The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-17 00:00:00

EASTERN COUNTIES RAIL WAY.

We (Herapatlt) understand that Mr. Waddington has
been voted out of the chair of the company by his col-
leagues at the board, and thation the committee inform-
ing him that, unless he promised to desist from inter-
fering in the company's affsirs, they would he under
the painful necessity of sending to every station to for-
bid the officers and servants to execute any orders from
him, he promised acquiescence. For this he deserves
credit, inasmuch as the committee has no power to in•
terfere with his authority until his term of office expires.
The Eastern Counties traffic, which the circtimstancei
of the time were estimated to benefit rather than to
injure, presents the following unsatisfactory results for
the last two weeks :

Corresponding week
of laet year.
Week ending 2d inst £20,718 £0,033
IP 9th „

Two weeks' traffic...4'4o,Boo £40,741

Their neighbours, the Great Northern and the Lon-
don and North Western, are increasing their revenues
largely.

CABINET COUNCIL.--On Saturday evening summonses
were issued for a meeting of the members of the Cabinet
at two o'clock to-morrow, at the Foreign-office, DOwn-
inz•street.
The whole of the members of the Cabinet will remain
in town about a week longer, when they repair to their
respective country seats fur the Christmas holidays.
THE WAR DEPARTMENT.—The war coransittee of the
Cabinet will meet to-morrow at twelve o'clock, at the
War Department, in Whitehall-gardens,
Tins MINISTRY.—Lord Palmerston, Lord Panmure,
the Earl of Clarendon, the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Mr. Baines, and other ministers retnaix in London.
The day for the Cabinet meeting next week has not been
decided on, and no summonses have therefore been issued.
The Marquis of Lansdowne has loft Lord J. Russell's
seat near Stroud, and is now the guest of Lord Ashbur•
ton, at the Grange, Hampshire. Lord Granville is
staying on a visit to Lord Sandwich. Lord Harrowby
is also out of town. Lord Stanley of Alderley was in
attendance on Saturday at the Schools of Art and Design
in Malborough-house, Pall-mall.
. . _ _

The Queen has appointed Mr. May to the office of
brat clerk assistant of the House of Commons, vacant
by the resignation of Mr. W. Ley.
The Qoeen has conferred the appointment of military
knight of Windsor upon Captain Loggan, late of the
7th Fusiliers.—Observer.

Lord P.dinerston had a dinner party on Saturday even-
ing at his residence in Piccadilly, and Lady Palinerston
afterwards received an assembly of the beau monde in the
evening, which comprised the ministers of the diplomatic
corps and their ladies, together with the whole of the
nobility at present staying in London.
The Duko of Rutland hay left the Clarendon Hotel
for Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Leicestershire.
Tag DUKE OF NEWCASTLE.— Ilia Grace the Duke of
Newcastle arrived at Clueaber on Saturday last, in guod
health.

THE DUKE OF NEWCAISTLE AT WORKSO.P.—On Wed-
nesday night last his Grace the Duke of Newcastle
arrived at the Worksop Railway station. A very large
concourse of people assembled on the station platform
and the approaches to the station, for the purpose of
welcoming and congratulating the duke on his safe re-
turn fr no the Crimea. At Clumber his grace was
received with, if possible, still greater cnthusiasm.—
Not t fourna.

SACRED lIARMONIO SOCIETY, EXETER HALL—The
final Christmas performance of Handel's "Messiah "
takes place on Friday next, the 21st inst., when Madame
Carr Novello makes her firs: appearance this season ;at
Exeter Hall.

LIVERPOOL, Saturday, Dec. 15.—The British and
North-American mail-steamer Asia, Eld ridge commander,
sailed from this port this morning for Boston, with a full
cargo and 67 passengers, among whom was Mr. George
Cruikshank.

TRH LATE Loss OP LIFE IN ST JAMES'S PARK.—
OFFICI &L INVBSTIGATION.—On Saturday afternoon Mr.
C. Bedford, coroner for Westminster, held a long in-
quiry at the Prince of Orange Tavern, Victoria-street,
Westminster, into the circumstances attending the
deaths of Francis Hall, aged 11 years ; William Crane,
athgeedtlhO, reeanudnfWoritlulinaantieHyeonurythils iwbhbeorlto,
satgetdhelir3
lyiveeareseb—y
being drowned in the ornamental water in St. James's-
park, on Thursday afternoon last. The different bodies
having been identified and evidence adduced, the jury
returned a verdict, "That the deceased boys lost their
lives by the accidental breaking of the ice," accompa-
nied by a recommendation that "the Royal Humane
Society should communicate with the Commissioners of
the Board of Works, with a view to adopt some plan
for keeping the people off the ice until it was certified
by the society to be in a safe condition."
FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE BLACIEWALL RAILWAY, On
Saturday, Mr. Payne held an inquest at the East India
Tavern, Fenchurch-street, on the body of Thomas J
who was killed on Friday morning, on the London and
Blackwall Railway. Evidence having been taken, the
jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death."
FATAL AND DESTRUCTITS EXPLOSION OF GUNPOWDER
FOUR LIVES LOST.—At Coseley, near Sedgley, in
South Staffordshire, there occurred on Friday a sad ac-
cident, which demonstrated in a melancholy manner the
great danger of a practice common amongst the overseer
miners of that district—that of keeping large quantities
of gunpowder for blasting purposes in their dwelling-
shioounseosigunApto
wthdeerptlaoccek apniadceo,n
wthheichdabyasstkaitleleddafnouerxppelor--
(sioen4sr,oyinejd'uprerodpesretvyeroafla (c) tohnesrisd—e
rsaobinl
ee s
udangly—and
e
immediate scone of the disaster was a block of three
houses belonging to Mr. J. Cotterill, and situated at the
Coppice, on the road from Sedgley to Deepfields, a sta-
tion on the Stour Valley branch of the London and
North-Western Railway.