trbe probittres.

The appearance of a fourth candidate for North Essex, in the persons • Mr. Fyske Harrison, of Copford Hall, led to an extraordinary scene. Mr Harrison met a party of farmers on Saturday; and what followed is relatea by a local paper— Mr. Harrison very composedly addressed the meeting, frequently making long pauses to refer to his notes, and occasionally taking a glass of wino or a stp

of brandy and water, with which he was abundantly supplied. At one time he

produceda thick volume, and, after the lapse of several minutes, announced his intention of reading a quotation from Paley s Moral Philosophy. This was ro- ceived with bursts of laughter; which, with a constant succession of derisive shouts from the multitude, constituted the remainder of the afternoon's diversion. Mr. Harrison appeared without any supporters; he has received no promises, will certainly obtain no votes, and, therefore, cannot be returned."

Lord Charles Russell has announced his retirement from Bedfordshire..

Mr. Cardwell has been lurched by some of his supporters Mr the repre- sentation of Liverpool, on the score of too great toleration-' and a meeting has been held for taking measures to get back SirHoward Douglas.

Mr. Pulsford retires from Hereford, on account of ill health.

An address has been issued to the electors of Wycombe by Mx. Or borne, resigning all future claims to their suffrages. Mr. Apaley Pellatt has withdrawn from the contest for Readio&

Sir George Clerk is a candidate for the seat vacated at Dover by Sir John Rae Reid, who retires.

The Conservative party in Tewkesbury are putting forward Viscount Lascalles, son of the Earl of Ilarewood, as the successor to Mr. Dowdes- well, who retires. The Liberal candidate, Mr. Martin, has issued his address.

The British Association for the Advancement of Science have held their daily sittings at Oxford. On Saturday morning at nine o'clock, the General Committee met to de- cide upon the next place of meeting, and to elect officers for next year. The invitation from Swansea was considered, and accepted. The Marquis of Northampton was elected President for 1848; and the next year's meeting was fixed for the 9th of August. The interest of Monday's proceedings seemed to centre in the promised visit of Prince Albert. The expectant sevens were gratified about eleven o'clock by the arrival of the Prince Consort, in company with the Here- ditary Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar. The royal personages were met at the railway station by the President, Dr. Buckland, Colonel Sabine, and a large body of members, and conducted to Exeter College. After a brief rest, Prince Albert and his companions went on foot to the chamber occu- pied by the Geological Section, and were present during the reading of Pro- fessor Nilsson's paper on the elevation and depression of the surface of Scandinavia. Prince Albert put some questions; and expressed, through Sir Roderick Murchison, his willingness to hear two gentlemen speak on the subject, provided they confined their discourses to five minutes each. Mr. J. Phillips and Professor Sedgwick availed themselves of this limited permission, and " enlarged " as well as they could upon the subject. The royal visitors then passed rapidly over the section of Natural History, the Sub-section of Ethnology, the New College Hall, the Horticultural show in Trinity Gardens, and the Mathematical Section; returned to Exeter Col- lege to lunch; and proceeded to London about half-past four. The last general meeting was held at three o'clock on Wednesday, in the Theatre. In his concluding address as President, Sir Robert Inglis referred to the present meeting of the Association as most successful in all respects, particularly in the harmonious spirit which had reigned through- out. In speaking of the distinguished foreign visiters—fifty-five in number —Sir Robert remarked that a large proportion of them spoke English. The financial report was read. It appeared that the number of tickets issued was 1,229; being 495 Associates, 18 new life, 40 new annual, 101 old annual, 314 old life members, 203 ladies, and 58 foreigners. The con- tributions amounted to 1,0681. Sir Roderick Murchison proposed a vote of thanks to the men of science of other countries who had honoured the present meeting of the Association with their attendance. Coming to the Swedish sevens, Sir Roderick made particular mention of the beautiful maps of the natural productions of Sweden which had been explained by Count Rosen: these maps were the work of the heir to the throne of Swe- den and Norway, the Crown Prince, Karl Ludvig. The Prince, added Sir Roderick, "can boast of a sire who has not only laboured hard and suc- cessfully for the benefit of his people, but who has published works on education and the reform of the criminal law which do equal credit to his head and heart." Professor Struve returned thanks, in English, and M. Leverrier in French. Thanks were then voted to whomsoever due; and the Association adjourned—to reassemble at Swansea, on the 9th of August 1848.

In the Statistical Section, on Thursday, an interesting paper was read by the Reverend E. R. Larken, Rector of Barton by Lincoln, on the results of a scheme for improving the condition of Irish labourers' devised by Mr. Vandeleur, and tried br him at Ralahine in the county of Clare. The plan adopted was an association of labourers altogether without capital, to whom a certain quantity of land was intrusted in common for cultivation; the landlord advancing the necessary stock, farming implements, and providing dwellings, barns, and farm-buildings, &c., and receiving back the value of the rent of the land and the interest, at the rate of 5 and 6 per cent on the advances made and money expended in the produce of the farm, at the market price, the surplus to go to the common benefit. The farm was cultivated by the labourers themselves; they were paid in labour-notes, which were payable in kind at a store on the property, such notes being exchanged for money for the purchase only of such necessary articles as the farm did not pre- clude. Care was taken to exclude objectionable characters by ballot of the mem- bers, and if necessary by the veto of the proprietor. The conditions of the hold- ing were, that if the stipulated amount of produce for rent and interest was not paid at the end of the first year, or if the stock advanced deteriorate in quantity or value, or the cultivation recede, then the proprietor should have power to take back the farm into his own hands. The value of the produce required to pay rent and interest was 900/ a year; the number of acres to be farmed was 622, 326 of Which were arable. There was good water-power on the estate, and machines for flax-weaving were provided. Means of education for the children was also pro- vided. This scheme Veafl, in the first instance, received with much distrust by the labourers themselves, (it should be remarked that the neighbourhood was one of those in which agrarian outrages obtained); but by judicious management confidence wah established. The association commenced with about forty mem- bers; and during the two years of its existence, 1831 and 1832—at the end of which period it was put an end to by Mr. Vandelear's leaving the country—it was attended with the most complete success. The number of labourers, the rate of wages, and the produce of the farm, increased; the members were brought to habits of regular and systematic labour; and drunkenness, disorder, and want, gave place to sobriety, peace, and comparative independence. Mr. Larken advo- cated the plan as a means of permanently improving the condition of the people, or of settling emigrants in the Colonies. The matter was discussed at some length; several speakers objecting that the plan was opposed to the received prin- ciples of political economy.

The Trent Valley Railway was opened on Saturday, with great eclat* The ceremony of inauguration commenced in the Usual manner, with the running of an express-train composed of a new engine and carriages, gaily decorated with flags; and it terminated with a banquet at Tamworth, given by the Directors of the London and North-western Railway to a monster party of some 1,200 guests. Among those who participated in the festivi- ties were, Sir Robert Peel, Lord Sandon, Lord Ingestre, Colonel Anson, Sir Charles Douglas, Sir W. S. Dugdale, Sir Philip Egerton, Captain A'Coart, Mr. Hudson, Captain Carnegie, Mr. Legh, Alderman Copeland, Mr. Card- well, and Mr. Ricardo. There were present also Lord Anson and the chairmen of some other railway companies, and the Corporations of Tam- worth, Lichfield, Manchester, Liverpool, and Stafford. Mr. Toots], Chair- man of the Company, presided. Amongst the toasts which he proposed, was the health of Sir Robert Peel; and in doing so he recalled the in- teresting fact, mentioned by Sir Robert on " turning the first sod," that the line followed by the Trent Valley Railway was that taken by the Romans two thousand years ago. By this line the distance from London to Man- chester would shortly be performed in four hours and a half. In returning, thanks, Sir Robert Peel referred to the occasion as one on which men of all shades of opinion in politics, as well as "the lions of the broad and narrow gauges" could meet on neutral ground; and he responded to Mr. Tootarn historical allusions- " We are met for no other purpose than to celebrate the successful termination of a great national work, which confers honour on all who have been concerned in it; on the great public company that has undertaken it; on the engineer who planned and projected it; on the contractor who completed it; and, let me add, on all those by whose sinews and whose strength this work has been brought tole successful completion. I have no other claim upon your acknowledgments thin day than that I have, without having the remotest personal interest in this or any other railway, given to this undertaking a constant and undeviating support. I have given to it that support because I felt confident that it must ultimately be completed; that there might be a protracted struggle; that there must be terrible battles in the committee-rooms; that landowners must be kept in suspense; that enormous sums might be paid to that profession which we hold in the utmost re- spect, though with their undue gains we have no sort of sympathy ; but notwithstanding this, I felt confident the time must come when the Trent Valley Railway must be completed. •

"It is perfectly true, that two thousand years ago the Romans found it necessary to open a North-western communication—the -London and North-western of their day. (Laughter and cheers.) The termini, gentlemen, were London and Chester. The engineer was a very celebrated man, and I apprehend united in himself the joint capacities of engineer and contractor. He was the Stephenson and the Brassey of that day. (Cheers and laughter.) It was no less a man than Julius Agricola who determined on opening a North-western route, of which the termini were London and Chester. Gentlemen, he determined to take the direct line. (Laughter.) The gradients were not very favourable. He used no tunnels, no cuttings, no embankments. He went through willies, up hills, and over rivers—but still he took undeviatingly the direct line; and, gentlemen, his sta- tions were not badly chosen. (Renewed- laughter.) He left Wolverton, having come from London, about a mile on his right hand; he came on to Weeders, having passed between Hinckley and Atherstone, between Hinckley and Nun- eaton; he passed through Atherstone, and came on to Phazeley, within a mile of Tamworth ; and then, passing about a mile from Lichfield, went straightway on his march, without train or tramway, to Chester. Now, I think that Mr. Ste- phenson and the directors of the Trent Valley, although they may have improved upon the gradients of Julius Agricola, will admit that his line was a good one, and that his stations were well chosen. (Laughter andcheers.) And 1 felt con- vinced, gentlemen, that if two thousand years ago this straight line had been preferred—that if the line of the North-western was once the route of a great Roman encampment, when the passenger trains took nothing probably but a few recruits that belonged to the Twentieth Legion, then stationed at Chester—I felt, convinced that the time most shortly arrive when the North-western termini— being Manchester, and Glasgow, and Liverpool, and Dublin, and the whole of the North-west of Ireland—I felt still more confident that if for a terminus at Ches- ter, containing the head-quarters of a Roman encampment two thousand years ago, the direct line would be preferred, that a direct hne would be selected under the more mighty road administration of the nineteenth century. Gentlemen, I felt sure that if this kingly engineer of antiquity—this Julius Agricola—would take the direct line, neither turning to his right hand nor to hie left—I knew enough of Manchester men to be persuaded that they would not long consent to go ten miles out of the way, even though it gave them the opportunity of paying. a compliment to the people of Birmingham. It was that conviction that indueed mete give the Trent Valley Railway my most cordial support."

The Deal branch of the South-eastern Railway was opened for traffic on Wednesday. It leaves the Ramsgate line at Minster' proceeding by Sand-

wick, and is nine miles in length. Though by this branch Deal is placed; in railway communication with the Metropolis it is by a very roundabout course; for the distance amounts to 102 miles, while the coach-road ie. only 72.

Fever still spreads in Manchester. Though extra accommodation for. 350 patients had been provided at the Hospitals, upwards of a bundles& cases were refused admission last week, on account of want of room. Two large empty factories are to be converted into temporary hospitals.

Another discovery of forged railway scrip has been made. "Thomas Dods., worth' wrote from l'hirsk to a Leeds share-broker, requesting him to sell some North British Third-shares; 250 shares were sent, and sold, and a draft on London banker for 6231. 9$. was forwarded to Dodsworth. It was discovered that the scrip was forged; time enough to step the payment of the check. Dods- worth is an elderly inan, and he had been staying at the principal hotel at Thinth; whence he has been traced as far as Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

William Bowers was convicted at the Hertford Assizes, in February 1846, of highway robbery, and was sentenced to be transported for fifteen years. On Wed- nesday last, a free pardon was received at Woolwich for the man; his innocence having been satisfactorily established by evidence which has recently come to light. Meanwhile, however, an innocent man has been imprisoned for fifteen months.

John Platte, the man who was hanged for the murder of George Collis at Chesterfield, in his confession implicated two other persons in the crime: one Inds died since the murder; the other, it now appears, (for the name was suppressed, in the published confession,) was Anthony Lant, a postman at Brampton. Thin man has just been arrested, examined by the Magistrates, and sent to Eri84.- It was evident from the testimony at Platts's trial, that three people had_ been- engaged in the murder.

There was a fatal explosion of fire-damp in the Kirkless Hall Colliery, new Wigan, on Tuesday. Contrary to express orders, a miner blew up some coal, to, save labour; this set the combustible mineral on fire; to extinguish it, a numb of people were set to work to wall up that part of the pit, that the flames might expire from want of air; and this process, obstructing the ventilation of the mine, seems to have caused an accumulation of gas, which exploded, killing two people, and dangerously wounding several.