The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-07-21 00:00:00

POLITICAL MISCELLANY.

The amount of the Cobden testimonial has reached
£37,000, exclusive of the amount collected in London
and Liverpool.
To the Bright Testimonial £l2OO have been subscribed ;
Mr. Cobden contributing £lOO.
Alr. Edgar A. Bowring, son of Dr. Bowring, has been
appointed private Secretary to the Earl of Clarendon, the
President of the Board of Trade.
Colonel Anson was returned for South Staffordshire on
Wednesday, unopposed. The hon. candidate immediately
after the election left Lichfield for Liverpool.
.EDINBURGH ELECTION.—The polling took place on
Tuesday. At the close of the poll, the numbers were :
Macaulay, 1375 ; Smith, 832; majority, 903.
Mr. V. Smith, one of the members for Northampton,
has, it seems, been it vited to take office under Lord J.
Russell, but has declined doing so.
At a meeting held at Stockport, an address of thanks
to Sir R. Peel, as a convert to free trade, was changed
into an address to those who converted him.
The Dublin Mail says that the personal friends and
political adherents of the Duke of Wellington in the
upper house have, with the full assent of his Grace,
ranged themselves under Lord Stanley as their leader.
The Earl of Ellesmere declines to contribute to the
Cobden Testimonial, on the ground that to do so would
imply an approval of the whole scheme and operations of
the League ; a feeling which he does not entertain.
Sir Robert Peel met with a slight accident on Monday
morning, which has prevented his attendance in the
House to the present time. Resting his foot on a China
basin, it broke by the weight of his person, and lacerated
his foot.

The return of Mr. Smith for Dungarvon was unop-
posed. The proceedings connected with the election only
occupied a short time. Mr. Sheil did not deem it neces-
sary to go down to meet his constituents. Repeal was
mute, although Mr. O'Connell has so often pledged him-
self to contest every place in favour of a repealer.

The following members of the former Whig Govern-
ment have not taken office under Lord John Russell :
Viscount Melbourne, the Right Hon. Francis Thornhill
Baring, the Earl of Uxbridge, the Earl of Albemarle,
Lord, Kinnaird, Richard More O'Ferrall, Esq. the Right
Hon. Robert Vernon Smith, Lord Seymour, Esq.,
William
Clay, Bart.. &c.
A deputation of merchants of Liverpool, trading to
East 'lndia and China, had au interview with Lord John
Russell on Wednesday, at his official residence in Down-
ing-street, upon the subject of a reduction of the duty on
tea. The deputation consisted of Mr. Wm. Potter, Mr.
William Rathbone, and Mr. Henry Winch, and was ac-
companied by Viscount Sandon and Sir Howard Douglas.

FREE TRADE REJOICINGS.—The Mayor of Manches-
ter, in compliance with the request of a body of the in-
habitants. has i,sued a public recommendation that
Monday, the 3d of August next, be celebrated as a general
holiday, in commemoration of the triumph of free trade
In Ashton-under-Line a public dinner is to to take pi

In Bury, a procession, dinner. and ball will grace the 25th
and 27th instant; and the ex-Premier is•said to have been
invited to the festivities.
WEST-RIDING ELECTION. - The election for this
Riding, occasioned by the acceptance of office by Lord
Morpetb, as her Majesty's Chief Commissioner of Woods
and Forests, took place on Saturday, at Wakefield. The
Noble Lord was re-elected without opposition. None
but the personal friends of his lordship, and his warm
political partisans were present. Lord Morpetb was pro.
posed by Lord Milton, and seconded by H. Stansteld,

Esq.
A most comical mistake occurred in the transmission of
the new Irish Chancellor's appointment. As Sir Frederic
Pollock sat after dinner ruminating on the sad mutability
of parties, a letter on her Majesty's service was brought to
him, which conveyed the startling intimation that my
Lord Chief Baron was to consider himself henceforth Lord
Chancellor of Ireland. In the brute of initiatory pro-
ceedings the envelope had been addressed in error, and the
Chief of the English Exchequer was thus subjected to the
torturing tantalisation of a momentary clutch of the Irish
seals.

THE NEW AND LATE MINISTRY.—In the present
ministry as well as in the last, the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer is not united with the office of the First Lord of
the Treasury. This course, however, is at variance with
the established practice. The rule until within the last
five years was that the Premier, being in the Lower
Clouse, must not only be first Lordl of the Treasury, but
also Chancellor of the Exchequer. The instances in the
present century, to go no further back, are Sir Robert
Peel himself in 1834-5, Mr. Perceval, Mr. Pitt, and Mr.
Addington. The other Premiers within the same period
were members of the Ulmer House, sod therefore could
not discharge the duties of Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The new practice not only diminishes the labour of the
Premier, but increases his patronage, by enabling him to
bestow the Chancellorship of the Exchequer upon one of
his adherents.
H UMOROUS INCIDENT.-111 Monday night week,
when the ex-Premier was delivering his valedictory speech
in the House of Commons, Mr. O'Connell sat beside a
member whose name we are notat liberty to give, but who
vouches for the authenticity of the following statement :
Mr. O'Connell sat listening to Sir Robert for some time
in deep attention. At length he raised his glass to his
eye, a.:d looked at him for a minute or two through it.
" And is that Pale," says he, " that is spaking ?" Not
receiving any answer, he listened a while longer, and
then, putting his hand to his ear as if to catch the sounds
more distinctly, he repeated his question still more em-
phatically. "Is that Pale, I say, that is spaking ?" and
being satisfied that it was " Pale that was speaking."
" By the powers," he added, " the fellow will rob me of
repate !" The scene, we are assured, was extremely gra-
phic—the rich brogue and earnest gesticulation of the
hon. member for Cork contributing greatly to its interest.

FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT ON

THE EASTERN

COUNTIES RAILWAY.

An accident of a very dreadful character, whereby
nearly 20 persons were more or less seriously injured, and
2 or 3. it is feared, fatally so, occurred on the Eastern
Counties Railway between 4 and 5 o'clock on Saturday
afternoon.

The scene of the accident was the Stratford station on
the Colchester line, the melancholy occurrence arising
from a train of empty trucks having been driven into a
passenger train while stopping at that station.
The Stratford station (Colchester branch) is situated
about three miles and a half from Shoreditch, and about
500 yards below the point where the Cambridge line di-
verges. In the immediate vicinity of the station the rail-
way is on a level, but a few yards further east it enters a
shallow cutting, perhaps half a mile in length. A bridge
is thrown across the line within a few yards of the station,
immediately after passing which the railway makes a curve
of considerable radius. At a distance of about 300 yards
another bridge is thrown across the line, which latter,
however, is not visible front the station. A signal on
Ilalle's principle is erected about 150 paces from the
second bridge, and this is intended as a guide to all dri-
vers traversing the up line.

The accident occurred, as stated above, batween 4 and
5 o'clock on Saturday afternoon. The up-train from
Ipswich, due at Stratford at 56 minutes past 3, did not
arrive at that station until some minutes after its usual
time. Va.{ ions estimates as to the exact period are given,
but the general impression seems to be that the train was
about twenty minutes after its proper time. Several pas-
senrrs bad alighted, others were in the act of entering
cat riages, and the engine-driver was taking in a supply of
water, when a train was observed passing the signal-post
before alluded to, and coming rapidly towards the station.
Mr. Richardson, the station-master, was upon the plat-
form at this moment, superintending the dispatch of pas-
sengers &c. The noise of the approaching train at once
attracted his attention, and, looking eastwards, he saw the
imminent danger in which the passengers of the stationary
train were placed. He immediately ran towards the en-
gine, intending to induce the driver to go on with the train
then at the station, but before he could explain his ob-
ject the collision took place, and on returning along the
platform a scene presented itself which almost baffles de-
scription.

The train, which, but a moment previous, hat con-

and two horse-boxes, now presented little more tha7la
mass of broken frame-work and rubbish. Of a second-
class carriage which had been attached to the train at
12,,mford, and placed in the rear of the two horse-boxes,
there was literally nothing left, and the unfortunate pas-
sengers which it had contained were seen, bleeding and
wounded, lying about the railway in various directions
among the fragments. Two other second-class carriages
were so crushed as to be rendered entirely useless,
scarcely one of their hapless inmates escaping some
serious fracture or contusion, and of the remaining car-
riages all were more or less broken, and their inmates
seriously shaken and otherwise injured.
When the first momentary shock had subsided, the
station-master, with what assistance he could procure,
proceeded to collect the wounded persons and assist them
into the passengers' waiting-room. Medical aid was im-
mediately procured, and the worst cases were sent to
London Hospital. One gentleman had a fracture of the
right leg, another fractured his collar bone, the bones of
several ladies were broken, and one gentleman had a con-
cussion of the brain. Mr. Roney, secretary to the com-
pany, happened to be at Cambridge, and immediately
commenced an investigation into the circumstances. Mr.
Richardson, the station-master said, that the passenger
train was about starting for London, when witness ob-
served a train of empty trucks approaching the station.
Witness ran towards the driver of the passenger train, in-
tending to hasten his departure, but before witness could
reach the engine the collision had occurred, and the fire-
man of the passenger train was throw off the engine on to
the railway. Mr. Richardson further described the man-
ner in which the carriages were destroyed and passengers
thrown about the line. He said, the passenger train con-
sisted of an engine and tender, two horse boxes, a coach
truck, a first-class carriage, and several second-class
carriages. The train which caused the accident consisted
exclusively of empty trucks drawn by one engine.
The driver of the truck train, the stoker, the signal-
whetter negligence,
the the
signalsi n simple question
was i up
deciding signal-
man, and an under fireman have been given into custody,
atop p
re rl
it appearing that the accident had occurred through their
bulk of the evidence goes to prove that the signal was
properly lowered, but it should also be stated that the ne-
gative assertion of the driver Clare is supported by his
stoker, and also by the man Nicholson. exhibited.witich will
The
The station is said to be built in a most dangerous
locality, and a new one is now erecting about half a mile
nearer London.

Among the passengers in the Ipswich train was General
Sir D. Lacy Evans. The back of the carriage in which
the gallant general was sitting, was completely driven in,
and a fragment passing upwards, tore his coat and trou-
sers, and severely injured his back and legs. He was

July 21, 1846.

bank, and several other well known gentlemen, are also•
described to have been passengers in the same train.
On inquiry at the hospital cn Sunday evening, it was
ascertained that the only two individuals in a really dan-
gerous 'condition are Mr. Hiram Morris, of the Hoop Inn,
Deptford, and William Prentice, one of the company's
porters. All the rest are stated to be going on favourably.
Mr. Hudson, M. P., chairman of the company, was on
the spot at seven o'clock on Sunday morning, making
minute examination of the locale of the accident.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

LIVERPOOL JULY MEETING

FIRST DAY-WEDNESDAY, JULY 15

The CROXTETH STAKES, of 15 sovs. each, with 30 added
Lord Sefton ns b c '1 he Conjuror...
Mr 111eiklam's br m Inheritress.... ....
The PRODUCE. SWEEPSTAKES of 50 soya each.
Mr Green's Lady Harkaway, by Harkaway ..
Mr Ferguson's ch f Danceaway, by Harkaway

The BICKERSTAFFE STAKES Of 100 SOVS each.
Colonel Anson's b c lago, by Don John.... walked over
The MERSEY STAKES of 25 sots each, with 50 added