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Tlie South Staffordshire election commenced on Saturday last, at Lichfield. Considerable uncertainty had prevailed for some time pre.. viously to the day of nomination, as to who would be the opposing candidate to Mr. Littleton. Sir Charles Wolseley, a Radical, Mr. Finch, a Ministerialist and large iron manufacturer, one of Lord Harrowby's sons, and finally Lord Ingestrie, the son of Earl Talbot, and the unseated member of Hertford, were all named as likely to come forward. It was at length, however, decided by the opposition of Tories and Radicals united, to nominate Lord Ingeatrie. Mr. Edward Grove proposed, and Mr. J. Foster seconded Mr. Littleton. The Reverend Mr. Bonney, bead Master of Rugeley School, proposed Lord Ingestrie. Among other remarks, he said that Mr. Littleton was appointed to succeed Sir John Hobhouse, because he was considered sure of his election. Ministers said. " Hobhouse has been beaten out of Westminster; we cannot therefore do better than take Littleton, for Staffordshire is his rotten borough." He charged Mr. Littleton with having changed his principles. Mr. Smith of Rugeley seconded the nomination. Mr. Finch spoke at some length in defence of Mr. Littleton, and exposed the inconsistency of Re formers voting for a high Tory. Sir Charles WolSeley said, that he had been so thoroughly disgusted with Mr. Littleton's votes, that he would have himself have conic forward to oppose him, had no other
candidate appeared. The Reverend Mr. Leigh, of Bilston' defended
Mr. Littleton's Parliamentary conduct. Mr. Littleton and Lord Ingestrie next addressed the electors ; after which a show of hands was taken ; and it was said to be eight to one in favour of Mr. Littleton. Lord Ingestrie demanded a poll ; which was fixed to commence on the following Tuesday. His Lordship, however, finding that he had not the least chance of success, withdrew from the contest on Tuesday morning, and Mr. Littleton was returned, without a poll.
Mr. Poulett Scrope was erroneously stated, in the first edition of our paper last week, to have been returned for Tiverton—it should have been Stroud.
A meeting of the working classes of Bristol was held on Brandon Hill on Monday evening, for the purpose of petitioning the House of Commons to repeal the House and Window taxes, and to address the King to dismiss his Ministers. Between ten and twelve thousand persons ( Radical computation) were present. Large hustings were erected, surrounded by white and red flags, "Emblematic, the one of purity of intention, the other of resistance if required." Mr. Lowe, a mechanic, was in the chair-, and addressed the meeting at considerable length,
complaining of the hardships imposed upon the working classes' and of
the faithless conduct of Ministers. He read a letter which be had received from Mr. O'Connell, in reply to one inviting him to attend the meeting, in which that gentleman expressed his approbation of the object of the meeting, and regretted his inability to be present at it. A strong resolution against the conduct of Ministers was passed, and an address to the King and a petition to the House of Commons were adopted. The meeting appears to have been peaceably conducted. A meeting of the freeholders of East Surry,_for the purpose of petitioning Parliament to repeal the Malt and the Assessed taxes, was held at Croydon on Saturday last. Resolutions were passed, and a petition ordered to be prepared, expressive of the opinions of the assembly on the iniquity of these taxes. Mr. Briscoe, who had voted with Ministers on Sir John Key's motion, was received with hisses and applause. He defended his vote upon that occasion, upon the ground that Earl Grey's Government would have been broken up had they been defeated on that occasion. Major Beauclerk and Mr. Hawes were extremely well received.
A prize fight took place on Thursday week, at No Man's Land, in Hertfordshire' between Deaf Burke and Simon Byrne. Ninety-nine
rounds were fought, and the battle lasted three hours and a half. Both the men were so much exhausted in the course of it, that their seconds had great difficulty in bringing them up. At length, Byrne was dread fully beaten and carried to a public-house in the vicinity ; where he died on Sunday night. A coroner's inquest sat on the body on Mon day ; and after an examination of several witnesses, who were present at the battle, and of the surgeon who attended Byrne after it was over, returned the following verdict—" Manslaughter against Deaf Burke, principal in the first degree, and Thomas Spring, James Ward, Richard Curtis, and Thomas Gaynor, as seconds ; also against the umpire or umpires, referee or referees, and the time-keeper, all then and there aiding and abetting, whose names are unknown to us, as principals in the second degree." This finding was accompanied by the following commentary—" In returning this verdict, the Jury feel themselves called upon toexpress their deep regret that the neighbouring Magis trates did not interfere to prevent a breach of the peace, so notoriously expected to take place in their jurisdiction."
[ We trust that the heaviest punishment which the law authorizes will be inflicted upon all the actors in this horrid business. We fear that there is no means of laying hold of the Magistratts in the neigh. bourhood, and chastising them as they deserve for their gross neglect of duty, in permitting what was sure at all events to be a violent breach Of public order. The least that can be done, would be to strike them with disgrace from the commission of the peace. If three men go into a coppice to shoot a pheasant, the whole bench of sporting parsons and squires eagerly attend to transport them ; but an assembly of swindlers, thieves, and ruffians, who meet to witness the murder of the wretched prize-fighter, receives their tacit approbation. Query, were any of the Worshipful Bench themselves present enjoying and patronizing the sport? It appears that a lord was employed in the dignified mission of riding to town with the news of the victory for the benefit of the betters.] Between one and two o'clock on the morning of Friday week, the windmill at Dummer, near Basingstoke, was discovered to be on fire, by some person passing on the Southampton road ; who immediately hastened to the village, and gave an alarm. In the mean time, the flames spread very rapidly; and notwithstanding the most extraordinary exertions on the part of the inhabitants, the whole building was in a few hours entirely consumed. There is no doubt whatever, that it was purposely set on fire ; and that the miscreant who, a few weeks since, occasioned a similar devastation in the same village, and who, notwithstanding the employment of the most vigilant measures for his appre, hension, is still at large, has again been at his horrid work.--Salisbury Journal.
Some officers stationed at Windsor, having become intoxicated at the mess-table on Wednesday night, proceeded to a gambling-house, where they smashed the windows, broke the tables, threw them out of the windows' and maltreated the gamblers. The row lasted a considerable time, and it is said that one of the officers had his arm broken.
The brig Phyleria, of Scarborough, arrived at Dover on Tuesday,with about a hundred invalided soldiers from Don Pedro's army. Many of them were badly wounded, and all in a state of great destitution. About forty of them were Frenchmen. The Mayor of Dover. intended to procure lodgings for them that night and send them to Calais the next day.
An explosion took place on the 80th ult. in a coal-pit at Ainley, about five miles from Halifax, the property of Sir Joseph Radcliffe, by which five persons lost their lives.
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