46 
THE GARDENERS 
CHRONICLE. 
[Jan. 21, 
cutta. 2. The Rev. Alfred Ollivant, D.D., late Vice- 
Principal and Professor at St. David’s College, Lampeter. 
8. The Rev: Christopher Wordsworth, juni, D.D:,; Head 
Master of Hatrow, late Public Orator. It was the inten- 
tion of Dr, Graham; Master of Christ’s College, to have 
offered himself as a candidate, but has withdrawn in con- 
sequence of one of the electors having entered a protest 
as to his eligibility, on account of holding the Mastership 
ofacollege. Tuesday, the 3lst inst., is fixed for hearing 
the exercises of the candidates ; and it is understood that 
the election will take place on the same day. 
ilford.—On Sunday morning, while the inhabitants of 
Little Ilford were assembling to hear Divine service, the 
roof of the church was discovered to be on fire. The sup- 
ply of water was abundant, and the flames were subdued 
before much mischief had been done. The fire was oc- 
casioned by a part of the flue, which carried away the 
smoke, being in so decayed a state as to allow sparks to 
pass through it and rest on the timbers supporting the 
roof. It was fortunate, however, that the morning was 
so calm, for had there been the slightest wind the build- 
ing must have been destroyed. 
Leeds.—The local papers mention the following proofs 
of the physical and moral degradation of the manufac- 
turing population afforded by the registration of births and 
deaths in the Leeds districts for the last quarter. They 
state, that whilst the marriages at the register-office and 
dissenting chapels have not increased in number, those at 
the parish church, in 1842, are less by between 200 and 
300 than in the year 1841. In the number of births re- 
gistered during the last quarter a decrease of a fifth or 
sixth will be manifest, as compared with the corresponding 
quarter of 1841, while the number of illegitimate children 
born have been trebled in some, if not in all the districts. 
Notlingham—.We lately noticed the dilapidated con- 
dition of the tower of St. Mary’s Church in this town; 
and the opinion of Mr. Cottingham, the architect, who 
had surveyed the building, and pronounced it to be un- 
safe in its present state, Last week the parishioners 
were convened for the purpose of raising a rate to defray 
the expenses of the necessary repairs. The meeting took 
place in the church, but was so fully attended, in conse- 
quence of a rate not having been levied for many years, 
that it was adjourned to the Town-hall. An amendment 
condemning church-rates as unjust, and deferring the con- 
sideration of the question for 12 months, was proposed and 
earried by a large majority. A poll was then demanded 
by the churchwardens, which lasted for two days; and 
gave 145 for the rate, and 929 against it. 
Oxford—For some days past the University has been 
occupied with the rumoured conversion to the Roman 
Catholic faith of another Fellow of Magdalen College, 
the Rev. Bernard Smith. The local papers had contr 
dicted the statement, but all doubt has now been d 
pated by a letter from the reverend gentleman himself, 
addressed to the Vice-President of his College, admitting 
the fact, which took place on Christmas-day in last year, 
Mr. Smith at present holds the valuable preferment of 
Leadenham, in Lincolnshire, and which he only retains 
till his brother, who will succeed him, is able to receive 
the appointment. 
Sheffield. — The old-established banking -house of 
Messrs. Parker, Shore, and Co., have, it is understood, 
been obliged to suspend their payments. The house is 
one of long standing, but it is not thought that its liabi- 
lities are heavy, as the business of the firm has been much 
reduced of late years. The principal of the establish- 
ment, Mr. Jobn Parker, was one of the Lords of the 
Treasury under the late Administration, and is a sitting 
member of the present House of Commons. The failure 
of the bank is attributed to the depressed condition of 
trade in Sheffield, which is so bad that the merchants, 
manufacturers, and traders, are unable to realise their 
debts, and the bank has been led into advances, 
which the parties indebted to them have been unable 
to meet. 
Shepton Mallet.—On Tuesday, the 10th, a fire broke 
out at the crape and silk factory of Messrs. Hardisty, of 
Dasshill, situated between this town and Wells. In about 
three hours and a half the whole of the premises were 
burnt down. The walls and roof fell in; the flames were 
so powerful that no assistance could be rendered. It is 
supposed there is 40,000/. damage done ; but the property 
js understood to be insured. The premises are between 
60. and 70 yards in length, and seven stories high, and it 
is one of the largest factories in this part of the country. 
It is supposed that it will throw 600 hands out of employ, 
and the fire broke out with such rapidity, that the poor 
girls and boys were obliged to run for their lives, leaving 
their clothes behind; it is said that out of nearly 400, 
there are few who have not lost something of small value. 
York.—A Meeting of Shareholders of the Yorkshire 
Agricultural and Commercial Bank was held in this city 
on Tuesday. After a stormy discussion, the propositions 
brought forward and adopted at a previous meeting were 
confirmed, as being, in the present condition of the con- 
cern, the best that could be acted upon. The affairs of 
the bank are to be wound up as speedily as possible, and 
a call of 37. per share is to be made forthwith, in order 
that its liabilities may be discharged. 
Railways.—The following are the returns of the under- 
mentioned railways for the past week :—London and 
Birmingham, 12,120/.; Great Western, 9,687/. ; South 
4,3791. 5 Eastern 
North Midland, 1,1947.; Greenwich, 7137.; Croydon, 
814/.; Brighton, 2,479/.; Blackwall, 478/.; Hull and 
Selby, 632/. ; Grand Junction, 6,000/. ; Midland Counties, 
2,144/.—On Monday a special general meeting of the 
London and Birmingham company was held at the Euston 
station, for the purpose of authorizing the directors to 
apply to Parliament in the ensuing session to make a 
branch line from the Blisworth-station, Northampton, to 
the city of Peterborough: Mr. G: C. Glyn having taken 
the chair; pointed out the eligibility of the proposed line, 
which would embrace in its route the towns of Northamp- 
ton, Thrapston, Oundle, Peterborough, Boston; and 
Lynn, and a great part of the county of Lincoln. All 
the large landholders were in favour of the line, which 
would be 48 miles in extent, and cost, according to the 
engineering estimates, 500,000/. The Duke of Grafton 
had placed at the disposal of the company land sufficient 
to form a station at Gayton, and had also engaged to make 
the necessary roads in connexion with it. The estimated 
traffic for passengers, parcels, and contingent traffic, 
amounted to 22,971/.; for goods and cattle, 9,1004. 5 
making a total of 30,500/. per annum. The locomotive 
power of the Birmingham Railway would be applied to the 
traffic of the branch line, the expense of working which 
was estimated at between 10,0002. and 12,000/. per annum. 
A series of resolutions was then passed, empowering the 
directors to raise the required sum, which was intended to 
form an integral portion of the capital of the main line in 
acertain amount of shares to be divided rateably and at par 
amongst the proprietors. The chairman, in reply to 
questions from a proprietor, who took occasion to allude 
to the recent disasters on the North Midland Railway, 
in connexion with the reductions in the expenditure of 
that establishment, said it was not the intention of the 
directors of the Birmingham Railway to reduce their 
establishment; and he believed that the adoption of 
such false systems of economy was fraught with con- 
sequences the most dangerous, both to the under- 
takings themselves and to the interests of the public. 
—On Friday, an- inquest was held on the body of Mr. 
Robert Harvey, the gentleman who was killed by the 
late accident on the North Midland Railway. After a 
long examination of witnesses, who proved that the Iug- 
gage-train which caused the accident neither used the 
whistle nor regarded the signal ; the jury returned a ver- 
dict of ‘ Manslaughter” against Edward Jenkins, the 
engine-driver, who was accordingly committed to York 
Castle for trial at the next assizes. The foreman, address- 
ing some of the directors who were present, said, ‘“‘ We 
think the railroad company are very highly to blame for em- 
ploying such inefficient men, and not having a sufficient 
number to attend the stations. We think the accident 
might possibly have been prevented if there had been a 
sufficient number of men at the Barnsley station to get 
off the passenger-train in due time.’’ On Saturday night, 
two coke trains on the same line came in collision near 
Derby, and one of the engines and séveral carriages were 
smashed. It appears that the first coke engine, owing to 
pany was held on plan of the 
directors, for p and Great 
Western Railway. One of the proprietors having moved, 
as an amendment, to lease the line, the decision between 
the purchase and leasing of the line was referred to the 
ballot of an adjourned meeting, appointed to be held on 
Thursday next. 
Thursday, to consider a 
Hastie athe Gheltebh 
IRELAND, 
Dublin.—The National Bank robbery and the trial of — 
Mr. Egan, of Moate, on suspicion of being the party 
implicated, has been the exclusive topic of attention 
during the week. The evidence has been given at great 
length, but the details would have little interest for our 
readers. A number of coach-office clerks, and persons 
usually employed about such establishments, were exa- 
mined; but the most material evidence was that of the 
guard of the coach, who swore positively that the false 
parcel left in the coach-office, in lieu of the bank one, was 
the parcel handed to him by Mr, Egan. This and other 
evidence established a case of presumption against the 
prisoner; but, on the other hand, nothing was alleged 
absolutely incapable of being refuted. No part of the 
stolen property was found upon him; he did not avoid 
pursuit or inquiry; on the contrary, his conduct subse- 
quent to the charge appears to have been candid and 
unembarrassed, and such as would be expected from an 
innocent person. The most respectable witnesses were 
examined as to the character of the prisoner, including 
Mr. Tuite, member for Westmeath, and Mr. Ellis, assist- 
ant-barrister for that county, who spoke of Mr. Egan in 
the highest terms. A letter from Lord Castlemaine was 
read, stating his readiness to give evidence as to the cha- 
racter of Mr. Egan, but he was under the necessity of 
leaving town; and he regretted this the less on account of 
the favourable turn of the case, as appeared from the 
evidence. Mr. M‘Donongh addressed the jury on the 
part of the prisoner at considerable length. He contended 
that the evidence adduced for the prosecution was alto- 
gether circumstantial—very little of which left grounds for 
suspicion against Mr. Egan ; much of which was favourable 
to bim—much equivocal ; and many circumstances ap- 
peared that pointed to the real thief, He asked the jury, 
Was it likely that a man capable of stealing a parcel of 
money would, as had been done in the present case, return 
to the bank a bill for 71/., for which he was liable? Had 
Mr. Egan stolen the money, would he not have thrown 
that security into the fire, and thus terminate his liability 
for a large amount? The trial occupied the Commission 
Court from Thursday the 12th, and closed on Tuesday. 
Mr. Justice Jackson commenced his charge to the jury at 
the sitting of the court, and did not conclude until half- 
past two o’clock. The jury remained half an hour in 
delib i and returned a verdict of ‘* Not Guilty.” 
some defect, could not get along; the was, 
that a second train overtook it, and notwithstanding the 
guard of the first train exhibited the signals, the second 
train ran into them, and a collision occurred. The guard 
of the first train sprang off just as the second came upon 
them, and the engine was smashed to pieces. On Mon- 
day, as a Nottingham train was leaving the station, a 
North Midland luggage-train came up from the north, 
and nothing but the presence of mind of an attendant 
prevented a collision. Seeing the danger, he reversed the 
point, and sent the passenger-train on another line just as 
the luggage-train came up to the junction, Had a colli- 
sion taken place, the passenger-train must have gone over 
the embankment—perhaps into the river.—On Tuesday 
last, a Sheriff's Court was held at Reading, for the purpose 
of assessing damages caused by the Great Western Rail- 
way in making a ‘spoil bank” on land adjoining the 
Sonning cutting, at Early Court farm, the property of 
Lord Sidmouth, and in the occupation of Mr. W. Shackell ; 
and also for the alleged occupation and use of land, con- 
trary to agreement. The evidence was given on both 
sides at great length, but it has no general interest for 
the public. The total claims were 1009/., and the 
jury made the following award :—To Lord Sidmouth for 
permanent injury. to Pit-field, 4197. ; to Mr. W. Shackell 
for temporary injury to Pit-field, 587. ; to Lord Sidmouth, 
for temporary injury to Mutton-meadow and Breach’s- 
meadow, 63/. 10s.—A table of the fluctuations in the 
value of railway shares has been published by Messrs. 
Watson, the share-brokers of Leeds, embracing the con- 
dition of the market for the past year. Taking a general 
view of the returns, it appears that a depreciation has oc- 
curred in all except the Birmingham, Great-Western, 
Bristol and Exeter, York and North Midland, and Man- 
chester and Leeds shares, which have shown symptoms of 
advance in public opinion. Another circular of the same 
description gives the following as the total receipts of the 
undermentioned lines, in the half-years ending the 31st 
December, for the three last years:—Birmingham and 
Derby, 1840, 25,713/.; 1841, 31,3352. ; 1842, 35,353/.— 
Birmingham and Gloucester, 1840, 21,7917; 1841, 
48,7301.; 1842, 49,281/.—Eastern Counties, 1840, 
14,753/. ; 1841, 21,815/.; 1842, 25,828/—Grand Junc- 
tion, 1840, 228,249/.; 1841, 236,987/, ; 1842, 201,5700. 
—Great Western, 1840, 150,925/.; 1841, 336,0281. ; 
1842, 353,92872—Hull and Selby, 1840, 17,0667. 5 1841, 
24,083/.; 1842, 27,180/—Liverpool and Manchester, 
1840, 134,969/7.; 1841, 131,541; 1842, 114,3874— 
London and Birmingham, 1840, 403,395/.; 1841, 
428,7771.; 1842, 419,4717.—South Western, 1840, 
138,6502.; 1841, 149,071/,; 1842, 167,5747.—Manches- 
ter, Bolton, and Bury, 1840, 14,1767. ; 1841, 15,6267. ; 
1842, 14,537/—Midland Counties, 1840, 43,662/. ; 1841, 
70,2440.; 1842, 70,809/,—North Midland, 1840, 
72,895/,; 1841, 114,316/.; 1842, 114,526/,—York and 
North Midland, 1840, 22,70]7.; 1841, 43,744/.; 1842, 
45,482l—A special Meeting of the Great Western Com- 
The prisoner, on the announcement of the verdict, Jeaned 
his face upon his hand and wept audibly. There was a 
very general expression of applause in the body of the 
court, which was echoed by the crowd outside. 
Cork.—As a contrast to the accounts which we have 
given in our recent Numbers respecting the management 
of Hanwell Lunatic Asylum, we may cite the following 
observations of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland in relation 
to the case of a Mr. Speed. His Lordship, in giving 
judgment, said, ‘I could hardly have believed that such 
an outrage on humanity as is disclosed by the affidavits in 
this case could have been perpetrated at the present day. 
A gentleman of a highly respectable (family, who is 
afflicted with insanity, was put under the care of a com- 
mittee of his person. Afterwards one of his brothers was 
appointed committee, and he placed the lunatic in a house 
in Cork. This unfortunate lunatic was found by two 
gentlemen, who are magistrates in the county, and they 
i diately exerted th Ives on his behalf. The lunatic 
was found by those gentlemen in an outhouse belonging to 
the man with whom he had been placed, and from the 
state of the roof there was access for the weather and the 
rain ; and, though it was in the latter part of the year, he 
was stark naked, his legs chained and clenched together, 
and fastened in a chain not more than two feet in length, 
without even straw, and not able, on account of his 
chains, to lie down in such a way as to rest himself, and 
without power to move beyond the limit of the narrow 
circle which the chain would describe, Such were the 
circumstances in which, through the inattention, to say 
the least of it, of his brother, the lunatic lived. This is 4 
case upon which, naturally, I have felt great pain on 
account of the family; but I felt bound to have it fully 
investigated and exposed, because I am afraid the evil 
exists to a considerable extent.” His Lordship then an- 
nounced that it was his intention to carry into execution 
a series of arrangements which he thought would tend to 
secure to this unhappy class of persons much more care 
and attention than, in too many instances, they have 
heretofore experienced. ‘ ; 
Tipperary.—Avother murder has been committed in 
this county. The victim was the herdsman of Mr. Scully, 
who was so recently assassinated in the same district. 
He was waylaid and murdered by two men, who assaulted 
and broke in the left side of his skull. 
the previous tide—a remarkable difference when the very 
low state of the barometer is taken into consideration- 
In addition to these phenomeD@, the storm-glasses wer? 
the whole day ina remarkably unsettled state :—th? 
Scena 
isang 
wr 
