Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-07 00:00:00

TIIE TRANSIT STEAMER.

The close of the career of the too famous pet ship of
Sir Charles Wood and the Admiralty, without the sacri-
fice of some hundreds of lives at the shrine of oii vial
obstinacy and incapacity, was considered to be, on the
whole, a very fortunare eircutn,tane, though this luckless
vessel must have cost the country,from first to last, between
two and three hundred thousand pounds. Her getting so
far on her voyage was much more than could be reason-
ably expected of her, and had she bean spared for further
Admiralty experiments, she might have gone to the
bottom, some day, with all on board.

THE COVERNIIIIINT FINANCE ACCOUNTS,
Mr. Henry Lloyd Morgan. of Langburn Chambers,
Fauchurch street, London, public accouutaut—the same
gentleman who prepared the new and lucid arrangement
of the Finance Accounts, for the year ending March 31,
1856, which formed the basis of Tract xxiii. or the Asso-
ciation,—tendered to the Council a similar but greatly
improved arrangement of those for the year ended the
31st of March last. It was ordered that Mr. Morgan be
thanked for his offer, and that his contribution be pub-
iisned in the next Tract of the Association.

THE EMBODIMENT OF THE MILITIA.--The new act to
embody the militia has beee printed. It'sta:es that the
sudden demand for the service in India of a large body of
her Majesty's regular forces may render it expedient to
draw out an l embody the militia, or some part of the
militia of the Unitad Kingdom. The act therefore pro-
vides that her Majesty and the Lord-Lieutenant of
Ireland may embody the regiments, and steps have been
taken in pursu3nee of the power conferred. All the
provisions in former acts are to be extended to the present
statute, and the pay of the officers and men is to com-
mence from the time appointed for their assemblieg or
joining their respective regiments, battalions, or corps.
The notice concerning the service of notices is to apply to
this act, bat the provision requiring the assenahing of
Parliament withia fourteen days is not to apply.
THE LONDON AND EASTEUN BANK.-011 Friday Mr.
Tucker, of the eminent firm of Tacker, Greville sad
Tacker, St. Swithin's-lane, presented a petition to the
vacation judge in Chancery, Sir P. Wood, against the
London and Eastera Banking corporation, whose offices are
in Cannon. street. The petitioners are two shareholders,
viz., A. Stuart, Esq., of West Cottage, south Bank,
Regent's-park,,and George Duplex, Esq., of Torrington:
square, surgeon. The bank had a paid up capital of
£25),000, and oat of this sum the directors advanced their
co-director Colonel Waugh, of Branksea Cattle, Dorset-
shire, and a director in several bankrupt mining companies,
and of the Harwich and Continental Steam-packet Com.=
parry, no less a sum than £237,000, upon almost worthless
security. The secretary, Mr. Stevens' is also indebted to'
the bank about £37,000. No official liquidator had been
appointed on to 2 o'clock this afternoon. The appointment
of Messrs. Tucker, Greville and Tucker, as solicitors to
wind up the affairs of the bank, has just been sancioned.
by Vice-Chancellor Wood.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.—A lamentable catastrophe ocenred
in the village of Abbotsbury o Siturdey last, by which a
large portion of the inhabitants hive been rendered
houseless, and damage sustained which cannot he esti-
mated at lees than 1,0(0/. About half-past 9 o'cl,..ck ID
the morning smoke was seen isseing from a small fowl
house at the back of a cottage occupied by a labourer
named Damon, and which is one of a row where a large
number of fishermen ant labourers reside. The fire was
first observed by Darnen's wife, who immediately gave
the alarm, but the surrounding materials having been
rendered exe?ediegly inflammable by the late dry wea-
ther, the flames spread with great rapidity, and, extending
to the thatched roofs of the cotteges, one after the other
was quickly a prey to the devouring element. Tao con-
sternation created in the village was intense, and the most
active exertions were made to secure such portion of the
furniture as it was possible to get out. In this Policeman
Hill, who was speedily oo the spot, rendered the most
valuable assistance, and his intrepid conduct was the sub-
ject of admiration. by all present. Mr. `Vest, farmer, of
Abottsbury, stopped his harvest men, and sent them in a
body to render what help they could, and a number of
the other residents in the vieini'y deserve high praise for
the readiness with which they came forward in the emer-
gency. At one time it was a matter of doubt whether
the who'e village would not be reduced to ashes; 14 cot-
tages were in flames, taking a sweep of about 200 yards
in length ; and those on the opposite side of the street
were only saved bar a number of wet sail cloths, which
hal been lent by Captain Bartlett, of the Ship Inn, and
which were thrown over the roofs and constantly satu-
rated with wafer. But for this judicious precaution the.
loss would have been in ich more extensive. An alarm was
seat to Dorchester, and Superintendent Poacy, with the
bourough fire-engine, inirtedia'ely started to the scene of th
conflagration, and arrived there about 2 o'clock. The
roofs of the cottages had already fallen in, and nearly
every well in the place has been exhausted, so that the
engine could not be brought to bear with any effect upon
the flames, though it assisted in preventing their exten-
sioa. The fire was not get under till about half-past 8
o'clock in the evening, when the whole of the 14 cottages
and a schoolhouse had been destroyed, together with a
quantity of the furniture of the unfortunate occupiers.—
Dorset County Chronicle.