(64? Vruniurro.
Kidderminster and Hertford have both returned their old Members, without contest.
At Hertford, on Tuesday, Mr. Cowper was nominated by Mr. Gripper, seconded by Mr. Smithman, and returned in the quickest possible manner. After his election, he delivered a speech to his constituents, in which, reviewing the session, he dilated on the benefits likely to flow from the Limited Liability Bill; and on the Church-rate question objecting, not to the principle of Sir William Clay's bill, but to his plan. He also gave a .fair and animated account of the aggressive policy of Russia which has involved her in a war with the Western Powers. He said that he felt assured that our best course is to be courageous and honest; to listen to no timid counsels; accept no false and hollow sem- blames of terind 'of'peace ; but *press on the war with the utmost pos- sible vigouriiitir that honourable peace be secured on which we have set our hearts. At Kidderminster, Mr. Lowe was threatened with a formidable oppo- sition from a body of publicans, mainly arising from the course ho took on the Beer Bill. At a preliminary meeting last week, Mr. Lowe explained that his offence, consisted in declining to give a pledge' in answer a letter from one of his constituents, that he would support the report of the Committee on the Beer Bill.. When he declined to do that, the Com- mittee had not reported, and he refused to pledge himself either to one side or the other. The real question at issue was the prosecution of the war to stop Russian aggression. Unless the power of Russia be reduced and limited, the rest of Europe will never be safe. Alludin,g to the Min- istry which began the war, he said that it was . . . . like a erowd pressing through a town, which lost -a portion of its number, at every street-corner: every stage of the negotiations had detached one or more from the Government; some had gone off on one point and some upon another: many members of the Government had thus been lost; but he believed it now contained none but those who are determined to carry on the war with vigour and perseverance. An elector asked for an explanation why, during the depression of trade in Kidderrainster, Mr. Lowe seat a paltry 101. or 20/. to its relief. Mr. Lowe replied, that he did not keep an account of such things • but he was a working man himself, and had been so all his life. He began aetwenty- one with five shillings in his pocket, with many difficulties in his way, and had worked himself up to independence. But if his ten or twenty pounds was to be calculated according to the widow's mite, it would be equal to four hundred or four thousand pounds from some who had been candidates there. In conclusion, he said, something told him that a dissolution of Parliament was not very far off; when he should again present himself before them ; but if they wanted money or beers or flattery, or what was called claptrap, they must go to another shop for it. Mr. Lowe's opponent was Mr. Boycott, a London solicitor of some local influence. Before the nomination, Mr. Boyoott retired; admitting that his canvass, as far as it had gone, had shown that the majority were pledged to support Mr. Lowe. , On Tuesday Mr. Lowe was nominated by Mr. Kitely, seconded by Mr. Pardoe, and returned as duly elected. Mr. Lindsay made a speech on Tuesday, at the Albion Hotel, North Shields, to eirplaiii the votes he has given in Parliament, and the share he has taken in the general legislation of the session. He also defended himself at length for the course 'he took in denouncing the mismanage- ment of the war, and in joining the Administrative Reform Association. Towards the, close of his address, the real object of his presence became apparent; it was to discountenance Mr. Linsiill, his rival for the next election, by hinting that he had been stimulatedly the Government, who are desirous of " smashing " Mr. Lindsay, to .00me forward for Tyne- mouth. Mr. Lindsay said he had been "persecuted" by the Govern- ment; and as an instance he told this story— "A bill of 27741. has been handed in to the Government for two months' pay for the brig Tynemouth. It is usual that these matters are paid within three days or a week, but when Mr. Gladstone sent for it, he was told the
account had gone to the Transport Board and to Whitehall ; and it is pre- sumed that the Government had written to Constantinople, Malta, and Gibraltar, to see if they could find any fault with the ship. At the end of seven weeks, they paid. 18341.; having deducted 9411. 19s. 11d. because, they read, the ship had been twelve days idle. I found from the log that the ship had been hard at work during the time the Government said she was idle. The Government thought by such means to atop me from exposing abuses which I solemnly believe to exist ; but no such means shall ever seal my lips, or prevent me pushing onward to that great administrative reform which I solemnly believe to be necessary."
An 1Jrquhartite meeting has been held this week in the Bingley Hall, Birmingham, to receive reports from a conference sitting to consider the conduct of the war. Mr. Alderman Allday presided; and among those who took conspicuous parts in the proceedings were Mr. John Langford, Mr. Charles Attwood, Mr. Dobson Collet, Mr. Urquhart, and Major Rolland. The resolutions set forth, that unless our policy be changed, Hindoston will "go under the dominion of Russia" ; that the effects of the war will be impaired commerce, and the degradation of our power to third-rate rank; and that Lord Palmerston "is guilty of treason of the deepest dye." The meeting also agreed to a solemn protest against the wrong and danger of leaving any office in the hands of the traitor Pal- merston: Mr. Roebuck's constituents propose to manifest their approbation of his conduct by presenting him with a testimonial. Last week, the Mayor of Sheffield presided over a meeting held in the Council Hall to initiate proceedings.
A subscription has been started to raise some memento over the grave of the late Miss Mitford. The Reverend W. Harness, of the Privy Council Office, the Reverend Charles Kingsley, Rector of Eversley, and Mr. Francis llennoek, of Wood Street in the City of London, will receive subscriptions, Fifteen hundred men employed by the British Iron Company at Rua- bon wenn attike, and their idleness has thrown five hundred more work- men out of employment. There has been some riotous behaviour, and great distress prevails.
A church-rate contest at Uxbridge has resulted in the rejection of the proposed rate, by 161 votes to 110.
• An uncommon trial took place at the Bristol Assizes—an action brought by an officer in the Militia against a lady for breach of promise of marriage. Mr. John Holder, Captain in the Fifth Lancashire Militia, now at Aldershott, brought his action to recover damages from Miss Josling, a young lady of considerable fortune. It appears that Captain Holder offered Miss Josling his hand at a time when she had just lost her parents and was nearly friend- less. She accepted the offier, out of a feeling of gratitude, as she alleged. The wedding-day was fixed, and the bridesmaids appointed. Meanwhile, Mr. Josling, an elder brother of the bride, returned home ; questioned his sister; found she • had no affection for the gallant Captain, and advised her frankly to state as much. She did so ; and thereupon, in the words of his counsel, Captain Holder "was so much agonized that he felt it necessary for his own honour to bring this action." The plaintiff's attorney demanded as much money-400/.—as would pay for the presents made to Miss Josling, the "travelling expenses" of her lover, and the lawyer's bill. Mr. Justice Williams administered a severe rebuke to the men of obtuse feelings who would not hesitate to bring any kind of action for money, although they made themselves the acorn of every manly heart whether the plaintiff was sucha man, he weuld leave the Jury to say. Damages for the plaintiff-3001. The case of "Boyle versus Wiseman" was to have again come on for trial at the 'Croydon Amazes ; but the parties, on Monday last, agreed upon terms in court, and the record of the action was withdrawn. The arrangement is, that Cardinal Wiseman is to pay 100/. towards the costs of the abortive trial at Guildford, the whole of the taxed costs of the trial at Kingston and of the present action, and further that no apology or retmctation should be de- manded or given.
At the Lancaster Assizes, a riumber of men employed on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway have been tried on charges ansmg out of the wholesale plundering which has been long carried on upon the line. Five of the pri- soners were convicted, and one was acquitted. The sentence on each of the convicts was four years' penal servitude.
In the further investigation of the poisoning ease by the Darlington Ma- gistrates, Mr. Wooler was examined for the third time, on Friday the 10th. A number of persons who had attended on Mrs. Wooler were questioned as to what 'medicines they had administered to her, to show that they had not mixed poison with them, nor given anything but what they had received from the medical men. Miss Brecknell, sister of the deceased, Miss Lan- cheater, Miss Middleton, and Wilson, an innkeeper, all testified strongly to the affection which seemed to exist between Mr. and Mrs. Wooler. Mrs. Wooler spoke of her "dear Joseph" shortly before her death : during her last illness, "Mr. Wooler manifested the greatest anxiety for her recovery"; be read religions books to-her. Mr. Henzell, a surgeon, gave evidence as to a certain bottle of liquid sent to him one day : he daily received a bottle, for the purpose of analysis; that sent on the particular day appeared to be the 'secretion of a very different person from Mrs. Wooler ; about that time Mrs. Week; had a "tingling" in her hands. Mr. Wooler, when spoken to on the subject, said there had been no mistake in sending the 'liquid. Mr. lienzall stated that he had analyzed the medicines found in Mr. Wooler's Indian basket' some agreed and some not with the descriptions on the la- bela As Professor Taylor's report on the condition of the viscera sent to him had not arrived, the iniviry was again adjourned.
Three inen'hive perished on the works of the new railway bridge at Ro- _cheater. Theloundation of the piers is to be formed by sinking in the bed of the river large irons:uses . the water is pumped out, the soil dug from the bottom, the eases sink, and when a sufficient depth is attained they are filled in with concrete. While three people were at work in one of the cases, some !‘. buqkets " of soil which were being hoisted fell, crushed the scaffold- ing.below, :add precipitated a ponderous diving-bell down the case : the un- fortunete workmen were crushed to death. . .
At Seater -Point, near Whitburn, a boat containing four fishermen was up- set bya heavy Sea.. One of the men, Beall, who could swim, made great exeMetis to save his companions. He got one on to a rock- but the sea washed him off, and he was drowned. Another perished near the boat. The third 'Reah managed to get near the shore; but both were exhausted, and .vrould probably have been lost, had not a lady who witnessed the dis- tressing scene rushed into the surf and dragged them to shore.
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