Vrouittrto.
The Provinces have played their part in the visit of the French Em- peror, by giving public exprespion to their sentiments of welcome and strong satisfaction at this strfting proof of the alliance between the two Countries. In this way addresses to the Emperor have been adopted by the Town-Councils and public bodies of Manchester, Birmingham, South- ampton, Brighton, and other towns.
A church-rate has been refused at Liverpool : on a poll there was a majority of 571 persons and 595 votes against the rate.
The Court-martial which sat laid week at Portsmouth to inquire into the loss of the Tiger, after bearing the defence of Lieutenant Royer and Mr. Edington Ate Master, returned the following verdict.- " The Court la of opinion that the ship Tiger was run on shore in conse- quence of her having been rashly conducted as she approached the coast of Odessa ; and that after the ship had been run on shore the measures resorted to get her afloat were injudicious : but in respect to the surrender of the Tiger to the enemy, that, as the ship was aground without any hope being entertained of fioatmg her offi and as she was exposed to the enemy's guns, which had set her on fire, and upon which the guns of the ship could not be brought to bear, no blame can be imputed in consequence of such surrender. The Court is further of opinion, that no blame is imputable to the said Lieutenant Alfred Royer, eince he acted under the immediate directions of his captain ; and the Court doth adjudge him to be acquitted. The Court is further of opinion, that Mr. Francis Edington is blameable for the want of eaution that was exhibited by him in approaching the shore near Odessa: but, in consideration of his previous good character and long services, doth adjudge him to be only severely reprimanded. And the said Lieutenant Alfred Royer is hereby acquitted ; and the said Mr. Francis Edington is hereby severely reprimanded accordingly?'
Arrangements are in progress for amalgamating the whole of the working shipwrights of the United Kingdom into one "union." A meeting of dele- gates has just been held at Newcastle, to be followed by one at Liverpool. Other trades are about to follow this example.
Two thousand colliers are on strike at Wigan, in consequence of a reduc- tion of wages. The authorities have made preparations to, quell any dis- turbances.
At Liverpool Assizes, on Saturday, Mr. Peter Petrie sued Mr. Ellis, a Lon- don underwriter, fur his proportion of 32001. insured by a policy of in- surance on a box of gold-deist. The case was rather singular. Mr. Petrie bought a small vessel in 18.52 to make a speculative voyage to Australia ; he made a good deal of money by selling goods and conveying passengers between Adelaide and Melbourne, and he also got something by a gold-dig- ging trip ; when about to return to England, he wrote over for iusurances to be effected here on the ship, cargo, and treasure. In the British Channel the weather was bad at night, and there was much shipping about; to warn other vessels of his proximity, he burnt a blue light ; by some means a blue light in a box of lights in Mr. Petrie's cabin took fire ; a barrel of gun- hwder was stowed there ; he thought this would explode ; he managed to url the burning blue light from the cabin, but other things had then caught fire ; amid the flames, be seized a box of gold-dust, hurried on deck, and ordered all hands to the boats. In attempting to enter one of these, be stumbled, and the box of gold tumbled into the sea. It seems that the fire in the cabin was then put out, the box of blue lights thrown overboard, and the ship was brought safely to port. Mr. Petrie lost his eyesight by enter- ing the cabin to save the gold. As the box had been thus lost on the voyage, he sought to recover its value from the insurers. Witnesses were called to sampan the story told by the plaintiff. For the defence, a scientific gentle- man threw doubt on the probability of a blue light igniting spontaneously ; and Sergeant Wilkins urged that Mr. Petrie had not satisfactorily made out that he possessed so much gold-dust. The Jury returned a verdict for the amount claimed.
At the inquest on the body of Mr. Cookesley, one of the persons who perished by the fall of a bridge at Bristol, evidence was given to show that the disaster was accidentally caused. The steam-barge was carried away by the tide ; an attempt was made to stop it by throwing a rope to shore to he fastened to a post—which post had been broken earlier in the morning, and there were no means of fastening the rope ; the barge then dashed against the bridge. Twelve of the Jury of fifteen agreed in a verdict of "Accidental death."
An extraordinary attempt has been made to commit a robbery in the burial-vault of the Smyth family at Long Ashton, near Bristol. It is be- lieved, and apparently with some reason, that the coffin of the Dowager Lady Elizabeth Smyth—widow of Sir Hugh Smyth, whose son "Tom Provis" pretended to be—contains a considerable amount of valuables ; a silver box containing her heart, silver ornaments on the inner coffin, and perhaps some articles of jewellery. A gang of rubbers broke open a tool-house in the church-yard, and with the implements obtained thence forced open the church-door, and raised acme stones in the chancel, descending through the opening into the vault, Here they tried to find Lady Elizabeth's coffin, disarranging several, and breaking open one of the leaden cases ; but, curi- ously enough, they could not find the coffin they wanted, because they had themselves unintentionally bidden it by placing a plank over it. Thus foiled, they returned to the church, and broke open a chest to get at the communion-plate : but this had not been kept in the church of late ;_ and thus the villains had all their pains for nothing. A reward of 501. is offered for their conviction. The Reverend F. W. Waldron, formerly curate of Burnham, has been or- dered by the Magistrates to pay 20. 64. a week to Louisa Johnson for the support of his illegitimate child.
The village of Needingworth, near St. Ives, has been ravaged by four fires, which rapidly followed each other in less than an hour. Residences, farm-buildings, produce, and implements, were swept away, in all to the value of 6000/. The circumstance of the rapid succession of the fires at once led to a suspicion that they were wilfully caused; and a man is in custody.
The other day, a tipsy sailor, who was journeying from London to join his ship at Portsmouth, got out of a railway-carriage while the train was going at great speed, a few miles from Portsmouth : every one believed that he had been killed ; but he walked into the town almost unhurt.
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