Vratautto.

The annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science is held this year at Hull. The proceedings began on Wednesday. The President of the past year, Colonel Sabine, presided, as is usual, while the report was read; a document which contained some interesting matters. It appears that a plan propounded by Professor Thompson, for combining by a systematic arrangement the transactions of the various scientific societies, so as to give unity and continuity to the record of facts, is still under consideration. steps have been taken to establish a telescope in the Southern hemisphere for the observation of nebula!; and, it is understood from the favourable reception given to a deputation by Lord Aberdeen, that a vote for the necessary funds will be included in the estimates of next session. Dr. Bache, the director of the coast sur- vey of the United States has proposed a joint survey of the Gulf Stream by Great Britain and the United States ; and the proposal has been for- warded to the hydrographer of the Admiralty. The report calls attention to the want of suitable and systematic arrangements on the part of the Government, for the due publication of the results of scientific researches executed at the public expense by naval officers acting under the instruc- tions of the Admiralty. At the general meeting held in the Mechanics Institute, in the evening, Mr. William Hopkins, the new President, delivered the inaugural ad- dress ; a varied survey of recent proceedings in science, especially touch- ing astronomy, meteorology, and geology. Next day, the business in the Sections began.

The Barnstaple Commission has continued its inquiries ; and they seem likely to lead to disclosures which will rival those of St. Albans and the other peocant boroughs. The course taken by the inquiry is peculiar. Several witnesses on the Tory side were put in the box, apparently with a view to prove bribery, or at least attempted bribery, on the other side ; but, owing to the candour of some of them, the attempt broke down. Jasper Pickard, a ten-pound householder, had been asked to vote for Lord Ebrington, for a consideration : he declined, and voted for Brem- ridge and Fraser. He deposed that neither he nor his wife received or found any money. Yet his name was on a list of persons bribed. John Andrews a ten-pound householder, said he was offered 39/. for his vote for Lord Ebrington. The person who asked him, Mr. Thorne, he said, stated that six of the committeemen had been authorized to buy twenty-six votes at 40/. a piece : he delayed the conclusion of the negotiation, got no money, and voted for Bremridge and Fraser. William Copp said,, that Mr. Kingson, an agent of Lord Ebrington, had bribed Selley, a voter who had since emigrated to Australia, with clothes and money. Fowler -was offered a bribe to vote for Lord Ebrington, but he refused it ; he voted for Bremridge and Fraser, and his wife "found" 51 on the table. George Eddy told a similar story. These two were on the Featherstone list. Their wives deposed to the "finding" of the bribes, 6/. each. Featherstone put the money on the table. Upon this, Mr. Camsew, a solicitor who attended to watch the proceed- ings on the part of the Tory party, said that Fowler and Eddy had been called to prove attempts at bribery on the part of Lord Ebrington, but it "turned out" that they had been bribed themselves by the other party ; and he further declared that Mr. Bremridge and Sir Walter Fraser were very anxious that full disclosures should be made. The Chief Commis- sioner, Mr. Prendergast, intimated his persuasion that those witnesses had been called in the full belief that they would contradict on oath the fact of being bribed. To this one of the Commissioners, Sir E. Wilmot, objected ; but the other, Mr. Temple, concurred with Mr. Prendergast. Other attempts were made to fix offers of bribery upon the agents of Lord Ebrington ; which resulted in confessions from the witnesses that they had been bribed by the other party. Six of the chief members of Lord Ebrington's committee swore to their total ignorance of illegal practices on his behalf.

Two cases of bribery were proved against two men who voted for Lord Ebrington : but Mr. Harris, who administered the bribe, admitted that the money came out of his own pocket ; that he had never been repaid, and never expected to be repaid. Until the evidence was given by the persons bribed, he had not mentioned the fact to any one.

Attempts were made to implicate Sir Bourchier Wrey in the alleged bribery proceedings of Lord Ebrington. The statement was, that at a public-house gathering of "outsiders "—voters who hold back to get the best prices—Sir Bourchier ordered drink ateliscretion, and said the figure

for a vote would be six pounds. But on his examination he denied•the truth of this statement ; and he was corroborated by other witnesses. Several of the men who told the story admitted that they had been paid for their votes by the other side. One passage in Sir Bourchier Wrey's evidence is characteristic—

"in palmy days, he knew of money being given and taken, and nothing said about it. Things of that kind went off much more smoothly then than they do now. There were plenty of greasy hands to shake and ruby lips to kiss, and canvassing altogether was very pleasant and delightful."

The inquiry at the Birmingham Gaol has been continued this week, and the several special cases which constituted the charges against the Governor have been gone into, independently of the general inquiry as to the state of discipline and punishment in the gaol. Lieutenant Austin, the present, and Captain Maconochie, the late Governor, have been ex- amined, as well as the Surgeon, the Chaplain, and many other witnesses. The charges bear upon the Governor, the Surgeon, and the Ward- ers; and they consist of allegations of cruelty and neglect, sus- tained by the evidence of persons connected with the gaol. The evi- dence is very contradictory ; but at present it would appear that more than one prisoner attempted suicide; that the Surgeon did not properly attend to the sick prisoners ; that in the cell of one man who died, several loaves were found untouched ; that another was put into the strait-jacket and deluged with water on a cold day in February, and left in his wet clothes for some hours ; that a boy named Andrews com- mitted suicide in consequence of the cruelties inflicted on him ; that the jacket was put on another boy named Shaw, and while on the floor of his cell three buckets of water were thrown over him, and he was left lying in the wet extremely ill ; and that the Surgeon stuffed the mouth of a prisoner with salt to stop his cries while the jacket was put on. These are illustrations of the kind of charges brought, asserted on one side, and sometimes admitted, sometimes denied, on the other.

The remains of Sir Charles Napier were buried on Thursday, in the garrison chapel at Portsmouth. From an early hour the cross-roads leading from Oaklands were lined with rustics, and the streets began to fill with people ; and by mid-day every available site was densely occu- pied. The soldiers of various regiments volunteered to see their old general to his last home, and were placed on each side of the streets lead- ing from the Landport gates to the chapel. A noble procession escorted • the body of the hero to his grave. First came various Freemasons ; then the Corporation of Portsmouth ; then the hearse, followed by " Red Ro- ver," the General's Indian war-horse ; then four carriages, containing the ladies of the family, Mr. R. Napier, Lieutenant-Colonel W. Napier, Ma- jor M‘Murdo, Mr. J. Napier, Mr. C. Napier, Mr. Alcock, Mr. J. Alcock, Admiral Sir Charles Napier, the Earl of Ellenborough, Viscount Hardinge, Lieutenant-General Sir William Napier, and Colonel Kenedy. The pall- bearers were Admiral Byng, Major Travers, General Hunter, Mr. W. Grant, Sir Colin Campbell, and Major-General Simpson. After these came the dead soldier's tenantless carriage, Sir James Graham and the Lords of the Admiralty, several officers of the Army and Navy, and the

rneeestoOclosedrpli a n Sine h ouoplo. n Aits and procession pp rtiistes erdea, rear. e The only nn iantd the hMe Marines

t only sound' accompanying the solemn march was the clang of the death- bell.

The coffin was simple, and the inscription merely stated the name and the date of birth and death. On the lid were the hat and plume, and two swords—ono the sabre used in the Indian campaign with the guard torn by a ball, the other the sword of honour presented by Lord Ellenborough to the conqueror of Scinde. As the coffin was lowered and the earth sprinkled upon it, some of the old soldiers could not control their tears. When all was over, Sir William Napier made an effort to address the soldiers, who formed three sides of a square to hear him.

r "Soldiers," said he, "there lies one of the best men—the best soldiers— the best Christians—that ever lived ! He served you faithfully, and you served him faithfully. God is just "—

He could say no more, overcome by emotion ; and slowly and sadly the throng around filed away from the grave.

Sir Joseph Thackwell's return from India to his native land was cele- brated on Wednesday by a banquet in the Shire Hall at Gloucester. Sir Joseph is a native of that city. The speeches on the occasion were of the ordinary character—an interchange of compliments. Earl Fitzhardinge gave some point to the proceedings by his remarks on the Peace Society. The Peace Society and their supporters are pursuing the same object which he has at heart, but they differ very widely as to how that object is to be obtained. His decided conviction is that if their counsels were adopted the probable, if not the positive consequence, would be war and invasion. The greatest practical Peace Society are the crews of the Wellington and the Agamemnon; and the best guarantee for the peaceful possession of our lives and properties is that which we have hitherto possessed, and which we can still command— the gallant services of such brave men as Sir Joseph Thackwell. (Cheers.) The Admiralty inspections this week have comprised Harwich and Portsmouth. At the latter place, "My Lords" gave a banquet, at the George Hotel, to the heads of the naval, marine, and military departments ; and the evening was terminated by the whole party adjourning to a ball in aid of the funds of the Seamen and Marines Orphan Schools.

The Directors of the South-eastern Railway celebrated the opening of the Lord Warden Hotel at Dover by a banquet, on Wednesday, to the county notables. The hotel is a handsome square building, erected by the Company close to the shore beyond the terminus, adjoining the har- bour. The charges have been fixed at rates similar to those of the Folkstone Pavilion.

At a public meeting in Shrewsbury, held on Tuesday, a resolution was adopted, that it is not desirable that the Public Health Act should be brought into operation in that town ; but, by a second resolution, the meeting agreed that it is desirable to amend the local sewerage.

In Manchester and Salford a number of mills are at a stand, a large body of weavers of " domestics " having demanded an advance of 10 per cent. Some of the workers in one mill have resumed their labour on a compromise. The Manchester Guardian pronounces this an improper and foolish strike, for " domestics " are now manufactured at a rate worse than profitless; how, then, can employers increase wages ? If forced to do so, to keep their machinery employed, a sudden reaction may Idea) the workers in a very deplorable position. The writer throws some blame ow masters for the unwise demands of men, as the former do not show that amount of confidence in their people which would enable them to judge when an increase of pay may be fairly asked and when an employer cannot afford it.

While the dyers who struck at Manchester remain out, the workmen of another branch—the cotton-skein dyers—have struck for an increase of 15 per cent : on Monday morning the hands of twenty-two factories turned out, while several other establishments granted the demand.

The cotton-spinners of Bolton a short time since obtained an advance of 5 per cent ; they have now solicited another addition of 5 per cent, which would restore their wages to the amount received prior to 1847. One master, Mr. Robert Knowles, at once acceded to the request At Blackburn, the loomers, who got an advance of 10 per cent a short time back, have now in many mills received a second advance of the same amount.

At Wigan, the steam-loom weavers gave notice that they should strike for 10 per cent addition to their earnings : they had interviews with the employers, which at first ended unsatisfactorily ; but in the end the mas- ters gave way.

The colliers of Wigan, who have received three advances since Christ- mas, amounting to a rise in the pay of 45 per cent, have given notice that they will strike on the 14th instant unless they have a further increase of 15 per cent. The masters have resolved to make a stand against this.

The Sunderland Police have obtained increased pay—the constables 2s. a week, the sergeants and inspectors 3s. a week.

The Hull Flax and Cotton Mill Company, who own five large esta- blishments, have arranged for an improved rate of pay to some of their workpeople • but nearly 200 throstle spinners and carders, mostly women, have "struck" in an illegal manner. A demand not having been ac- ceded to, these people turned out ; but certain rules sanctioned by the Magistratea for the benefit of the operatives declare that a month's notice shall be given onsither side, and the workers were bound by these rules. A number of the strikers have been summoned before the Magistrates, and fined. There has since been a meeting of the working classes of the town to organize an amalgamation of all the trades of the place, and to consider the present strike. The strike was pronounced a just one, and it was re- solved to collect a subscription for the support of the "turn-outs." Two of the women workers addressed the meeting.

The change in the hosiery trade in the Midland Counties from what it was a few years back is something wonderful. In Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester, there are numbers of frames standing idle from want of workmen, while there is a brisk demand for hand-wrought goods. The consequence has been a large advance in the pay of those men who used to be proverbially the most depressed of artisans ; while the manner in which the rate has been arranged is very gratifying—no " strikes " and bickering,s have prevailed, but masters and men have amicably settled the matter. In some instances the men wished for a greater edvance than the prices realized for the goods would warrant ; but when this was ex- plained they readily reduced their demands to what the masters could afford to pay.

Thomas Moore, a factory-worker at Stockport, is in custody for the mur- der of his two stepsons, children eight and four years old. He pretended that the children were lost, and applied to the Police for aid ; next day he was arrested on an old warrant for neglecting to support his wife and family. Suspicion arose. Ponds, rivers, and canals were dragged; and at length, in a canal at Reddish, the bodies of the bop were found. Circumstances have ..cOme to light strongly supporting a belief that Moore drowned them. A horrid motive is suggested—the children were entered in burial-clubs for an aggregate of 191. 12s. to be paid at their decease.

Three French fishermen have pleaded guilty before the Berwick Magis- trate& to a charge of fishing nearer the shore of England than they were en- titled to do : they were fined 6/. each, and one was to pay 11. additional for damaging the net of an English fisherman.

A Mormonite and a Methodist preacher addressed crowds in the open air at Smethwiek, mutually denouncing each other ; then preachers and flocks fell to blows. The preachers and twelve others have been summoned before the West Bromwich. Magistrates, and ten of the congregations have been held to bail; but the Magistrates could not decide which preacher began the attack, so both were liberated.

Two railway "accidents" are reported this week, which failed to produce the amount of death and destruction that might have been expected. At the Euxton junction of the North-western and Lancashire and York- shire lines, six miles from Preston, there is a side-line belonging to the North-western Railway for the reception of carriages. On Monday after- noon, there were four empty carriages on this siding. The down "Scotch express" approached at a speed of nearly forty miles an hour ; the points- man at the junction signalled "all right," and the train dashed on—into the siding. The driver shut off the steam, blew the whistle, and then, with his stoker, leapt off. The guard applied the break, and then lay down on the floor of his van. The train dashed into the carriages, shattering them to pieces. The carriages of the express seem to have escaped with little or no damage, and the passengers were almost unscathed, though dreadfully alarmed. The only person who suffered seriously was Baxter, the driver; who was found insensible, covered with blood and dirt, and much cut. Very powerful breaks had so lessened the speed of the train that worse conse- quences were avoided. It is said that the points, when examined after the disaster, were found to be in so dirty a state that they would not close of

themselves, as they ought to have done after the empty. carriages had been pushed through. It is also said that the Queen's tram narrowly escaped being the object of this "accident " : the carriages were pushed into the siding shortly after the Royal party had passed Northwards. At Cheater station on Monday evening, a passenger-train from Holyhead ran into a luggage-train which was passing across the line. Fortunately, the speed of the train had been slackened ; the obstruction was rather light, and easily gave way ; and thus the passengers escaped with a fright only.

Two men continued to work in a stone-quarry near Peniatone after the o ther labourers had left it in consequence of a heavy and continued rain : the two were buried under a large mass of earth ; and though they were got Out in ten minutes, both were dead.

A little girl, about four years old, has fallen down a slate-quarry at Llanilyfin in North Wales, a depth of 120 feet, and yet escaped with life. Several ribs were broken. It is supposed that her clothes became inflated and retarded her descent.

Mr. Coultrup, a tradesman of Dover, has perished at the mouth of the harbour. He had arrived from Ramsgate in the steamer Onyx. The wea- ther was very rough ; as the vessel was bearing away to enter the harbour, a sudden lurch threw Mr. Coultrup to leeward ; be came into contact with the doors on the starboard quarter ; they flew open, and he was thrown into the sea. Every effort was made to rescue him, but in vain. Four men who put off in the steamer's boat narrowly escaped death themselves—they had to be dragged on board by means of ropes, and as the last man was hauled in the boat went down.

Several men have been hurt, and one killed, by an explosion in an iron- foundry near Dudley; a large pot of molten metal having fallen into a hole which contained some water. The building was greatly damaged.

A brewer has perished at Great Lever by falling into a copper of boiling liquor.