Vraniuriul.

The constituency of Southampton is still divided in its choice. Mr. Edwin James disappeared on Tuesday week, and has not since visited the borough. His supporters, thus left in the lurch, called a meeting on Tuesday, and, with much indignation, transferred their allegiance from Mr. James to Mr. Andrews, the Mayor. " James's Committee " has ceased to exist; and the three candidates now are Andrews, Weguelin, and Butler. Mr. James's absence is explained by reference to ambiguous " negotiations at the Reform Club or elsewhere in London," for the withdrawal of one of the Liberal candidates.

The Rutland Agricultural Society held its annual meeting at Oakham on Wednesday. At the evening dinner, the farmers of Rutland were in- debted to Northamptonshire for a chairman—Mr. Stafford M.P. ; and it seems that a Northamptonshire ox carried away the first prize. Mr. Stafford did not fail to find mirth on this as on other local topics.

"A friend said to me today, The farmers hereabouts don't think small beer of themselves.' (Laughter.) And I said, Of course they don't; why should they ? (Continued laughter.) Have you in your travels found the land so ill-drained, have you found the fields so weedy, do you find the stock so bad, that you should consider that the farmers of this locality would be right in thinking small beer of themselves ? And I wonder, if the farmers thought small beer of themselves, what the manufacturers would think of them ? We have been so much run down of late years, we have been so violently abused, that we consider it high time to stand up for ourselves ; and stand up for ourselves we will. (Loud cheers.) And in standing up for ourselves, we will own that our position was never more satisfactory than at present ; for while, on the one hand, no class can complain against us, we, on the other hand, have no reason to complain, and are satisfied with the present state of things—with the prices realized by our produce and our stock. Very well, as everybody is contented, some one might turn round upon me and say, What have you got to talk about ? Why not drink the toast in silence, and, as Benedict says in the play, Give God thanks, and make no boast' ? (Laughter.) And, to a certain extent, I don't know why, we should not do so. But if we choose to have two or three words in a col- loquial sort of way, I don't know who should forbid us ; and why should not we have a few words socially and pleasantly together ?" (Cheers.)

His serious subject was the well-worn topic of agricultural statistics ; and in merrily opposing and denouncing those statistics as useless, he was afterwards joined by the County Members, Mr. Noel and Mr. Heathcote.

Dr. Longley, the new Bishop of Durham, was by proxy enthroned.in Durham Cathedral on Wednesday.

There was an uproarious meeting at Brighton on Tuesday. It was called to support a scheme projected by the Reverend N. Woodard for the erection of schools for the "lower Middle classes" in connexion with St. Nicholas College, Shoreham. Lord Robert Cecil presided, and the Bishop of Chichester lent his active support. But there was a stout opposition, headed by Mr. Paul Foskett, who smelt Puseyism in the scheme. Mr. Woodard would not especially reply to a question whe- ther auricular confession was practised at St. Nicholas. A turbulent and large majority lifted up their voices in condemnation of Mr. Woodard's scheme, and the whole terminated in confusion.

Birmingham has taken the lead of Baker Street this year, by holding its rival show of fat cattle and poultry a week in advance of the Smith- field Club. The exhibition was opened on Tuesday, at Bingley Hall. There were exhibited 109 cattle, 46 sheep, and 101 pigs ; a total of 256 —being more, than Baker Street mustered last year. The cattle included some very fine specimens ; the pigs were unusually good ; and the poul- try, forming "one of the most extraordinary features of the show," manifested a great improvement over last year. Among the successful competitors are—Mr. Joseph Phillips of Ardington, Wantage, Berks, for a Hereford ox ; Prince Albert, for Devon steers ; Mr. Richard Stratton for a cow of "extraordinary merit " ; the Duke of Beaufort, for a short- horn steer ; Lord Walsingham, for Southdown sheep ; Prince Albert, for a pen of five pigs of one litter, above three and under six months of age. In the poultry show the ladies carry off a large proportion of prizes.

The Winter Assizes have commenced in various places this week but no cases of extraordinary interest are reported. Many garotte robberies have come before Juries, and where convictions were obtained the Judges passed exemplary sentences.

At Winchester, the three Italian seamen accused of piracy and murder on board the barque Globe, in the Black Sea, were convicted, and were sen- tenced to be hanged.

Early on Monday morning, Bright, who so murderously assailed Mrs. Belton, surrendered himself to the police at Croydon. He alleges that Mrs. Belton had insulted him, and he hit her with a chopper that was in the 1.°°132. The prisoner was remanded by the Magistrates, Mrs. Belton being still unconscious.

The inquest on George Carter, the young man who was found dead at Frith, terminated with a verdict he was wilfully murdered by Worrell, who committed suicide.

The inquiry into the fatal occident on the Newport and Hereford Railway has terminated. George King, the " running-shed " foreman at Herefor said he told Sargent to go out with the express ' - but if there had been a re- gular driver he would not have sent him out. The engine was deficient in tools; there was no one appointed to see that drivers are suppliedwith tools. There was no screw-jack on the engine—" I have read the rule which says that every engine should go out with a screw-jack." The evidence of Lieutenant-Colonel Tolland, Government Inspector of Railways, was rather favourable to the Company. He attributed the accident to the loss of the left-hand leading spring : nothing will absolve the driver for going out without tools. Mr. Carr, the resident engineer, explained that it is the duty of the foreman to see that each engine is supplied with tools ; it is also the driver's duty to see that he has them. He considered that Sargent had acted recklessly in proceeding when he knew he had lost a leading spring. The Jury, after a long consultation, returned this special verdict- " We are of opinion that the deceased persons, Edmund Henry Hands and Mark Hicks, came to their deaths near the Nantyderry station, on the New- port, Abergavenny, and Hereford Railway, on the 12th day of November last, owing to a nnneral-train running into two carriages of the down ex- press-train,. which had been thrown across the up-line in consequence of the engine having lost her left-hand leading spring, and having run off the line at this place. We find a verdict of manslaughter against George King, the running-shed foreman, and also a verdict of manslaughter against Nathaniel Sargent, the driver of the down express-train. We are of opinion that it is desirable that the locomotive superintendent should personally examine all candidates for offices in his department, and that reading and writing should be always considered as necessary qualifications for such candidates."

Two accidents have occurred on the North-Eastern Railway. At How- den, a goods-train ran into a coal-train which had been shunted to allow the mail to pass : there was a fall of snow at the time, and the driver of the goods-train did not see the danger-signal soon enough to prevent a collision. Much damage was done, but no person was hurt. At Cottinghfun station, a passenger-train ran into a goods-train, and several persons were hurt : it is said that a wrong signal was exhibited. On the Midland Railway, a goods-train ran into another goods-train at Woodlesford, and a guard was seriously hurt : a defective or neglected signal is stated to have been the cause.

A correspondent of the Times reports an " accident " on the railway be- tween Sheffield and Huddersfield. Owing to the worn state of the rails at a curve, an express-train left the line : by good luck, no one was hurt. The writer declares that this bit of railway is in a very dangerous state for ex- press-trains.

At Denton, between Stockport and Staleybridge, an engine drawing a " dead " engine ran into a passenger-train which was just about to start, smashing it, and seriously wounding many passengers. The distance- signal was not turned to "danger" : the guard discovered this, and know- ing that the engines were following, he gave warning when they came in sight, so that many passengers were enabled to escape from the train. This " accident " was on the North-Western line, which now furnishes a too re- gular supply.

George Pawlett, a man employed by a druggist at Lincoln, has met with a horrible death : he was heating turpentine and asphaltum; in lifting the vessel from the fire he spilt some, and a portion getting on his clothes he was enveloped in flames : the terrible burns proved fatal.

Kelly, a workman at the Clay Cross Iron-works, near Chester- field, has met with a dreadful calamity : a mass of partially-fused iron-

stone rolled down upon him, burying him to the middle. Some time elapsed before he could be extricated, and his cries were agonizing—he be- sought those around to drag him out and then drown him. It is feared that he cannot recover.

Mr. Thomas Underhill, of Farringdon Street, London, has been killed at Live 1, by indulging in the dangerous practice of attempting to leave a railway-train before it has come to a complete stop. Mr. L nderwood slipped between the _platform and the wheels—his head was gashed, his arms were dislocated, and nearly all his ribs were fractured : he died in half an hour.