The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-29 00:00:00

THE FOREIGN MAILS.

'ARRANGEMENTS FOR TIIE ENSUING MONTH.
The following notice of the postal arrangements for the
departure of the foreign mails for the ensuing month has
been issued at the chief office, St. Martin's-le-Grand :

The Indian Mails.—Mails for Gibraltar, Malta, Greece,
lonian Islands, Egypt, Ceylon, India, China, &c., rid South-
ampton, will be dispatched from hence on the mornings of the
3d and 20th of February.
The Achilles, for the above mails, on the morning of the 3d
of February, which will sail from Southampton.
India, &e., rid Marseilles.—Mails for the Mediterranean,
Egypt, India, China, &c., rid Marseilles, will be dispatched
from hence on the evening of the Bth and 24th of February.
The Peninsular Mails.—Mails for Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon,
Cadiz, Madeira, Gibraltar, &c., will be dispatched from hence
on the mornings of Feb. 8, 17, and 27.
The Queen for the above mails, on the morning of the Bth
of February, which will sail from Southampton.
Madeira, Brazils' Buenos Ayres, &c.—Mails fer Madeira,
Brazils, Buenos Ayres, &c., will be dispatched from hence
on the evening of the 4th of February. (From August to
January inclusive, the packet touches at Pernambuco and
Bahia on her outward voage to Rio Janeiro, and the other
six months on her homeward.)
Her Majesty's brig Swift for the above mails of the even-
ing of the 4th of February, which will sail from Falmouth.
Sydney, New South IN, ales, &c.—Mails for Sydney, New
South Wales, Australia, &c., will be dispatched from hence
on the evening of the Ist ofFebruary.
The Glentanner for the above mails of the evening of the
Ist February, which will sail from Gravesend.
The American Mails.--Mails for British North America,
Berianda, and the United States, will be dispatched from
hence on the evening of the 3d of February.
The Cambria for the above mail: of the evening of the 3d
of February, which will sail for Liverpool.
The West India, &c., Mail.—Mails for the British and
foreign colonies in the 'West Indies, 'Venezuela, Madeira,
&c., will be dispatched from hence on the mornings of the 2d
and 17th of February.
Mexico, Honduras, and Havannah will be included in
the above, of the morning of the 2d of February only, and
not in the 17th.
Bermuda, San Juan do Nicaragua, New Granada, Chagres,
Chili, and Peru, will be included in the above of the morning
of the 17th only, and not in the 2d.
The Avon for the above mails of the 2d of February,
which will sail from Southampton.
France.—Mails for France, rid Dover and Calais, will be
dispatched front hence daily (Sundays excepted).
Belgium, &c.—Mails for Belgium, &c., vid Dover and
Ostend, will be dispatched from hence daily (Sundays ex-
cepted).
liolland.—Mails from Holland will be dispatched from
hence every Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
Hamburg.—Mails for Hamburg, &c., will be dispatched
from hence every Tuesday and Friday.

- -
wSuicIDE OF THE HON. H. E. ADDINGTON.—On
LoercidnetaY last the Hon. Henry Estcourt Addington, son of
Suinwouth • • • •
at Albur , committed suicide at his father's residence
Y• near Guildford. It appears that the unfortunate
young man (wh„e -
past been 1ab.,,,,• age is only 24 years) had for some time
being considered ll't,. under mental aberration, his malady
island of Corfu he the result of a fever caught in the
by the recommendation npitary service. On the 9th inst., ,
placed under the surveiia !lis medical attendants, he was
West Surrey (Mr. ,i, . •‘,.1.„', of a keeper. The coroner for
on Friday, at the Drum
moriddl) held an inquest on the body
dence of George Collinosi
Ntvlieed
knzier referred to, it appeared
, :rust Albury. From the evi-
while shaving the de-
that on the morning
take the razor and
ceased, he earnestly solicited to teta?:l
shave himst:f, which of coursewas refill'''.
the keeper watch-
wards deceased proceeded to his bedronemd. Some time after-
eb bedstead by a
jog him, but not following him. Enterir;thiovrever, shortly
afterwards, he saw deceased suspended toy'g
Prompt, assistance
black silk neckerchief. Notwithstandin
deceased never rallied. The jury returned a verdict of o In_
sanitussex Advertiser.
EXTENSIVE FAILURES IN BIRMINGHAM AND WoL•
VERHAMPTON. —BIRMINGHAM, TUESDAY.—A. home in this
town, very extensively engaged in the continental, but more
especially in the Spanish trade, has just suspended payment.
Its engagements are yet unknown, but they are, by the most
likely to be well informed upon the subject, supposed to be to
a large amount. A. composition has been offered, but has
been declined by many of the creditors. The firm is one of
the oldest, if not the oldest, in Birmingham, and held the
agency for the Copper Company. Henderson's house, of
Wolverhampton, largely engaged in the tin plate manufac-
ture, has also closed. Its liabilities are said to exceed
30,0004

PAINLESS SURGICAL OPERATIONS.—The establish-
malt of the fact that surgical operations may be performed
without pain, has bean properly deacralld 413 " good news for
traveller, by railway,—sru,,ah.

THE FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.
SOUTHALL, Jaw. 27.—At half-past four o'clock to-day an
inquest was held by Mr. Wakley, M.P., coroner for the dis-
trict, assisted by the deputy-coroner, Mr. Mills, on the bodies
of Henry Halt and Henry Bishop, the unfortunate sufferers
by the accident of Monday last at Southall. The investiga-
tion took place at the Red Lion Inn, Southall, and the pro-
ceedings attracted a good deal of interest in the neighbour-
hood. Mr. Seymour Clarke, superintendent at Paddington ;
Mr. Gooch, head of the locomotive department; and several
other officials of the company, were present at the proceed-
ings. Mr. Brunel and Mr. Saunders visited the spot where
the accident took place, but did not appear in the room
where the inquest was held,
The CORONER,iII charging the jury, hoped that they would
dismiss from their minds any rumours which they might
have heard, and for which there might be no foundation.
Some of the jury had expressed a desire to see the tire, and
the wheel to which it was attached, by daylight, and there-
fore he thought it advisable that the inquiry should not be
closed that evening. A good deal of clamour had been raised
against railways, but it should be remembered that accidents
had happened to coaches, carriages, gigs, and every kind of
vehicles used on the roads, in which no blame could be at-
tached to any person. As, however, the inquest was one to
inquire into a very frightful occurrence, and as they were
bound to protect human life, they would have to examine
the cause of this accident to show the public and the direc-
tors of the railway themselves what the cause was. They
would have to do so, not for the purpose of punishing any
party, unless gross negligence was proved, but to prevent any
similar calamity in future. It was necessary, therefore, that
they should have, on a future day, some witnesses called be-
fore them who cauld give dispassionate testimony on the sub-
ject. lie did not mean to say that the witnesses to be called
before them on the part of the company were not disinte-
rested, but it was better in all cases of the kind to have the
testimony of persons without the suspicion of bias as to a
matter in which the conduct of individuals might be incul-
pated.
The jury then proceeded to view the bodies, and on their
return the following evidence was adduced :
Joseph Bishop, poultry-dealer at Cowley, and father of one
of the deceased, and Thomas Weadon, butcher, of Tooting,
brother-in-law of the other deceased, were called, and hav-
ing been sworn identified the bodies. Bishop was 20, and
Halt 27 years of age.
John Maydon, the next witness called, stated that he lived
at Uxbridge, and was a dealer in cattle. He was in the
train at the time the accident happened, and sat beside
Henry Bishop, one of the deceased; his father sitting beside
Halt. Bishop sat with his back to the engine. Something
came with a crush right through the top of the carriage,
but he was so frightened, that he did not know anything
that happened until he got out. There were five of them
inside altogether, and he saw blood, and that Henry Halt
was struck. He did not know whether they were killed
dead on the spot. He was not hurt, but greatly frightened;
so much so, indeed, that he hardly knew what occurred
until he got out. His father was much hurt about the
thigh, and kept his bed in consequence.
Mr. F. W. Austen, station-clerk at Southall, was then
called, and said, that being in the station at the time, he ran
down at once and opened the carriage in which the accident
happened. Halt was sitting, and Bishop had fallen forward
into his lap. The carriage which was cut in the roof and
much injured, was brought into the goods shed; but both
the men had been killed instantaneously, and their brains
were scattered about.
A juryman—The train was in motion at the time, and
just about to stop. I was in it.
Witness—A large fragment of the tire lay in the carriage,
but the express train went on to London with the damaged
wheel, after appearing to stop a short time before it came
to the bridge, He had never before known the tire of a
wheel to break, though he had been on the line for seven
years.
John Gauntlett, policeman on the Great Western line at
the Southall station, said, that while on duty there about
twenty-five minutes past four o'clock, he saw the express
train, due at thirteen minutes past four o'clock, go past the
station driven by the Queen engine. When past the station
about 60 or 70 yards, he saw the tire, in two or three pieces,
fly off the driving wheel, and one piece fell on one of the
second-class carriages of the four o'clock down train. He at
once went to the carriage. The door bad been opened, and
a lady who was hurt handed out. The two deceased men
were in the carriage, dead; and several of the passengers
were slightly hurt. He saw nothing loose or wrong about
the express train before the accident happened, and it was
going at its usual speed, which was about 50 miles an hour.
The engine had been in use for nearly twelve months. The
express train was stopped as coon as possible.
A juryman—l was in the next carriage to that in which
the accident happened, but was aware of nothing till I got
out.

Wittness—The piece of tire which fell on the carriage was
projected into the air to the height of 20 or 30 feet. Its
weight had since been ascertained to be 2751 b.
James Loxton, inspector of metropolitan police at Hanwell,
stated that the bodies of the deceased were removed from
the carriage by him.
James Almond, engine-driver of the Queen, which drew
the express, said that he had been engine-driver on the
Great Western Railway for nine years, and about 24 or 25
years engineman for locomotive or stationary engines. On
Monday he left Swindon at 56 minutes past two o'clock,
three minutes late, with a train of six carriages. The time
for arriving at Southall was four hours sixteen minutes, and
they were behind some six minutes, which he attributed to
the heaviness of road, and the high wind blowing at the
time.

CORONER—Did yon see the tire break ? Witness—l
saw the fire Hy from the tire and the splasher, which
is the brass cap to the wheel, and I put my back to
the dome and saw the other carriage broken on the down
train. I did not see the pieces of the tire fly from the wheel.
I did not know exactly what it was that had happened, and
could perceive no difference in the running; but in about
two minutes, seeing that the tire was gone, I stopped. After-
wards we went up to London at a diminished speed of 15 or
20 miles an hour. I have seen the pieces of the tire, which
are made partly of steel and partly of iron. I have observed
the fractures, and though the outside appeared good, the in-
side does not look sound. The tire is about 1% inches thick,
increasing to two inches next the crease: it seems unsound
for 11-4 inches, the rest sound. The bad parts look dull and
dirty, and the sound quite bright. I should judge three
inches broad, by 1 inches in depth, bad, out of five inches
of breadth. There is no means that I know of besides that
of sight for ascertaining how much of the tire is bad. No
accident of the kind has ever happened before to that engine;
but about seven months ago the whole tire of the &Hone, en
engine which came from Nasmyth and Gaskell's works at
Manchester, broke off in five pieces. This occurred about two
miles and a half below Slough. That case was similar to the
present, and I reported it to the foreman at Swindon. We
were asked if we ran against anything, and we answered not.
We always examine the engine ourselves in every part of it
before starting, and on arriving at the end of our trip, and if
there is anything wrong, we report it. I did so in the pre-
sent case examine the wheels and the springs, as is my
invariable custom. After a tire is once placed on the
wheel, we have no means of ascertaining whether it is sound
or not.
The CORONER—Did you ever see a tire unsound before it
was put on ? Witness—Yes, I have ; and it was condemned.
The " weld " appeared unsound outside, and showed itself.
Such accidents are not of frequent occurrence, and it never
happened to more than one before. The tires of the other
wheels are fixed on in the same way as that on the driving-
wheel.
The CORONER—Are the driving-wheels subject to more
use than others? Witness—Yes, and by their size the tire
is more apt to come off them.
A juryman—Are they riveted on? Witness—No; they
are kept on by contraction.
A juryman asked whether the tire of a wheel did not fly
off last Friday week between Hanwell and the bridge P—The
fact was admitted by the officials of the company present.
Mr. George Withe Daniel, surgecn, residing at Southall,
and passenger in the four o'clock down train, proved that the
deaths of the deceased were instantaneous, and had been
caused by the injuries they had received from the immense
piece of iron which fell on them.
Mr. Daniel Gooch was then called, and said, I am superin-
tendent of the locomotive department of the Great Western
Railway Company, and have held that position for nine
years. The Queen was built under my inspection at Swindon.
The company lay all their tires at the Haigh Foundry,
Wigan, Lancashire. I see all tires bought by the company.
We have a smith, named John Faucett, living at Swindon,
whose duty it is to " block" all tires, and to inspect
them. He is an excellent tradesman, and is expressly used
for the purpose. If we buy the tires in bars, we give an
order for the length required ; if in hoops, for the diameter.
About four-fifths of the tire are of wrought iron, and one-
fifth of steel. I have examined that of the Queen which has
given way, and found it unsoundly welded. The welding is
a difficult task, requiring great care, and the best workmen
will sometimes fail in effecting a good weld. About two-
thirds of one of the ends in the carriage is bad, but the other
fractures appear to be quite bright. We " block" the tires—
viz., make them a little less than the size required, and then
subject them to a great strain by means of a screw. All
tires are subjected to this process in order to test their sound-
ness. I cannot say how many miles the Queen may have
travelled without consulting the books, but probably about
25,000 miles. Tires suffer most in frosty weather, and some-
times they break from that cause, though Hot in motion. Two
instances of the kind occurred last year.
The CORONER—Is there any step which you can take,
in copse of this accident, to prevent a recurrence
of it? Witness—l can suggest none, except increased vigi-
lance on the part of our servants. This tire was bought in
the hool.
The Corms/ea—Do the manufacturers from whom you buy
submit to any penalty for selling badly welded tires ? Wit-
ness—None, except the loss of credit, and the obligation to
replace the tire. The ringing of a tire is no test of its un-
soundness, and I have heard them, when cracked, sound as
clear as a bell under the stroke of the hammer. We have
had a good many cases of tires coming off the driving-
wheel. It is not a common accident, but it is one which we
are always prepared for in frosty weather.
The CORONER—It is not one which lam prepared for.—
i(hl.o at ui
ognh, t
buter. )
the Vfracture
lized. Age has no bad effect upon our tires, and some of
them have been in constant use since the opening line.
The of the line.
The weld is the place most liable to give way, and the rate
of speed has little to do with such accident, for there is a re-
cent instance cf the wheel of a luggage train b • reeking,
though it only travelled at 15 or 20 miles an hour.
The CORONER—You have given your evidence, Mr.
Gooch, very frankly and fairly, and we are very much
obliged to you for it.
Some conversation here ensued as to the scientific gentle,
man to be selected as an unbiassed witness on the causes of
this singular accident. In the course of it Mr. Gooch ex-
pressed his readiness to afford any one the coroner might
select the fullest possible facilities for forming a fair and
just opinion on the subject.
No decision was come to on this point when the proceed
ings of the evening closed, the Coroner adjourning the in,
quest to half-past ten o'clock on Monday next.

THE LATE ARCHDUKE PALATINE OF AUSTRIA.—
The deceased Archduke was born on the 9th of March, 1776,
and had tilled the office of palatine for a period of fifty years.
The node of palatinate election is peculiar; four candidates
are proposed by the Government to the Diet, of whom the
latter select one. The post is provisionally occupied by the
Judea Curiae, Count ➢lajlath.
Cotton, (},C G.e.B.
We lnesday a Court of Directars was held at the
East India llouse, when Lieutenant-General Sir Willougbv
, Ccmmander-in-Chief of the Company's
member ofe Bombay
IRE
INista
TEmpeLsttabniiszlis,nicenutE,
.was appointed second
cently decided in Mr. Hart trd s case,
~, Council at that Presidency.
RS.—The judges re-
to be elected a bencherr.g As by being
bar acquires no legal i that a member of the
made a Queen's counse,
Lordships, however, re
amrtioscflaect9f electing benchere
commended ananaldteirnattilmonatiedn
,ihi3se
ion at the power of
file black ball
laatsta, viterzafsul assemblage of
efoxrnituhseiofnutbuyre,a
sin
the benchers on Friday evening
salved that henceforth no one shall be electendal'olintli'eusll3y re-
of the Inner Temple, unless he obtain the votes of a nieZeoll rity of the existing benchers; and that four black balls shall
be sufficient to exclude—an arrangement wl2ici3 certainly
appears unobjectionable,