tbt Vtuninuo.

A Provincial Synod of the Roman Catholic Church in England assem- bled at St. Mary's College_, Oscott, on Monday, and formally opened its session on Wednesday. The Morning Chronicle reports-

" The inaugurating ceremonies, on Wednesday, commenced at nine o'clock by a procession of all the bishops and clergy in their sacred vestments ; du- ring the course of which the Veni Creator' and other hymns were sung, and the psalms Exultate ' and ' Quam dileeta ' chanted in the order pre- .1 scribed for the opening of the Synod. The procession having arrived in the ' College Chapel, a pontifical mass was performed by the Cardinal Archbishop ; who also preached a sermon, on the text My peace I give you, my peace I leave you.' At the conclusion of the mass, the litanies and some other pray- ers were sung ; after which all the clergy and the congregation left the church, and the bishops remaining proceeded to the more immediate busi- ness of the Synod."

Mr. Christopher addressed his constituents of North Lincolnshire on Monday last, from a hustings at Honacastle. His main speech was less distinctive and pronounced than has been usual with him ; but after he bad finished that, Mr. B. Smith, a basket-maker, from the crowd, cate- chized him, and elicited a plump statement that has been much remarked upon during the week by the London journals.

Mr. Smith was good-humouredly invited to mount the hustings; which he did, and in an almost inaudible voice proceeded to ask Mr. Christopher, whether, if Lord Derby abandoned Protection, he would support the Govern- ment?

Mr. Christopher—" I say that the Government have no intention of aban- doning Protection, and that therefore I will support the Government."

The Police of Liverpool made a seizure of weapons on Saturday last, which they had reason to believe were intended for use at the election on Wednesday. The seizure was made at the workshop of Mr. Jervis, turn- er, in Williamson Street, Williamson Square ; and the weapons are thus described— "Each consists of two pieces of seasoned ash of about two feet long, turned like a constable's staff, so as to have a firm hold to the hand. Each of these lengths could be used in the manner a constable's staff is used ; but they fitted into each other by a screw, and when united, constituted a pike-handle four feet long. That they were intended as a pike-staff is obvious, for one end fitted into a ring on the other, and on that end was an indent, into which a pike-blade or spike could be driven. These weapons, which, it is said, were ordered by an Alderman of this town, are all made after the model Suggested by an Italian refugee some years ago to the Chartists." The Liverpool Journal fathers these formidable preparations on the "Li- verpool Orangemen."

The inquiry by the Stockport Magistrates into the fedi and causes of the riots between the English and Irish was continued on Friday, Saturday, and Monday. The only general feature which has been made out, or which the evidence tends to make out, seems to be, that there was no conflict by the rioters with the Police or with the special constables, but that wherever the latter ap- peared the combatants departed to other scenes; and that the obedience to authority was prompt even in some of the instances where the English po- pulace were in the highest phreusy of wrecking property and burning it. Mr. Charles Hudson, one of the Coroners for the county of Chester, deposed, that the crowd desisted from their proceedings against the houses on Rock Row when he called on them to do so : they also re- spected his injunctions to leave alone some Irish whom he took under his protection. William Taylor, a constable, gave evidence of similar tenour : he added, that when he told the English mob that they would not be al- lowed to molest any one, a voice from the crowd replied, We must go home then, and have our brains knocked out again, as we have had before, when there are a lot of the bloody Irish together." The servants of Mr. Gra- ham, a Protestant surgeon, stated that the Irish and English mob took

and retook St. Peter's Square a dozen times. The Irish broke the windows of their master's house as they passed. Mr. Graham collected a large basketful of stones from his rooms. At one period of the evening of

the riot, Whieldon, a Policeman, was seen dashing up to every house in Rock Row whose door was open, and brandishing a sabre : it was afterwards proved that this was a manceuvre to keep the Irish in-doors out of the fray. After the conflict., it was observed that the word "English" was chalked on the doors of the few houses in Rock Row where English lived.

During the whole of this week the authorities have kept a body of some 150 special constables on service ; and cavalry are still billeted in the town, to assist the infantry in the barracks in case of outbreak.

At Preston, on Thursday, John Boardman and John Porter were accused of administering a narcotic drug to James Robinson, with the intent that he should be prevented from voting at the election, but with the unfortunate result of his death. Shortly before noon on Wednesday, Robinson entered one of the polling-booths in a state of semi-insensibility, and with great diffi- culty his vote was recorded. Soon afterwards he became very ill, and Dr. Heiden was called in to attend him at one o'clock in the afternoon. At that time the man was perfectly insensible, and had all the appearance of suf- fering from narcotic poison. A strong emetic was administered, and other means taken to produce vomiting, but without effect. The stomach-pump was then introduced, and about a pint of fluid removed. He rallied a little,. and occasionally muttered, "Parker for ever !" but never became sufficiently- conscious to answer any question, and he died between seven and eight o'clock that evening. A Coroner's inquest was to have been held yesterday.

An English sailor has been murdered at Birkenhead. A gang of ruffians- set upon him at night, beat and kicked him, and rifled his pockets. When ar Policeman came up the mariner was dead.

As Thomas Dandy, a painter, was employed in painting the ceiling and shafting in the weaving-shed of Paul Catterall and Co.'s mill, he raised his apron to wipe off some white paint from the shaft ; but the paint being wet and the machinery in motion, the apron adhered to and went round the shaft, and Dandy was drawn up to a beam. Another workman seeing the accident, immediately got hold of him, to prevent his being drawn round the shaft ; and an alarm being given, the machinery was stopped, and the man was loosened from the shaft. He was conveyed home, but died on the following evening.—.Preston Pilot.

A tow-mill at Low Bentham, in Westmoreland, having caught fire in the day-time, the flames spread so rapidly that the lives of the workers were- in imminent peril. Several were much hurt in escaping from the upper floors ; a woman's leg was broken ; and a little girl was burnt to death.

Mr. G. II. Bowden, an "Eton boy" of seventeen, has performed a gallant act. A gentleman was rowing near Windsor ; his boat upset in shallow water • but the strong stream carried the gentleman into deep water, -where he struggled for life. Mr. Bowden saw him, leaped in dressed as he was, rescued the drowning man, and then composedly walked home to change his clothes : had not the gentleman who was saved published the matter, the world would have heard nothing about it from the 'Eton boy.

On Sunday afternoon, John Roberts, a boy, eleven years of age, was bathing- with a companion in a pit at the side of the canal, near the Stanley Dock, and got out of his depth. He cried for help ; whereupon David Lloyd ran to the spot and leaped into the water with his trousers on, in order to save the boy's life. The boy got hold of him by the neck, and grasped him round the waist : he was thus rendered powerless, and both of them sank together and were drowned.—Liverpool Mercury.