The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-28 00:00:00

Tilscalaneous I;ews.

(From the Anglo-American Times.)
The Hoosac Tunnel has been the scene of two
terrible accidents, in both of which Thomas Mallory dis-
played a heroism worth recording. The first accident
occurred in laying a floor on the shaft. This is done by
lowering a timber, one end of which is placed in a
hole, and the other has to bo inserted in another
hole on the opposite side of the shaft. Four men
were lowered with the timber 437 feet, within 140 feet of

the rocky bottom. The timber had been landed in its
place; the fourth, a sailor,
.sitting on it with his legs
crossed below it. The heel of the boot of ono caught in
the timber, when he lost his balance, seized on the next,
who went over Withjliin, when he, caught the third, who
laid hold of the sailor. The latter suddenly found himself
whirled round with three men hanging to him. Presently
they were relieved of a weight, and a heavy thud told
the fate of a comrade. Almost immediately after, a second
followed,when the third observed to the sailor, "It will bo my
turn soon, as I cannot hold on much longer." He was cheered
by the sailor, who desired him to swing himself till he
could feel the timber with his feet, which he did, finally
gaining the top. They then signalled, "Serious accident
—send help." The only communication being by the rope
attached to the timber, whiCh tbe men were too much ex-
hausted to unfasten. A sailor on the top slid down the
wire rope the 437 feet, which he quickly unfastened, and
was drawn up, when he obtained a cage, iu which he suc-
ceeded in getting the two men to the surface. Ile then
set to work to get to the bottom of the pit, to render
assistance, if possible, to those who had fallen. • The first
was found a broken mass, and though the second was
still alive he died eight hours after being brought up. IL
was Thomas Mallory, the first who descended the shaft
after the recent explosion, who effected this rescue.
The death of ex-Governor Andrew has been
keenly felt in Massachusetts. He was a man of rare in-
tellectual qualities, possessing a faculty of deep thought
and of expression which made him eloquent, and gave to
his career a power and weight which the noble qualities of
his heart never permitted him to misuse. His was an
unadorned eloquence, sincere and fervent, the plain ex-
pression of his mind. He was a philanthropist in the
broadest sense of the word, not running into any enthu-
siasm which Made him the slave of a single idea, but tem-
pering every; question with judgment and common sense.
In a few simple words he truly tells what he was:—" I
know not what record of sin awaits me in the other world;
but this 1 do know, that I never was so mean as to
despise any man because he was poor, or • was ignorant,
or because be was black." His early life was devoted
to his profession as a lawyer, and he did Lot then come I
prominently forward as a politician. He belonged to the
same school as Sumner, Allen, C. F. Adams, and Wilson.•
He strongly supported the Free-soil party, was opposed to
capital punishment (though as Governor he rigidly exer-
cised the laws), was a Free-trader, and though religiously
inclined, was opposed to orthodoxy and the dreary views
of the Puritans. He spent much time in visiting prisonA,
penitentiaries, and poor-houses, and looking into the
treatment of convicts. He was fearless in the expression
of his opinions, and thoroughly imbued with New England
ideas, being indeed a true representative of Massachusetts,
a State that has lost within the last few weeks by sudden
death Loring, Dana, Pond, as well as Andrew. The
Springfield Republican gives the following sketch :
"John A. Andrew was born at Windham, Maine,
on the 31st of May, 1818, and lacked but about rix months
of having completed a half century of life. He graduated
at Bowdoin College in 1837, studied law in Boston, and
was admitted to the bar there in 1810. In 1808 he was
elected to the Legislature, was a delegate in 1860 to the
Republican Convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln
for President, and was elected Governor of Massachusetts
the same year by the largest popular vote ever cast for a
governor of this commonwealth. He was four times re-
elected, with but nominal opposition. His intelligent
and indefatigable services to the State and the Union

throughout the war are familiar to all the people, and will
connect his name forever with the toils and glories of that
grand struggle. Justly did the Rev. Mr. Quint say in the
election sermon of 1866—' To have been the Governor of
Massachusetts for five such years—called by spontaneous
voice of the people, and continued by re-elections (the
most momentous years since those of the revolution)—is
enough for the patriotic ambition of any man. To have
been such a governor ennobles a man in history.'" He
leaves four children ; two sons and two daughters.

Dr. Worthingtou Hooker, professor of medical
science at Yale College, died at Newhaven, Nov. 6. He
was a son of Judge Hooker, of Springfield, Massachusetts,
and a graduate in the college where he afterwards held the
post of professor. He was the author of several works on
medicine and chemistry, and their practical combinations,
of such merit as now to be extensively used in schools.

Dr. John M'Gregor, recently of Thomson, Con-
necticut, was killed by his carriage coming into collision
with a freight carriage at Providence, Rhode Island, ou the
4th November. Ile was thrown ou the track by the shock,
and his arm was crushal by the car, which was amputated,
but the doctor died three hours after the accident. He
served in a Connecticut regiment during the war, and was
taken prisoner at the battle of Bull Run.

A voting machine has recently been patented at

Washington, and is to be tried in the Common Council
chamber of that city. By an arrangement of wires similar
to that of the hotel-annunciator, connecting the desks of
the members of a deliberative body with the voting
apparatus, members are enabled to vote all at once, and,
after a moment's time allowed for a change of vote by
any member who may desire it, the result —that is, the
individual vote of each member, together with the aggre-
gates respectively of the yeas and nays—is plainly shown
on the dial plates. Simultaneously with the summarised
result, the names of each member voting is printed for the
use of the reporters of the press. The machine will not
have a chance to work, not on account of any mechanical
difficulty, but because political leaders will oppose its
introduction. Our legislative halls contain many mem-

hers who need to know how certain•men vote before
recording their own ; and, besides, the Congressional
leaders prefer to have their flicks under their eye.—
Watchman and Reflector.
REGISTERED LETTERS FOR THE PHILIPPINE
ISLANDS.—As the Post Office authorities in the Philippine
Islands have now consented to give receipts for registered
letters sent from this country, the registration of letters
addressed to the Philippine Islands, which was discon-
tinued in November of last year, will be resumed. Upon
such letters the registration fee of 4d., together with the
postage, must be paid in advance.—General Post Office,
Nov. 18.
The Spring field Republican, Nov. 2, says :—" The
State Teachers' Convention commences at Meriden, Thurs-
dierW next week, with a lecture by President Woolsey, of
Yale College, and other speakers expected the following
day are Governor English, B. G. Northrop, secretary of
the State Board of Education, E. H. Sawyer of Middle-
town, and A. Morse of Hartford. Many of the schools of
the State will suspend during the convention.
POSTAGE OF LETTERS FOR OFFICERS OF THE
ARMY SERVING IN THE COiONIEs.—On the Ist of January
next, and thenceforward, prepaid letters, posted in the
United Kingdom, addressed to officers of the army serving
in a British colony, and conveyed direct, without passing
through a foreign country, will be chargeable with a post-

age of 6d. only per ioz, although the postage of ordinary
letters sent to such colony may be higher than 6d.
When the letters pass through a foreign country they will
be liable, in addition to the British rate of 6d., to the same
transit rate as other letters. Thus, officers' letters ad-
dressed to Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, Labuan, the
Cape of Good Hope, or Natal, when sent via Marseilles
will be chargeable with a total rate of 10d. per ioz

Officers' letters addressed to British Columbia, Vancouver's
Island, or Honduras, being sent through the United States,
will be chargeable with a total rate of Bd. per I oz. ; and

officers' letters for Bermuda will be liable to the same rate
of 80. par 4 oz. when sent via New York. The superscrip-
tion of each letter must specify the rank and regiment,
corps, or detachment in will* the officer to whom the
letter is addressed is serving,*Or the department to which
he belongs.—General Post Office, Nov. 18, 1867.
A recent work on Mining and Metallurgy esti-
mates the yield of the precious metals in 1865 at 530,587
pounds troy in gold, and over 4,000,000 pounds troy of
silver. Of the gold the Lnited States furnished 210,000
pounds, or nearly two-fifths. Australia and New Zealand,
191,000 ; Wales, 742 ounces. Of silver, Mexico furnished
1,700,000 pounds; the United States, 1,000,000; Peru Und
Chili, 597,000 ; Europe, 636,000. The production of gold
in the United States alone for the last year is estimated in
dollars at $74,000,000.

THE PUBLISHING SEASON.—On the 7th inst. Mr.
Murray, of Albemarle-street, entertained at dinner some
sixty of the leading booksellers of London on the occasion
of Lis annual trade sale, at the Albion, in Aldersgate-
street, when the following new works and new editions
were disp3scd of, the company not separating until nearly
ten o'clock : -- 1,300 Motley's "United Netherlands," vols.
3 and 4; GOO Lady Brownlovv's "Reminiscences," 1,800
Dean Stanley's " Memorials of Westminster ALbiy,"
3,800 Dr. Smith's " English Latin Dictionaries," 500 Sir

William Page Wood's " Continuity of Scripture," 1,000
Smiles's " Huguenots," 500 " Life of Sir Charles Barry,"

1,200 " Darwin on Animals and Plants," 200 Sir
Roderick Mut-el:Asian's " Siluria," 1,300 Lord Derby's
new edition of the "Iliad," 8,000 Smith's "Latin and
Classical Dictionaries," 7,500 Smith's "Smaller Histories,"
600 Layard's "Popular Narratives," 600 Archbishop of
York's new work, 400 White's "Massacre of St. Bartholo-
mew," 600 Dr. Smith's "Bible Dictionary," 1,000 Hallam's
"Histories," 8,500 "Little Arthur's History of England,"
11,400 "Student's Historical Manuals," 2,500 Byron's
works, 9,300 Mrs. Markham's " Histories," 6,000 Smiles's
" Industrial Biographies," 800 Murray's "British Classics,"
14,000 Smith's " Latin and Greek Course."
The money order system in the American Post-
office is winning its way to favour, and becoming most
useful to the people. It was begun in November, 1864,
when 140 money-order offices were opened, and by June
30, 1865, $1,360,122 had been transmitted by the system,
yielding the department a revenue of $11,534. In 1866
the number of offices was increased to 473, and the busi-

ness done reached $3,977,259. During the last fiscal year,
ending June 30, 1867, there were 835 money-order offices
open, and $10,000,000 were transmitted ; and during the
current year the number of offices is to be increased to
1,035, and it is estimated that $15,000,000 will be trans-
mitted. The system is modelled after the English system,
and has been conducted so successfully as to pay a profit
over all expenses.

THE HURRICANE.—It appears from the New
York papers that considerable portions of the American
coast line, as well as the West India islands, experienced
most destructive storms in the past month. The Picayune
says :—" Upon the Rio Grande the hurricane was the
most terrible in the memory of man on that frontier.
A perpetual bombardment for a year could hardly have
done as much damage as happened from this one
night's storm. Twenty-six persons were killed at
Katamoras, and ten were killed and one wounded at
Brownsville. At Brazos, so far as is known, twelve
persons perished. The schooners Ella and Kedash were
blown high ashore. Only two houses were left standing at
Clarksville, and none at Bagdad. The loss of life in the
latter place is not known. Ninety of the inhabitants
escaped by going on board of a vessel which rode out the
storm ; the rest have perished. The negro soldiers and
their officers at BrazoS are- said to have acted infamously.
They not only refused assistance to the struggling and
suffering families, but retired to the sheltered part of the
island, and the soldiers returned the next day to rob the
wrecked goods under the remains of the warehouses and
dwellings. 'One of them was shot by a citizen who detected
him in robbery. Their officers, it is said, do nothing to
check their brigandism."

LETTER FROM THE CONVICT IVILLL42II

ALLEN.

The Cork Examiner publishes the following letter,
which was entrusted by Allen to his aunt in Alan-
chester, with directions to forward it to his sister
iu Cork,:—

" Manchester, Nov. 18, '67.
"Dear Sister, Brother-in-Law, and Brothers,-4
am sure you will regret to be hearing out of a pri-
son dungeon from me, but it cannot be helped.
There are a great many changes in the world, and
we must all put up with our share. Next Saturday
is the day of my execution ; also three others. I
will be gone only a few days before the longest
liver of you all ; it is nothing, dear sister, to look
into it. I hope you do not forget praying for me,
and for those that are in with me. It is bard,
dear sister, brother-in-law, and brothers to be
suffering for a charge a person is not guilty
of. lam quite reconciled to the will of God, what-
ever my fate may be. I received Holy Communion
this morning, thank God, and am in very good
spirits. There is'nothing in this world that a per-
son should be so sorry for leaving it. Tell n 39
brothers to mind their duty to God, and always
pray for me, and all that are in with me. I am.
very sorry, dear sister, I had not the pleasure 01
seeing James before leaving this world, and also
your daughter. I think I have a slight knowledge
of James, if Ido not make a mistake. I hope, if I
do not see him here, 1 will see him and you all,
please God, in heaven. Remember my words, dear
friends—there is no use in grieving at all ; it doe
not make the thing any better, and injures your own
health, although I am quite sure there will be mall
thousands that never saw me, or any of the other
prisoners in their lives, that will regret our deaths ;
and many a tear will flow from parties with whom
I never was in my life. I am about to leave the
world, and I do not think I have many enemies in
it, except those who swore my life away for blood
money. I forgive them from the bottom of my
heart, and may God forgive them. Farewell,
sister, brother, and brothers-in-law, niece also. it,
has crossed my mind not to forget Miss Clancy an
u
my grandmother ; tell them to pray for us also. Ne
more from your affectionate and ever-loving brother,
" W. P. ALLEN-
"P.S.—Remember me to father and mother, and
aunt.—Send this to my sister in Cork as soon ae
..
you receive it. Keep up your hearts, and never
forget praying for me. Remember me to all friendi•
I send you 1,000 kisses each, and 2,000 to lot
brother Joe."