH

Intelligence has been re:eived of the successful sub-
mergence of the cable in the Mediterranean, and it now
unites in instantaneous intercourse England and Europe
with Africa. The expedition started from Cagliari? on
the Sardinian coast, with the cable in the hold of the
Elba, and begin paying it out, commencing from the
African coast from Bona, on the Algarine frontier. Pre-
liminary operations were commenced on Monday, and the
centre cable submerged and communication effected with
either coast. on Wednesday evening. The distance
between Cagliari and Bona is 150 miles, an island
of rocks, eilled Galeta, only intervening a short
way from the African coast. The weight of the
cable in the former experiment that failed was at the rate
of 8 tons to the mile whereas the weight of the cable, now
so suceessful:,e submerged, has been reduced to 11 tons-to
the mile, or about equal to that of the Atlantic cable, and
this, added to the perfection of the machinery for plying
out and the skill of the engineering manipulation,
tended greatly to facilitate the operation under
circumstances of much physical diffimity, since it was
found from the survey and soundings made by
Engineer Delama-che, of the Tartarus, that the plateau
of the Mediterranean presented depths and inequalities
in the comparatively short distance of 150 miles, as
form'dahle to be mastered as any in the Atlantic.
Every assistance was aff)rdel by the French and Sar-
dinian governments to the company, who have an exclusive
privilege granted them for fifty years by the two govern-
ments, the French government giving a guarantee of
interest of 4 per cent. on £lBO,OOO, and the Sardinian 5
per cent. on V. 20,000. About one half the quantity of
cable required to extend the Mediterranean telegraph
from Sardinia to Malta, and from Malta to Corfu, is manu-
factured ; and as soon as the other half is ready those
places will be brought into the range of telegraphic con-
nection with England and the continent.

THE REVOLTED SEPOYS AND THE CATHOLIC
C dURCH.
The Bacceo;,., of tha ultrArnfmtsano pa.pfy in
Lombardy, is at present extremely hostile to the English
in In iia, but it will change its tone when it obtains such
'confirmation of the atrocities of the sepys as is
contained in a letter addressed by Father Raphael, a
Cath.dic mit.sionary at Patna, to his Mends in Bavaria.
The following extracts are from the letter of the reverend
gentleman : •

"PATNA, JULY 13.

'An alack was tutdo on ou• station on the 3rd of July, at
half-past seven, p.m. While the Alahometans were breaking
open the doors of the house, I took refuge in the stable. I
heard and un)ets•ood everything they said; • and the words
Padri saheb Bohai hai Iforega' (Where is the priest ?
ho must die), still ring in my ears. Fortunately I was not
discovered; hut to-my extreme sorrow, the good'Dr. Lyell, a
Protestant physician, who cnno to my assistance was killed.
He was shot in the abdimen, had one sabre cut i❑ the fore •
head, and three others on his mouth and chin."

TRIAL OF ROYAL BRITISH BANE DIRECTORS.

It hi,s been pretty generally rumoured srithin the last
few days that the trial of the directors, and the other
persons charged with being concerned in this gigantic
swindle, would take place at the October or November ses-
sion of the Central Criminal Court, and that the ordinary
session would be sp:ci .11y adjourned to a particular period
for that purpose, as in the case of Palmer. It appears,
however, that the officials of that court have not received
any notification upon the subject, and there is very little
doubt that the trial will take place in the Court of Queen's
Bench during the November term. Tne public is aware
that no indictments have been at present preferred azainst
any of the defendants in the o:diaary form, but the
Attorney General, in his official capacity, has " in-
formed the court" that certain persons, who.e names
he mentioned, he bad raison to believe, had been
guilty of a misdemeanour, in having unlawfully conspired
and combined togerher to obtain large sums of money,
by means of false and fraudulent pretences. Upon this
information the Court of Queen's Bench iastvd its proce,s
for the apprehension of the persons named in the info:matiou,
and Mr. Humphrey Brown, Alderman Kennedy, Mr.
Cameron (the manager of the bank), and several others
were arrested and held to bait to answer the charges made
against them. Under ordinary circumstances a charge of
this character would be properly brought for invesleation
before the Central Criminal Court, but the C•mat ( f Q wen's
Bench, being the highest Court in the kingdom, both in
orialieal and civil matters, having initiated the proceed-
ings against the parties, would not delegate to an inferior
jurisdiction the power to dispose of the matter, and the
trial will, therefore, no doubt, take place in the Court
of Queen's Bench before Lord Chief Justice Campbell.
Daring the interval that has elapsed since the former
inquiry into the affairs of the Royal British Bank, it is
un lerstoorl that a close investigation has been instituted
into all the accounts, with a view to ascertain whether
there is any case ofseeuri having been made away with
that were depisited with the bank with written instruc-
tions, the disposal being cantr try to such instructions.
This is made a felony by a special act of Parliament, and
Sir John Paul and his partners were convicted under that
statute, and sentenced to transportation. At present, it
appears that no such case has been discovered, but,
is the event of there being evidence to support
a charge of this descripti.m, it is pia' bable that
a bill would be preferred l'efore the grand jury at
the Central Criminal Court. It is said that whenever
the trial shall he appointed to take place, the defendants
will snake an app'ic ation to be tried separately, the object
of this proceeding being to confile the evidence to the
particular person under charge, and thns exclude a good
deal of evidence as to the fraudulent intentions of the
parties, and the general combination between them. The
application will doubtless be stronely opposed en the part
of the Crown ; and it is to be hoped, for the sake of public
justice, that ne technicality will be allowed to interefere to
prevent the whole of the facts connected with this dis-
graceful affair from being brought before the jury and the
public, in order that those persona proved to have been
concerned in these enormous frauds may receive the
punishment they so justly deserve.

AGECCULTURAL PROSPF.CES IN MONMOUIIISHIRI.—Har-
vcsting operations are now concluded in this county, and,
on the whole, it may fairly be stated that the crops of all
kinds are far above an average. The wheat erop especially
is very fine, and the weight per builicl much better than
usual. The yield of fruit is very large, both in this and
the adjainiog counties of Hereford ani Gloucerer, in
wl,ich districts the m2ke of cider and perry will be the
most extensive known for many years. We regret to hear
that the potato disease is spreading fearfully in this county,
and in the immediate neighbourhood of Monmouth its
ravages have been so great that in several instances tke
whole of the crop has rotted in the Found.