The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-02 00:00:00

(v/

SIMMONDS'S COLONIAL MAGAZINE.

This Number opens with a very interesting ac-
count of the Neilgherry Hill tribes, who seem to differ
from the other natives of India in every particular.
In language, in religion, in manners, in customs,
these Todus are a peculiar race. In every thing they
seem opposed to those by whom they are surrounded.
For instance, they are surrounded by natives who
indulge in a plurality of wives—the Todus have a
plurality of husbands
A word respecting the marriages of this people may
be worth inserting. They practise polyandrism, one
woman being allowed two and frequently three hus-
bands. When a young man wishes to marry a girl,he, or,
if he is young, his father, goes to the parents of the girl, and
having settled the amount of dower the young man is to
receive, which is sometimes considerable, presents them
with a milch buffalo, and another on every occasion of a,
death in the girl's family, until the parties are of age,
when the young man goes to the house of the girl, and,
after staying a few days, takes her to his house without
any ceremony. This is practised also by all who marry
the same woman. She stays with him who first married
her three months, and with the next three, and so on.
The first three children belong to the first husband, that
second three to the second, and so on."
The remainder of the contents of the present Num-
ber relate principally. to colonial statistics, and con-
tain a fund of valuable information on colonial subjects

CLERKS OF ASSIZE, &c., BILL.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sia,—A somewhat curious mode (if not apparent begging
plan) is adopting in regard to the Bill now in Parliament
affecting Clerks of Assize, Clerks of the Peace, and Justices'
Clerks. A printed form of petition has been transmitted to
justices throughout the country, for the purpose of their sig-
natures thereto, which is intended as a backer for the Govern-
ment scheme. In a little time we shall see how this has
answered.—Your obedient servant,
March. 28, 1845. JUSTICES' CLERK.

THE LATE FATAL CATASTROPHE
AT BLACKWALL.
Monday Mr. Baker :held ;an inquest at the Spotted
Dog, High-street, Poplar, on the bodies of John Payne,
aged 27, and Thomas Bates, aged 22, who lost their lives
in the building-yard of' Messrs. Ditchburn and Mare,
Orchard-yard, Blackwell, under the circumstances de-
tailed in The Sun of Monday.
The jury having viewed the bodies, which presented a
most mutilated spectacle, the following evidence was ad-
duced:—
henry Blackburn stated that the deceased, Payne,
was a labourer. Bates was an engineer. Both were in
the employ of Messrs. Ditchburn and Mare. On
Saturday evening last, about a quarter to six o'clock,
the deceased persons, together with several others of
the workmen, were waiting to be paid their wages
at the entrance of the gateway, opposite the clerk's
pay-office. There was a stack of rod iron
standing near to the men on the left side.
They were placed against a beam in a slanting direction.
It is customary to place iron in that way. W a
has seen between fifty and sixty tons against the same
beam. The greater portion of the iron was on one side.
The pressure was about seven or eight tons. There was
a strut from the beam to the wall to ensure its safety.
and compensate for the deficieney of weight on the
weakest part. Whilst the men were waiting, about 80
or 90 in number, witness heard a rumbling noise, and
immediately afterwards saw the whole mass slip oft
bodily and fall to the ground, breaking the beam at the
end. The workmen were standing and leaning against
the iron. The two deceased persons, with five others,
were crushed underneath. On being extricated they
were found to be quite dead.
James Edward Beeves, foreman to Messrs. Ditchburn
and Mare, described the manner in which the iron was
stacked. Witness could nut state the precise cause of
the occurrence, but in his judgment the number of men
who were lounging about waiting to be paid had pressed
against the mass of iron, which had forced it down.
Witness could only account for it in that way, as the
iron bad fallen in a contrary direction to the pressure.
The foot of the principal had broken off.
Mr. T. J. Diteliburn, one of the firm, said he much re-
gretted the unfortunate occurrence. Ile had ordered
the iron to be differently stacked. It was intended to be
placed where it was, but instead of being conveyed to its
destination, in another part of the yard, the men had
stopped half way to avoid extra trouble, and to make it
convenient for weiFliing. Witness employs upwards of
500 men, and lie coincided with Beeves, the foreman, as
to the supposed cause of the occurrence.
The CORONER summed up the evidence, and said he
trusted that Mr. Ditchburn would see the impdrtanee o 1
personally seeing that in future every precaution was
taken to prevent accidents, and the jury, without heal-
otion, returned a verdict of accidental death.

THE COUNTESS Or E GUNTON STEAMER.—We re-
gret to state, that this tine river steamer was driven from
her moorings at Milport, during the storm of Thursday night,
and thrown upon the rocks. She is said to have been seri-
ously damaged. No person was on board,— Glaagow Satw-
day Post.
THE MAILS.—SOUTHAMPTON, MARCH 31.—The
Oriental Company's steam ship Royal Tar came into the
docks last evening, with the Peninsular and Gibraltar mails,
which, on being landed, were forwarded to London by 2 A M.
mail train this day. She left Gibraltar on the 22d instant;
Cadiz, 23d ; Lisbon and Oporto, 25th ; and Vigo, 26th. The
Royal Tar has a fruit cargo and 14 passengers. The Fantom•
sloop-of-war, and Spanish line-of battle ship Soberian, were
at Gibraltar, and the Scout and Flamer steamers, the French
' corvette Trido, and brig-of-war Douro, were at Cadiz. The
Tagus steam-ship, Captain Brookes, will leave the docks to-
morrow at three o'clock, with a full cargo of bale goods, for
Constantinople. The Tagus will take out the East India and
China mails as far as Malta, and then be forwarded, in the
Iberia, to Alexandria.

FOURFOLD ACCIDENT ON THE TIIAMES.—Mon-
day Mr. Baker held an inquest at the Spotted Dog, High-
street, Poplar, on the body of William Day, aged thirty-one,
a fisherman. It may be recollected that on the sth of
February the deceased and three other persons, named By
ford, were drowned near the Gallions, off Woolwich, by the
upsetting of their fishing-beat at night, during a squall.
The body of one of the Byfords was found soon after the
accident, and an inquest was held on it by Mr. Lewis,
Coroner for Essex, at Barking. The verdict was" Accidental
death." The body of the deceased man, Day, was found on
Wednesday last, floating in the river, off Bow-creek. The
bodies of two of the Byfords have not yet been found. The
evidence on Monday proved that the men, at eleven o'clock
AI night, were coming up the river in a batch-boat, laden
with fish, and sailing in the wake of a brig. They gained
noon the brig, and as they shot by its stern a sudden glut of
wind, blowing off the shore, caught the boat's sails and
upset her. Only one man escaped—a good swimmer, named
Joseph Leach, who related the above facts. Verdict—"
dental death."
EXTENSIVE FIRE YESTERDAY IN THE MINO•
ntEs.—About one o'clock in the morning a fire broke out it
No. 83, in thesMinories, in the occupation of Mr. Kirby, ba
and colourman. The inmates escaped with difficulty over thi
roof of the next house. Engines were promptly on the spot.
but. the result was the destruction of Mr. Kirby's house and
stock. Mr. Ormer's house, next door, and other proKrty,
was considerably damaged.