The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-16 00:00:00

THE ROYAL COMMISSION.

Alderman HOOPER said it had been publicly reported
that Sir W. Molesworth, one of her Majesty's Cabinet
Ministers, had recently made comments with reference
to the municipal. institutions of the City. The com-
ments in question had particular reference to the in-
quiry pending respecting the affairs and management of
the Corporation, and appeared, as far as he (Alderman
Hooper) could judge of them, to be so one-sided, and so
premature, that he was at a total loss to understand
how they could havo proceeded from either Sir William
Molesworth, or any other Cabinet Minister. He was
therefore anxious to learn from the Lord Mayor, whether
his lordship knew of his own knowledge, or had any
means of ascertaining whether Sir W. Molesworth had
made any comments at all, and if so whether they were
at all analogous to those which were represented to have
been made. To a deputation to the Chief Commissioner of
Works upon the subject of either sanitary or municipal
institutions. He was reported, according to the Morn-
ing Herald of Saturday last, to have said, " that the
subject of municipal corporations was also under the
consideration of the Government, and since the commis-
sion of inquiry into the City Corporation, he was en-
abled to say that after what had come out that great
changes must take place in the constitution of the Cor-
poration."
The Lord MAYOR—I can only repeat to my friend,
Mr. Alderman Hooper, that the paragraph in ques-
tion in the newspaper to which he has referred, was
brought under my notice by two learned officers of
the corporation—the Town-clerk and the Remcm-
brancer. I stated to those gentlemen that if it was
their opinion upon the part of the corporation that Sir
Molesworth should have an opportunity of ex-
plaining what he was asserted to have stated to that
deputation, I would readily wait upon Sir William for
that purpose ; but they thought the correct course to
pursue was to take th 9 opinion of the select committe of
the Consolidated Committee, who, I believe, had the sub-
ject under consideration yesterday, and came to the con-
clusion that it was scarcely worth while to notice it. I
must say thus much in reference to Sir W. Molesworth.
I have no belief that he ever made use of the words
attributed to him. (Hear, hear.) I think Sir W. Moles-
worth has had sufficient experience of public life to know
what are the duties of a Cabinet Minister, and that he
would not be so indiscreet as to state that a measure of
this kind was under the consideration of the Govern-
ment during an unfinished investigation, and especially
when the corporation to which he alluded, and to which
the paragraph alludes, has had no opportunity whatever
of replying to the charges made against them. (Cheers.)
I have reason to think that no such measure is under the
consideration of the Governnient, from the fact that the
Commissioners up to the present moment have made
no reply whatever to the Crown, In some of the other
papers the iFords attributed to Sir William Molesworth
differ very considerably from those read by the worthy
alderman. Upon the whole, I come to the conclusion
that Sir William din not make use of the expressions in
the terms in which he is stated to have uttered them,
IHear, hear, and cheers.)
The Court then adjourned.

COLLISION ON THE GREAT NORTHERN
RAIL WAY.

---,-
Yesterday, about one o'clock, a collision, more than
usually alarming, from the circumstance of its hap-
pening in a tunnel, occurred on the Great Northern
Railway, at a place called Stoke, about six miles to,
the south of Grantham, but resulting happily in no
loss of life, though a guard of one of the trains which
were the subject of it. has been seriously, if not
fatally injured. As in most of the previous collisions
on the Great Northern, the accident was attributable in
part to the practice of running coal trains along the line
of this company. The ►circumstances, so far as they
could be collected, are these. About midday an ordinary
goods train was proceeding on its journey northward,
on the down line, followed by two separate coal trains,
but how far apart is not yet known. The driver of the
first coal train, knowing it was probable, though uncer-
tain, that the goods train, which preceded him a short
distance, would stop at the Great Ponton station,
about a mile to the north of Stoke tunnel, was con-
ducting his train gently through the tunnel, and slack-
ening- its speed to avoid any collision with the goods
train at the station after emerging therefrom, when the
second coal train, the driver of which could not have
been taking similar care, travelling along at its ordinary
speed, entered the tunnel, which is about half a mile
trucks
in length, and when about the middle of it, ran righ
into the first coal train immediately in advance,
nin-clemar-
t
pletely smashing its break-van, inflicting cons
able injuries about the head and other parts of
thethpeervsoann,
drivingofGeorgeseEvellriasl,
of the
who
off the line, was riding
in
and blocking up both the up and down lines for many
hours. Another account is that some of the trucks of
detached and left standing in the tunnel taunndneblyosnotmhee
with
line, and were thus run
Fortunate
the first coal train were suddenly
by the second train,
means
it was that the-
tfoolloiwmiangginien
tiities wake.
consternation trainsand
aAcscidietntwahsa, pptheened
and limb which must have trainsensuseudchin aseno
ithese,l a feoer
.
had they been passenger itth
ewere
sk dtiofficu lifel t
thebei
being
gp
were 3 or 4
.deep,
tunnel until the obsvterruaclti
ordinary passenger traffic, both on
G or 7 hours. Several
was completely interrupted for
obstruction
trains, iwnas,s
raecncluonvieidi I,a tai nngd tillthe theycladay
were kept waiting at both ends of the
extremely cold, accompanied with snow, the pas-
sengers must 1 •
have suffered some anxiety and inconveni-
ence. an d
down
lines

The guard,
Ellis, was taken to Grantham shortly
after the accident on an engine, to a tavern near the sta-
tion, where he remains in a precarious state. The down
line was quite clear at eight o'clock last evening.

MATRIMONIAL TRADE.—On. Sunday there were 111
proclamations for marriage in the barony parish, and 78
in the city parish—a number altogether unprecedented
in one day. No doubt the proclamation trade would be
proportionately
elastic in the Govan and other suburban
parishes. Despite the rise in the price of provisions,
this still betokens a comfortable condition amongst the
working classes, to which these parties, no doubt, prin-
cipally belong, and who get proclaimed thus early in the
month that the knot may be tied before the old year
has rim its course.—Glasgozo Herald.
The Marchioness-Dowager of Downshire has ar-
rived at Grosvenor-square from visiting the Hon. Colonel
and Lady Mary Hood at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor
Park, where the gallant officer is discharging his duties as
Clerk Marshal to On Prince Consort.