sbe Vrobintts.

The nomination of candidates to represent Wigan, in the room ef the late Mr. Greenall, took place, at the Moot-hall, on Wednesday. Mr. R. A. Thickness° was proposed, not as a political partisan, but as a Free-trader; the Honourable Captain James Lindsay, as an independent Conservative. Some amusement was created by a Mr. Thomas Cooke, who proposed a third candidate, in order to have the opportunity of ;making a speech. The Anti-Corn-law league had been attacked by Captain Lindsay's se- conder, Mr. H. Thomson; that gentleman was in turn assailed by Mr. Cooke; who finished by proposing, as a fit and proper person to represent the bo- rough—Mr. H. Thomson! The electors were then addressed by the two candidates. Mr. Thicknesse limited himself to the subject of free trade— The state of parties in the House of Commons was now such that one or two votes more or less were of no importance to one side or the other; but the solemn decision of that large and influential community far or against free trade must have considerable weight, and would be appealed to as a declaration from the ma- nufacturing interests that trade should be made perfectly and immediately free, or that they were perfectly indifferent to the matter. The principles of free trade were now generally admitted in the abstract: the.only qrfestion now at issue seemed to be, how soon it might be safe to carry them into full operation. He was pledged to a total and immediate repeal of the Corn-laws. That -he consi- dered the first and main point; which once gained, all other measures of free trade would follow in their natural course. Having passed some strictures-on agricultural protection, Mr. Thicknesse declared that he was quite ready to sup- port Sir Robert Peel when he thought him right, and equally ready to oppose him when wrong. He could well appreciate the sagacity of the right honourable Baronet; he admired the skill with which he moulded a great and influential party to his wishes; he thanked him for what he had done for free trade, and still more for sapping the foundations of monopoly, and leaving it, as it now was, tot- tering to its fall: but he could not, looking to the consistency of public men, as judged by their speeches and actions, say he had any confidence in the policy of the present Administration. What their future course might be, time only could show. It depended, he believed, a great deal on public opinion. In this respect, much importance attached to the present election. Captain Lindsay denied that he was a ananopolist: .he was for fair trade and no monopoly— If elected, he would, as their representative, support all those measures he should conceive to be beneficial to the interests of the country at large. He was an ad- vocate of those principles which brought the present Government into power: but while he approved the general policy of her Majesty's Ministers, he should reserve to himself the expression of an independent opinion. He would not go to Parlia- ment pledged either to support or repeal any particular measure. *- * * As they had heard free trade was to be the grand fight in that election, he begged to state at once, that he was distinctly opposed to a total, sudden, and immediate repeal of the Corn-laws; indeed, he thought the scheme of an immediate abandonment of protection wild and visionary, and amounting almost to an act of national suicide. Still he should be prepared if elected as their representative, should:the question arise to render such a course advisable, to reconsider the Corn-laws, with a view to future amelioration: for he thought.protection should always be as low as possible consistently with the welfare of all classes of the community and the full cultivation of the soiL

The show of hands was declared to be in favour of Captain Lindsay ; and a poll was demanded for Mr. Thicknesse.

Three candidates have appeared before the electors of Windsor,—Colonel Reid, Sir John De Beauvoir, and Mr. John Walter, of Bearwood, quondam Member for Nottingham, Colonel Reid is understood to have the Cantle in terest : he was accompanied in his canvass by Si-William Fremantle, De- pnty-Ranger of Windsor Great Park; and the Royal tradesmen are surd to have received some significant hints from head-quarters.

In his first address, Sir John De Beanvofir told the electors that lie solicited their support for the fifth timers

"I address you holding the same political sentiments I have ever felt and professed since I first had the honour of addressing you; for although political parties have since changed, they have assimilated to my principles, not I to theirs. I am still that same independent man, ready to support your privileges and liber- ties from all unconstitutional control, which I always professed to be. * • • Should .I have the honour to be again your representative, it will be with the clear understanding that I shall be unshackled and at liberty to give my vote in favour of such measures as I shall consider to be most conducive to the public good. Without this freedom, I would never wish to enter the House of Commons, or consent to devote nights and days to unremunerative labour, the loss of health, and an honourless office."

Mr. Walter referred to his known political life-

" I retired from that distinguished situation, because I did not find that my awn opinions on subjects of internal policy of great moment received that support throughout the county to which I thought them entitled. The manifestations of regard, however, which I have since witnessed, lead me to believe that these views and opinions will now find a more favourable reception. Indeed, I may say, they have already prevailed to such an extent as has shown that the system which I deprecated could not be enforced in its menaced severity, but that laws for the government of a free nation must be humane as well as stringent. No one can deny that the present state of the country requires the services of men expe- rienced in public affairs and habituated to business: and to those qualities I trust I may put forward, however humble, yet irrefragable claims. I shall briefly eon- elude in the same words which I used successfully in my address to the county in the year 1832—' I have no theories to propose, no fanciedrciects of political perfection to introduce. I simply recommend the correction of a uses where they notoriously. exist and create dissatisfaction, but shall not fail to keep in view the ancient principles of the constitution.' "

The Hinckford Agricultural and Conservative Club held its annual meeting on Friday; when about eighty gentlemen sat down to table; Sir John Tyrell presiding. The speechmaking was noticeable for the strange oscillation between defence and attack of Sir Robert Peel. Mr. G. C. Round defended the Premier for having retained to agriculturists all the protection that they could obtain; and he believed that protection could best be secured by maintaining in office the present Administration against the Whigs and the Anti-Corn-law League. This was both cheered and

hissed. The Reverend J. Cox succeeded in making the same view more acceptable to the company. Sir John Tyrell was less placable: he com- plained, for instance, that there was duplicity in Sir Robert Peel's mea- sures—

He did not say it would be advisable for the Conservatives at once to dismiss him from office. He knew there was the old question, how is his place to be supplied? and there were other grave considerations in thematter: but there was also this grave consideration connected with his own position as their Representa- tive, that unless he could conscientiously discharge his duty as be wished in Par- liament, he for one should wish to retire and tender his resignation to the elec- tors. (Cries of " No, no!") Among the speakers was Mr. Fulcher; who urged the farmers to make experiments, and looked forward to a thorough change of system- " We are told that by means of copper wires you are to draw down the electric ilnid, and manure your laud with sheet-lightning: so that, instead of giving the usual instructions for spreading manure, the order will be, 'John, up with

the apparatus, and give those turnips a few flashes of fresh lightning, or pour a supply of electric fluid over that barley-field.' (Laughter.) 'ou laugh,

gentlemen; bat, after all, I would not give a pin fora man who had not enthu-

teasm enough now and then to attempt impossibilities. The Irish Agitator's cry is, ' 'tate, agitate, agitate!' Sir Robert's was Register, register, register!' the s appears to be Try experiments, try experiments, try experiments!'— and they are quite right. When Dr. Franklin was setting out with.his paper

kite to draw down the lightening from heaven and bottle it up for future use, if he had mentioned his intention to his American friends he would have been greeted with such a peal of laughter as might almost have been heard across the Atlantic. But that electricity has something to do with promoting vegetation, is proved by

the rapid growth of plants under its influence: you hoe your turnips, and admit the air which is charged with it to their roots, and in familiar language you say,

'Yon set them off growing.' Again, during a sultry day in haysell, your mowers tell you, We can't get on, Sir, today; the grass hangs about the scathe, and we can't cut it.' A change in thesis takes place; it becomes charged with electricity; and the operation goes on pleasantly."

At the annual meeting of the Ticehurst Agricultural Association, on Thursday last week, Mr. Selmes of Beekley thus delivered himself, with applause-

" Gentlemen, I think I can congratulate the company now upon the prospect of better times. Certainly, last year one could not do so; but I hope now a brighter day is dawning npon us. Still, though I do entertain this hope, I must say that, whatever may take place in the Legislature of the country, it be- hoves us as farmers and men of business to redouble our exertions. We must, if possible, be still more active, still more men of business than we have been, and thus endeavour to avoid the evil if it should come. In farming operations, science has made rapid progress; and I think, whatever may take place, we should in some sort be prepared to meet it. * * * The whole of a farm must be drained from one end to the other before the application of guano can be attended with the greatest advantage. How this is to be accomplished time alone can

show; but until it is so, we certainly shall not see all the effects which. guano is callable of producing; for between its results when applied to a tile-drained farm and one that is not so, there is a net difference of 201. per cent. Therefore, as we give very great attention to hops, (which, indeed, is the principal produce we de-

pend on,) we mast, if we expect to meet with low prices—though I am not anti- cipating anything of the kind—but whatever takes place, it behoves us to ad- vance science as far as we can to meet anything that may occur; and until we have drained our farms from beginning to end, we have not made that progress Which the country generally has a right to expect."

A numerous meeting of operatives was held at the Brunswick Hotel in Manchester, on Tuesday evening, to receive from Lord Ashley a statement as to the course which he intended to pursue next session of Parliament, on the Short-time question. The meeting was composed of two delegates from each factory. Lord Ashley began by stating the reasons why a Short- tune Bill had not been introduced during the last session: it was thought twadvisable to introduce it after it had been discussed and rejected in the previous session ; all parties were of opinion that full time should be allowed to try the working of the amended Factories Act ; the House of Commons was so completely absorbed in Railway-legislation that it would lave been impossible to command attention ; and he was unprovided with Petitions in support of such a measure. He was not, however, disposed to let next session pass away in a similar manner. With regard to the Rail- way question, which threatened to be far more formidable than during the last session of Parliament, he would say that they must endeavour to forestall it by giving notice of leave to bring in on the very first night of the session a bill for shortening the hours of labour in factories. And if the people were ready upon that point, he was quite ready to serve them with the best of his energies, Opinion has undergone a very favourable change: many Members of Parliament no longer oppose a restriction of working. time; in other countries it is advocated—even in America, the people of Lowell have petitioned the Legislature of Massachusetts for a limitation of the hours of labour: and in this country the experiment has practically succeeded in the factory of Mr. Gardnerat Preston, and in other mills. Meanwhile, Lond Ashley exhorted his hearers to advance the question by agitation. Other speakers—Mr. Brotherton, M.P., the Reverend Mr. Huntingdon, and several operatives—testified to the advan- tages of short-time. Before the meeting separated thanks were voted to Lord Ashley.

At the quarterly meetings of the iron-masters of Shropshire and South Staffordshire, last week, no formal declaration of an advance in price was made; but an agreement was entered into for ten thousand tons of rails at 121. per ton—equal to an advance of 10s.

The Times quotes the following report of progress in the " new city" of Birkenhead, as written by " a noble diplomatist ": we do not know whom that means, but we observe that the Earl of Lincoln visited the place last week- " I have made a very agreeable trip to Birkenhead which is a place rising, as if by enchantment, out of the desert, and bidding fair to rival, if not eclipse, the glories of Liverpool. Seven years ago, there were not three houses on that side of the Mersey: there are now about twenty thousand inhabitants; and on the spot where within that time Sir W. Stanley's hounds killed a fox in the open field, now stands a square larger than Belgrave Square, every house of which is occupied. At Liverpool, there are now ten acres of docks, the charges for which are enor- mous: at Birkenhead, there will be forty-seven acres, with rates two-thirds lower, which will gradually diminish until (supposing trade to continue prosperous) they will almost disappear, and the docks become the property of the pubhc at the end of thirty years. It would have been worth the trouble of the journey to make acquaintance with the projector and soul of this gigantic enterprise, a certain Mr. Jackson. With his desire to create agreat commercial emporium proceeds pail passu that of improving and elevating the condition of the labouring-classes there. and before his docks are even excavated, he is building houses for three hundred families of workpeople, each of which is to have three rooms and necessary conve- niences, to be free of all taxes, and plentifully supplied with water and gas, for 2s. 6d. a week for each family. These houses adjoin the warehouses and docks, where the people are to be employed; and thence is to run a railroad to the sea, and every man liking to bathe will be conveyed there for a penny. There are to be wash-houses, where a woman will be able to wash the linen of her family for twopence; and one hundred and eighty acres have been devoted to a park, which Paxton has laid out; and nothing at Chatsworth can be more beautiful. At least twenty thousand people were congregated there last Sunday, all decently, dressed, orderly, and enjoying themselves. Chapels, and churches, and schools, for every sect and denomination, abound. Jackson says he is sure he shall create as vigorous a public opinion against the public-house as is tube found in the highest classes. There are now three thousand workmen on the docks and buildings, and he is about to take on two thousand more. Turn which way you will, you see only the most judicious application of capital, skill, and experience—everything good adopted, everything bad eschewed from all other places; and as there is no other country in the world, I am sure, that could exhibit such a sight as this nascent establishment, where the best interests of commerce and philanthropy are so felicitously interwoven, I really felt an additional pride at being an Englishman."

The Liverpool Chronicle holds up the Earl of Lincoln as " an informer".—

"Lord Lincoln is here on a tour of inspection of the river, docks, &c. On Tuesday morning, in his perambulation with Lieutenant Evans, he inquired what became of the dredging of the docks; and was informed that the refuse was put into boats, and then carried out to sea. On visiting the Egerton Dock, they found the dredges at work. His Lordship anxiously watched their movements; witnessed the sailing of the boats out of the dock; and then, to his surprise, found the boats emptied their contents into the river instead of the sea. Without loss of time lie went to the Dock-office and signed an information against Lord Francis Egerton for infringing the rules of the Dock Trust."

The Poor-law Commissioners have not been very happy in the choice of a sub- stitute for the late Master of Andover workhouse: Mr. Price, the person whom they appointed provisionally, was once Master of the Oxford Union Workhouse; was there subjected to charges similar to those made against Mr. Macdougahand resigned rather than defend himself. The reporter of the Times having made out the identity of the new Master at Andover and the one at Oxford, the Commis- sioners have dismissed him, saying that they were not aware of his previous cha- racter; his resignation at Oxford having prevented any formal inquiry into it at the time.

A drunken "spree" of three gentlemen at Liverpool has had a sad termination. They were found in the streets early on Sunday morning, intoxicated, and very disorderly, attempting to break open a door; and they were taken by the Police to Hotham Street Bridewell. There they were searched, and in the pockets of one were found two pistols; the owner called out that they were loaded; in a moment after, the youngest of thethree prisoners seized.a pistol and fired it at a Policeman: the ball entered the officer's head through the bridge of the noes, and be lies in a very dangerous state. The person who fired the pistol is a solicitor named Russell.

On Monday, two of the gentlemen, Mr. Benbow and Mr. Bromilow, weee charged at the Police-office with attempting to break open a door. They made no defence. Russell was then charged with shooting the Policeman. He con- ducted his own defence, with great coolness, though his manner evinced that he felt acutely the unfortunate position in which he had placed himself. On Tuesday he was committed for trial on the charge of wilfully shooting.

Higgins, a farm-labourer of Ackworth, has been convicted by the Wakefield Magistrates of an offence against the Game-laws, in having picked up a hare in a wheat-field as he was going to work : the hare had been caught in a snare, but there was no evidence to prove that Higgins was a poacher or at all connected with poachers. He was ordered to pay 5/. penalty and costs; and in default of payment was sent to prison for three months.

A diabolical attempt has been made to destroy Mr. Ward, a wealthy farmer residing near Sheffield. The other dayy he received information that a box had been left for him at a certain public-house. The box, inscribed "to he opened with care," was forwarded to him. Having some suspicion that all was not right, Mr. Ward would not let it be taken into the house; but Mrs. Ward, being particu- larly anxious to ascertain what were the contents of the mysterious box, set to work, assisted by her husband, to open it in the yard: they had scarcely raised the lid when an explosion took place, which for a short time stunned and stupified them: on recovering from the shock one of Mr. Ward's temples was found to be frightfully wounded by slugs, and Mrs. Ward's face burnt by gunpowder; of which it is supposed the cases in the box had containedeorne sax or seven pounds.

A collision occurred on the South-eastern Railway, near Paddock station, on the night of Thursday week; when a train ran into an engine on the line. No ene was hurt; but the engine was damaged. The cause of the accident was, that the people at the station exhibited the wrong signal; which induced the engine- driver to continue his course instead of stopping till the line was cleared.

On Saturday, Salter was charged before the Bath Magistrates with disobedience of orders. He is a loutish, stupid-looking man, and can neither read nor write. His misconduct was clearly proved. In defence, he said he did not observe the signals, and was not aware that a train was due: he was sorry for his negligence. The Bench fined him 51.; but observed, that the man evinced such unfitness for the duty to which he had been appointed, that they wondered the contractor should have employed him; adding, that if they had the option of fining the man or the master, they would rather have mulcted the latter.

An engine-driver has been killed at the Carlisle Railway station in Newcastle- upon-Tyne: while he was cleaning an engine, another came into collision with it, smashing his head between the two.

An express-train on the Great Western Railway was exposed to imminent dan- ger, last Friday, by the misconduct of a labourer. An excavation was going on, about a mile from Bath, in order to the formation of a coal-depot; and the earth which was dug out had to be carried across the line in waggons. The men em- ployed had strict instructions not to cross the rails with the waggons when trains were expected: but on Friday, Salter, a driver, began to cross the line when the express-train was in sight; and before he could draw his horses back from the rails, the buffer of the engine struck a horse on the hinder part, and cut one of its legs completely off. Two men who were at the same time endeavouring to pre- vent the concussion were thrown back over the embankment, with the waggon on them: the collar-bone of one was fractured, and the other was much bruised.

A few days ago, on the arrival of a luggage-train from Gateshead at the Brock- ley Whins station, the luggage on the waggon next to the tender was discovered to be on fire, the large quantity of goods having prevented the tarpaulin from serving as a complete protection against sparks from the flue. A number of fancy baskets and a bale of yarn were destroyed before the fire could be extinguished.

Mr. Basevi, the architect, has been killed, while inspecting some alterations in press in the belfry of Ely Cathedral. He was standing upon a large beam, baying some rough nails upon the surface: one of his companions cautioned him to be careful of the nails; but no sooner had the warning been given than the toe of Mr. Basevi caught in some of them; he was precipitated through a small hole in the belfry-floor to the lower roof of the tower of the Cathedral, and falling upon a beam, was killed upon the spot.

Four men have been drowned off Falmouth by the upsetting of a boat, in which they were returning from looking after some pilchard boats that had got foul of each other. Four men had gone off in a boat belonging to Hill, a pilot; this man was angry about it, and put to sea in another boat with his brother and four men. On reaching his own boat, he got into it with his brother; turning the four men into the other vessel, and wishing it might capsize before it reached the shore: being overladen with the eight men, it did capsize in the breakers, and only four of the seamen were rescued.

A very distressing accident occurred at Sunderland on Wednesday. When the weather is favourable, the pupils of Dr. Cowan, of the Grange Academy, near that town, go to the sea-beach for the purpose of bathing. On this occasion thirty-eight went down, accompanied by four teachers; and they bathed at a short distance from Hendon. There was rather a heavy ground-swell ; and two boys, Archibald Baird and Lennie, were swept out of their depth by a strong sea. When their dangerous situation was observed, Robert Baird and Mr. Special, one of the tutors, rushed to the assistance of their friends; but they were both swept away by the ebb-current; and neither of them being able to swim, they were all drowned. The two Bairds were sons of Sir David Baird.

A correspondent of the Morning Chronicle declares that children are still em- ployed at Shrewsbury as chimney-sweepers; the act for the prevention of the practice having " never been put in force in that town."