bt Vroniurm

The Parliamentary and Financial Reform Association continues steadily its peripatetic labours in the provinces, by its President, Sir Joshua Walmsley, and Mr. George Thompson. Meetings have been held this week at Oxford and at Reading; and the favouring accounts of the meet- ing at Oxford describe it as "one of the largest and most influential ever • held " there, though it predominantly consisted of " working-men." The chairman, Mr. Joseph Warne, an influential Town-Councillor, welcomed the leaders of the Association ; but told them that Oxford is pretty well satisfied with its present Members—rather grudging the Ministry so good and conscientious a Liberal as Sir Page Wood.

The trade correspondents at Manchester, Birmingham, and Notting- ham, of the leading London journals, write in a tone of congratulation at the results of the past year's business and the prospects of the opening year's enterprise.

At Manchester, a decline in the prices of cotton, and produce of differ- ent kinds, varying from 25 to 35 per cent, has enabled manufacturers, who have been throughout the year working chiefly to order, to do a profitable trade at continually falling prices, which have been constantly increasing the purchasing power of the consumer. "Trade generally never was more healthy" ; "the commercial prospects for 1852 are favourable," "particularly for Lancashire."

The comparative prosperity which Birmingham has enjoyed during the past year is vouched by some statistical facts in confirmation of the trade reports— In the year 1860, there were erected in the parish of Birmingham 734 new houses or manufactories; in the past year of 1861, there were erected 1320 similar buildings; and, judging by the buildings already commenced, those finished in the next year will be a far greater number. " These buildings are erected chiefly by the humbler clued' tradespeople, from surplus savings obtained by an abundant trade." The number of poor relieved in the parish of Birmingham on the 1st of January 1850, in-door and out-door, was 6367 ; the number relieved on the 1st day of thepresent month was 4243—a de- crease of 1124. "The accounts of the savings-bank for the Year 1861, al- though not yet published, are made up, and it appears that during the last twelve months there has been an increase of 1025 depositors and of upwards of 20,0001. in deposits. The aggregate amount of deposits, as will be shown by the report when it appears, va close upon 400,0004' . There are numerous freehold land and building societies in Birmingham; and accounts collected from the officials of these institutions show that they have received no less than 70,0001. of subscriptions from the artisans of Birmingham during the last twelve months,—a proof not only of increased pecuniary means, but of improved moral aims, among the class of skilled labourers,

The state of things at Nottingham is thus set forth-

" Perhaps a Christmas has never been witnessed in the counties of Notting- ham, Derby, and Leicester, during which so large an amount of general en- joyment has been experienced by the operative population as in that which is now passing away, if the increase of population and other concurrent circumstances be taken into consideration. By this statement we do not mean to convey the idea that portions of the operative classes have not in previous limes earned more money, or that all are now fully employed : on the contrary, amongst the framework-knitters, perhaps, wages were never lower, and it is some years since the latemakers of this particular locality were more generally limited to short hours than at the present moment; yet nearly all have something to do; and the women and junior branches of their families being engaged in various ways at good wages, and the ne- cessities and even luxuries of life being unprecedentedly low in price, as we have said, probably no Christmas in the Midland Counties ever witnessed so Large a proportionate amount of comfort as exists at the present moment amongst the operative classes." " Nor have their employers much occasion to be dissatisfied." " In the lace trade, if the twelvemonths' operations be looked at, a full average amount of business has been done in 1851." " In that trade, recently, a much larger trade could have been done had purchasers presented themselves, in consequence of the rapid multiplication of machinery ; and hereafter it will be necessary to look for more extended markets if manufacturers do not adopt some step to limit production. With the hosiers, on the contrary, business has hitherto been limited for want of the means of cheaper and more extensive manufacture ; but this obstaole being removed, trade has extended during the last twelve months beyond eat- culation, and bids fair to attain a degree of magnitude and importance which only a very short time ago would have been thought beyond the bounds of possibility."

The Northampton Herald reports the discovery of ironstone of good quality running through the county from North-west to South-east, over an extensive district. The fact has been known for some time, but it is now publicly announced because extended inquiries show that the dis- covery is really valuable : many persona connected with Staffordshire and the North have been examining quarries and exhibiting an anxiety to purchase estates. Doubtless, the existence of the ore was known in for- mer times, but as there was no coal to smelt it, the discovery was then useless : now, railways will convey the ore to the coal or the coal to the ore.

The new steam-frigate Megaera, of 1391 tons burden and 350 horse- power, which set out on the 3d instant from Dover with the Sixtieth Rifles on board, for the Cape of Good Hope, broke down off Plymouth, and put into that port on the morning of the 5th, in a condition which the naval correspondent of the Times called "perfectly disabled." An extract is given from a letter by "an officer," professing to describe the mis- fortune— " This steamer was one of those singled out by the Board of Admiralty as superior to any we have ready, and so well fitted that no one could oompl tin of any want of accommodation. She started—the prayers and good wishes of thousaeds accompanied her Night came on, and with it a most terrific gale—nothing stowed away—all confusion ; and so perfectly unfitted for a troop-ship was this pet or the Admiralty, that she had not even a place fitted to receive the soldiers' rifles or accoutrements, not even a locker of any de- scription to stow away their food ; and it is further a fact, that so shamefully has she been fitted that there was not even a place to contain the oftiecra' wine and stuck. At midnight, we are told, the scene was frightful-800 men with no place to sleep in—beer-barrels, hampers of better cheer, great drums, officers stock, men's wives, baggage of every description—all reeling and knockinga. about together. At this moment the gale was at its height; the rudder became choked so that fur a time the vessel would not steer ; her top-sides opiened so much as to admit'Of the water pushing in, and her decks fore and aft were up to the ankles in water; at which moment some confu- sion took place in the engine-room, froth the circumstance of some of the compartments of the machinery catching fire."

Other accounts, however, treat the damage sustained by the Megtera as SO trifling that she has refitted and has started again on her voyage.

An Admiralty board of examinatiun at Portsmouth has been investi- gating the state of the preserved meats supplied by contract to the Admi- ralty for the use of the Navy, and has made some most serious discove- ries. It is found that a vast quantity of the canisters professing to be filled with the wholesome materials for making meat-stews are filled with the veriest garbage, such as may have been raked from the refuse kennels of the slaughterhouse ; and that the closing of the canisters, which should be hermetically air-tight, hits been, so carelessly performed, that the obscene contents have, in the great *pray of instances, been decom- posed by the atmosphere into a mass of fetid corruption'. The inquiry, which began on Tuesday week, is still going on. The quantity to be examined was 6660 canisters, varying in size from 4 to 12 pounds, with some few of 32 pounds each. Out of 2707 opened at the end of last week, only 197 had contents fit for human food. The examiners were posi- tively unable, notwithstanding. their free use of deodorizing chemicals, to prosecute the disgusting task any further last week ; but they resumed work again on Wednesday. On that day, out of 300 canisters opened, only one was found to have contents that remained consumable : the *rest were condemned, and sent out to sea, to be cast overboard. The correspondent of the Times givei this further information- " This stuff was supplied to the Admiralty and delivered Into store at the Clarence Yard last November twelvemonth, warranted emial to sample and to keep sound and consumable for five years. We are informed it came from Galatz, in Moldavia. . . . . Three months ago, when the stench arising from the store in which they were kept made the authorities of the Clarence turd suspect something was wrong, the agent to the contractor came down and took away 2000 canisters (containing 17,000lb. of stuff) without opening them. This contract has long since been paid for."

The merchants who became surety for the manufacturers were sum- moned to attend the inquiry, but did not do so. •

The West India mail steam-ship Amazon, which left Southampton on her first voyage to Mexico on the afternoon of Friday the ld instant, was destroyed by fire on Saturday night, when not more than a day's voyage from the Land's End ; and it is believed that 116 out of 161 persons on board have perished. The following narrative is given by Mr. Vincent, Midshipman of the Amazon, one of the few who have been saved. " We left Southampton with the West Indiau and Mexican mails on board on Friday the 2d instant. On the 3d, at noon, we were in latitude 49' 12' North, longitude 4' 57' West, [just off the Bay of Biscay, and about 110 miles West-south-west of Scilly,] steering West by South-half-south, with an increasing fresh breeze. At 9.30 p. m. we stopped with half bearings. At 11.20 we proceeded, wind still increasing. About 20 minutes to 1 o'clock

on Sunday morning, fire was observed bursting through the hatchway-fore- side of the fore-funnel. Every possible exertion was made to put out the fire, but all was ineffectual. The mail-boat was lowered, with twenty or twenty-five persons in it; but was immediately swamped, and went astern, the people clinging to one another. They were all lost. The pinnace was next lowered ; but she hung by the fore-tackle, and being swamped, the people were all washed out of her. In lowering the second cutter, the sea raised her and unhooked the fore-tackle, so that she fell down perpendicu- larly ; and all but two of the persons in her were washed out. " Captain Symonds was all this time usiug his utmost exertions to save his passengers and crew. Sixteen men, including two passengers, succeeded in lowering the life-boat ; and about the same time I, (Mr. Vincent,) with two men, the steward and a passenger, got into and lowered the dingy. In about half an hour the life-boat took the dingy's people into her, and bore down for the ship with the dingy in tow ; but the sea increasing, and being nearly swamped, they were obliged to cast the dingy off and bring the boat-head to sea. The masts went—first the foremast, and then the mizenmast. "About this time a bark passed astern of the life-boat: we hailed her with our united twenty-one voices, and thought she answered us ; but she wore and stood under the stern of the burning vessel, and immediately hauled her wind and stood away again.

" The gig, with five hands, was at this time some little way from us; but the sea was running so high we could render her no assistance, and shortly afterwards lost sight of her.

"About 4 a. tn. (Sunday) it was raining heavily, and the wind shifted to the Northward ; sea confused, but decreasing ; put the boat before the sea. At 5 o'clock the ship's magazine exploded, and about half an hour afterwards the funnels went over the sides, and she sunk. At noon we were picked up by the Marsden, of London, Captain Evans; by whom we were treated in the kindest manner possible.

" We were picked up in latitude 4'85' North, longitude 5' 30' West ; wind North to North-east. The captain stood in to the coast of France; but the wind shifting to the Southward, ho bore up for Plymouth ; where we arrived at 10.50p. tn. on the 5th, and were most hospitably and kindly received by the landlord of the Globe Hotel."

The number of the ship's officers was ten, that of her engineers six, and that of her seamen ninety-six ; the passengers were forty-nine. Of these, it was at first supposed that only the twenty-one persons who eseaped with Mr. Vincent in the life-boat were saved ; but on Thursday a telegraphic despatch from Paris announced that a Dutch vessel had landed at Brest six passengers and nineteen of the crew of the Amazon, whom she had picked up at sea. The following descriptive and more detailed accounts have been col- lected from day to day.

"The boats of the Amazon were fitted with iron cranes or crutches on which their keels rested ; these fittings obstructed their clearance from the ship, and but for this fatal arrangement the serious loss of life would have been leavened. Captain Symonds ordered that no one should get into the boats. This order was obeyed until the people saw the flames overpowering the ship. He was last seen with the man at the wheel, ordering the helm to be put up, so as to keep the ship before the wind. His last words were, 'It is all over with her.' The officer of the watch, Mr. Treweeke, (second officer,) was walking the bridge when the accident was discovered. Mr. Henry Roberta, chief officer, in his shirt only, was actively assisting the captain . he was last seen going through the companion down to the main deck, and is supposed to have perished there. Mr. Lewis, (third officer,) Mr. Goodridge, (fourth officer,) and the two midshipmen, some of whose berths were forward on the port side of the main deck, were probably suffocated, as were also the chief engineer, Mr. George Angus, and Mr. Allen, the superintending engineer on behalf of Mr. Seward the constructor of the engines, as they were seen in the engine-room ten minutes before the fire broke out, going forward, there being no possibility of their return through the flames. The second engineer, Mr. William Angus, was on the spar deck, between the funnel and the crank gratings, pulling oars, and throwing them out of the way of the fire on the deck, near the boats. The two best boats were stowed on the top of the sponsons, where the flames prevented approach. After the Amazon was put about, she went at the rate of twelve or thirteen knots, dead before the wind. One boat on the starboard-side, the second cutter, was full of people, when the wash of the sea unhooked the foremost tackle ; she held DU by the stern-tackle, and her stem falling into the sea, all except two were drowned, in consequence of the ship's speed. The pinnace was observed on the port-side, towing by the fore-tackle, behind the burning ship; and as no one cut the tow-rope, the miserable passengers, who were all huddled together, were one after the other washed into the sea. The mail- boat, which was also full of people, having shipped a quantity of water, went down alongside.

" When the flames had approached the after companion, two male pas- sengers came up from the saloon, all in flames, and running aft, fell on the deck. A tall lady, supposed to be Mrs. Maclaren, entreated some one to take care of her child; but she would not enter either of the boats. Dine- ford, the quartermaster, placed one lady passenger in a boat ; but she, being extremely agitated, got out again, and although Henry Williams and another used some force and begged her to go in, she persisted in remaining on board. The stewardess, Mrs. Scott, with her bonnet and shawl on, and some- thing in her hand, first asked Steer to put her in the dingy, and then left for a larger boat. At the time of leaving, some of those who yet lived were kneeling on the, deck praying to God for, mercy ; while others, almost in a state of nudity, were running about screaming with horror.

"The survivors escaped in the after-starboard second life-boat, in which was Mr. Neilson. One of her occupants (Maylin), in leaving, pressed his foot through the burning deck and injured it; two others (Williams and Passmore) had to climb the starboard paddle-box through the flames and smoke. They succeeded after three attempts, and then slid down hands and face over the paddle-box into the boat ; several went down by the tackles. Two of the watch below (Williams and Foster) had their hair burnt while coming on deck. When the life-boat left there were sixteen on board ; they heard some one shouting in the water, and threw over a keg and some oars. They endeavoured to approach, but a sea carried the bout off. They then took Mr. Vincent, Mr. Williamson, Mr. Sisley, and two sailors, from the dingy, and making her fast to the stern, towed after the burning wreck, thinking to save more lives; but the dingy having filled, they were obliged to cut her adrift, and, fearing that they themselves should be swamped, their boat's head was put to face the sea. Twelve oars were at work, the wind was increasing, and heavy squalls coming on. They saw the ships gig full of people, shouting as if for assistance, and at the same time de- scried a sail standing apparently to the Southward. The vessel appeared to pass between the two boats, and after this the gig was not seen ; whether she was swamped or was taken up by the stranger is unknown. The strange vessel Caine pretty close under the life-boat's stern, when all shouted together, and thought they were answered on board : she was a barque, under close-reefed topsails, foresail, and fore-topmast staysail ; her spanker was hanging in the bridle as if ahe was in the act of wearing. Soon after her helm was put up, and she bore right down towards the wreck, behind which she disappeared. The masts of the steamer went over before four o'clock in the morning, the

foremast on the port and the mainmast on the starboard side. One poor fellow a aired at the jib-boom end; the jib was cut loose, and was blowing away. t er mizenmast was still standing while she was in flames from stem to stern. About five o'clock, when the life-boat was passina.* the ship in a leewardly direction,. the gunpowder in her two magazines aft exploded ; and in about twenty minutes, the wizen having gone by the board, she made a heavy lurch and went down, her funnels being red hot and still standing. " Those in the boat now pulled before the sea and wind, thinking to make the French coast, which was, as they thought, the nearest. Mr. -Vincent's monkey jacket, being mounted on an oar, was their only sail, and the boat was kept dry by baling her with his boots. At half-past ten on Sunday morning they saw a bn,g, and, taking down the jacket, they hoisted hand- kerchiefs, fore and aft., for signals of distress ; and at twelve o'clock, in hit. 48' 5' N., long. 5^ 30' W., they were taken aboard the Marsden, as Mr. Vin- cent has described."

The passengers rescued in the life-boat are Mr. Hawkes, Vera Cruz, Mr. Neilson of Liverpool, bound for Demerara, Mr. T. Sisley, bound for Chagres. The officers of the crew saved are Mr. Vincent junior, midshipman, and Mr. James Williamson, the chief steward. The rest of the people saved are Mr. Dunsford, quartermaster, and fifteen seamen and firemen. The crew were the picked men of the whole Company's service ; and Captain Symonds was distinguished for his skill and cool bravery. , The lost passengers are Messieurs De Pass and Delgado, Lieutenant Geylis, Mr. Fellows, and Reverend Mr. and Mrs. 'Winton, Jamaica ; Mr. Best and servant, Mr. Kilkelly, Messieurs Callender and Stirling, and Mr. Al- leyne, Barbadoes ; Mr. Johnston, Mr. Burnett, and Mr. and Mrs. Scotland, Trinidad ; Mr. Rick and Mr. and Mrs. M'Clinnow, Demerara Mr. Eliot Warburton ; Mr. Geraud, M. and Madame Lacombe and child, M. Kersaboe, Mr. Cinna, Mr. Barincose, and Mr. Dellemare, Chagres ; Mr. M. Del Rio, Margaret Fitzgerald, M. Fevrier, and Mr. Glennie, Vera Cruz ; Miss Smyth, Porto Rico ; Mr. Joel, Jamaica ; Mr.' Cuming and Mr. Evans, St. Thomas ; Mr. Cardennas, Santa Martha ; Mr. Blood; Mr. Anthony, and Mr. Hamilton, Jamaica ; Mr. Fernier, Grace Hoare, Mr. Stryboo, and Mr. Grapier, Vera Cruz ; Mr. Crevecowst, St. Tlionias ; Mr. Le Faye, Guadeloupe.

Mr. Eliot Werbinton, the 'accomplished author of "The Crescent and the Cross," was deputed by the Atlantic and PaC160 Junctidii Company to come to a friendly understanding with the tribes of Indians who inhabit the Isth- mus of Darien. It was also the intention of Mr. Warburton to make him- self perfectly acquainted with every part of those districts, and with what- ever referred to their topography, climate, and resources ; an intention that has been frustrated by his untimely and dreadful death. The superior officers of the ship who perished are William Symonds, com- mander; Henry Roberts, 34, chief officer, Gosport ; Charles II. Treweeke, 29, second officer, Illogan ; John Lewis, 28, third officer, Kingston, Jamaica George D. Goodridge, 21, fourth officer, Paignton ; James W. Fullerton, 37, surgeon, county of Donegal; M. H. Strutt, 33, purser, Middlesex ; Francis Stainforth, 16, midshipman, East Indies; William K. Stuart, 15, midship- man, Tallyhog ; Thomas Walter Shapcott, 28, purser's assistant, Southamp- ton. The petty officers are George Angus, 34, chief engineer, Dunbar ; ,Wll.- Ham Angus, 32, second engineer, Dunbar ; and four other engineers succeed- ing these brothers in rank ; Debray Theophile, 30, French cook, France, and three other cooks; and Joseph Kirby, 36, the baker, of Southampton. The rest of those lost were seamen and firemen.

It is supposed possible, that other boats besides those seen may, have got away from the burning wreck • for there were nine altogether' three of which were swamped, three floating off with their cargoes, and three still remainin,„g unaccounted for. The darkness of night might by chance have prevented those in the life-boat from observing all that took place. " The cause of the destruction of the Amazon is 111±1101911; she was under steam from the time'of her departure to the period of the accident. As is usual with new machinery, water was kept almost continually playing on the bearings of the engines. On account of the heat of these beannes, the ship was stopped off the Bill of Portland on Frid'a'ynight between the-hours of eight and twelve, and about the same period on Saturday night she was stopped for two hours and a half : however, the necessity for the operation. of wetting these parts was decreasing, as the main centre bearings were get- ting more suent, and the engine altogether in better order. The position of the fire rendered'it impossible to get at the engines in order to stop them. When the ship's head was to windward the flames swept the after-decks, where the passengers chiefly were. Before the wind, she was going at a tremendous speed; and it is marvellous how any of the boats were launched under such circumstances and in such a sea. The escape of the little dingy is no doubt due to the calmness and intrepidity of young Mr. Vincent ; who, though a mere boy in years, proved himself a thorough man and sailor en the occasion. He not only guided his small boat in safety till he joined-the life-boat, but there he took immediate command as superior officer, and did everything. in his power to sustain the courage of the crew throughout that dreadful night.

"The value of the Amazon when ready for sea was about 100,0001. The loss of that sum falls entirely upon the insurance-fund of the cempany,—a fund exclusively devoted from annual grants derived from the profits of the Company towards such casualties. The value of the specie,- quicksilver, cargo, &c., when added to the value of the ship, will give a total loss of pro- pertv by this melancholy occurrence of little less than 200,0001. sterling.

"'The West India Mail Company has been the most unfortunate of all the great steam-packet associations in the loss of their steam-ships. Sines the establishmentsof the company in 1841 no less than eight of their fleet of steamers have been destroyed by casualties on the sea. We recapitulate their names,—the Medina, wrecked on the 12th May 1844, on a coral reef, near Turk's Island ; the Isis, on the 8th' October 1842, sunk off Bermuda, having previously struck on a reef; the.Sorway, wrecked off Corunna, on the 8th April 1843; the Tweed, on the 12th February 1847, on the Alacranes rocks, Gulf of Mexico ; the Forth, likewise lost on the same rocks, on the 15th Jan.- uary 1849 ; the Acheon, lost in 1844, in the Negrellos, near Carthagcna; and the new steamer Demerara, stranded in the river Avon, near Bristol, tot long since. The wrecks of the Tweed and Solway were attended with peculiarly distressing circumstances, involving the loss of nearly 120 lives " ; and now the catalogue is closed by the destruction of the Amazon, under more appal- ling circumstances than accompanied any of the preceding losses.

The Directors of the Royal Mail Steam-packet Company commenced at Southampton, on Thursday, an investigation into the circumstances of the disaster. Mr. T. Baring, M.P., Chairman of the Company, presided ; and Captain Corry, of the Royal Navy, attended from the Admiralty. The witnesses examined were Captain Barton, the Company's superin- tendent at Southampton, Mr. John Seward, the constructor of the Ama- zon's engines, Mr. George Mills, engineering auperintendent to the Com- pany; with Mr. W. Vincent, the young midshipman of the Amazon, whose account we have quoted, and several of the crew who escaped with him in the life-boat. • Captain Barton declared, that he inspected the vessel just before she started, and found everything in the most complete order ; she was perfect in every particular, her complement of men in excess ; her boats were of the very best, and two more than usual' in number—nine instead of seven. Captain

Symonds, a most able seaman, had himself asked for the cranes on which the boats were laid ; and Captain Barton does not consider that they increased the difficulty of lowering the boats.

Mr-John-Seward stated, that the engines worked well on the experimental trip: the bearings heated, but that is a usual and common thing with new machinery"; the only consequence is a slight tightening of the bearings, which is abated by pouring on cold water. George Mills stated, that the bearings which heated were so far re- moved from all woodwork that the heating would be quite harmless. Many vessels have been started on their first voyage with less of experimental sailing than was had in this instance. The Isis and the Trent went to sea without having been under weigh before. The Admiralty sent a written ap- proval of the vessel. J. Melbourne, krescued water-tender, seems to have been the first of the survivors who saw the fire. He cannot say where the fire came from ; it was as rapid as gunpowder. He saw some flashes of fire near the steam- chest; but he cannot tell the cause. There were some tarred coal-sacks on the top of the boiler, close to the steam-chest ; but he does not believe that it, was they which caught fire—the casing of the boiler was not hot enough for that. - Nor was it the heating of the bearings : he himself was cooling the bearings by pouring water on them • and only five minutes before he had reported that the bearings were getting a great deal better. This witness stated that Mr. Angus, the fint engineer, was a careful steady man, and a good master. Mr.-Dunsford, quartermaster of the Amazon, believed that " no soul (NUM tell the cause of the fire ; it was like a flash of powder. The hose was get ready,-and the donkey-engines began to play upon the flames; but the men could not stand near them for more than five minutes. The captain was there' handing biwkets to witness. The captain then said to Mr. Ro- berts, 'I believe it's all over.' Witness never saw him after. He was cer- tain that the fire had not arisen in the coals." Mr. Dunsford stated that there was great confusion on deck. " One lady caught hold of me ; I begged of her to let me go to get the boat out. We had nothing but the water- closet pumps to work. They were excellent pumps."

Young Mr. Vincent, the midshipman, repeated in evidence the statements made in the letter at the head of our narrative, and then gave further evi- dence, which throws some light on the causes why the boats were compara- tively unavailable. Mr. Daring—" Did the people's getting into the boats prevent their being lifted ?" —"Yes; that's what caused so much confusion. Every one rushed to the boats before they were cast off. That made it difficult to raise the boats out of the cranes."

Mr. Bariug—" Would there have been any difficulty had the people not got into the boats ?' —" No."

Captain Chappell felt it his duty to read the following letter from Mr. Neilson; one of the survivors, on the conduct of Mr. Vincent.

"Halewood, near Liverpool, 7th January 1852. " Sir—As one of the survivors of the passengers of the unfortunate Ama- zon, I feel it my duty to bring, through your official position, to the notice of the Directors the gallant conduct of Mr. W. Vincent, midshipman of that vessel. He will have given you a description of the event, which I need not therefore dwell upon ; - but he will not have told you of the admirable manner in which he behaved throughout the scene. I had got away in one of the life-boats, with fifteen of the crew : we picked Mr. Vincent, Mr. Sisley, and three men, out of the dingy, which immediately swamped ; and not for one moment during the trying scene that followed did that young officer show the slightest ayaaptom of fear or hesitation, or utter a single murmur in complaint. His whole care and attention seemed devoted to the men of whom he took the command; and his entire conduct throughout was worthy of the profession to which he belongs, and of which, if he lives, he must beeoine a distinguished ornament. I have had an opportunity this morning of mentioning his conduct to the President of the Board of Trade, and shall feel deeply gratified by any mark of approbation the Directors may feel dis- posed to show him. I am, &c., ROBERT NEILSON."

The Directors came to no conclusion, but adjourned their inquiry, in the hope—which events have proved well-grounded—that a few days would bring tidings of the other missing boats, and add to the sources of information concerning the first cause of the terrible disaster.

There was a serious collision on the Great Western Railway very early on Saturday morniug. A goods-train, on its way to London, was detained at Chippenham for some time, in the momentary expectation that the mail would arrive ; but as the mail was very late, the stationmaster at length sent the goods-train forward. A quarter of an hour after the mail-train came. As the interval between the two was thought quite safe, nothing was said about the goods-train ; but a heavy fog had come on, the rails were slippery, the goods-train had made hardly any progress, and at length it had become almost stationary. The fog obscured the tail-lights on the goods- train, the mail overtook it, and dashed into it. The guard's break and a horse-box were crushed; but, fortunately, the guard perceived the danger in time to leap from his seat, and he escaped unhurt. The driver of the mail- train was dangerously wounded on the head; the passengers do not seem to have suffered at all.

' Mr. Joseph Bentall, a farmer at Prittlewell in Essex, went out to shoot a hare ; he did not return, and at night a search was made. He was found dead in a field. By some accident his gun* had blown away part of his skull ; he had not been immediately overpowered by the wound, for he had bound his neckerchief and handkerchief round his head, and had managed to pro- ceed a short distance. His faithful dog sat watching the body.

A mad dog has held quite a reign of terror for ten days at Gloucester. He bit a number of other dogs, which were killed; and four persona are in the Infirmary suffering from dangerous bites. The brute managed to escape, inid the ToWn-C-ouncil offered a reward of 201. for his death or capture. He attacked a carter's dog on the Stroud road; the carter, armed with his whip, succeeded in killing him, and went to Gloucester in triumph to claim the reward.