be Vrobinces.
The Representative and Financial Reform movement has been reran_ mined, without raising much local excitement, by a routine of public meet lags. Mr. George Thompson, M.P., Mr. John .P., and Mr. Tindal Atkinson, have visited Stratford, Denbigh, and Williams,Halifax, and ad_ dressed audiences of considerable numbers and mixed character. The tone maintained was that of a union between the middle classes and the workmen, by means of an advance towards the principles and tone of the steadier advocates of Chartiem.
The first of the four great iron tubes, or rather rectangular tunnels, which are to form the new railway bridge across the Menai Straits, was safely raised to its full height on Saturday last. The enormous mat% about 1,800 tons weight, now spans, at a height of 120 feet above the sea, the distance of 460 feet between the centre pier and the pier on the Angle- sey side of the Strait. It is expected that the continuation-tube on the Carnarvon side of the centre pier will have been raised by the beginning of December; and that the other parallel line of tubes will be hoisted early in next spring.
The extension line of the South-western Railway from Guildford to Godalming was opened for traffic on Monday.
By the opening of four miles of the Nottingham and Mansfield Railway, which took place last week, Mansfield has obtained direct railway commu- nication with other places.
A statement respecting lunacy was laid before the Gloucester Court of Quarter- Sessions, on Tuesday, which showed a great increase of pauper lunatics. The Chairman, Mr. Purnell, also presented a report on the management of private asylums in the county. It referred to many cases of great cruelty which had been brought to light within the last eighteen months, since these asylums had been more closely looked into. In one case, which has already been before the public, two gentlemen had been confined in the Fishponds Asylum, the relatives paying 1101. for each per annum, while 350/. per annum had been left by their deceased father for the purpose of providing them with every comfort of which their deplorable condition could permit; and the relatives had appropriated accu- mulations of the lunatics' allowance to the amount of 8,400/. among themselves. The Court of Chancery had marked its opinion of that case by ordering that an allowance of 6501. per annum be made for the benefit of the unfortunate gen- tlemen, instead of 2201. as allowed by the relatives. Other cases were alluded to, such as chaining up patients until sores were mused on their limbs by the manacles, confinement in rooms under al: feet wide and seven feet high, stripping patients and washing them in a yard with a mop, &c. An application to renew a licence for the Ridgway House Asylum, which the Chairman intended to oppose on grounds enumerated, was withdrawn. The thanks of the Court were given to the Chairman for his exertions in this matter.
The Magistrates sitting in Petty-Session at Halesowen, last week, adjudicated on no fewer than ten informations against brick-makers who had defrauded the revenue by removing the bricks from the kilns without paying the duty. All the eases were made out, and fines were inflicted varying from 1501. to 251.; while a large number of bricks were declared to be forfeited—in one instance 84,782.
At the time of the burning of the Ocean Monarch, two Welsh boatmen were ap- prehended by Tuck and Bates, detective officers of Liverpool, on a charge of mur- dering one of the passengers of the Ocean Monarch. The passenger subsequently turned up; but the boatmen were committed for the robbery of his trunk, tried at an assizes in Flintshire, and acquitted. Last week they brought an action in the County Court at Holywell against the two officers for false imprisonment, and recovered 201. damages from each.—Liverpool Mercury.
A number of soldiers of the Third Dragoon Guards have been misbehaving outrageously at Nottingham. Colonel Arthur had ordered thirty-three to be confined to barracks for appearing on parade with dirty horses. On Sunday night, they scaled the walls and got into the town, where they began 'drinking. A picquet was sent after them. The picquet came up with about a dozen near a heap of stones; the runaways refused to surrender, fought their comrades with the stones and were assailed in turn by the picquet's swords; but eventually most of the men escaped. During the night some were apprehended; but ethers got furiously drunk, and began to fight the townsmen. It is stated that since the regiment has been in Nottingham there has been much drunkenness and dis- orderly conduct.
A most extraordinary accident occurred on Saturday last at the Whitehaven terminus of the Whitehaven and Furness Railway. "The passenger-train which leaves Ravenglass at seven o'clock in the morning reached Whitehaven shortly after eight. Several persons who were waiting its arrival observed that it did not slacken its speed, as usual, on approaching; and as it entered the station with great velocity, they became alarmed for the safety of the entire train. The engine dashed on through the station ; and, passing over the ends of the rails, where it is now apparent that no sufficient check or obstacle existed to prevent its passage, it knocked down the yard-wall separating the premises of the railway company from the adjoining dwelling-houses; tore away the outer wall of a stone- built house, occupied by Mr. Pennington, schoolmaster; carried away the whole of the kitchen belonging to that building; broke through the partition-wall be- tween that apartment and the back-parlour; • and there lodged, more than half of its huge bulk being within the residence." Some passengers leapt from the car- riages as the train passed the platform, and fortunately escaped unhurt; as did the rest who retained their seats. The driver, stoker, and guard, jumped off when they saw that an accident was inevitable.
. A little girl ten years old was sitting by the fire 'in Mr. Pennington's kitchen; the stones and timber knocked her down, and a wheel of the locomotive passed over her. Her brother, Matthew Pennington, a boy of eight years old, had just quitted her side, and stepped into the parlour; the wall of which was the next moment thrust in, with the fire-grate, fire, chimney, and household furniture. The boy was thrown to the floor; and the heated grate and burning coals coming in contact with his forehead, he was much burned and braised. Saturday was holyday at the school, otherwise at the time of the accident the family would have been at breakfast in the kitchen.
An inquest on the girl was held on Monday. The railway enters the terminus on a decline; there bad been a frost on Friday night, and the rails were covered with ice; thus the control over the engine was diminished. The driver found that the train was entering the station too rapidly, and he attempted to reverse the locomotive; which is done by fixing a particular handle in a catch: the handle, however, slipped back several times, and the train continued its forward movement: the breaks were applied, but they were not sufficient to prevent the engine's running from the line. The Coroner and Jury thought that the accident would have been prevented had there been a proper check placed at the end of the line, instead of a mere curve of the rails. This verdict was given—" Accidental death, in consequence of an error of judgment of the eogine-driver ; and the Jury consider that there is a great want of protection to life and property at the White- haven and Furness terminus.'
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