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Alnwick was the scene of a great banquet on Tuesday, in honour of Sir George Grey. After his defeat at the general election, a proposition was made to raise a subscription and present a testimonial to Sir George. Accordingly, upwards of 400 guineas were subscribed, chiefly in small sums from non-electors, including 13,000 of the working class. The testimonial consisted of a salver and candelabrum, supported at the base by a miner, a smith, and a ploughman, and bearing the arms of Alnwiek, Morpetli, and Berwick. In order to enable the working classes to attend the din- ner, the price of a ticket was fixed at three shillings ; and as Ahiwick boasted of no room large enough, a structure was erected in the market- place calculated to hold 1000 persons, with galleries running round for the accommodation of ladies. The dinner began at one o'clock ; Sir Walter Trevelyan in the chair. Sir George Grey sat at his right band; and at the same table were Earl Grey, the Earl of Carlisle, Lord Pan- mum, Mr. Blacked M.P., Mr. Ingham M.P., Mr. Beaumont M.P., Mr. Mice junior M.P., Mr. C. W. G. Howard M.P., and other gentlemen, including five bearing the name of Grey. As the chairman is a Teeto- taller, he declined to call upon the company to fill their glasses,— holding the custom of proposing toasts as a "relic of barbarism." This caused some hissing and confusion ; but the usual healths were proposed, beginning with the Royal Family, her Majesty's Ministers, the Bishop of Durham, and then "Sir George Grey." This last was pro- posed by Mr. Young of the Redlington Iron-works ; who described the late election, and the origin of the testimonial. He had been deputed by the working men of Northumberland to present that testimonial, "pur-

chased mainly by their humble offerings," in token of their estimation of Sir George's character, talents, and public services. In his speech of

thanks, Sir George Grey said that the gift would be a permanent record to him, and to his ohiklren's children, that he had obtained the highest prize in political life—the warm, generous, and sincere regard of that class of his fellow countrymen "who possess as yet no direct voice in the choice of Members of Parliament, but whose interests are eoncerned in good government, and bound up with the prosperity of the country." Sir George fought over again the contest which ended by the "complete, unambiguous, unequivocal triumph of the Free-trade policy," as soon as the new Parliament met. He had been defeated, but the principles he represented, not those of his opponents, had been victorious. In- deed, they had been supported by those opponents themselves. Al- though the Reform Act has disappointed some of the most sanguine among us, it has conferred substantial blessings on the people : he hoped its defects would very speedily be dealt with in a bold, firm, and strictly constitutional spirit. Earl Grey spoke in a similar tone when he acknowledged the toast to his own health. It was more honourable, he said, to be defeated "as Sir George Grey was defeated, after polling more than 1300 electors, than to be returned in the manner in which his adversaries were returned." Territorial influence and a delusive cry had succeeded, as they succeeded in 1807 and 1841; but these electoral defeats had not been political defeats. Sir Walter Trevelyan took advantage of the proposal of his health to make a speech against fermented liquors. (He advocated what would amount to a Maine Liquor Law for Great Britain, and proposed that Sir George Grey should bring in the bill.) Lord Carlisle spoke on his own behalf and that of the House of Lords. Lord Panmure was spokesman for the "strangers." Although this was the first time he had enjoyed Northumbrian hospitality, "he hoped they would again invite the Blue Bonnets to come over the border, and the Blue Bonnets would be right glad to come." Mr. Samuel Donkin, a tenant-farmer, described the condition of the tenant- voters as one of servitude. It was "an act of Spartan virtue" for a tenant to vote against his landlord. Mr. C. W. G. Howard, Mr. Beau- mont, Mr. Ingham, and Mr. Blacked, also addressed the meeting. The whole was over by six o'clock.

Mr. Willans has withdrawn his pretensions as candidate for Hudders- field, and has introduced Lord Goderich to the Liberals of the borough. At a meeting held on Wednesday, in the Philosophical Hall, Lord Gods- rich addressed the electors. He is for the extension of the franchise to the utmost possible extent; improved distribution of electoral districts, vote by ballot, education, reduction of military and naval expenditure so far as is consistent with national independence, abolition of church-rates, and against any further endowment of religious bodies by the state. He was very well received, and a resolution in his favour was passed.

In the event of a new writ being issued for Lancaster, there will be two candidates,—Mr. John Armstrong, brother of the unseated Member ; and Mr. Thomas Greene who, after representing the borough for twenty- eight years, was defeated at the last general election.

Blackburn was visited with another riot after the election terminated and the military had marched back to Burnley. It appears that there were some eighty Scotchmen who voted for Fielden ; on Saturday night the " Hombyites "made a savage attack on the son of one of then), beat- ing him severely in the street, following him into a house, and leaving him insensible on the hearth from blows. Several houses were attacked. One of the inmates fired on the mob, and a Hombyite was peppered in the bee Recourse was again had to the military, and about four hun- dred special constables were sworn in.

Doncaster Church is to be restored. A public meeting was held in the town on Tuesday,—the Archbishop of York in the chair; when 31004 was subscribed on the spot ; making a total of 17,7001. already sub- scribed. Among the speakers were the Earl of Harewood, Lord Londes- borough, Mr. Edmund Denison M.P., Mr. Wrightson M.P., Mr. Wal- banke Childers, and Archdeacon Creyke.

A deputation from the North-western Railway Company's porters at Liverpool had an interview on Saturday with Mr. Poole, the manager. That gentleman reasoned with them in an amicable tone, consented tem- porarily to pay them the rate of wages agreed to by their superintendent, and promised to lay all their propositions before the Directors at their next meeting. The men on learning this resumed their work. There is a movement among the men employed on the railways at Manchester to obtain an advance of wages. A ferment had begun among the porters in the service of the North-western Company ; when Mr. Salt, the goods-manager, acting through a foreman, called upon the men to act openly, and state their wishes to him. A great numlier of the porters went to his room ; where he made them a long address, inclining to fa- vour their request for an increase of wages, but repelling that for an alter- ation of hours : he promised to lay the matter before the Directors. The men, who denied that they meant to "strike," left the room apparently well pleased.

Miss Barlow, a governess, has recovered damages in an action against the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, for hurts caused by a collision on their line at Bootle Lane station, near Liverpool. A luggage-train was driven into a passenger-train at the exit from a tunnel, at which dangerous spot the passenger-train had been stopped for the collection of the tickets. Miss Barlow was proceeding on her way to a situation. By a blow on the thigh she was crippled for life. During the trial, at Liverpool, an agree- ment was come to, and a verdict was taken for 370/.

At Liverpool, on Saturday, Messrs. Cotterill and Co., bleachers, of Great Lever, proceeded in an action against Mr. Latham to recover damages for a breach of contract. Mr. Latham supplied a new boiler to the plaintiffs ; it burst ; four persons were killed and others hurt, and upwards of 3000/. of damage was done to the premises. It was alleged that the boiler was in- sufficient, and not capable of sustaining a pressure of 60 pounds to the square inch as guaranteed. Mr. Latham denied this, and ascribed the disaster to improper treatment—over-pressure of steam. It was agreed that the Jury should pronounce a verdict on the facts, leaving the amount of damages to be settled by referees. The Judge put three questions to the Jury—Was the boiler properly made ? was it capable of bearing a pressure of 60 pounds ? had it been exposed to a greater pressure than that ? The Jury answered the first two questions in the negative, but did not find sufficient evidence to prove the pressure at the moment of the explosion.

A Taunton Jury have given 3001. damages to a young woman named .Crocker for a breach of promise of marriage on the part of Mr. Moore. Moore is a wealthy farmer at Exford, an ignorant man, aged forty-four; Crocker is a girl of twenty-two, and was servant to the farmer. He un- doubtedly promised to marry her; it was alleged that he was the father of a child which she has had. He was at one time very fond of her, and used to drive his herds by her father's window to show his wealth. For the de- fence, a raw-looking clown was called to swear that he had frequently been familiar with the girl; and other witnesses were produced to show her gene- ral levity of conduct. The Jury evidently disbelieved these witnesses.

Saunders, the murderer of Mr. Teller, at Ilford, was hanged at Chelmsford on Thursday morning. He had been respited for a time ; but a medical in- quiry did not warrant a commutation of his sentence on the score of a dis- eased mind.

Lewis Perran, a youth of eighteen, has been convicted at Taunton of "maliciously wounding" a woman unknown, "with intent to kill and mur- der her." The woman was found dead at Bath, in the river Avon ; and the lad was indicted for her "murder," but the Grand Jury had ignored the bill. Mr. Justice Erie, in consideration of the culprit's youth, sentenced him to the mitigated punishment of ten years' transportation.

The explosion in the Arley mine, near Wigan, was more fatal in its effects than was at first supposed. On Saturday forty bodies had been found, and more were supposed to be in the North working. Besides those killed, a number of the colliers were burnt or bruised, and in some cases their limbs were fractured.

Arley mine belongs to the Ince Hall Coal Company. The depth of the shaft is 414 yards; the workings extend- in different directions to great dis- tances. Soon after the explosion, several of the living and a number of corpses were got out ; but before some of the galleries could be explored large repairs had to be executed to restore ventilation ; and in the North working so much had been destroyed, and the passages were so obstructed with fallen material, that it was evident days would elapse before the work- ing could be searched : it was supposed that several people had perished there. The last of the miners taken out alive were two men who had been in the pit eighteen hours : one had suffered so slightly that he was able to walk home. There was much difficulty in identifying the corpses, as many of the miners were strangers from Wales, and known but imperfectly at the houses where they lodged. The inquest was opened on Friday. The chief witness then was Mr. Dar- lington, the manager of the works, who gave very lengthy evidence. He described the pit, and explained what persons had charge of it. All the men worked—or were ordered to work—with locked safety-lamps. The ex- plosion probably originated from some one having unlocked a lamp, or from a lamp having failed, the ventilation being imperfect at the time. Several men had been prosecuted for taking off the tops of lamps. The whole of the pit was in excellent working order. Mr. Darlington believed that at the time of the explosion the ventilation had not been maintained. Thomas Jones, the underlooker, had told him, that on the Wednesday he had per- mitted a furnace to become slack in order that repairs might be effected in the shaft. He did this without removing the miners from the pit or con- sulting Mr. Darlington—Jones thought it was "quite safe." When the furnace was low gas seems to have accumulated ; then the fire was increased, and the gas which had collected was put into motion. Jones said the work- ings had been examined before he increased the fire. The man was gene- rally very careful—" exceedingly anxious for everything doing well."

The list of the dead continues to swell. Since Saturday, one of the men taken out alive has sunk from the effects of the choke-damp ; and no fewer than sixteen more bodies have been brought to the surface, while one man is still missing.

On Thursday, a number of the miners were examined. From the admissions, an explosion was a thing that might fairly be expected at almost any time. There are rules for the guidance of the colliers; they are read every pay- day ; but there is so great a crowd, so much noise, so much inattention—the two latter apparently wilful—that the reading is useless. The rules prohibit the blasting of coal or stone unless under the direction of an officer; they forbid smoking, and the unlocking of lamps : yet blasting is performed by the miners at their own free will ; smoking is freely indulged in—the men lighting their' pipes by drawing the flame of their lamps to the wire ; and sometimes they unlock their lamps. Other irregularities occur.

In addition to the seven men who perished by choke-damp in the coal- mine at Risen, three others have since died from the effects of the fire— among them he who caused it, Davies. He admitted before his death, that the gas caught fire at his naked candle, after he and Williams, another of the deceased, had removed a sheet for five or ten minutes to allow a tram to pass. Davies was a reckless person : formerly he had been fined for taking a candle into a dangerous place. The dying Williams deposed that the sheet was down for ten minutes. He knew that a naked light was dangerous ; he told Davies so. Crooke, the fireman, stated his belief that the sheet was down, not for ten minutes, but for two hours. The removal of the sheet would have the effect of deranging the ventilation, and gas would accumu- late. A door also appeared to have been left open. The act for which Davies was fined was calculated to produce just such a disaster as this. The gene- ral ventilation of the pit, the supply of safety-lamps, and the precautions to prevent accidents, seem to have been good—if the workmen would but value their own and their fellows' lives sufficiently to obey the rules. The Jury found that the explosion arose from the "reckless conduct" of Davies.

At the inquest at Masbro' on the body of Mr. Cuthbertson, manager at a Sheffield manufactory, who was killed in attempting to leave a tram before it had quite stopped, the Jury, pronouncing the fatality "accidental," ex- pressed a hope that the railway authorities would endeavour to check the prevalent and dangerous practice of quitting trains while in motion, by en- forcing the penalty attached to such conduct.

At the inquest on the man who was scalded to death by the giving way-of the flue of a boiler at Stockport, Mr. Holcroft, an engineer, ascribed the ac- cident to the cracking of the plates of the flue from rivet-hole to rivet-hole; the strength was thus diminished, and the flue gave way. There was no want of water. But Mr. Roberts, another engineer, stated that the disaster had been caused by want of water, and not by the inefficiency of the boiler or the amount of weight upon the safety-valve. The Jury concluded that death had been caused by the accidental bursting" of the flue, from the boiler being short of water.

Mr. John Eaton, a =Rater of Chester, has been killed at Mollington sta- tion. He was standing on the rails, his attention fixed on a goods-train which was on its way to Chester, when an express-train dashed up, and the unfortunate gentleman was struck on the head by the buffer.

The church of St. Hilary in Cornwall, a commodious structure, though possessing few architectural attractions, has been destroyed by fire, ascribed to the overheating of the flue of a stove on Good Friday.

A fire which broke out at Hitchin during the night not only destroyed the premises of Mr. Gatward, an ironmonger, but Mrs. Gatward perished in the flames. The unfortunate woman was escaping with her husband and house- hold, almost naked, when she ran into a room to obtain more clothing or to save something, and the fire overpowered her.

The mansion of Mr. John Dixon, at Knells, near Carlisle, was burnt down early on Saturday morning, some of the inmates narrowly escaping with life. The loss is estimated as high as 14,0001., while the insurances amount to only 6000/.