The "strike" of the pitmen continues. A very numerous meeting

of the infatuated men took place on the Black Fell on Saturday, for the purpose of entering into a resolution to support each other in their stand against their employers. The terms of the men's contribution are now becoming materially enhanced. From being a few shillings per man, to the unemployed, the sum is now precisely one-half of what the men at work earn by their labour !=Durham Paper.

A botutd pitman, who did not belong to the Union, was shot on Saturday night last at Hetton, by some of the unbound men ! The pitmen were under obligation by their bonds to quit the houses they occupied on Thursday the 19th of April. Not having fulfilled their agreement, about twenty families were ejected by a body of London police-officers on Saturday. To this no resistance was offered. In the course of the evening, the men assembled to a considerable number in front of the cottages thus vacated : large fires were kindled, and guns and pistols were discharged at intervals. Between eleven and twelve o'clock, John Errington, a bound pitman, who lived at one end of the houses, in passin from his own door to the cottage of two other bound

men, was fired at by one of the unbound men, but without effect. In. returning, he was again shot at by some person in the crowd, and killed.— Tyne Mercury.

A letter from Durham, dated Tuesday, says, in reference to the above outrage—" We have got a clue to the perpetrators of the horrid deed, and have little doubt of being able to bring the charge home to the right persons. Several are implicated. Ten men were sent to gaol last night for further examination. The Governor has been at Hetton to-day, with one of them, and is to return to-morrow, under an escort of dragoons."

The effigy of Bishop Phillpotts was burnt at Staindrop, on the re- ceipt of the second reading of the Reform Bill.—Durhani Chronicle.

We hear that Dr. Wellesley left Durham for Bishopwearmouth yes- terday afternoon, and that he intends to preach there this day. We hope so. He could not select a more fitting opportunity for returning to the pastoral care of the people whose spiritual interests he has hitherto so strangely neglecteck—Durham Chronicle of Saturday.

The prosecution of felons at the late Assizes for Somerset cost the county 3,3001.—Taunton Courier.

The anniversary of the birth of Shakspeare was celebrated on Mon.. day, at the Shakspeare Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon, with the accus- tomed honours. The Mayor was in the chair.

The Reverend Michael Gibbons, P.P. of the island of Arran, has lately had a most providential escape from drowning. On the 12th instant, he was called upon to administer the last rites of religion to a poor woman lying at the point of death in the middle island, to which he repaired in a canoe. Not finding it safe to land on the beach, he contrived to get ashore by scrambling among the rocks, after instructing the crew, which consisted of three men, to paddle about until his re- turn. Alter performing his duty, the reverend gentleman consented to give a passage to a midwife who attended the woman in her confine- ment. On reaching the shore and embarking, the canoe upset, through the awkwardness of the midwife, who, with Mr. Gibbons amid the crew, were precipitated into the sea. One of the crew and the midwife were drowned; the two others, with the priest, preserved their lives by cling- ing to the paddles.

On Sunday, Mr. H., a Londoner, who is well known to our glove manufacturers, started for London by the Worcester mail. After pro- ceeding some miles on the journey, he commenced smoking a cigar, to the extreme annoyance of the other passengers, who contented them- selves with remonstrances. But at Chipping Norton, a gentleman of a less pacific temperament got into the coach : coming out of the fresh air, he found the annoyance of the cigar much greater than it was to those who had become accustomed to it. His remonstrances being treated with contempt, he " took the law into his own hands," and commenced an attack on the smoker. The result was a regular set-to;

but right and might went together for once, and the offending party re- ceived so sound a drubbing, and came out Of the fray with such obvious marks of punishment, that we venture to say he will not again relish a cigar inside a coach.— Worcester Journal.

A singular circumstance happened lately during a hunt in Wales. The hounds having found a fox upon the Great Skirt-id, pressed on him closely, when Reynard skirted a ledge of rocks, nearly on the top of the precipice on the side of that mountain; and on being perceived by three stanch old hounds, they made a dart at him, and, overbalancing themselves, fell headlong upon a ridge about mid-way, and bounding off again, fell with great force to the bottom, a distance of seventy feet. A gentleman who was near the foot immediately rode up, expecting to

find the three dogs killed; but to his great surprise he raw them all join the rest of the pack In pursuit of the fox, without appearing to feel. any ill effects from their fall.= Carmarthen Journal.

On Monday evening, the driver of the Uxbridge waggon, in passing through Acton' got up into the fore part of the waggon to secure a por- tion of his load which had become unfastened, leaving the horses in charge of his son, a boy between thirteen and fourteen years of age. Suddenly the horses set off at full trot ; and the waggoner, in his anxiety to get down to prevent any accident occurring, caught his foot in part of the harness, and was thrown under the feet of the shaft- horses ; when he received a kick on the side of the head, and before any one could run to draw him out of the way, the fore and hind wheels passed over his body. On being raised up, he groaned heavily, twice, and expired.

On Thursday night, last week, the Coast Guard officers at the Lowe- stoft station captured, near Mutford Bridge, a large forty-two-foot galley, having on board about 280 packages of foreign brandy and to- bacco, which were yesterday deposited in the Customhouse here. The crew of the galley effected their escape.

On Monday sennight, four persons entered the dwelling-house of Mr. William Crockford, of Buckskin Farm, Basingstoke, Hants; and after beating him in a dreadful manner, and maltreating one of his ser- vants who came to his assistance, robbed the house of a box, in which, with some other valuables, was a canvas bag containing 2051. in sove- reigns, 301. in notes of the Bank of England, and a promissory note for 2001.

On Saturday, Henry Parker, aged 19, convicted at the late Warwick Assizes for firing at Simeon Clay, gamekeeper to Colonel Newdigate, in a wood at Chilver's Coton, underwent the sentence of the law on the top of the county gaol, Birmingham.

On Tuesday last, an explosion of fire-damp took place at Scuff's Pit, near Flimby. A man named Jonathan Oastle, of Dearham, was at work with an open candle, which came in contact with the gas ; and he was so severely burned by it, as to preclude all hopes of recovery. Two brothers, who were on the main road leading to the shafts, were thrown by the force of the explosion a considerable distance ; and one of them was picked up a corpse, his skull being fractured and his body otherwise much mangled. The other brother was fortunately little in- jured.— Whitehaven Herald.

A destructive fire took place on Monday, in the plantations on the Uddens estate, near Wimborne, the property of E. Greathed, Esq. It originated in the person employed by Mr. Greathed to take care of the fences of his coppices and heath land, setting fire to the sedge in a peat bog, in which he was about to open a drain. The fire raged with great fury from between seven and eight in the morning till near six in the evening, extending over a space of upwards of 1,200 acres, covered with fine thriving fir plantations, the greater part of which are utterly destroyed.- Western Luminary.

On Tuesday seninght, a wheat-stack belonging to Mr. Passon, of Buxton, was wilfully set fire to, and entirely consumed. Fortunately the wind blew the flames away from the dwellinghouse, which, from its contiguity, must otherwise have been destroyed.-Norwich East Anglian.

On Monday morning, at eight o'clock, the Lunatic:Asylum of Glou- cester was discovered to be on fire ; it was seen in the roof of the cen- tre or principal building, and spread very rapidly. The building is of great length, and forms a crescent. '1 he whole of the roof was de- stroyed by eleven o'clock. The walls are standing, and the floors will be saved : the two wings are untouched by the fire, but the doors, &e. were destroyed by the folly of the people pulling them down. About one hundred patients in the house, the greater number paupers, were all taken out safe.

Last week, a large sturgeon was observed in the Ribble, a little - above the bridge at Walton, near Presfon. On Sunday morning, about six o'clock, it was dislodged from its bed in the deep, immediately under Walton Church ; and, after a gallant resistance, drawn out and killed. It was a female, heavily charged with roe ; eight feet ten inches in length from snout to tail ; its girth four feet two inches, and weigh- ing about two and a half hundredweight. The fish was carried in tri- umph to Preston, and speedily disposed of at an average price of about a shilling a pound.

An extraordinary otter was taken on Monday week, in the river Coquet ; the animal measured in length 521. inches, and in circum- ference at the shoulder 24 inches. It had nine white spots on its skin, some the size of a shilling, and others as large as half-a-crown. This is the largest ever known to be taken in England.-Newcastle Courant.