The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-03 00:00:00

THE Boy's MoNniur.---The usual variety of
pleasant reading for young folks is given in this part, and
there is some curious information on matters interesting to
boys.

MISCELLANEOUS.—" The Englishwoman's Do-
mestic" is very attractive this month, both in prose
and Terse. The Fashions, an important feature with the
fair sex, according to our taste, seem to be very becoming
and distingue, and the other usual and entertaining contents
make the publication a very useful and pleasing one.—
" The Young Englishwoman" is one of the best and
cheapest publications offered to the public ; it abounds with
information on music, needlework, and ornalental ladies'
work.—" Cassels' Illustrated Don Quixote" is more than
ordinarily beautiful. The engravings contained in this
month's number are about the best we hare seen. " The
Illustrated Shakspere" and "Gulliver" also well maintain
tho reputation they have gained as first-class illuttrated
books ; and the " Natural History" and other publications
issued by the firm are all of the average excellence.

The Fatal Accident on the Great Western
Railway.

In ourimpression of Friday we gave some parti-
culars of a terrible accident which occurred on
Wednesday night at the Bruton station of the Wilts,
Somerset, and Weymouth branch of the Great
Western system. It will be remembered that a
ballast train of 13 trucks and a break-van ran from
the main-line into the goods-shed, and then along a
siding, the abutments of which it carried away, down
a steep embankment into the turnpike-road beneath,
which it crossed there by a bridge. The ruin which
ensued baffles description. The engine was dashed
against the buttress of the bridge, the tender was on
the top of it, bottom upwards, and 12 trucks and
their contents of ballasting lay broken and strewed
in the abyss, while another truck, laden with flour,
was hurled right across the road to the bottom of
the opposite embankment, a distance of 28 yards.
To add to the horror of the scene the fire of the
engine soon ignited the broken trucks, and the town
fire engine had to be employed in extinguishing the
flames. It was not till 2 o'clock that assistance from
Frome arrived, and later in the morning a strong
staff and a powerful engine came from Swindon.
About 10 o'clock the body of the stoker, Radford
Bartlett, was taken out from beneath the tender,
fearfully mangled and burnt, but it was not till
nearly 4 in the afternoon that the unfortune fireman

was found buried beneath the engine and its coke,
and also frightfully mangled, his abdomen having
been literally squashed. Two men, one a guard
and the other a fitter, who rode in the break next
the engine, escaped with comparatively trifling in-
juries, and they are now at Bruton, under the care
of Drs. Heginbotham and Stockwell. Another
guard and seven men, who were in the break-van
behind, escaped simply because the road was so
blocked by the ruins of the preceding carriages.
The inquest on the bodies of the unfortunate fire-
man and driver was held at the Blue Ball, Bruton,
on Saturday, before Dr. Wybrants, coroner for
Somerset, and a highly respectable jury, of which
the Rev. H. Randolph was foreman. The Great
Western Company was represented by Mr. Graham,

the western manager ; Mr. Lyrall, the chief super
intendent of the lines ; Mr. Reynolds, assistant,

engineer, and other officials. The pointsman, James
Andrews, was present, in charge of Superintendent
Sheppard, of the Somerset Constabulary.
It is unnecessary to give the evidence at length,
inasmuch as the cause of the catastrophe was clear
and undoubted. It was proved by Henry Pearce,
the guard, that the train was going at a speed of
14 or 15 miles an hour, when, seeing the signals all
right, the speed was increased. They passed
Andrews, the policeman, on the platform, and he
showed a white light and waved them past. Imme-
diately afterwards the witness heard the brake-
whistle, but there was no time to put on the brake,
and in a second or two the crash came. Whether
ho jumped out or was thrown out the witness did
not know, but he found himself on the rails, and
when he got to himself he went to look for his mate,
whom he found much scalded and hurt. Evidence
was then given as to the duties of the prisoner, who,
it appears, had been two years in the service, and
was always a steady and sober man. He had been
on duty only two hours when the occurrence hap-
_ _ _

pened. Mr. Reynolds, the assistant-engineer of the
line, stated the steps which had been taken to clear
the obstructions ; and it was proved by Andrew
Hurden, a porter, that the prisoner had admitted in
a few minutes after the accident happened that he
had left the points wrong. In substance, this was
the whole of the evidence, and the Coroner having
clearly explained the law of the case, the jury re-
turned a verdict of " manslaughter" against James
Andrews, and added recommendations that the
siding should be carried to the other side of the
bridge, and this they recommended as a general
principle ; that means should be taken to secure
better telegraphic communication by night, and
that greater caution should be taken. Mr. Graham
undertook to convey these recommendations to the
directors.

The prisoner was then committed for trial at the

next assizes, the coroner offering to take bail.

ELECTION OF SHERIFFS.—On Saturday at four
o'clock the polling for Sheriffs of London, which had lasted
seven days, terminated at Guildhall in the return of Mr.
Alderman Gibbons and Mr. James Figgins, a member of
the Common Council, by a considerable majority. At the
final close of the poll the numbers were—for Mr. Alderman
Gibbons, 886 ; Mr. Figgins,
777 ; Mr. Bennett, 581 ; Mr.
Alderman Stone, 84 ; Mr. Alderman Waterlow, 54.
THE NATURALIST'S LIFE.—The students of the
natural world, on the whole, are a fortunate and
happy and contented race ; their out-of-door studies have
a tendency to prolong life, and at the same time to calm
and to soothe that feverish unrest of the brain which car-
ries off so many members of hard-worked professions be-
fore they have reached their prime. Linumus, Buffon,
Cuvier, all lived to bo old men ; we have still among
us the veteran naturalist, Mr. Edward Jesse, in the full
enjoyment of all his powers and faculties at 85 ;
an

Charles Waterton has just died at 83, be it known
to all thtit his death was hastened on by a
fall in his own grounds, while walking the other day round
:he edge of his lake, among his aquatic birds and the other
'eathered and four-legged inmates of his hospitable domain.
Well, such men have quiet and happy days; they let the
great world foam and seethe on outside their lives, caring
nothing for politics, for wars and rumours of wars, which
party is in and which party is out, or how cotton or corn
stand in the market. These things, which engage and
trouble the rest of mankind, scarcely interest thom at all ;
to a new flower, a rare shell, an animal not previously
named, a fossil relic disclosing some great truth or opening
np some fresh vista iu the dim antiquity of man—to these
things they give themselves with delight and enthusiasm.
To share the feeling one must be touched with a portion
of the same spirit ; otherwise it is impossible to compre-
hend the charm, of their placid existence.—Once a Week.

therefore admirably adapted for distribution among the
working classes, for whom its good type, plentiful illus-
trations, and cheerful, animated style especially adapt it.
THE ENGLISHMAN'S MAGAZINE.—This magazine
does not belong to the ordinary class of light litera-
ture, having in it many articles of sound value and
treating of topics of real intrinsic interest. It is not
the sort of serial to take up to read in a railway
train or to pass away a spare half-hour, but it is one which
the reader will put on hie shelf to read when he has really
leisure and inclination for giving a little time and thought
to the question discussed. Fiction and poetry are intro-
duced, so as to prevent the more solid portions from be-
coming tedious, and the magazine appears to be well
edited as well as well written.

THE ECLECTIC.—SeveraI interesting topics are
treated of this month, and those who do not share
the political or religious views of the Beecher family
will read with pleasure the article on Lyman Beecher
and his household, full as it is of pictures of domestic life.
Mr. Dixon's " Home from the Holy Land" is the subject of a
lengthened criticism, and " Schools and Schoolmasters,"
and " The faculty of Literary Appreciation," are among the
remaining subjects of discussion.

TILE VICTORIA ALA GAZINE. —This somewhat pre-
tentious serial proceeds with unabated spirit. Among
the best of its articles are papers on the " Czarina
Catherine 11. as a politician," and on the " Com-
monwealth of Florence." The story of " Trouble
at Thornhill," is interesting and well-written, and the
topics of the day which concern women's rights, &c., are
fully discussed.

LE FOLLET.—The gay fashions of the present
season are seen to full advantage in Le Follet's
charming plates, and the letter-press is sufficiently roman-
tic to divert the fair readers from the more important study
of the modes.

NEWTON'S LONDON JOURNAL. —The leading article
in this number is on Factory Labour, and draws a
very suggestive picture of the condition of some of our
manufacturing districts. The list of recent patents, the
scientific notices, and other technical information are given
at length.