The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-09 00:00:00

MILITIA ESTIMATES.

Sir G. LEWIS moved the following ',,resolutions :
" 1. That in the opinion of this house, it is expedient
to discontinue the practice of appointing a select com-
mittee to prepare estimates of the charge of the disem-
bodied militia of Great Britain and Iz eland; and that snch
estimates be in future prepared on the reponsibility of
Ministers of the Crown.

"2. That an humble address be presented to her Majesty,
that she will be graciously pleased to give directions that
estimates of the charge of the disembodied militia in Great
Britain and Ireland, to the 31st day of March, 1864, be
prepared, and laid before this house.
The object of the resolutions were to put the militia esti-
mates on the same footing as the army estimates, and they
could thus be presented in the same way to Parliament,
who could then pronounce its veto upon theca like all the
other estimates.

(LEFT SITTING')

Fearful Railway Accident—This Day.

At a few minutes before six this morning a very serious
accident happened at the Bow extension of the Blackwell
Railway, which, in addition to causing a large destruction
of property, completely put a stop for some time to all the
trains on the North London, Barking, Tilbury, and
Southend, North Woolwich, and the Woodford Railway.
It appears that a very heavy goods train was on its way
from Camden Town to Haydon-square, and when it
reached a point some 300 or 400 yards from Bow-common
one of the centre trucks left the metals. The train was
going at this moment at a very rapid rate, and the result of
the mishap to the truck was that a number of others got
into the same unfortunate position, and, as the couplings
held, the train was drawn along in dreadful confusion.
Near to Stepney Junction the trucks came in contact with
the coping of the wall of the railway, and a large quantity
of the brickwork was knocked to the ground. The engine
driver, as soon as he felt the extra strain or drag, did all he
could to bring the train to a stoppage,but as the goods engines
employed by the London and North Western are of great
power, some distance had been traversed ere the
trucks which had left the rails had become 'de-
tached from the portion of the train in front. A
scene of the most indescribable confusion and wreck
then presented itself. Some of the trucks were
toppled over and crushed and overhanging the parapet
and the line, and the road beneath were scattered with the
contents of the waggons—flour and other merchandise.
The permanent way was torn up in sad havoc, a heavy
piece of brickwork at the Eow Common-bridge, where a
line of rails runs in, had been shivered by one of the trucks
which had dashed against it. In another part of the coping
a couple of truck-wheels, with the axle entire, had been
forced through the brick-work of the:wall, and fell into the
road beneath.

A great number of hands were immediately despatched
from the London terminus, and through their greatest exer-
tions the line was cleared for ordinary traffic.'

SHIPPING—This Day.

(BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Monday Morning.

Arrived, Feb. B—Equity, from Girgenti ; Vivid, from
Alexandria ' • Union, from Guernsey ; Sappho, from Shang-
hae ; Lima, from Havannah; Two Friends, from Guernsey.
DEAL, Monday Morning.
Passed—Queen of the Plym, for Martinique; Jacque.
Francais, for Cardiff; Syren, for Brest—all from London ;
Maranham, front Shields, for Kurrachee ; Queen of the
Avon, bark, from Colombo; Weymouth, from Foo-chow-
too (in tow)—both for London.
Anchored—Julius Heinreick, from Hull, for Constanti-
nople.

THE COAL SUPPLY TO THE METROPOLIS.—For the
past month of January the railways having access to
the metropolis have carded 159,109 tons 2cwt, against 126,270
tons 16cwt in January, 18G2. Of this quantity the London
and North-Western tonnage was 67,334 tons 2cwt; Great
Northern, 38,371 tons 14cwt ; Midland, 27,708 tons; Great
Eastern, 15,546 tons 3cwt ; Great Western, 14,421 tons ;
South-Western, 1,204 tons 2cwt; Chatham and Dover,
412 tons lcwt ; and Tilbury and Southend, 92 tons. Coast-
wise the tonnage is 273,419 tons, against 233,020 tons in the
first month of 1862. The supplies are registered as 88,903
tons from Newcastle, 87,729 tons from Sunderland, 53,873
tons from Hartlepool and West Hartlepool, 18,854 tons front
Seaham, ;5,347 tons from Middlesborough, 2,170 tons from
Blyth, 2,297 tons from Scotland, 5,907 tons from Wales
5,403 tons from Yorkshire, and 2,938 tons of small coal and
cinders. The arrivals by canal are 808 tons 15cwt, as com-
pared with 733 tons in the month of January last year•
The total arrivals entered from all sources in the month of
January past was 443,337 tons 17cwt, or 64,314 tons 17cwt
more than arrived in January, 1862. This increased ton-
nage shows a better feeling in the coal-market.
EXCEEDINGLY GOOD.—A poor old deaf man, re
siding in a Fifeshire villlage, was visited one day
by the parish clergyman, who had recently taken a resolu-
tion to pay such visits regularly to his parishioners, and
therefore made a promise to the wife of this villager that
he would call occasionally and pray with him. The
minister, however, soon fell through this resolution, and did
not pay another visit to the deaf man till three years after,
when, happening to go through the alley in which the poor
man lived, he found the wife at the door, and, therefore,
could not avoid inquiring for her husband. " Weel, Mar-
garet," said the minister, " how is Thomas ?" " Nae the
better o' you," was the rather curt answer. "How now,
Margaret ?" inquired the minister. " Ou, ye promised twa
years syne to ca' and pray once a fortnight wi' him, and
ye never aince darkened the door sin syne." " Well, well,
Margaret, don't be so short. I thought it was not neces
sary to call and pray with Thomas, for he's deaf, you know,
and cannot hear me." " But, sir," rejoined the woman,
" the Lord's no deaf." The indolent clergyman shrank
back abashed from the cottage. _

SINGING MICE.—A family living in the loweri
room of a house in Kessock-street have hadl fiotsr:ood.
one
months past a remarkably fine linnet,
which,th the loft of the
n shorto e s
wbuiltd ,
gloomyh as he helped t
et or drive dull
ene:::
lr e a during the
pany of mice, which
have also done their best to cheer the solitary occupants of
night. When
dreary watches of the
room above there has been a nest or company
the inmates retire to rest, and all is quiet, the mice join in
the garret through the
concert, and sing in correct imitation of the linnet; and,
strange enough, the moment the singing commences, one of
the mice comes above board, gives " three skips on the
f100r,., and then pays a visit to the cupboard close by; after
which it makes the exit to fill the place in the band of some
other hungry mousie, and so on till they have all had their
turn at the cupboard, when they give a grand finale, and
so ends the concert. The singing of the mice is an octave
lower than that of the linnet; and were it not associated
with the loss of bread and cheese, one might prefer it to
the solo of the feathered songster. There can be no doubt
the concert is got up as a feint to attract attention from the
noise made by the depredators ; but while they sing, they
may steal, and welcome.—lnverness Courier.
A communication from Cayenne, quoted in the
Abevillois, states that the horrible widow of Dumollard,
the murderer, has entered the marriage state with a trans-.
ported convict.

" M. Dumas's prolific pen is now at work for the
stage ; and during the current week we are to
have at the Fonda a new drama, entitled 'Le Notti di
Firenze.' The subject is taken from the times of Alexan-
der Medicis; and the history of its composition is one of
many proofs of the rapid genius of its author. On Mon-
day, Madame Ristori was with him arranging the plan of
the piece, and on the following Saturday morning it was
completed. M. Dumas has now on the stocks two other
dramas, to be entitled respectively Cleopatra' and Marie.
eat actressh da ffoanr*: of
tthhee they
unhappya are written.anti
Antoinette,' the plaxis of which he arranged on Saturday
or
character she imagines she can
g rwl ohnogs e
morning with the
wunfneall°drratunaempereleisnQtt:urieeßhnasOth pieces will be performed by Madame
Ristori in London next June ; Marie-Antoinette' for the
first time, and some of the most striking scenes of the
French Revolution will be introduced. M. Alexandre
Dumas is at the same time proprietor and editor of a jour-
nal in Naples, called the Inclipendente, singularly anti-
English in its tone, yet, it must be confossed, industrious
and courageous in exposing the abuses of this country.—
Correspondent of the .4thimount.