The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-14 00:00:00

FOREIGN MINNS

Washoe Gold, lira.,
Ditto, (£3), "ii

BANKS.

Alliance, lirn.. 34 12
Bank or Queensland, lien, 192 20
Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China, 271 f
City, 112
Nuropean Bank, lira,, 12
Imperial Bank, lirn.. 16
lonian,
Ditto. new, 5
London 13,nk of 3Texico and S. America, 11m.,13*
London and Brazilian (111314,
Ditto, new, 3i
London Joint Stock, 50j
London and %1 estminster, 961
Standard of British South Africa, 151

- -
MISCELLAN Us.
City of Milan Improvements, lira., 71
City of Moscow Gas, lira., 3i
Ebbw Vale, 131
Fore-street Warehouse, lira., 9
Gen. Credit and Finance of London, lira., 6
Joint Stock Discount, lira.. 9
N4tional Dircount Company, lint., Itf
Oriental Inland steam, 1i
Overend, Gurney, and Co., Um., 10;

THE IRISHREGISTRAR-GENERAL'S REPORT.--The
' returns made by the Registrar-General for Ireland
continue to be remarkable. We have already given the
figures ; we state now the comparative results. In the
second quarter of the present year the annual ratio of births
to population, as enumerated at the last census in 1861, was
as follows:---In England, 3.84 per cent.; in Scotland, 3.96
per cent.; in Ireland, only 2/0 per cent. The deaths were
2.31 per cent, in England, 2.23 in Scotland, only 1.68 in Ire-
land. The returns mark the diminution of population in
Ireland since 1861, but allowance must be made also for
imperfection of registration at present. The birth-rate in
Ireland is returned as varying from one in 32 on the popu-
lation of 1861 in the north-eastern division, to only one in
44 in the western ; and the death-rate from one in 50 in
the eastern division, and one in 51 in the north-eastern, to
one in 77 in the western. The marriage-rate, on the other
hand, in the first quarter of the year in 1865 (to which the
returns relate) was 0.73 in England, and 0.85 in Ireland.
This very high rate in Ireland was owing to the custom
which prevails among the Roman Catholics of celebrating
a large portion of the marriages of the year before the
commencement of Lent.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE,—This Day,

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

STEALING GENTLEMEN'S PORTMANTEAUS FROM PRIVATE
LODGING-HOUSES.—Edward Woodhouse, alias " Land,"
alias " Captain Harper," a young man of respectable ap-
pearance, and who refused his address, was charged be-
fore Mr. Knox by Sergeant Shillingford, 4 C, with stealing
a portmanteau and other articles of the value of £l6, the
property of Mr. Edward Holland, M.P., residing at No. 7,
Suffolk-street, Pall-mall, and the prisoner was further
charged with stealing from No. 34, Sackville-street, a
portmanteau and other articles, the property of Colonel
Farris.

Harriett Coles, cook to Mr. Chandler, the keeper of
private lodging-houses at 34, Sackville-street, and 16 and
17, Pall-mall, said on or about the 10th of July a cabman
drove up to No. 34, Sackville-street, and handed me the
following note :

" 16 and 17 Pall-mall—The colonel has been taken
seriously ill in the street, and has been brought in here
by a gentleman. The doctor says wo are not to remove
him to Sackville-street, but to put him to bed at once.
He wants his luggage brought down at once. You must
therefore put his things together, and give them to the
cabman to bring them down. "MRS. CHANDELLER."
The name was spelt incorrectly. I gave the cabman the
portmanteau, which was full, and a railway rug with a.
strap round it.

Charles Dunn, errand boy in Mr. Chandler's employ--I
was present when the portmanteau was given to the cab-
man. I was afterwards in Piccadilly, and saw the cab
going along with a man sitting on the box, and lam
almost certain the prisoner is the man. I had seen him
at the house three or four times before, as he came after a
situation.

Prisoner—What time in the day was it when the lug-
gage was given up ?
Witness—la the evening.

Prisoner—Are you quite sure it was me on the cab ?
Witness—l believe it was you, but lam not quite sure.
' Sergeant Shillingford, 4 C—Yesterday I saw the prisoner
in Cheapside, and followed him to a pawnbroker's in
Theobald's-road, where I saw him take a pencil-case out
of his pocket. I saw him receive a duplicate from the
pawnbroker, and afterwards redeem a silk dress. The
prisoner then left, and I followed him to Lambs' Conduit-
street, where I saw him tie up the parcel and thou go into
the Working Men's Reading-rooms in the street and come
out with a portmanteau. I asked him where he got the
portmanteau from, and he said, "from the reading-rooms."
He also said it was his property. I then took him back
and asked the proprietor of the place if the portmanteau
was the prisoner's, and he said it was, and that it came
to the house by the Parcels' Delivery cart. On the port-
manteau was a lable written—" John Land, 11, Lambs'
Conduit-street ; to be left at the luggage-station, King's-
cross, till called for." The portmanteau has on it the
initials "E. H." Those initials corresponding with those
on the one stolen frour Mr. Holland, M.P., by means of
the following letter :

"Reform Club.
" Madame,—l received a telegram last night froro.
Brighton, announcing the death of my sister, whi eh
has brought me to town so early this morning. I am
going to Brighton by the early train, and will ri Aura
to London on Thursday morning. If any letters shouldcome please send them to me, Marine Hotel, Bright on, and
please to give the cabman my luggage as quicskly as you
can, and oblige yours, respectfully,
"Hou AND, M.P."
Directed 7, Suffolk-street. (The letter we ,s certainly in
its appearance not such a one as a person litould expect to
receive from a member of Parliament.)

The Sergeant, in continuation, said--I charged him
with stealing the portmanteaus from Suffolk-street and
Sackville-street, and then took him into. custody. In two
purses which I found in his possession I found several
duplicates for silk, silk dresses, coats, earrings, and a
brooch, and also upon him a gold watch and hair guard.
Mr. Knox remanded the prisoner, at the same time de-
siring the sergeant to endeavour to trace out the cabman,
that he might appear as a witnefl.s.

Late L

MEETING THIS DAY.

rin Su , LONIiON, THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 14, lEEE,

EAIVIC OF ENGLAND.

The royal yacht Osborne, Commander d'Arcy,
arrived at Portsmouth yesterday from Woolwich,
having been in attendance on the Prince and Princess
of Wales.
His Majesty the King of the Netherlands' steam
sloop-of-war Watergeus, Capt. Geerling, arrived at
Portsmouth yesterday from New York. She subse-
quently went into the harbour, as she will require to
be docked to make good some defects in her machi-
nery. Capt. Geerling landed in the afternoon, and,
accompanied by the vice-consul (Chevalier Vanden-
berg), paid his respects to the naval and military
authorities.
The Terpsichore, 18, attached to the sailing re-
serve in Chatham harbour, is to have the whale of
her useful fittings and stores removed, preparatory
to being sold out of the service.
The Cornwallis, 60, 1,800 tons, 200-horse power,
having had the whole of her machinery and engines
removed, and her upper deck taken off, has been re-
moved out of dock at Sheerness, and is now moored
off the entrance to the steam basin, near the jetty,
where it is intendea to sink her, in order to lengthen
the dockyard jetty, by which additional facilities
will be obtained for docking and undocking ships.
The screw gun vessel Griffin, 5, 80-horse power,
attached to the third division of the Chatham steam
reserve, has been placed in dock, where she is under-
going a very complete repair.
Her Majesty's screw steam frigate Arethusa, 35
guns, 3,141 tons, 500-horse power, Capt. R. J. J.G.
Macdonald, made final trial of her machinery at the
measured mile, off Maplin Sands, yesterday, before
her departure from Sheerness for foreign service.
It will be remembered that on several previous oc-
casions the Arethusa had been out for trial, but
that owing to some supposed leakage or defect in
the surface condensing tubes satisfactory results
had not been obtained. These condensing tubes,
which are upwards of six miles in length, and con-
sist of more than 2,500 tubes, were originally
secured to the tube plates by indiarubber washers
placed round the tube, and in a recess in the tube
plate. From the action of accumulated grease, or
some other cause, the indiarubber washers had be-
come defective, and allowed an air leakage into the
condenser, owing to which a proper vacuum could
not be obtained. Since the last trial of the vessel,
on the 11th of August last, the indiarubber washers
have been removed, and the tube ends secured with
stuffing boxes and tape packing, and from the
working of the machinery during the trial yester-
day there is every reason to believe that the con-
nexions are perfectly tight, and likely to remain so.
The detention of the Arethusa at Sheerness has not
been in consequence of the results of the late fire
which occurred on board, the damage from which
was made good in three days at a cost of a few
pounds, but has arisen from the fact that for each
of nearly 5,000 stuffing boxes, a screw had to be
tapped into the tube plates, and screwed glands
and tape packings made. On the trial, yesterday,
it was found that the machinery worked very
satisfactorily, there being an entire absence of
priming and hot bearings. The vessel left the
harbour about 7 30 a.m., the draught of water
being 21ft. forward, and 23ft. 6in. aft,
and her load on the safety-valve 251 b. Captain
Randolph, of the Sheerness Steam Reserve, super-
intended the trial and had command of the vessel;
Mr. Matthews, of the firm of Messrs. John Penn and
Sons, the makers of the engines, was in attendance
to watch the results of the alterations on behalf of
the firm. The engines were in charge of Mr. George
Tucker, Inspector of Machinery Afloat, at Sheerness,
and Mr. Fabian, chief engineer of the ship, together
with Mr. Dinnen, Inspector of Machinery, specially in
attendance from the Admiralty. Six runs were made
on the measured mile with the following result :
First run, smin. 58 sec., averaging 10.651 knots per
hour; second run, 6 min. 47 secs., averaging
8.845 knots ; third run, 5 min. 53 secs., aver-
aging 10.843 knots ; fourth run, 6 min. 20 secs.,
averaging 9.396 ; fifth run, 5 min. 44 secs., aver-
aging 10.465 knots ; sixth run, 6 min. 10 secs.,
averaging 9.737 knots. The mean speed of the
ship was 10 knots per hour ; revolution of
engines, 65 ; pressure of steam, 25 ; vacuum, 26i.
The circle was turned in 8 min. 2 sec., the angle
made by the helm being 21 deg. to port, and the
diameter of the circle 600 yards. The engines
worked throughout a period of eight hours, with
perfect ease and smoothness ; and it is thought by
the officials that when the bottom of the vessel is
cleansed from marine accumulation a still more sa-
tisfactory working of the ship will be obtained.
The troops in Woolwich garrison yesterday as-
sembled at an early hour and commenced their
march to Dartford-heath at 7 a.m., taking various
routes as arranged by their commanding officers.
The B Brigade Royal Horse Artillery marching by
the Herbert-road, Plumstead-common, Bostall-hill,
Bexley-heath, and Crayford ; the C Brigade Royal
Horse Artillery by the Lower-road, along the
Arsenal wall, turning off at the right of Bostall-
heath, tkc. ; the field batteries, the 4th and Depot
Brigades by the Dover-road, Bexley-heath, &c.
The Riding Establishment Commissariat Corps and
Military Train also marched by the Dover-road, the
,Riding EstablishmtVtireeping 500 yards in advance.
The inf,:i-,try column, consisting of the sth Brigade
ttoyal Artillery, and the division of Royal Marines,
took the route over Shooter's-hill, through Crown-
woods and Bexley. On their arrival at the heath a
company of Royal Artillery and a company of Royal
Marines were detached off for picket duty. They
were divided into three reliefs, and were extended
in line of double sentries, and videttes were de-
tached from the Riding Establishment to watch over
the line of pickets. Several hundred tents were
pitched with extraordinary expedition. His Royal
Highness Prince Arthur, accompanied by Major
Elphinstone, C. 8., honoured Gen. Warde with his
presence, and partook of refreshments in the head-
quarters' marquee, at which Mrs. Warde presided.
On account of the heat of the weather, knapsacks
were ordered to be left in garrison. The march
was intended as a substitute for the ordinary
drills, and was looked upon by officers and men
as a healthful recreation. The various sites for
the encampment were judiciously allotted by
Captain Naugle, Deputy-Assist.-Quartermaster
General, who was mainly asisted in the arrange
ments of the camps by Dr. White and the me
dical officers in attendance. Fifteen rounds o:

Naval and Military Intelligence.

HALP-YEARLY MEETING—(THIS DAY).
The ordinary half-yearly meeting of the Governor and
Company of the Bank of England was held this day in the
Bank Parlour. Henry Launcelot Holland, Esq., the gover-
nor, presided.

The GOVERNOR said he had to acquaint the Court that
that was one of the quarterly general courts appointed by
the charter, and that it was also one of the half-yearly
general courts arpointed by the 13th bye-law of the com-
pany.for the making of a dividend ; that the net profits
for the half:year ending 6th August last were £704,269
4s. 6d, making the amount of the rest on that
day £3,A3,945 38. id., and that after provid-
ing a dividend of 5 per cent., the rest would be
£3,006,295 35. ld. The court therefore proposed that a
half-yearly dividend of interest and profits be made on
the 10th of August next of £5 per cent., without deduc-
tion on account of income-tax. He said he was quite
satisfied that most of those present must have been pre-
parad for a smaller dividend than the last, but he felt cer-
tain that thetproprietors would be quite satisfied with the
result of the half-year. He therefore moved that the divi-
dend for the half-year be at the rate of 5 per cent. without
deduction.
The resolution, having been seconded, was carried
unanimously.

I The GOVERROR uaid the dividend warrants would be
payable on the 11th of October next.
Mr. 31°31" said, before the business terminated, he
should like to make. a few observations. Last year some
of those present would recollect that he asked a
question, whether:.
the directors intended to allow
interest.; on depo sits, and the Governor said the mat-
ter was under c:onaideration, but the directors had not
made up their male on the matter. There was now an-
other matter whi .ch deserted some attention, and that was
the state of ,tb .e dsbenture debt of the railway com-
panies. It,, was
said out of doors that the
directors
of ;.Ake Bank of England were holders
of debenture
debt to the amount of £8,000,000
in some of ti A railwa_
companies. If the Bank had
' m
y
used the poi
anT-circum &stances he hoped the matter would receive'
Rer they had, he should like to know. Under
attiti+oNipt,:-. •

The 4( tvERNon, in reply, said the hon. proprietor must
have mi Junderstood the observations of his predecessor in
office. What was said was that the matter was every now
and thrill pressed upon their attention ; that they were
fully a mike to the importance of the subject, but that they
were 'not then prepared to take action in the matter. Such
an ar romgement iufoited a much wider sphere than many
pers ens imagined 1' There was no saying what turn banking
mi',ght take, but for the present the bank directors were
lir A prepared to allow interest on deposits. With respect
y the other subject alluded to by the hon. gentleman, he
'sad to inform him that the Bank certainly held a certain
amount of the debt of some of the railway companies, but
the figures he had mentioned were considerably beyond the
amount in possession of the Bank. The debentures held
by them were those only of the best companies. The direc-
tors did not go into loans with railway companies or any-
body else without a clear examination of the titles and
securities, and, in acting for themselves in such matters,
the directors were only acting for the body of the general
proprietors. With respect to the state of the debenture
debt of railways, he thought that a question for the House
of Commons, not the Bank of England. He might, how-
ever, before resuming his seat, inform the hon. gentleman
that he had greatly overstated the amount held ; half the
amount he had mentioned would be nearer the mark.
Mr. MoxoN said he should like to know whether the
Bank held any of the Great Eastern debt ?

The GOVERNOR said they did, but it was not of large
amount. The amount of debt held by the Bank in the
whole would amount to about 5.4,000,000 amongst 15 or
16 of the railway companies, but there was no very large
sum in either of them.

Mr. CAVE moved, and Mr. BO'TLEY seconded, a vote of
thanks to the governor and directors for their exertions
during the past half-year.

The GOVERNOR having acknowledged the compliment
the meeting terminated.

ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH COMPANY,

An extraordinary meeting of the directors and share-
holders of the Atlantic Telegraph Company was held this
day, at the London Tavern, for the purpose of reporting
to the shareholders the present position of the undertak-
ing, and the measures recommended by the board for the
resuscitation of the Company's existing cable in connec-
tion with the manufacture and submersion of a second
cable.

The Secretary having read the report, which has already
appeared in The Sun,

The CHAIRMAN, in his opening remarks, referred to the
present position of the company, and said that the inten-
tion, in the first instance, was to raise certain capital
upon certain terms; but instead of that they intended
oc +4.‘,--.ureccurs, &id to leave the question of the
merely to ask the, sharehr,lelpr,,t.,_,...hre the report
terms upon which the new capital should be raised
for further consideration of a meeting to be held next
month. All that was now sought to be done was to let the
public see that the directors were not idle, that they were
not beaten down, that they were not discouraged, and
were as earnest as ever in their desire to see
their great object accomplished. (Hear, hear.)
The company had surmounted many difficulties,
but now, he was happy to say, the greatest unanimity pre-
vailed, and that every person connected with the company
desired to complete the work which had the universal sup-
port of the English people. The failure of the last attempt
was now a matter of history, and he would let byegones
b
and iu preference to dwelling upon that he
w
%hat the new contract entered into by the
company would prove as highly beneficial to the company
a
sad
s:heonourable, and the spirited company that under-
took its was
mga
took its construction. The hon. chairman then went on
to state that the various objections against the lay-
ing of
.a telegraph had all been proved to be groundless.
They had proved that it was possible to lay a
cable the entire length. That was proved in 1858, yet
notwithstanding that he believed there were some who
still believed that no message ever was transmitted from
end to end of the cable. He could only say he should be
happy to show such persons at least 60 messages were
received before the communication ceased.
We shall give the result of the meeting in a later tlitition.

Attempted Murder of a Man by his Wife,

last night considerable excitement was caused in
the immediate neighbourhood of the Whitechapel-road, in
consequence of a report being raised that a man had been
murdered by his wife
in one of those miserable courts
which abound in that great thoroughfare. Upon making
inquiries it was ascertained that a man named Coombes
had a quarrel with his wifo respecting some domestic
difference, and, during the affray, the woman stabbed
her husband in the head. The aid of the police
having been obtained, the man, who was bleed-
ing profusely from the head, was taken to the London
Hospital, where the injuries were strapped, and the police
were ordered to take him quietly home, but to the no small
astonishment of all the crowd that had assembled outside
the gates of the hospital, the man suddenly darted across
the road between several vehicles passing at the time, and
could not be found, Whither the injury to his hpad had
caused a fit of ani
Hum, or whether he wanted to shield his
7.1 e from punishment by keeping out of the way, is at
present unknown.

Liverpool Cotton Market—This Day

Market firm. Sales, p;obably 10,000 bales.

ammunition per man and ten rounds per gun having
been issued ou their departure, a well-sustained con-

test with an imaginary foe commenced on the heath

AN AWKWARD AFFRAY.—It was discovered on
Sunday last that, during the previous night, the
vinery of H. Lisle, Esq., in Bailiffgate, Alnwick, had been
entered and robbed by some persons unknown. The
police authorities were informed of the circumstance, and
accordingly on Monday night, Police-sergeant Stuart
and Police-constable Stevenson went to the place to make
observations as to the manner in which it would most
readily be entered by depredators, intending also to make
some stay, as it was considered not improbable that the
thieves might return. It was about 11 o'clock; there
was as yet no moonlight ; and the shadow of the
surrounding trees added to the darkness which pre-
vailed. The policemen stationed themselves about
fifteen yards apart, and had not waited long when they
heard the footsteps of two men ascending the steps that
led from the lower garden. The man who was in advance
struck Stevenson a blow on the arm with a heavy stick ;
the second man, who was also provided with a stick, fol-
lowed up the attack by knocking him down with a stroke
on the head. The policeman, thus taken at a disadvantage,
struggled gallantly with his assailant. He caught hold of
the second man's stick, and the two rolled over each
other, each striving to get possession of it. Sergeant
Stuart at the same time came up and closed with the
other man. The struggle in this case was equally des-
perate. Stuart was severely injured; he received three
scalp wounds, besides several contusions on other parts
of his body. Ho would, in all probability, have received
even worse injuries had not Stevenson, who had at length
wrested' the stick from his antagonist, and effectually
disabled him with a tremendous blow on the head, came to
his superior's assistance. And now at length Stuart recog-
nised in his antagonist no midnight thief, but Mr. Lisle's
head" gardener, who in turn discovered that the unknown
individual whom under a mistaken impression he had so
fiercely assaulted was one familiarly known to him ; nor
could they have faildio recognise each other but for the
darkness of the night. The other man proved to be an
assistant of the gardener's. They had been watching, like
the police, for the reappearance of the nocturnal plunderers,
and thus the mistake of the two parties of watchers had
been mutual. The wounds of the police-sergeant and the
gardener's assistant are Waferttmately most ''sovere.--
Northern Exprese.

at 6 o'clock, and was kept up for an hour with much
vigour, the extent of the heath admitting of the
complete details of a warm skirmish. The troops

returned to quarters at Woolwich at 9 o'clock.

Inspector-General of Hospitals, John Forrest,
M.D., C. 8., died at 10, Queen's-parade, Bath, on
the 10th inst., agst 61 years. Dr. Forrest, who was
an honorary physician to the Queen, entered the
army Nov. 10, 1825, and served in the expedition
against the Rajah of Kolapore, in 1827 ;he wasalso
employed during the expedition against the insur-
gent Boers beyond the Orange river in 1845 ; and
in the Kaffir war of 1846, for which he received a

medal. He was in medical charge of the 3d division of

the Eastern army at Gallipoli and Bulgaria, and ac-
companied the expedition to the Crimea in Sept. 1854,
and was present at the affair at Bulgarnac, capture of
Balaklava, battles of the Alma and Inkerman, and
siege of Sebastopol, and was noticed inlord Rag-
lan's despatch after Inkerman "for his able exertions
as deserving to be most honourably mentioned."
He was rewarded with the medal with three
clasps, made a C. 8., and received the fourth-class
order of the Medjidie. He became Inspector-General
Dec. 31, 1858, and was stationed at Malta until
Dec., 1861.

The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—Commander Morgan Suisse, to the
Helicon ; Lieut. Howard Kerr was appointed to
command the Cockchafer when that ship is recom-
missioned in China; the name of the ship was inad-
vertently omitted at the time ; Lieut. Henry G.
Stephens, to the Orontes ; Lieut. Thomas W.
Chapman, to the Revenge ; Chas. J. Bigley, master,
to the Helicon ; Charles G. Johnston, master, to
the Indus, for service in the Lord Clyde ; James
D. Willshire, master, to the Medusa ; Francis A.
Brookes and Barrington H. Chevalier, midship-
men, to the Victoria ; Arthur M. corrie, midship-
man, to the Terrible; James E. C. Goodrich,

midshipman, to the Achilles ; Cecil F. Foley and
Fredk. Beauclerk, midshipmen, to the Caledonia ;
G. H. C. M'Arthur, naval cadet, to the Hector ;
G. P. Henderson, naval cadet, to the Royal Oak ;
H. C. Dawson and P. A. C. de Crespigny, naval
cadets, to the Victoria; F. H. Barnet, naval cadet,
to the Achilles; A. K. Woodrom and W. L. Bifield,
naval cadets, to the Formidable; E. C. Holkirk,
naval cadet, to the Terrible; H. S. Mills, naval cadet,
to the Arethusa; W. W. H. Revett, naval cadet, to
the Prince Consort; W. M'C. Maturin, naval cadet,
to the Caledonia; Dr. W. H. Lloyd, surgeon, to the
Excellent; E. R. J. Williams, second master, to the
Caledonia; W. A. Inman, assist.-paymaster, addi-
tional, to the Princess Royal; John Roberts, Wm.
Hardie, and R. Taylor, chief engineers; 11. Payne,
Jas. Ellis, Joseph C. Gray, Jas. W. Hewitt, G.
Millis, Joseph J. Blunden, S. M'Calluin, Wm. C. P.
Jones, Win. Owen, and Win. Herd, engineers; John
Jefferies, John Ferguson (B), R. 11. Cooper, G.
Thompson, A. Long, Jas. Croll, G. J. Barker, Wm.
Jones, T. G. Woodfield, D. M'Veau, R. B. Nicol-
son, and F. T. Russell, first-class assist.-engineers;
R. J. P. Jones, W. J. Fellowes, Jas. A. Cooke,
John 11. Willis, and R. Burridge, second-class as-
sist.-engineers; G. T. Stronach, Wm. Annan, and
H. C. Cocking, acting second-class assist-engineers,
additional, to the Princess Royal, for disposal; Wm.
R. Henry, first-class assist.-engineer, to the Hector;
G. Treves, chief engineer, additional, to the Asia for
the Euryalus; .E. Clements, chief engineer, to the
Indus for the Satellite; T. E. Miller and D. P.
Steddy, engineers, to the Helicon; L. J. Croome,
engineer, to the CuMberland for the Pigeon; F. M.
C. Richards, first-class assist.-engineer, to the Heli-
con; and G. F.lient, clerk, to the Donegal.

Terrible Colliery Accident at Wigan—Eight

Persons Killed.

- - - ~.---

An appalling colliery catastrophe, by which eight men
and boys were deprived of life with only a few seconds'
warning, occurred late on Tuesday afternoon, at the Cali-
fornia pit, situated at Pennington-green, between three
and four miles from Wigan. The colliery forms part of
the extensive works of the Kirkless Hall Coal and Iron
Company. It has been in existence for a considerable
time, and though only one seam—the Arley Mine, is worked,
the yearly " out-put" has been for many years as great as
at any pit in the Wigan coal-field ; while the accidents,
and particularly those of a fatal character, have been re-
markably few in proportion to the number of men employed.
When the pit is in full work, between 300 and 400 colliers
and drawers are engaged ; but on Tuesday morning only
277 lamps were given out on the pit-bank, the reason
being that the previous Saturday was " pay Saturday ;"
Monday consequently was " play Monday ;" and on Tues-
day, when the fortnight's work is commenced, the whole
of the men are never ready to begin their labour. On
Tuesday two full hours are seldom made, and though the
men descended the pit at the usual hour in the morning,
the operation of winding them up the shaft began soon
after 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
At a quarter to four about 100 of the men had been con-
veyed safely to the surface, and eight more colliers and
drawbrs were placed safely in the upper portion of the two-
decker cage by the hooker-on to ascend the shaft, a dis-
tance of about 315 yards. The cage was within about 45

yards of the top, 2i strokes of the engine, when suddenly,
and from some cause at present totally unexplained, the
rope slipped off the cone-shaped drum on to the shaft ; and,
though the engine was immediately checked, the cage fell
down the pit, snapping the steel wire in two like a thread,
and then dashing along with its living freight at a fearful
rate to the bottom, a fall of fully 270 yards. The work-
men at the pit eye had fortunately sufficient time to get out
of the way of the cage, which, moving with extraordinary
velocity, crashed through the boarding which covered the
dib-hole, and was hidden in the seven feet of water
which it contained. For a short time the utmost con-
sternation prevailed, but those, on charge on the pit bank
wore not long in making preparations to learn the extent
of the disaster. The capstan was soon in order, and about
five o'clock four men, named James Smallshaw, Roger
Taylor, Peter Heyes, and Daniel Higson, were lowered in
a basket by its means. They found the shaft had been
very slightly injured, for the cage had been held in its po-
sition by the rods and the rope, some hundred yards of
which it had taken with it in its fall, and had lodged safely
on the top of the ascending cage. Considerable damage had
of course been done at the bottom, but the workmen who
had been waiting to ascend were safe, though much alarmed.
There was not the slightest possibility that any one of the
eight men in the dib-hole could be alive, and it was deemed
the wisest course, as the rope on other side of the shaft was
uninjured, to proceed with the windiuts up of the 160 men
who were still in the pit.

The news of the accident was soon disseminated for
miles round, and a constant stream of relatives and friends
of the men employed was quickly moving to the pit from
every direction. Of the 100 who had been drawn up some
had not reached home, while of course it was impossible to
say on the pit-bank who were the 8 out of the 160 down
whose lives had thus been sacrificed. Whilst, therefore,
all of the great crowd which soon assembled had good
reason to hope that their friends had escaped, still there
could be nothing like certainty, and it was most affecting
to see the eager glances of anxious watchers at the black
faces of each party of workmen as the cage reached the
surface, and to notice the hearty welcome which was ac-
corded to some few of the latest arrivals, who were received
as if they had risen from the dead. _

At 20 minutes past six, after the cage had made about
20 journeys, all the living were out of the pit, and then,
under the direction of Mr. Samuel Lancaster, who was
assisted by the undorlooker of the pit, preparations were
made for the recovery of the bodies. The cage was soon
fastened to the strong capstan-rope, and in 20 minutes

it was easily raised out of the dib-hole. It was
completely smashed, and the bodies, all of which were
inside, were fearfully crushed, though all were identified
without difficulty, as in only one case was there any con-
siderable disfigurement of the features. The bodies were
carefully wrapped up at the bottom and sent up in couples
to the top, where carts were in readiness to convey them to
the Running Horse Inn, Aspull, there to await the coroner's
inquest. The names of the deceased are as under :—James
Ramsdale, 23, Hindley, collier, single ; John Dunn, 18,
Hindley, drawer, single ; George Ingham, 19, Hindley
drawer, single ; John Holland, 20, Ince, collier, single ;
William Bradshaw, 18, Hindley, drawer, single ; Robert
Fletcher, 12, New Springs, pony driver ; Robert Eatock,
46, Hindley, collier, married and six children ; Edward
Anderton, 27, Ince, collier, married and two children.

The cause of the accident rests at present unexplained,
but some light may perhaps be thrown upon it at the in-
quest, which will probably be opened to-day. The rope,
which was of steel, and about 343 inches in circumference,
had been on the drum since the 13th of May, and was in
good working order. It was calculated to resist a strain of
10 or 12 tons, but this, of course, would be nothing com-
pared with the force of the jerk by which it was broken.
The drum was of conical shape, and the slipping of the
rope which caused the accident would be a circumstance
very similar to the slipping of a lad's string when he winds
his peg-top.
The Government inspector, Mr. P. lligson, paid a visit
to the pit and examined the machinery yesterday.

The last week's railway receipts ascertained up
:o this day are in round figures as under :

Great Western ...

North Western
South-Western
Brighton
Midland
South Eastern
Great Northern