The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-25 00:00:00

THE UNEMPLOYED SILK WEAVERS.

Yesterday evening a numerously attended meet-
ing of the broad-silk weavers of Bethnal-green and
its neighbourhood was held at the Duke of York
Tavern, New York-street, Bethnal-green, to hear
the report of a committee appointed at a former
meeting, and to consider the best means of reliev-
ing the great distress now prevailing in the district.
Mr. JOHN HARDMAN having been called to the
chair,
Mr. GEAR, one of the members of the committee,
said that he, iu common with his colleagues, had
pursued their labours with great assiduity, having
made a room-to-room visitation of the poor families
thrown out of employment by the present stagna-
tion of commerce. The committee had ascertained
that the most frightful misery existed among the
weavers. In many places the children, as well as
the parents, were without food, and so completely
were the fathers of the children prostrated that
they looked with seeming unconcern upon the
wretchedness of their offspring. In one place
visited by the committee a poor, half-naked, and
famished-looking woman, with her equally wretched
children, stood behind the door while answering
the questions put to her by the committee. She
said that her husband had gone out to look for a
few halfpence to buy bread for the children, but
that he had not returned up to that time, although
it was then noon, and the children had not had a
morsel of food that day. Having visited several
cases of appalling destitution the committee made
inquiry into the number of looms unemployed:
The result was that 2,446 looms were reported to
them as stopped. (A Voice, "The number is far
greater.") The committee hen proceeded to visit
the workhouses in the locality, when they ascer-
tained that there were 455 in Bethnal-green work-
house. 200 in Shoreditch, and a great number in
Spitaltields. Calculating one loom to each family
out of employment, the number of idle looms would
be 3,101, a fact aloxie sufficient to attest a vast
amount of human suffering.

Mr. HIRDY, the secretary to the committee, cor-
roborated the statement of the last speaker, and
said that if something was not speedily done to
allay the destitution of the unemployed weavers,
the newspapers would have to record worse cases
of human suffering than were recorded in Ivdia.
Some discusedon ensued as to the best mode of
giving practical application to the sugge,tions of
the committee. Ultimately, the report was adopted,
and it was resolved to ask Mr. Hanbury, sen., to
act as treasurer, and receive any subscriptions that
might be forwarded to him for distribution among
the suffering families.
The proceedings, which were quiet and orderly
throughout, were then brought to a conclusion.

THE BOILER EXPLOSION AT =DBES-
FIELD.--T WELVE LIVES LOST.

The following are addition d particulars relating
to the boiler explosion which took Oleo at Hudders-
field on Monday afternoon, and a short aczount (f
which appeared in y,sterd.ay's Sun. It was there
stated that seven lives had been I,;st. The number
of the dead now amounts to twelve :—Jess.e Firth,
engineer ; Joseph Lumb, mechanic ; Emma Chffe,
Eliza Lord, Hannah Lord, Sarah Ann Stott, AL:ry
Ann Garlick, Humblebee, Fletcher, CI owther,
Elizab,th Hampshire, and another, name not given,
all Limits but two.

The place in which the accident occurred is a cot-
ton-warp factory, belonging to Mr. George Kaye.
The place had been stopped for a week, for the pur-
pose of laying a new engine down, and recommend
work that morning. The boiler was of 24-horse power
and Wag placed in a space under two rooms, which,
although intended to be used as work-roo:ng, were
fortunately empty at the time of the exldosion. The
boiler-house was 50ft by 36fr, open a,, each end ; the
side walls arid walls of the room above it wore of
stone. There was a stable close by one end of it,
and the factory was at its side. By the side of the
factory, and passing one end of the ,oiler-house,
was a goit or mill-dam, about 31.1 ft. acro2s, and on
the opposite aide of the goit is Mr. Mitchell's dye-
house. All went on well to the dinner hour. Tho
time for recommencing work was two o'clock, but
from some unascertained reason the engine did not
st4t punctually, and a number of tie mill hands
went to look at it. There were also some mecha-
nics and the engineer present.

The explosion took place about ten miuntes past
two o'clock. Ono end of the boiler was blown to
the other part was lifted about 20 yards, a
portion of the upper rooms was thrown into the
gait, and the reinain.der fell into the boiler-house,
so that the whole place was a ruin. GI eat num-
bers of persous flocked to the place, and both
the town and county police, uud,r their respeo-
tive superintendents, Messrs. Beaunlont ;and
Heaton, we's soon on the spot. It was thou
scen tint many must have been kith:El, and others
severely hurt. t3veral pt,l'Bo.a out of
the ruins, and those most injured conveyed at once
in cabs to the Infirmary. Police-constable W.
Redfern discovered the body of a mechanic, named
Joseph Lunn, blown across the goit into Ma.
Mitchell's dyehouse, and the body of a young
wt. man by his side, also blown. over by the explo-
sion. On the edge of the goit the body of another
young woman was lying, and just in the water were
the bodies of two other females, the dreis of one
having been completely blown away. Subsequently
the bodies of two other females were found in the
goit, on the same side as the boiler was placed ;
and about two hours and a half after the explosion
the body of another girl was found on the roof of
Mr. Mitchell's dyehouse. Seven of the bodies
found were of women and girls, and only one of a
man.
Two bodies were found yesterday morning, and
two persons are still in the infirmary, dangerously
injured. An inquest is to be held to-day.

VIII ENGLISH ENGINEERS lAIPRISONED

IN NAPLZS.

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, TUESDAY MORNING.
Last night an nntnensc public meeting (the spa-
cious lecture ball in Nelson-street being crammed
to the door) was held in this town—the Mayor, A.
Nichol], Esq., in the chair—to petition Pat liauient
to take measures for the release of the two English
engineers at present confined in the prison of Salt rno
by the Neapolitan Government ; having been cap-
tured iu June last on board the Cagliari steamer,
after she was taken forcible possession of by Italian
insurgents. Henry Watt, one of the captives, is a
Newcastle man, having served his time at the engine
factory of R. Stephenson, Esq., M.P., and great
interest is taken in his fate. The meeting had been
called by the Mayor, at the request of a large body
of ratepayers, and the greatest enthusiasm was
played throughout the whole proceedings. Above
1,200 persons were present, and notwithstanding
the night was miserably wet and boisterous the
stairs of the hall and every place commanding a
view of the platform was crowded. The following
resolution was uanimousiy agreed to :—" That it is
the opinion of this meeting that the imprisonment
without trial of the two English engineers, Messrs.
H. H. Watt and Parks, by the Neapolitan Govern-
ment, and the refusal of that Government to allow
the English consul at Naples or any of their friends
to communicate with them, is an insult to the
British nation, and requires the prompt and vigo-
rous interposition of the British Government ; and
that Government should immediately demand for
our two unfortunate fellow-countrymen an imme-
diate release."

MA'aKET NEWS.--(This Day.)

CORN EXCHANGE.

- -
We had a very limited supply of English wheat on sale
in to-day's market, coastwise and by laud carriage. Most
of the samples on offer found buyers at Monday's cur-
rency. There was a slight improvement in the inquiry
for foreign wheat, and prices were well supported. In
floating cargoes, however, very little was Fine malting barley was scarce, and in fair request, at
full quotations. Inferior qualities met a dull inquiry.
There was very little doing in malt. Prices, however,
were supported.
We bad a fair inquiry for oats, at full quotations.
Beans, peas, and dour commanded Monday's currency.

ARRIVALS TINS WEER,
Wheat. I Barley. Malt. Oath.
66J 130 910 150
2,140

Flour.
920

English
Irish

Foreign 1 1,710 I 3,740

1,540V5.
900 ocks.

WitITECHAPEL.
The trade ruled heavy, at barely stgationary prices :—Beef,
from 3s Opt to 4s 6d ; mutton, 3s 21 to 4s 6d ; veal, 3s 8d
to 48 G.l; pork, 3s 6d to 5s 2d per Sibs by the carcase.

BOlto UGH HOP.
There is an improved demand for most kinds of hops,
and prices generally aro well supported.

FATAL ACCIDENT TO A STUDENT AT OXFORD.—A fatal
accident has, we are sorry to recerd, happened to Mr.
John Robson L. Wright, 8.A., of St. Mary Hall, in
this Univer,ity, only Fut of Mr. James Wright,
manager of the classical side of the University Pres?. It
wears that deceased rode to Woodstock on Friday
hist, and on his return in the evening was thrown from
his horEc near Yaroton-gate, about three miles from
Oxford, where he was found, and conveyed to the King'
Arnie Hotel, in this city, and being recogni.ied, he was
immediately carried to his father's residence in the
Clarecdon printing-office, when it was discovered that
he bad received very severe and dangerous injuries.
Medical assistance was imm,diately called in and Dr.
Acland and another medical gentleman have been in
constant attendance, but the wounds received by the
fall proved fatal this (Tuesday) afternoon.