78 
THE GARDENERS 
CHRONICLE. 
[Fez. 4. 
England Conservative that the Mechanics’ Institute of 
that town is about to set a good example, by the introduc- 
tion of lectures on Horticulture. The first lecture will 
be delivered on Tuesday next, by Mr. W. E. Rendle, of 
the Union-road Nursery, at Plymouth, who will trace the 
rise and progress of Horticulture from the earliest ages to 
the gardening of the nineteenth century, and will illustrate 
his lecture by choice plants in flower. The leading sub- 
jects touched upon in his synopsis are, the formation of 
the London Horticultural Society ; the subsequent forma- 
tion of Provincial societies throughout the country ; the 
New Zealand Horticultural Societies ; the Chiswick exhibi- 
tions ; short histories of the apple, pear, and other fruits ; 
brief historical facts relative to the dahlia, the pelargonium, 
the pansy, &c.; the tulip mania; usefulness of horti- 
cultural societies in distributing prizes to honest and 
industrious cottagers, in thus encouraging them to cul- 
tivate their gardens, and affording partial maintenance for 
their families; and the great pleasure derivable from the 
cultivation of flowers. 
Liverpool.—In a recent article on the system of farm- 
ing which prevails in Lancashire and Cheshire, the Liver- 
pool Times states that the Earl of Derby and Lord 
Francis Egerton have embarked in agricultural improve- 
ments, and, as a means, have given suitable leases to their 
tenants. The article in question states that ‘‘ The farming 
is very fair on the lighter soils of Lancashire and Cheshire, 
about Liverpool, Hale, Warrington, Flixton, Altringham, 
Newton-in-the-Willows, Ormskirk, Southport, and Ruf- 
ford, and altogether greater and more successful efforts 
have been made to improve moss or bog land in Lanca- 
shire and Cheshire than in any other part of England. 
The field cultivation of the Potato is as well understood 
in Lancashire as that of the Turnip is in Norfolk or the 
Lothians ; the crops of that. root grown in this county 
are superior, both in quantity and quality, to those grown 
in any other part of England, and the Wheat and Clover 
crops grown after them are also very good. It is the stiff 
clay lands which are the disgrace of the Lancashire and 
Cheshire farming. They are almost uniformly wet, and 
covered with rushes, although when well drained and 
farmed, as on the estate of Mr. B. Bretherton, at Rainhill, 
they form excellent meadow and pasture land, when laid 
down in grass, and yield large crops of wheat, beans, 
oats, and barley, when worked with the plough. All that 
is wanting in Lancashire is good effectual draining ; but 
there is no reason to expect that that will become general 
in this county until long leases are introduced in place of 
the present holdings, nine-tenths of which are determi- 
nable by a six months’ notice. Two of our great land- 
holders, namely, Lord Francis Egerton and the Ear! of 
Derby, seem to be aware of this, the former having re- 
cently re-let_a great part of his Lancashire property on 
very favourable terms, and the latter now offering long 
leases and advantageous conditions, on all the farms 
which from time to time fall into his hands.’’On Tuesday 
night a free trade banquet was held at the Amphitheatre, 
attended by nearly a. thousand people. The boxes were 
filled by ladies, and the galleries crowded by persons who 
were admitted at a low price to witness the proceedings. 
The chair was filled by Mr. Thornely, the member for 
Wolverhampton, supported on his right by Mr. Villiers, 
r. Bowring, Sir De Lacy Evans, Colonel Thompson, and 
Mr. Hindley, M.P.; and on his left by Mr. O'Connell, 
Mr. T. M. Gibson, Mr. Sharman Crawford, and other 
advocates of free trade, most of whom addressed the meet- 
ing at considerable length. 
Manchester. — On Saturday night a destructive fire 
broke out in an extensive pile of warehouses in Norfolk- 
street, close to the Post-office in this town. The ware- 
houses, at the time of the conflagration, were crowded 
to the ceiling with calicoes, yarns, counterpanes, damasks, 
&c. The fire originated on the second floor, in Messrs. 
Clayton and Gladstone’s warehouse. The number of 
persons who were drawn together on the first outbreak 
was so great, that all the efforts of the police to keep 
them back were iling ; it was quently found 
necessary to call in the aid of the military; and three 
companies of the 15th, by forming themselves in detach- 
ments, soon cleared the mob from all the approaches to 
the warehouses, and protected such portions of the pro- 
perty as were rescued from the flames. The building was 
entirely destroyed, and the damage done is estimated at 
50,000/.—On Friday, the 27th, a dinner was given in 
this town to Mr. Emerson Tennent, M.P., for the pur- 
pose of celebrating the passing of the Copyright of De- 
signs Bill, and of presenting that gentleman with a ser- 
vice of plate, in testimonial of the gratitude of the calico- 
printers throughout the kingdom for his exertions on their 
behalf. Mr. Tennent has for some years past exerted 
himself in order to procure a Legislative enactment for 
securing a reasonable copyright of designs in various 
branches of art and manufacture; and our readers are 
aware that an Act for this object was passed last session. 
- The calico-printers, the parties more especially benefited 
by the Act, accordingly opened a subscription for the pur- 
pose of presenting Mr, Tennent with some testimonial of 
their gratitude; the subscription amounted to 1,850/., 
and was appropriated to the purchase of a service of 
plate, containing 106 pieces, and weighing upwards of 
5,000 ounces. About 70 gentlemen were present at the 
dinner, and Mr, Tennent addressed them at great length 
on the various questions connected with their branch of 
manufacture.—The first great aggregate meeting of the 
demonstrations of the Anti-Corn-Law League in this town 
was held on Monday in the new Free-Trade Hall, Peter- 
street. The principal.object of the meeting was to give a 
report of the progress of the Great League Fund. The 
meeting was limited to registered members of the League, 
and deputies from distant towns—s few seats having 
been reserved for ladies—but, notwithstanding this limita- 
tion, the hall was crowded to overflowing. The numbers 
present have been variously estimated at from 7,000 to 
10,000 persons. Mr. M. Philips, M.P., presided. Our 
space will not allow us to give the particulars of the 
various speeches delivered on the occasion ; we can merely 
state that the list of subscriptions announced as already 
received exceeded 40,000/., without including Manchester, 
which has already subscribed 7,000/., and the metropolis, 
in which the subscriptions amount to about 3,0007. Mr. 
Bright, however, showed a long list of towns which had 
not been visited, but which it was intended forthwith to 
visit, and the result he expected would be a great addition 
to the subscriptions. The largest sums in the list an- 
nounced on Monday were the following :—Manchester, 
7,0001.; Glasgow,. 2,500/. ; Rochdale, 2,2002.; Liver- 
pool, 2,200/.; Huddersfield, 1,8002.; Leeds, 1,500/.; 
Halifax, 1,010/.; Ashton, 1,0002 ; Bristol, 1,0002.; 
Edinburgh, 1,000/.; Bolton, 9367.; Bury, 9287.; Not- 
tingham, 850/.; Sheffield, 800/.; Burnley, 7002.; Brad- 
ford, 6007. ; Blackburn, 600/. ; Birmingham, 500/. ; Bacup, 
5002. ; Dundee, 500/. ;* Leicester,’ 5002. ; Oldham, 500/.; 
Stockport, 500/. A singular circumstance occurred while 
Mr. Massie was in the act of stepping forward to address 
the meeting. The whole of the gas-lights went out. The 
circumstance was attributed by Mr. Wilson, the chairman 
of the League, to intention, and it was announced that the 
utmost exertions would be made to discover the author of 
the attempt to create confusion in that large assemblage. 
A considerable addition to the subscriptions was made 
before the meeting separated. 
Plymouth—On the night of Friday, the 27th, the 
Greek brig Taxiarches, from the Danube, for Hull, but 
last from Falmouth, where she'took a pilot, went on shore 
on the south-west side of the Rame Head, near this port. 
Her pilot was below at the time, having previously left 
instructions to have the brig steered to the south-east. 
Unfortunately she was steered tothe north-east. It being 
thick at the time, and the vessel, having a fair wind and 
studding-sails set, ran on the rocks before the crew knew 
where they were. The crew were saved, but the vessel 
will probably go to pieces. 
ye.—To the list of wrecks consequent on the late 
boisterous weather, another calamity, occurring on the 
Sussex coast, is now added, in the total loss of the 
Arundel yacht, bound for Hong Kong and Macao, which 
took the ground on Winchelsea-track, on Saturday night, 
and soon became a perfect wreck. The Arundel left 
Gravesend on Thursday week for the Downs, under the 
care of Mr. Davison, senior pilot to her Majesty, who 
had the conduct of the squadron on the occasion of the 
Queen’s visit to Scotland. She arrived safe in the Downs 
and on Friday morning was working down Channel 
against a strong westerly wind. All seems to have gone 
on well up to midnight on Friday, at which time she was 
off Dungeness. In beating up the Sussex coast, it ap- 
pears that Mr. Davison, presuming on the yacht’s well- 
nown sailing qualities, must have run too near. shore, 
On Saturday morning the soundings were taken, and the 
vessel was discovered to be in shallow water. The pilot 
immediately put the helm down, but before the track of 
the vessel could be influenced by it, she struck heavily, and 
soon after became firmly embedded in the sand. The four 
passengers were saved by the life-boat of this place under 
the command of Lieut. Ralph, and about 4 a.m., the cap- 
tain and the crew took to the ship’s boats, and succeeded 
in reaching the shore although a heavy surf was rolling 
upon the beach. The Arundel was well known as one of 
the finest vessels belonging to the Royal Yacht Squadron, 
and was built by the late Duke of Norfolk from timber 
grown on his own estate. At the sale of the duke’s pro- 
perty, she was purchased by Capt. Richardson, who in- 
tended her for the local trade in China, her peculiar build 
and extraordinary sailing qualities adapting her for that 
Service. 
Windsor and Eton.—On Tuesday a man named Samuel 
Prentice underwent a private examination before two 
county magistrates, on a charge of being found in the 
stores of Windsor Castle with a felonious intent. It ap. 
pears that on Friday night, the 27th, in consequence of an 
accidental ignition of one of the men’s caps, @ porter in 
the Lord Chamberlain’s department was left in the store- 
room for the night as a security against fire. About half- 
past five in the morning he went down to the lower room 
to look at the clock; when there he heard some one 
getting over the gate of the yard in front of the store- 
room; his attention being drawn to the door, he heard 
some one come up, and he then hid the lamp. He heard 
akey put into the lock, and unlock it. He heard some 
one enter the door, and he then showed his light, and saw 
that it was the prisoner, who has been employed as the 
working bell-hanger in the Castle, and usually works ata 
shop in the tower moat, opposite the store-rooms. He 
had every opportunity of acquiring a thorough knowledge 
of the place, and of the description of the articles which 
were kept there. After the usual evidence the prisoner 
was committed for trial. 
Railways.—The returns of the traffic on the leading 
lines, for the last week, are as follows :—Greenwich 730/., 
Eastern Counties 813/., Croydon 198/., Liverpool and 
Manchester 3,551/., Brighton 2,547/., Newcastle and Car- 
lisle 1,197/., Grand Junction 6,315/., Blackwall 5072., 
Great North of England 1,262/, Glasgow and Paisley 
7861, Birmingl and Gl ter 1,516/., Edinburgh 
and Glasgow 1538/., Hull and Selby 7292., Birmingham 
and Derby 1030/., Midland Counties 2,111/., North Mid- 
land 3,242/,, South Western 4,285/., Great Western 
10,777/., London and Birmingham 13,311/., Northern and 
Eastern 1,111/—The Board of Trade have addressed a 
very important circular to the Secretaries of all the Rail- 
way Companies on the subject of retrenchment. The 
propriety of these reductions has been often discussed, 
and is now formally condemned by the official caution 
given to the management of the different lines. The cir- 
cular bears special reference to the case of Mr. Harvey, a 
commercial traveller from Glasgow, whose death, as out 
readers will recollect, was occasioned by a collision at the 
Barnsley station, on the line of the North Midland Rail- 
way. The following extract contains the most important 
portion of this document :—‘‘ The experience of the last 
three years has fully satisfied their lordships that the com- 
parative exemption which has been latterly enjoyed from 
the alarming accidents which occurred so frequently during 
the infancy of railway travelling, is to be attributed mainly 
to the gradual formation of blisk of experi d 
and trustworthy engine-drivers and other servants, upon 
all the leading passenger railways, and that it is only by 
intaining suc! blisl that a repetition of such 
accidents can be effectually prevented. This opinion has 
been confirmed by the recent accident upon the North 
Midland Railway, and the investigations which their lord- 
ships have directed, in consequence, have fully satisfied them. 
that sudden and sweeping reductions in the branches of 
the establishment connected with the public safety, can 
rarely be attempted without occasioning great danger. 
Under these circumstances, although my lords have no 
wish to interfere with the discretion of the directors of 
railway companies especially in cases where pecuniary 
considerations are involved, they think it their duty to 
remind them of the heavy responsibility which they will 
incur if they allow themselves to be influenced by a mis- 
taken economy, so far as to attempt reductions, either in 
the number and efficiency of the establishment which pre- 
vious experience has led them to consider necessary for 
conducting the public traffic in safety, or in the accus- 
tomed wages of the class of servants upon whose intelli- 
gence, sobriety, and habitual good conduct the safety 
of the passengers depends.’’—A resolution was passed by 
the shareholders of the Bristol and Gloucester Railway 
at the meeting held last week, authorizing the Directors 
to raise the money to complete the line. The cost of the 
work is estimated at between 160,000/. and 170,000. It 
appears by the reports in the Provincial papers that the 
shareholders of the Gl and Berkeley Canal Com- 
pany have consented to support the Dean Forest Railway 
in the line of road already laid down. It is stated that 
when the Bristol and Gloucester line comes into full 
action, the revenue derived by the carriage of coal to 
Stroud will be cut off, and therefore that the only means 
to create an equivalent would be the bringing of the 
article from the Forest of Dean to Gloucester at a 
price to enable its delivery at Stroud cheaper than 
could be done by the Bristol and Gloucester Company.— 
On Tuesday, the half-yearly general meeting of the 
London and Greenwich Company took place, and a divi- 
dend of 1s. per share was declared, the accounts showing 
a net surplus of 2,207/. 12s. 4d., after paying interest on 
bond and loan debt, and the ‘ preference shares.’””) The 
directors were also authorized to raise 50,0002. remainder 
of the capital by mortgage without power of sale, the 
interest to be payable half-yearly, and the principal at the 
end of seven years. The mortgage bonds will be offered 
to public tender, the interest to be fixed by the offerer, 
and the lowest rate to be accepted. These bonds will 
have the preference over all shares. A long discussion 
took place on the adoption of the report, and the disputed 
question of the tollage was revived, the shareholders ap- 
pearing firm in resisting any infringement of their original 
rights. An unsuccessful attempt was made to get the ap- 
poi to a i to i the question, and 
Mr. Wilkinson, the chairman of the Croydon Company, 
who endeavoured to address the meeting, was quite unable 
to obtain a hearing. The income of the company from the 
traffic appears by the balance-sheet to be 27,106/.—Sub- 
sequent to the great blastyof Round Down cliff, on Thurs- 
day week, by means {of 18,000\bs. of gunpowder, it has 
been ascertained by measurement that the immense mass 
of rock dislodged covers a surface of 18 broad acres, and 
is not less than 25 feet deep. The shock was so slightly 
felt in some parts of the cliff, that the party in charge of 
the voltaic battery thought the experiment had failed. 
It is said that the saving to the South-Eastern Railway 
Company by this blast will be at least 10,0007.—The half- 
yearly meeting of the Grand Junction Company was held 
on Tuesday last at Liverpool. It appeared from the report 
that the clear profit of the half-year was 119,470/. 2s., to 
which was to be added 5,612/. 4s. 3d., surplus from the 
previous half-year, making a total of 125,0827. 6s. 3d. ; 
from this amount the directors recommended that a divi- 
dend of 5/. per share, and proportionate amounts on the 
other stock, be declared; this would absorb 110,165/., 
leaving a balance of 14,917/. 6s. 3d., which the directors 
proposed to appropriate as follows :—Income tax for half 
a-year 3,653/. 17s. 10d., depreciation and renewal of stock 
5.000/., leaving to be carried forward to the credit of the 
present half-year the sum of 6,263/. 8s. 5d. 
IRELAND. 
Dublin.—On Sunday, the Very Rev. Dean Dal: was 
consecrated Bishop of Cashel and Waterford in the 
Cathedral of St. Patrick’s. The officiating prelates were, 
the Archbishop of Dublin and the Bishops of Cork and 
Ossory. Every available spot in the church was occupied, 
and hundreds had to leave without being able to obtain an 
entrance to the choir.—Intelligence has been received in 
Dublin that Durrow Castle, the family mansion of Lord 
Norbury, has been burnt to the ground, and that very 
little of the furniture or other property has been saved.— 
A meeting, of which a very long notice had been given, to 
forward the plan of erecting.some lasting testimonial to 
