Vrottinrial.
The hop planters of Kent and Sussex are again in the field for the pur- pose of obtaining the removal of the war tax on hops. They met at Maplehurat on Wednesday, and adopted resolutions demanding a reduc- tion of the duty to one penny per pound. Lord HoImesdale, one of the county Members, who last year, when his friends were in office, saw no prospect of a. repeal of the duty, now, enlightened by opposition, thinks the present an opportune moment for pressing the demands of the planters on. Mr. Gladstone.
The three Members for Berkshire, Mr. Walter, Captain Vernon, and Mr. Bouverie, dined at the annual festival of the Reading Farmers' Club on Saturday. Although of great interest to their hearers, their speeches, considering the actual presence of Parliament in session, have much less general interest.
The Liverpool Chamber of Commerce have passed a resolution, re- cording their satisfaction at the principles recently enunciated by the Emperor of the French in his letter to M. Fould, recommending im- portant changes in the commercial policy of France.
The Newcastle Chamber of Commerce, rejoicing in the late free trade manifesto of the Emperor of the French, and finding his programme in accordance with its own recommendations in 1857, have agreed to frame a memorial placing all the local information they can at the disposal of our Government in order to put them in a position to obtain as great a development of commerce as possible.
The Irish labourers resident in Newcastle on Tyne, and employed in the factories, ship-yards, and iron-works of the place, made a demon- stration in favour of the Pope on Monday. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham presided, and among those present were the Reverend Father Suffield, Mr. Philip Howard of Corby, and Dr. Charlton. A string of resolutions were agreed to, and an appropriate address to the Pope adopted. Father Suffield said, among other things—
We wish to see expelled from the Pope's dominions the insolent foreigners who hold a Sardinian dagger in one hand and English gold in the other. As we say England for the English, Ireland for the Irish, so we say Ro- magna for the Romagnese, Rome for the Romans, the Patrimony of St. Peter for the Pope, but not for the assassin, the alien, the persecutor, the secret societies, the enemies of Christianity.
The Town Council of Southampton has passed a resolution recording their sympathy and expressing their condolence with Mrs. Harrison. Minute guns were fired, the bells rang a muffled peal, and flags were hoisted half-mast high on Thursday, when the remains of Captain Harrison were conveyed at Liverpool.
Mr. Stamford Raffles has been appointed Stipendiary Magistrate at Liverpool in the room of Mr. Mansfield. We believe the appointment is made on the recommendation of the Town Council.
The Leeds Magistrates have committed the Reverend Henry Lloyd Bickerstaffe for trial on a charge of bigamy. The Reverend prisoner, asked what he had to say, answered nothing; he only desired to expedite the course of justice.
Mr. Thomson, United States Consul at Southampton, has applied to the Magistrates for authority to detain Lane and Hires, the American mates charged with aix murders. The Consul has made a strict inquiry and found sufficient evidence to warrant him in sending the mates home for trial. The Magistrates agreed to place the men in arrest, and to take evidence at a future sitting as a warrant for handing them over.
A. foreigner calling, himself Le Capitaine Dupont went to the Queen's Hotel, Birmingham. He gave out that he should stay some time, but in a day or two he declared he must depart on urgent business, and he tendered a 101. note, requiring instant change. The note did not look quite genuine ; it was examined, found to be a forgery, and Le Capitaine Dupont found himself in custody. On his person was a bundle of forged notes. He has been committedfor trial.
Few incidents have produced more profound sorrow than the death of Captain Harrison, the commander of the ill-fated Great Eastern. This took place on Saturday morning. Captain Harrison lived in a villa on the So- lent called Hythe House. That morning Captain Lay, chief purser, and his son, went over in the captain's gig to breakfast with him. About ten, Cap- tain Harrison embarked with Lay, his son, Dr. Watson, Ogden the eox- s wain, and a crew of five picked men. The weather was most unpromising. Fierce gusts swept over the Solent. The Indus had been unable to enter the docks. A steam-tug and a barque were blown back towards the harbour. The little gig, however, carrying a lugsail, made way through the water, Captain Harrison in cha6e of the helm. As she neared the docks she felt the influence of a chopping sea, and "yawed" fearfully. "Captain Harrison gave orders to stand by with the halyards, and immediately afterwards to down with the sail. The order was at once obeyed by the crew, but both the sail and halyards were wet through ; neither moved freely, and the sail, after coming down a foot, stuck fast. The rest occurred in a minute. The boat had still way enough on her to take her abreast of the opening to the docks, when a counter eddy of wind struck her on the opposite tack. The sail instantly jibed,' as it is termed, that is to say, the canvass was forced back against the mast, and the boat in a second, heeling over on the side on which most of the crew were sitting, filled and turned over. Dr. Watson, who exerted himself so energetically to save others, and who was himself picked up exhausted and insensible, says that in the first moment all went down together underneath the gig, but almost immediately afterwards, as it appeared to him, they rose to the surface. The spray from the sea was wild and stifling, the water deadly cold, and for a moment or so of course none could say what happened. Dr. Watson, who swims as well as poor Captain Harrison did, struck out and seized the younger Lay. While doing so he saw Captain Harrison also striking out towards the boat, which was pitching about keel uppermost, and called to him to make for the boat and hold on, to which Captain Harrison replied, All right, all right.' Always cool and collected, no matter what his danger, Captain Harrison then seized the boat, and made a desperate attempt to right it. But it was filled with water; and turned over so completely as to rise again with the keel uppermost still. Between this movement of the boat and the fury of the sea, Dr. Watson was separated from young Lay and the boat for an interval. After a while, however, he again succeeded in catch- ing the poor lad and jamming him in between himself and the stern of the boat : on to which he held with one hand, while with the other he tried to support Captain Harrison, who was buffetting strongly with the waves, by keeping his hand under his arm. In this manner some minutes passed[ and Captain Harrison seemed almost powerless, and to be becoming insensible. After a short while, however, he again threw himself on the keel of the boat, and strove to turn it over. The struggle, however, was like the first, ineffectual, and seemed to exhaust his stTength, for he relaxed his hold, threw his arms up, and fell back in the waves, after which Dr. Watson saw him no more. The last gallant effort of the Captain had, however, again separated Dr. Watson from the boat, and from young Lay, who, before the Doctor could regain his hold of him. went down, beating the water with his hands as he sank. Captain Lay, who was holding on to the boat, shouted loudly for help as he saw his child disappear. Dr. Watson called to them all to hold on, as a boat was coming. Some of the crew were then clinging to oars and stretchers, but most of them to the boat. Ogden could not be seen. It was some minutes longer before any boats could make their way to them through the heavy sea, by which time many had relinquished their hold of the boat or spars, for the waves were breaking over them and all were more or less exhausted and insensible before they were reacued."
Many boats at once put off. When the first arrived Harrison's body was picked up. He was about a foot below the surface doubled up, his head and feet together, and one arm cast over a spar. All the others were recovered but young Lay, and his body was found some hours afterwards. The greatest pains were taken to restore life to Captain Harrison, but with no result. Scores of times he had crossed the Atlantic ; many times he had been in peril ; here he died at the very entrance to a great dock, and within sight of help of every kind. Ogden, the coxswain, a Deptford boatman who had followed Harrison, died on shore. A Coroner's Jury has returned a verdict of "Accidental Death."
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