Vrunturro.

The annual show meeting of the Royal North Lancashire Agricultural Society was held at Preston, on Wednesday and Thursday. It is re- ported as a good average show, both as regards stook and implements. The novelty was a trial of reaping-machines, remarkable chiefly as elicit- ing the real interest felt by agriculturists in these machines. The ab- sence of the Earl of Derby, President of the Society, balked the interest which would otherwise have attended the meeting.

Reaping-machines continue to attract great attention in the agricultu- fel districts. A trial was made at Chichester, on Tuesday, between one of Hussey's and one of APCormack's ; but the machine forwarded by the latter inventor had never been tried before, and the trial was considered very unsatisfactory, as the machinery was constantly becoming deranged. Hussey's machine cut three acres in two hours and ten minutes ; Weer- mack's over four hours. Lord Dacia, Vice-President of the Royal Agri- cultural College, the Reverend S. Haygarth, and other gentlemeg, were present.

Certain Liberals of West Gloucestershire have presented a handsome candelabrum to Mr. Grantley Berkeley, on his defeat. A dinner was given at Thombury on Wednesday, when the testimonial was presented, as a test of the disapprobation with which the presenters looked upon "the system of aggression, intimidation, and coercion," practised at the late elections.

Under the presidency of Mr. J. B. Yates of Liverpool, the Jamaica Association of that town received a deputation from, the island, on Tues- day last. The general tone of the meeting was one of complaint that their long-standing grievances were still unredressed. They still de- manded additional labour, and a market for the produce of free labour. Resolutions were adopted embodying their requirements. Two were moved by Mr. Thompson and Mr. Smith; one affirming that it is the duty of the Government to assist the colony in obtaining a supply of la- bour by immigration; the other, that such differential dudes should be maintained as would equalize the difference between the cost of slave- grown and free-labour sugar ; and that the difference should be made, not by increasing the duties on Foreign, but by decreasing those on Co- lonial auger. At the end of the speaking, Mr. Smith, one of the planters, is reported to have said, "It would be far better for the interests of Jamaica that the 'painter' should be cut between that colony and Eng- land: let her drift to the United States, who would be very glad to have her."

The British Arehasological Association visited Lincoln on the 19th, and Newark Castle, Hawton, and Southwell, on the 20th. The death of the Duke of Hamilton caused the absence of the Duke of Newcastle ; and when the members returned from their excursion on Friday, a substitute for the Duke at the dinner-table was found in Mr. Heywood M.P. Here the speakers were the Chairman, Archdeacon Wilkins, Mr. Planche, Mr. Barrow M.P., Mr. Vernon M.P., and the Mayor of Newark. On Saturday morning a public breakfast closed the official proceedings of the Associa- tion; the remainder of the day being spent at Rufford Abbey, the seat of the Earl of Scarborough.

Archmology is making a great show this year. The Archeological As- sociation had scarcely left Newark, when the Archteological Institute as- sembled at Newcastle-on-Tyne, "under the patronage of the Duke of Northumberland, and the presidency of Lord Talbot de Malahide." The first meeting was held on Tuesday ; sectional meetings were held, during the week, under the Earl of Carlisle, the Honourable H. T. Liddell

and the Reverend W. Whewell, Master of Trinity College, Canabridge. Great activity has characterized the sittings of the Institute. Nume- rous visits have been made to famous antiquities; relics have been dis- played and lectured on ; and papers of varying interest have been read by members.

So munificent were the subscriptions for the sufferers by the Holmfirth inundation, that some of the money will be returned to the subscribers. At a meeting of the committee, last week, it was stated that the total re- ceipts amounted to 45,4341., of which nearly 23,000/. remain in hand. Of this balance, 4500/. is to be invested for the benefit of Mrs. Hirst, of Digley Mill, who was a great sufferer by the flood, and the sum of 4001. is to be set aside to meet any casual expenses. It was proposed to devote 8000/. to the renanstruction of the Bilberry reservoir : this was at first strongly opposed, as it would seem to be a reward for the neglect of the Commissioners ; but it was shown that unless the money were given the reservoir was not likely to be repaired, and without the water-pow* the staple trade of the valley—the woollen manufacture—would not be re- stored : so at length the resolution was agreed to almost unanimously, and trustees were nominated to carry out the work. The unappropriated balance is to be returned, pro rata, to the subscribers.

The Wiltshire Independent of Thursday reports a fete in Bowood Park originating with the Committee of the Caine Mechanics Institution. The Marquis of Lansdowne and the Countess of Shelburne were present. The Great Britain steamed out of the Mersey on Saturday, bound for Melbourne, and carrying about 600 passengers. She was saluted on her passage by guns fired from the Arctic, which lay in the Sloyne, and from some pleasure-gardens at Seacombe ; the river craft were dressed, and there was hearty cheering on land and water. The Great Britain is ex- pected to reach the Cape in twenty-five and Melbourne in fifty-six days. She carries six heavy guns, and ammunition for 100 men. She was seen off Tuskar at five o'clock on Sunday morning, having steamed at the rate of 300 miles per day.

One of the most alarming and disgraceful collisions of trains that ever oc- curred on a railway happened at the Bolton station of the Lancashire and York- shire, on Monday night. The train which was the primary cause of the collision arrived nearly two hours behind its time. It contained a number of passengers destined for different stations, fe mixed together that great confusion ensued in the effort to get them all in their right carriages, causing a further delay. Meanwhile, four other trains came up—two excursion-trains, and two goods- trains. These, numbering about one hundred and fifty carriages, stretched a mile along the line to a place called Bullfield; where a pointsman is placed, having charge of two disc signals set up on a high post. The pointsman's cabin is close to his points, but the innate are 250 yards beyond, (or further from Bolton,) and are worked by means of a lever and a wire about six yards from the cabin. Beyond this cabin the line of trains stretched about 125 yards, or half-way to the signal. This signal would have been visible for upwards of a mile in the direction of Preston. On ordinary days the duty of the pointsman terminates at half-past eight in the evening, but when extra times are run he is expected to attend until all have passed. As excursion-trains were expected, the pointsman, Lee Bancroft by name, had been duly informed thereof, and instructed in addition, as follows- " Keep your siglInKs lighted ; be prepared for these and all future special trains until they have passed home. Keep a good look-out for any extra train, engines, Sec. of which you may not receive advice."

But instead of obeying this order, he extinguished his signals and went home at a quarter to nine ; five-and-twenty minutes before the first train arrived-

" The line from Bolton to &infield consists of a curve, extending under a

series of eight or ten short tunnels and bridges ; and the five trains jammed up in this dark and gloomy space were thus utterly without protection. The night was exceedingly dark ; and when the sixth train (which is not an ex- cursion or special train, but the regular late passenger-train from Liverpool to Manchester) came up, the driver did not come in sight of the preceding one, owing to the curve, until he reached the place where the signal-post is placed, a distance of about 125 yards. Whether the driver was not on the lookout, or whether it was impossible for him to stop in such a short space of time, with a train of sixteen carriages going at a high speed, we could not learn ; but the result was, that he ran into the luggage-train with great force, and the collision was so fearful that the first three carriages (third class) were smashed, the second one being turned up on its fore-end between the other two, with the ten passengers in it feet-upwards, and almost on their heads." The terror of the passengers was so great, that their screams were

heard a mile ail. As there were but few persons on the line, it was some time before the passengers were liberated ; but at length aid arrived from Bolton, and they were set free. It was found that fifteen persons were more or les seriously hurt, but none killed. Three surgeons were speedily on the spot, rendering assistance to the wounded. The most remarkable incident in the story is, that the pointsman was so strongly affected when told that he was responsible for the collision, that he - hanged himself, in his wooden sentry-box at &infield, on the same night.

The second verdict of the Jury on the "ash-pan" accident near Coventry has at length been given. After two hours' deliberation' on WednesdaY, they found as follows—" We are unanimously of opinion that the death 'of John Thomas Beddington was caused in consequence of the ash-pan hav:ng been severed from the engine ; but the cause of such severance is not in evidence before the Jury." We have to notice that the Coroner declined to call Captain Laffan to give evidence, although requested to do so by the rela- - lives of Mr. Bedingfield.

A boiler has exploded at Tinsley cotton-mill, Burnley ; badly scalding eleven of the workpeople, of whom four have since died. The accident was caused by the collapse of a flue, about eight or _nine feet from the front of • the boiler.

The inquest commenced on Monday. The Jury inspected the boiler. It did not appear disturbed from its position. In the inside, all that could be seen was a fissure, Abut three or four feet long, and one or two inches wide in the middle—separated right across the rivets that joined the two plates together. On looking into the flue, the top part for a short distance was bulged down, and the lower part had risen up, almost closing in the centre of the flue, but leaving an open space on each side. The loss of rife was caused by the great quantity of steam and scalding water ejected from the rent. Only two witnesses were examined on Monday—the men who tended the boiler. According to their account, it was in good working condition, and at the time of the explosion both of them saw by the gauge that the steam-pressure was not excessive. It is stated that there were three old and three new boilers at the mill, the latter not yet being at work.

A young man has been killed at a flour-mill at Worcester, by the explo- sion of a boiler, caused by overheating, the result of his neglecting to supply water. The explosion was of great violence. Tainty, the engineer, was standing immediately in front of the boiler ; and, with his fire-shovel in his hand, he was blown, together with the shutter which overlapped the lover part of a window and some of the brickwork, right across a canal and through a row of strong palings on the other side of the water—s distance- of upwards of 140 feet. The palings were thrown down for some three or four yards, and, together with a body of water which had been blown out of the canal, were driven across a field, tearing up grass and earth in their pro- gress; and they were only stopped by a wall dividing the field from a road leading down to Diglis Basins, some 200 feet from the actual scene of the ex- plosion. The unfortunate man was found to be alive, but he died in half an hour siter his removal to the Worcester Infirmary.

A number of Southend mariners have been charged before the Rochford Magistrates with carrying away property in the Renown, and with board- ing her contrary to the will of those n charge. This was the alleged "wrecking" case which was recently mentioned. The investigation w as lengthy. The boatmen declared that they intended only to save the pro- perty for the owners, receiving the legal salvage for their pains ; but the people who were on board the Renown alleged that the Southend men would. enter the vessel though warned off. The Magistrates absolved the boitmen of wrongfully carrying away cargo; but convicted them of entering thb ves- sel without the leave of those in charge, and inflicted a fine of 51. upon each, with the alternative of a month's imprisonment. The sentence was lenient, the Chairman said, but it would be a warning to men in future not to go on board vessels in spite of those in charge of them.

The Gravesend revenue-officers have seized a Yarmouth cutter with two tons of smuggled tobacco on board. The Elizabeth traded with herrings be- tween Yarmouth and Gravesend, selling her cargoes at a less profit than could

have been obtained in London. After a time the officers suspected the vessel ; and she was seized. The tobacco was found concealed between the keelson and a false deck, over which there was ballast.

The seamen of the ships which escorted the Queen to Belgium—nay, even those of the Royal yacht itself—took advantage of the trip to try their hands at smuggling tobacco. But the revenue-officers got notice that there had been large purchases of the "weed" at■Antwerp, and they soon overhauled the ships after the Queen had landed. However' there are tales that a good deal of the tobacco was smuggled ashore after all. A waterman and two boys were seized while attempting to " run " tobacco from one of the ships, and a rigger in Portsmouth Dockyard for having smuggled tobacco in his possession : the watermrui and the rigger have been fined 100/. each. It is said, however, that the crew of the Royal yacht only brought with them the quantity allowed by the Excise-laws.

The B.amegate officers have made a rich seizure—the lugger Marie, of Dunkirk, with nearly three tons of tobacco on board. Two Englishmen and four Frenchmen were apprehended.

At Liverpool Assizes, last week, Jones and Williams were convicted of de- frauding emigrants of passage-money, on the false pretence that they would provide them berths in a ship to Australia. They were sentenced to be im- prisoned for six months, with hard labour.

Ann Rimmer and Sarah Rimmer, sisters, were tried for attempting to murder Elizabeth Itimmer, the illegitimate daughter of Sarah, by means of oxalic acid. The three lived at Kirkdale. The poison was put into tea, which the girl drank ; the taste of the tea and the effects of the poison on her throat and stomach warned her that something was amiss, and she got timely medical aid. The pfisoners had quarrelled with Elizabeth, and Ann had threatened to poison her because she did not get a situation. The Jury convicted both prisoners, and sentence of death was recorded.

The Orangemen arrested at Liverpool on the 12th weals brought up for trial before Lord Campbell, in tho Assize Court, on Saturday last. The At- torney-General prosecuted. After he had opened the case, it seemed so clear that the prisoners had violated the law, that their own counsel per- suaded them to plead guilty ; which, with much reluctance, they agreed to do. Lord Campbell and the lawyers all agreed, that whether persons who unlawfully assemble carry arms or not, they are equally law-breakers ; and bad the men been tried and found guilty, Lord Campbell said he should have felt it his duty to pass a severe sentence ; as it was, the prisoners were liberated on bail to come up for judgment when called upon.

At the same Assizes, nine men were found guilty of rioting at the Wigan election, on the 7th July ; and were sentenced to divers periods of imprison- ment with hard labour—none, however, over three months.

Many daring burglaries have recently been committed in different parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire ; and three or four of them at Mirfield, the scene of the triple murder by robbers in 1847. The last crime was very daring. At nine o'clock at night, Mr. Ledgard, a solicitor, heard a tap at the door, and opened it, when four men armed and masked entered, and threatened the lives of the inmates. Yielding to compulsion, Mr. Ledgard gave them 51. A servant-lad escaped, and assistance soon arrived; but the burglars got clear off.

The Reverend James Nisbett has been committed by the Worcester Ma- gistrates on the charge of uttering a forged bill of exchange for 3004 Heavy bail was required, which was not forthcoming. It is said that several other charges will be-preferred against him at the Assizes.

Mr. William Cooper Robinson, a solicitor in very respectable practice at Hull, has been committed for trial on a charge of forging an "I 0 IT" for 10001. He wanted to borrow 5001. from bill-discounters, for a Mr. Prickett, as he said; they consented to lend it if Mr. Prickett's acknowledgment was produced ; presently he returned with an "1 0 If" for the larger sum of 10001., purporting to be signed by Mr. Prickett. The discounters suspected -the genuineness of the signature and on sending to Mr. Prickett, ascertained that it was not his. The Magistrates allowed Mr. Robinson to put in bail.

A married woman and her two young children have perished at Plymouth by the bedclothes having caught fire from a candle which had been left burning.

A prisoner has escaped from the custody of an officer by leaping from a railway train, between Brockley Whine and Shields. The train was going fast, and the man was handcuffed ; yet he managed to limp away, and to escape recapture for a time.

A miner of Wigan has lost his life through a singular accident. About nine or ten weeks ago, as he was on his way home, sinoWg a pipe, he stum- bled over something in his path, and, falling on his face, e rape was driven backwards into his throat. He lingered in great pain till Monday week, when he died.

During the late gale, a barge drifted on shore near Cawsand beach ; and the crew, two in number, not knowing the coast, and considering they were wrecked, threw themselves overboard and attempted to swim ashore. It being just after nightfall, and a heavy sea running at the time, their situation was not noticed for some time ; but eventually a Mrs. Oliver perceived their peril, and rushed into the water arms-high, and rescued both men, who were very much exhausted.—Plymouth Journal.