Vrottintto.

Earl Gifford was returned for Totnees on Monday, without opposition; Mr. Mackenzie retiring entirely from the contest. The new Member in- formed his constituents, that when he became of age he was offered a seat for a county if he would support the cause of Protection. He de- clined the offer, on the ground that he had not sufficiently studied the subject. Since that time, he had travelled a good deal, spending four years in India ; and since his return home, in 1850, the study of political history had shown him that the Conservatives systematically opposed those measures which had led to our present intellectual and industrial development. Hence he took his place in the party led by Lord John Russell.

A statue of Sir Robert Peel, sculptured by Barnes, set up on an open space of ground in the centre of the principal warehouses of Bradford, was formally inaugurated on Tuesday. The Mayor, the Corporation, the Borough Members, and a considerable crowd, took part in the proceed- ings ; walking in procession with flags and music, making speeches, and keeping general holiday. We believe that this statue of Peel has been duly paid for.

Alter the inaugural proceedings, the chief actors regaled themselves with luncheon and speeches. The two main topics were, the character of Sir Robert Peel, and the supposed disagreement between England and America. Mr. Rand dealt with the character of Sir Robert, "pre- eminently the statesman for England." Had he been alive we should not perhaps have been cursed with the present war. The nation lost a friend the moment that great man was removed. Mr. William Edward Forster gave a new turn to the tone of the speaking, by treating of the American topic.

The question of the war reminded him of, the possibility of another war—a war with America. What would Peel have done ? He would have been the person least apt to give offence, and least ready to take offence. Mr. Forster protested against the angry ton of some of the articles in the news- papers. There is no question that England-could immensely injure America by blockading her coasts, but at what price ?—at the expense of blockading our own mills. It was said we could land a Black army in the Southern States, who would massacre the elavebolders: but that-would be virtually destroying the manufacturers of Yorkshire and Lancashire. War with Ame- rica would be a terrible thing, but in the terror and danger lies the security of peace. Government should be frank with America : if we have causes of offence, let them be openly stated; if there is reason to believe that Russia is trying to get privateers fitted out in American ports, let it be stated pub- licly, and let-not the American people think that in sending out a fleet we are holding out a threat.

These sentiments were approved,by the company. But Mr. Milligan, one of the Borough Members, could not think such a war possible ; and .Mr. Wickham, the other Member, said he would-do all he could to avert such a calamity. He hoped the rumour was one of the 'babies of the day, and, like other bubbles, would soon burst.

The movement in behalf of Reformatory Institutions has now a.centre. During last week, Sir John Pakiugton, Sir.Stalford Northeate, Sir H6127 Verney, Miss -Carpenter, the Jleverend Sydney Turner, and others prac- tically engaged in the movement, met at Hardwicke Court, near Glen- _easter, the Peat of Mr. BirwiekRaker. After much deliberation, they arrived at these conclusions— "That it is expedient that an emaciation of `the ,friendeof -reformatory agency be now formed, to he designated The Reformatory Union,' of which the following shall be the principal objects : to collect and diffuse informa- tion bearing on the reformation of criminals; to promote the formation .of reformatory institutions where needed, and generally.to advance-the further practical development of the reformatory movement; to consider and pro- mote such legislative measures as are atoll required for the better -care and -reformation of youthful offenders; to assist in the placing out and subse- quent guardianship and -protection of youngpareons Iftving,reformatory ili- a/UW(418 ; to consider and promote means fertile-employment and restora- tion to -society of discharged prisoners ; to -promote the practical training and preparation of -efficient masters and -teachers for reformatory inetitu- tione.'

The Union will have an office in' ondon. A -provisional committee has been formed to carry out the resolutions.

There is an apprehension among the-factory operatives at 'Manchester that an attempt will shortly be made to reduce their wages. They have, in consequence, made an appeal to public opinion ; as they think it right that " not only the workmen but the public should be satisfied of the necessity " of the contemplated reduction. In their notice to the public, they state that the facts appear to them lobe these-

" That the price of the raw material is high, and the demand for goods and yarns may not be such as to yield the usual profits, when the present -state of the money-market is considered: but that a reduction of wages is a remedy for these evils, we most emphatically deny. If cotton is dear, let the consumption be diminished. If the cotton trade is not remunerative, the evil to be remedied is over-production; the remedy for which may. be expressed in two short words—short time. Let the masters adopt this ob- viously prudent course, and we will go with them; but we never can consent to advise our fellow workmen to listen to any reduction of their hard earn- ings, inasmuch as it would only aggravate the evil which it professes to remedy."

The operatives held a meeting on Wednesday, and resolved that " the hands who have received notices come out as their notices expire;"—that is, notices from the masters that their wages will be reduced 10 or 12 per cent. A provisional committee of seven persons was also appointed to call future meetings and manage the tarn-out. It was agreed that I3d. a week should be collected from minders and 3d. from piecers to support the turn- outs.

The house-steward of the Athenaeum Club has absconded with upwards of A "Railway Club" has been formed at Manchester, to bring together

Martinson, junior cashier of the Northumberland and Durham District Bank at Newcastle—a" fast" young man—absconded, leaving a deficit in his accounts of 42641. A reward of 1001. for his arrest was offered ; and the police seized him on Wednesday at Southampton, on board the Washington, bound for New-York.

The birth and parentage of " Alice Grey " is still doubtful. It has been stated that she is the daughter of humble parents at Limerick, named Huggard ; that her father is dead, and'her mother, " a very honest woman," has remarried. Alice is really married to a soldier, Brazil, a private in the Sixty-eighth Regiment. While residing at home she behaved well. Another story is, that Alice Grey is Mary Atkinson, daughter of poor parents at Kendal, the mother still living. There she committed various frauds. The Home Secretary has directed the release of the last victims of her perjury— the two boys imprisoned at Chester. Alice has been committed for trial.

The inquest on John Bingham, the engine-driver who was killed on the Croydon and Wimbledon Railway, was concluded on Monday. A number of railway servants, Mr. Berkeley, who constructed the line, and Lieutenant- Colonel Tolland, an Inspector of Railways under the Board of Trade, were examined. No one could account specifically for the accident ; but it seems most probable that the driver was going faster than is prudent on a new line, that his engine began to oscillate at a slight curve, and that this caused the driving-wheel to strike a rail in a weak part ; the rail broke, half of it twined round the wheel, and the train was thrown off the line. The time- table fixed the speed of trains high, but drivers had been instructed not to attend to the table for a period, but to run "steadily and cautiously." This, like all new lines, required a good deal of repairing as soon as traffic began : between Mitcham and Wimbledon the rails were very shaky. Colonel Tol- land had ordered a postponement of the opening of the line twice; but on account of want of signals and of a aiding, not because the permanent way was bad. He thought the speed at the time of the disaster—twenty-seven miles en hour—too great ; on a new line it ought not to exceed twenty miles. The Jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death" ; and recommended that until the road had become more consolidated the maximum speed should be only twenty miles an hour. Dr. Hermann Francks, formerly editor of the Ai/genuine Zeitupw, has committed suicide at Brighton, apparently:after having strangled his son. Father and son, the latter a youth of fifteen, arrived at the Albion Hotel, from Portsmouth, on the afternoon of the 2d ; Dr. Arnold Ruge, a German refugee, had an interview with Dr. Franks that evening, and he did not observe any signs of mental aberration. Father and son slept in a double- bedded room. Early on Saturday morning, Dr. Franks threw himself out of the window, fell into the area, and was killed. His son was found in bed a corpse—a silk scarf was twisted round his neck, and he had died from strangulation. Dr. Francks was a man of property. The Jury who sat on the two bodies returned this verdict—" That the son was found strangled in bed, but whether by his own hand, or by the hand of another, there was no evidence to show; and that the father destroyed himself by throwing him- self out of window while in an unsound state of mind."

No fewer than thirty-one persons have been more or less hurt by an ex- plosion of gas, during the night, in the tramp ward of Birmingham Work- house.

The gale on the Eastern coasts at the beginning of last week was followed by another between Harwich and Cromer, on Saturday. The weather having moderated, great numbers of colliers and other vessels which had been lying in sheltered places put to sea on Friday ; the storm next day fell upon them, and some fifty were driven on shore ; in, many eases these were total wrecks, and blow) or two some seamen perished.

The Deal boatmen earned between 30001. and 40001. last week by the salvage of vessels, rendering assistance, and recovering !inchors, &e. Had

they been engaged in saving human life, they would have had no legal claim for reward.