Of Putnam

Mr. Robert Lowe, the new Member for Kidderminster, has made a great speech to his constituents. The occasion seized by the new Member was a dinner given to him, at Kidderminster, on Tuesday last ; attended by " nearly four hundred gentlemen at table, with a large gallery full of lathes." Mr. Kiteley, a manufacturer of the place, presided over the banquet ; and the oration of Mr. Lowe was delivered as a response to the toast of his health proposed by the Chairman.

Upon the personal topic, Mr. Lowe thanked the electors of Kidderminster for enabling him to realize " the dream, the aim, the object, the ambition of his life "—a seat in the House of Commons. Thence he launched out broadly upon the wide topic of the triumphs of Free-trade ; which he con- trived to make new and interesting, at least to his hearers. Starting off from this, he got upon the cognate topic of Ministerial bad faith. " Never before in the history of our country was a Ministry selected precisely because—and for no other reason—because they combined in holding a principle unani- mously discarded by the country they were set to govern. One might defy any one, in or out of her Majesty's Government, to point out any ground on which a member of that Government was selected, except that he was, above other men, a bitter and remorseless Protectionist." '

This was a theme not easily exhausted, and Mr. Lowe displayed a remark- able fertility in describing Ministers; characterizing them III a variety of phrases, and epitomizing them in one—" men who had surrendered the only principle they ever had and who had taken no new one whatever in ex- change." Then he turned upon the pretext of Ministers, that they were in office ' to preserve the altar and the throne,"—an idea which he repelled by asking, " who was there that wished to lay his sacrilegious hand upon the altar, or to stretch forth his traitorous arm against the throne ? " and by comparing them to the Bonapartist cabal at Paris, who suppressed the As. sembly, imprisoned its leading members upon the pretext of a con- spiracy,. and crushed the liberties of France. "So here, the people of Eng- land being cheated by these men, by the manner in which they conducted their policy for these six years the next thing the men do is to libel them, and tell them, having got into Office as Protectionists, and then flung away that principle that they now held office to overthrow a great organized con- spiracy against the altar and the throne, of which in their charity they ac- cused the vast majority of the people of England." Mr. Lowe ridiculed with stinging sarcasm the idea that Lord Derby could put down Democracy. "It is all very well to talk about putting down De- mocracy ; but this country is not to be ruled, like France or Germany, by the sword. We are free and we mean to have our will. And if it should be our will—which I trust it never shall be—to change our admirable mo- narchy, and our admirable constitution, for unbridled Democracy, it is not my Lord Derby, nor my Lord Malmesbury, nor Sir Fitzroy Kelly, no, nor a thousand such men, long banded together against our com- mercial freedom, that would stop the onward movement of public opinion a single inch." Were these the men to assuage popular fury ? Rather, if such a crisis as they predicted were to come, were they not the men who would be its first victims instead of its repressors?

He laid down the doctrine, that the business of a Government is, not to cheek this or that party in the state, but to see that the laws be obeyed and justice done. "I will go a little further, and say that not only is it not the business of Government to set itself against public opinion, even though they should think that tendency of the public mind to be wrong, but I will say that those men are unable to read the signs of the times, unfit to be intrusted with the government of mankind, unfit to be made responsible for anything more than their OW11 paltry existences, who cannot read in the pre- sent day that there is, -whether for good or for evil, happily or unhappily for the human race, -with the inscrutable will of the MI-wise Author of the Universe an unalterable tendency towards Democratic equality. I do not say whether is a thing to be rejoiced in or deplored; I do not say whether the past is to be regretted or not; on that many of you will hold different opinions, io and I am not here on this joyful occasion to raise a point on which we might differ : but this I say, that, whether it be for good or for evil, the man must be blind who cannot see the tendency." The Powers of the Con- tinent have been unable to set up a principle which could check Democracy : they tried the Jesuits, but were obliged to have recourse to the sabre and the bayonet.

Mr. Lowe criticized the Ministerial promises of good things "looming in the future" ; and described the Protectionist party as having "nothing whatever to steer by except Disraeli's head rising above the waves."

After he had finished off the Ministry, Mr. Lowe turned to emigration. "A large emigration to Australia had taken place ; but he did not believe it would stop here ; we were in the beginning of the end.' It was a most serious thing for all persons employing labour, what the end of that emigm- tion would be. The temptations it held out were 80 manifest, and the re- sources of the country so manifold, that it was difficult to anticipate the ex- tent of that emigration. Already it had begun to raise wages ; but it was not to be supposed that a little alteration would tempt those who contem- plated emigration to give it up. The habit of emigration once afloat, it would probably continue until wages should be very considerably raised. He believed that on the one side we should see pauperism, as far as ablebodied persons were concerned, abolished, and labourers never knowing what it was to want the necessaries or even the comforts of life; but, on the other hand, the cost of production of those articles on which our trade and commerce depended would be greatly increased, and all whose success depended on keeping down the cost of production ought to take this into serious consideration. He would not say that they could obviate it ; but something they could do—they must in- crease the efficiency of their labour. If they had less of it, what they had must do more. In two ways it must do more ; by associating itself with those natural powers which we had found means to subject to our will under the name of machinery; and by being directed by a quick and lively and instructed intelligence. We must make our labour more efficient ; and to make it more efficient, we must educate it better." Lord Ward, who had been instrumental in bringing Mr. Lowe to Kidder- minster, afterwards spoke ; and the delighted company broke up late in the night.

Peterborough, which was lately visited by Mr. Cornewall Lewis, has now a choice of candidates. Mr. G. H. Whalley addressed the electors and others, at the Corn Exchange, on Thursday. He has come forward in the Radical interest.

South Shields, rivalling Newcastle, feted Mr. John Twizell Wawn on Thursday week. Mr. Wawn had represented that borough for eleven years.

It is understood that at a meeting of the Heads of Houses of Oxford University, on Wednesday, the election of a successer to the Duke of Wel-

lington as Chancellor was fixed to take place on the 12th October, or on a day very near that date. The names of Lord Derby, the Duke of New- castle, Lord Ellesmere, Lord itosse, Lord Carlisle, and Lord Shaftesbury, have been mentioned.

The local journals continue to report progress with regard to the en- listment of Militiamen. For the county of Buckingham, nearly the re- quisite number of men had been obtained last week. At Eynsham, more offered than were required ; and at Wotton-under-Edge the quota was readily made up. The ballot will not be required at Colchester: more than sixty young men have volunteered. The Birmingham Journal of Saturday reports that 500 volunteers for Warwickshire had been already accepted, while numbers were still offering themselves. Leeds district is expected to produce the full number of volunteers : on Saturday, the work of attestation went on before the Magistrates till all the blank forms sent by Government had been exhausted. But it is also reported that in the Hull district there was only one volunteer, at Bristol one, and at Southampton two.

Birkenhead is turning out iron steamers competing with the Clyde. The enterprising builder is Mr. John Laird, of Birkenhead ; in whose yard the Forerunner, a screw-steamer, intended for the monthly liners of the Royal African Mail Company, has been completed.

The Forerunner is a very smart craft, of about four hundred tons burden, and worked by engines of fifty-horse power. "She is constructed of great length, and very fine lines, with a considerable rise of floor, and the bottom is so formed as to give a free access for the water to the screw propeller. She divides the water easily, carrying no head, and scarce making a ripple for- ward and, none aft, the water passing away level, without showing any of the followiug wave, so common in screw-vessels." Her cabins are on deck. She is rigged as a three-masted schooner, her masts being very tall, and her sails laced to the booms as in the yacht America.

The Forerunner left Liverpool, for London, on Saturday last: she made Holyhead, in a rough sea, in eight hours.

Six emigrant-ships are now lying off Bristol bound for Australia. Fourteen vessels carrying 1695 passengers, have started from Bristol during the present year.

The Great St. Leger Stakes were run for on Wednesday at Doncaster, and easily won by Stockwell; who beat his successful competitor for the Derby, Daniel O'Rourke, by several lengths. Stockwell was ridden by Norman, and he belongs to the Marquis of Exeter.

An "accident" occurred on the London and Birmingham line on Monday morning. The accounts of it next day were exceedingly various. The following seems the most probable. A. relay of the rails of the up- line is taking place between 200 yards North of the Leighton station to within about 100 yards North of the 41t mile post of the line. Various precautions are stated to have been dictated to the engine-drivers of the line. A cross-line had also been laid down ; and signalmen had been ap- pointed to remind the drivers of the necessity of caution. In addition to this a pilot-engine had been stationed near the relaying, under the conduct of which all trains were to make the transit. The 6.30 down-train, heavily laden, arrived in due course at Leighton. The pilot-engine came up to the Leighton station, and having been attached to the down-train, proceeded with it over the single line to that point where the relaying of the up-line termi- nated. The pilot was then unhooked from the engine of the down-train, and proceeded at a rapid speed on to the crossing, in order to pass on to the up-lint to allow the down-tram to pass. The pilot-engine had nearly reached the crossing, and was partially crossing on to the up-line, when the down- train the engine of which had been kept by Pattison the driver following at to; fast a speed, caught the left-hand hind-buffer of the tender, dashing it across the line down the embankment, and throwing the pilot-engine round across the up-line. The shock was so tremendous, that the engine of the passenger down-train had its front completely stove in, and was also, to- gether with its tender, thrown over across the down-line ; and four or five of the carriages of the down-train also being thrown off the down-line, the entire road up and down was perfectly blocked. The passengers seem to have escaped with little more damage than a fright but a policeman is re- ported to have been dangerously hurt. When Captain Bruyeres, the General Superintendent., examined the drivers, they threw the blame on each other.

The inquest on Humberston, the stoker who was killed near Creech, on the Bristol and Exeter line, was concluded on Thursday. The evidence de- scribed the particulars of the accident, with the belief of the witnesses that the rolling stock and permanent way of the railway was in good order : they could not account for the accident. But Captain Laffan, the Government Inspector, stated his view of the matter, and pointed out two causes for what had happened. He had examined the railway. "The line was in a fair average state; there were some rails I should have wished out. The line of the 'invert' was very good, and in most places the line was very good. I met occasionally rails which ought to be removed. The line might be said to be in good condition. There was a short length intervening be. tween the invert' and the place where the engine lay, which did not ap- pear in so good a condition as it might have been kept in. There are some peculiar difficulties connected with that spot. It lies about half-way up an ascending bank. The line from Bridgewater has considerable difficulty in getting under the Chard Canal ; it has to dip considerably, and then to rise again to its proper level. Engine-drivers in charge of fast trains would naturally run down at high speed in order to get up the opposite bank more easily ; and the speed with which the traffic would generally pass over the particular spot where the accident occurred would naturally be higher than on other parts of the line. In addition to Carl extra cause for wear and tear, there is one peculiar construction of the line at that place. The line in dipping to pass under the Chard Canal had to be sunk through very soft clay; and to guard against the effects of a soft bottom an 'invert' was turned under the line for a distance of about three-eighths of a mile, and this affords the ground-bed over which the trains run smoothly. On leaving the 'invert, however, the line has no- thing to rest upon but the naturally soft bottom of clay; and, as this cut- ting collects all the moisture, this clay becomes so soft that it might some- times almost be called puddle.' There would naturally be a very great yielding of the line in passing over the soft earth ,- and the wavy, heaving motion caused by this, joined to a high speed, will naturally cause a greater tear and wear of the rails at this spot than at any other. I may add also that this spot will try the springs and axles of every passing train ; and if there is a weak point about the mechanism, it would be more likely to give way here than on the smoother .parts' of the line. I examined the engine and tender also. The enene is so imbedded in mud that I have not seen it fully; but I saw enough to enable me to arrive at a conclusion that there was nothing in its condition to lead to the conclusion that it had been the cause of the accident. The bearing part of the axle of the leading-wheels of the tender are broken short off on the right-hand side. The appearance of the fracture is not that which should be presented by good iron. It was granular; it showed no appearance of fibres. I have no reason to believe, however, that the axle was originally made of bad iron ; the appearance of the other parts of the axle leads to an opposite conclusion. I believe the internal structure of the iron in point of fracture had been changed by the long-continued effects of alternate heating and cooling, and the jars and vibrations caused by the ordinary traffic. The point a fracture coincides with the line where the greatest weight rests upon the axle, and where it would therefore be more exposed to the effects of the causes I speak of." The Coroner asked—" Can you at all account for the accident ? " After a pause, Captain Laffan said— 'I should prefer stating facts." Coroner- " Can you at all account for the accident ? It is like a medical man, after a post-mortem examination, being asked his opinion' as a medical man, with respect to the cause of death of an individual." Captain Laffan—" I will state my opinion to you if you wish it. I believe that the axle of the lead- ing-wheel of the tender was weak at the point I have described ; and that on the train coming at a very high speed on the line through the invert, and coming suddenly on to the rougher and more yielding line beyond, at a time when an extraordinary fall of rain tended to exaggerate any inherent defect in that part of the line, there ensued a violent jarring and vibration, which caused the bearing of the ailetree to give way. The leading-wheels of the tender then left the line ; and the irregular motion, causing the tender to strike the after-part of the engine at a time when the leading-wheels of the engine met a rail which was not in good condition, drove those leading- wheels of the engine off the line, and the accident ensued. I have stated this as my opinion, not as the fact."

A railway employe deposed that the axle was bought as the best descrip- tion of iron ; external examination could not detect the defect mentioned by Captain Laffan: it had only been in use three or four years—axies last fifteen.

The Jury consulted for an hour, and then gave this verdict— "We find that Thomas Humberston, stoker, was killed on Wednesday the 8th September. by the engine and tender of the Bristol and Exeter down exprets-train having run off the line after passing the invert beyond the Chard Canal ; but of the cause of the accident We have no satisfactory evidence." They added—" We have, however,.sufficient evidence before us to show that the portion of the line upon which the accident happened is naturally defective in respect of the soft stratum on which the rails are laid, particularly after wet weather. This ought to be remedied."

The inquest on Reynolds, the engine-driver who was killed at Standen Bridge on the 5th August, was brought to a close on Wednesday. The long delay arose from Reynolds's fireman having been hurt so much—his thigh was broken—that it was necessary to adjourn the inquiry for a month. He was sufficiently recovered on Wednesday to continue his evidence. This, and the testimony of other witnesses, proved that Reynolds's own negligence and temerity were the proximate cause of the disaster and his death. He would not slacken speed -when warned. "Before the accident," said the fireman, "we saw two lots of plate-layers on the line. The lot near Hatton Bridge gave us the red flag. This was fully three-quarters of a mile befbre we came in eight of the pilot-engine. The deceased took no notice of this signal, and did not reverse the engine until he saw the pilot before him at the coal-yard points. I am sure the deceased saw this signal. I remarked to him when I saw it, that the driver of the pilot was probably going to cross at the coal- yard. He replied, Not he !' and ran on at the same speed. I had put the break on when I saw the plate-layers' red flag. The deceased told me to take it off; but I did not-do so, and he put on more steam." Had he obeyed the signal given by the plate-layers, there was plenty of thee to step before he arrived at the spot where the pilot-engine KW shunting. Reynolds was "rather an obstinate man." Other signals to stop, and one to move cautiously, were likewise disobeyed. The driver of the pilot, Grace, deposed that he had a distinct understanding with Reynolds that the pilot was to cross at Whitmore station : but that was impossible, from the speed at which the express-train followed ; so Grace ran forward, leaving orders for Reynolds to slacken speed. Grace then darted onwards at "eighty or ninety miles an hour" to Standen' four miles off; here he began to shunt; the rails were wet, and this caused the operation to be longer than usual : the express- train dashed into the locomotive before it had cleared the rails. VI hen a pointaman at Whitmore showed a green flag—" caution "—Reynolds "put his band with the fingers extended to his nose," as if defying the pointsman. The Jury returned this verdict- - We find that the deceased Thomaartesoolds met his death from the collision be- tween the express-train which he was dnving and the pilot-engine driven by John Grace. The collision was owing to the deceased's having neglected to olaekon his speed before coming to Whitmore, and to his paying no attention to the red flag which was shown him between Whitmore and Standen. We do not think that any blame is to be attributed to John Grace under all the circumstances of the ease ; bet we would suggest to the Railway Company the propriety of reducing to a printed regu- lation the existing understanding between the driver of an assisted engine and the driver of the pilot-engine who assists him : and we are also of opinion, that in no case should the driver of the train assisted be allowed to pass 'Whitmore unless he has been signalled from that place, that the engine which had assisted him was safely out of the way."

The inquest on the two men who were killed on the Sheffield and Retford line, by the train leaving the rails, has terminated in an unsatisfactory way. The evidence was contradictory : some witnesses declared that the speed of the train was excessive, which others denied ; and while some were of opinion that the road-way was in bad order, other people employed on the line pro- nounced it good. The Jury returned this verdict-

" We are unanimously of opinion that the deceased, Samuel Wright and Charles Tuckwood, have come by their deaths in consequence of No. 12, Great Northern train, with engine No. 29, running off the rails near Woodhouse junction, on the night of the 8th instant; but as to what caused the trade to run off the rails, no satis- factory evidence has been given to the Jury."

Eaton, the driver of the train which met with the disaster near Taunton, died in the hospital there: it appears his liver had been ruptured.

The inquest on the three persons killed by the boiler-explosion at Great Lever, near Bolton, terminated with a verdict of "Accidental death." The precise cause of the explosion was not apparent. Mr. Nasmyth, who, was appointed to examine the remains of the boiler' did not think there had been exeessivepressure of steam or want of water : in his opinion, the ultimate cause was the inadequate number of stays and their defective principle. No fewer than twenty-one stacks of corn and hay have been burnt by a fire at Darnall, a village near Sheffield—the whole crops of a farm of seventy acres. The fire is thought to have been wilful. The owner was only partially insured.

The third officer and two seamen of the Humboldt, a Bremen ship char- tered by the Colonization Commissioners to convey emigrants to Australia, were drowned soon after the departure of the vessel from Plymouth Sound.

Second lieutenant Walter Scott Reeves, of the Artillery aorta of Royal Marines, and a waterman, have been drowned while attempting to cross from Portsmouth to Ryde. Their boat was found by Major Martin while he was yachting, and she had evidently been upset ; and a hat-ease, labelled "Lieutenant Reeves," was also picked out of the sea : these were the fast intimations of what bad happened.

While Mr. David Rees,. a farmer, and his little grandson were standing at the door of the house during stern], at Cevenmenng in Wales, they were struck by the lightning. Medical aid recovered the child, but the grand- father was dead.

Two young women have died at Crose-y-Ceilog, in South Wales, from eating poisonous fungi, which had been gathered along with real mush- rooms.

The borough Justices of Leeds have interfered to preserve public morals from injury by a so-called "anatomical exhibition" belonging to a foreigner named Reimer. After a long investigation, visits to the exhibition by the Justices and medical men, and notes made on catalogues, the Mayor came to the conclusion that the " museum " should be permitted to be exhibited only on these conditions,—that certain articles should not be shown at all ; that others should only be exposed in a separate cabinet to medicalmen or stu- dents ; and that the residue should be exhibited under certain restrictions.

Gibbing, a married woman of Daventry, has been committed on the Coro- ner's warrant for the murder of her illegitimate child, a boy eight years old. The woman's husband had recently left her on account of her profligate conduct. The boy was found dead on a bed, with a handkerchief tied tightly round the throat. It was surmised that this had been done after death had been produced by poison; but a post-mortem examination only detected some inflammation in the stomach and intestines.