The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-12 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, WEDNESDAY.—The Queen and Prince
Albert, the Duke and, Duchess of Saxe Coburg and
Gotha, Red the Duke Ernest of Wurtemberg, at-
tended by the Marchioness of Douro, Lord Charles
Wellesley, Sir Edward Bowater, and the Baron de
Alvensleben, arrived at seven minutes past four
o'clock at the Castle in the char-a-bane, from Claremont.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wale 3,
Prince Alfred, the Princess Royal, and the Princess
Alice, arrived from Claremont with their usual at-
tendants, in close carriages.
The Lord Steward arrived via town from Clare-
mont at six o'clock.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, Lady
Fanny Howard, and the Countess Wratislaw, joined
the royal circle at the Castle at dinner this evening.

Sir Robert Peel arrived in town yesterday after-
noon from his seat, Drayton Manor, Staffordshire.
The Earl of Haddington had an interview with the
Right Hon. Baronet. In the evening Sir Robert left
town for Windsor Castle, on a visit to her Majesty.
A deputation from the Newry and Enniskillen
Railway Company, consisting of Mr. Charles Jen-
nings, Mr. James Lyle, Mr. John Boyd, Mr. Ilill
Irvine, and Mr. James Coombe, accompanied by the
Marquis of Downahire, the lion. J. 11. Knox, Sir
John Rennie, the engineer of the Company, and Mr.
Bryden, the Parliamentary agent, had an interview
with the Earl of Dalhousie on Tuesday, at the office
of the Board of Trade.

The Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England had
a rneetimg on Tuesday afternoon, at the office in
Whitehall-place. There were present the Archbishop
of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, the Bishop of
Llandaff, the Bishop of Ripon, and the Dean of West-
minster.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sat
yesterday in the Council Chamber. The Lords pre-
sent were Lord Langdale, Master of the Rolls, Mr.
Baron Parke, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Corn-
wall, and the Judge of the Admiralty Court. Mr.
Turner, Queen's Counsel, was heard on an appeal from
the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, " Pryce Jones
v. Francis Godrich."—Judgment was not given.
Mr. Charles Buller and Mr. Jackson were heard on
an appeal from Bengal, " Chowdry Deby Persad v.
Chowdry Dowlut Singh.--The case was adjourned.

FATAL ACCIDENT on the DOVER
RAILWAY.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
The accident happened on that part of the line known as
the Wooden Viaduct, which runs over Blue Anchor-fields,
Bermondsey, about three-quarters of a mile from the termi-
nus above named, to the original line of the Croydon Rail-
way, between New-cross and that of the Greenwich line.
The viaduct is formed of massive fir timber, having upwards
of two hundred arches, each with a span of full twenty feet,
and supported by piles driven into the earth; the whole, as
will be, seen hereafter, was of great solidity.
It appeared that the ill-fated train left the Bricklayers'
Arms station for Dover at twenty minutes after twelve
o'clock, the engine being driven by Robert Buckley, an ex-
perienced driver in the employ of the Company, attended
by a fireman or stoker, named Aaron Wilkinson. It con-
sisted of eleven luggage waggons, a break, and a second-class
carriage, in which was deposited the packages for the fo-
reign mail, under the charge of an officer of the General
Post-office. There were in the break waggon the Com-
pany's guards, as well as the servants belonging to the
carriers—in all five or six persons. This carriage was the
last on the train, and fortunately escaped uninjured. The
whole of the others, excepting the second-class carriage,
were more or less shattered by the force of the concussion.
The engine, which is comparatively a new one, and of more
than ordinary power we understand, on quitting the station
proceeded along the line towards the viaduct, to use the ex-
pression of those who were present at the time, " as easily as
if she had nothing behind her." It is the practice pursued
by the engineers to have another locomotive engine in readi-
ness, to assist in driving all trains over the viaduct, which is
rather upon the incline. As the train advanced towards that
spot another engine followed in the roar, and, it Is stated,
had just reached_ the break, when a terrific explosion oc-
curred, which was thus described by one of the guards to the
Directors of the line, who met yesterday :—The first thing that
occurred, he said, was a smart explosion, which, the next
instant, was followed by another explosion of far greater
force than the. preceding one, and which, with a subsequent
tremendous crash, almost stunned him. The concussion
threw him forward, and the carriage in which he was was
so violently shaken that he thought it was falling to pieces.
He immediately jumped up, and got off the carriage to see
what had happened, but could perceive nothing in conse-
quence of a cloud of steam, and large pieces of burning
coke descending in a shower in every direction. For a
moment or so he was completely bewildered, it being too
apparent that some fearful accident had occurred. As soon,
however, as the steam and smoke had in some measure
cleared away, he discovered the flue to be completely blocked
up with the waggons, which were spread across the two lines
of rails, and piled many of them upon one another. He, with
the rest of the guards, called to the engine-driver, and also
his companion, the stoker, but receiving no answer, they
climbed over the pile of waggons in the direction in which
they expected to find the engine, a work not accomplished
without considerable difficulty, for they found that some of
the waggons were shattered, and that, to all appearance, the
viaduct had broken in. On arriving at the other end of the
train, they discovered that the engine had burst, and had
gone over the viaduct, and was partially burled in the earth
beneath, whilst the tender was hanging over the side of the
viaduct, torn and folded up, as if it had been made of mere
pasteboard, its carriage having fallen to the ground about
twenty yards from where the engine lay. It was evident
that the explosion must have been hoard for a considerable
distance, as numerous persons were to be seen hurrying to-
wards the spot, but to obtain efficient aid, the pilot engine,
which was to have propelled the train from the rear, was
dispatched back to the station. In the meanwhile search was
made for the engine-driver and the stoker, and shortly the for-
mer, Robert Buckley, was found lying some 20 or 30 yards
up the line where the engine went off, with one of the large
waggons partly resting upon his body. From the dangerous
position of the waggons, some time elapsed before it could be
ascertained whether he was alive or dead. However, upon
reaching him he was found to be dead, and even then the
body could not be extricated for upwards of an hour and a half.
The stoker was found in the rear of the train, lying on the
opposite rails, bleeding prefaettly, and apparently dead, with
the whole of his jacket, except the cuffs, blown off his back.
Immediately upon the arrival of assistance from the station,
Mr, George, the secretary, who came with the engines, had
the poor fallow wrapped in blankets, placed in a PeCOMI•PIAUI
carnage and conveyed to the station, and from thence taken
by a cab to Guy's Hospital, where it was found that he was
still living.
As soon as possible the line was cleared of all obstructions,
so that the regular traffic might not be impeded, and at an
early hour the Directors, who had assembled on the spot,
with Mr. Cubitt, the locomotive engineer, and Mr. Gregory,
of the Croydon line, considered it necessary to forward im-
mediate intelligence of what had happened to Colonel Pasley,
the Inspector-General of Railroads, and who arrived soon after
nine o'clock, when a strict examination was gone into, the
result of which is as follows :
The bursting of the locomotive being the supposed cause
of' the accident, their first object was to examine the engine,
as it lay imbedded in the earth. After getting off the viaduct
it had pitched bead foremost into the earth, a depth of four
feet, and then turned over. They found the fire box was
blown out, as well 43 the whole of the fire bars; and the
inner casing, between which and the outer casing the steam
generated, was also torn away. The next point was to
examine what effect the explosion had had upon the viaduct,
and the probable cause of her getting off the same. They
found, upon inquiry, that there had been two explosions; the first apparently
~took place about eighty feet from the
spot where the engine was lying. The fire bars at the bottom
of the fire box had been blown completely through the
yiecluct into arch No. 13f, making a bole tlitee or Fur feet
square. The second explosion (the most severe of the two),
not only blew the fire box through the arch No. 133, but such
was the force of the steam, to use the phrase of our informant,
that .the engine "jumped," and descended partly 04 the

rails and partly off, a distance of eight or ten yards,
crushing the immense pieces of timber that supported the
viaduct. The force of the explosion carried the ponderous
machine still further, rebour,ding as f• pniceeded, tearing
away the timbers of the viaduct, and finally throwing her
over the side, a depth of eighteen or twenty feet. The fire
bars and part of the inner casing of the fire box were found
at the bottom of the arches above mentioned. The front
door of the smoke box was discovered about 100 yards dis-
tant, to which place it had been blown. The engine does not
possess any peculiar construction, the form being similar to
the others employed on the same line ; and according to all
accounts she had made several journeys before. The inner
casing of the fire box, where there is little doubt the mischief
originated, is of sheet copper nearly an inch in thickness ;
and although General Pasley's opinion was not publicly made
known, we understand from good authority that he attri •
butes the cause to a flaw in the copper, or a defect in ri-
vetting the casing. So far as regards any defect in the con-
struction of the viaduct, he has pronounced it to be perfectly
safe and secure.

Throughout yesterday workmen were busily employed re-
pairing the viaduct, which will occupy considerable time, as
the damage is extensive. One line, however, is uninjured,
and the traims continue to run as usual.
Upon inquiry last night, we ascertained that the stoker.
Aaron Wilkinson, was still alive, but in such a deplorable
state as to be unable to give any history of the shocking oc-
currence. His skull is fractured, his left arm broken, and
other portions of his person dreadfully scalded. His unfor-
tunate companion was about thirty-two years of age; he was
a single man, and resided at Ashford, near Dover, where his
relations live. The Company give him a most excellent cha-
racter, and say he was one of the most experienced hands in
their employ.
The foreign mail, which was in the second-class carriage,
was taken out, and, by order of Mr. George, the Secretary,
forwarded by coach to the New-cross station, where a special
engine was in readiness to convey the same on to Dover, and
where it arrived about the usual time.
The inquest upon the body of the unfortunate driver has
not as yet been appointed.

MORTALITY . in the METROPOLIS

The following are the results of "A Table of Mortality
in the Metropolis, showing the Number of Deaths from
all Causes registered in ale Week ending Saturday, the
7th of December, 1844." The:Table is issued from the Office
of the Registrar-General:

CAUSES OF DEATH.

Weekly
Total. Average of
Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious Diseases 191 rive
178 Tears
Diseases of variable or uncertain seat B5 111
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses 159 157
Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs of
Respiration 336 285
Disease, of the Heart and Blood-vessels 42 21
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other
Organs of Digestion ..
Diseases of the Kidneys, &c l6 5
Childbirth, Diseases of the Uterus, &c. 7 10
Diseases of the Joints Bones, and Muscles 6 6
Diseases of the Skin,
Old Age, or Natural Decay 6B 71
By Violence Privation, or Intemperance
Causes specified...
Deaths from all Causes ......
DEATHS FROM THE PRLECITAL DISEASE& INCLUDED UNDER

TES ABOYZ RICADIL

Teta. Weeklv Average
Consumption ll2 of Five Years.
147
Scarlatina
Pneumonia :
Dropsy .. ... .. .. .....
looping Cough 26 33
Typhus 2l 31
Small Pox
Disease of the Heart
Measles ... 39 28
Apoplexy
Diseases of the Brain 8 9
Diarrhea..
Sudden Deaths ... ... 11 15
DISTRICTS.

West l3B 138
'
North 164 171
Central
East 216 207
South 283 242

Total ••" 00000 ............ 988

- -
LONDON ELOCUTION SOCIETY.—The first public
meeting of the London Elocution Society took place
yesterday evening, at the Hall of Commerce, Thread-
needle-street, and was attended by a very nume•
rous and respectable audience. Mr. Albert Smith
presided. Several extracts from the works of popular
authors, and from the speeches of great orators,
were given with very great effect by the mem-
bers of the Society. An address, written for the occa-
sion by Mr. Lawrence, was very well delivered by
Mr. IL Sanders. The object of the Society is to
cultivate among the younger inhabitants of the city
that which is as much required of them as of any
other persons in the metropolis, the art of speaking
well in public, which has hitherto been very much
neglected, and the want of which has been felt by many
of the citizens on their election to civic honours. Speak-
ing is abundant enough, but good speaking, which the
Society is to encourage, very rare. A vote of thanks
was passed to Mr. Moxhay for his kindness in allowing
them to hold the meeting in the Hall of Commerce, and
to Mr. Albert Smith, the chairman. The meeting sepa-
rated at a late hour.
NEW ECCLESIASTICAL DISTRICT AT WOOLWICH.
—The whole of the arrangements for making the new
ecclesiastical district at Woolwich has been completed,
and will be submitted to the Queen at the first Council,
and it is intended to designate it the district of St.
Thomas, Woolwich. The appointment of the clergyman,
who will be denominated perpetual curate, in compliance
with the Act of Parliament, will be made by the Prime
Minister. Woolwich is rapidly increasing in population,
the number of inhabitants being now about 28,000. Up-
wards of 1,000 new houses have been built during the
present year, especially at the west end, and they are
almost all occupied the moment they are finished, and
numerous others are in progress ; and next season is ex-
pected to be equally prolific in the erection of buildings
to meet the demands of intended residents. The exten-
sive additions to Woolwich Dockyard and improvements
requiring a great number of workmen, has given rise to
a number of dwelling-houses at New Charlton, and the
population has greatly increased in that quarter, con-
siderably enhancing the value of the property in the
neighbourhood.
DEATH AT A WZDDING.—A most dreadful acci-
dent occurred yesterday near the village of Llangeler.
In the morning there had been a wedding, very nume-
rously attended, from the neighbourhood, by upwards of
fifty or sixty horsemen, among whom was James Evans,
a groom, in the employ of W. P. Lewis, Esq., of Velindre.
He was an excellent rider, and was mounted on a valu-
able chesnut mare belonging to his master. After
the wedding the horsemen began racing against each
other on the high road, and the mare ran away,
galloping down the hill above Llangeler, at an
awful pace, and in the village struck her head
against a stone in the bank, and died instantly.
Her rider was thrown off with fearful violence, fractured
his skull, and within three hours after the accident was
a corpse. The man with whom he was racing broke his
leg.--Carmarthen Journal.
DOMESTIC DRAINAGE.—It iS impossible to make
cesspools water-tight by building them with common
mortar, fur mortar becomes friable and rotten when im-
pregnated with acid. The carbonate of lime contained in
the mortar combines with the acid it meets with,
and forms a lactate of lime, which, being soluble, is
carried away, Therefore, while the lime is being gra-
dually removed, the silicta remains unacted upon, and
thus the rotten and friable state of the mortar is easily
accounted for. It is to be hoped that in future builders
will pay more attention, and give their workmen stricter
injunctions with respect to the proper construction of
drains, for most assuredly the health of the whole
community is somewhat dependent upon such construc-
tion. The inefficiency of common brick drains, their
improper forms, and the dilapidated and rotten state in
which they are universally found, ought immediately to
lead to their re-construction where practicable, by using
the cylindrical tubular drains. With these the escape of
deleterious effluvia would be prevented, and the at-
mo_sphere kept pure.--The Builder.
Nzw Poon-LAW.---The streets of Rochdale are
posted with bills, calling upon the rate-payers to come for-
ward with their contributions, in order to assist the
guardians in every legal and constitutional struggle to
prevent the introduction of this law into the parish of
Rochdale, It is very currently reported in Rochdale, we
have no means of knowing how far correctly, that there is
to be a new batch of magistrates, who will give their aid for
the introduction of this law. The persons mentioned are the
vicar, who is already in the commission of the peace for
Yorkshire, and Mr. Joseph Butterworth, Belle-green. These
two, it is stated, are to be assisted by the Rev. Mr. Mills,
new incumbent for Littleborough, who lately used to sit at
Oldham.—Manchester Guardian.
T Pat LATE EARL or LIMERICK.—NearIy all the
more immediate relatives of the late Earl of Limerick
were present with the Noble Lord at the time of his de-
cease on Saturday. Mr. and Lady Caroline Russell,
Mr. and Lady Louisa Pole Count J. and Lady Cecil
Delafeld, Sir Henry and Lady Frances Calder, and the
Hon. Edmond Perry, continue at South-hill Park with
the afflicted Countess,
LYCEUM THEATRI.—MiSS Walcot, who made a
successful debut at this house a short time ago, appeared on
Wednesday night as Rachael Ryland, in the Momentous
Question. Miss Walcot sustained the character with her
wonted taste andability. The performances were for the be-
nefit of a Jewish charity, and the house was well attended.
It was the Ist Life Guards, and not the Ist Dra-
goonsl who formed the guard of honour at the funeral of her
Royal Highness the Princess Sophia Matilda • and it was
the first, and not the second, battalion of Fusilier Guards,
which did duty at Windsor.
The Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, the Earl of
Haddington, the Earl cf Wemyss, Lord Melville, Lord
Howlek, M.P., Lord Jeffrey Lord Mackenzie, Lord Fuller-
ton, Lord Murray, Lord Wood, Lord Cuninghame, the Rev.
Bishop Gilles, Sir G. S. Mackenzie, Bart., General Mayne,
Sir W. Allan, the Lord Advocete, Sir A. M. Gibson, and
David Dundas, Esqi, are among the subscribers who con-
triblited liberally towards establishing baths for the working
classes of Edinburgh.
THE OFFERTORY AND THE PARISH or ST. GEORGE,
HANOVER. SQUARE.—On Sunday last the Bishop of London
preached a sermon at St. George's Church, Hanover-square,
on behalf of the Visiting Association of that parish, and ad-
vocated the claims of the charity with his usual earnestness
and eloquence, when, to the surprise of the congregation, it
was found, on leaving the church, that no collection was
made. It appears that the bishop's intimation that the col-
lection should be made from pew to pew while the Offertor7
service was read from the communion-table was in oT;;Osition
to the practice which had invariably been fel.lbwed in that
church; and, as the churchwardens did not feel justified in
departing from the custoim sanction by the congregation, the
consequence was, that no collection was made, and the
charity did not receive tho sliAlites pecuniary advantage
from his Lordship's advocacy.—Times.
A DOG 14.1NG 00 RATS WITHIN THREE MINUTES.
—On Tuesday a match for 5/. a-side was decided at the
George, Gravel-lane, Southwark, which was for a dog (of the
bull-terrier breed) to kill 60 rats in the short space of three
minutes. The number of rats were let loose, and the dog
turned upon them and speedily oommenced destroying them.
He succeeded in killing the whale Whither Within the stipu-
-44E1 ggitA