The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-26 00:00:00

FOUR MEN DROWNED.

On Monday four lives were lost by a boat accident
between Scarborough and Filey. J. D. Wilkinson and
T. W. Wilkinson (who were brothers), from Greenmount-
place, Holbeck; P. Fillingham, of Leek's-terrace,
Hunslet ; and J. R. Wilson, Church-street, Hunslet,
took a coble during the forenoon, and went out with
a boatman, T. Owston, of Scarborough, intending to sail
to Filey. Another young man named George Birdsall,
also of Greenmount-place, Holbeck, was of the party.
There was a stiff breeze from the west, and a pleasant
run out was made, but after rounding Filey-brig and
entering the bay, it was found that there was not time to
land, as the two brothers Wilkinson had to start for Leeds
from Scarborough early in the afternoon, and they
accordingly turned about to return. The sea ran high at the
time, and the boatman therefore ran close into the cliffs,
and in shifting his sail to effect this oliject the boat was
blown over on her broadside and at once began to fill.
The passengers took the advice of the boatman, and clung
to whatever they could seize hold of, and the boat directly
filled and went down. Birdsall had seized an oar, and
was joined by Fillingham and Wilson, when they were
all washed off and submerged. Birdsall rose to the sur-
face alone, and saw nothing of his companions. The
melancholy accident was seen from on board the steam-
boats Prairie Flower and the Friends, the first-named of
which picked up Birdsall and the boatman just as they
were sinking. The rest of the party were lost. The cap-
tain of the Friends saw the occurrence when two miles
off, and, saying nothing to his passengers, hastened to the
spot with all steam up. Birdsall, the survivor, was
recovering nicely when he communicated the foregoing
particulars to our correspondent.

The Bishop of Winchester is rapidly recovering
from his late severe illness, and will shortly be able to
resume his episcopal duties. The Bishop of Mauritius is
acting for him at present.

Another clergyman of the Church of England,
the curate of a well-known ritualistic incumbent in
Worcestershire, bas lately been received into the Catholic
Church by Dr. Newman.-.-Weekly Register.

THE CASE OF JOHN TOOMBS. —We are given
to understand that the case of John Toomes, the postman,
is under the consideration of Mr. Secretary Hardy,
who has referred it to the Postmaster-General for his
opinion.

A preacher being sent to officiate one Sunday at
a country parish, was accommodated at night in the
manse, in a- very diminutive closet, instead of the usual
best bedroom appropriated to strangers. "Is this the
bedroom ?" he said, starting back in amazement. " Deed,
ay, sir, this is the prophet's chammer." "It maun be for
the minor prophets, then," was the reply.
We understand (says the Northern Whig) that the.
person who is suspected as being the perpetrator of the
outrage upon the young lady when travelling between
Portadown and Lurgan, on the morning of Thursday last,
was in the employment of the railway company. Since the
night of the occurrence the official has been missing, and
search is being diligently made for him.

The tension or strain of a fiddle-string, or the
proper tune of a piano, is ascertained with a piece of steel,
called a tuning fork. Mr. W. Airy, son of the well-known
mathematician, has inversed this fact to the application of
ascertaining the tension of a steel or iron rod by a musical
note struck upon a string. In this way he has shewn that
he can define-the strength or bearing power of rods used in
the construction of bridges.

THE LEIGH HUNT MEMORIAL. —The Leigh
Hunt Memorial, projected by Mr. S. C. Hall about three
years ago in the Art Journal, is now on a fair road to com-
pletion. Mr. Joseph Durham, A.R.A., is the sculptor,
and the memorial will be a bust and pedestal over Leigh
Hunt's grave at Kensal-green Cemetery. The hon. secre-
taries are Messrs. S. C. Hall and Edmuod Oilier ; and
the hon. treasurer Mr. R. Townshend Mayer, of 25,
Norfolk-street, Strand, VT. C., by whom subscriptions will
be thankfully received.

THE BISHOPRIC OF PETE RBOR OU G The
bishopric of Peterborough, which has become vacant by
the death of the Right Rev. Dr. Francis Jeune, is worth
£4,500 a year, the episcopal jurisdiction extending over
the counties of Northampton, Rutland, and Leicester, and
the population being about 490,000. The bishop has
in his patronage the archdeaconries of Northampton and
Leicester, the four canonrie3 in his cathedral, and GO
livings, of the aggregate value of about £22,000 a year.
The bishopric was founded by Henry VIII., in 1541, from
the dissolved lands of the Abbey of St. Peter's, founded
by one of the Kings of Mercia in 689. John Chambers,
the last abbot, was the first Bishop of Peterborough, and
was consecrated in 15-11. Dr. Jenne was the twenty.
fifth bishop.

A TARDY REPRIEVE._. At Tamboff, in Russia,
south-east of Moscow, a young man named G orski, a pupil
in the college, and only IS years old, who had been con-
victed of assassinating a whole family of seven persons, was
lately led out for execution. He was conveyed on a cart,
and guarded by a military escort. The gibbet—for the pri-
soner was to be hanged—was prepared, and a great crowd
had assembled to witness the last.act of the law. The judg-
ment having been read, the criminal was clothed in a long
white robe, the hood of which was placed over his head ;
he was then placed on a high stool, which was to be with-
drawn from under his feet as soon as the ropewas adjusted
round his neck. But at that moment an official came
forward and read an Imperial decree, commuting the
penalty of death into one of hard labour for life. The
criminal was immediately clothed in a convict dress and
taken back to prison, whence he will shortly be gent to
Siberia. 4