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A meeting of landowners and farmers was held on Saturday, at Ashurst in Kent, at which a petition to Parliament against tithes was brought forward by Mr. Saxby, of Ashurst Manor House, and agreed to. It is to be presented to the Reformed House of Commons by Messrs. Hodges and Rider, the county members; and Lord King will be requested to present a similar one to the House of Lords. The ground of the petition is the Irish Tithe Relief Bill; and it prays that the landowners nf England may be placed on the same footing as those of Ireland. The tithes in the parish of Ashurst are taken in kind.

Canterbury Workhouse was thrown into confusion on Thursday night,

by a number of the married men forcing their way to the apartments of their wives, with whom they were resolved to sleep, in defiance of the rules of the house. The following night, they attempted a repetition of this conduct ; and it was not without the aid of constables that they were ejected. Some of the offenders being without families, were ex- pelled the house, and the others were committed to Bridewell. It is right to say that a doubt has existed in many minds as to the propriety of this regulation thus infringed.—Kent Herald.

On Sunday night, about ten, a fire broke out in the church of Bough-

ton Monchelsea, which nearly destroyed the whole of that beautiful edifice. One of the flues connected with the stove communicated with some of the timbers on the top of the vestry ; which, it is supposed, retained the fire in its soot from the time of divine service, and thus ignited the wood.—Maidstone Gazette.

Incendiary fires continue, in various parts of the country. The bar- ley ricks of Mr. Eyre Coote of Westpark, and of Mr. J. Riches of Carlton, are the latest cases reported.

The Reverend R. Hardy, Vicar of Stoughton, near Chichester, at his tithe-audit, returned, unsolicited, to his tenants 25 per cent.

The stuff trade of Halifax and Bradford is not so lively as it has been, but the general opinion is that more business is doing than is usual at this time of the year.—Hatifax Guardian.

The silk weaving of the different towns round Manchester was never known to be so brisk at Christmas before. Wages are very low; but there is an expectation of an advance in the spring.—Leeds Mercury.

We have much pleasure in being able to state that a slight increase has taken place in the price of iron, which, although at present confined to particular works, augurs well for a general rise in the spring.—The Cambrian.

The Sahash bridge, built by Mr. Pope, of Turnchapel, after the plan of Mr. John Rendle, of Plymouth, was taken to its station last week, and on Thursday last was tried for the first time ; when it completed the passage in fourvninutes and a half, notwithstanding its machinery is not yet complete. In the next session of Parliament, an application will be made for authority to cut a new line of road from the town of Plymouth to the new bridge, which will considerably shorten the dis- tance from those places to Liskeard, and the advantage of passing over a completely level line of road.- Western Luminary.

Mr. Samuel Kay, a respectable butcher and farmer, was found mur- dered, on Thursday week, about a mile from his own house, near East Retford. He had been attending the market at Bawtry, and was on his way home in his cart, which the horse brought home without him. The murderer had cut the throat of his victim, and rifled his pockets of his watch and money. No clue has yet been found likely to lead to the discovery of the assassin : several persons had been apprehended on suspicion, but were liberated.

A cold-blooded murder was committed last week at Sheffield. George Sandys, a butcher, having some altercation with his wife in the shop, deliberately stabbed her, anir quietly went up stairs imme- diately after ; where he was found seated in an arm-chair, cutting his nails as composedly as if nothing had happened. On the officers seiz- ing him, he told them he was quite satisfied with what he had done. He said he had "a cause ;" but only specified his wife's refusal to give him money. The deceased was a young woman, well-looking, and of good character.

Three men have been committed to Worcester Gaol, charged with manslaughter, in having occasioned the death of Edward Biggs, during the progress of the late election at Kidderminster, on which occasion the three prisoners were special constables.

Three men broke into a house at Breinton, occupied by an aged couple named Trehearne ; and whilst one of the thieves stood over the old man and his wife, threatening murder, the others proceeded to plunder the house, and among other articles took a note for 2501. and the title-deeds of the premises. The villains then sat down and re- galed themselves for three hours.

An inquest was held on Friday last on the body of General Lewis, of Rochester, eighty years of age, who in a'squabble with his drunken housekeeper suddenly fell dead. The Jury found a verdict " Died by the visitation of God, of apoplexy produced by excitement." It appeared that the old gentleman had been often advised to discharge the virago, but in the exercise of a false benevolence he would not consent.