28 FEBRUARY 1846, Page 6

be Probinces.

The candidates for the representation of South Nottingham were nomi- nated on Saturday, at Newark. The proceedings took place in front of the Town-hall; the hustings being filled with the leading supporters of the respective candidates. There was a large assemblage of persons in front; who in their own way took Part in the proceedings, to the occasional dis- comfiture of the less popular speakers. The Earl of Lincoln arrived with- out parade: Mr. Hildyard came up in a coach with six horses, many car- riages following, and a body of mounted yeomen bringing up the rear.

Lord Lincoln was nominated by Sir Robert Howe Bromley, and seconded by Mr. John Manners Sutton: Mr. Thomas Blackburn Thornton Elildyard was nominated and seconded by Mr. William H. Barrow and Mr. George Storer. The speeches were earnest on both sides. Lord Lincoln's friends called upon the farmers to tifist to their own resources, and not to be alarmed at foreign competition. Mr. Hildyard's spokesmen counselled the farmers to let their watchword ba " No compromise and no surrender," and to inflict a blow on Sir Robert Peel through the defeat of Lord Lincoln.

-hlr. John Evelyn Denison, M.P. for Mahon, who was displaced in the representation for South Nottingham by Lord Lincoln in 1832, addressed the assemblage on behalf of his former opponent—

He had received a letter from Lord Lincoln requesting his support; and his re- ply was, that if his Lordship had come in his old office and asked for relection on the ground of the Corn-laws, he had made up his mind, though not entirely approving the measures of the Government, to give Lord Lincoln, without reser- vation and without a word, his cordial support. But as Lord Lincoln came in the new and responsible office of Secretary for Ireland, entertaining the strong and decided opinions which Mr. Denison entertained on certain points of policy both as regarded Church and State officers in Ireland, he could not offer him at all events an entire and cordial support without some explanation as to the views with which Lord Lincoln entered on that office. Mr. Denison asked for no promise, and no pledge; which it would have been unworthy of him to ask or of the noble Lord to grant. He had had a conversation with the noble Lord on Irish affairs, with which he was entirely satisfied, and, convinced that the noble Lord would enter on his high duties in a spirit of firm and liberal policy, he at once assured him of his cordial good wishes and his earnest support. Mr. Denison glanced at his friend's opponent. Mr. Hildyard had stated in his address that he was brought up in "the school of true Conservatism." Now, really, this town of Newark seemed rather a dangerous place for young gentlemen brought up in the school of true Conservatism. The noble Lord was there to speak for himself. There was another name, however, not unknown to the electors of Newark: Mr. Gladstone had commenced his career in the school of true Conservatism in the borough of Newark; and Mr. Denison thought Mr. Hildyard should take warning from these examples. (Cheers.) For Mr. Hiklyard's own sake, Mr. Denison regretted that he should be launched in his political course at such a moment and in such a cause. When Toryism was dead and Conservatism had slipped into Free-tradeism, it was hardly fair to bring forward one from such a school: it was chaining the living to the dead, and he feared it would form for Mr. Hildyard a very melan- choly companionship. The candidates were then heard. Lord Lincoln defended his change of opinion on the subject of the Corn-laws; telling the eleztors that the change had neither been hasty nor brought about by the influence of the Prime Minister, or of anybody else. No one could be taxed with having talmpered with his opinions, nobody had seduced him. His conversion, if conversion they liked to call it, had been the result of deliberate con- viction.

.Mr. Hildyard rested his claims on the possession of those principles which had originally recommended Lord Lincoln to the favour of the con- stituency, but which he had now abandoned for others. Mr. Hildyard implored the constituency, for the sake of their religion, their families, and their best interests, to place him with a triumphant majority at the head of the poll. The show of hands was in favour of Lord Lincoln; and a poll was de- manded for Mr. Hildyard.

• The polling commenced on Tuesday, with adverse results to the Minis- terial candidate: at the close of the day, a majority of more than 500 appeared against him. The voting on Wednesday was languid, Lord Lincoln's committee deeming success hopeless; but the booths were kept open till the latest hour, in accordance with a promise given by Lord Lin- coln to that effect.

The official declaration of the poll was made yesterday, by the Deputy Sheriff—For Hildyard, 1,736; Lincoln, 1,049; mqjority for the Protec- tionist, 687. Both candidates addressed the electors.

.Lord Lincoln expressed himself mortified at the result of the contest; but as- sured the electors that he was as deeply impressed as ever with the truth of his new convictions, and that before long those who had rejected him would admit that it was he who was their true and real friend. He complained of the unfair means adopted by his opponents to prejudice the electors against him. He had been accused in handbills of having abandoned Protestantism and become Roman Catholic, and various other calumnies had been circulated. He charged Mr. Hildyard with having publicly stated that he had been guilty of extensive bribery.

[Mr. Hildyard admitted that he had spoken of bribery, but had added that he thought Lord Lincoln knew nothing at all about it: lie attributed the bribery to the Free-trade Committee at Nottingham. Two of the voters were offered 281. each. Lord Lincoln inquired if the Protectionists would not make good their as sertion by prosecuting the parties? Mr. Hildyard evaded the question.] Lord Lincoln denied that his agents had deceived him: his defeat was owing to parties who promised to support him over his opponent, and to the unfair means adopted by his opponents to misrepresent his opinions and intentions.

Captain Vyse was elected on Tuesday, for South Northamptonshire, in the room of Mr. W. R. Cartwright, who had resigned. The election took place at Northampton, without opposition. There was a dinner in the aftenwon; at which Sir Charles Knightley is reported to have said—" We agriculturists are like a farmer who, having bought a flock of sheep war- ranted sound, finds afterwards that one half of them are turned rotten."

Mr. Baillie Cochrane, in a letter to his Bridport conatithents, states that some of them have reminded him of a promise which he formerly made, that if he should change his opinion on any important point he would re sign: accordingly, having changed on the Corn-law, he does resign, by accepting the Chiltern Hundreds. Mr. Cochrane stands again; and there is as yet no announcement of any opposition.

A meeting of agricultural labourers was held at nightfall on Monday, at Sheril Heath, Waltham Chase, Hampshire, to talk over the miseries a their condition. Heavy rains fell during the early part of the day, but still the attendance exceeded five hundred. The night was dark, and the only light afforded was supplied by some candles and torches. Jesse Burgess was elected chairman; but a Mr. Ekleas did the duty, making a long speech, and controverting the current arguments for protection. The sub- sequent speakers showed the privations to which they are subjected from the want of a sufficient supply of the necessaries of life. The practical conclusion was to petition Parliament for repeal of the Corn-laws.

A great loss of life has occurred on the line of the South-eastern Railway, near Dover, by the headstrong wilfulness of the sufferers. About two miles from Dover, where the railway is cut through the cliffs, a small cave, five feet in height by six in length, had been excavated in the chalk to be used as a magazine for gunpowder: it was secured by a door, which was locked. A gang of labourers employed in repairing the line endeavoured, on Saturday, to force open the door, that they might obtain shelter from the rain: they were then warned that powder was stored in the place, and the danger and impropriety of their conduct were pointed out. On Tuesday, however, for the sake of shelter from a shower, six- teen men, having broken open the door, got into the cave. Directly afterwards, two barrels of powder exploded, and the men were blown from the excavation as from a mortar. Eleven were killed on the spot, and the others terribly burnt and lacerated. How the powder took fire was not known; but it is reported that one of the men was smoking a pipe. The cave itself was little damaged, and no interruption occurred in the traffic on the railway.

The inquest was commenced at Dover on Thursday, by the Borough Coroner and his Jury. Before the proceedings terminated, the County Coroner made his appearance, and an unseemly discussion arose between the two Coroners and the Jury as to which official should enjoy the dignity and emolument of conducting the inquest: but nothing was settled on the point.

Another man had died, making a total of twelve. The bodies presented a most horrible spectacle: some of them had been blown a distance of 150 yards, ant. the beach or into the sea. Dingley, a bricklayer, stated that the men had wished to use the cave for taking their meals in; but they had been emphatically warned of the powder in it. Barney Watkins said he had seen the door of the cave open for weeks together. On Monday he had put two casks of beer in it. The other witnesses chiefly testified to the identity of the bodies, and the finding of them after the explosion. The inquiry was adjourned to Wednesday next.

William Frid, a time-keeper and inspector on the Great Western Railway, was killed at Cirencester, last week, by a train passing over him. He had got off the train at the station, and, wishing to cross the line, he went to the last carriage; while he was crossing, the engine was backed, a buffer struck the man, and he was thrown on the line. -Before the train was backed the whistle was sounded, and a man also called out to deceased; but both warnings were unheeded.

At the village of West Derby, near Liverpool, an oil and colour inanufactary was carried on by Mrs. Gilton, a widow, who lived with her family in a house adjoining the works. Some months since, twenty-eight pounds of arsenic were dissolved in a cask of water for the purposes of manufacture; but there had been no occasion to use it since. The dwelling-house was supplied with water from a well in the boiling-house; by some means a portion of the solution of arsenic got into the well; Mrs. Gilton and her children partook of tea made from the water, and they were all poisoned: the whole family—Mrs. Gilton, a boy of seven and another of twelve, and two daughters of the ages of fifteen and sixteen—all have perished. Reed, the young man accused of murdering Tranter, the Warwickshire farmer, has been committed for trial.