be . A4robintes.

The election of a new Member for Salisbury, in the room of Mr. Am- brose Hassey, took place in that city on Monday. Mr. W. J. Chaplin, the Chairman of the South-western Railway Company, was returned without opposition. We give a few specimens of Mr. Chaplin's speech to the electors— "Gentlemen, my first ptinciples are, to fear God and honour my Sovereign. (Loral cheers.) And believe m; I shall ever be found a firm advocate for up- holding our civil and religious institutions; and I value most highly the liberty and privileges of the people. The subject of free trade was most fally discussed last session; and since issuing my address the last fragment of protective duty on corn has been abandoned. It is my earnest desire to see the principles of free trade fully and fairly tested; believing, as I do, that if successful they will lead to an extension of our intercourse with all nations of the earth, and thus be the greatest security for the continuance of peace. • • • Much may be said on the important subject of the Poor-laws. The old system was undoubtedly bad, and the new one may not be perfect. I do not, however, desire to dwell on their details; for I fancy I have a plan, simple yet practical, which is likely, I think, so far as this neighbourhood is concerned, to prove effectual. We hope, by the In- troduction of railways into this locality, to find employment for all effective men,

and by this means to remove them from the unions. But, besides introducing the means of profitable occupation, we shall also, as considerable rate-payers from

the profits of our enterprise, be large contributors towards maintaining the aged and infirm. And thus, by these combined means, we shall reduce the present heavy burdens upon your industry to a mere nominal amount. (Loud chars.) Gentlemen, looking to the question of agriculture in its relation to the prospeefa'rl of this city, I feel strongly that their interests are mutual; and I therefore with much pleasure the progressive development of the railway system as a means of benefiting both."

Mr. Milner Gibson and Mr. Bright appeared before a great meeting of .

their friends, in the Free-trade Hall at Manchester, on Wednesday evening, as joint candidates for the next election. Mr. Milner Gibson's speech was the novel attraction. He instituted a comparison between Sir Robert Peel, who had not repealed the Corn-laws soon enough to set free trade fully to work before the present scarcity came, and the existing Government, (him- self being its Vice-President of the Board of Trade); whom he landed for what they did, last year, towards equalizing the Sugar-duties, and for what they are doing now, in Ireland, &c. The result of the measure for equal- izing the Sugar-duties was his most telling point. In the four months from August to December, he said, the increase of consumption had been such that there had been a gain of 400,000 hundredweight of sugar to the consumer, and of 440,0001. to the revenue: at the same rate, the annual gain to the consumer would be 60,000 tons; to the revenue, 1,000,0001. A resolution adopting Mr. Milner Gibson and Mr. Bright as candidates for the next election was mica unanimously.

Earl Grosvenor, the eldest son of the Marquis of Westminster, has offered himself as a candidate for the representation of Chester, in the room of his uncle Lord Robert. No opposition is expected.

Lord Ashley has stipulated that he shall be returned for Bath free of expense; and his friends have started a subscription for the purpose.

The Birmingham Journal mentions a report—on which, however, it dis- creetly casts some doubt—that at the next election Sir Robert Peel's return for Tamworth is to be opposed by his brother, Mr. William Peel, on the part of the Protectionists.

A public meeting was held last week at the Guildhall of Bury, to con- sider the best means of aiding in the relief of the existing destitution in. Ireland and Scotland. The Mayor presided; a subscription was set on foot; and upwards of 6001. was collected before the meeting broke up.

There is a great deal of distress in Nottingham and the vicinity: the workhouses are over-crowded, while the numbers of persons to whom out- door relief is extended are counted by thousands; and yet there are many suffering privations who are not aided by the Poor-law. To assist these, meetings have been held and a subscription commenced.

The agricultural and other labourers of Bicester have had a meeting to make known their distressed condition. A number of men and women spoke, detailing their sufferings. It was stated that 98. a week is the highest wages that any of them receive, and that some able-bodied men are working for 4s. per week; several of them had only had a few days work since Michaelmas, and had in consequence got into debt with their bakers, and then pawned their few things to enable them to eke out exist- ence. Wages are advanced in few instances only, though provisions are 25 per cent higher. This, added to the severe weather, had sadly increased the privations of agricultural labourers.

It turns out to be true that there have been some symptoms of food-riots in Cornwall. On Wednesday week, a body of labourers for the china clay works at St. Austell turued out, to the number of one hundred and fifty, for the purpose of preventing the shipment of corn at the port of Pentewan. The crowd increased to about three hundred towards the close of the day. No violence was committed; the vessels having hauled off from the playa as a precautionary measure. Through the exertions of a Magistrate, Mr. Tremayne, of Heligan, in addressing the people and organizinr,' a body of constables, the mob dispersed. It was still feared, however, that the miners would join in the movement, should prices continue to rise without a cor- responding increase of wages; and a body of military had been ordered to the spot.

A fatal collision has occurred on the York and Newcastle Railway. Near North- allerton, in the evening, a passenger-train ran into a coal-train, with a dreadful crash: ten or twelve waggons were shivered to pieces, the guard was killed, and the engine of the passenger-train was forced off the line. The disaster is ascribed to the guard's neglect to place a lamp at the end of his train.

The Honourable Henry Estcourt Addington, son of Lord Sidmouth, has com- mitted suicide, at his father's residence, Albury, near Guildford. The deceased was only twenty-four: he had suffered for some time past from mental aberration, the supposed effect of a fever caught at Corfu while he was on military service: he had been placed under the care of a keeper; but he managed to evade obser- vation, and hanged himself to his bedstead by a silk neckerchief.

A monster chimney at Wigan, on the premises of Mr. Dobb, which was only completed a few months since, has fallen down. The pile was upwards of four hundred feet high: indications of its failure having been observed, a considerable portion of the upper part had just been removed; but this did not prevent the catastrophe, which took place last week. The ruins of the immense shaft fell across the whole length of a field, and blocked up the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. No person was hurt. This is said to be the third chimney that has fallen on Mr. Dobb's works.

A serious fire happened at Liverpool very early on Wednesday morning. It began in a wooden shed, and extended thence to several warehouses, which were gutted; a stable was consumed, and a valuable horse was burnt to a cinder.