THE NEWSPAPER. 



[1844. 



r~n7ld was tried at Knutsford last week, found 

 Fref ton G«W^*" d t0 U years' transportation. 

 *W *ia -On Thursday the 22d the Dutch steamer 

 ?Tf?r was totally lost about 25 miles east of the 

 f* Foiirnl She was built of iron at Blackball about 

 ,orlh itn^ exnressly for the Rotterdam and Man- 

 *"* 22 ind waaTroceeding to London for the purpose 

 hf, u mt ^a ed She was under the direction of Capt. 

 of l>eing repauea Navigation Company, who 



K£ fequested'to bring her over from Rotterdam, 

 a nn/the oasscneers was Mr. Bush, the Civil Engl- 

 Wda -hXda P vaHe<l § himselfof her return to try some 



wL™a itr"ange vibration of the vessel. Scarcely had these 

 «"arks been made when the suspicions of Mr. Bush were 

 Unarmed; he begged Capt. Stranach to order the boats 

 to be in readiness, for he was convinced that the vessel, 

 beii* constructed of iron, would afford but few minutes 

 to save themselves. Whilst this conversation was taking 

 place another circumstance gave warning that their fears 

 were well grounded, for the steamer broke completely in 

 half The h.iat was instantly launched and Mr. Bush and 

 two' others fell into it, the wind at this time blowing 

 a brisk gale. The boat was rowed stern foremost towards 

 the vessel to save the remainder of the crew, to which 

 manoeuvre may be attributed the saving of those who were 

 still upon deck. The crew of the boat called out to Capt. 

 Stranach, who was on the after part of the wreck, to save 

 himself by springing with the oar into the sea, as her head 

 and stern were collapsing. At this moment the wreck 

 presented an extraordinary spectacle ; the boiler bursting 

 by the collapse threw up immense volumes of steam and 

 water, and the vessel went down with a loud explosion. 

 After going down Mr. Bush looked round for her crew, 

 and one of the first he saw was Capt. Stranach struggling 

 in the water supported by a portion of the wreck. The 

 captain and several others were with much difficulty taken 

 into the boat. Three persons were unfortunately lost, 

 two stokers and the cook. The number saved were 13, 

 who, after experiencing the greatest hardships for four 

 hours in an open boat, were picked up by a vessel from 

 Amsterdam, whose attention was attracted by a handker- 

 chief hoisted as a signal of distress, and carried into 

 Ramsgate. Capt. Stranach and Mr. Bush describe the 

 whole occurrence as a dream, for from her breaking to 

 her going down not more than five minutes elapsed. The 



accident is attributed to the error of constructing vessels 

 of a great length with au cuuimuus weight of engines, 



coals, and water amidship. 



Warwick, — The local papers of last week contained 

 long accounts of the extraordinary abduction of a young 

 lady named Jane Page, only 13 years of age, by a young 

 farmer of the name of George Gardener, from a seminary 

 in this city. 50/. reward was immediately offered for 

 their apprehension, but the police were unable to trace 

 them out until Saturday evening, when Jthey were disco- 

 vered quartered at an inn in Douglas, in the Isle of Man, 

 having been away a week, and captured full 250 miles 

 from their native place. Gardener was instantly taken 

 J?^ custody and conveyed to Stretton near Warwick. 

 Un \\ ednesday he underwent an examination before a 

 »as"trate, the following being the substance of the evi- 

 dence :— The young lady is the daughter of a wealthy far- 

 mer at Stretton, and upon her attaining her 18th year 

 comes into possession of a large estate. The prisoner is 

 also respectable and wealthy, and being desirous of be- 

 coming a farmer he was apprenticed to the young lady's 

 W F, i 8 f 0a8t0 be instru cted in the several branches of 

 «mp *i i 1 ?' Was consid ered one of the family, and fre- 

 at rtI ik °PP ortunit y of visiting the young lady whilst 

 scuool, but owing to her tender age not the least idea 

 asenter ain ed by their friends of an intimacy existing. 



■Vor S i Week lhe P risoner went t0 the seminary and 

 Mi««P Proprietors that he was instructed to convey 



stavth t0 , her Pint's residence, as she was going to 



cirri!*? 8 8 rt tirae with a few fiends, and under such 

 in r "? st{ ! nce8 u Bh e *as allowed to leave. The magistrate 

 fenrp a 15 , Case re marked that if the prisoner's de- 

 it .nun * \* that the V0Un S laa Y was a willing party, 

 her at * T the offence > ™ he had absconded with 



know ri i W V tCnder age that she was considered not to 

 hi s trial tfV° m Wron S- He was then committed to take 

 ties nf inn/ I ? ext assizcs » being liberated on two sure- 



f£ioan Tt 9 and hhn8elt in a like sum ' 

 the roal ' • been for some months the practice of 



•ocietv fL n »k n6rS ln this neighbourhood to enter into a 

 with to '« t pUrpo ,5 e of collecting subscriptions where- 

 throu-hnnf n ? Ut " for wa & es hl the winter months 

 *n the to f whoIe of the mining districts. The colliers 



*°* been"" >> St * ** elens and its neighbourhood have 

 *«&d th ° Ul . several weeks and subsisting upon this 



•acrince t o C ,i USlng ^ pitS to be idIe ' and at a ruinous 

 * n Sbron«K* ie masters » w "° have in consequence applied 



**re broullt" 6 °c d there obtained other workmen, who 

 ^ 2(H h tk° Helen's, and were being escorted on 

 * h e n tW ^L CO i Unty , co . ns tabulary to the several works, 

 'evens! 

 Volenti 



^eea ST* l were re *cued, when a general riot 



*° n e8 were tl S WaS the result * during this affair 



ln Jnred. t t j irown at e , he officers, and several were much 



^ Operation n l . hat the pco P le ' who are in a state 

 furt Qer offenr„ agUlQ arrai »ge their plans and commit 



ces. 



IFi/i(/wr.-We noticed in our last the generous direc- 

 tion given by her Majesty for the distribution of the un- 

 consumed bread from the royal table among the poor of 

 Windsor. Since that time her Majesty has been pleased 

 to command that the whole of the refuse wine which is 

 left in the decanters at the Royal table after dinner and 

 supper, and which was formerly the perquisite of the waiters 

 or pages' men shall be given under proper regulations 

 to the sick and diseased poor residing within the towns of 

 Windsor and Eton, and within the extensive district em- 

 braced by the Windsor Dispensary. The selection of the 

 objects for the enjoyment of the benevolence of the 

 Queen has been confided to the resident medical officer 

 of the dispensary and to the surgeon to her Majesty's 

 household at Windsor. 



Railways. — The following are the returns for the past 

 week: — Birmingham and Derby, 1,166/. ; Birmingham 

 and Gloucester, 1,683/.; Eastern Counties, 3,183/.; 

 Edinburgh and Glasgow, 1,788/. ; Great Western, 

 11,199/. ; Grand Junction, 6,397/.; Glasgow, Paisley, 

 and Ayr, 1,180/.; London and Birmingham, 13,364/.; 

 South Western, 4,377/. ; Blackwall, 549/.'; Greenwich, 

 682/. ; Brighton, 2,532/.; Croydon, 193/. ; Liverpool and 

 Manchester, 3,710/. ; Manchester, Leeds, and Hull, asso- 

 ciated, 5,48 1/. ; Midland Counties, 2,278/.; Manchester 

 and Birmingham, 2,722/.; North Midland, 3,885/.; 

 Newcastle and Carlisle, 1,291/. ; South Eastern and 

 Dover, 2,332/. ; Sheffield and Manchester, 478/. ; York 

 and North Midland, 1,501/. — The half-yearly meeting of 

 the Eastern Counties Company took place last week. The 

 report announced that since the amalgamation of the 

 Northern and Eastern with the Eastern Counties the ex- 

 tension line to Newport had been commenced, and was 

 steadily advancing towards completion. The carriage of 

 cattle continued to increase, and promised an extensive 

 trade. The goods depot in London was nearly completed, 

 and the general traffic greatly on the increase. Bills had 

 been introduced into Parliament for the construction of 

 the Stratford Branch, and the extension line to Harwich. 

 The expenditure of the company up to the present time 

 upon the main line of railway had been 2,878,520/. The 

 traffic account for the half-year exhibited a net balance 

 applicable to a dividend of 4s. per share of 26,600/. The 

 report having been proposed for adoption, a long discus- 

 sion ensued upon a proposition, that the opinion of Sir 

 W. Follett be taken as to whether the debenture share- 

 holders were entitled to receive both dividend and interest 

 upon their shares ; but upon being put to the vote the 

 proposition was lost by a large majority. The managing 

 director entered into a variety of financial explanations, 

 and after some desultory discussion the report was adopted, 



with a VOte Of enntinn»«l ooufiJonoo in. tlio tlirv-dol a.—— At 



the meeting of the Birmingham and Derby Junction last 

 week, the report announced that the profit of the half- 

 year has enabled the directors to declare a dividend of 

 2Ss. on the 100/. share ; 9s. id. on the third shares ; and 

 Is. id. on the eighth shares, the receipts having amounted 

 to 38,5 17/. The subject of the amalgamation of this com- 

 pany with the North Midland and Midland Counties un- 

 derwent warm discussion at the meeting, and it appeared 

 to be considered by many of the shareholders that the 

 terms proposed are not sufficiently favourable. Should 

 the arrangement however be completed, it is understood, 

 in order to put the eighth shares on a footing with the 

 other stock of the company, that no further call is to be 

 made on them, but that 21. 5s. Sd. should be added to the 

 present amount to bring the sum to 7/. Is. id., and that the 

 excess of capital so subscribed should be distributed over 

 the several classes of shares with the view to their reduc- 

 tion ; hence, instead of original shares being 100/. they 

 would be 9ol. ; the third shares, instead of being 33/. 6s. Sd. 

 would be 31/. 13s. id. ; each eighth share reduced in the 

 same proportion being 61. 14s. 9d. If no conclusion should 

 be come to with respect to the question of amalga- 

 mation, then the shares are to stand as before. — The 

 shareholders of the Maryport and Carlisle Railway are to 

 receive 5 per cent, on the balance of revenue for the last 

 half-year, and the directors express the hope of being 

 able under present appearances, to give the shareholders 

 a fair return for their investment. The development of 

 traffic on this line has been slow, but it has now arrived 

 at a point which is likely to continue remunerating. — The 

 formation of a line of railway direct northwards from 

 Leeds, by Harrowgate and Knaresborough, Ripley and 

 Ripon, to form a junction with the North of England 

 Railway at the Carlton or Thirsk station, was brought 

 under the consideration of the inhabitants of Knaresbo- 

 rough, a few days ago at a public meeting, when a reso- 

 lution was adopted approving of that line in preference 

 to another proposed from Bolton Percy to Star Beck. 

 By this proposed line, Newcastle and all parts of the 

 north will be brought twenty miles nearer Leeds, Brad- 

 ford, Halifax, &c, than they are at present, since they 

 are obliged to go round by York. It will also materially 

 assist in strengthening the communication between Eng- 

 land and Scotland, and will open a direct communication 

 between the valleys of the Aire and Calder, with their 

 manufacturing population and the agricultural districts of 

 the Wharfe, the Nidd, and the Swale.— On Sunday night, 

 the 18th ult., a man named John Weller, was knocked 

 down by a train while in the act of crossing the South- 

 western Railway, near the Wimbledon station. He lin- 

 gered in St. Thomas's Hospital until Monday last, when 

 he died of concussion of the brain. The Jury at the in- 

 quest returned a verdict " That deceased was accidentally 

 killed," expressing at the same time a hope that the di- 

 rectors would adopt some precautionary measure, either 

 by locking the gates, or by the employment of an addi- 

 tional policeman, in order that similar accidents might 

 be avoided in future. 



IRELAND. 

 Dublin. — The weekly meeting of the Repeal Association 

 was held on Monday, Mr. John O'Comiell in the chair. 

 After adverting to the reception given to his father in 

 London, and particularly at the meeting of the Anti-Cora 

 Law League, the chairman expressed his thanks to Lord 

 J. Russell, Mr. Macaulay, Sir. T. Wilde, and the other 

 members who supported Lord J. Russell's motion in the 

 House of Commons. If, he said, he saw that the liberal 

 members of the House of Commons had the power to do 

 good for Ireland, he might, he did not say he would, ask 

 himself whether they should not give them some kind of 

 trial additional [loud cries of " No, no," and loud cheer- 

 ing]. He was happy to hear that answer from them ; but 

 if they could do good it would sadden his heart to think 

 that some friends of Ireland might be won away from the 

 glorious cause by any benefit that would fail short of the full, 

 entire, and immediate restoration of their domestic Parlia- 

 ment. He conjured the people of Ireland in his father's 

 name to continue as they had hitherto done, in peace and 

 order, no matter what happened to the traversers. If 

 they wished the iron to sink deep into his father's soul 

 they would violate the peace. He believed there could 

 be very little doubt that the Government would press 

 punishment upon the traversers, merely for the purpose of 

 showing they were determined to carry out their inten- 

 tions ; but no matter what happened, let the people of 

 Ireland continue in their peaceful agitation, and redouble 

 their exertions for the Repeal. Mr. Ray then read a letter 

 from Mr. O'Connell, alluding with great satisfaction to 

 the reception he had met with in London, and expressing 

 his conviction that the Association will reciprocate these 

 most laudable and honourable feelings, and that the Irish 

 nation will show that Irish gratitude will at least equal 

 English generosity. M We must cultivate," he said, 

 w these kindly sentiments at both sides. The melancholy 

 reflection however follows, that it is quite useless for the 

 wise and the good in Great Britain to desire, as they do, cor- 

 dially and sincerely, that justice should be done to Ire-'and. 

 Alas ! power has passed from the wise and the good, and is 

 vested in the selfish and the bigoted. The monopolists 

 and the bigots have got possession of Parliamentary 

 power, class legislation prevails, the spirit of reform is ex- 

 tinct, or lives in little more than isolated individuals. The 

 unhappy genius of Chartism is still sufficiently strong to 

 delude some of the operative classes — of those to whom 

 increased reform would give increased power to alleviate 

 their hard condition, and improve the social state. Under 

 these circumstances, every reasonable and just Irishman 

 must see that there is nothing for Ireland save in and by 



the restoration of aw rariiamenu IUn is uut the 



least reason for any kind of despondency ; on the contrary 

 it appears to me to be as clear as the noon-day sun that 

 the Repeal must succeed if the Irish people observe two 

 essential conditions of success; the first is the strict 

 observance of the peace, the total absence of riot, tumult, 

 outbreak, or force, in short to continue peaceable under 

 every circumstances, and in every event ; secondly, to con- 

 tinue perseveringly and unremittingly the Repeal agitation ; 

 to continue that agitation in strictly legal channels, and 

 in no other ; to abandon and avoid any course that may 

 be declared however wrongfully illegal, and to continue 

 to model every public body into such a shape as shall set 

 every prosecution at defiance ; in short to continue con- 

 stitutional and legal agitation so long as one shred of the 

 constitution remains. Peace and Perseverance are our 

 motto ; perseverance and peace are the shibboleth to our 

 success. Before peace and perseverance present difficul- 

 ties will vanish, and by them Ireland will be restored to 

 national dignity and prosperity." After announcing 

 several contributions to the Rent, among which was the 

 sum of 292/. Is. from America, Mr. Smith O'Brien pro- 

 ceeded to address the Association. He said that since the 

 last day of meeting, the House of Commons had, by a 

 large majority, pronounced that they would not take into 

 consideration the grievances of Ireland with a view to their 

 redress. All that reasoning and eloquence could urge in 

 their behalf had been pleaded in vain, and what, under 

 such circumstances, ought to be their course ? Did that 

 event come on them unexpected ? Did they not know 

 that it was not information that the people of England 

 wanted with respect to Irish grievances, for those griev- 

 ances had been repeated as far as they were concerned, 

 even to the extent of humiliation ? It was not information 

 they wanted, it was the disposition to right them. He 

 next addressed himself to the Irish Whigs, the Conserva- 

 tives, and the Federalists, and asked them what was the 

 course they ought to pursue ? He would tell them, they 

 ought to rely upon themselves, and Ireland, oppressed as 

 she was, would, by peaceable combination, again possess 

 her domestic legislature. The Rent for the week was 024/. 



Hato. 



Hocsb of Lords.— Appeals.— Their Lordships met on Friday 

 jr the purpose of giving judgment on a writ of error in the case 

 of "the Queen, v. Millis," which involves the question of the 

 validity of Presbyterian mixed marriages. The Lord Chancellor 

 commenced by stating the effect of a contract or engagement of 

 matrimony per verba de preesenti previous to the Marriage Act, 

 and cited Swinburne, Sir Edward Simpson, the Council of Trent, 

 Mr. Justice Blacks tone, and other authorities on that subject. 

 The Council of Trent held that all clandestine marriages were 

 null and void, but the canon law was never adopted as binding 

 in this country, and the authorities cited showed that a contract 

 per verba de preesenti was a valid marriage and might be enforced 

 against either of the parties. His Lordship then referred to a 

 number of cases, establishing that when a contract -per verba ac 

 preesenti was followed by a marriage, solemnised in fine eccie^, 

 between one of the parties and another person, the latter mamage 

 was not by precontract actually void, but merely voidable, ana 

 as a consequence that if such marriage was not annulled o> » 

 sentence of the Ecclesiastical Court in the lifetime of the] P*™? 8 * 

 it could not afterwards be effected; but the widow would t*ke 

 her dower and the children must be held to be legitimate, me 



