Certain workmen out of employment at Birmingham recently adopted a

memorial to the Queen, praying for a gigantic system of free emigra- tion. They applied, through their chairman, to Mr. Bright, asking hint to present it, and he sent them the following letter in reply.

" London, March 25.

"Dear Sir—When __your memorial reaches me or Mr. Sekelefield we will at once take the usual course with respect to its presentation to the Queen. I am sorry to find that the 'unemployed' should be so numerous in Birming- ham as to induce them to unite with a view to some public measures for their relief. At this moment the unfavourable condition of the markets of the United States and of the Continentof Europe will account for much of the suffering which is being endured by the working mew of England. I confess, however, that I can see no remedy for a large portion of the mis- chief complained of, so long as we find our taxes constantly, on the increase. and our national expenditure augmenting. We arenow spending 20,000,000/. a year more than we were spending only a few years back, and our military expenses have doubled since the year 1835, when the Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel were in power. This year, I suppose, we shall raise in taxes at least 50,00003001. sterling more than will require to be raised by an equal population' living, not in England, but in the United States of America. Surely this will account for much of the evils which you and the memorialists and the working classes generally suffer, and I am not sur- prised that sensible men should wish to quit a country where the burdens are so heavy and the political privileges of three-fourths of them are so few. Every man who is not prepared to compel a better and more economical government at home should emigrate, or the pauperism of his day will be deeper and more without remedy in the days of his children. I wish I was able to come to Birmingham and talk to you about these great questions. "Yours very respectfully, JOILW BRIGHT." The colliers of Barnsley have held a large meeting to concert measures to resist a proposed reduction of 15 per cent in their wages.

The South Staffordshire " puddlers," moved by recent reductions in their pay, have formed a "Protection Society," after the example of the ironmasters' quarterly meetings ; and they propose to regulate for the next ensuing quarter the rate of wages according to the declared price of iron—at the rate of la. per ton to the pound sterling, such wages, however, not to fall below 7s. per ton, and the rise or fall to take place on the Monday after the ironmasters' quarterly meetings, without no-

tice of reduction or advance being required on either side. • There are now at Aldershot Camp, six Infantry regiments of the line, fourteen Militia regiments, two Cavalry regiments, some battalions of the Military Train, and detachments of Engineers, and horse and foot Artillery ; in all, 18,500 men of all arms and 24 guns. The field-days will not begin until the month of May.

At Liverpool Assizes, James Mellor, an elderly man, who had carried on business as an attorney at Ashton-under-Lyne for thirty years, was tried for forgery. Many cases were alleged against him, but the one specially tried was the forging of a receipt—he paid 1501. to a Mr. and Mrs. Pother- gill, by direction of Mrs. Clarke, a client; the receipt sigued by them he altered to 4501., with intent to defraud Mrs. Clarke. This case was so clearly established that the prisoner's oounsel said it was useless to attempt a defence. To speak to his character, he called a clergyman, who described the prisoner's conduct as having been that of a "consistent Christian?' Another clergyman was about to be called, when Mr. Baron Martin said such testimony was immaterial : it only proved that the prisoner was a hypocrite as well as a rogue. The Judge, having referred in severe terms to the course of villainy which the prisoner had pursued, sentenced him to penal servitude for life.

At the same Assizes, Michael Brannon was convicted of assaulting and robbing Mr. Wainwright, on the railway near Rochdale. This was a very bad case. Mr. Wainwright, a schoolmaster of Littleborough, went to Manchester ; he bought a phial of chloroform for the tooth-ache ; and went towards the railway-station on h way, he saw Brannon behaving in a

suspicious manner, pretending his

to be drunk, and watching the prosecutor. Brannon went to the railway and took a ticket. Mr. Wainwright avoided him. But at Rochdale, Brannon got into the carriage where Mr. Wain- wright was sitting alone. When the train was going at full speed, Brannon seized Mr. Wainwright by the throat, presented a revolver at his head, and forced him on to the floor of the carriage ; then he began to plunder his victim ; finding the phial of chloroform, he poured it into Mr. Wain- wright's mouth, and he became insensible. The robber leapt from the carriage and escaped. At the next station the railway people found Mr. Wainwright insensible. Brannon was subsequently arrested at Liverpool. An attempt was made to prove an alibi; but the witnesses were not trust- worthy. The sentence was penal servitude for life.

Thomas Murray was convicted of perjury. At Rochdale Police Court, when Brannon was examined, Murray swore to a number of falsehoods with a view to injure the character of Mr. Wainwright. Mr. Benin Martin doubted whether the conviction was good, as Murray's statem_ents were irrelevant to the case. He consulted Mr. Justice Byles ; and then, telling the prisoner that there was no doubt about his "moral" peijury, he ordered him to be liberated, as he had committed no legal offence.

An interesting action arising out of gambling transactions was, tried at the the Kingston Assizes on Tuesday. Mr. Hill, an owner of race-horses, was the plaintiff, and Mr. Fox, formerly a man upon the turf, was the defendant. The action was to recover the sum of 20001., with interest. Hill has been on the turf for thirty years. He owns race-horses and bets largely. Fox was a man of fortune who in an evil hour, some years ago, took to bet- ting. In 18.50 he lost largely, and applied to Hill for a loan of 2000/. At the same time he lost bets to Hill amounting to 16501. Hill placed a check for 20001. in the bands of his solicitors and referred Fox to them. They agreed to hand the oheqk to Fox and he gave as security n bond for 20001.; and he insured his life for 1500/. and 5001. These policies have lapsed in 1866, the premiums not being paid by Fox ; out of the check Fox paid his betting debt to Hill. The defence was, that Hill lent him the 20001. to pay the bets, and that therefore under the Gambling Acts the transaction was illegal. Hill contended that the money was advanced as an ordinary loan ; and that the 1650/. paid to him was to satisfy bets he had made for Fox with other parties. It came out on the cross-examination of Fox that he had " levanted " in 1856, and that he had lived abroad out of the way of his creditors ever since. There were some discrepancies in the statements of Hill and Fox, both of whom were examined ; but the Jury believed Hill, and deciding that the loan was contracted in the ordinary way, not colour- able to evade the Betting Acts, gave a verdict to Hill, for the full amount, bond and interest, 25591.

At Taunton, the Reverend L. Shirreff Dudman, Rector of Pitney, -pro- ceeded against Mr. William Shewbrooks, a builder, for publishing a libel. Mr. Shewbrooks had been engaged in building a rectory-house at Pitney ; he had disputes with Mr. Dudman ; the Rector Tout an unpleasant advertise- ment in a newspaper about the payment of the wages of the workmen en- gaged on the building ; the builder retaliated by publishing an equally, or more unpleasant handbill reflecting on the Rector's conduct towards him- self—that was the alleged libel. Much evidence was given on both sides, but it chiefly regarded the building. Among other letters put in was one from the plaintiff to Mr. Carver, the architect engaged, of which the fol- lowing is an extract-

- In making such a statement you have committed a deadly sin—a sin for which it is my duty as God's minister to forewarn you. Except you repent and make re- stitution, the eternal flames of Hell await you as a just reward, as it is written in the Word of God—' All liars shall have their part in the lake which bumeth with fire and brimstone,' which is the second death. Amen ! Trusting you to the way of God in the prayer that He may grant you repentance with salvation, I remain, (although I refuse my confidence in you as my architect,) "Your faithful servant, L. Sinew? DI/DXAN. "To Mr. Carver."

In summing-up, Mr. Justice Wiles adverted to the letter written by the

plaintiff to Mr. Carver, and observed that it was perfectly melancholy to see persons occupying a respectable position, who ought to set a better ex- ample, mingling sacred things with profane in such a manner as had been presented in this case, and he could not help advising Mr. Dudman to con- sider his own ways and to abstain for the future from such horrid blasphemy. (Loud applause.) The Jury retired for a short time, and then returned a verdict for the defendant.

At Liverpool Assizes, John Anderson Christie, master of the Elizabeth' has been convicted of the murder of Francisco Rodrigues, a sailor. Es repeatedly beat, kicked, and otherwise ill-used the sailor, and thus " ae.. celerated " his death : the Jury did not think he actually caused it, as the man suffered from scurvy, and therefore they acquitted Christie on the charge of murder which had been preferred. Mr. Baron Martin said the crime was as near a murder as could be; and he sentenced the culprit to penal servitude for life.

Death in the pulpit. Liversedge Church, near Leeds, was the scene, on Sunday afternoon, of a most melancholy event—the death of the clergyman during service. In the absence of the incumbent of the church in the afrer- noon, the Reverend W. Hughes, a retired clergyman, residing in the lo- cality, officiated. He was reading the usual prayers, and was observed to pause and turn pale ; recovering himself, he proceeded for a sentence or so, and then fell heavily backward in the pulpit. He was immediately removed to the vestry, and medical assistance was sent for, which was promptly Obtained; but his pulse had ceased to beat. The cause of death is thought to be apo- plexy.

A large warehouse belonging to the East Lancashire Railway at Brooks. bottom, near Bury, but occupied by Mr. Kay for the storage of cotton goods, was burnt down on Saturday morning. Building and contents valued at 10,000/., and only partially insured.

The South-Western Railway passenger-station at Salisbury, a very ex- tensive structure, built almost entirely of wood, was swept away by fire on Saturday night. The disaster is supposed to have originated from an es- cape of gas. The goods-station was saved. The traffic on the line has not been impeded.

A large part of the cotton-mills of Messrs. Williams in Idinshull Street, Manchester, was destroyed by fire early on Monday morning, one whole building, with its many floors of costly machinery, being converted to heap of ruins ; while the fall of one of the lofty walls damaged other property, crushed a gasometer, and caused an explosion. Three hundred people are thrown out of employment. The loss is estimated at 20,000/., but Messrs. Williams have insurances on the whole of their buildings for 30,000/.