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The Factory Bill seems to have come into operation in Manchester even before it has been sanctioned, by either House of Parliament. A correspondent of the Morning Chronicle states the following fact, which is worthy of attention at the present time.

"On Monday week. in a mill at Manchester, -where nearly three hundred hands are • employed at an average remuneration to man,woman, and child of 10s. 2,1d., a reduction in the hours of labour was commenced. Before the close' of the day a notification n-as given to the ovezlooker, that unIeSs a return was made' to the usual hours they should seek erriployment elsewhere. Operatives, it set:ma:like Short work as well as -other people, but are equally averse to shbit -wawa. how can they, however, expect to - have their hours or labour curtailed and their means of subsistence maintained at the stime rate as before? The thing is impossible ; and those are the real encodes of the poor man who would encourage him to trust in such a, palpable fallacy."

Mr. Milford, Mr. Holland, and Captain Halsted, the gentlemen who acted as seconds and friends to Dr. Hennis and Sir John Jeffcott, in the duel which terminated in the death of the former, were tried- at- Exeter on Friday week, on the charge of being accessories to his mur- der. The evidence detailed the particulars of the duel, which were published at the time.' Each of tha gentlemen addressed the Jury'in his own defence, strongly denying all malicious intent in the transac- tion, and expressing the greatest regard for Dr. Bennis and regret at his death. Mr. Justice Patteson, in charging the Jury, said- - If a party of persons went out with the cool and deliberate intention of fight- ing a duel, if one of those parties Was killed, the rest were all guilty of murder in. - the eye of the law ; and if the Jury were of that opinion, they were bound to return a verdict of Guilty. If, on the other hand, they could reconcile it to their consciences that they went out without being aware that Dr. Bennis and Sir John .leffcott started with such intention, then they would acquit them.

Notwithstanding the strictness of the charge, the Jury, after a short . consultation, acquitted the prisoners.

At the Exeter Assizes, on Monday, William Nicholl, who had been committed the previous Saturday on a charge of poisoning his wife with arsenic, was tried for the offence, and acquitted.

John Stallan was sentenced to death at the Cambridge Assizes, cn - Wednesday, for setting fire to an outhouse, a stark of wheat, and a • cow-house, belonging to different persons in Great Shelford. The Judge held out no hopes of a commutation of his sentence.

Thomas Knapton, a youth of seventeen, was hanged on Friday week, at Lincoln, for committing a rape.

Charles Ashton, a stupid country fellow living near Hull, was sum- moned before a Magistrate one day last week, for cutting an old woman on the arm. He said she was a witch, and had laid a curse upon him, but that since he haul drawn her blood her power over him was gone. He was decreed to pay her five shillings damages as a compensation.

Incendiaries have been at work in different parts of the country. Lately a barn and outbuildings belonging to Mr. Page, overseer of Barnham, Norfolk, stacks of hay and wheat belonging to Mr. Bloy, at Long Stratton, and at Rawmarsh Colliery, belonging to Eail Fitzwil- liam, were set on fire.

A final dividend has been made to the creditors of the late Plymouth Bank ;making a total of 12s. Old. in the pound.

The clergyman of Upton Bishop, in the county of Hereford, a short time since forgot an appointment to bury a child in his parish : after waiting three hours, the parents and other attendants, who had walked twelve miles, were obliged to carry the corpse back again. The clerk refused to allow it to remain in the church till the following day. . On the drawing up of the curtain at the Worthing Theatre on Satur- day evening, there were only five persons in the house—one in the boxes, one in the pit, and the remaining-three in the gallery. To pro- ceed with the performance was Out of the question, and the money was. returned.

A few days since, the lady of Mr. Barnes, residing near Knowle, on entering her parlour, about eleven o'clock in the day, discovered a strange fellow there, Who had entered the house with the intention of plunder. She immediately seized a pistol, and, threatening the thief

with instant death if he dared to move, called for assistance ; and the ruffian, intimidated by her manner, remained on the spot until he was taken.—Bath Herald.

A novel method of stopping passengers on the high-road, was prac- tised near Dagenham, on Friday week. Mr. Andrews was returning on horseback to Romford, from Dagenham, about ten at night, when a man from the side of the road threw a hook at him, with a rope attached to it. Fortunately, the book caught Mr. Andrews's trousers only, which gave way ; and, at the same time, by increasing the speed of his horse, he escaped.—Colchester Gazette.

As Mr. William Ratcliffe was returning from Tetbury fair, on Monday evening last, on horseback, before reaching Stroud, he fell asleep. On approaching the new building, near the George Inn, where an inclined scaffolding had been erected for wheeling the materials to its summit, his horse mistook the road, and actually ascended the scaffold- ing to the height of thirty-two feet ; when Mr. Ratcliffe suddenly awoke sensible to the horrors of his situation. Assistance was imme- diately procured for the rescue of the horse, but before it could be re- moved, it unfortunately fell over the precipice and was killed upon the spot. Mr. Ratcliffe providentially ;escaped 'unhurt.— Gloucestershire Chronicle.

On Thursday week, Mr. Thomas Payton, master of the Caledonia, 120 guns, while descending the ladder of the Vigo hulk, in Hamoaze, to come on shore, missed his footing, and was precipitated into the Water; his head in his descent striking against the gunwale of the boat alongside with such force, that though picked up almost instantly, he -expired a few minutes after.—Devonport Telegraph. A swindler, calling himself Henry Ossulston Bennet, of Alnwick, Northumberland, has been very successful, in Hereford and the neigh- bourhood, in obtaining money from many persons under false pretences. lie is also charged with forgery; and a reward of 50/. is offered for his apprehension.