The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

Anticipated Fall of Charleston. A dispatch from "Washington speaks of the rejoicings there, consequent upon the anticipated fall of Charleston:—The flags were hoisted over the War and ISTavy Departments on the receipt of the good mews from: Charleston, and informa- tion was telegraphed from Fortress Monroe. Coming as it does through rebel sources, it is fully credited, and it is believed that the news will be more than verified by the next arrival from Charleston harbour. The friends of the Union cause have been made jubilant by these reports, and by the news of Bosencranz's advance on Chat- tanooga, which it is not probable can long be held by the demoralised troops under Bragg. The most bigoted Secessionists here concede that the rebel cause is hopeless, and that policy and common sense alike dictate that the people of the South should by an early submission secure for them- selves reinstatement in the Union upon the most favourable terms.

Events Connected with the Fall of Forts Sumter and Wagner. A correspondent writes from, Morris Island giving a detailed account of the events which had transpired at Charleston up to that date:—The Orders issued by General Gilmore on Sunday night for the artillery commanders to open their batteries on the rebel works at daybreak Monday morning, did not, in consequence of the advanced state oÎ our siege operations, create any undue surprise. That the attack was about to be re- newed was circulated with remarkable rapidity through the camp, and upon the countenances of the soldiers could be traced evidences of satisfac- tion, if not actual delight, at the prospect of being relieved of the monotonous life to which they had been subjected for the past thirty days. They had not forgotten the terrific assault on Wagner one month previous, less one day, when they were compelled to retire before the superior strength of the enemy, the thought of which made them all the more earnest in their desire to again attempt the reduction of the. rebel works. Although fear- fully decimated in numbers from the ravages of aiekness and war, the brave regiments came for- ward once more to add new lustre to their own and their country's glory. But the nature of the con- z;1 flict, which has been already intimated in this cor- respondence, rendered the position of the infantry not quite so hazardous as that they occupied during the preceding assault. Then they essayed to gain possession of the island by storming Fort Wagner; now they act as supports to the various batteries, .which are expected to achieve the final result by silencing the enemy's guns. In this attack the artillery, both on land and sea, is the main dependence. The assertion of some officers that three hours only would be required to demolish Sumter is proved to be very wide of the mark. The rebels had ample time to strengthen the work, and did not lose a moment in using it to the best advantage. All the casemates on the south- west front were filled up with masonry and sand- Bags, besides which bales of cotton were heaped up on the outside of the fort. Inside the fort, every measure had been taken to resist the effect of shot. Sandbags were used in great profusion, and quantities of the same were piled up in rows on the parapet. The bombardment commenced at daybreak on Monday morning. All the mounted guns of heavy calibre, excepting one piece on the second parallel which had been accidentally spiked, were brought into action. A portion of the guns was directed to Sumter, while the others were pointed to Wagner and Gregg. At half-past six o'clock a monitor rode up the channel and commenced firing at Sumter. In half-an-hour another monitor and the ironsides were engaged. At ten a.m. five monitors and the iron- sides had come up, and were joined at noon by five gunboats. The mortar schooners did not take 1! part in the action in consequence of the bombs .ex- ploding- within our own lines. A rapid fire was p kept up on' cu part till late in the afternoon, when the monitors hauled off, and shortly after the gun- boats ceased, firing only at long intervals. Ac- cording to the statement of one of the deserters before alluded to, the first shot that struck Sumter passed entirely through the outer wall, and also an inner wall of masonry which had been put up to strengthen the work. Throughout the day the firing of the heavy guns was excellent. But few shots seemed to miss the mark. The mortars did very little execution. Most all the bombs seemed to explode everywhere but over the right place. Sumter fired but three or four shots during the whole day. Wagner and Gregg stood up re- solutely to the work in the morning, first giving the monitors a solid.shot, and then sending a shell t to the land batteries. In the afternoon they had lost considerable of their energy, and long towards evening used only the mortar in Gregg. Fort Simpkins fired regularly from two guns. Three other guns, mounted on the earthworks at the left Z, of Simpkins, were active all day. At eleven a.m., in the heat of the action, Captain George Eodgers and Paymaster Woodbury, on the monitor Catskil], were killed while standing in the turret.. They were struck by a bolt which had been driven through the iron plating- by a heavy solid shot. The flag of the monitor was lowered at half-mast, which was the case with the flags on all. the vessels of the fleet, as soon as the disaster had been made known. At this time of writing it is impossible to compute the amount of metal hurled against Sumter. Every shot which struck it told with good effect. Pene- trations of five and six feet in depth could be observed all over the south-west face. The parapet also began to present a very ragged appearance, Z! p and it was evident that the destruction of the work was only a question of time. Once during the day the halyards of the flag were shot away. When the flag came down it was thought by many that the reoelS were acorn: to surrender, out ill two minutes' time up went another and a larger flag. During the progress of the siege the cutting of the halyards of the same flag was a common occurrence. Although Wagner and Gregg were almost silent after dark, we had nothing to assure us that any great damage had been done to either work. Our shot ploughed up furrows of sand, without apparently weakening the batteries. The rebel batteries on the left were noticed but twice during the day. The gunners handled their pieces well, and obtained a very good range of our works, but succeeded in causing but few casualties among our men. During the night shots were fired at intervals of ten minutes.

Disposition of the Federal Army Forty-five regiments and batteries are dis- tributed throughout the city of New York. The following are the names of the organisations which reached there on Saturday last:—2nd Con- necticut Battery, 17th United States Infantry, 11th United States Infantry, 110th Ohio Volun- teers, 122nd Ohio Volunteers, 3rd Michigan Volun- teers, 2nd Massachusetts Volunteers, 126th Ohio Volunteers, 3rd Wisconsin Volunteers, 27th Indiana Volunteers, 5th Wisconsin Volunteers. One curious fact may be noticed as characteristic of this list—there are no New York regiments mentioned. The inference is of course inevitable that the Government hardly dare trust them with the work of suppressing riots or of enforcing the draft. And it is, perhaps, as well that regiments from other States have been sent here to do the work. New York State regiments from the rural districts would undoubtedly be just as reliable as those from Wisconsin, but if matters should not progress according to Governor Seymour's ideas he might undertake to make a practical appli- cation of his ideas of State sovereignty by assuming that these regiments should obey his orders before they did those of the United States officers, and if this issue should be made difficulties which cannot be imagined would of course ensue. There have been intimations that in certain contingencies Governor Seymour might undertake to recall from the field the troops which the State has furnished. In 1812 the Governor of Vermont, who was a violent Federal and a bitter antagonist of the war, deter- mined to do all he could to cripple the Government, by ordering home a brigade from that State which was stationed on the northern frontier. The soldiers thought the display of gubernatorial assurance a capital joke, and refused to pay any attention to the order, while the officers of the brigade drew up and signed a paper giving their reasons for the course they had.chosen to adopt. If the.tenor of the talk one hears among the soldiers now gathered in this city is an index to the state of feeling in the army of the Potomac, there can be no doubt that a similar attempt on Governor Seymour's part would result in a still more decisive and mor- tifying failure.. Without a; solitary exception these war-worn soldiers denounce in the most emphatic language the spirit which manifested itself so lately in riotous outbreak, and there is very little doubt that those who may be concerned in any such proceedings in the future would ask for mercy in vain from these veterans, if they once had the opportunity to ad- minister to them the same remedies which they have been applying to the Confederates in Vir- ginia. They forget the repeated defeats and dis- asters which they have sustained, the hard marches which they have made, and everything else that they have suffered, in their ardent desire to take advantage of the tottering condition in which the Confederate cause apparently now is, and they assert, with emphasis that cannot be mistaken, that in simple justice to the regiments which have been in the field since the war commenced, their doubly-decimated ranks should be refilled, and they discover a decided disposition to do their part of the work towards accomplishing this desi- rable result. These are the men who took the field when the patriotism of the North was at fever heat, and it seems a little singular that their ardour in the cause should, not have cooled after more than two years campaigning; but it is a fact that they are just as earnest in the cause for which they are fighting as they were the day that they first took the field.

Second Attack. On Tuesday all the land batteries were again in action, directing their fire to the same points aimed at on Monday. In consequence of a severe gale and a high sea the navy was unable to effect- ually co-operate in the bombardment. The iron- sides, however, which had not changed her posi- tion of the day previous, threw an occasional shell into Sumter. Wagner and Gregg, after giving a dozen replies, each were content to remain per- fectly silent for several hours, after which period they again opened their eyes to the work. As night closed in Sumter looked certainly mournful. Deep, wide holes were clearly visible in the south-west face, and only a portion of the parapet above re- mained. The heavy siege guns in our batteries did their work well that day. Among our wounded was Lieutenant Holbrook, of the 3rd Rhode Island Artillery. He was struck by a fragment of shell in the shoulder and back. On Wednesday, the third day, the bombardment was continued, only our guns were not fired so rapidly as on the previous days. Our gunners, however, had got the range completely, and the ammunition exhausted for Sumter's benefit was not done so in vain. In the afternoon two of the monitors advanced towards Sumter for the purpose of attacking it at 2;000 yards range, but the cur- rent was so strong that the vessels became un- manageable, and the officers were compelled to abandon the design. Sumter, by way of a parting salute, fired one gun—the only one heard from it that day. As usual, the rebel batteries on James Island were the only ones really alive, and the probability is they would have been quieted in a very short time if our heavy guns had been turned upon them. At night a sad accident occurred from the premature explosion of a shell in Captain Comstock's battery, by which Lieutenant Webb, of the 40th Massachusetts Regiment, was killed, and — Whitten, Company B, same regi- ment, and Thomas Cosick, Company K, 157th New York, were severely wounded. Three others were slightly wounded from the same cause. The firing was kept up regularly throughout the night. Shots were now going through one side of Sumter and passing out of the opposite side—we could see the channel through the apertures made. The naval battery fired 130 rounds, 75 of which struck Sumter. In the afternoon one of the SO.pounders was disabled in the breach—the result of its own discharge. The Whitworth's are to be removed from this battery, and Parrott's guns substituted. in their place. At night a sap was constructed from the third parallel to within 200 yards of Wagner, The rebels were also employed in build- ing a sap from Wagner towards our works. On Thursday about noon Wagner opened heavily on our land batteries, but was glad to draw, off after the ironsides had fairly got to work. With the exception of a score of rounds from the ironsides and a few from the gunboats the fleet- were not engaged. The monitors did i. not even advance toward the rebel works. In the morning the rebels commenced shelling the marsh battery from the batteries on James Island. During the day they fired one hundred and sixteen shots, only one of which struck the work. If that was a fair specimen of their gunners' skill they may fire till doomsday and no harm will be done. As it may be of interest to know how tne reoeis get provisions and ammunition into Gregg and Wagner, notwithstanding our guns command the channel between Sumter and Gregg, I will state that every day two black steamers may be seen plying from Charlt aton to the north side of Sumter. There°they remain till dark, and then slip over to Gregg and deposit their cargoes. Deserters say that the enemy and 30,000 men are on Morris Island, and 6,000 in Charleston. They were pro- tected on the island by a bomb-proof in the rear of Wagner. At night the firing was kept up with vigour.

Present Condition of Fort Sumter. The following description of the condition of Fort Sumter on the 21st of August, after four days' bombardment, is supplied by another news- paper correspondent at Morris Island. And yet, as we daily go up the beach to the front and climb the steep sand hills, or venture by slow stages through the zigzags to the parallels, the z;1 swift decline and sure decay of the rebel stronghold are wonderfully apparent. The wall was ragged yes- terday; it is still more ragged now. Last night there were a few holes through which the arches of the casemates which constitute the "officers' quar- ters" were visible; to-day they are developed into yawning, gaping breaches, at the foot of which lies a vast mass of debris, sloping down to the water's edge. We can look this morning into the former home of Major Anderson; we can see the interior of Captain Foster's apartments; we have within the range of our glasses the walls of Captain Seymour's rooms, and the rooms of all the other captains and lieutenants from whom the work was wrested little more than two years ago, and who are generals in the service now. When we last scanned the wall there were here and there bits of un- broken parapet; now they are knocked away, and a dismounted gun, or, what is more likely, a wooden imitation, has slid down the steep bank of ruins, and lies head for the bottom of the harbour. If you were to practise pistol shooting at a mouldy cheese for a month you could not more ruin the cheese than Sumter seems ruined already. Our pro- gress towards Fort Wagner within the past twenty- four hours has been, most rapid and unexampled. Under the direction of Captain Brooks, of General Gilmore's staff, and Captain Walker, of the New York Volunteer Engineers, our sap has been extended within that time over a hundred and forty yards. Our forces are working right under the eyes of the rebel sharpshooters, and our sap-rollers are filled with lead from their rifles. Still undismayed, our men toil on, and Wagner will ere long be a fitting reward for their heroic efforts. The fire of the rebel batteries on James Island was yesterday concentrated for the most part upon our Marsh Angel," as the men have christened the big gun on our extreme left; but an explosion in one of these works had the effect of stopping its fire altogether for some hours in the afternoon. The explosion evidently set fire to a quantity of brush which had been cleared away when the battery was unmasked, and a con- flagration raged there till late at night.

THE SUNDAY HAYMAKING CASE. Enforcement of the Penalties. An extraordinary scene was witnessed in Leigh on Friday last, and created much excitement and indig- nation. Mr. Superintendent Orton, the informer and prosecutor of a number of farmers and others, for saving a quantity of hay from an impending storm, accompanied by a large body of policemen, collected from the adjacent districts, proceeded to execute five warrants of distress on the goods and chattels of the recusants. The parties selected for punishment are all small farmers, who not only characterise the prose- cutions as invidious and uncalled for, but are advised, on good legal authority, that the convictions are illegal. The convictions are invidious because, at the very same sessions, the very same magistrates had before them six labourers for getting coal out of the canal on the Sunday,, but dismissed the charge on the ground that the work was one of necessity. We believe that the defendants are advised that the con- victions are bad, and the whole of these proceedings are illegal, amongst other reasons, because the section setting forth who shall not work on Sundays does not include farmers in its category, and the act specially excludes works of necessity and charity. None of the persons who assisted in getting in the hay, as neighbours, and who were convicted for aiding and abetting," have been levied upon. The warrants are issued on the goods and chattels of Messrs. Peter Cleworth, John Cleworth, Joseph Cleworth, Robert Howarth, and Joseph Battersby, and are signed by Richard Guest, Esq. Detachments of officers were sent to the residences of the five de- fendants to take possession," and Mr. Superintendent Orton and some of his officers proceeded on their levying mission. Their first visit was to Messrs. Cleworth's farm, near the Leigh Vicarage. Mr. Orton stated that his demand was < £ 2 6s., being 23s. each for penalty and costs, against Messrs. Peter and John Cleworth. A valuable cow was taken possession of by the police, and driven away. The police then pro- ceeded with the bailiff's cart to Mr. Joseph Cleworth's, in Bradshawgate, whence they obtained a sofa for their booty. After safely lodging this spoil. in the Town- hall, they proceeded to the residence of Joseph Bat- tersby, in Back-lane, Westleigh, and formally de- manded = £ 1 3s. The house and premises bore evident signs of most abject poverty, and Battersby's wife promptly informed the officers that they had much more need to bring them something, than take any- thing from them. She added, "If I had been the gentleman that sent you I would have lost it out of my own pocket before I would have distressed such as us. My husband is as sober and hard-working a man as any in the parish, and he was only trying to save our bit of hay, and get us a bit of bread, for we are badly enough off. We have not a blanket on our beds, neither under nor over, and it is hard if we must be distressed when we have done nothing wrong." Mr. Superintendent Orton withdrew his men, informing Mrs. Battersby that they would not remove anything. The police then proceeded to Mr. Robert Howarth's houje, near Westleigh Mill. Mr. Orton produced the distress warrant for £ 1 3s., but the defendant declined to pay.—Mr. Orton said I seize this chest of drawers in the Queen's name.—A handsome chest of drawers j' was then removed by the police. Although a considerable number of persons were present at each seizure, the utmost order was pre- served by all. A subscription has been vigorously commenced for the purpose of assisting the defendants in testing the validity of the convictions.

ARCHDEACON DENISON AT A HARVEST HOME. The Venerable Archdeacon Denison has been cele- brating his usual harvest home in the rural parish of East Brent. A local paper thus describes the dinner:— The chairman (the Archdeacon) was evidently ac- customed to the position, and he bore the honours of the day with jovial humour. Two sha,rp blows on the gong, and the quickly uttered word Grace," brought live hundred people to their feet. God bless these things to our use, for Jesus Christ our Lord's sake," was solemnly said, and before the company could sit down again, the chairman, with a "Now then," had thrust a huge 'carving-knife into a monster sirloin of beef. Then began the attack upon the enormous joints so ar of meat—joints so large, that beneath their weight any other tables than those rough deal planks might have tottered and fallen. The meat disposed of, troops of ladies, sixty in all, headed by the band, entered the tent at both ends, and walked round the tables in single file, each lady bearing in her hands a steaming plum-pudding decked with geranium and verbena blossoms. In the puddins? procession were Mrs. blossoms. In the pudding procession were Mrs. Denison and the Misses Denison, daughters of Sir c W. Denison, Misa Henley, daughter of the member for Oxfordshire, and Mrs. Goldsworthy and. others. When the puddings had been eaten, a monster loaf] (twenty quarterns) six feet long, and made of this year's corn, was brought in on four men's shoulders] and placed in front of the chairman, and while a burly farmer, with one foot on the table and another on a seat, was endeavouring to cut up this, a huge cheese, weighing upwards of eighty pounds, made its appear- ance. Among the guests was a Mr. Rawlings, an American, who was much cheered on expressing a hope that the Confederates would win the day.

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. The .business proceedings of this meeting were brought to a close on Wednesday. The activity dis- played by the different sections during the sittings of the association precluded anything like even a synopsis of all the valuable papers that were read being re- ported. Several essays, which were more particularly of local interest, were marked by great merit in the treatment of the different subjects. The progress of railways and locomotives of the districts adjoining the rivers Tyne, Wear, and Tees, by John F. Fore, was an able resume of the improvements which had taken place in railways. Another interesting paper was an abstract history and development of the engineering manufactures of the Tyne and neighbouring districts, by Percy Westmacott. In this paper, the share which the manufacturers of the district have had in perfecting general machine and mill work, stationary, locomotive and marine engines, hydraulic machinery, iron bridges, viaducts, and lighthouses, was fairly and ably set forth. An able paper, by Mr.' Jameson, "On Air Engines and an Air-compressing Apparatus," treated at length and with great ability a subject which is destined hereafter to excite more attention than it does at the present day. The proceedings of the association were appro- priately supplemented by excursions to 'Allenheads, the centre of the great lead mining district, to Cleve- land, where a vast quantity of iron is smelted, and the third and last of the excursions was that to the harbour town of Shields, and to Marsden upon the Durham coast. The larger section of these excur- sionists left Newcastle Quay by steamer, Mr. J. F'. Ure, the engineer to the River Tyne Commissioners, being their guide. He pointed out to the party, as they proceeded down the river, the extraordinary river works that were being carried out by the com- missioners, for the improvement of the Tyne, at a cost of and pier works that were going on at the harbour mouth, at an estimated cost of £ 600,000. The party also went on board No. 5 dredger, in Shields harbour-the largest craft of the kind in the world. The dredging plant of the, commissioners, when oonv pleted (in about three months time), will consist of six dredging machines, seven tug steamers, forty hoppers, ten screw hoppers, ten craft, and repairing shops, &c., of the value of about £ 250,000, which will be capable of raising out of the bed of the river about two and a half or three millions of sand and soil in the year. The magnesian limestone rocks at Marsden would have been a considerable source of interest to the geologists, providing the weather had been fine. A large number of the visitors to Shields enjoyed the hospitalities of Mr. Ingham, M.P., and the Mayor of South Shields, at Wistoe. The Gipsies. The following is an abstract of a paper, read at the' meeting by Mr. Crawford:— "The origin, as our old English has it, of the out- landish persons calling themselves Egyptians, or Gipsies,' and constituting a strange kind of common- wealth among themselves of wandering impostors and jugglers,' is, at least, a subject of great curiosity, not to say of great etymological import. Although their first appearance in Europe be coeval with the century which witnessed the discovery of the New World and the new passage to the Indies, no one thought of ascribing to them a Hindu origin, and this (hypothesis, the truth of which I now propose to examine, is. but of very recent date. Their Hindu origin was not for a long time even suspected; it has of late years, however, received general credence, and, I thiuk, justly. The arguments for it consist in the physical form of the people, in their language, and in the history of their migration. The evidence yielded by physical form will certainly not prove the gipsies to be of Hindu origin. The Hindus are all more or less black; and assuredly no nation or tribe of Hindus now exists, or is even known to have ever existed, as fair- as the gipsies of Europe. It is on language chiefly that we must rely for evidence of the Hindu origin of the gipsies, and even this is neither very full nor satisfactory. The dialects spoken by the different tribes of this people, although agreeing in several words, differ very materially from each other. Besides the genuine Indian words to be found in the language of the gipsies, they all contain a large inter- mixture of foreign tongues, consisting of words of the languages of the people they dwell or have dwelt amongst-of Persian, of Arabic, of Turkish, of Greek, of Hungarian, and of various Sclavonian tongues; these being, in some cases—as, for example, in the Persian—more numerous than the Hindu words. This is what was to be looked for from 400 years' residence in Europe, and their sojourn among Oriental nations in their necessarily slow journey westward. The Indian words which exist in the language of the gipsies, are by no means so numerous as the Latin ones which are found in the Welsh and American, or in the Irish and Gaelic, and there will be found want- ing in the gipsy language classes of words which are indispensable towards proving it of Indian parentage. Of the migration of the gipsies from India there is assuredly no record in Indian history, neither have we of their arrival in any Asiatic country before they reached Europe. In both France and Italy their first appearance was in an inland city, in both of which they began at once to tell fortunes; a fact which supposes, of course, some acquaintance with the language of the people whose fortunes they pretended to predict. From these two facts it may be inferred that gipsies were in France and Italy for some time before their appearance in Paris and Bologna. Most probably they came to Italy from Wallachia, through Servia, Bosnia, and Dalmatia, crossing the Adriatic; but what internal commotion led to their adventure is unknown. From Italy, where they were seen five years before they reached France, they probably found their way into the latter country. If the gipsies were originally an Indian people (and there is no other evi- dence of their having been so than a few words of an Indian language), they were most probably captives, carried off by some western invader with the hope of peopling his own desert lands. I must come to the conclusion that the gipsies, when above four centuries ago they first appeared in Western Europe, were already composed of a mixture of many different races, and that the present gipsies are still more mongrel. In the Asiatic portion of their lineage there is pro- bably a small infusion of Hindu blood; but this,.I think, is the utmost that can Jae predicted of their Indian pedigree. Strictly speaking, they are not more -Y Hindus in lineage than they are Persians, Turks, Wal- lachians, or Europeans; for they are a mixture of all of these, and that in proportions impossible to be ascertained."

THE DISCOVERY OF BODIES IN WHITE- ÓHAPEL CHURCH, A strange discovery has lately been made in St Mary's Church, Whitechapel. Workmen were engaged in repairing the roof of that edifice, when, close under the old tiling, they discovered the body of a murdered child in an advanced state of decomposition. On Thursday evening Mr. Churchwarden Lankester di- rected that a thorough search should be made on the roof of the church, and Joseph Cooper and Joseph Tomlinson, who had made, on the 22nd ult., the first discovery, while they were engaged in fixing patent ventilators in the roof, accordingly made a careful examination of the whole. The result of this search was, that in all eleven coffins, three of which contained bodies of children, were brought to light. Eight of the coffins were broken asunder and were in pieces, apparently from violence; three were in good condition, and one had written on it in black-lead pencil, "Mrs. Foster, No. 35, Bedford-street." Two of the children are supposed to have been stillborn. It is not apparent how the third child came by its death. In addition to these remains about seven skulls of children were found, and they were stained with blood. TVierfi were some bones and dust, and the remains of Nothing. A cap was on the head of one of the bodies, md napkins were also lying amongst the remains. The sexton, Mr. Wilkinson, states it as his opinion that the bodies prove by the manner in which they crumble into dust when touched that they must have been deposited in the roof forty or fifty years ago. Other persons, however, are of opinion that at least one of the bodies has been dead only twelve months. Infor- mation of the facts has not as yet been received bv Mr. Humphrey, the coroner, and therefore it will entirely depend upon what may transpire hereafter whether inquests will be deemed necessary. The bodies are at present deposited in a cupboard in Whitechapel church. On Saturday morning a search in a part of the church hitherto overlooked was instituted by order of Mr. Churchwarden Powell, and with the most unex- pected results. In the belfry, behind a sort of wooden chamber or box containing one of the huge clock weights, a child's coffin was found standing on end. Upon proceeding upstairs into the clock chamber the men employed in the examination found a child in a shroud, and no fewer than eleven skulls. There was also in another part of the chamber a coffin containing a quantity of sawdust, which, upon being removed, disclosed to view the skeleton of a child, with a cap on the skull. These and other remains had been placed behind some beams or joists, parallel to the wall, at a height of eighteen feet above the floor of the chamber. In "'order to reach the spot where the remains were found, it is stated that two persons at least must have been engaged, for the only access to it was by means of a narrow ledge of timber eight feet from the ground, and the coffins must have been handed up to the person above by an accomplice. A builder,Mr. Hicks, of White- chapel, has been engaged to carry out this further search. A carpenter, John Roche, employed under him, states that from the appearance of the wood in the coffins some at least of them must have been placed where they were found within the last two years. Fragments of others present the appearance of being thirty years old. It is strange that these remains were not dis- covered before, as a marble slab in the bell chamber states that the bells were thoroughly repaired in honour of the marriage of the Prince of Wales, on the 10th of March last. On Saturday afternoon Mr. John Humphreys, the Middlesex coroner, and a jury, assembled at the Angel Tavern, High-street, Whitechapel, to investigate the circumstances attending the discovery. The jury having been sworn, they proceeded to view the bodies, and upon their return, the coroner said, although there had been fourteen bodies found, he should only f*o into the evidence respecting' one. Joseph Cooper was then sworn, and said that he was a carpenter, and was engaged on Thursday morning at Whitechapel Church, and was also employed there on the 22nd ult. He was engaged on the roof, and found a coffin about a quarter to nine o'clock in the morning. He opened it, and found a child. He gave information to the authorities. The coffin was found on the south side, between the rafters, under a tie-beam under the gutter. He did not know how it came there. Joseph Tomlinson, another carpenter, gave corrobo- rative evidence. Mr. Charles Blackman, M.B.C.S., of High-street, Whitechapel, said that he was called to see the first body on Monday afternoon last. From the state of decomposition the body was in, he could not say whether deceased had been born alive.. There was no fracture of the skull, or any bone, and the skin had become quite tanned. The lungs were also destroyed, and he believed that the deceased had been dead from one to two years. He had made the inspection in conjunction with Mr. Liddell, the medical officer of health, and he confirmed his opinion. Mr. John Liddell, the Government medical officer, was examined, and said he was present when the ex- amination of the bodies took place. He was of opinion that the child was not born alive, and the sex was not distinguishable. It was difficult to say how long the child had been dead. He could not discover any marks of violence. Mr. John Holly, of Orange-row, Charlotte-street, Whitechapel, an undertaker, said that he had had a great many funerals in the parish. It was his custom to bury at Whitechapel Church, more particularly still- born children. Witness used to forward the bodies by a man named Smith, who assisted at the church. Witness used to give him half-a, crown, and directed him to give it to the sexton with the certificate. Wit- ness used to give him something for himself as porter or messenger. It was not the practice to see still-born children buried. William Shipman, 79, Quaker-street, Spitalfields, said that he was steeple-keeper and bellman. Witness had access to the church when he wished. Witness used to find the key on a shelf, and Mr. Corner, the head bellringer, used to let himself in at the front gate. Sometimes he had gone to Mr. Wilkinson for the church key on Sunday mornings. It was generally about half-past six o'clock in the morning when he went. He knew the man Smith, who died about two years since. There had been no gravedigger in the ground since his death. Witness had received J61 per year for keeping the ground in order. There had been no burials there since he had been engaged at the church. Witness had never taken in any still-born child for burial, nor did he ever see one brought there. Walter Varoo, a journeyman undertaker, was exa- mined, but his evidence merely showed that he had sent still-born children to the deceased man Smith for burial. Witness never saw Wilkinson on any occasion. The bodies were sent by Mr. Holly, the undertaker. Smith always received them, and placed them in a sack. Sometimes he would bring a black cloth. He had taken as many as four coffins at one time. He believed that the coffins could not have been taken in unobserved. It was usual to have a certificate with the body. Joseph Corner, the chief bellringer, No. 2, Norland- place, Bishopsgate-street, said that he had been a gravedigger in various places. Had never buried any still-born children at Whitechapel Church, where he had formerly been gravedigger. He had left there three years. He never knew anything of the burials. The inquiry at this stage was adjourned, and the Coroner said he was in hopes that at the next meeting of the jury some light would be thrown on the mystery which at present surrounded the inquiry..

— The London magistrates are putting down the objectionable exhibitions styled poses plastiques. Se- veral proprietors of refreshment rooms where these figures are shown have been ordered to suppress the exhibitions, under a threat of heavy penalties in the event of non-compliance. The annual Eisteddfod the gathering of Welsh bards-is now being held at Swansea. The proceedings commenced under the presidency of Mr. Hussey Vivian, M.P. Various prizes were awarded for poems and songs, and the national music found admirable exponents in a large body of singers headed by some vocalists of well-earned celebrity. Accident on the Scottish Central Railway. -An accident, resulting in the death of Charles Strong, belonging to Bridgend, Perth, guard in the employment of the Scottish Central Railway Com- pany, occurred at larbort station on Friday morning. It appears that Strong was engaged shunting wagons at Larbert station and, while doing so, a wagon loaded with stone came unexpectedly against him, whereby he was knocked down, and; the wheels of the wagon passed over his body, causing instant death. The unfortunate, man hag Mt. & mfo and family- to lament Ms loss.