The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-05 00:00:00

LONGFORD ELECTION.

We (Morning _Herald) have received by electric tele-
graph the result of the first day's pollinr at Longford, from
which we learn that at the close of the poll Major O'Reilly
was in a majority of 175.
The polling must have been pretty close at the outset,
as we learn by an earlier telegram that Col. White took a
slight lead-151 having polled for him and 149 for his oppo-
nent. This must have been soon lost, however, and the
large majority of 175 for Major O'Reilly at the close of the
day's poll is not likely to be broken down by the voting this
day, so that the contest may be regarded as substantially
decided against the Government candidate.

The Dublin Evening Mail of Monday says :
" Whatever may be the result of the Longford election,
there is every reason to believe that the ultimate decision
will be of necessity pronounced by the House of Commons.
According to the statute 13 and 14 Vict., e. 68, the polling
at a cork ested election for a county must be commenced
'on the next day but two after the day fixed for the elec-
tion ;' but if that day next but two-shall fall upon a
Sunday, then the polling shall be commenced on the fol-
lowing Monday. That is the exception, to the rule.
Now, as the day fixed for the Longford election was Friday
last, the day next but two is the present .Monday,
when polling should have been commenced. It seemed
otherwise, however, to the high sheriff, who fixed the poll-
ing day for to morrow (Tuesday), which will be the next
day but three after the day of election. The blot was, we
have reason to believe, discovered, but there was no legal
way of anticipating the sheriff's fixture. An analogous
question was mooted in the case of the city of Dublin elec-
tion in 1857, but then it was fortunately thought of before
the time of polling was proclaimed, and it was ruled, in
accordance with the opinion of eminent counsel, that Sun-
day should be considered as an intervening day within the
provisions of the act. This blunder will probably render
the Longford election void, whoever may obtain a majority
at the poll."

A deputation of Dutch artiste presented three
days back a splendid album to the Literary and Artistic
Circle of Antwerp, as a souvenir of the fetes of August last.
The album contains drawings by all the artists, with pieces of
poetry and extracts from the most celebrated Dutch authors,
must bee.utifoly illyetrated. At the same time a smaller
rebum was presented containing photographic portraits of
all the Dutch artists and authors who attended the fetes
After the presentation, a grand dinner, of 120 covers, was
given to the deputation, at which M. Loos, president of the
Circle, and burgomaster of Antwerp, presided.
THE COTTON TRADE IN PRESTON.—Preston is
one of the towns which the present commercial depression
is most seriously affecting. There are about 26,270 looms
in the Preston factories. 10,000 of these looms are running
full time, 700 five days per week, 2,290 four days per week,
1,170 three days and a half days, 2,900 three days, and
9,000 absolutely stopped. There are 1,240 pair of mules in
the different mills. Of these 3641 are fully employed ; one
mill, working 4} days per week, employs 10 pair of mules;
eight mills, running four days per week, work 1181 pair;
1 l mills, running three days per week, employs 341 pair ;
16, usually employing 327 pair, are totally stopped.

COLLISION AT SEA.—At 11 p,ni, on Friday night,
while off the Yorkshire coast, the schooner London, of
Folkestone, from Sunderland for Ditnchurch, with coals,
was run into by the brigantine Banff, of and for Harwich
from Sunderland, with coals. The sohooner's masts and
bowsprit were carried away by the shock, and the crew,
believing her to be sinking; scrambled on board the brigan-
tine. The latter's bows were, however, stove in, and the
water rushed so rapidly into the breach that both crews, to
the number of 10 hands, wero obliged to quit her in the
boat. They believe that both vessels went down shortly
afterwards, After knocking about for an hour in a heavy
sea, the wind blowing fresh from E.N.E., they were
rescued from their perilous position by the Scythian Ann,
of London, landed at Yarmouth on Monday morning and
taken to the Sailors' Home. The value of the schooner and
cargo was £370, and of the brigantine and cargo £440.
Both vessels were uninsured.

ME PANAMA RAILWAY.—Some idea may be
formed of the traffic which the railroad across the Isthmus
of Panama has caused, by the fact that several large steam-
packet companies now make either Aspinwall or Panama
(the termini of the railroad) their rezular port of call. These
companies are the United States Mail, the Pacific Mail,
the Pacific Steam Navigation, the Royal Mail, and the
Panama Railroad steam-packet companies. The steamers
of some of these companies touch at Panama 16 times
and those of the others at Aspinwall 10 times monthly,
The steam-packet communication between Panama and
California is three times monthly ; between Panama and
Chili, and Central America, each twice monthly ; and be-
t wean Panama and Ecuador, once monthly. The commu-
nication between Aspinwall and the United States is three
times monthly, and between Aspinwall and Europe twice
monthly. The revenue which the Panama Railroad Com-
pany derived from passenger fares het year amounted to
about £140,000, from goods £125,000, and from treasure
nearly £170,000. The goods and treasure traffic on this
line increases more rapidly than the passenger traffic, which
is considered most favourable to the permanent success of
the railroad.

THE HARTLEY WIDOWS AND ORPHANS.—The
public subscription on behalf of the widows and orphans,
and other destitute relatives of the unfortunate men and
boys who lost their lives in New Hartley-pit, has reached
the magniUoent sum of £70,000, and the balance over and
above amply providing for the wants of these poor people
and educating the children will, in all probability, form the
substantial basis of a permanent fund for the relief of widows
and orphans or other destitute miners swept away by fatal
accidents in the pits of Northumberland and Durham. The
pits of those counties, men and lads, numbering 30,000, are
arranging to establish a fund of the description above men-
tioned, the fund, if possible, to be made binding on men
and masters, and to have the sanction of an Act of Parlia-
ment. At a meeting of delegates representing the more im-
portant collieries in the coal trade, held in Newcastle-on-
'l yne, on Saturday it was resolved that such a fund be
established, and that the men contribute ld. each a-week
and the lads a id., and that the relief provided by it for the
present be for fatal accidents only. The widows at Hartley
are, with scarcely an exception, conducting themselves in a
most exemplary manner. Most of the sober and respect-
able workmen had their lives assured for small sums, and
with these funds many of the women have paid off the
debts owing at the time of their husband's death. Others
less fortunate have arranged to do so Ly instalments. And
a very pleasing little incident has been brought under our
notioet One of the poor bereaved women was the wife of a
young man, and being but recently married she had no in-
cumbrance at the time of her husband's death. Her father,
however, had been bedridden two years, through an accident
in the pit where he wrought, and the care and labour of
maintaining the old man and bringing up the younger chil-
dren fell upon the stepmother, a toiling careful woman.
The young woman has in the most noble manner handed
over the whole of her allowance to her poor afflicted father,
and she has gone herself into. dnizestio service,