Zbt Probinces.
The election for Monmouthshire had a sudden and unexpected ter- mination. Mr. Tracy, the Ministerial candidate, appeared to have the whole field to himself; when an Opposition candidate was announced, in the person of Mr. Octavins Morgan. Mr. Tracy's prospects quickly
changed ; and instead of walking over the course, as was expected, he sent a letter to his opponent, intimating his intention to withdraw. On Tuesday morning, a long procession of Mr. Morgan's friends accom- panied him from Troy House, in the neighbourhood of Monmouth, to the hustings; where he was nominated and declared duly elected, as no other candidate was proposed. He returned thanks, attributing his un- expected success to the great increase of Conservative principles ; and his brother, Mr. Charles Morgan, M.P., returned thanks " on behalf of the house of Tredegar."
The St. Alban's election was to the full as sudden, and its result almost as unexpected, as that for Monmouthshire. The writ was moved for on Wednesday the 3d instant, and the day of nomination fixed for the succeeding Monday. Mr. Benjamin Bond Cabbell, who was in the secret, arrived at St. Alban's on Thursday morning, almost at the same time as Mr. Grimston's address of resignation. He commenced can- vassing, supported by the interest of the Verulam family. On Thurs- day night, Lord Listowel, a Lord of the Bedchamber, appeared to dis- pute the seat, which, it is asserted by the Whig authorities, had been bargained and sold to Mr. Cabbell. The Tories, on the other hand, state that Lord Listowel went down with a thousand sovereign argu- ments from the Treasury to test the purity of the electors' principles. It seems clear that by some means or other he made rapid advances in his canvass, and by Saturday he had gained 269 promises. The Tories found before Monday that they were beaten, unless some great effort were made. Lord Grimston went to London in the emergency, and returned to St. Alban's the same evening : the object of his journey is surmised to have been to consult with the Carlton Club. The result, however, proved that his journey was inefficacious. The polling com- menced on Tuesday ; and from the opening to the close Lord Listowel kept ahead, the majority in his favour at the final close being 252 against 205. During the polling, an old man named Robert Adams presented a parcel to the Mayor, containing 12L, which he said had been given to him by Lord ListoweIs agent to vote for his Lordship ; but he would not be bought. The Mayor immediately came forward and announced the fact. It met with no denial from Lord Listowel or his agent. Mr. Cabbell, in addressing the electors at the close of the pro- ceedings, contended that a great moral victory had been gained; for, notwithstanding the temptation of Treasury gold, 205 independent electors had been found to aive him their votes ! He said he should petition against the return, and be had no doubt of the result. The Ministerial party allege that the Adams incident was a trick of the Tories got up to produce effect, and that they had given him the money. They retaliate the charge of bribery as strongly as it is made. " Much may be said on both sides," doubtless : but the truth will come out when Mr. Cabbell brings his promised petition before the appointed tribunal.
The election for East Surrey presented few incidents. The nomina- tion took place on Monday; when the show of hands was declared to be in favour of Mr. Alcock, the Ministerial candidate : the friends of Mr. Antrobus, however, affirm that the majority of hands was in his favour. The polling commenced on Thursday. The first return, at twelve o'clock, gave Mr. Antrobus a majority of 784; and his majority went on increasing throughout the day. At the close of the first day's poll, the numbers were—for Mr. Antrobus, 2,281 ; for Mr. Alcock, 1,219.
. .
LIVCIVe 0 MCI( yesterday, cue 1 city candidate's majority was 1,-155; and at the final close of the poll the numbers were—for Mr. Antrobus, 2,652 ; for Mr. Alcock, 1,438 ; giving Antrobus a majority of 1,214. This election proceeded very quietly. The polling yesterday was slow, as both parties knew what the result must be. Mr. Antrobus has polled 497 votes more than Mr. Kemble, the Tory candidate in 1837 ; and Mr. Alcock 427 less than Mr. Locke King, the Liberal candidate. At a numerous meeting of the electors of Richmond in Yorkshire, on Tuesday, resolutions were passed, regretting the severe illness of Mr. Spiers, and thanking him for his services, as well as for his public- spirited conduct in vacating his seat when no longer able to discharge his Parliamentary duties. A resolution was also passed for securing the services in Parliament of a representative who would support Mi- nisters and Progressive Reform. The Honourable George Wentworth Fitzwilliam, the second son of Earl Fitzwilliam, was the only candi- date spoken of; and he had not declared himself. The election is expected to take place on Monday.
The Manchester Chamber of Commerce, to whose report last year the public were in some measure indebted for the appointment of the Com- mittee to inquire into Banking and Currency, have held another annual meeting, in which the Directors congratulated the Chamber on the circumstance, that the important question of currency has so much en- gaged the attention of the public, and at the same time expressed their opinion that no good would arise from discussing the various projects brought forward until the Committee of the House of Commons had completed its labours ; adding, that the subject would be one that must engage the attention of the Board elected for the ensuing year. Allud- ing to the report of the Committee on Import-duties, the Directors speak of it as exhibiting in a striking light the importance of immediate changes in the fiscal and commercial laws, and the necessity of carry- ing out the principles of free trade. As for the equalization of sugar and coffee duties, a regret is expressed that the applications of merchants, manufacturers, and consumers, have been without; effect on the Legis- lature.
The late return of the frost has been experienced with great severity in all parts of the country. The warehouse of Messrs. Craft and Stell, of Manchester, was de- stroyed by fire on Monday morning, and property estimated at 20,0001. was consumed. The fire originated from the explosion of the pipes of a hot-water apparatus, with which the premises were heated. It is supposed that the frost had congealed the water in the pipes on Sunday, and thus prevented the circulation of the liquid, which, in ordinary cir- cumstances, prevents the generation of high-pressure steam. The ex- plosion blew the Sre of the furnace into the room, which contained many inflammable substances, and they rapidly ignited.
A wheel of one of the second-class carriages on the Great Western Railway broke on Tuesday morning, between Slough and West Dray ton. One of the pieces of iron, thrown off by what is commonly termed " centrifugal force," was driven with violence through the floor
of the carriage, and wounded two passengers who were seated over it- The carriages were not thrown off the rails.
A collision between two luggage-trains occurred at the Whitmore • station on the Grand Junction Railway, on Thursday morning. James Nester, a pig-driver, died of the hurts he sustained ; and a number of pigs, in waggons before the engine, were killed.
An attempt was made at Leicester, last week, to defraud the Midland Counties Railway Company, by insuring a parcel purporting to contain 225/. Suspicion having been excited, the parcel was opened, and found to contain 110 money. The person who took it to the office is in custody.
Two females, moving in respectable society at Devonport. have been apprehended for shoplifting. One of them alleged in palliation, that she was poor, and wished to keep up a respectable appearance I:
An inquest was held last week, at Barton, Lincolnshire, on the decomposed remains of a young female, which were found buried in a garden in a rudely-constructed coffin, about eighteen inches under the surface. The person who placed the body there, the father of the deceased, came forward at the inquest and stated the circumstances. About ten years ago, Barton was visited by a party of " body-snatchers," and great alarm was excited in consequence : his daughter died about that time ; and to prevent her body from being taken for dissection, he interred it secretly in the garden, and had the empty coffin buried with funereal honours. He afterwards found that the grave had been dis- turbed by the "snatchers." The Coroner ordered the grave to be opened, and the coffin was found empty, as the man stated. The remains were then deposited in the churchyard.
The wreck of the Fairy has been discovered about four miles from Lowestoft. A fishing-smack is said to have brought up one of the yards.—Ip.sivich Express.