Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-17 00:00:00

JURTODICTiON IN SIAM BILL.

This bill, the object of which is to enable causes of
action arising in the kingdom• of Siam to be tried at
Singapore, was passed through committee.
PROBATICS ANEK LATTIERS OF ADMINISISVION ([MIND) DILL.

This bill, as amended, was further considered.
Mr. Hadfield regarded the bill 'as imperfect, inasmuch
a; it did not extend probates in England or Ireland to
Scotland, and hoped that in the next session this blot
would be removed from the law. This bill was, however,
the greatest and most important law reform which had
been accomp:ished for many years, and it r( fbcted the
highest credit upon the legal gentlemen connected with
ti • Government, who had had charge of the bill. The
measure was one which would be an ornament to the
administration of the present Premier. (Hear, hear.)
The amendments were agreed to, and the bill ordered to
be read a third time on Monday.
CROWDED DWELLINGS PREVENTION BILL.

Oa the motion for going into committee on this-bill,
Mr. Ayrton complained of the arbitrary character of
the bill, which would give to police officers the power of
entering into the dwellings of the working classes, and
making visits of a most inquisitorial character. He thought
that it might fairly be left to the exertions of benevolent
individuals to promote the cause of morality and decency
among the working classe=. rather than expose private
families to the supervision of the police. He would suggest
whether it was desirable to go on with a bill of this sort,
especially as, by an amendment recently introduced, its
provisions would be extended to the whole kingdom ?
Mr. Cowper said that the words which had been intro-
duced into the bill, since it had come down from the
Lords, had entirely obviated the objections which had
been made by the hon. member for the Tower Hamlets.
The pro Visions of the measure would only apply to
dwellings which- would come under the designation of
common to aging-houses. All that the hill attempted to do
with the Lodging-house Act was to define the word
" family," and how far it would extend in order to exempt
a common lodging-house from all operations of the act.
So far as the operation of the Common Lodging-house
Act was concerned, it had been found to be- beneficial to
the keepers of those houses as well as the lodgers. The
right hon. gentleman read some extracts from the report
of the Commissioner of Police, showing the wretchedly
ceowde 1 state of some of the lower class of lodgipm
houses, and the scenes of profligacy and indecency which
they presented, and as the present bill was simply an
amendment in one very small respect of the existing act,
he hoped the house would consent to go into committee
ol the-bill.
e 11r. Henley said it was expressly stated by the noble
lord at the head of the Government last night, that the
bills to be dealt with in the sitting that day, would be
those only which were unopposed.
Mr. Cowper said that under those circumstances he
would postpone the proceeding of the bill until this day
(Monday)
Mr. Ridley hoped that the right hon. gentleman would
withdraw the bill altogether for the present session, for it
was one of the most arbitrary character.
The motien for going into committee was then with-
drawn, and the bill was ordered to be committed this
day.
The House adjourned at two o'clock.

VIOLENT STORTIES.

About a quarter past six o'clock p.m. on Friday, the
whole of London and its suburbs became so darkened as
to show that a fearful storm was coming on. Immense
clouds passed rapidly along from the west towards the
east. A rapid succession of flashes of forked lightning
succeeded. In less than two seconds afterwards peal
after peal of thunder followed, accompanied by heavy
showers of hail and rain. In the immediate neighbour-
hood of rarringdon-street and Holborn-bridge, as well as
on the Surrey side of the river near the Thames, the
damage done is very great. So great was the rush of
water down the sewers that in several places they over-
fl )wed, and the persons living near had their basements
filled with the sewage matter. The lightning continued
until nearly midnight, but with less violence. About half-
past ten o'clock, however, an occurrence took place at the
Brick-lane station of the Chartered Gas Company, St.
Luke's, which caused some alarm. It appears that the
lightning struck one of the iron columns, which supported
one side of a gasometer, or gas holder, situate on the right
hand side of the yard. 0 sing to the column having been
thus struck by lightning the gas, comprising many hundred
thousand feet, became ignited. Fortunately the services
of the firemen were not required. for, owing to the
admirable directions given b e Mr. Upward, the superin-
tendent of the works, and the exertions of the men under
him, the flames were subdued in a comparatively short
period. Fortunately no person was injured, and no
damage was done to any of the surrounding property.
On Thursday afternoon a storm of almost unequalled
violence broke over the city of Lincoln and the neigh.
bourhood. The standing and outlying crops of cereals
'have suffered irretrievably. During the whole of the
day the traffic on the various lines of railway intersecting
the country was much interrupted, in consequence of the
damage► done by tho flood. On the Midland Railway
(Nottingham and Lincoln branch), at Fisherton, near
South well, a portion of the line nearly a qnarter of a
mile in length was entirely swept away by the torrent of
water which ruThed down from the contiguous hills.
An accident of a very serious character occurred on the
main line of the Great Northern Railway, about a mile
south of Carlton station, between Newark and Retford,
at about twelve o'clock on Thursday evening. A large
body of water having escaped over the banks of the Trent,
which runs between Carlton and Newark, formed for
itself a passage across the railway at the point above
mentioned, and speedily raised the rails and sleepers out
of their position. A passenger train dashed into the
flood, the rails rose and fell once or twice, and then the
engine capsiz 'd, taking several of the passenger carriages
with it, and plunging them into the water. The driver
and fireman were pitched over with the engine, and were
immersed in the flood, but were not in any way wounded.
The inmates of the carriages were, however, thrown
into the utmost confusion, and the scene at this
moment was truly appalling. Tne night was pitch dark,
save when illuminated by flashes of lightning. Thunder
was pealing incessantly, the water was rushing and roar-
ing through the bed of the line with great fury, and above
all were heard the screams of women and children,
struggling, like the male passengers, to extricate them-
selves from the carriages. At length, assistance having
arrived, the passengers were rescued from their perilous
position. Two were severely injured. At a late hour on
Friday afternoon the passengers still detained at Tux ford
and Retford were going on as well as could be desired.
The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire line was
also blocked between Gainsborough and Clareborough
from a similar cause, ani that company had to work by
the Saxilby branch of the Great Northern line.
about:seven o'clock on Thursday night a heavy thunder-
storm, which came up suddenly irons the south-west, burst
over Southampton, and rated with tropical violence for
I nearly two hours. On Friday afternoon, about two o'clock,
there was a'►other thunderstorm, but by no moans so
' violent in its character as that of the previous night 'The
rain fell heavily for about an hour.

LIGHTS OF SHIPS AT SEA.