15 JANUARY 1848, Page 4

lEbt Vrobintes.

The enthronization of the Most Reverend Dr. Musgrave, Lord Arch- bishop of York, took place in York Cathedral on Thursday. Many thou- sand spectators were attracted by the ceremony; which was conducted with the usual magnificence.

A numerous meeting to deprecate increase of the military establishments was held at Bristol on the 5th instant; Mr. Robert Charleton in the chair. The speeches were amplifications of the main resolution,—which strongly -condemned the contemplated increase of the naval and military establish- ments of the country, and the extension of its coast defences; because there is no reason whatever to expect a foreign invasion; because these measures would excite the jealousy of other countries—would add to the taxation—would be injurious to commerce, as opposed to the enlightened policy of free trade—would augment the amount of Government patron- age, and would prove dangerous to the liberties of the people, as well as hurtful to their morals. A petition to the House of Commons, to the above effect, was directed to be intrusted to Mr. Cobden for presentation, and the Members for Bristol to be requested to support its prayer.

Quarterly meetings of the ironmasters have been held at Walsall and Itirmingharn. The attendance at Walsall was not numerous, but at Bir- mingham it was so. From the tone of the discussion it is expected that the price of iron will be during the next quarter about 2/. below the prices fixed in October. The strike among the men is becoming general; but the masters patiently bide their time.

A redaction of 25 per cent has bee 'n effected in the wages of many of. the operatives-employ$d at the Pontypool Iron-works. This unavoidable, proceeding is borne with much patience and submission by_those who have the misfortune to be the sufferers.-74fonmouth Merlin.

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Large docks are in comic of construction at Great Grimsby, on the mouth of the Humber, for the use of vessels which now go to Hull. That port is about twenty miles up the Humber; but though the passage is short, it is tedious, if not dangerous. It is not unusual for as many as five -or six hundred vessels to lie under shelter between Great Grimsby and Spurn Point, waiting fof wind and tide to proceed Northwards: last week as many as 1,300 were lying there. The new docks will be as spacious as the West India Docks in London.

The highway robberies in the neighbourhood of Liverpool have created a "reign of terror, and people travel about armed. Upon which the Liverpool Mail re- marks, "Some are like to hurt themselves more than the highwaymen who may attack them, by their ignorance of the proper way to use their weapons of defence. On Friday night, three gentlemen went a short distance from town in a car. One • mounted the box, armed with a loaded pistol in one hand and a life-preserver in the other; on entering a rather dark lane, the defender of the box, changing the position of his weapons so as to have them ready for immediate service, unluckily brought the life-preserver against the head of the driver, who was nearly knocked off his seat: on uttering a cry, the two gentlemen inside, thinking that an attack was really made, were in great alarm, and presented a pistol from each window. The driver was not so much hurt as frightened, as he also thought that the blow - came from some desperado who was going to kill them all."

Patrick Reid, the Mirfield murderer, was hanged at York on Saturday. An extraordinary concourse of people attended, not only the citizens, but the inha- bitants of the surrounding districts; so that from 30,000 to 40,000 spectators en- compassed the scaffold—a number said to have been unprecedented except at the execution of Eugene Aram and that of a female poisoner. The mob seems to have behaved in a very orderly manner. Reid was attended by a Roman Catho- lic priest, and they knelt and prayed on the platform. The convict did not ad- dress the multitude; but he said to the officers around him—" Well, gentlemen, I wish to say that I alone am the guilty person; that 51`Calie is entirely innocent; that no human being in the world had anything to do with it but myself." The miserable young man was not deprived of life instantaneously, bat struggled for some time.