The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-09 00:00:00

FATAL COLLIERY ACCIDENT.

- At the West Retford pit on Thursday, while working
near the furnace drift of the mine, several men were ren-
dered insensible by a sudden rush of gas. Four were
rescued, but two sinkers, named George Hall and Benja-
min Chappell, were found dead at the shaft bottom. The
former was married and leaves a widow and three
children. The latter was a single man. The other men
injured are doing tolerably well under medical treatment.
The pit was on fire in September last, and was filled up
with earth, &c. The gas thus imprisoned occasioned this
accident upon being liberated by clearing the shaft.

A ELF-ACCUSATION.—A man named Oxley has been
charged at Worship-street with setting fire to his
sown dwelling-house, persons being therein at
the time.' He charged himself with the offence, but
when brought before the magistrate, declared. The
fire was an accident, and his confession was false- He had
been drinking hard, and had had a few words at home.
The vrisoner was remanded.

Uladstone, on behalf of the Crown, ltaa nomi-
nated the Rev. Thomas Matthews, 8.D., of St. David's
College, Lampeter, formerly vicar of Kilycani, to the
vicarage of Llandidgat, Llandovery, vacant by the eleva-
tion of the Rev. Joshua Hughes to the Bishopric of St.
Asaph. The curacy is in the gift of the Bishop of St.
David's, but the pretent nomination falls, according to
custom, to the Crown.

The Northern Bally Express states that a large
number of tradesmen and others at Consett have met to
cousult about the best possible means of effecting the re-
lease of Mr. Henry Brown, sentenced to nine mouths'
imprisonment for the part he took in the Newland riots
as agent of the " Countess of Derwent:water." Applica-
tion to the Secretary of State, praying for his libAtation.
was acioptca.

The law Times learns from authority that unless
much modified in the Lords, the High Court of Appeal
13111 will be strenuonsly opposed in the Houseof Commons,
on the ground of its retention of the appellate jurisdiction
of the House of Lords, which, it is generally agreed, will
no longer be needed when a Letter tribunal has been
constructed.

The Rev. W. G. Minor, Curate of Rushall, 'sued
Messrs. rickfurd ad in the Walsall County Court
yesterday, for damages C0.,0r injuries Eustained by him in
fal iug over a pulley which the servants of defendants
had left on the pavement whilst removing some casks from
a waggon. The jury awarded A:2CO damages.

The Indo .European Telegraph Company's wires
have now been permanently completed, and a staff of
English clerks provided all through from this country to
India. Messages are now arriving every day in from four
to six hours, and are accurate besides, which formerly *as
not the case.

THE STRIKE AT CREUSAT.—The trench journals say
that the news from Creusot can afford no definite hope of
the termination of the strike. There is a disposition on
the part of most of the miners to resume work, but at the
same time the agitation in the neighbourhood has not
subsided. A public meeting of miners is to take . place,
According to an account from Creusot, some emissaries
from Paris have distributed money to those on strike.

CHARGE AGAINST AN ENGLISHMAN.—The Levant
Herald states that a serious charge is impending against
an Englishman, the keeper of a tavern in Galata. He
was returning home drunk, and a watchman Anflea.voured
to assist him, when he drew a revolver a 7-1 shet him.
The watchman died two days afterwards, and the .Unc,,iish-
man ha Leim arrested. flo will be tried at tLo strand
Zaptich, Stamboul.
THE NEW CIS-LEITHAN INISTRY. ThB North
East Correspondence of April G states that the language
of Czech journals is far from encouraging with regard
to the new Cis-leithan Ministry. A change of the per-
sonnel of the Ministry is not, they contend, sufficient. A
thorough change of policy is necessary, and every
Cabinet who wishes to maintain one Constitution for the
whole of Cis-leithania will find them in opposition. The
Naradin List:, says that if Count Potocki, the new
Minister, fails to satisfy all the demands of the slaves
his Ministry will be the last in Austria.

LISCOVERIES IN ROME.—The recent reparations
at the Austrian College of the Anima have brought to
light a magnificent monolith column, nearly as large a.. 1
that found at the Emporium, and valued at 15 000 f. Th.".
collegiate authorities have presented it to the Idoly Father
for the adornment of the city. The Commendore di Rossi
announces some most interesting discoveries at the
catacombes of Santa Priscilla. The excavations in the Pon-
tifical side of the former are proceeding rapidly, and with
great success, some beautiful columns and cornices having
been discovered near the Mamertine prison. Great
results are expected from the restorations of the port of
Octia, and the necessary removal of ancient remains of,
the constructions. •

INTERESTIN4 DISCOVERIES AT NEWCASTLE.—.
The workmen engaged in the excavations near the Black
Gate, Newcastle, have discovered a curious subterranean
passage, at a depth of about twelve feet from the surface.
The passage extends underneath the ancient gateway, awl
is, like the baseMent of that ancient building, in a wonder,
ful state of preservation. A few days ago Alessrs. James
Hall and Robert Cooper discovered at low water a large
canoe deeply embedded in the sand of the river Tyne. After
much trouble this relic of the past was raised and taken
on shore, when it was discovered that the canoe was one
solid piece of oak, which had evidently been burnt out in
n
Hfinished
t hoer E wl
s thi
c boat- hoof; sflei,nwthelret
was the centre,placed abnyd
mt hre.pi,
i
pery remains. Several
recently
brought antiquarians
to
r 1
light
hhta:v have
andins
although
gthh
itnhs wa
r
great difference of opinion exists as to the date in which it
had been in use, the majority are inclined to believe that
its age muss be srmething over 1,000 years.
THE FIEF:SHIRE MURDER.—Sono further par,
titulars of the remarkable Fifeshire tragedy are to hand.
The deceased man Wyse, with his wife and family, re-
sided at Prinlaws, several of the latter being employed at
the works there. On coming home to dinner, on Tuesday,
one of his sons was surprised to find the door locked-
He suspected that something was wrong, and the door
was immediately forced open, when a berrifying spectacle
met his view. On an armchair by the fire lay his
mother, lifeless,with a gunshot wound through her breast;
while her husband lay on the floor in a pool of blood pro-
ceeding from a wound in his left side. The unfortunat‘
man still grasped a,ramrod, while a gun lay by his side.
Three reports, as if proceeding from a gun, were heard by
iss cinoitemorryf the neighbors
nleitghhebohtoirusse , abtohuetyt\wveelrvee
boe'clock
e;
to
ouht
aaysether
pro-
ceeded from the blasting of stone, and no further notice
was taken of the circumstance. The gun was a double-
barrelled one, and on being examined one of the barrels
was found loaded. It would appear that after keying
discharged the fatal shot at the unfortunate wife, he had
missed the aim at his own head, as the contents of one
of the barrels was found in the ceiling. It is supposed that
he again loaded both barrels, and presenting the muzzle to
his side, discharged it by pressing the trigger with the
ramrod. His body was fearfully mangled, and death must
have been instantaneous. The unfortunate man for the
last few days had been labouring under vreat nervous ex-
citement, and his family, though seeing in him some slight
symptoms of insanity recently, had not the slightest idea
of such a terrible calamity arising from the troubled state
of his mind, thinking that in a day or two he would be
all well again. 'Wyse was a rabbit catcher, and was
54 years of age, his wife being two years older. It may
be added that when the door was forced open the
house was full of smoke. It is supposed that the wadding
of one of the shots had become ignited, and falling on a
rug at the door had ignited it, and charred a large part of
th§ Eogi -
•