Vrouturtul.
The nomination for Harwich took place on Monday, There were two candidates. The Conservatives put up the Honourable Colonel Rowley ; the Liberals brought forward Mr. Stuart Donaldson. The show of hands was so equal, that the Mayor was puzzled how to decide. Eventually, he gave it in favour of Colonel Rowley. A poll was immediately dee mended for Mr. Donaldson.
The Conservative was victorious at the poll. The numbers were—for Rowley, 146; for Donaldson, 116. Colonel Rowley was declared to be duly elected.
Mr. Benyon, the rejected of Reading, came forward as a candidate for the seat vacant by the death of Captain Leicester Vernon. Mr. Benyon has been chosen by the Berkshire Conservatives to carry their standard.
Mr. Massey's censtitnents held a public meeting in the Town Hall of Salford on Wednesday. The Mayor presided. The speakers condemned Mr. Massey's motion to refer the Reform Bill to a Select Committee, and adopted a petition in support of the bill itself, marking their sense of the proceedings of their representative by forwarding the petition to Mr. Bright for presentation.
The Bristol Chamber of Commerce have held a special meeting 'res- pectieg an extraordinary statement in the Times descriptive of the con- dition of part of our fleet of gunboats recently examined at Hasler. The statement is this " They stand on their blocks stripped of their planking, and scarcely a sound piece of wood can be seen about them, every part bearing the marks of sap,' and some of their ribs are completely enveloped with it ; the mea- sure of the hand upon their frame crumbles it into dust ; white fungus matter grows over all, and nothing remains but decay and rottenness. The contract price of these vessels is said to have amounted to about 50001. for each hull alone, and, if so, the coat of repairing each of the two vessels we have named must amount to about 35001. Taking one of the completed boats as a medium of the repairs of the boats which have been hauled up for preservation, it will be found that in her case labour and material amount to about 14001. The copper bolts, too, in one of the boats, which ought to have gone clean through, and been clinched on each aide, were found to have been changed into short ends, of about two inches, driven in on each side. In the midst of all this decay there are two boats, which have been examined and repaired, which are declared by the authorities to have bees con- structed in a manner creditable to their builder, both as regards labour and material ; but it is said that the doing so nearly entailed their builder's ruin. They are named respectively the Earnest and Escort," As these sound boats were built at Bristol, the Chamber has written a letter to the Members for the city, drawing attention to the statement, the more especially since the two gun-boats, the Earnest and the Escort, were built by a local ship-builder of great eminence, Mr. William Pat- terson. Upon inquiry, the Chamber finds that in building those vessels Mr. Patterson met with considerable pecuniary loss, and that that gen- tleman subsequently tendered for the construction of other vessels for Government, but that his tender was not accepted, because it was a few
shillings per ton higher than those of his successful competitors. The Chamber desires to call especial attention to this point, and respectfully to urge that the consideration of the lowest rate of tender for suck im- portant works should not be the invariable principle upon whisk such contracts should be decided, for the example of these gun-boats proves that severe and reckless competition, as evinced in the construction of these vessels, while it injures the fair and honourable tradesman, will not insure the best workmanship and materials.
The police have made a ramie into the Manchester betting-houses. One "bookkeeper" has been fined 1001., and nine publioane have been held to bail.
Thomas Sowerby, alias Tommy Grey, has confessed that he murdered the Jew whose body was found in a field near Penrith. The murderer Bays, that they quarrelled ; that. the old man swore and threw bis stiok at lsim_ ; whereupon he kicked him and seizing his stick, beat hint with it. He did not suppose 102 had killed hint whoa he ran away. A fatal accident occurred on the Great Northern Railway on Monday morning, at Hatfield. Near this station, the line was undergomg repair, The Manchester and Leeds express, ten carriages, coming from London, was passing over the portion under repair, rust as a coal-train was making for London on the up-rails. " The engine and four carriages went safely enough, but the fifth was suddenly thrown off the line, dragging with it the remainder of the train in the most frightful confusion. In this state, some of the carrier m being partly thrown aeroes the road, they came in contact with the loaded trucks of the coal train which was passing at the same mo- ment, and then mounted the platform of the down station, mid, after tra- versing nearly the whale length of the platform, and carrying away some of the roof, the coupling of the sixth carriage broke, and the hinder portion of the train was thrown over on to the line, the carriages being shattered.
The foremost part of the train still dashed at little reduced speed ; and the sixth carnage coming in contact with the water crane, broke it away, and was thrown end uppermost.. At the same moment, it is supposed that the wheels and axles of the fifth carriage were carried away, and the body of the carriage was hurled on its side, and in that state dragged a distance of more than 200 yards, when it, with the fourth carriage, which was also off the rails, got diaccionected from the forward portion of the train, and wale brought to a stand-still by the side of the line. The engine, tender, break, and three carriages, which kept the rail, were stopped soon Ifterwards; the distance altogether from where the carnages first. left the metals being 703 yards." All, the passengers were more or seriously injured. One, Mr. Francis Pyne, of Brighton, was killed on the spot. George.Venables, I) tee layer, was struck down and killed by a piece of metal driven out by the concussion of the carriages. The Reverend Mr. Twaddle was grievously in. jured. The cause of the accident will be investigated at the inquest.
The inquest on the bodies of Mr. Pym and George Venables began at Hat- field on Wednesday. The engine-driver, guard*, the inspector of the line, the foreman of platelayers and his workpeople gave evidence, AU that we learn at present is that the accident was caused by the breaking of a rail which bad become flattened through wear. It was broken by the driving- wheel of the engine. The inquest stands adjourned until next week.
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