The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-16 00:00:00

PERTH, FRIDAY.

- -
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.—A GRAIN ^ MILL BURNED
DOWN. —This morning, between twelve and one o'clock,
an alarm was brought to the town that the meal and
flour mill at Balhousie, about half a mile from Perth, on
the road to Dunkeld, was on fire. The barracks lie about
half way between Balhousie and the Police-office; and,
when the intelligence was first brought there, the mili-
tary, with praiseworthy alacrity, turned out with two
engines belonging to the barracks, but by the time they
had reached the scene of the conflagration it had gained
such a height that all efforts to save any part of
the mill wore unavailing. After the arrival of the fire-
engines from the town, their united exertions were
directed to prevent the fire spreading to the dwelling-
house, which was saved, but the mill had to be
left to its fate, and it was very speedily burned to the
ground, awing greatly to the dry state of the wood in
the building. Many Perth bakers had considerable
quantities of wheat in the mills, some of them nearly
their whole stock, and to several of them we regret to
learn, the loss must prove very heavy. It is understood
that the fire had begun in the kiln connected with the
meal-mill, and from that spread to the rest of the pre-
mises. The building and machinery were insured, and
the miller's own grain, but nothing more.
WEATHER AND CROPS.—The last eight days Or so
have been pretty uniform in character, the temperature
somewhat reduced, with occasional showers, and some-
times rather inclined to be stormy. Notwithstanding,
the fields make satisfactory progress, and indicate a fair,
if not an extraordinary crop. A field of grass was cut
for hay in the beginning of the week, at
Carse of Gowrie, being the first cut in this quarter; the
yield was good, and had come to maturity with
amazing rapidity during the late warm weather. We
near nothing yet of any indications of disease in
the potato crop, which, however, although it
were taking place in the worst possible shape,
surely need cause no such panic as the re•
port of it seems to be spreading in some quarters.
Although the whole potato crop with us were to fail, the
legitimate influence which such a failure ought to produce
upon the price of the necessaries of life would be quite
trifling. It is stated in the Mail, that there may be about
one-sixth of the usual breadth of ground planted with
potatoes in Ireland. Here, where it should be remembered
the potato has long been extensively cultivated for the
London market, the proportion, I should think, must be
still smaller, and the farmers generally speak concerning
the success or failure of their potatoes with much in-
difference, except in a very few cases, where individuals
have presumed upon running the risk of an experiment
on a large scale. In such cases, the loss, if it should
occur, must fall heavy on these parties, but, upon the
country, its effect must be trifling as regards prices.—
North British Mail.

ACCIDENTS AT THE EDGE-HILL TUNNEL.-011
Saturday an accident of a very alarming, and, as it may
probably prove, of a fatal nature, occurred at the tunnel
between Edge-hill and Lime-street. It appears that,
about four o'clock that morning, a number of Germans,
about to emigrate from Liverpool to America, arrived
at Edge-hill from London, and came down the tunnel
in safety. Their luggage was left on a number
of waggons at the Edge hill station until about a quarter
to seven o'clock, when the said waggons were set in
motion for the purpose of being sent down the tun-
nel. It unfortunately happened, as we are informed,
that one of the ropes which fastened the luggage was
passed round the handle of one of the breaks, and
that this fastening prevented that break from
having any power upon the stoppage of the train.
Whatever the cause may have been, one thing appears
certain, that the train came down the tunnel at a tre-
mendous speed, so much so that it dashed up against one
of the Liverpool and Birmingham second-class carriages
that happened to be lying at the lower end of the station,
nearest to Lime-street, and smashed it to pieces. Seeing
the velocity with which the waggons were going, and
finding that the break alluded to was powerless, one of
the breaksmen, named Thomas Simpson, threw himself off
at the Edge hill lower end of the tunnel, where the exca-
vations are now being made for the enlargement of the
station, and was dashed against one of the lately blasted
rocks. From the rock, and by the force of the velocity,
he was hurled back against the carriages, and we
regret to say that the wheels passed over his arm
and ground the bones almost to powder. lie was
immediately conveyed to the nearest hospital, and
the account last night was, that the arm must be
amputated, and that he was going on as well as
could be expected. This is the second accident, of
a similar kind, which has occurred in the tunnel
within the last few weeks. Upon the former occasion,
owing to a neglect upon the part of the breaksmen, the
carriages, which were not luggage carriages, but carriages
laden with passengers, came down with equally tremen-
dous velocity, and dashed up against the buffers
placed inside the wall which separates Lime-
street from the station. Some idea of the force
with which that train came down the tunnel
may be formed from the fact that the buffers, which
are formed of four immense and almost immovable
iron springs, against which the greatest weight would
be supposed incapable of producing the slightest im-
pression, were completely doubled close together, and,
by the merest chance, the train was thus prevented from
bursting through them, and through the wall into Lime-
street. The Liverpool directors, we understand, took
the matter into immediate consideration, and not only
fined the breaksmen, but suspended each of them for a
week.—Liverpool Albion.
THE WEATIIER.—Since our last we have had
abundant rain, with gales of wind and cold breezes. On
Tuesday we were visited by a storm of hail and rain,
which completely deluged the streets, and for a short
time rendered them impassable. At the same time
thunderstorms burst in various parts of the kingdom.
At Manchester and the surrounding district the storm
was very fearful. A high chimney was damaged by
the lightning, and the chimney of a dwelling-
house, in Cheetham, was much injured. The storm was
severely felt in and about York, and did considerable
damage to the windmill occupied by Mr. Askwith, on
lieworth-moor. The lightning struck the mill sails,
a considerable portion of which were shattered to
atoms, and the numerous fratolents scattered in the
ad*rining fields. The eleetru) fluid entered the mill,
and completely melted the chains at the end of a
rope used for drawing sacks into the upper cham-
bers. Mr. Askwith was in the mill at the time, but
he fortunately escaped with a stunnin2,-, his hearing
being taken away fur a short time. The same afternoon
Dodworth, a village a short distance to the west of
Barnsley, was severely visited by the storm. A cottage,
occupied by Mr. Booth, was struck by the electric
fluid, which passed down the chimney, broke the
cluck and furniture to pieces, and then made
its egress through the window. Fortunately, Booth
and his wife were both out at the time of the visitation.
Ou Wednesday and Thursday, particularly the latter
day, the wind blew fiercely from the N. and N.N W.,
and the air was extremely cold and ungenial. It is said
that these heavy rains and biting airs have done much
good to vegetation, in destroying insects and giving a
check to vegetation. Near Wisbech there was an ex-
traordinary storm of lightning and hail on Friday
week, and the electric fluid did considerable
damage, killing a man who was walking near the
river. Hailstones as big as eggs fell and destroyed
numbers of poultry, cutting the fruit trees to pieces, and
breaking the glass of all the hothouses in the district.
During a thunderstorm, which visited Glenprosen, near
Forfar, on Saturday week, the lightning descended the
chimney of a cottage, and killed a dog crouching at the
feet of his master, who was unhurt. Near l3illington, in
Yorkshire, there was a sudden whirlwind of great
violence, which raised haystacks in the air, uprooted
trees. unroofed houses, and even removed a large cart
from its position.—Liverpool Albion.
CAUTION.—In consequence of information we have
received, we think it right to call the attention of owners
and masters of ships to some of the provisions of the
Merchant Seamen's Act, recently passed, especially those
clauses which prescribe a fixed supply of medicines,
juices, sugar, &c., which we have reason to think are,
in many instances, not complied with. The penalties in•
curred by non-compliance with the Act are heavy fines
and detention of the ship.—Shipping Gazette.
FRAGMENT OF A SPEECH FOR THE FILTH-OF-
TOWNS PARTY.—Gentlemen,—The constitution is en-
dangered. (Hear.) They have attacked our vested
rights in filth.—(Loud cheers.) What will follow ?
Gentlemen, the altar and the throne will go with the
dunghill and the dust heap.—(Sensation.) It is time,
then, to be up and doing—let your cry be typhus and
local management. (Cheers.) Rally round your
stenches. Shall we be clean because a despot bids us?—
(Cries of " No, no.") Perish the thought ! (Bravo !)
Three cheers for dirt ! (Loud and long-continued
cheering.) Are we not Englishmen ?—(Hear.) Is it
not, therefore, a breach of our constitutional privileges
to have the streets swept by a central board ?
(Cheers.) Yes—cleanliness and Magna Charta are
Vofropruos e,
in-
compatible.—(Cheers)._ Where would be the Habeas
if e t sewersaea hare f
for
ro
vermin
iemptiedn,?‘—p
p(lfaluesa r.) No ! no!
,
e.) Let us
11. e
L united.
; mor
pow s Bill `ire wtill.")vLees intotall
awhholy oobprpootsheer hood
Lord
(Enthusiastic cheering.)"—Man —a giant league— and themselves
let its name be the Dirty Club.—
CORN mAßE_ETrsing.)"—Man in the Moon.
ket business has heelnNvPaassce.—ln the Paris mar-
every one being evidentlyTahforaid to purchase beyond
imfortnight
ofw atnhtes.
preseanettrontrhr be reduced
price of broad for the
Lo
stehceoirnd
3c. the 21b. loaf. In Alsace
has been very considerable. In the saolnueththe. decline
prtees. are
falling rapidly, and the accounts from all the provinces
with regard to the approaching- harvest contiauc to be
very favourable.