The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-12 00:00:00

A REFRACTORY ENGINE.

A singular accident has occurrth on the Brecon and
Merthyr Railway. As one of the luggage trains was pro-
ceeding in the direction of Brecon the driver fancied he saw
something wrong with his engine, and stretched him-
self as far as he could on one side to get a view of its
movements, when just at that moment his head came
In contact with a telegraph post, and he was killed
on the spot. Two days later this particular engine was
again concerned in another tragedy. A new driver had it
in charge, and was going at the usual speed towards Taly-
bout, when, from some cause or other, the engine (so we
read) ran wild, and passing through Talybout at a tremen-
dous speed, ran some distance and fell down the embankment,
pulling the carriages after it, a heap of wreck and ruin. The
poor engine-driver was found under his engine much in-
jured, but it is not thought fatally. For a long distanCe the
railway was covered with luggage, and so cut up that the
passengers by subsequent trains had to get out and walk
some distance.

ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOA

INSTITUTION.

A meeting of this institution has been held at its house in
John-street, Adelphi---Mr. Thomas Chapman, F.R.S., in the
chair. Several awards having been voted to the crews of
many of the society's lifeboats for bravery displayed in en-
deavouring to rescue wrecked vessels, it was reported that on
the application of his Excellency the Goveinor of the Isle of
Man the institution had decided to station a lifeboat
at Ramsey on that island. James Ryder, a member of the
Manchester Corporation, had, through the Manchester
branch of the Lifeboat Society, liberally promised to defray
the cost of the boat. A lady at Plymouth had presented to
the institution the lifeboat that was about to be placed on
board the pilot ship at Burry Holmes, near Llanelly in
memory of her lath parents. The Right Hon. H. T. L. Corry,
M.P., First Lord of the Admiralty, had forwarded the society
a liberal donation of £lO. The thanks of the Institution,
inscribed on vellum, was ordered to be presented to Admiral
G. A. Halsted, late secretary of Lloyd's, in acknowledgment
of his long and valuable co-operation while occupying that
office. The lifeboat "Manchester Unity," of the Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows, would be exhibited at the
Crystal Palace during their forthcoming fete. It was re-
ported that legacies had recently been bequeathed to the
society by the late Miss Louisa Hall, of Maids Vale, £l,OOO
Stock ; the late Mr. E. A. Bromehead, of Lincoln, £lOO ;
the lath Dr. G. E. Aldred, £lOO ; and the late Mrs. Mary
Chapman, of Aldborough, £6O. The committee expressed
their regret at the death of Admiral the Earl of Shrews-
bury and Talbot, who for many years past had been a warm
friend and liberal supporter of the National Lifeboat
institution. At Falmouth, on the 3d instant, a lifeboat
reg4tta took place amongst the nine lifeboats of the institu-
tion, stationed in that locality. It was witnessed with great
interest by the numerous visitors to the Bath and West of
England Agricultural Society's Show, whose committee
divided £2l amongst the lifeboat crews. The race
was won by the Gool boat, which is named the Ox-
fordshire, and was enlivened by the presence of
500 sailor boys from her Majesty's training ship
Ganges. These lads were addressed by the Mayor of
Falmouth, and by Mr. Lewis, the secretary of the institution.
The latter, in a few earnest and forcible remarks, pointed
out that the same courage and noble indifference to danger
when duty called, which English seamen manifested in
times of war, were displayed in times of peace in the services
rendered to humanity by the boats of the National Lifeboat
Institution. The thanks of the institution were ordered to
be expressed to Mr. J. Freeman, in acknowledgment of his
handsome gift of the polished granite slab in which the
society's barometer is fixed in front of the Falmouth Custom
House. Reports were read from the inspector and the assis-
tant- inspector of lifeboats to the institution on their recent
visits to various lifeboat stations o' the society on the
coast.

The Marquis of Hastings, before quitting Paris,
left with the Jockey Club a, sum of 10,000 fr., of which 7,500 fr.
were for the poor of Paris and 2,500 fr. for the English
Church at Chantilly.

METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.—The number of pas-
sengers over the Metropolitan, Hammersmith, and St.
John's-wood Railways on Whit Monday was 127,636; and
the total number for Whitsun week, 644,931.
In the case of Darby v. Beales and others (which
was tried in the Bail Court a few months back, and was an
action against William Beaks, one of the directors of the
projected new Reform Club, for expenses in connection with
it), it is now stated that the matter has been arranged, the
deft ndants a.gree7n g to pay a certain sam of money.
The Irish Church Commission (says the Dublin
Express) have concluded the collection of information.
They have prepared valuable schedules, spewing the
number of members of the Church in each parish, and the
gross income of the incumbent, and all deductions, and all
the sources whence the income is derived. The report
may be shortly looked for.

THE CANADIANS AND THE DERBY.— Considerable
excitement was manifested in sporting circles at Toronto
in reference to the Derby. The stakes placed on the result
were larger than any previously known there, and some
say that as much as 5,000 dols. changed hands in the city.
One enterprising individual is said to have obtained a tele-
gram direct, and netted a handsome sum by the transac-
tion.— Toronto Globe.

THE SUMMER CIRCUITS OF THE JUDGES.—In
addition to the circuits already noticed, the North Wales
Circuit has been fixed by Lord Chief Justice Bovill, the
judge on that circuit, as follows :—Newtown, July 16 ;
Dolgelly, July 20 ; Carna,rvon, July 23 ; Beaumaris, July
27 ; Ruthin, July 30 ; Mold, August 3 ; Chester, August
6, where his lordship will be joined by Mr. Justice Mon-
tague Smith.

A round robin was recently presented to the
master of a great school complaining of the sourness of the
beer supplied to the boys. The master sententiously re-
plied, " My clear boys, all men and all things are imper-
fect. You, too, have your faults, and you ought to occupy
yourselves with correcting them, instead of undertaking to
reform my cellar. When you have corrected the acidity
of your own tempers it will be high time for you to com-
plain of the sourness of my beer."

SUICIDE OF A BELGIAN OFFICER.—An inquest
has been held in the board-room of the Mile-end Work-
house, on the body of M. Michel Fratz, an officer of the
Belgian army, who committed suicide by shooting himself
through the head. It appeared from the evidence that
the deceased had for some time had a lawsuit pending in
connection with property coming to him upon his marriage,
the anxiety attendant upon which had affected his mind.
The jury considered that the rash act was committed in
a fit of temporary insanity, and returned a verdict to that
effect.

THE CALAIS COAL MINES. —ln the year 1866
there were 30 coal mines at work in the neighbourhood of
Calais, producing 1,621,400 tons of coal. In 18t 1 only one
mine was at work, which raised 4,933 tons. In 1855 the
district numbered 7 collerics, and seven years later this
was increased to 27. From 1851 to the Ist January 1867,
a total quantity of 10,000,000 tons have been obtained
from these mines, of which 6,500,000 tons, or nearly two-
thirds, since 1862. In 1866 the total quantity obtained
was 1,621,400 tons, or about one-tenth of the total produce
of France.

The minorityof the Ulster Presbyterian Assembly
have prepared a protest against the pro-establishment
resolutions of the majority, which but little exceeds
them in number. In one of the articles of this pro-
test it urged that the Assembly ought not to have omitted
to condemn, lest it should be taken as approving,'present
ecclesiastical arrangements in Ireland. The opportunity
of having " the evils to which Presbyterians have been
subject for two hundred years removed," and at the same
time securing that " indiscriminate endowment" shall not
take place, has (they say) been lost. A committee is
appointed to answer these statements.

A remarkable scene has been witnessed in Bir-
mingham. An old edifice, formerly used as an asylum, had
fallen into the hands of a man named Phillips, who claimed
to be the owner. A few days ago ho made arrangements fox
selling the property, and this step created so much indigna-
tion that an attack was made on the premises. The mob in
vain called for Phillips, and the premises wero forcibly en-
tered. The windows were speedily demolished, the house
ransacked, almost every article of furniture was smashed, the
stairs wore torn down, the doors pulled away, and the work
of destruction was proceeding with marked success when the
police interfered, and after a severe struggle the mob was
b. aten off. Phillips, his sou, and the auctioneer were not 4n
be found, having made their c.,,cape previous to the attack,

THE LATE EARL OF SIIREWSBURY.—The lying
in state of the body of the deceased Earl of Shrewsbury
having been fixed for Thursday, Ingestre Hall was visited
by a great number of people, chiefly from the contiguous
villages. The body was placed in one of the lower rooms
of the hall, which was darkened for the occasion, six wax
tapers serving just to shew the contents, and barely shewing,
till the visitor was accustomed to the gloom, that a detach.
went of yeomanry cavalry, of which the successor to the
earldom is major, was on guard. On the coffin were the
earl's coronet, admiral's hat, uniform, and sword, and at
the foot was the earl's robe of State. There were also the
Orders of the Redeemer of Greece, St. Louis of France,
and St. Anne of Russia, besides the various British Orders
to which the deceased earl belonged. The interment will
be performed in the little churchyard, close to the hall,
and, besides the relatives, about forty of the principal
tenants are invited as pioqrners,

uttn

HER MAJESTY.

BALMORAL CASTLE, June 9.
The Queen drove out in the morning, with the
Duchess of Athole in attendance; and iu the after-
noon her Majesty again drove out, accompanied
by Princess Louise, and attended by Miss Mac-
gregor.