Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1890-01-11 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

BUSY AUTHOR.  It is interesting to note that one of the most readable papers in this month's magazines—ihat on "Authors and Publishers " in Murray's, by Dr. S. Smiles—appeared a few days after its author passed his ffOth birthday. What is stiU more extraurdinaty is that this hearty and vigorous octogenarian is now amusing himself by writing a romance, in which a highly original subject is to be treated in an original manner. Such hale vitality is all the move remarkable when we remember that Or. smile 3 w rote most of hit works, notably the biographies of the Stephensons and Wall, which must ever rank as English classics, in the spare moments of a busy life, during which be toiled hard, first as a surgeon, then as editor of the Leeds Times, then as secretary to the Leeds and Thirsk Railway, next as secretary to the Great Eastern Railway, aucl finally as the manager of one of the largest insurance offices in the City.  The number of passengers who left the United Kingdom for places out of Europe during Dee,iinber, 188i4, was 9,109, of whom 5,733 went to the United States, and 1,764 to Australia. The total for the 12 months ending Deceinlier 31,1889,was 343,551, against 398,494 in the corresponding 19 months of the previous year. Of the total, 241,029 sailed for the United States, 38.139 to British North America, 99,040 to Australasia, and 35,350 to all other places. Emigration to America and the Colonies shewed a considerable diminution, the only increase being in respect of "all other places," where there is an excess of 10,775. - . .  . _ On Sunday morning, between 7 and 8 o'vlock. a I goods train met with a mishap near Pendleiniry, on the Lancashire and Yorkshire new branch line. 'Clie train was proceeding from Liverpool to Manchester, and it seems that after passing Swinton it was turned on to the wrong line,with the result that near Pendlebury it was thrown off the metals by a set of ''safety" points provided to meet such a contingency. The stoker jumped off helve the engine left the line, and escaped without injury. The driver. who stuck to the engine, received sollle bruises. The engine was thrown over on its side, and ha.lf-a-dtmen of the waggons also left the line. For several hours the tratfiz had to be worked on a single line uf metals.  They are ha % ing extraordinary weather in America this winter. In the north-west there have been tremendous snowstorms, with cold of almost Arctio severity. The highways and railroads are blocked in many district', and where laidfic has not been stopped altogether it is carried on with the utmost difficulty and danger. In the south-west there has been no snow, but there has been a prodigious downpour of rain, which has caused even more mischief than the snow in the north, the railroads being the principal sufferers. In many places the permanent way has been swept clean away, and trains are being run irregularly and with the utmost caution. The rains have swollen the rivers to an extent almost unprecedented at this season of the year. The low-lying grounds are inundated. Mach damage has been done to property, and hundreds of valuable cattle drowned.  A long-standing feud between two Hungarian newspapers, the Zoßtarit and the Branik of Neusatz, has led to murder. The editor of the former journal meeting a member of the Br,tnik's staff, M. Dunitrievies, on a railway platform, began a free ht with him, and ended by stabbing him to death.  The fire at the Palace of Laeken was not completely extinguished till Saturday afternoon. The calcined remains of Madame Drancourt, the governess of the Princess Clementine,were found in the morning in the ruins near the poristyle. The unfortunate lady was 63 years of age. It is now certain that tbit fire broke out in the chimney of one of the underground rooms of the palace, where some water wai being boiled. The Queen of the Belgians, who has been deeply affected by the destruction of tile castle, is somewhat indisposed.