22 FEBRUARY 1851, Page 7

Vraturto.

The South Nottinghamshire election was a remarkable struggle ; the successful candidate obtained his triumph only by a majority of eleven out of nearly three thousand voters. The winner was Mr. Barrow, the tenant-farmer's candidate ; who polled 1493 votes against the 1482 re- gistered for Lord Newark, the representative of the Ducal interest for which South Nottinghamshire is famed. At the returning of thanks, the winner and loser were frank and friendly to each other; and Mr. Barrow expressed a confidence that the strong feelings which have been evoked in the contest will soon subside ; while the good effect of the struggle in the future representation of the county would certainly be lasting.

The proceedings of a meeting of the members and friends of the Cam- bridgeshire Protection Society, at Cambridge, on Saturday last, were marked by indications of the temper of the Protectionist tenants and squires in relation to Mr. Disraeli's recent exposition of policy. The Reverend Dr. Webb, Master of Clare Hall, called on all tradesmen of the town who had a feeling for the public and their neighbours, to come for- ward and say to their representatives, as he himself had said to Mr. Goulburn, a Member for his University, "You have acted contrary to the best interests of the country, and we can no longer give you our support." Mr. St. Quintin junior, of Halley Park, moved a resolution demanding an import-duty on corn and cattle; and proceeded to criticize Mr. Disraeli's speech, which he regarded as having thrown protection overboard. Mr. Scott of Ely observed, that Mr. Disraeli has only appealed from Parliament to the country, and has said the struggle must be without and not within the House of Commons. Mr. St. Quintus rejoined—" At any rate, the matter is involved in so much of theory that it is difficult to find out his plain meaning. Possibly the farmers don't so well understand the theory of their case, but they understand very well the simple fact that they are being ruined under free trade." This saying was cheered. Some other members of the Society further " explained" Mr. Disraeli's tactics, and hinted that a division in the ranks would be most dangerous at this junc- ture. Mr. Pemberton of Newton said-

" If they discouraged a man of power and ability, or created a split in their camp, they would ruin their cause. They had seen Mr. Disraeli's great energy and increasing influence in the House ; and, if his views and motives were to be suspected, he might throw their cause up in disgust ; and where then were they to look for a leader? " More advocacy of "unity" followed; but Mr. J. Witt, of Swaffham Priory, gave ambiguous reassurance by observing—" Let them doubt Mr. Disraeli as they would, he did not think they would have occasion to doubt their chairman, the Earl of Hardwicke." The discussion was closed by Mr. G. T. Yorke, in a manner which is not quite clear to the observer who only reads. Declaring that he did hardly think that any one could doubt Mr. Disraeli's sincerity after the demonstration he had made in favour of their interest, Mr. Yorke concluded by asking "whe- ther they would pass an unanimous vote of confidence in Mr. Disraeli." The report says that " three deafening cheers arose, that shook the build- ing"; but we do not read of any more formal acceptance of the proposal.

The inhabitants of Portsmouth have taken fright at the symptoms lately manifested in their neighbourhood of an intention by the Govern- ment to discontinue the system of hulking convicts in the harbour, and to keep them in a new land-prison called the Convicts' Home, as well as an intention to employ convicts more than hitherto in the labour of the Dockyards. A public meeting last week denounced the " dangerous en- croachment" with all the fervour of a colony for the first time rejecting the criminal outpourings of its mother-country; and the Town-Council deputed the Mayor and a body of gentlemen to wait on Sir George Grey. They had an interview, but got no promise or hope of suspension or modi- fication : on the contrary, all that they gathered was indicative of an in- tention to extend the system of home location of convicts.

At Lancaster Assizes, on Wednesday, Samuel Donaldson, formerly actuary of the Ulverstone Savings-bank, was tried for appropriating to his own use the money of the depositors. There were two charges; one of having by false pretences obtained large sums from the Lancaster Banking Company, and the other of having got money from the cashier of the savings-bank on the false pretence that depositors in the An lieside branch bank wished to withdraw their deposits. It appeared that Donaldson, by means of false statements and fictitious accounts, had been defrauding the savings-bank from 1817 to 1849. He was authorized to draw from the Lancaster bank the money required to make repayments to depositors each week ; and as he obtained this money without stating to the bank for what purpose he wanted it, Mr. Justice Cresswell held that the first charge was at an end—there was no false pretence. Mr. Roebuck addressed the Jury for the prisoner on the second charge. The Jury found the prisoner guilty, but with a strong re- commendation to mercy, on account of the gross negligence with which the accounts of the bank had been kept.

More provincial murders are reported this week. Clarke, the husband of an "unfortunate woman" at Bath, on Tuesday night found her drunk, as was her wont. He quarrelled with her, and beat her so unmercifully with a thick stick that she died soon after the neighbours came to her aid. Clarke said to a Policeman, "I am the cause of her death." Welch, an Irishman living at Weduesbury, was assailed on the road at night by a party of fellow countrymen, who beat him with sticks and stones, and so maltreated him that he died three days after. The assailants had expressed an intention to "kill the Welches "-of whom there were several in the neighbourhood. A. Coroner's Jury has returned a verdict of " Wilful murder " against four men, two of whom arc in custody.

Patrick Lyons, charged with the murder of the young woman at Warring- ton, has been taken in London, by Cavanagh, a Dublin Policeman ; who traced him from Dublin by the description given of him in the Hoe and Cry. Cavanagh gains a reward of 100/.

Two burglars broke into the house of Mr. Tucker, the verger of St. George's Chapel at Windsor, boat Mr. Tucker, who is ninety years of age, till he was insensible, beat and broke the arm of an old lady who resided with him, and departed with plunder.

George Ponder and Charlotte Parmenter, an elderly couple who lived to- gether at Colchester, and who were in a very destitute condition, have been found dead in their room. Parmenter's throat was cut, and Ponder was suspended to the bedpost.

While a train was on its way from Rugby to Leicester, a tube in the en- gine burst. Wilkinson, the driver, lied been scalded before by a similar ac- cident ; he was so alarmed now that he scrambled over the coke in the tender and fell upon the rails, and the train passed over him. The fireman, after the first gush of steam had subsided, stopped the engine. Poor Wilkinson had insured his life for 5001. in the Railway Insurance Company.

Mr. Hodgets, a manufacturing chemist of Salford, has lost his life by an explosion of naphtha. Examining the cause of some defect in the process of distillation, he mounted the brick-work of the still ; an explosion took place, the spirit ran on to the burning coals beneath, and Mr. Hodgets was surrounded with flames. He leaped down, run to a shed, and fell dead. Two workmen were dreadfully scorched, and one of them has died.

Binstead House, a seat belonging to Major-General Lord Downes, about a mile from Ryde in the Isle of Wight, was burut down on Monday. The back of a stove in the study had been placed against wood-work. Lord Downes and his family were about to reside in the house, and saw the fire as they. approached the island iu a steamer.