The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-06 00:00:00

-••••••••,m.

bledon, and I Made my report the next day, a d the
Board of Trade again postponed the opening for another
month in consequence of the s:gnalc being still incom-
plete ; v..-,d propi.r arrangements, barl not been made with
) the Sontli-Westein Company for giving up the use o
thf.-!ir siding at Wimbledon. I then informed the repre-
i sentatives of the lessee that as soon as such arrangements
were made I would recommend the Board of Trade to
: sanction the opening. On the 9th of October I received
notice of the signals having been put up, and on the 11th
the board allowed the line to be opened. Some time
ought, in my opinion, to elapse before a new line is
opened for passenger traffic. Goods trains ought to pass
continually over it before passengers are conveyed over
it. Great care ought also to be taken to watch the lines,
especially in wet weather, as it is only by passing along
that the weak points are found out. I believe that the
accident was caused main'y by the speed the engine was
going at. The curve is slight, and the engine does not
appear to have gone off at that place. My impression
is, from the waving of the rails, it was owing to the en-
gine oscillating from side to side, and finding a weak
point tore up the metal. It is, however, possible that
a key might have Coto out.
By the Coroner—l have no idea that any one is cul-
pable. Thu weakest part of the line has been sought Out
and found. Looking at the state of the atmosphere, I
think the present rate of speed is objectionable. I think
the speed ought not to exceed 20 miles an hour on this
line at present, ncr until the earthwork is fully consoli-
dated. After that time the trains could, of course, run
faster.

Mr. Craven, locomotive foreman, said that be told tLe
deceased not to work by the time-table, but to go care-
fully, and use his own judgment. The deceased did not
at any time tell him that the line was insecure. He
rode with him the greater part of Monday, for the pur-
pose of lookiug after the state of the line, and he found
two or three slight defects, which were repaired by the
platelayers.

- The learned Coroner summed up, and said it would
be for the jury, after the evidence they had heard, to
deci•le whether due care and precaution had been used
in constructing the line, and afterwards in working the
trains. They would also have to say whether the driver
was going at that reckless speed as to endanger his own
life or the safety of those under his charge.
The court was then cleared of strangers, and after de-
liberating for some considerable time, the jury returned
the following special verdict :—"That the deceased met
his death by accident, but we (the jury) recommend that
the maximum speed, until the line becomes consolidated,
should no be greater than 20 miles an hour, agreeably
to the suggestions of Lieut,-ColoneLYolland, the Go-
vernment inspector."

• The proceedings, which lasted nearly six hours, Vita
terminated.

TOT NESS ELECTION.

TOTNESS, Monday.—The Mayor (Mr. Iluxham)
opened the proceedings at the Guildhall, Totnesz, at 11
o'clock this morning.

Captain PORTMAN, R.N., in proposing Lord Gifford,
recommended the vigorous prosecution of the war with
Russia,.

Mr. J. DERRY, banker, who seconded the proposition,
said that the borough had been well represented by Lord
Seymour, and he had no doubt that the opinions of the
present candidate being similar would give egaal satis.
faction.

The resolution having been carried unanimously,
LA-d GIFFORD rose, and was received with great en-
thusiaui ; having recently expounded his political opinions
to them there was no occasion to enter at length upon that
subject again. He coincided entirely with the popular
feeling against the encroachments of the great Northern
Power, and should support Lord Palmerston in his efforts
to obtain a creditable peace, His late competitor in the
borough. Mr. Mackenzie, had by himself or his friends
been represented as a Conservative in public and an ex-
treme Liberal in private. Soon after he (Lord Gifford)
became of age he was offered a county seat in the House
of Commons, provided he would advocate Protectionist
principles. This he declined, not having had sufficient
opportunities to judge properly on the great political
questions of the day. Since then he had travelled much,
and had spent four years in India, where much experience
was obtained. The Conservative party had frequently
opposed all progress ; they were against Roman Catho-
lic Emancipation, repeal of the Test and Corporation
Acts, free trade, &c., and are now against the Emanci-
pation of the Jews. They even grumbled in private
against free tia,le, although corn was ranging up to 100 s.
per quarter. He was no blind adherent of Lord John
Russell's, and could not admire all his acts, especially
during the last four years ; but it was that nobleman
whom the country had to thank for most of those useful
and salutary measures which had passed the House of
Commons in the present time. He (Lord Gifford) held
the utmost respect for the opinions of the Duke of So-
merset, but he was absolutely independent of him, and
should follow Lis own political opinions, whatever was
the consequence. The long friendship which had existed
between him and the duke ought to be no bar to his
being the repeesentative of the borough of Totness, His
lordship concluded by proposing a vote of thanks to the
Mayor, which, being seconded by Mr. Ferris, was car-
ried unanimously, and the business, which occupied
about an hour and a-half, was closed.

THE CASE OF TEE ROYAL MAIL SHIP
MERMAID, AT PERNAMBUCO.

The Inquiry into the conduct of the captain of this
vessel was resumed yesterday, at Liverpool.
The first witness called was Mr. John Wilson Green,
who knew the Mermaid well, and was certain that the
water she made every 22 hours could easily have been
pumped out in two hours. He certainly should not have
hesitated to have acted as the captain had done under
the circumstances he was placed in at Pernambuco.
Mr. James, emigration surveyor, at Liverpool, de.
posed that he surveyed the Mermaid in January last,
previou • sto her departure for Melbourne. She was then
thoroughly caulked, and was in every way efficient for a
ship of her class. She was in dry dock and was coppered.
She was kneed and fastened under his and Mr. Hasel-
den's inspection. Would not consider a ship of her class
mak'ag 7 inches of water per hour unsafe. With the two
pumps on board they could pump out 6 tons of water in
five minutes. Had seen the ship in dry dock since her re-
turn. Observed a leakage next to the keel and the
foremast on the larboard side. Ordered the copper to
be taken off that spot, and there was then a rush
of water about three inches in width. It arose from the
neglect of the caulkers at that particular spot. The ves-
sel had since been stripped of all her copper, but they
had discovered nothing more ; the ship's bottom was
thoroughly caulked. The hole was the size of the seam.
It would be impossible to say how many gallons of
water would pass through it'in a minute. Nt t 250 oer.
ta.inly. One of Mr. Miller's men, who did the work of
the ship, would be to blame for the hole.
Captain Read, manager of the Woodside Ferry Boats,
deposed that he knew the Mermaid well. Her usual
draft of water was 10 to 20 feet, with a moderate cargo.
If she was drawing 16?-, feet of water, it would be neces-
sary to lighten her fully from 12 to 121 feet to take her
over the bar at Pernambuco, and from his knowledge of
her as a crank ship, he did not think she could have been
lightened to 121 feet to cross the bar with safety.
Evidence having been given that the cargo had been
delivered without damage, and that no claims had yet
been made, and Mr. Hall having addressed the bench
for Captain Dewey,
Captain Robertson said he should just state tliesub.:
stance of his report to the Board of Trade at once, viz.
I consider from the evidence adduced in thinssicdaseera,tiaonnd,
after taking all the circumstances into
that the captain was justified in prosecuting
to England in the Mermaid ; and, so far from being to
c the voyage
o
blame, I consider that under the trying circumstances he
did all that could be reasonably expected from a person
in his responsible situation.
The decision was received with marks of approval.