The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-21 00:00:00

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The board today inapeated the Royal IVillitta
-Victualling:yard, the Royal Naval Hospital, &e. To-
morrow they will probably land on the Breakwater.
and in the evenirt, or on Prid2y morning, leave is
the Black Eagle for Pembroke.
CiPtain 111ilne was sufficiently recovered yesterday
to resilaie duty.
The steamer Myrmidon, Commander Jotiffs,
arrived yesterday morning and Went up harbour to
co^l. Her crew will In paid here prior to departure
for the coast of Africa.

[PRICE SD.

Woomvicit, Atle. 20.—Tae Vesuvius, steam-sloop,
left Woolwich yesterday morning tor Devonport, and
was to call at Sheerness and Portsmouth on her way
round. She is in charge of Mr. Brown, Assistant
iaterAttendaot at Devonport dockyard.
The Hydra, steam-sloop, went down the river to-
day to try her engines.
The number of visitors to Woolwich dockyard yes-
terday was 3,252 British subjects, and 132 foreigners,
making a total of 3,384.

DESTRUCiIVE coLLIERY EXPLOSION.
On Monday night one of those disastrous and fatal
events which are of such frequent occurrence in the
coal-mining-districts took place at Washington
colliery, which is about two miles from the Wash-
ington station on the York, Newcastle, and Berwick
Railway ; and we regent to say that the explosion
was one of the most lamentable and painful deeerip-
tion that has happened in this district for many years,
resulting, as it has done, in the premature death of
from 30 to 40 persons, most of whom were in tbo
health and vigour of youth. It appears that between
4 and 5 o'clock is the afternoon of Monday about 1513
men went down into the pit on the night shaft, and
everything seemed to go en regular:3• until about
half-past 11 o'clocla, when the inhabitants of the
neighburhocd were aroused by a loud explosion, upon
the report of which large masses of people rushed to
the mouth of the pit to ren ler all the assistance that
lay in their power. Unfortunately tho resident
viewer, Mr. Cruddece, who is also one of the owners,
was absent on a visit, to tho Great Exhibition, and no
person being left to act for hint in his absence, the scene
became one of the greatest confusion. The head over-
man was at length aroused, and he, in company with
a few of the miners, descended the pit, and found
several dead bodies very much burnt and mutilated
near the cross-cut way, where it is supposed the pit
was fired. They dieeovered that the explosion took
place in the " whole" workinga, where about forty
man were employed, and that the other twenty men,
who had been weileing in the were un-
" brokings"
un-
injured. No language can describe the intense grief
and horror of those who, on the first report being
given, rushed to the spot, and remained to ‘litness
the blackened and disfigured corpses of their husbands,
children, and fathers, who only a few hours previously
left theta in their usual health. Three hours in the
dead of the night passed away in the most painful
suspense before any of the bodies were brought to
bank. Almost imtnediatelv after the explosion took
place, two furnace-men, desirous of being instrumen-
tal in saving the lives of their comrades, went down
Ito render assistance, but the afterdamp wee; so strong
' that they were brought up again almost dead. One
of these brave inert has since died, and little hopes are
entertained of the recovery of the other. At 3 o'clock
in the morning, when only a few of the bodies had been
recovered, it was found necessary, on account of the
afterdemp, to put out the furnace before anything
further could be done. This was effected by nine
o'clock. Daring the night the crowd hourly in-
creased, and a number of viewers also • arrived from
the neighbouring celiieries, and rendered very valu-
able assistance. 'throughout the day from nine
o'clock in the morning corpses were at intervals ex-
tricated, and up to seven o'clock in the evening from
28 to 30 bad been brought to the bank and identified
by their relatives, whose shrieks were of the most ap-
palling and heartrending description. At seven
o'clock there yet remained, it was supposed, about ten
corpses in the pit, which it would take several hours
to.recover, but the exact number had not been ascer-
tained. As to the cause of the explosion, it is difficult
at present to obtain any satisfactory account, but an
impression generally prevails that it is a badly venti-
lated pit, and many were heard to say that such an
accident had been anticipated for several weeks, and
one man, that seeing the danger, be left the pit just
before the explosion took place, and thus saved his
life. The whole matter, however, will undergo a
searching investigation before a coroner's jury, which
was to meet yesterday (Wednesday) morning. The
Government inspector of mines for the district (Mr.
Matthias Dunn) is unfortunately from home, and,
therefore it could not be learnt whether the mine had
been recently inspected.

HIGHWAY ROBBERY.

BRIST:IL, Alice '2O —A very daring outrage, which
it is not improbable may be attended with fatal re-
sults, was committed a day or two ago near this city
by a man named John Williams, whom the police
have just succeeded in apprehending under very sin-
gular and curious circumstances. He is charged with
highway robbery, accompanied by considerable vio-
lence; and the following are the facts elicited at an
examenation taksn by the magistrates at the bedside
of Mr. Godwin, of Auburn Villa, Cotham New-road,
the gentleman on whom the outrage was committed :
—Mr. Godwin, who is 75 years of age, stated " that
he was taking a walk for the benefit of his health in
the carriage road which passes beneath the pleasure
grounds of laedlend-court (a thoroughfare much fre-
quented at this period of the year), when he was sad-
eenly seized from behind by a powerful man who
placed his hands ever his face and eyes, kicked his legs
from under him, knocked him down, and then threw
himself upon him. The man then kicked him in the
head and stunned him, and when he came to himself
he found that his watch with the appendages had been
stolen from him." It so happened that a young man
named Callacott, a short time previous to this atrocious
act, which was committed in broad daylight, was car-
rying a pair of boots to Redland-court, the residence of
Mr. Edwards, and when he entered the carriage road
he was followed soma distance by a man, and suspecting
from his manner that he would try to steal his boots he
turned round and looked him full in the face, when
he went away. Callacott went to the court and
delivered the boots, which detained him some time,
and as he was returning he heard a groan, and on
looking up the road he saw two persons struggling
on the ground, and on going to the spot observed the
same man he had before seen get up from the other,
kick him several times in the head, and then make off
across the fields, leaving Mr. Godwin insensible on
the ground. Callacott raised an alarm, and the poor
o'd gentleman was conveyed home seriously injured.
Information was given to the police, and it so hap-
pened that subsequently, as police-constable 143 was
making inquiries at the Boar's Head, Lamb-street,
Bristol, for evidence against an utterer cf base coin,
he observed the prisoner Williams run out into a
yard at the back of the house and clamber to the roof
of some premises in the rear. Suspecting something
wrong, the policeman followed, and chased him across
the roofs of several houses. The prisoner threw a
heavy pantile at the policeman, which nearly knocked
him off the housetop, and then jumped off into a
court, followed by police-constable 143. The court
did not communicate with the street, and the pri-
soner Williams took refuge in a house. He rushed
towards the fireplace with a view of seizing the poker,
when he stumbled and fell. The constable at once
seized and held him, and assistance being procured
he was conveyed to the station-house. His appear-
ance tallying with the description of the person who
had committed the outrage on Mr. Godwin, the wit,
ness Callacott was sent for, and he at once positively
identified him as being the man. The p=iyoaer
Williams was taken before Mr. Lunell, the eason!e
who took Mr. Crodwin's deposition, and be was fully
committed to take his trial for the highway robbery
at the ensuing Gloucester assizes.

PUBLIC RECORDS.—Some time
1150,. as the official
a memorial
was forwarded to the Master t
of dt?that literary men en 7.
keeper of all public records, in 9r inuiries should be ex-
gaged in historical or anti'l lan
the Rolls Chapel, at
.nar❑at
~
empted from the fees now requireduseo Carlton Bide, &c.. The
ince
the Tower, at the ChaPterd a favOurable answer. to this me-
Master of the Rolls returneb .
Lord Mahon, President
morial, which was signedb
'Lord Straogford, Lord Brakey-
the Bishop of Oxford, Dir.
brooks,
r, Dean blilman, and a long list of well-
oLforAdutiLo
Macaulay, 1ND:.:117%:t 'answer was taken into consideration
known literati. bsbribers to the memorial on Monday
- , of the su
at a mettio, it Mr. Payne Collier presided, when several
last, over
were unanimously agreed. to, expressive of the
resolutions ounadriesmesboroYugh,
;Vial men of letters, especially of those engaged
gratitude oal
inYestigations,.tor the concession thus made,
in bisorie
-:
with 0 much alacrity, on the part of Sir John
and a
that,
.
It appears until the new record offices are
VoinillY•
completed, some temporary arrangements are to be adopted,
n
d , which all persons. who are not making professional
searches on behalt of clients, but who are employed bond
tide in the acquisition of historical information, shall be
entirely exempted from the payment of any money for
facilities afforded in the various situations where records are
now deposited. When all these documents shall hereafter
be brought into one collection, the Master of the Rolls has
undertaken to make new and permanent regulations upon
the subject. It'will be obvious that an important step has
been thus gained, and that what has hitherto been felt by
men or letters as so great an inconvenience and so severs
a hardship, will ultimately, and ere long, be removed.,
Citronicle.

MELANCHOLY AND FATAL ACCIDENT.—'-Yesterday
Mr. Ledford, the coroner for Westminster, received informa-
tion of the following distressing accident:—It appears that
on the preceding morning a gentleman named Spradbury,
who resides in Frances-street, Waterloo-road, heard violent
screams proceeding from the first floor of No. '2, in the same
street. Feeling convinced that something wrong had hap-
pened, ho immediately burst the door in, and on rushing up
stairs discovered the bed on fire, and a little girl, about three
years of age, daughter of Mrs. Redding, completely enveloped
in flame. With the aid of other assistance the fire was got
out, but not until the poor child was most frightfully burred
over her body. She was removed to the surgery of Mr.
Robert Brooke, in the Waterloo-road, but owing to the
serious injurieo received, it was found necessary to remove
the sufferer to the Westminster Hospital, where she lingered
in the most excruciating vgony till half-past five yesterday
morning, when death terminated her sufferings..