The Blandford and Wimbourne Telegram. — 1880-10-08 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

POLIT. Chief Secretary." In unloading a truckload of logs at the goods station of the Northern of France Railway at La Chapelle a few days ago, one of the men noticed a longitudinal slit in it. On the authorities dissecting the whole consignment it was found that thirty-two out of the thirty-eight logs it consisted of had been hollowed out and stuffed with about thirty-six hundredweight of cheap Belgian tobacco. A large floating battery, constructed during the American civil war by the State of New Jersey at a cost of .cloopo, has just been sold by auction for „ell Mee. It is supposed that the purchaser intends to break it up for old metaL Notice of the sale was given to the leading European Governments, but none of them was represented at the sale. Many people are making a considerable amount of money of mushrooms in Cornwall. Many tons have from. time to time during these past few months been sent from the Penzance station, besides great quantities from other stations in ComwalL Blackberries are also sent away in large quantities, both these and mushrooms realising good. prices. At Manchester. on Thursday, John Chorlton, paperhanger, was charged with the wilful murder of his wife. The deceased was found dead in the house on the previous morning in the prisoner's presence. She was covered with bruises, the result of beating by her husband. Her jaw was either dislocated or broken, and her arms after death went black to the tips of her fingers. The prisoner was remanded. Frank Herdman, aged thirteen, has been committed for trial by the Salford stipendiary magistrate, on a charge of manslaughter. Prisoner, in the course of a street quarrel with other boys, struck Francis Fitzpatrick, aged seven, a blow behind the right ear. The deceased was a child of weakly constitution, and the violence either caused or accelerated his death. Herdman was admitted to baiL Eight more bodies, victims of the Seaham explosion, were brought to bank on Thursday morning. Upon the water-bottle of one of the poor fellows, Michael Smith, was written a letter to his wife, evidently scratched with a nail, as follows :—" Dear Margaret—There VMS forty of us altogether at seven a.m. Some was singing hymns, but my thoughts was on my little Michael. I thought that him and I would meet in heaven at the same time. Oh ! dear wife. God save you and the children, and pray for myself. Dear wife, farewell. My last thoughts are about you and the children. Be sure and learn the children ,to pray for me. Oh, what a terrible position we are in. It is said that Madame Patti has resolved upon selling her Brecon seat, Craig.y-nos Castle, upon which she has latterly spent a great sum. The reason given for the proposed sale is that Madame Patti has been surprised at the high assessment, and that she has been displeased by depredations made on her estate. The waterworks which she has erected at considerable expense have been destroyed; and the river and land are poached upon for fish and game. The poachers have had the audacity to come to the door of the castle to offer their spoil for sale, and the keepers employed have been frequently molested..