rrnuiurto.

A vacancy in the representation of Bradford is caused by the death of Mr. William Busfield, "for the last forty years a stanch Whig and Re- former?'

The representation of the East Riding of' Yorkshire having been suc- cessively declined by several gentlemen of the Censervative perq; has at last been offered to Captain Buncombe, BCP. for East Retftsrfl.

The inauguration of the Duke of Newcastle as Lord High Steward of East Retford, was celebrated on the. 5th instant, by &sumptuous dinner- in the Town-hall of that ancient borough.—not-at thmexpense of the cor- poration funds, but by the handsome subscription of individual members. The Earl of Scarborough, Lord Robert Clinton, Sir Thomas.White, and Mr. Arthur Buncombe, 11:P., were among the. guests. The interesting points of the speech in which the Duke of Newcastle returned thanks were a reference to the ancient connexion of his family with East Bet- ford, (the honorary office to which the present Duke is now chosen has been held by members of his family, with only one or two exceptions, for' three hundred years) ; and the accidental display of a curious antithesis of political sentiment with his late father. Every one remembers the late. Duke's axiomatic query, "May I not do what I like with my. own ? "— implying political dominion as well as landed ownership. The present Duke avowed the converse and antagonistic principle, happily phrased by the late Irish Secretary Mr. Drummond, "property has its. duties as well as- its rights." He declared himself deeply impressed with this short, and pithy sentiment," and hoped that, in the sphere in which he is now placed, he shall ever entertain a due regard for the-rights and interests of, all classes— "The office which had been- conferred upon him was one which was not' encumbered with very heavy duties; in fact; it might possibly be called a sinecure. But he was old enough in official experience teknow that there are few offices in which the parties holding them. could--not do.samething tending to the public service or the public good. As Lord High Steward, he should endeavour to satisfy his own conscience, and so to conduct-himself as to cause neither shame nor regret on thapart bf those who had honoured him with.this mark of their confidence andesteem."

The Roman Catholics of Birmingham assembled in the. Corn of that town on Saturday, to mark the high sense they entertain, of, services rendered to their religion by Dr. Newman, through his recent lectures on the position of Catholicism in England. It was announced on the cards by which the audience were admitted; that "the Lord Bishop of Bir' minghain " would preside; and at eight o'clock, Dr. Ullathorne, ac- companied by Dr: Newman, Dr. Weedall, and other 'Roman ecclesiastics, entered the hall, amid vehement cheering: Mr. W. H. Wilberforce was also present. The hall was-well filled, but thefattendance.of Protestants was very limited. In his opening address, Dr. Ullathorne- dwelt on. the trials to which Roman Catholics are subjected in thiscountry. Their lives.and.cloctrinee are " hideously:falsified " ; and part of their trials are.due.to members of their own communion. Roman Catholics are "in no way responsible for the writings of Catholic editors of newspapers, nor for such productions as the- lettem of Mr. Gawthorn. Those and such like things.do not exhibit the Catholic religion in practice, but show the want of it."

The principal resolution was moved Dr. WeedalL; who finished by declaring himself astonished to find, that-in-the late excitement men threw overboard and endeavoured to destroythatchurch which, although' ester- nal.to them, might echo "a great breakwaterto staythe raging-billows of infidelity; immorality, Socialism, andmiblushing licentiouanees.”- The resolution was thus worded- " That the-thanks of the Catholic clergy and laity of Birmingham- are duff, and are hereby tendered, to the Very Reverend Dr. Newman,_for-

his

recent course of lectures on the present position of Catholicism in Enfliana sill' With the expression of their admiration of the lectures they wish to join their sense of the honour conferred upon them in. his having selected 'Birmingham as their place of delivery."

Dr. Newman was received with "immense acclamation." What lie said was eminently characteristic, but the report is piquantly brief.

He knew -perfectly. well that he ought to look for praise to God alone.; but he thought the present was an exceptional case, and he therefore took what hadbeen said, and with all humility he would say it, as an act of God's love towards-him. It was a curious thing for him to say, though he was now-of mature age, and had been very busy in many ways, )-et this was the first time in his life that he had ever received any -praise. He had been in other places, and done works elsewhere, before being a Catholic; but there was no response, no sympathy. It was not the fault of the people, for they could not respond. Some instruments could only make beautiful music, and some from their very nature could only make a noise. So it was with such a body as that to which he once belonged—they could only make a noise—no echo, no response, no beautiful music. But it was quite dif- ferent when a person went into the Catholic Church. In conclusion, he entreated the prayers of those who heard him' as it was only the prayers of Catholics which could sustain Ifirn on this troubled ocean, to that shore which they all hoped to reach, through God's blessing.

Mr. Wilberforce moved the formal voto of thanks to the chairman ; parenthetically offering an affectionate tribute of praise to Dr. Newman, who had been his tutor at Oxford twenty-five years before.

Dr. Mlathorne returned thanks, in a -speech which seems to begin in the tcme of thatclefiant oratioawhich he lately uttered in the Dublin Rotunda. As he rose he was greeted with "three cheers for the Bishop of Birming, ham."

He commenced by alluding to his diocese—that diocese of which he was the Bishop ; and it was in that capacity that they had greeted him. (Cheers.) Ile was, alas! a proscribed outlaw—a rejected person. (Cries of " P' He was one deed, positively dead to the law—by the laws of this country. (Cries of "Shame . ") Nevertheless, he lived, and they recognized his existence. What had been the result of the late agitation and law-making ? Those titles of which so much had been said would have been little heard of but for the agitation to which he alluded. With regard to the Irish, their habit had always been merely to salute their Bishops as the Most Reverend Dr. Murray, 8m. ; but now, at this moment, an Irishman would consider it as treason to his church if in speaking of his bishop he did not designate him as "The Lord Archbishop of Dublin," or "The Lord Bishop of Derry." He expatiated on the general "ingratitude" of Protestants. Whatever- vitality, as it was called, whatever signs of life whatever disposition there was to do religious works in this country—whatever zeal was manifested for building churches, establishing schools, institutions for visiting the poor, or in any manner attending to the supply of what were called the religions wants of the people—was almost exclusively owing to the contact of Pro- testants with the Catholic Church. What would the Protestant Church have been at that moment, but for the presence of the Catholic Church to keep in it something like life, energy, and animation ? How could it go on protest- ing, unless it had its enemy against which to protest?- How could there be such places as Exeter Hall, and so many religious societies and so many motives for collecting money, if they had not Catholicity and societies, of the land continually to contend against ? As, therefore, they were the salt of the Protestant life, as they were necessary to its existence, he thought it exceedingly ungrateful to treat them in the manner they did. The speech appropriately wound up with a practical exhortation founded-on the "want of church-accommodation"; and with the speech the proceedings ended.

The Plymouth Church Reform Association held a meeting on the even- ing of the 5th instant. lathe course of the proceedings there was read.a letter from Dr. Gilbert Elliott, Dean of Bristol, of whom the High Church daily journal-declared yesterday, with grief, that "rumour points him out as a probable bishop whenever there may be a vacancy on the bench."

Dr. Elliott having been written to on the question, argues -vigorously in support of the general liberty to reform the Liturgy ; but he imagines that alterations in the Liturgy or Formularies will scarcely be conceded," and fears that "success would only be purchased by means that would lead eventually to the State ceasing to reorganize an Established Church." He urges his correspondents not to forego the principle which he believes to be the only sound principle, "that the English people are entitled to give to their eooleaiastical institutions such form and polity" as they shall think most to the glory of God. "Of all the absurd misapprehensions which have ever been permitted to circulate unquestioned and to find acceptance, that seems to me to be the most absurd which takes-it for granted that no Eng- lish citizen, not belonging to the-Established Church, ought to have a voice as to what the Established Church ought to be." He renews the onslaught which he made many months ago at an Anti-- Papal-aggression meeting, and which we prominently marked, upon "the doctrine-of a priesthood as a Divine institution, to stand between God and man, as the channel through which God conveys authoritative interpretn- tions of his word, or the benefit of Christ's passion or the gifts-of his grace, or blessing to our worship, or pardon to our peniience."This, indeed,. is the point on which he recommends the first attack—" Under all circum- stances, however, let me beg you and your friends to consider whether the priesthood, as a Divine institution, and partaking of a sacerdotal character, be not the root-to which you should sedulously and exclusively apply the axe."

.Many railway disasters have occurred in the past week. The first, and most distressing, occurred at the Bicester station of the Buckinghamshire Railway, a few minutes before seven o'clock on Saturday evening, to an excursion-train for Oxford, which left the Euston Square sta- tion at half-past four in the afternoon. The Buckinghamshire Railway branches from the North-western at Bletchley, (half-way between London and Rugby,) and runs through Winslow and Bicester to Oxford. The line has a double sot of rails between Bletchley and Winslow-; but at Winslow one set diverges Westward to Buckingham and Banbury, and the other set continues on to Bicester and Oxford. As the line at Bicester is single, a siding is formed on the left hand going from. Loudon to Oxford, for the alighting of Passengers at the Bicester down-station. For the purpose of diverting into this siding the trains intended to stopat Bicester, there are "points" in the main line, which inaheir regular and permanent state face straight for the main line, but which are made to face into the siding on being iflainpulated by a "pointsman." It appears that the driver and the goaras having care of the excursion-train supposed they were to go straight to Oxford without stopping at Bicester ; but the stationmaster, and some or one of the subordinate officers at the station expected, or in- tended, that the train would atop at Bicester. Either from this misunder- standing, and from some failure of hand and eye in the pointsman, or from some other cause unexplained, when the points were reached, the engine went one way and the train another ; the train was overturned on itself, and became a mass of ruins, from which it took three .orfour hours to remove the dead and rescue the wounded. Fortunately, two of the passengers. were of the medical faculty,—Mr. Acton, of Queen Anne Street, Cavendish Square, surgeon and Mr. Frank Wyatt, of the Temple, and of Oxford, a medical student of two years' standing at King's College. These gentlemen turned the station into a hospital, and organized the railway-people into the most effective plans for rescuing and subsequently treating the sufferers. Mr. As- ton wisely anticipated any irregular and inaocurate reports in the Monday's newspapers, by sending a succinct account to the news' with a professional statement of each serious ease. This was his list of the dead, written on Sa- turday night. " List °jibe dead, with the probable cause.

William Carrier (Boy—son of the engine-driver)—Left thigh fractured, and body compressed. Quite cold when brought to us. Elizabeth Easley—Probable fracture of skull, eyes blackened, and blood flowing from ears.

Corporal Noon (Sappers and Miners)—Probably dead from asphyxia cechymosis. He is stated by Mr. Smith, on whom he lay, not to have groaned more than once after the accident.

Mrs. Sheldon—Chest crashed.

Mrs. Sheldon'a Child—Head quite smashed."

In the list of the wounded is included the ease of Joseph Locket, chandler, of Carbtirton Street, Fitzroy Square. He was labouring under concussion of the brain. After consultation with two medical men from Bicester, and four medical men-from Oxford, whom the Railway Company promptly brought to- the scene, it was determined to trephine him : but his case was beyond aid; he died before two o'clock on Sunday morning. The rest of the seriously wounded-filled a list of ten persons. Sarah Collis, of Moorgate Street, London, was so crushed about the chest that she was still in a " dangerous state " on Sunday. Mary Terry, of Oxford, Mrs. Jenkins and her daughter; of Oxford, Mr. Wood, of Fore Street, Cripplegate, Lon- don, William Bolton, of North Leigh, Oxfordshire, Francis Davis, private of the First Regiment of Life Guards, John Nevill of the Walworth Road, London; Fanny Davi., of Holborn, Daniel dheldon, of Oxford, and James Smith, of Camden Town, London, severally received fractures, deep flesh-wounds, or very serious bruises.

An inquest on the bodies of the dead was commenced on Monday, by Mr. Brunner, Coroner for the central district of Oxfordshire, and a Jury of pro- fessional men (four solicitors) and intelligent tradesmen. Sir Harry Verney, the chairman of the Buckinghamshire Railway Company, and Mr. WO:Ju- ne% the superintendent of the locomotive department of 'the North-western ' Company, were on the spot. Captain Lilian appeared on behalf of the Go- vernment on Tuesday, the second day of the inquest. The best description of the accident as it was felt by the passengers is given by Mr. Frank Wyatt, who was travelling in a second-class carriage. It should be stated that the train consisted of eleven carriages, and that-the engine headed the train.

" Nothing particular occurred until we got to Winslow, where we took in water. After leaving Winslow, [where the line begins to be a single line,] the train appeared to me to proceed more rapidly than during any part of the journey between Winslow and London; and I remarked to the passengers that I thought we were making up for lost time. I have been ten or twelve times to and fro between London and Ox- ford very lately. Before we alat to Bicester, I heard the driver sound his whistle —he blew it longer than I ever heard the whistle blown on the same line be- fore. I did not notice any other signal, nor did I hear anybody call out. The car- riage in which I was sitting was not turned over. When the accident took place; I felt a very severe shock, which threw me back in the carriage, and almost stunned me for the moment."

Coroner-- That was after you heard the whistle " Witness—" Yes ; suffi- cient time had elapsed after I heard the whistle, before the accident, for the engine to have travelled 300 or 400 yards." Coroner--" Was the shock you received caused by the jerking of the carriages?" Witness—" Yes. It was evidently from some impediment in the front stopping the speed of the train."

Coroner—" As you suppose ?" Witness—" Yes ; as it appeared to me, a carriage had got across the rails in some way or other. The shock was repeated tire or six times, like carriages coming up one after the other, and crushing upon each other. AU the shocks after the first had a reverse action, and seemed to be pushing us for- wards."

Coroner—" Did you see the engine at all?" Witness—" Yes ; I saw it whisk into the place where it-now stands. I saw it for a second only; and for the moment. I thought it might have been sonic engine which had overtaken us in tome way or other, until I remembered that we were upon a single line. The engine seemed to be going parallel with the carriage in which I was, until it turned off„ arid ran to- wards the stationmaster's house. At the moment we passed, I saw two men run into the porch of the stationmaster's house, as if to get out of the way. The car- riage in which I was passed the engine a very little way, when we gradually came to a stand."

Coroner—"Not very gradually?" Witness—" Yes ; the last movement was very gradual, as if we were ploughing through deep sand. On reaching the carriages to • which I have referred, I found two of them so smashed as to present the appear- ance of a heap of rubbish. There was a first-class carriage not so much damaged- The doors of this carriage could not he opened, in consequence of the handles having been injured in coming into collision with something. As the persons inside were calling for assistance, I borrowed a sledge-hammer from the engine-driver, and broke it open myself. Ithen saw some persons carrying the body of a man-, whom I have since ascertained to be the deceased Luckett. I asked if he was dead. They said, If you are a surgeon, come and see.' I called myself a surgeon at the time [though only a student] to command more respect, am' I accompanied them to this house. The man was brought into this room ; and on examining.him I fbund that he was not dead. I found that his skull was badly fractured; and that he had a very deep cut on the calf -bf the left leg, laying bare the arteries. I considered it a hope- less case ; and after tying two or three small arteries, I thought it-better to go back and render-what assistance I could to the sufferers on the spot. !left the deceased as I found him, quite insensible. On returning to the spot; I sawfour or fire other- persons taken out of the carriages, and all badly hurt. These I attended; tying-ttp vessels in some, stitching the wounds in others, and ordering such as were more se- verely injured to be conveyed to the public-houses ill Bicester." Coroner— 'nine of these are since dead ?" Witness—" Not that I am aware of. I cannot say thattill are out of danger, as one of them is Waver), bad. Several whom I treated went on to Oxford, after resting for some time. I should think I treated, altogether, sixteen persons; whom I have not seen since; and whohuve gone to different parts of the country. Besides these persons, there are eight ormirionow lying at Bicester. They were brought here by advice of Mr: Acton, a Loudon medi- cal gentleman, who was a passenger by the train. I made this room a sort -of hos- pital; and the dead bodies, as they were-brought up, were placed where the Jury has viewed them. Some persons who were brought from therailway were suppoied to be dead, and were about to be taken to the dead-house ; but we discovered then] to be only in a state of coma, and recovered them. Nothing could. exceed the kindness and attention of the townspeople; who vied with each otber.in affording ac.commo- dation, and even giving up tiu ir beds for the use of the sufferers. In the house in which we are now assembled, the servant-girl not only gave up her bed, hut passc42 the whole day in watching over a young girl who occupied it." George Garden described how he was affected by the accident— "After the rocking, the two passengers, a man and woman, who sat beside me, fell against mei They were on my left hand. By the rocking of the carriages the were thrown againstme, and thatforced me against the side of the carriage and hurt my right shoulder. They clung to me, and? then had the presence of mind to drop down to the bottom of the carriage. When I sunk down to the bottom, before the carriage turned over, the top of my hat was doubled up. The carriage upset directly after I lay down. It-turned over on the side on which I was -sitting; past of tbe bottom of the carriage flew out, and I escaped at the opening go made." Mr. William Bolton heard a cracking and crushing, and "resigned him- self to bear what might come "— " The whole bore down as with a clap of thunder. ',don't know any more, It took three hours and a half to saw me out from underneath the carriages. I could' not see any lights, for I lay with my face to the ground. The man lying over me-was also sensible. We talked to one another, and tried to persuade each.other to lie as still as possible. He asked me to pull off his handkerchief; which I managed to do. I knew I was on the ground by the earth getting up, my nostrils. It was quite dark. I could feel pressure across the lower part of my back and across the groin ; I felt no pressure about my head or shoulders. My head was fixed. There was room for me to move my hands and undo the handkerchief of the man across whom I was lying. It was impossible for me to extricate myself. The lower part of the body was quite dead. irrosn lying so long I was quite benumbed."

Mr. James Smith, accountant, of Camden Town, gave this evidence-

" Before the carriage was overthrown, I was thrown from my seat on my back. All was confusion. More than three hours elapsed before I was extricated. I spoke to the poor soldier as he was lying across me. There was a crush, and I felt an im- mense weight on my body so that I could hardly breathe. There was great pressure on the lower part of my body. It was quite dark at that time. Before the accident it was getting dark. I had not space to move. I could not move my hands ; my body was completely jammed in. I could just move my head. I did not once lose my re- collection. I was certainly for three hours in that position. I knew that it was the soldier who was beside me, for I felt his epaulettes. There was no other soldier in uniform. His legs and the lower part of his body were thrown across my body. I presume he died very quickly : I beard him groan ; after that I did not hear him again. I spoke to him and then I found he was a corpse. His head was leaning on my right shoulder, his face turned towards me ; so that had he breathed I should have known. I heard him groan just after the crash, as we were thrown down ; after that I heard him neither speak nor breathe." "I am anxious to speak of a boy who came to my assistance, for I think my life was saved by him. When the wood-work was sawn away so that my face could be seen, a wet handkerchief was put down to me. The boy crept through the aper- ture which had been made and held down a wet handkerchief to me, with great dan- ger, I believe, to himself. Without that I should have fainted. • I have since heard that the boy's name is King, and that he is the son of a widow in Bicester."

Among the witnesses not in the train, who saw the accident, were several persons who were waiting for the arrival of friends, under the impression that the train would stop at Bicester. John Scott, a butcher, saw the engine coming one way and the train go the other; and as he saw the engine running towards him, he "bolted into the.porch—a bad place." The engine came on, and stopped within two feet of the stationmaster's house; it would have gone into the house but that a rail curled up and entangled &elf in the wheel so as to stop the engine. The other witnesses were the railway officials.

William Carrier, the engine-driver, swore to-these points. He did not know he had to 1;ring this excursion-train down to Oxford, till he got to Bletchley with an ordinary up-train from Oxford. The foreman of the locomotive department at Bletchky gave him his directions to take the excursion-train to Oxford. He did not say that it was to stop anywhere between Bletchley and Oxford.

Coroner—" Is it usual for you to start without instructions where you are to stop ?" Witness—. With the ordinary trains we know where to stop ; that is laid down in the bills. With excursion-trains we always stop to take water, without special instructions from any one." Coroner—" Who are the parties competent to give you special directions ?" Wit- ness—" The guards of the train." Coroner—. Who was the guard of the train on Saturday night ?" Witness- " Benjamin Hood was one. There were two ; I don't know the name of the other."

Coroner—. Did you receive instructions from any of these guards to stop between Bletchley and Oxford ?" Witness—. None. Before I left -Bletchley, when I was ready to start, Hood asked me if I was ready to run through. I said, No, I must stop at Winslow for water.' By running through, I understood him to mean run- ning to Oxford. I stopped at Winslow and took in water. That was at 6.43, I think. I stopped three minutes. The distance from Winslow to Bicester is about twelve miles.'

At no point did his speed exceed thirty-five miles an hour between Wins- low and Bleeder. Approaching Bicester, there is a curve ; and in the curve there is a signal. The signal denoted caution ; and in obedience to that caution, the speed was slackened by shutting the steam off. There is no other signal till you get to the points.

Witness-,.. I know the policeman there by sight, but did not know his name till this morning ; it is Wilmot. I saw him at some distance before coming to him athis post."

Coroner—" Did he give a signal 9" Witness—" When I was very near the points I saw the man ware his red flag, to give me a signal. I was about twenty or thirty yards from him when he made the signal. The red is a signal of danger and to stop.

Coroner—" What did you do ?" Witness—" I was endeavouring to pull the engine up by reversing it."

Coroner—" You reversed it before you came up ?" Witness—. I did not reverse IL I had not time to reverse the engine before I came up to him."

Coroner—" Was that the only means you could have taken? Did you speak to your stoker ?" Witness—" No; lie was expecting, with me, to run on the line, as we had done before with excursion-trains. In the absence of anything to the contrary, it was my intention to run through straight to Oxford. It was not unusual to have the red flag at the station. The speed had been reduced. I think, to twenty miles an hour before coming upon the points. As I passed the points, I saw the policeman bad hold of the points-handles. Supposing the handles of the points had not been touched, we should have gone into the sides on the left-hand side of the station, to what is called the down-station. In order to the train passing the straight line, it is necessary that the points should be moved and held during the passing of the train. My engine went on the straight line. As it went along, I noticed the man take hold of the handle before I came to him. I could not have gone along the straight line unless the points had been moved. I did not see any one but the policeman at the points. I could see him distinctly enough to know it was the same man who was in the habit of attending there. As soon as I felt thejerk, I put my hand on the re- version-lever I ran to the carriages. The tender was partly on the straight line. Four wheels were off the line and two on • the hind-wheels were on the rails It was past the gateway, and about opposite where the engine was. The tender had not been upset. There were five or BM carriages on the siding, on the rail I opened the carriage-doors. I knew I had a son in the train. I knew he was on the platform at Bletchley."

lie ran back to the engine to put out her fires, and then returned again to the carriages, to search for his son.

Henry Harris, the gate-keeper at the level crossing, stated that he knew there was an excursion-train due, but he did not know it was going to stop at Bicester, till Wilmot in passing him, at a quarter or twenty minutes be- fore seven, told him so. "Wilmot said—' Harris, the excursion-train is going to stop here. I shall signal them with my green flag, and do you stop them with Tour red one.' The distance between the gate and the points is not 100 yards. I said, 'Very well.' He went on to the points. I saw the train coming soon after. I thought the train was coming

avith very great speed. I saw Wilmot hold up his red flag, when the train was coming round the curve Seeing the train coming very fast, I cried to Wilmot, Send them down the straight road.' I don't think be heard me. I did not see 'Wilmot move the points. I could not say whether he bad a hand to the handle or not. Wilmot sang out to me to put the danger-signal up—a red light. There was a green light on; that signifies caution."

The stationmaster gives the orders respecting the trains, and Harris had supposed that Wilmot had got orders to stop the train at Bicester, as the ex- cursion-trains generally run through. Mr. M'Connell, the locomotive superintendent of the North-western line, eves examined as to the cause of the engine's leaving the line. " We tried the points on Sunday morning. An engine was run over them and some waggons attached; and we found that in passing up in the direction of Bletch- ley or Winslow the point-rails did not quite fall back into their places. We call the 'points' by that name. They are weighted so as to shunt to the up-line, and so as to turn on to the siding, but moved by a handle or lever to open to the straight or up-line. . I suppose the reason for their apparent inaction was the dirt or dust ac- cumulated for the day : when cleaned, they fell into their usual position. I under- stood one of the points had been bent., but it had been straightened. It would be the point of the left-hand rail coming from Winslow. I don't know in which d'- re 1,

:screw d mar anti repairs were made. Mr. ockeray was there. I did not see a nut or fottectime I came. I was not aware of there having been a fracture, diell '1dt/top* to see if there had been a sign of welding. The rod is "since observed that the end of the rod has been recently hlui a new screw."

In passing the out and screw became released, what 'nd-wheels ?" Witness—" When the rail was open to the siding if the connexion were broken, still the engine would go on to the siding, because the point would remain in its place. If the points were let go and the con- necting-line broken, then the points would both close to the main-line rails. The points wbuld be set, the one for the one line and the other for the other. To allow passage for any vehicle one point must be open. If both points were close to the rail, and the connecting-rod broken, then the following wheels could go neither on the sidings nor on the main line, and must necessarily mount the rails."

His explanation of the accident was this-

" That the engine entirely had taken the main line; that the points, from what cause I cannot tell, seem to have been changed, and the tender seems to have taken the points for the side; and the train continued to run in that position for a short distance, the engine still keeping with alias wheels on the straight line, till the tender came in contact with the end of a [point's] guard or check-rail, which was bent round, and seems afterwards to have sprung to another rail in advance ; and there, it would seem, a blow was given to the engine, causing it to diverge, tearing up the outside rails with it, the carriages passing the engine with their own momentum, receiving a blow from the tender, and thus being thrown off the line rushed forward to the

i• post where they airsick."

In reply to a juror, Mr. M'Connell stated—" We have haliaccidents be- fore from carriages getting off the rails at points."

Several witnesses swore to having seen Wilmot, the pointsman, place his hand on the lever and hold it in a position which would'alter the facing of the points from the siding to the main line. One witness noticed thaT.Wil. mot-heard the shout of Harris advising him to "send them down the straight line" i and saw hint put his hand on the lever as if adopting the suggestion, on seeing that the rapidity of the train was too great for its safe stoppage in the aiding. One witness noticed that his hand was shaken ; and another noticed his hat tumble off. But none of these witnesses were in good posi- tions for observing, or conversant with Wilmot's duties. The stationmaster, Bruin, observed Wilmot " trying the points " before the train clime close to him. These testimonies harmonize, however, with the belief of Mr. M'Connell and Mr. Dockray, the engineer and locomotive superintendent of the line, that at the time the engine came up, the points were opened for the straight line, and that from some cause, such as the lever being jerked out of Wilmot's hand, they were closed while the tender was passing, so as to throw the rest of the tram into the siding. In reference to the misunderstanding.between the custodians of the train and the people at the station these points came out. Benjamin Hood, the superior guard of the train, is still under surgical treatment at Oxford, un- able to give evidence. James Cobb, the under guard, stated that printed instructions are given every week as to where the excursion-trains are to stop. In the instructions he received last week, there was nothing at all said about stopping at Bicester. A lady asked him if the train would stop, and he said no ; but for perfect certainty he inquired of Hood, and Hood said they should not stop at Bicester. Thus the evidence of Carrier, the engine-driver' was corroborated, that there were no directions for the train to stop at Bicester. But Mr. Bruin, the stationmaster at Bicester, deposed that he expected the train ; and he added, "I knew it would stop.' "1 had issued a hun- dred tickets at Bicester for the excursion-train to Euston Square and back. The tickets had on them—' Bicester to Euston Square and back. Leave the 2d September ; return the 2d, the 3d, the 5th, or the 6th September.' There were about thirty persons coming back by the excursion-train on Saturday last. The meaning of no stoppages' is, that the excursion-trains will not stop to take up passengers. If there are any passengers to alight at the intermediate stations, that is always telegraphed."

Charles Sirat, office-porter of the Bicester station, expected the excur. shin- train would stop at Bicester. He sometimes littends to the telegraph. He was in the office when a telegraph message came from Winslow to say that the train had left Winslow. He told Wilmot and Kirby. The figures on the face worked correctly on Saturday, but the instrument was weak.

John Wilmot, the policeman and pointsman, expressly and without any doubt or variation in his testimony, swore that he held the lever of the points down during the whole passage of the train, so as to turn it from the straight line into the siding. He was at the points a quarter of an hour before the train came up ; and tried his points, as was his duty, to see if they acted rightly. They closed perfectly; and he is sure they were not broken then. The train approached too fast for stopping ; so he stood on the line and waved his flag at least a dozen times as a signal to sto . He then turned to lus points. The points act of themselves; but he always holds the handle while a heavy train passes, "considering it safer." "I have heard of points springing, and accidents occurring in consequence of the want of that pre- caution. A careful man will always put his hand on the points." " When the train is passing, I can feel the handle choke; it keeps the handle in per- petual motion' and I think if a man is there it is safer to hold it firm, to keep the points steady and close." When the train came up, he heard a voice cry out, "Put them on the straight line!" but there was not time for that. The engine was close to him. " I am quite sure I did not attempt to do it. I was stooping to hold the handle down, and I must have raised myself to have moved the points for the train to go on the straight line : am quite certain I did not do so As the engine passed me, I thought it had turned all safe on to the siding I imagined that the train

went. over the points all right. I did not notice that any of the train got off the rails in passing, nor did I feel anything particular at the lever. I did not take my hand from the lever till the whole of the train was past, the horse-box and all. When I raised myself up to look about, I saw the carriages tumbling one over the other near the down-station, close against the gate on the level crossing. Everything was clear

of the points when I raised my head up Cannot remember whether my hat fell off while looking out for the train: am sure it did not fall off while I held the handle of the points : it might have fallen off as I ran away. I have been told that my hat fell off, but I do not recollect it myself. If it did fall off', it could not have fallen to the ground, because I am sure I never had the trouble of picking it off the ground. At the time the train was passing I felt no nervousness. I felt confident, because I knew that Carrier, an old driver of ours, had charge of the excursion- train; and I mentioned the circumstance to Mr. Bruin, " Mr. Henry Pringle Bruyere, superintendent of the traffic of the Southern division of the London and North-western Railway, explained the directions uuder which the officials on the train and those at the station had acted. The identical copy under which Wilmot the policeman acted had been mis- laid, but a dupheate copy was produced. The instructions were dated Sep- tember 4th, but they merely continued those of the 7th August. They "merely concerned the working of the trains, and had nothing to do with the stoppages." The stoppages are published in the handbills as names to the'public. The excursion-train of last Saturday was "not announced to stop' at any station between London and Oxford." Even with respect to the excursion-train for Tuesday, reading the handbill, Mr. Bruyere would not con- clude from it that the train would stop at the Bicester station, but that the passengers might return from London to Bicester on that day, by being taken on to Oxford and brought back by the next ordinary train to the Bicester station free of charge. [The evidence of some of the wounded passengers shows that this was the mode in which they expected to reach Bicester on Saturday night.] Mr. Bruin, the stationmaster, had no special instructions about the excursion-train. He had only the handbill, and the regulations of the 7th September. But Mr. Bruin has the power of stopping any train if he thinks it necessary. The issuing of such excursion-tickets as those he had issued would have justified him in stopping the train for the alighting of the returning passengers to whom he had issued those tickets. "The guard should have reported the stoppage, and Mr. Bruin would have been ex- onerated. He would not have been reprimanded under the circumstances, because there would have been good reason for stopping the train."

Mr. Bruyere differed from all the previous witnesses in his explanation of the accident. He has no doubt of the accuracy of Wilmot's statement that the points were kept right for the siding, as they should have been; and he thiijks that the engine "mounted the points" to pass on to the straight line. While explaining this opinion, he took occasion to correct an error, as he deems it, which the preceding witnesses and the newspapers have fallen into, of calling the main down-line a "siding." It is not a siding. The line is a single line from Winslow downwards, but at Bicester station it is laid down double. The main up-line is straight, and the main down-line is connected with this [as a siding would be] by points. These points are therefore "junction-points," and not "siding-points" ; and the distinction is import- ant. In consequence of their being "junction-points," the semaphores near them are always set to the "danger" signal, and nothing ought ever to pass those semaphores while they remain at "danger," and till they have been altered to show " caution " only. Those semaphores never at all show an "all-right" signal, and trains ought never to run by them at any but a "caution" paee. Mr. Bruyere discovers that this code has been transgressed at the Bicester station. It seems that the guards and passengers of the ex- cursion-trains which do not stop at Bieester had complained of the jerk felt at the "junction-points," when on the down journey, the trains twisted out of the single line into the siding, or "main down-line." Mr. Bruin there- after permitted these trains to run through the station by the straight line on the down journey, as well as on the up journey. Mr. Bruyere stated to the Jury-

., I told Bruin that he had done exceedingly wrong in letting the former trains to pass the points on to the straight line ; although it was done from good motives, and sipi.ply to prevent what Bruin thought a useless turn-in at the one end and a useless turd-out at the other. But the effect of it was to encourage the men to go through at a higher speed than such a driver as Carrier, for instance, would otherwise have done. For if Carrier had not been put through on the straight line on former occa- sions, he would have gone along much slower." It would seem from this explanation, as if Mr. Bruyere attributed the ac- cident to the higher speed at which Carrier was innocently driving his train, under the impression that he was about to run, as he had run before, straight through the station on the straight line.

Both the locomotive superintendent at Bletchley and Mr. Bruyere himself gave Carrier an excellent character, for skill and steady sobriety. The inquest stands adjourned till Monday.

A very serious accident occurred on the Great Northern Railway on Mon- day evening. Exhibition-trains start from Hull and Lincoln, which should meet at Boston, and be united there into a single train to London. On Mon- day evening, the Lincoln train was behind its time at Boston, and the sta- tionmaster resolved to send on the Hull train by itself. He did so. At Horn- sey the Hull train discovered an obstruction ahead : a passenger-train, which ought to have been half an hour forward, was standing still. It was found that a luggage-train had broken down, and stopped the line. The guards having been bent back properly, the passenger-train and the Hullex- cursion-traiehad been in succession safely stopped. At last the lameness of the luggage-engine was cured, and it was just getting into motion when there was a cry that another train was coining up at full speed from the North. It was the Lincoln excursion-train, which had been too late to join the train from Hull at Boston. Desperate efforts were made to start the standing trains; but it was plain that neither these could be got forward, nor the arriving train be stopped, in time to prevent collision : so a shout was' raised of "Jump, Jump!" As many of the passengers as had pre- seifte of mind and activity enough did jump, and scramble up the bank into the fields. One of them looked back, and describes what he saw. "The last carriage was smashed to atoms, as also the next; the third was lifted right off the rails up into the air, and seemed to fall over toptyturvy on to the down-line of rails. The passengers were jumping in myriads from the carriages. Some appeared to throw themselves out of the shattered car- riages, leaping through the broken sides. The engineers, &e. (two engines were attached to the last train) threw themselves off just before the colli- sion." Numbers had their faces covered with blood, but there was no in- stant death, and only one injury which seemed likely to be fatal. The Re- verend Mr. Snell, of Fleet, near Holbeach, suffered a concussion of the spine which "injured the sensation of the whole of his lower extremities." His case was at first alarming, and he remains to the present time in a precarious state.

There is no authentic and conclusive evidence fixing the blame in any particular quarter; but the reports state that the guard of the Hull train did not go back to signal the stoppage to the Lincoln train behind him. He seems to have been about to start, but to have gone in the opposite direction on receiving the impression that his own train was just about to move on- ward and the line be cleared.

A stoker has been killed at Nottingham, by a collision which appears the result of most culpable negligence. A luggage-train moved half a mile out of the station in the morning, and then waited for additions—on the main line, not in a siding. Some time after, a passenger-train came up ; the at- mosphere was thick, and the stationary tram was not seen till too late : when the driver saw the danger, he called to his stoker to jump off. The driver jumped himself, and escaped with some bruises ; but the fireman was crushed between the engine and break-van—engine tender, and break, having been smashed.. The passengers were violently shaken and bruised.

The inquest was begun on Thursday. The driver and the guard of the passenger-train proved that they left Nottingham at three minutes past seven ; the luggage-train should have left at half-past six. The morning was foggy, and the train was not seen till it was too late to prevent a colli- sion. There were no fog-signals, nor had a guard from the luggage-train gone back along the line to signal any approaching train. At Nutford Gate, a short distance from where the luggage-train was standing, the driver of the passenger-train was informed that the line was clear. The driver be- lieved that the luggage-train was waiting for one of its guards.

On Monday morning, as a train from Shields and Sunderland was passing the bridge crossing the High Street, Gateshead, and approaching the high- level bridge crossing the Tyne, it ran into two engines standing on the line. The passengers were knocked about, many of them receiving serious bruises on the head and face, though none of them were dangerously hurt.

The seven o'clock train from Paddington, on passing the Roebuck Inn, Reading, on Tuesday evening last, was maliciously shot at by some party unknown. The engine-driver in command, believing he had passed over a detonating-ball, (the usual signal of danger,) blew the guard's whistle and stopped the train ; when he found that the stoker distinctly saw two persons, one of whom pointed the gun and fired, the shots of which were heard on the tender.—Berks Chronicle.

The inquest on Newman, who lost his life at the Deep Pit Colliery, near Bristol, was concluded on Tuesday. Newman perished by leaping out of the bucket, or falling from it, as it ascended to the " shiver-wheel" over the shaft; he fell down the shaft; his companions jumped out, or were thrown from the bucket, and some were hurt very severely. The bucket was not stopped at the proper time, in consequence of the pm of the reversing-lever of the engine having broken, so that John Stone, the engineer, was not able to stop the engine. This man appeared in custody. The chief point of the inquiry was as to the cause of the pin breaking—was it a mere accident, or the effect of Stone's negligence ? The evidence showed that Stone was at the

mouth of the shaft when he ought to have been attending the steam-en- gine; he went into the engine-house only just before the bucket arrived at the surface. Notice had been given that a "journey" of men was coining up, and he should have stood by the engine. But it appeared that the men did not always come up after notice had been sent. The evidence as to the speed with which the men ascended was rather contradictory ; but no alarm was felt till the bucket rose beyond its proper height. Stone when at the shaft had asked another man if he thought it was a journey of men coining up ?—a question which implied that he did not consider the notice given was a sufficient proof that men were really coming up. The case against Stone rested on the fact that he was absent from his engine till the men had almost reached the surface ; that the pin must have received a very violent blow to break it ; and that it was highly probable from his neglecting to check speed as the bucket ascended, and his having gone to the engine-house only as the men came to the surface, he had made so violent an effort to stop the engine that the pin snapped. The Jury consulted for an hour and a half, and then gave a verdict of "Manslaughter" against Stone.

While fourteen colliers were descending the Werva pit, near Aberdare, on the 4th, the chain broke, the carriage fell some 180 feet, and the ruiners were all killed.

The coal in a pit at Hemingfield, near Barnsley, caught fire from a blast ; and the men being unable to extinguish it, they ascended, and proceeded to close the shaft, a few yards below the surface of the earth, by means of a stage which they loaded with sods, so as to exclude the air. While piling up the sods, the signal-bell rang ; it was thought that the miners had struck the wire in their operations ; again and again the bell rang, and it was dis- covered that a man was missing. The shaft was quickly cleared, a corve sent down, and a man and his two sons were hauled up. They had known of the fire, but thinking it would soon be extinguished, they went to another part of the mine ; where they worked till the stoppage of the air from the shaft alarmed them. A horse and two asses had been suffocated.

One of the soldiers of the Thirtieth Royals, now in Winchester, has volun- tarily resigned himself into the hands of the Police, acknowledging that he is amenable to the law for murder committed on a young woman in Nor- wich, about four years ago.—Portsmouth Times.

Six turnkeys in Knutsford House of Correction have been committed for trial for employing a prisoner to make shoes for them, the leather having been taken from the prison-stores. They had each promised the shoemaker ten shillings on his discharge but as they did not pay, he wrote to the Home Secretary. One of the discharge; had been in office for nearly twenty years.

Mr. John Trudgen, assistant-overseer of Penzance, has absconded, leaving considerable defalcations in his accounts. He is supposed to have fled to America.

The Manchester Eraminer states that it has been discovered that a deceased solicitor has been guilty of several forgeries. Mr. Henry Edward Ridgway, who died a few months since, had long enjoyed an extensive practice ; many title-deeds were deposited with him. It is now said that he took advantage of these deposits to raise money on mortgage-deeds, to which he forged the signatures of his clients. While he lived he paid the interest regularly ; since his death, a mortgagee applied to a gentleman for interest on a mort- gage, and this led to the discovery of Mr. Plidgway's criminality. The total of the money he obtained is stated to exceed 10,000/. in the cases that have already conic to light.

It is now said that Millburn, the young butcher of Morpeth who was sup- posed to have been murdered near Hepscott, has been a victimizer instead of a victim. He sold his stock of cattle on the day of his disappearance, got a check cashed after bank-hours, and has fled to America with the proceeds, leaving many creditors in England. Some of the appearances that excited a suspicion of murder seem to have been purposely created by the absconding butcher.