Zbe 13robins.

Both parties in Wigan have brought forward candidates for the seat vacated by Mr. Greenall: the Conservative is the Honourable Captain James Lindsay, third son of the Earl of Brdcarres; the Liberal, Mr. Ralph Anthony Thicknesse, son of Mr. R. Thicknesse, who represented the borough from 1832 to 1835. Both have addressed the electors. This is the pith of Captain Lindsay's address- " I am fully prepared to support the general policy of the present Government under Sir Robert Peel, believing it to be the most conducive to the interests of the country; at the same time reserving to myself the power of exercising my- own opinion in cases where I conceive it my duty to do so for the interests of the borough and the community at large. "My family having for so many years resided in the immediate vicinity of the borough, I myself feel an earnest desire to promote its prosperity; and I assure you that if I should be honoured with your support, I shall always use my utmost exertions to further your views and promote your interests."

Mr. Thicknesse says—

"My object in appealing to your suffrages is to promote the total and imme tliate abolition of the Corn and Provision laws.

"I believe that these laws are most injurious to your interests, and that their repeal, by maintaining the value of both property and labour, would secure, as far as human means can secure, continued prosperity to all classes of the com- munity. " My political principles are well known to you; and I trust there needs no assurance of my desire to serve you with fidelity and zeal.

"From those who entertain different opinions, I would ask that we may differ without hostility; from those whose opinions are consonant with my own, I solicit a cordial support on behalf of the principles of Free-trade, which, however humble the instrument, must gain by my sucease or suffer by my defeat."

The usual notification of the writ by the Speaker appeared in Tuesday's Gazette.

Mr. Ramsbottom, the Member for Windsor, is seriously indisposed. Some time ago, he suffered a violent fall from his horse, which brought on in- ternal injury so severe that no hopes of his recovery are entertained.

The Hertfordshire Agricultural Association held its annual cattle-show and ploughing-match on Wednesday; and afterwards four hundred gen- tlemen sat down to dinner in the Town-hall. Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton presided; and among the company were Mr. Abel Smith, M.P., the Honourable George Ryder, M.P., Mr. W. Wilshere, ALP., Sir Martin Far- quhar, Sir A. Cooper, Mr. Tennyson D'Eyncourt, Mr. Surtees, and other gentlemen of influence. Sir Edward Lytton gained much applause by his effective and appropriate orations. in proposing the toast of prosperity to the Association, he advocated such societies as a means of promotiug union among different classes—the landlord and the tenant, the farmer and the tradesman; and he urged the necessity of agricultural education in order to agricultural improvement. He deprecated excessive preserving of game, not for rational amusement, but for the mere ostentatious display of a holyday battue. And he mingled with other topics some adroit flattery of the agricultural classes; country gentlemen, yeomanry, and labourers—

Classes had anemtry as well as individuals; and if he reminded that meeting of the service which their forefathers had rendered to the country, it was not from

a desire to flatter their vanity, but to rouse their emulation, and to furnish an answer to unthinking men of every party who implied in their observations that the landlords of England were grasping and tyrannical, and who intimated that there was not sufficient love of freedom on the part of the farmers. Now he would say, that all the great struggles which our history records showed the strength and love of liberty of our agricultural population. More than three centuries ago, when the Spanish Armada, the greatest fleet that ever set out on such an ex*i- lion, was off the coast,—and when Elizabeth in person, not far from that town, reviewed her army, which was collected for the defence of the Protestant religion,— it was an army composed of country squires, and farmers and farm-labourers brought from the plough. Her Majesty had at that time but twenty-eight ships, and the landed gentry of England manned and equipped a fleet of double that amount to aid in the defence of the country. And who, he would ask, led the fleet of England against the ships of Spain and the thunders of the Pope?—The Seymours and the Howards and the aristocracy of England were proud to serve under Drake, who was the son of an agricultural labourer. When, at a subse- quent period of our history, Charles the First attempted that course which, if unchecked, might have ended in worse than Eastern despotism, the Eliots, the Pyms, and the Hampdens, the plain country gentlemen of England, resisted him. A hen the civil wars broke out, who were the men who, not seeking to raise them - selves by a revolution, made every exertion to save the country from the horrors of that civil war P—The country gentlemen of England. It was the country gentlemen of England who resisted Cromwell when he usurped the government : and Cromwell knew the character of the agricultural population; for when he was beaten at first, he said, "We deserve to be beaten, for we raised our army from the scum of the land; and we must therefore go down' to our estates and recruit our army from our yeomen." He did go down to his estate, and raised that invincible troop called "Ironsides," before whom the foreign troops went down as grass. It was with such men that Ile calculated upon making the name of Englishman as cele- brated as that of Roman. Burleigh, Walpole, Pitt, Fox, and Wyndham, were sprung from the landed gentry; and Latimer, the greatest reformer and martyr, was the son of a small country yeoman. Harvey, who discovered the circulation of the blood and revolutionized medical science, was the son of a small farmer; Cook, the immortal navigator, another son of a fanner, little raised above a pea- sant; Sir William Jones, one of our greatest scholars, was the son of a small farmer: But if he were to recapitulate half the names which then occurred to him of eminent men who sprang from the land to defend or adorn the country, he could detain them not for an hour, but for a month. (Laughter and renewed cheers.) When England wanted soldiers, where did she look for them 1—Among the agricultural class. It was from among the agricultural labourers that the thews and sinews which carried victory with them at Cressy and Agincourt and Poictiers were taken. It Was from English yeomen that the soldiers were raised who fought at Blenheim, and at Waterloo beat down the conqueror of the world: and although, in these happy times of peace, the success of their arms in battle might be forgotten, their services were undiminished; for they had other duties to perform, and were now employed in the improvement of our mother-country, in the increase of our national wealth, in exertions which went to the protection of the poor, and in a perfect union of all classes and of every party for these objects. At the meeting of the North Derbyshire Agricultural Society, on Wed- nesday, the Chairman (Mr. William Evans, Member for North Derbyshire) observed with respect to farming, that there was great room for improve- ment in all parts of the county. This drew forth a reply from Mr. W. Inett, of Barnley Moor, one of the judges of the day—

He regretted to find the worthy President of the Society seemed to throw cold water on the members of the North Derbyshire Society. If they were bad farmers, and not good ones, he would say that their "poverty and not their will con- sented." He thought that fur this, in a great many instances, the landlords themselves were to blame; and he would just mention a few instances. First, as to the Game-laws: in this county the tenant's lands were overrun with game, and he considered the preservation of game to be a great injury to the tenant- farmer. The landlords had no excuse for keeping or preserving game: they could not say, like the fanners, that their poverty consented, but they must rather say that their will and not their poverty consented. The system of preserving game entailed not only an injury upon the fanner, but misery to the poor and ex- pense to the country, and carried with it distress and misery to time labourer: while their families were ruined by poaching, the burden of keeping them during their one or two months of confinement in the county gaol was entailed upon the country. This was an evil to the farmers, and loudly called for redress. He would also mention that another injury by which the farmer severely suffered from his landlord was the system of hedge-row timber, which prevented the free operation of the sun and air. This system of occupying so much hedge-room for timber was highly injurious. Another great objection was that the landlord objected to plough up bad grass-land. He might allude to many other circumstances, and particularly to that of draining. The farm ought to be thoroughly drained by the landlord, who might charge a reasonable percentage for the outlay of hie capital.

Mr. Evans disclaimed any wish to discourage the farmers— On the contrary, he wished to do all in his power to encourage them; and what he wanted to see was, that they should set about mending thew faults. He was of opinion that there wanted a greater spirit of competition among them, in order to become good practical agriculturists. If a manufacturer heard that any new invention or pattern had been brought out, or that any improvement had taken place in machinery, he would not rest satisfied until he had obtained it, or bad found out the principle of the improvement: and why should not the same be ap plied to agriculture?

At the annual meeting of the South Cheshire Agricultural Association, at Saudbach, on Thursday last week, Mr. John Tollemache, the Con- servative Member for the Division of the County, urged the necessity of a better education for farmers— He could not think of a state of society more alarming than that the labouring men of the next generation should be in a state of education better than those per- sons who were in a grade of society immediately above them. The yeomen of England ought to possess that influence and superiority which could alone be secured to them by education, and which he trusted they would ever maintain.

He wished to avoid at that meeting all subjects of a political nature; but he must repeat what he had often told them before, that, great an advocate as he was for protection, he was quite satisfied that their best protection must consist in their own exertions. It was impossible the fanner could compete with other countries if he neglected the improvements and discoveries of the age. They possessed advantages in Cheshire even over other parts of their own country: tithes and rates were much lower, and they had the 'best and most increasing markets in the land at their very door. With these advantages, and so long as the landlords would give leases to improving tenants with capital, and assistance to those who had not capital who wished to improve their farms, he thought they would have nothing to fear for Cheshire. Captain Rons has sent to the papers a corrected version of the speech which he spoke at Halesworth. While he deprecated repeal of the Corn-laws, it seems that he did recommend the admission of Australian corn. The population of this country, he observed, will have doubled in forty years, and will then have arrived at the condition of densely-peopled China,—a country which is not only compelled to allow a free trade in corn, but which exempts from harbour-dues every ship that brings rioe to

its ports. Can this country hope to double its amount of grain and stock in forty years? Recollect, too, the close risk of a failure in the wheat-crop throughout Europe this year, and the destruction of the potato-crop by the rain- " I mention these facts to prove that we must not look to Europe to supply any deficiencies in our corn-market, as in all probability the same causes which in- fluence our harvests will produce there the same effects. We must neither look to Europe or the United States of America; because every artifice and ingenuity that man can devise to depress our trade, and to prevent the importation of our manufactured goods, has been adopted by their respective Governments; and for that reason I would retain the present import-duties on foreign corn. With this view, therefore, her Majesty's Ministers, I presume, gave a boon to Canada to admit their corn at Is. per quarter, when all other Colonial wheat was con- tinued at 5s. per quarter. This was a great error: it pleased nobody but the Canadians; for no man of sense can admit the justice of the differential duties between Canada and the rest of the Colonies. The fact is, that every argument is in favour of the Australian Colonies, and the Cape of Good Hope, against Canada. In Canada, they charge the Mother-country with a capitation-tax of 10s. on every British emigrant; in the other Colonies, they subscribe for the purposes of emigration. In Canada, it is very convenient to smuggle any quan- tity. of American corn, owing to a river-communication of 1,600 miles; whereas at the Cape, and in the Australian Colonies, it is impossible to introduce foreign corn by such means, Si the Brazils to the Cape, and the coast of Chili to New Hol- land, are the nearest countries from which they could be imported. Add to this the difference of freight and the distance between Great Britain and these respective colonies, and there is no argument in the world for our Australian Colonies being placed in a more disadvantageous position than the Canadas. But, gentle- men, there is a still stronger argument in favour of our corn-markets being sup- plied by British capital and by British labour; and I will put the case personally to you. If I and one-third of the gentlemen I have the honour to address imagine we can improve our social condition by emigrating to South Australia, why is a tax to be laid upon the produce of our labour (I mean upon wheat) in that country, any more than if we settled in Ireland? Are they not both integral parts of the empire? If you complain that you cannot compete with the Colonies owing to the pressure of rates, tithes, and taxes, recollect that the colonists have roads to make, churches, court-houses, and gaols to build; and that they are like younger brothers in England, with very little money in their pockets to build them with. But what I contend for is this, that if the Colonies do not lay customhouse- duties on the manufactured goods of the Mother-country to augment their re- venue, we have no right to tax their productions, consisting of the actual neces- saries of life, to increase our public income."

Doncaster Races closed on Friday, with an excellent day's sport. For the Parkhill Stakes of 501. each, with 1001. to the second horse, the win- ner to pay 201. towards expenses, four horses ran; the winner being Major Yarburgh's Miss Sarah (J. Holmes); second, Mr. R. Bennett's Hope (C. Marlow). Berrrsta—Even on Miss Sarah, 6 to 4 against Miss Ella, and 7 to 2 against Hope.

THE Race—One false start; at the second Miss Elis went away with a strong lead, followed by Miss Sarah to the gravel-road, and thence by Hope, the pace not by any means great. Miss Elis increased her lead over the hill, and carried oaths running at an improved speed to the distance, where she was caught and defeated by Hope. Miss Sarah then drew up towards the front, was alongside Hope at the Stand, and without the slightest effort won by a couple of lengths. Miss Elis was stopped Wide the distance.

Sixteen horses started for the Two-year-old Stakes; won by 'Sir CharleS Monek's Velocipede; Mr. Osbaldeston's filly by Stockport saving his stake as second. • Berrusa--6 to 5 against Princess Alice, 6 to 1 against Garland, 8th 1 against Fancy Boy, 10 to 1 against Turpin, 10 to 1 against Free Lance, 10 to 1 against Fair Helen 10 to 1 against the Pencolt, 12 to 1 against Thersites.

THE RLE—Lord George Bentinck having undertaken to start the horses, the jockies drew lots for stations; and after a considerable loss of time were got off in capital style, Tobacconist and the Pen colt going away in the van, the Stockport and Garland fillies and Princess Alice in close attendance, with the rack laid up; Malt, whose jockey had been presented with No. 8 in the rear rank, lying on the upper side. The whole lot ran in company to the bend, where the Stock- port and Garland fillies singled themselves out, and the former went on with a slight lead to the Stand; here the Garland filly collared her, and after a short struggle won cleverly by a length. Bill Scott came in at the last, and got a very good third place; those up with him were Fair Helen, Prospect, Princess Alice, the Pen colt, Fancy Boy, and Tobacconist.

The Cup of 3001., with 501. added for the second, was won by Mr. Hill's Sweetmeat (Whitehouse); Mr. Salvin's Alice Hawthorn's (Bumby) se- cond; Mr. Mostyn's Pantasa and Lord George Bentinck's Miss Elis being the beaten horses.

Berrneo-5 to 4 on Sweetmeat ; 7 to 2 against Pantasa (taken); 6 to 1 against Miss Elie; and 8 to 1 against Alice Hawthorn.

THE RACE—Miss Elis took a commanding lead, and with Alice Hawthorn iu her track made strong running until near the Red House; where the old mare, whose forte has always been to" go on," dropped so suddenly behind her horses that everybody thought she was beaten. Sweetmeat then took the second place, followed Miss Elis to the two-mile-post, took up the running, with Pantasa in his wake, and won very cleverly by a length. Alice Hawthorn came again inside the distance, and, after being disappointed in an attempt to go up on the left of Pantasa, went up on his right, and beat him for second place by a length. Miss Elis was beaten about six lengths from the winner. Had Alice Hawthorn taken up the running at the turn, we are very much disposed to believe she would have won.

The Town Plate of 1001. was won by Colonel Meiklam's Godfrey (Tern- pleman); the Gascoyne of 1001. each by Lord Chesterfield's Pam (Nat).

Many paragraphs scattered about in the papers, indicate considerable activity of trade and labouring industry, with an occasional hint how need- ful it is to keep the vast machine going: the new public works help to do so.

In consequence of the advance in the price of iron which took place a short time back, the masters at several large works [about Wednesbnry] have given the paddlers orders to go on at an advance of 6d. per ton, to commence on Mon- day last. This is as it should be, when the master obtains an advance that the men feel the benefit of it; and when a reduction takes place in the market, the men ought also to submit to a lower rate of wages. With a proper understanding, we should hear nothing of those vexatious strikes which are of frequent occurrence in this neighbourhood, and which are attended with evil consequences to all classes of people.—Birmingham Pilot. On Thursday last, our operatives were agreeably surprised by the announcement that the lock-masters had received a very large order for locks from the East India Company. Indeed, we are informed that this order is the largest which has come into this town for many years. The timely arrival of the present order will cause many men to be very busy who have been badly off for work for some time, and were begging to make the common lock; they would consequently soon have overstocked the market. —.Nem.

The works in the interior of Dover harbour are now' under the active operations of Mr. Bray, the contractor, and his powerful corps, beginning to develop the ex- tensive nature of the undertaking. The outline of the enlargement is now suffi- ciently marked to show what an immense improvement in point of space, depth of water, convenience of quays, and force of back-water, will be attained on the com- pletion of the works. On the outside of the harbour also, a strong stone sea-wall, founded on iron piles grooved into one another, extending from the North pier- head to the York Hotel, a distance of about 800 feet, is being erected; audit is now calculated that the job will be completed in less than twelve months from this date.—Canterbury Journal.

We are informed that no fewer than from 20,000 to 30,000 tons of salt have been exported hence to the East Indies within the last three months. The enter- prise is expected to return a very handsome profit.—Liverpool Albion.

We are glad to hear that the factory-hands of Oldham have invited their em- ployers to a tea-party and ball, the object of which they state in their address to be, "to return to them their most sincere and heartfelt thanks for the liberal manner in which they have acceded to their request for an advance of wages." The festival is fixed for Monday next, and the operatives request the favour of a half-holvday on that day. We trust that the effect of this meeting may be to cement the good feeling which now exists between masters and men.—Manehester Guardian.

As an illustration of the beneficial effects which may be expected to accrue from the early closing of shops, we may mention the gratifying fact that no fewer than fifty-eight young men in the employment of Messrs. Faulkner, Brothers, enrolled themselves members of the Manchester Athenieum on Monday last. We trust this example will find numerous imitators.—Manchester Argue.

The sequel of the proceedings before Mr. Assistant-Commissioner Parker, at Andover Union Workhouse, is as curious as any part. On Saturday, was handed in a report on the accounts of the Master, by Mr. Mitchiner, an eminent account- ant; who said that on the face of the books there was no evidence to support the charge of peculation against Mr. Macdougal. Some passages in the report provoked merriment; such as where a deficiency in the bread consumed by the women and children was accounted for by the fact that "when bread is soaked in milk a much less quantity suffices than when it is eaten dry'; and, added Mr. Mitchiner, "the allowance of cheese would also lie saved in every such instance." Witnesses as to character were then called, to rebut the charge of drunkenness. The Reverend Christopher Dobson, Chairman of the Board of Guardians, and three other members, the Reverend Charles Henry Redding, Vicar of Andover, Mr. Octavius Hammond, a surgeon, Mr. Henry Earle a solicitor and auditor of the Union accounts, the Reverend George Watson Smyth, Curate of Fyfield, all deposed to the respectable conduct, efficiency, and kindness, of Mr. Macdougal in his office. One of them, however, said that he had once or twice seen him &auk on Saturday nights.

At this point, Mr. Missing, counsel for the Master, observing that he had been refused time to make up his defence, stated that Mr. Macdougal had resigned. The inquiry was therefore adjourned till Tuesday; and Mr. Parker retired to the Board-room.

Here it is understood, several of the Guardians tendered their resignation; while Others expressed undiminished confidence in Mr. Macdougal, and a deter- mination to retain him in office for one month at least.

On Tuesday, a letter from the Poor-law Commissioners was received by Mr. Macdougal, stating that sufficient evidence had been given to show his unfitness for his office, and to warrant the dismissal of his wife as Matron ; and requiring them to depart without further delay. It was understood in Andover, that Mr. Macdougal had taken steps to resist the coercive power of the Commissioners, even to the dosing of the Workhouse-doors ! That passed away without the re- appearance of Mr. Parker, who had gone to London.

On Wednesday, a letter from the Poor-law Commissioners was given to Mr. Westlake, in which they mentioned the having learned that Mr. Mac,dongal's re- signation had been received by the Guardians: the letter then proceeded thus— "This was a step entirely within the discretion of the Guardians to take; and, as they have accepted Mr. Macdougal's resignation, the inquiry by Mr. Parker, the object of which was to ascertain Mr. Macdougal's fitness for the office which he no longer holds—is necessarily terminated. The Commissioners could not now issue an order dismissing Mr. and Mrs. Macdougal, since such an order would be a nullity' inasmuch as there is no longer any Master and Matron on whom an order of dismissal could take effect. What further proceedings it may be incum- bent upon the Commissioners to take in this matter, after a perugal of the evi- dence now for the first time before them in any official shape, they will proceed to consider."

A very alarming accident occurred at the railway terminus at Bristol on the night of Thursday week. A train from Gloucester ran into the Exeter luggage- train while the latter was passing from the Bristol and Exeter to the London line, and seven trucks were smashed: there were two hundred passengers, but no one appears to have been injured. "Our informant," says the Somerset County Ga- zette, attributes the damage to the carelessness of the engine-driver upon the Gloucester line; as the Exeter train had the red lights burning on the last car- riage. The passengers complain bitterly that they were left in a state of ago- nizing uncertainty for half-an-hour, and then turned out in the dark, among a wilderness of rails, to find their way to beds in the town as they best could. They were carried on by the next morning train from Bristol to London."

A correspondent of the Times narrates the perils of a journey on the Birming- ham and Bristol Railway. "On Saturday last, a special train left Birmingham for Bristol at ten minutes past six o'clock p.m.' with about a hundred and thirty passengers, proceeding at the usual speed until it came near Defford; when there were evident signs of some deficiency in the engine, as we did not proceed at more than eight miles per hour; and before we arrived at Bredon, the engine failed altogether, and the train became stationary: After some delay, the engine proceeded at about four miles per hour; we arrived at Aschurch at nearly nine o'clock; and, from what passed between the guard and policeman, it was evident that the express-train, which leaves at half-past seven o'clock, was, close upon us at full speed, and that we could not get on the up-rail, the mail being nearly due to pass. The rain was falling in torrents, and the passengers expecting the ex- press to run into their train every minute. After the engine had dragged us along a short distance, a down side-rail was perceived; on which we were backed, the guard exclaiming, Thank God, we are out of danger.' In a few minutes the express passed us, at a rapid rate. It then became evident that the engine could not proceed for want of fuel to keep up the fire, as the engine-driver was seen carrying large pieces of coal along the line. Soon after the fire was got up, we proceeded; and arrived in Gloucester at twenty minutes past ten, and the train thence to Bristol in fifty-five minutes. Such gross negligence on the part of the engine-driver in not carrying with him a sufficiency of fuel, and thereby placing the lives of the passengers in great danger, I never met with; and it demands the searching investigation of the directors. I should state in justice to the guard, that he used every exertion to prevent a collision. Yet, from the appearance of the signals on this part of the line, it is evident they are inefficient, many of the lights being nearly extinguished." A correspondent of the Hominy Chronicle, who was a passenger in the train on the North Midland Railway which was run into by another train at Oaken- thaw station last week, gives this account of the collision. "The train was ten minutes behind its time [fifteen minutes past ten o'clock] in starting from Leeds

and eQually behind time on its arrival at Oakenshaw. Here a considerable delay took place; and at ten minutes past eleven, happening then to look at my watch, I called the attention of another gentleman in the same carriage to the fact that the York train was then more than due. A minute or two later, observing some anxious looks upon the platform, I stepped out, and within a second or two the collision took place. The train which ran into us was not a stopping-train at the Oakenshaw station, being the train which left York at fifty minutes past nine; and consequently, but for notice having been given, would have been coming past at its full speed. Due notice was not, and probably could not have been given: but the really reprehensible circumstance is that, with the notorious want of punctuality on the lines under this [the Hudson] management, two trains from different starting-points should be running on the same line within twenty minutes of each other: with any unusual delay, the Leeds train, which stops at Oakenshaw, is always liable to be run into by the York train, which does not stop there: and to show the efficiency of the other arrangements, I need only say that I heard the guard of the Leeds train say to the person who took the tickets at the next (Barnsley) station, You had better put up the signal; we have been run into once': on which the other called out to some one to put up the signal,' adding, It's not of much consequence, however; they never take any notice of it.' " The Norwich and Yarmouth up-train of Saturday night arrived five hours after its time; and the passengers were deposited at Shoreditch at four o'clock on Sun- day morning, instead of eleven on Saturday night. About mid-way to London, some accident happened to an iron rod connected with the valve of the boiler; there was no station near at which an engine could be obtained; so that the train was detained till the injury could be repaired.

In extenuation of the many disasters, stoppages, and failures in keeping to time on the Cambridge line, it is stated that the engine-power is deficient, because the railway was completed before the time appointed, and thus a sufficient number of engines could not be obtained. Some thirty or forty are getting ready with as much celerity as possible.

Thomas Topp, one of Prince Albert's gamekeepers, was charged before the Maidenhead Magistrates, on Tuesday, with having set a ferocious dog, (stated to be a bloodhound,) at a Mrs. Wells, the wife of a labouring man residing in the parish of Bray, for having gathered wood in that part of Windsor Forest in which are the preserves of the Prince Consort. It appeared from the evidence, that on the 23d August, Mrs. Wells and some other women were gathering sticks in the forest, though they had been told not to do so. Topp came up, took the wood from them, and set his dog first upon a Mrs. Lee, and then on the complainant. He also seized Mrs. Wells by the clothes and shook them, to provoke the anger of the dog. The woman was far advanced in pregnancy; which she told the game- keeper, begging him to kill her at once if he wanted her life. The dog bit her severely in the back and on the hip; she was confined to her bed for a fortnight, and firmly believed that the child, yet unborn, was dead. For the defence it was urged, that the seizure of the woman by the dog was entirely accidental, and that Topp never intended to set him on Mrs. Wells. It was also alleged by a surgeon, that the woman was not pregnant, or at least not far advanced in that state. The Magistrates considered that the assault had been fully proved; Topp had protected has master's property in an illegal, an unjustifiable manner. He was tined 2/. with 10s. 6d. costs; and Mr. Sawyer, one of the Magistrates, ex- pressed a hope that Prince Albert would view the Matter in the same light as he

The examination of the men charged with the murder of Mr. Peacop, of Birk- enhead, was resumed at Chester on Wednesday. It was proved that Burns, the approver, was absent from home on the night of the murder. All four of the pri- soners received good characters from persons who had employed them. Witnesses for the defence deposed to Lynch's having been at home on the night of the murder; and it was proved that Burns had uttered at least one falsehood, though on a point which does not appear to be very relevant—he had said that he could not read, but it was proved that he had been beard to read. The Magistrates ad- j ourned the case till Saturday, that they might weigh the evidence adduced for the accused.

A sick man in a delirious fit arose from his bed the other night, at Yarmouth, and went into the street in his shirt to look after a donkey, imagining that the animal had got loose. A woman was startled by such an apparition, and screamed for assistance; upon which a young fellow, who thought the sick man was some "Spring-heeled Jack" playing his pranks, violently beat the poor wanderer. He died the next morning, and his assailant was charged with murdering him. How- ever, a surgeon having given an opinion that the man died from internal disease, and not from the beating, the Coroner's Jury that sat on the body returned a verdict of "Natural Death."

Two persons have been destroyed by an explosion of fireworks at Harlow West Marsh. A man was blown out of an upper room where the fireworks were made; and a youth was found dead in one corner of the room.

A butcher's wife at Gloucester, holding a sharp-pomted knife in her hand, was about to cut up some meat which she had been washing at a pump to feed a dog; a number of cats gathered around her; in attempting to drive them away, she fell forward; the knife entered her breast, and, piercing her heart, killed her.

During a violent thunder-storm, accompanied by torrents of rain and a fall of hailstones of a monstrous size, at Chatham, on Sunday evening, a farm-labourer n a field was struck dead by the lightning.