Vlbt Probintts.
Since the death of the late Bishop of St. Asaph there has been much speculation on the probable union of that see with Bangor. The question was whether, under the order in Council of the 12th December 1838, the Bishop of Bangor would accept the united see. That point is now settled; his Lordship having declared in a recent visitation charge, delivered at Beaumaris, that he had always been averse from the union of the sees, although he had been represented as approving of the measure.
Several agricultural societies have held their annual meetings this week. The speeches offer little for notice, being upon the whole quiet and mode- rate. Most persons, even the ardent Protectionists seem half inclined to fall in with the spirit of the times. At the Hertfordshire meeting, very . liberal views were uttered by Lord Deere, Sir Edward Lytton' and Mr. Cowper, and were greeted by sounds of approval. At Lichfield, Viscount Ingestre suggested that at future meetings, "instead of a great many com- plimentary speeches which mean very little," the members should listen to a practical lecture on agriculture. At Wetherby, Mr. William Brown, M.P. for South Lancashire, delivered a strong Free-trade speech, and was listened to. The Dorchester meeting was remarkable for the presence of the labourers at the dinner; an arrangement requested by Lord Stavor- dale, the chairman. The worthy countrymen, however, retired rather soon after the dinner, like "the ladies."
The Manchester Reform Association met on Thursday last week, to consider the subject of the representation of the borough in Parliament.
• A letter was read from Mr. Cobden, dated from the Hautes Pyrenees on the 17th September, declining, with expressions of gratitude, the invitation to stand for Manchester, and announcing his constancy to his Stockport electors. The meeting was adjourned for three weeks.
The East Lancashire Railway was opened from Manchester to Rawten- stall on Friday week. The line proceeds through the forest of Rossendale and the valley of the LT/ell; connecting Bury, Radcliffe, Nuttal, Rams- bottom, Edenfield, Rasvtenstall, and other seats of manufacturing industry, by an eighteen-mile route, with Manchester.
A meeting of the inhabitants of Canterbury was held in the Guildhall on Monday, to consider the recent increase of fares made by the South- eastern Railway Company. Resolutions were passed condemning the con- duct of the company and appointing a committee to consider any schemes that might be brought forward next session to accommodate the county with more direct railway communication. The meeting was almost unani- mous in its view of the matter; though the Honourable Mr. Lushington, who declared that he was unconnected with any railway, read a long state- ment pleading the cause of the South-eastern Company.
The foundation-stone for the great railway suspension tunnel across the Menai Straits was deposited yesterday week. The erection of the work is • expected to occupy three years.
A serious collision occurred on the Birmingham Railway, at the Watford sta- tion, between two and three o'clock on Wednesday morning. Two goods-trains were on their way to London, one in advance of the other; the first, however, from deficiency of power in the engine, was delayed, and arrived at the Watford station considerably after its time. To prevent accidents, the usual signals were exhi- bited to prohibit any train from entering the station; warning-lamps were also shown by the policemen at the tunnel. The morning was foggy, and therefore 'called for greater caution in working trains. Despite of all this, the driver of the second goods-train dashed into the stationary train: the people on the latter were not injured; but the engine of the second train having been forced off the line, the engineer and stoker were thrown from it: one had his legs broken, so that amputation was necessary, and the other suffered a compound fracture of the ankle.
A labourer on the Liverpool and Bury Railway, who worked in the tunnel now forming at Walton, has been killed by the gross negligence of an engine-man. The deceased, with three others, ascended a shaft in a skip, which was drawn up by a steam-engine; when the skip arrived at the surface, the engineer, Hornby, ought to have stopped the engine that the men might get out; but he paid no attention to the matter: the workmen were pulled up to the pulley, and three of them were pitched out; the deceased was so much hurt that he died after linger- ing for several weeks. A verdict of "Manslaughter" has been returned against Hornby, who absconded shortly after the accident.
A tunnel just formed on the Tynemouth Extension Railway has fallen in about the centre. Fortunately, no one was hurt; and it is not expected that the dis- aster will much delay the opening of the line.
The axle of an engine which was drawing a train on the Scarborough Railway broke last week, and several of the carriages were thrown off the rails by the shock. Some of the vehicles were injured; but the passengers escaped with a few bruises. The train was going very slowly, or the results might have been very disastrous.
Two boatmen on the Grand Junction Canal quarrelled at Harefield, near Ux- bridge, last week, and determined to settle their dispute by a fight. They fought for about a quarter of an hour, and then sat themselves down on the grass for a minute or two to get wind; but when William Norman, one of the combatants, attempted to rise, he fell backwards on the grass, and died in a few minutes after- wards. The other pugilist, Carpenter, is in custody.
, The prisoner was taken before the Uxbridge Magistrates on Wednesday. The evidence, which pointed to Carpenter as the homicide,—the deceased having died from coneu.ssion of the brain caused by a blow or fall,—was to some degree in the man's favour: Norman brain, the first blow; while the prisoner wanted to give over fighting ; and he showed grief at the death of his opponent. Carpenter was committed for trial.
Bragg, a bricklayer, living at Elham, in Kent, has murdered his wife and child by beating them on the bead with a hammer. He afterwards destroyed bimselt by cutting his throat. From the evidence adduced at the Coroner's in- quest, there could be no doubt of the man's insanity. The wife of Sergeant Parsons, the Dagenham Policeman, has recently died, her death having been accelerated, it is said, by the unhappy position in which her husband has been placed by the murder of Policeman Clarke and the misconduct of the constables.
The Commissioners of Police have increased the reward for the discovery of the murderer of Policeman Clarke by a novel process. The Government reward is 1001.; the Commissioners have added 4001.; which is to be raised by a subscrip- tion—not, apparently, voluntary—of 2s. 6d. from every inspector and sergeant, and ls. from each constable; to be paid when the reward is claimed. This is said to have caused mach dissatisfaction among the men.
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